Homemade Croutons

 

This recipe is for you if you a) hate store-bought croutons and think they taste like cardboard and b) like easy recipes and c) love salad.

This is dedicated to you Missy, who, in a recent spaghetti and salad post, confessed your dire hatred for pre-packaged croutons. And it's totally your style because it’s frickin’ e-a-s-y!

All you need is some good bread. French bread, sour dough, crusty wheat, whatever. This is the perfect thing to do with day or two old bread. Cut it into 1 inch cubes and throw them in a plastic baggie. Shake the bread cubes with a generous drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano or parsley. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake on 350 until golden brown. (the only hard part is you can't get busy and forget to watch them like I did, below. Good thing I had extra bread!) Pull them out and let them cool and harden. These last for at least a week stored in a sealed plastic bag so you can use them all week in your salads.

 

Cut...

 

Toss...

 

Burn... oops. Don't be like me. Let's try that again.

 

Perfect.

 

Clearly the Croutons are the star of this Caesar Salad.

 

 

 

To make the semi-homeade Caesar salad above, slice some romaine lettuce, roast some garlic (wrap a head of garlic in tinfoil and bake at 350 for 45 min, cool, then peel), add some grilled chicken, homemade croutons, a slice of lemon and toss with your favorite Caesar dressing.

Spaghetti Bake and Salad Discoveries

I love me some meatloaf but it's one of the few foods I don't really love to have leftover. Like who really wants meatloaf two nights in a row? Or fish? Or probably a lot of things if I really think about it now that I'm thinking about it...

In our house, leftover meatloaf always becomes the meat in the spaghetti meat sauce for night two. And last night it happened again, but in a more spaghetti bake casserole type of way. It was delicious!

Meatloaf Spaghetti Bake

1/2 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
Leftover meatloaf, cut into chunks
1 jar  (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1  egg, beaten
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375°F.

Cook spaghetti as directed on package, omitting salt.

Drain spaghetti; place in large bowl. Add egg, 1 cup mozzarella and Parmesan; toss to coat. Place in 8-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with meat, spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella. Dash with more Parm.

Bake 15 min. or until heated through. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Salad: Keepin' it Crunchy

I don't really think my salad findings deserve their own post, but because we do have a simple green salad just about every night with dinner, I've found a few simple ways to keep it interesting. I've been going thru my pantry to find anything other than croutons for that added crunch. I don't even like croutons that much -- unless they're on some super gourmet salad from some super gourmet restaurant. If anyone has a lead on good croutons you can buy in a store that don't taste like cardboard, I'd love to know... So far, my favorite salad toppings include chia seeds (for the health nut), french fried onions (for the anti-health nut), slivered almonds or nuts of any kind, and my new favorite: boxed seasoned stuffing mix! And even though the stuffing mix is kind of like a bunch of smaller cheap croutons that I should hate, it totally works because they're tiny croutons that give you a crunch without that big bite of cardboard. 

And that's my salad rant. The end.  

How to Make Kale Salad

Kale is like, the most popular vegetable on the planet right now. If it could get an academy award it would. In fact, it deserves its own cover on People. Do you know why it’s so popular? Because it’s like, the best thing you could ever put in your body. But if you’re like most people, you might be wondering why you can’t jump on the kale bandwagon. What is it about this leafy green and purple that even tastes remotely good? I’m here to save the day and let you know there are lots of ways to make kale delicious—the easiest and one of the healthiest of which is to make a kale salad. And here’s how you do it.

1)      Grab a bushel of green or purple kale. I like to mix green and purple so I get one of each

2)      Wash

3)      Peel kale from the spines

4)      Mush kale all together on a cutting board and slice very thinly, as if you were making shredded iceberg lettuce (which has like, no nutritional value by the way)

5)      Put in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil

6)      Add the juice of half a lemon (or whole, depending on how much you’re making)

7)      Add course sea salt and pepper

8)      Take off your rings and get your hands in there. Massage that kale like you love it. Get the oil and lemon juice all up in those leaves. (This makes sure the kale is not dry and gross, and is a very important step in the process)

9)      Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (freshly shaved is the best but as you see from my picture I used (gasp!) Kraft)

10)   To make a real meal out of it and be like an incredibly delicious restaurant my sister Linde takes me to in Reno called Campo, pile salad high on a plate and top with an over-medium fried egg. You have to trust me on this.
 

 

 

 

Other Kale Recipes on BATF:

Kale Recipes

Where's the Kale?

Vegan Kale Dish (and fantasy dessert)

All Kale Bacon!

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Recipe

Obviously we love our Kale.

