Avocado Pesto; Roasted Mushrooms and Green Beans w Balsamic & Parm

In my quest to  lighten our diet a bit, I came across a recipe for "Clean & Healthy Avocado Pesto Alfredo" on Pinterest via The Gracious Pantry. I don't know what possessed me to pin it a few months back, being that the word "avocado" alone should have been enough to make me turn away.  Yes, that's right friends: I'm a native Californian pseudo-foodie who does not like avocados. It happens.
I should say, however, that I adore guacamole, so really it comes down to disliking large slices of avocado. I can handle small chunks.

Moving on. In short, this recipe is fantastic and I would absolutely recommend it for summer! I used a bit more lemon juice, and added some parmesan to the sauce during the blending phase, but no other adjustments. 2 avocados, lemon juice, basil + one immersion blender and it is the easiest sauce ever. I think I'd add a bit more basil next time, but that is really dependent on how much one likes traditional pesto. I served it with Rossi Pasta's Wild Mushroom Linguine and our side was another Pinterest find: Roasted Mushrooms and Green Beans with Balsamic and Parmesan via Kalyn's Kitchen.

For the beans, 450F seemed like a high temp for roasting veggies, but as she says, make sure you use a large enough baking sheet so that you can spread the vegetables around--particularly for the sake of the mushrooms, which retain a lot of moisture.  The higher temp roasts the outside of the beans quite beautifully, but they retained their crunch and flavor. I reduced the cooking time to about 17 minutes.

All of this is delightfully healthy and vegetarian. If you leave the parm out of the beans and the pesto, these recipes are vegan as well (provided you don't serve the pesto with regular pasta, as I did).

Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Soup

So, as part of the Lady of Shallots Get Healthy in 2013 Plan, we are eating vegetarian at least three nights a week.  Tonight's dinner threatened to be too light, but I cut the liquid down a bit to make this soup a very hearty and wonderful meal in itself. I also like that it is seasonal, and if I had been very noble, I would have walked to the Winter Farmers Market this morning in 13 degrees to get local parsnips and carrots. Unfortunately, I sold out and let my husband go grocery shopping instead.

I also apologize for the poor quality photos--I'm in need of a new card reader for my camera. 

I did chop/blend in small batches, and added water in small portions until I had my desired consistency.  If I was serving this as a side, I'd add more water.
I also added parsley and more pepper after I pureed it. Very well-balanced as the roasting makes the parsnips more interesting. Also, I was too lazy to make olive oil toasts, so fresh baguette sufficed.

And...I used my immersion blender for the first time.  I might be in love.

Recipe HERE.

Tuna, Fennel and Bean Salad

Normally I'd make this in the summer, but holiday over-indulgence means healthy eating in January. The cannellini beans here provide just enough texture to make this a reasonable main course. The flavors are really well-balanced and the dressing is the easiest thing in the world: lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  The fennel keeps everything very fresh-tasting, and the lemon extracts some of the "fishiness" from the tuna. Be sure to rinse the beans (if using canned) and drain the tuna.

Recipe HERE

Memorable Meals: Journeyman-May 2012

This is primarily a cooking blog, but I've decided to start a new feature I will call "Memorable Meals." This will feature the occasional amazing meal I encounter at the many wonderful restaurants here in the greater Boston area.

Our inaugural post features Journeyman Restaurant in Somerville, MA. Initially, the back alley entrance and low curbside profile kept this Somerville's best kept secret, but Journeyman has fast become a foodie Mecca with critical acclaim from a wide variety of sources. The food is prepared so expertly that even the most timid eater will want to step outside the box of culinary convention. The menu changes weekly, so if you are of the "variety is the spice of life" mindset, you will love this place.

We chose the 5 course menu with pairings, which exists in both a vegetarian and omnivore version. A party of two is ideal here, especially if you are both omnivores. I went with the vegetarian version, but found that the staff was flexible in allowing substitutions from the omnivore version.  The menu follows:

ASPARAGUS with soy, century egg

• paired with Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier (Bavaria)

SQUID with fennel, roe (omnivore)
PEA with mint, wheat (vegetarian)

• paired with Sigalas Assyrtiko-Athiri (Santorini)

MACKEREL with black bean, rhubarb (omnivore)
EGG with spring vegetables, smoke (vegetarian)

• paired with a Petite Arvine

We chose to substitute a shared plate for the final course (VEAL/CHEVRE), so we had (at an additional cost), DUCK TWO WAYS with seasonal vegetables paired with Domaine L'Idyll Arbin Mondeuse Noir

Finally, for dessert, BABA AU RHUM, one prepared with absinthe and almond, the other with chocolate and tobacco.  The latter was probably one of the best desserts I have ever encountered. This was paired with a lovely Quinto do infantado Ruby porto

I will try to feature a bit more descriptive commentary about each dish in the near future. Many thanks to our server who humored me when I asked for a copy of the menu and further obliged me by writing down the names of all the wines.

