Food goodness

Heidi101 recipe #2 of the week. She is 2 for 2. We loved the panzanella and now we're loving this carrot and bean salad atop steamed tilapia. I'm developing a regular habit of omitting the last ingredient in most recipes due to any number of quaint factors that diminish my mental capacity. That is, I just this minute was reminded that there should have been an almondy crunch to complete the dish. Didn't miss it but I'm sure it'd be lovely. >>>>> I like to buy young carrots at the farmers' market - slice them slightly thicker than a banana chip for this salad. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots more olive oil (or ghee) for cooking 2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias 3 cups cooked white beans scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey) 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted Combine the

So I have been feeling more than mildly interested in Heidi101's new book (fickle, I know), but worried that after reading it I'd just want to magically transport my family to her SF neighborhood where we would grow millet pods and farro trees and demararra sugarbushes and I can be the whole new me who is always patient with my children... Anyway, Grg made a good series of suggestions 1) Don't buy the book when you know where to get the recipes for free. 2) If I really want to make her food, then make her food, then decide whether I'm going to... 3) check it out of the library or not. Great advice, Grg. So here we go! Three 101 recipes on the menu for the week. The first one is this panzanella and it was wonderful. I forgot to add the basil at the end and it was still wonderful. I made a giant heap of it and was literally passing bowls of it to neighbors who were enjoying their porches last evening on my block. I made one addition because we were going to eat it for din

Geoff and I made this for dinner last night. I was a little skeptical of putting tomatoes and grapes together, but it was a really simple and delicious dish that came together easily. Cooking Light recommends serving this with pan-grilled asparagus. We intended to do that, but ended up skipping it, since we weren't that hungry. Recipe for asparagus is at the bottom. Bow Ties with Tomatoes, Feta, and Balsamic Dressing Source: Cooking Light, July 2009 Serves 4 Prep time: 20 minutes Ingredients 6 ounces uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta) (we bumped this up to 8 oz, since it was easier to estimate it from a 16 oz box) 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (we used regular balsamic vinegar....the result wasn't as pretty as the picture, but we figured the flavor was the same) 2 tablespoons chopped shallots 2 teaspoons capers 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced

I made this with asparagus, caramelized onions and chicken-apple sausage, but you could really use any combination of stuff that sounds good -- I think you just need enough veg and sausage to fill the skillet about halfway. It's tempting to fill it even more, but don't go so high that it will hit the top of your broiler, or else your frittata will be burned and sad. 4 chicken-apple sausages, chopped into small pieces one huge bunch of asparagus, sliced diagonally into small pieces 4 onions, caramelized using Alissa's quiche technique 6 eggs splash of skim milk 2 T olive oil salt and pepper parsley for sprinkling (optional) green onions, diced for the top (optional) hot sauce of some type (optional) (this one's not really that optional) Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or other oven-safe pan, which is about to get a workout. Caramelize the onions and remove them all from the pan, but leave the nice brown stuff sticking to the bottom. Cook the asparagus in that,

From: King Arthur Uh... nom, nom, nom. These are really rich and delicious. I usually feel like I could eat a second brownie (I love brownies), but these were so rich that one was plenty. They are rich, dark, and fudgy but without the "underbaked" consistency that you often find in brownies. Taking a page from Heidi's book (well, the way Heidi baked brownies in the late 90's) - I sprinkled Heath Bar bits over the top of half of these. I love anything with Heath Bar in it. Anyway.... these were great. I made them to take in to work tomorrow for someone's birthday, which is good because I couldn't eat a ton of these even if I wanted to, so I'm glad they won't be sticking around my house long. 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 2 1/4 cups sugar 4 large eggs 1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon espresso powder 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour 2 cups chocolate chips (heath bar bits f

One pot and one cutting board only! I'm going to be eating this for lunch all week. Based heavily on another lemon orzo recipe from Everybody Loves Sandwiches . half a box of orzo one bag baby spinach one bunch asparagus, sliced in 1/4-inch pieces on the diagonal handful of frozen peas 2 T olive oil juice and zest from one or two lemons 2 fat clove garlic, minced half an onion, minced (red would have been better) about 2 T grated parmesan 1/3 c feta cheese, crumbled good grind of black pepper almonds or chickpeas (optional) Cook orzo in salted water until it's about half done, stirring frequently. Throw in the asparagus and peas and cook until everything is tender. Turn off the heat and add the spinach, stirring until wilted. Drain it all. Throw everything else in but the feta. If you use feta, you probably won’t need salt, but adjust seasonings to your taste. Wait until it's fairly cool to put in the feta so it doesn't melt in. ELS also puts freshly roasted almonds