And, the top 10 reasons Kale is so damn good for you, according to www.mindbodygreen.com :

Kale is being called “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.” Here are ten great benefits of adding more kale to your diet:

 

1. Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium as well as those listed below.

 

2. Kale is high in iron. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron is essential for good health, such as the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transporting oxygen to various parts of the body, cell growth, proper liver function and more.

 

3. Kale is high in Vitamin K. Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers. It is also necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal bone health and the prevention of blood clotting. Also increased levels of vitamin K can help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

 

4. Kale is filled with powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids help protect against various cancers.

 

5. Kale is a great anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids, which help, fight against arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.

 

6. Kale is great for cardiovascular support. Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.

 

7. Kale is high in Vitamin A. Vitamin A is great for your vision, your skin as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.

 

8. Kale is high in Vitamin C. This is very helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration.

 

9. Kale is high in calcium. Per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk, which aids in preventing bone loss, preventing osteoporosis and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Vitamin C is also helpful to maintain cartilage and joint flexibility

 

10. Kale is a great detox food. Kale is filled with fiber and sulfur, both great for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy.

 

Mandarin Orange Blue Cheese Salad

It’s pretty typical that all six of us don’t get together unless Megan is in town. She’s sort of like the Movie Star amongst us, flitting here and there on yachts, dining at places like Italy, Greece, and Aspen, and experiencing the beauty of a world the five of us could only imagine. Yes, she does have to work hard, clean up and prepare food for rich people, but to the rest of us being a stewardess on a yacht seems like a pretty glamorous life. So when she does make time in her schedule to come home to Washington State we can’t help ourselves but plan a big get-together complete with lots of laughter, trashy magazines, spa time, and what else…. Hmmm… it feels like I’m missing something here. Oh yeah! FOOD!

This year we decided to spend an evening preparing a Christmas Feast, to, um, do our followers a favor and help them with some recipe ideas. I know, we are so selfless. We do this ALL for you. I was in charge of the salad. Can you believe it? Just the salad! So since I felt like I’d gotten off a little easy this time around I knew it couldn’t be any old salad. Which is why I chose my most favorite salad of all time, originally posted by my cousin Beth Sobel. Mandarin Orange Blue Cheese Salad. It was perfect for a Christmas Feast. Light, citrusy, a bit creamy and a little crunchy and sweet. It was just what we needed.

 

Because we were waiting for our honorary Beauty, Kirsten (Megan’s childhood friend and fellow foodie), to arrive at the cabin on the shuttle, we thought we’d start the evening off with the salad. Here’s my simplified recipe of the original below. (And for the original recipe, complete with instructions on making your very own caramelized pecans, click here.)



Here's the final product, paired with Apple Cider Honey Bourbon. Recipe coming soon...

 

Mandarin Orange Blue Cheese Salad serves 8

2 large heads Lettuce, chopped small
2 cans Mandarin Oranges
½ cup Scallions, sliced
1 cup (or more) Blue Cheese crumbles
1 bag Emerald Glazed Pecans
½ cup Poppy Seed Dressing
½ cup to 1 cup orange juice

Directions
Add all salad ingredients into a big bowl. Combine Orange Juice and Poppy Seed Dressing together and mix well. Toss.

Rachel and me. Obviously very proud of the salad.

 

 

 

"I hate when you are doing something and you think 'isn't there someone you can pay to do this?'  And you realize you are the person being paid to do this. My glamorous life!" - Megan Crosby

 

 

Crispy Chicken Mexican Salad

I know what you're saying to yourself right now: I had you at Crispy Chicken. There’s something about that warm, crunchy crispy goodness on a nice cold salad. Stop thinking this isn't good for you; it isn't. But if you must make yourself feel better about it, think about all the beautiful greens you're consuming accidentally as you poke your fork around hunting for the fried bites of chicken.

Crispy Chicken Mexican Salad

Salad Ingredients
Lettuce/Salad Greens
Black Olives, Canned black beans, Slices of Avocado, tomato, onion, whatever!
Shredded cheddar or jack cheese
Crispy Chicken, cooked. Use something like Tyson’s Crispy Chicken Strips.
Crumbled up tortilla chips
Hot Sauce

Salad Dressing
1 part sour cream to 2 parts of your favorite salsa

Directions
Cook the chicken pieces according to package directions. While cooking, combine all salad ingredients and dressing, save for the tortilla chips and hot sauce. Serve salad and add crispy chicken to the top on each plate. Sprinkle with crumbled tortilla chips and hot sauce.

 

For another version of this delicious salad, make it Oriental by using lettuce, water chestnuts, mandarin oranges, green onions and crispy noodles. Toss with an Asian Vinaigrette or make your own dressing with soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Add your crispy chicken and - BAM!

