I decided that I wanted to spice up my cream cheese today. I was craving celery and cream cheese but decided that unless I put more nutrients in the cheese, it would not be worth the calories. This recipe features some of my favorite flavors: roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, and scallions.
Ingredients:
1 package cream cheese (8 ounces), softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 tablespoons finely chopped kalamata olives (pitted)
2 tablespoon finely chopped roasted red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
pepper to taste
Instructions:
Place cream cheese in mixing bowl. Add other ingredients to the bowl. (Make sure everything is chopped fine enough before you put it in the bowl). Mix the ingredients into the cream cheese with a fork. I prefer a crunchy texture but if you want the spread to be smooth, you can pulverize it more in a food processor. Serve with crackers, vegetables, or pieces of toasted bread.
This recipe is always a crowd pleaser. This is my mom’s version. She uses dill and scallions to add flavor. We eat the low fat version most often but when we bring the dish to a party, it’s always full fat.
Ingredients:
1 lb. fillo, defrosted in refrigerator if frozen
3, 10 oz. packages of spinach, washed and thoroughly dried
7 large eggs
1 bunch scallions, sliced thin (should yield about 1 cup)
1 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp. dried dill or 1 tbs. fresh, chopped dill
½ pound butter, melted
Instructions:
Note: I use a 15 inch round pan. If you want to use something rectangular, use a 10×16 pan or something comparable.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean spinach and cut off the stems. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Whisk eggs together in a medium mixing bowl and add to the spinach. Add scallions, crumbled feta, and dill. Toss with your hands or a pair of tongs until all the ingredients are well blended. Melt butter in the microwave or stove top (don’t burn it!). Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom of the pan with a layer of butter. Place two sheets of fillo on the pan so that the bottom is completely covered and brush with butter. Place two more sheets of fillo down on the pan and brush with butter. Repeat two more times until eight sheets line the bottom. Spread spinach mixture evenly over the fillo. If the fillo is going over the sides of the pan, fold it over the spinach mixture. Place two sheets of fillo on top of the spinach and brush with butter. Repeat until there is no more fillo left. Pour remaining butter over the top. Cut three diagonal slits across the top and bake uncovered for an hour until golden brown on the top.
Low fat substitutions. You could use less butter, light butter. You could use half fat free cottage cheese and ½ lb. of feta instead of all feta.
I just purchased some watermelon from the store and it’s delicious! I don’t think it’s quite in season here in Massachusetts. But it’s in season somewhere close. During my walk today I started to think about how I wanted to eat a slice. And then I realized that watermelon is a perfect compliment to pomegranate juice and oh ya, why not throw in some rum and turn it into a cocktail?
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped watermelon flesh, seeds removed
1 cup pomegranate juice
3 shots white rum (you can substitute tequila for something different)
1/2 cup ice (you can use 1/2 cup frozen strawberries instead if you want)
Fresh mint leaves for a garnish
Instructions:
Add watermelon, pomegranate juice, rum, and ice cubes (or frozen strawberries) to a blender. Cover and blend until mixture is smooth and all the ingredients are well incorporated. Pour into glasses and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serves 2.
You can freeze the glasses until they are frosty. This will keep the drink extra cold. You can also make this in larger batches if you’re serving it to a crowd.
I steamed asparagus for the first time on the grill the other day. It came out great! My only critique is that I would have cooked it longer. I made hamburgers and put the asparagus on about halfway through but I should have put it on the grill right when I started the burgers. Anyway, here’s what I did:
- Snap the ends off of about 15 spears of asparagus (you can also trim them with a knife).
- Cut a large piece of aluminum foil and place it shiny side up.
- Place the asparagus in the center of the tin foil. Sprinkle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper (all to taste).
- Cover the asparagus with the tin foil (make sure all of the spears are covered).
- Place it on the grill away from the center of the direct heat.
- Timing varies. If you like your asparagus crispy, leave it on for 15 minutes. If you like it cooked all the way through, leave it on for about thirty minutes.
That is the name (or roughly) at a dish I enjoyed over the weekend at the Cape Neddick Lobster Pound in Cape Neddick, Maine. The chef made a scampi that included baby shrimp and fiddleheads and poured it over the seared salmon. It was served with vegetables and rice - both of which seemed slightly out of place. Truth be told, I would have been content with just what was on my plate and some bread. But I ate the veggies anyway because it was broccoli and I always feel bad leaving such a healthy vegetable on my plate.
