Not a beautiful photo – but ignore that and try this recipe, because it is super easy and delicious!
I saw a recipe for a spinach salad with bacon and eggs and decided to give it a try. I didn’t have any spinach, but I did have some Romaine. It has a nice creamy dressing with just a little tartness. Definitely a keeper!
Ingredients
4 cups rough-chopped Romaine or use baby spinach 2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and quartered lengthwise 2 strips bacon, (regular or turkey) cut into ½” pieces and fried until crispy
Dressing: 1/8 cup mayonnaise 1 Tbsp sour cream 1 tsp balsamic vinegar ½ tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp kosher salt Few grinds of black pepper
Boil eggs, let cool slightly, peel and quarter. Fry bacon, and set on a paper towel to cool.
Mix up dressing in the bottom of a medium bowl. Add lettuce and bacon and stir well. Add eggs and stir gently.
Check seasonings. The bacon is pretty salty so you might not need any more.
It’s so good – I literally ended up eating the entire bowl!
This is a lovely recipe I found on LanasCooking.com. I did make a few tweaks – used a whole red onion instead of a shallot, added more peas and heavy cream. It’s really delicious – with a little sweetness from the leeks, onion and peas that works really well with the sausage. It’s fast and it makes a lot – I think this could easily serve 6 people. (It’s hard to tell but my skillet is huge!!)
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil 1 lb bulk sweet Italian Sausage 2 large leeks, rinsed well and cut into ½” rings 1 medium red onion, chopped 2 Tbsp butter ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 cup chicken stock 1½ cups frozen peas 3/4 lb pasta (I used Trottole and Penne, but any short pasta would do.) ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated 1/3 cup heavy cream
Start a large pot of salted water boiling, and cook pasta al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil and fry sausage until cooked through and lightly browned, 8 – 10 minutes. Add leeks and onion and cook until leeks are softened, and onions are translucent, another 8 – 10 minutes.
Add butter, black pepper, chicken stock and frozen peas, and stir well. Let come to a simmer, then add pasta, cheese and heavy cream and mix well.
Cook for a few minutes until everything is well combined and warmed through. Check seasoning, and top with a grind of black pepper, and a sprinkling of grated Romano cheese. I didn’t add any salt since the pasta was salted and the sausage is pretty salty, too.
My friend Dot made this amazing rhubarb crisp for dinner a few nights ago and I was gobsmacked. How have I never had a Rhubarb Crisp before? It’s sweet, tangy and a perfect summer dessert.
Dot was kind enough to share the recipe with me, which was from Nora at Savorynothings.com and I used her recipe exactly, just adding a little vanilla. A few nights ago we were having friends over to play cards and I loved being able to pop out in the garden and gather fresh rhubarb for dessert!
At some point, I might try swapping out the cinnamon for a little fresh & candied ginger, since we love Rhubarb Ginger Jam, but this is honestly just about perfect as is.
Rhubarb Filling 2 lbs. fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2″ slices ¼ cup cornstarch ¾ cup sugar ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla extract
Crumble Topping 1 cup oats ½ cup flour ½ cup sugar ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 pinch salt 1 stick cold butter, in ½” cubes or grated (8 Tbsp)
Gently but thoroughly combine all rhubarb filling ingredients in a large bowl. Spread evenly in a 10 x 13″ baking dish.
Then thoroughly combine the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in the same bowl. You can cut in the cubed butter (that’s what Nora does) but I find it easier to just coarsely grate the stick of cold butter directly over the flour and oats mix, and then gently blend so there are no clumps of butter left. Scatter the crumb topping evenly over the rhubarb filling. Don’t worry about overflow, this dish doesn’t rise, so it fits fine.
Bake at 400°F for around 35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sweet, tart and crunchy. So good.
*Nora mentions that if you use frozen rhubarb, to thaw it completely and let it drain without squeezing it. Freezing makes rhubarb a little more watery so you may need to add another Tbsp of cornstarch.
Want a salad that keeps well, tastes delicious and is super easy? This is the one. I used Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette, which I’d kind of forgotten about. It’s light, a little sweet and is perfect with this salad. (I saw a few copycat recipes online, so if I do find a good one, I’ll add it.)
I use mini “baby” cucumbers and score them with a fork. Just drag the tines of a fork from end to end all the way around the cucumber. It leaves a pretty pattern and helps them soak up a little of the dressing. (Thanks, Jamie Oliver!)
Ingredients
1 10 oz package cherry or grape tomatoes, halved 1 lb mini seedless cucumbers, scored and sliced into 1/2″ thick slices 8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls 1/4 cup Brianna’s blush vinaigrette (can use more if desired) 1 Tbsp fresh basil, sliced thinly
Mix everything in a large bowl. Keeps well in the fridge for a few days and tastes wonderful.
My friend Vicky brought this salad to work the other day and said she always makes some to keep in the fridge. I had to try it because I love how colorful it is and that it has so much protein. You can always soak the beans yourself, but canned beans makes this incredibly fast. Vicky uses a little good red wine vinegar, but we ended up using a vinaigrette instead. It was so good.