COMPLETE MEAL: Dilled Sole with Almonds and Cranberry & Toasted Coconut Couscous

Last Sunday's dinner was one of my better successes in creating an entire meal, by myself.  That may seem like a strange thing to say, but what usually ends up happening is that I choose a challenging entrée to which I must devote all my time and attention. When my husband gets home from work, then, the first thing out of my mouth is usually, "Can you make the salad?"  Just what everyone wants to hear when they get home from work, I know. (I'm hoping he remembers that time I did have a martini waiting for him when he walked in the door...that's got to be worth something, right? It happened once.) Now, the Lord of Shallots does not go to work on Sunday, but I really wanted to cook something new, but something easy that would allow me to concentrate on the entire meal.

Enter sole.  Sole, like tilapia and other thinner fishes, is a great fish to cook when you don't have a lot of time. I had picked up some grey sole at the Farmers Market, and found this recipe to which I made only two adjustments:

• I toasted the almonds beforehand (in a very hot skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil, and I added paprika)
• I used breadcrumbs instead of cornmeal (just what I had on hand).

So, what to have as a side?  Rice takes too long, so couscous was the ticket. But normal boring couscous felt like a cop out, so...

Cranberry and Toasted Coconut Couscous (or, Couscous with Cranberries and Toasted Coconut)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup couscous
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil (separated into 1 tablespoon portions)
2 tablespoons coconut flakes (toast your own--don't buy pre-toasted)*
1/4 cup dried cranberries
freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• In a thin metal skillet, toast the coconut flakes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, shaking the pan frequently and stirring the coconut until golden brown. Set aside on a plate or in a bowl to cool.
• Prepare the couscous according to package directions, using chicken broth instead of water, and adding the remaining tablespoon of oil to the broth (let the broth and oil boil, add couscous, cover and remove from heat).
• When liquid is absorbed (5-7 minutes), add cranberries, toasted coconut and pepper.

* If you toast your own coconut, not only will it make your home smell heavenly, the coconut has a much better texture and flavor. It takes all of two to three minutes, and you can't be a lazier cook than I am, so just try it.

I finished with mixed greens & scallions in a light white-wine vinaigrette.
A wonderful and EASY summer meal!

ORIGINAL RECIPE: Smoked Trout Scramble

My husband arrived home from work one day with some smoked trout from a generous colleague. I had never cooked with smoked trout, but I figured it was a good bet that it could be used in similar ways to smoked salmon. We had it that night in a salad, and then for the next morning, Rebecca's Smoked Trout Scramble was born...and it was VERY good.

Smoked Trout Scramble
 Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs1 tablespoon of milk
smoked trout (equivalent of 1-2 filets, deboned)
fresh dill, chopped (1-2 tablespoons, depending on your taste)
2 tablespoons butter (unsalted), split into 1 tablespoon sections
salt* (use sparingly, especially if using salted butter)

freshly ground pepper
 3 spring leeks, thinly sliced (white/light green parts only)
fresh basil, 3-4 leaves thinly sliced into strips


DIRECTIONS:

• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, trout, dill, and salt & pepper (to taste)
• Sauté the leeks in 1 tablespoon of the butter until tender, with some of the outer leeks becoming crispy.

• When leeks are tender, add remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan. When it bubbles, add the egg mixture.

 

• Scramble the egg mixture, and when almost done, add the basil (note: the basil will discolor, so for the best immediate presentation, add it at the last minute)

Serving it with dry toast is not mandatory, nor preferred, but I wanted to get the photograph outside and figured not letting the eggs get cold was more important than buttering my toast:

Quinoa Pilaf with Artichokes, Leeks and Sugar Snap Peas

More Quinoa!  This was healthy, easy, and, "a way I actually *like* quinoa" as reported by my husband.  The recipe is here, and I made the following notes:

• stir the quinoa in the oil and leeks for 2-3 minutes before adding the broth
• definitely use low-sodium chicken broth---quinoa absorbs salt very well and I found that the regular chicken broth was too salty.  If you are using homemade stock or veggie broth, you are probably fine.
• I will add the snap peas last next time (with the artichoke hearts). I like my peas to retain their "snap."

This is really a terrific meal for summer or to bring to a potluck.