Bread Salad

Bread.  Salad.  Um, yes, maybe not the most nutritious salad in the world, but has my vote for one of the most delish.

A few months ago I was trying to come up with something easy and delicious to bring to a book club meeting and my husband, Brock, suggested taking a bread salad.  (side note:  I have major anxiety about things like this and cooking in general  – Brock is the chef at Dahlia Lounge so sometimes feel like I need to turn up with something amazing.  I know that sound silly since he’s the chef, not me, but some people seem to think his “skills” would have rubbed off on my more.  Whatever. )  At first it seemed a little daunting (Dahlia has an amazing Tuscan Bread Salad they’ve had on the menu forEVER), but I decided to give my own version a try and found it was relatively quick and easy (done while my 10 month old was napping) and attempt #1 turned out quite well.  I decided to make it again to take to a 4^th of July BBQ a few weeks later and had success again!  Emily’s had the book club and July 4^th versions and asked that I do a guest post for BATF’s salad month, so here you have it.

I’ve since brought it to a few other dinners with friends since and each time have made a few tweaks.  I’ve finally found the dressing that I think I’ll go with 100% of the time (below) and I’ve decided that this “salad” or version thereof is now my official go-to when asked to bring a side and I’m excited to see how it can evolve with the seasons.

Delicious, Toasty Bread

Bread Salad

Salad Ingredients:

One Crusty Loaf of Bread (Macrina’s Giuseppe, Dahlia Bakery’s House Loaf or similar) – Cut into 1” thick slices removing crust

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup greens* - clean and torn

1/2 pint Cherry, Grape or other small Tomatoes – halved or quartered

8 oz. Fresh Mozzarella (I like the smallest, “pearl” sized ones)

2 oz.  Salami, Capicola (or similar) – sliced into 1/4" strips (I’m partial to Bavarian Meats)

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan or Romano

8 Leaves Fresh Basil

Optional:

4 oz. Kalamata Olives (I have to admit I omit these) – halved or quartered

Pine Nuts

Whatever you want – it may compromise the integrity, but I’ve added peas (English & Snap) and cucumber among other things…use your imagination

Mustard Vinaigrette - from Seattle Kitchen by Tom Douglas

2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1 teaspoon Minced Shallots

1/2 teaspoon Chopped Fresh Thyme

1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1. Make the Dressing – Combine the vinegar, mustard, shallots, thyme, and garlic in a bowl.  Slowly whisk in the oil in a steady stream until the dressing emulsifies.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  (I put everything in a mason jar and shake, shake, shake)

2. Brown the Bread – put about 1/8” of Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a medium-hot skillet.  Add 2 to 3 bread slices flipping when golden brown and crispy.  You may need to add a bit more oil between flips and between batches.  As done – set aside on wire rack if you have one or stacked with as much air between them as possible so they don’t get soggy.  When cool – slice into 1” cubes.  (I’ve also cubed before browning - it took a bit longer to cook, but resulted in fewer crumbs.)**

3. Assemble – Layer in this order…Greens, Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Meat, Parmesan, (anything else), Basil, Bread (if you’re not serving right away – hold bread and basil out until ready to do so)

4. Drizzle dressing over toasty bread cubes so they all get some to soak up before tossing

5. Dive in and enjoy!

* Earlier in the spring I used some greens from our garden – Peppercress, Arugula, Miners Lettuce and have used a mix of Kales – Russian, Curly Green, Lacinato.  I’d say use whatever you have/want, but something out of the ordinary is kind of nice.  If using a more tender green, and not serving right away, layer at top instead of bottom at assembly.

** OR if you have the grill up and running:  brush (or spray) slices of bread with Olive Oil and brown directly on the BBQ

I’ve been told that to remember that this salad “is all about the good stuff.  Bread.  Cheese.  Tomatoes.”  I must say I concur.

Thanks Beauties for asking me to post!

Amy

Rice, Corn and Bean Salad

 

My fun and fabulous sister Linde came to visit a couple of weeks ago with her cutest little man, Jackson. When Linde and I were both pregnant at the same time back in 2007, we couldn’t wait for our boys to become best friends. We pictured ourselves taking lots of vacations, drinking on porches and snacking on delicious food while watching them play. Fast forward 6 years and well, Ansen and Jackson get along…for the most part. But their fighting doesn’t keep us from drinking and eating. And running!

