Lebanese Cabbage Rolls

What to do with a languishing head of cabbage in my fridge?  My first thought was coleslaw but that requires pan-fried catfish as a go-along and that was not in my fridge.  I hadn't made cabbage rolls in a long time and it sounded really good.  I then decided to go the vegetarian route and make them  middle-eastern spiced.

Cabbage rolls can be time consuming since they require several different steps.  I try to do several at one time to speed things up.  While the rice was cooking for the stuffing, I boiled the cabbage leaves and chopped vegetables.  I had homemade tomato sauce in the freezer, so that elemented one step.  After vegetables are sauted and the rice and cabbage are cooked, just wrapping them remains.

Rice, garlic, onion, zucchini. green pepper and craisins.  Cinnamon and allspice added for the middle-eastern taste.

Roll and tuck leaves and filling as tightly as possible and place seam side down in large casserole.  Top with sauce and bake 350 for 30 minutes.

I didn't follow a recipe, but if anyone is interested I can probably come up with something fairly close.  The problem with vegetarian meals is they just don't fill you up like meat.  John and I ate over half this pan for supper.

Salmon with Gnocci & Mushrooms

To celebrate my new job as culinary director at Mercy Creek,  we dined with Kate and Zach in Grand Rapids at the downtown restaurant, Six One Six.  Everyone had wonderful dishes, but I really liked the flavor of John's dish - Salmon with Potato Gnocci & Mushrooms drizzled with Ramp Pesto.  This is my recreation.

I've never made gnocci before and everything I read told me that it takes practice - they're right.  There's nothing difficult about making the gnocchi but forming it to look nice does take time.  After cooking it for just 3 minutes, I tossed it with sauted mushrooms to brown.

I didn't have ramps for the pesto, so I substituted spinach, basil and chives which was a really good combination.  A quickly sauted filet of salmon rounded out the dish.

My gnocchi were not the cute little guys that you see in photos or restaurants - that will take me some time.  But they were so good and I'm already thinking of other versions like herb or spinach.  Yum Yum.

Mother-Daughter Tea

Every year our church, West Twin Grove Christian Church, hosts a spring tea for not only mothers and daughters, but for all interested women.  I've had so much fun planning, decorating and preparing the food for these events and the ladies are all so appreciative.  The best part of the tea is constructing and decorating the glass dessert tower.  I've used this so many times I've lost count, but it's always a hit.  Our theme this year was "Be Still and Know that I am God".  I used a pretty light acqua blue as my colors because it reminds me of calm water.  The desserts every year are different, but the cucumber tea sandwiches are requested each year and I always make chicken salad along with some fruit and vegetable trays. 

Fish Tacos

I'm taking a short break from Super Bowl preview to make our gameday food - Fish Tacos.  We couldn't get enough of them in Hawaii and still craving them.  Couldn't get any fresh mahi-mahi so just used plain ole tilapia and they came out great.

I watched the Chalupa Truck guy make his tacos and he applied a liberal amount of spices which looked and tasted to me like cumin, paprika and chili powder.  I did the same and sauted them in a little oil and served on a flamed heated tortilla with a fresh lime & red cabbage relish.  Delish.

Go Giants!

Falafel

Since trying falafel at The Rock in Uptown Normal, I've been wanting to make it for myself at home.  Falafel is a fried vegetable patty usually consisting of ground chickpeas, spices and parsley or cilantro.  It is a popular street food in the Middle East and usually served in a pita pocket or flatbread with cucumbers, tomatoes and a tahini sauce.

I used a basic recipe that was very simple.  You can mash the chickpeas by hand, but I put all ingredients in my food processor and it was mixed in less than a minute.  I formed the ground mixture into small patties and fried in a small amount of oil for just 3-5 minutes.

Tahini Sauce is the traditional accompaniment, but I served mine with a yogurt-cumin sauce. 

Naan bread is more Indian than Middle Eastern but any kind of flatbread or pocketbread works well to hold the patties.  These would also make great vegetarian burgers served on a bun.

Falafel

1 can chickpeas, drained

1/4 c. cilantro or parsley

1/4 c. finely diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. cumin

1 t. red pepper flakes

1/2 t. baking powder

2 T. flour

salt & pepper

Combine all in food processor until well mixed.  Form into patties and fry in oil for 3-5 minutes until deep golden brown on both sides.  Drain on paper towel and serve with choice of sauce & condiments.

Beef Pasty

With a number of leftovers in my fridge this weekend, it was the perfect time to make pasties.  You can't find them on restaurant menus here in Central Illinois, but they're a regional favorite in Upper Peninsula of Michigan where they take great pride in their pasties. 