Fiddleheads are only around during the spring. But as I was about to dig in, my husband looked over at my plate and declared that the fiddleheads looked a little like asparagus. He’s right. So, if I were to replicate this dish in the off season, I would use asparagus as a replacement for the fiddleheads.
Of course, if I were to make it I’m sure it would taste a lot different than it did at the Lobster Pound - my cooking always does. I always seem to prefer the restaurant’s dish in these occasions. But if I do hit the kitchen, I’ll take detailed notes so that you all can enjoy a replica of this dish.
I thought I’d take advantage of the fact that asparagus are in season. So, dinner tonight was pan seared bison steaks with roasted asparagus.
Unfortunately, I didn’t write anything down. But I can try to describe for you what I did.
To roast the asparagus, I snapped the ends off and laid them in a single layer on a baking dish. I preheat the oven to 350 degrees, sprinkled the asparagus with oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted it for about 15 minutes. I took it out of the oven and sprinkled them with lemon juice.
To prepare the steaks, I sprinkled each side with salt and pepper and let it sit for about five minutes before I seared it. I let the steak cook for about six minutes each side. When both sides were done, I transfered it to a plate and let it sit. I poured about a cup of wine in the pan and scraped all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. After the liquid reduced by half, I added two tablespoons of butter and let it melt.
I poured the sauce over the steak after I plated it and before I put the asparagus down. I didn’t want the sauce to go on the asparagus so I waited.
It was really satisfying. I prefer bison over beef because of its taste, and it’s a lot leaner.
My favorite part of spring is when the wild greens start pushing up through the soil. Dandelion is at its tastiest, and so are the wild chicory leaves. Chickweed is amongst the first greens that I spot. So, I pick them all and mix them with whichever greens I have in the fridge.
Scared to pick what’s outside? Don’t be. Just get a nice field guide to make sure you know what you’re picking. Also, don’t pick greens that are too close to the road or that were sprayed with chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides.
This salad recipe highlights these greens plus some roasted asparagus - another wonderful spring food. A lemon vinaigrette finishes the salad off with chives or scallions to garnish.
Serves 4
For the roasted asparagus
1 bunch fresh asparagus, woody ends trimmed
2 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper to taste
for the salad
4 cups mixed wild and spring greens
1/4 cup chopped chives or scallion
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for about ten minutes until bright green but still crisp. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, cut into one inch pieces and set aside.
To assemble the salad, spread the greens on a platter. Top with the roasted asparagus pieces and garnish with the scallions. Mix the oil, lemon, salt, and pepper together in a separate bowl. Have everyone add the dressing to their salad at the table. Some of the greens are delicate and may wilt if there’s too much dressing on them.
It’s strawberry time! Even though I can always find them year round, they taste so much better from April - June because they are taken from local sources. Strawberries need to ripen on the plant. If they’re picked when green, they’ll still turn red eventually, but the sugars don’t develop properly.
So I wait until they’re in season to enjoy them. When they first start appearing I eat them fresh and whole. No sugar. No cream. And I definitely don’t put them in my desserts or turn them into sauces. But once I get my fill from eating them fresh, I want to enjoy them in other ways. And since I’m often pressed for time, I like to keep my preparations simple. Here are some ideas:
Fresh berry salad. I started eating fruit salad this way after a visit to the UK. I was at a function and they served the salad with a touch of fresh cream, unsweetened and unwhipped. I like to take blueberries, raspberries, and halved strawberries and place them in a dessert dish. Two tablespoons of fresh cream poured right over the fruit finishes it off nicely. A glass of Proseco and a patio filled with flowers and the mood is complete.
Simple Strawberry Sauce. About a year ago, my hungry house guests were scrounging around the kitchen looking for breakfast. So, I made crepes - but I didn’t have anything to put on them. I found some strawberries (about 10), threw them in a saucepan, added about 1/2 cup of water and a handful of sugar. I used a potato masher to mash the strawberries. I brought the sauce to a boil and let it simmer for about five minutes. This was the perfect accompaniment. The sauce is also great with pancakes, yogurt, ice cream, etc.
Strawberry shortcake. This is one of the easiest desserts to make because you can buy all the components. You can either use biscuits or those individual sponge cakes you find in the store. All you need to do is quarter some strawberries, place them over a halved biscuit or small sponge cake, and top with whipped cream. I’ve also used slices of angel food cake.
What are your favorite, simple ideas for using strawberries?