It was the second year in a row Linde was able to come up to Bellingham to run the Chuckanut Foot Race with me. The first day she was here I decided our motto would be “We do what we want!” so we started the day off eating at the Bagelry and having ice cream at Mallard’s. But then she wasn’t feeling well and I took her to Urgent Care and they diagnosed her with Kidney Failure. After a check in at the ER, lots of crying and me mentally prepping myself to donate a kidney it turned out she was perfectly fine and just needed antibiotics. So then about 15 minutes later we found ourselves at Fred Meyer waiting for a prescription and shopping for cute running outfits. Because, I mean, what would you do if you thought you were dying and then realized you could still run in the race the next day? Ovbi.

We got lots of comments on our socks. I, personally am a fan of the Three's Company pink shorts.

So we ran the race and it was awesome and fun and then we came home and made a delicious Rice, Corn and Bean salad to bring to my friend Kathryn’s house for a Mexican themed BBQ. This dish is a Linde Specialty, altered a bit from my cousin Beth Sobel’s recipe. It is a serious crowd pleaser.

Salad Ingredients
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
12 oz. frozen corn
2 15 oz. cans black beans
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
½ cup Feta Cheese

Salad Dressing
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
½ teaspoon garlic powder (or minced real garlic)
Juice of one large Lemon
2 teaspoons salt
ground pepper to taste
½ teaspoon thyme
a few generous sprinkles of hot sauce

Directions
Cook rice and let cool. Bring frozen corn to room temperature, or heat up in a pan. Combine all salad ingredients. Combine dressing. Toss! This recipe makes enough for a three family BBQ.

Linde. Alive and well, both kidneys in tact, and slicing green bell pepper like a boss.

 

 

Here are some other fun things we did while Linde and Jackson were in town:

Linde and Jackson and my youngest, Asher age 3, at the Pride Parade. Asher kept saying, "This is a crazy parade mama!" and "Look, that guy is only wearing underwear!"

 

We went to visit Uncle James at Alki Beach and we took the water taxi to downtown Seattle to ride the Big Wheel.

 

Ansen, Jackson, me and Uncle James on the Seattle Big Wheel. We got to go three times around and it was a shit ton of money so I don't think I'd recommend it. But now I can say I did it!

Other Linde related recipes on this blog:

 

Sangria
Belinda's Bellini

 

'cause a girl's gotta have her cocktails.

 

Blueberry and Smoked Salmon Salad

This is a salad recipe my mom makes on our summer boat trips and my husband fell in love with it (he doesn't often get excited about food so when he does, we pay attention)! When blueberries are in season I always make it as well. It's easy enough that we had it while "camping" in Salmon la Sac last weekend.  It's a combo of foods and flavors I'd never think to put together, but it's so delicious and very northwest!

Blueberry and Smoked Salmon Salad
From The Seattle Times  

Serves 6

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup canola oil
1 /2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

For the Salad:
5 ounces (3 cups packed) baby arugula leaves
1/2 cup (about 1/4 of one medium-sized) sweet onion, sliced thin
1 pint fresh blueberries
12 ounces alder-smoked salmon, broken into large flakes

Feta cheese

1.) Make the dressing. Combine the vinegar, mustard, sugar, and salt and whisk until smooth. Dribble in the oil, whisking all the while, then stir in the pepper and the poppy seeds to create a smooth emulsion. You will have more dressing than you need. Keep any extra dressing refrigerated for another day.

2.) Toss the arugula in a large salad bowl with the sliced onion and about 1/2 cup of the salad dressing. Distribute the salad between four plates and top each serving with a handful of blueberries. Distribute the smoked salmon evenly between the salads and add crumbled feta.

Gracie babysitting Graham while we ate lunch

Ready for our post lunch hike!

Garlic Scape Pesto

This isn't a salad, but can be made into an incredible pasta salad. Or spread on some crostini to serve with a salad!

Fresh Garlic Scapes

Our lovely neighbor Taylor made garlic scape pesto for us as a snack to go with our river side happy hour. Anyone who frequents farmer's markets or has CSA boxes delivered is familiar with garlic scapes and if you're not, you should seek them out, they're pretty incredible and make the most delicious pesto!

Please notice Maggie, Murray's girlfriend, in the background

Garlic Scape Pesto

by Taylor Clarke 

Ingredients:

1/4 lb. garlic scapes, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

~1  cup freshly grated parmesan

Salt to taste

Puree the scapes, lemon juice and olive oil in a food processor until almost smooth. There should be some texture left to it. You can make it a smooth paste, but most prefer it to have some texture. Stir in the grated cheese. You can pulse it in, if you prefer, but make sure not to over blend it because it can get kinda gummy.

If you want to make it vegan, you can replace the cheese with a nut (or seed, if you have allergies), like pine nuts or walnuts.

Ta-da!