I'm making this soup right now, and just commented to Ernie "this is everything good about spring, all in one pot." I also lightened up the original recipe just a bit, by adding more green and less potato. I'm sure it's lovely with all that potato, but then I can't justify eating it as often as I'd like to. 1 Tbsp olive oil 6 green onions 2 large garlic cloves 1/2 pound fingerlings, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes 1 quart vegetable stock Salt 1/2 pound artichoke hearts (I used those lovely frozen ones from Trader Joes) 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen) 1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch chunks 3 cups greens (dandelion, chard, spinach, kale, arugula, etc), sliced into thin ribbons (I used rainbow chard) Up to 1/4 cup pesto Grated parmesan or pecorino cheese for garnish (I will omit, sadly) Chop the green onions and green garlic and separate the white and light green parts from the green

And yet another Weight Watchers recipe. This one was also surprising, because it didn't taste like diet food at all. 3 Tbsp rosemary, leaves, fresh, chopped 3 Tbsp thyme, fresh, leaves, fresh, stemmed 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground 2 spray(s) cooking spray 1 1/4 pound(s) salmon fillet(s), with or without skin, Atlantic, skinless (four 5-ounce pieces) 4 Tbsp Dijon Mustard, regular or grainy-variety Instructions Turn on the broiler and get it nice and hot. Mix the rosemary, thyme and pepper in a small bowl. Spray the bottom of the fish fillets with nonstick spray. Spread 1 tablespoon mustard on the top of each fillet. Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the herb mixture on top of each. Place herb side up on the grate directly over the heat. Cover the grill and cook until the fish flakes when gently scraped with a fork, about 12 minutes. Transfer to plates with a wide spatula. Yields 1 fillet per serving. (4 Servings, 7 WW Points per serving)

Another Weight Watchers recipe. I think we were all surprised how good it really was. 1 cup(s) parsley, fresh, leaves 1/2 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, leaves 1 clove(s) (large) garlic clove(s), smashed with the side of a knife and peeled 1/4 cup(s) water 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 2 tsp olive oil 1 tsp fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp table salt 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground 2 spray(s) cooking spray 1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces 1 medium sweet red pepper(s), sliced into 1-inch strips 1 medium orange pepper, sliced into 1-inch strips 1 medium yellow pepper(s), sliced into 1-inch strips Instructions In a blender, place parsley, cilantro, garlic, water, vinegar, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend on high, pulsing, until a smooth sauce is formed; set aside. Coat a stovetop grill pan with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Place chicken in pan and grill until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side; remove chicken from pan, cover t

Weight Watchers calls these "mock mashed potatoes" but honestly? Just call them what they are -- mashed cauliflower with a few potatoes thrown in. In any case, it's really good. And doesn't completely alleviate my craving for mashed potatoes, but are a good substitute. And Katie liked them, too. 8 oz cauliflower, florets 3 small uncooked Yukon Gold potato(es), peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 10 oz) (I used red potatoes) 2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), peeled 1 tsp table salt, divided 1/4 cup(s) low-fat milk 2 tsp butter 1/8 tsp black pepper 1 Tbsp chives, fresh, snipped Place cauliflower, potatoes, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain and return to saucepan. Stir in milk, butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper; mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in chives and serve. Yields about 1/2 cup per servin

Meatballs are a favorite with the little smaller members of our household, so I'm always looking for a new way to make them. I lightened these up from the original recipe , so that it didn't cost me as many Weight Watchers points. Yes, I'm becoming that person. Still, they were good. ½ cups Minced Fresh Onion 2 cloves Garlic, Minced 20 ounces, weight Lean Ground Turkey 1 whole Egg ½ cups Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce 1/2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley 1 teaspoon Ground Allspice ¼ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg 1 whole 14.5 Oz. Can Low Sodium chicken broth 3 Tablespoons All-purpose flour ¼ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper ½ teaspoons Salt, Or To Taste ¼ cups Light Sour Cream Preheat oven to 350 F. In small skillet, heat olive oil over med. heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute 2-3 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. In medium mixing bowl, combine turkey, onions and garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, 1 T. Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 T. parsley, allspice, and nutmeg. Shape me

From my favorite domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson. If you are a fan of Nigella then you know that she includes at least one recipe for a pavlova in pretty much every cookbook. This one is from Feast and I adapted it a smidge and added chocolate sauce on top. Note, this is NOT a dessert that you make at the last minute. The pav needs to bake for 1.5 hrs and then be allowed to cool completely in the oven. The rest comes together in a snap, tho. Also, it looks magnificent and the guests at the dinner party where I served this dessert were thrilled. Also? Gluten-free. Really important note: DO NOT USE egg whites from a carton. It will result in a fail. Use whites from eggs you cracked yourself being very careful not to get a single speck of yolk in them. Save the yolks for use in making ice cream or custard. Makes 10-12 servings. For the pav: 8 egg whites pinch salt 2.5 C sugar (super-fine if you have it) 4 tsp cornstarch 2 tsp champagne or white wine vinegar 1 tsp vanilla ext