The pasty (rhymes with nasty) is best described as a pot pie without the pot.   Traditional ones consist of pastry dough with a meat and potato filling, but any leftovers can be turned into pasties.  Pasties originated with miners in England who carried these portable lunches in pails down in the mines.  They could be reheated in their pails with a burning candle underneath or on the ends of shovels.  Those miners who immigrated to the copper mines of the Upper Peninsula brought the pasty tradition with them. 

My pasties were filled with leftover roast beef, carrots and peas.  I used pie dough as the pastry and used my Pampered Chef pastry tool to cut them out and seal the top.  Baking for just 30 minutes in a hot oven they turned out nicely browned and yummy. 

Grilled Pizza with Arugula

Grilled Pizza with Arugula

Even though most of my greens are long gone by this time I'm still picking some wonderful arugula.  Arugula, sometimes called Rocket, is a peppery green that can have a bitter taste.  It is usually mixed with other milder greens in salads, can be used on burgers or sandwiches and melds well with italian dishes.  I love to serve pizza or flatbreads topped with greens and this combination of margherita-style pizza and vinaigrette dressed arugula is a winning combination.   

Grilled Pizza with Arugula

Even though most of the greens in my garden have succumbed to the summer heat, I'm still picking some wonderful arugula.  Arugula, sometimes called Rocket, is a peppery green that can have a bitter taste.  It is usually mixed with other milder greens in salads, can be used on burgers or sandwiches and melds well with italian dishes.  I love to serve pizza or flatbreads topped with greens and this combination of margherita-style pizza and vinaigrette dressed arugula is a winning combination.   



Grilled Margherita Pizza with Arugula

Pizza Dough for 16 inch pizza
1 1/2 lbs. fresh tomatoes or 15oz can diced tomatoes
2 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small tin anchovies, optional
1 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 lb. fresh mozzeralla or 2 c. shredded mozzeralla
fresh  basil leaves or vinaigrette dressed arugula

Heat olive oil in large skillet and add tomatoes, garlic and anchovies if using.  Break up tomatoes with a fork.  Add red pepper flakes, sugar and salt and pepper and cook about 15 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Roll out dough to fit pan.  Let rise 15 minutes.  Prebake crust in 450 oven for 7 minutes or carefully slide onto a preheated grill and cook 2 minutes, flip and cook an additional 2 minutes or until cooked through.  Top with sauce & cheese and grill until bubbly.  Top with fresh basil leaves or arugula salad.



German-Style Kielbasa Skillet

I get my recipes from several different sources, but some of my keepers have come from the students themselves.  I was approached one day last semester from a sorority girl that handed me this recipe and told me that she thought it sounded good - I agreed.  I served it the next week and received many compliments and now it's a favorite not only at the sorority but at home too.  I made just a couple changes - adding chopped green pepper and fresh parsley and slicing the potatoes instead of using cubed.  I had yukon gold potatoes in my bin so I used them and they added a beautiful golden color.  The mustard and vinegar sauce that is poured over the potatoes at the last minute adds that nice tang reminiscent of many German dishes.

German-Style Kielbasa Skillet

1 lb. potatoes, cooked, cooled and sliced

3//4 lb. sliced kielbasa

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 green pepper, chopped

2-3 T. oil

2 T. brown sugar

2 T. cider vinegar

1 T. dijon mustard

salt & pepper

fresh parsley

Heat oil in large skillet and add onions and green peppers.  Cook until onions are tender, about 5 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook until brown, at least 5 minutes, then turn and cook another 5 minutes.  Add kielbasa and cook until heated through.  Combine brown sugar, vinegar and mustard and pour over all.  Stir well, season and garnish with fresh parsley.  Serves 4

Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

During the final week of school I like to give the girls some of their favorites.  Tonight a large tray of sushi was ordered from Fresh Market and I paired it with a Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with  peppers and sugar snap peas.  Because my kitchen consists of two electric home size ranges, I have to make the stir fry in small batches.  I found that if I stir fry the chicken ahead of time along with partially cooking the vegetables, I can then combine everything later with the sauce to finish the dish.  Fresh ginger and garlic added with the chicken is a must for flavor and that great stir fry aroma.

Pesto Penne with Sun Dried Tomatoes

I've got a couple vegetarians in the sorority that I cook for and I'm always looking for something new for them.  The inspiration for this dish came from a menu of a restaurant in Cedar Falls, Iowa called Montage.  Now I admit I've never eaten there but this sounded so good that I thought maybe I should do some experimenting and see what I could come up with.  I made my traditional pesto with basil and spinach, but did not include nuts of any kind.  I sauted red onions, yellow bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes and oil and tossed it along with the pesto and pasta.  A sprinkling of parmesan was all it needed - so fast, easy and satisfying - this will be on my regular menu rotation for sure!