Ingredients:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 can Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 1 package frozen Edamame, thawed 1 orange or red bell pepper, chopped 1/2 yellow onion, chopped 3 Tbsp wine vinaigrette (I used Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigette)
Add onions to vinaigrette in a small bowl, stir well and let it pickle for about 10 minutes.
Add everything together in a large bowl, and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Delicious right away and keeps well in the fridge for a few days.
Another fast and fabulous recipe from Sue Li in the New York Times. I made it with a few tweaks for supper last night. It was just delicious – with a wonderful, creamy texture from the Cannellini beans, rich flavor from the shrimp, onion, shallots, garlic and paprika and a burst of citrus from the zest and lemon juice.
INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest and 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika 2 garlic cloves, grated Kosher salt and black pepper 1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed (save peels for stock) 4 Tbsp butter (½ stick) 1 yellow onion, cut into large chunks 2 large shallots, cut into large chunks. (Or 2 large leeks, trimmed, halved and sliced) 1 big handful spinach (2 cups?) 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained 2 cups shrimp stock, or chicken stock* 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (optional) Toasted bread, for serving
PREPARATION
Peel shrimp and remove tails. Add peels to a small saucepan with 2½ cups water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer while you cook. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to get 2 cups shrimp stock.
Combine lemon zest, paprika, garlic, ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and starting to curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside.
Add onions and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium until soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and cook for a minute or two until wilted.
Gently stir in beans and hot stock. Bring to a simmer and let cook 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley if using. Serve with toasted bread.
*Can use chicken stock if your shrimp is already peeled. But the shrimp stock is super tasty! You can also use any white bean. I added spinach and used an onion and shallots because I didn’t have any leeks – and we loved it that way.
This is the simplest breakfast, dessert or snack imaginable, but it’s really good, and it looks so pretty!
The tartness of the raspberries is perfect with the yogurt and the jam and granola give them just the right amount of sweetness. I honestly would rather have this than ice cream for dessert.
For 1 serving:
2/3 cup 2% Fage Plain Yogurt (5.3 oz ) couple small spoons Raspberry jam 6-7 fresh raspberries couple spoons of Cinnamon Granola
Place yogurt into a pretty serving dish, pour jam over (may need to add a drop or two of water to thin.) Sprinkle fresh raspberries over and then granola. Yum!
I found this recipe by The Doctor’s Kitchen, aka Dr Rupy Aujla, on the BBC website. I was incredibly skeptical about these flavors combined, but I have to say I am totally won over.
It’s super satisfying – a very solid healthy main dish, and very quick and easy to make. I made some tweaks, since he uses some ingredients less easily available in the US.
It uses mostly pantry ingredients, but tastes super fresh and delish. Kumy and I had it with naan and we totally devoured it! It’s also great with toast.
Ingredients 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (red’s fine, too) ½ tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 can chopped tomatoes, with juice (14.5 oz) 2 tsp honey 1 small dry red chilli, deseeded and broken into chunks 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp paprika 1 tsp dried oregano 1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, 14.5 oz (Can use any white beans.) 8 oz baby spinach (really big handful) Feta cheese, crumbled for garnish
Instructions Preheat oven to 400.
Heat the oil in a large oven-proof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes until softened.
Add the tomatoes, honey, chilli, cinnamon, paprika and oregano. Simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the beans and the greens. Toss the spinach to help it wilt.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes and serve sprinkled with Feta.
Ina Garten has one of the best recipes for Lemon Pureed Potatoes. I basically make her potatoes, but I don’t peel the potatoes and I just mash them. But they are absolutely incredible. It’s basically just mashed potatoes, but you add lemon zest at the end, which completely transforms it. It doesn’t need gravy or extra butter or anything – it’s perfect just the way it is.
Ingredients:
2½ lbs large Yukon Gold potatoes, washed but not peeled, cut into 1″ pieces 2 tsp Kosher salt 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper ½ lb (2 sticks) butter or vegan butter 3/4 cup whole milk or whatever plant-based milk you like 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
Half fill a large pot with water and add a tablespoon of salt. Add potatoes, and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and let them simmer for 15-20 minutes until nice and soft when you poke them with a fork.
Remove from heat, drain and mash with a potato masher. Add salt, pepper and butter and continue mashing until the butter has melted. Add the milk and stir well. If you’re going to serve right away, add the lemon zest and stir. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
I left the potatoes a little lumpy, since we like it that way. If you want them perfectly smooth, you can buzz them or run them through a food mill, but just add a 1/4 more milk if you do that. (That’s what Ina does.)
Ina says that the lemon zest can get bitter and to wait and add it later if you aren’t going to serve it right away. I haven’t noticed bitterness when I’ve had leftovers the next day, but just to be on the safe side, listen to Ina.
Little Brown Cookbook 