I bought ten beautiful, large, and fragrant peaches this past week. In the span of two days, we ate a lot of peaches in our house. The night I made this salad, we also had peach and blueberry crisp. Both the salad and the crisp disappeared quickly. I love peaches! The proportions for this salad are up to you. I drizzled three chicken breasts with olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, then roasted for about 20 minutes (or until done) in a 375˚F oven; allow to cool, then slice. Toss lettuce with some of the poppy seed dressing (recipe below); plate. Top lettuce with chicken, slices of ripe peaches, raspberries, and toasted walnuts. Drizzle with a little more poppy seed dressing. ENJOY! • HONEY POPPY SEED DRESSING • recipe from Taste of Home • 1/3 cups canola oil • 1/4 cup honey • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar • 2 teaspoons poppy seeds • 1/2 teaspoon salt 1. In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the oil and honey. Whisk in the vinegar, poppy seeds, and salt. Keep dressing in a jar or covered dish in the refrigerator. Stir well before using. TAKE a LOOK:
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Enjoying dinner outdoors! recipe by Salvatore Denaro | Food & Wine Magazine • 1 cup water • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided • 1 piece of stale, rustic whole-grain bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (6-ounces) • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved • 1 cup thinly sliced celery • 1 cup coarsely chopped green olives • 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced • 1/2 cup chopped basil • 1/2 cup chopped mint • 1 tablespoon dried oregano • Salt and freshly ground pepper 1. In a large bowl, combine the water and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Gently fold the bread into the water, making sure all of the pieces become moistened. Drain in a colander and gently squeeze out any remaining liquid. 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and remaining 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar. 3. In a large serving bowl, combine the tomatoes, celery, green olives, onion, basil, mint, and oregano. Add the vinaigrette and the bread cubes. Fold together gently. Season with salt and pepper. TAKE a LOOK: In a mad dash to beat the raindrops, I quickly photographed our alfresco meal last night. We dined on late spring-summer standards at my house, Roasted Green Bean-Potato Salad with Soppressata and Fresh Mozzarella, and in the foreground, Cantaloupe and Fresh Chives with a White Wine Vinegar Vinaigrette. And if you're wondering... yes, we did enjoy a rain-free dinner! I would say I've had this recipe for Warm Cannellini, Olives, and Goat Cheese tucked away in my files for at least 20 years, but have never made it -- until a couple of weeks ago. Since then, I've eaten it three times. It's a great combination of bitter raddichio, creamy cannellini beans, and salty black olives. The original recipe calls for one disk of baked, breaded goat cheese per serving. I think it's much better with two or more. You can never have too much goat cheese! Serve with a baguette and a glass of chilled white wine or rosé -- Perfect! an adapted Martha Stewart recipe • 1 1/2 cups dried Cannellini Beans • 1 seven-ounce log goat cheese • Extra-virgin olive oil • 4 slices white or whole wheat bread • 1 large head radicchio • 1 cup black oil-cured olives, pitted and sliced • Freshly ground pepper • Balsamic vinegar 1. QUICK SOAK BEANS: Rinse beans, drain, and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a gentle boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover pan, and let beans rest for 1 hour. Drain beans and return to pan. Cover beans with cold water and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until tender, about 1 hour. When beans are tender, add salt to taste and cook an additional few minutes. Drain beans and set aside. 2. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Cut goat cheese into 8 equal rounds (I use a piece of sewing thread to slice through the goat cheese log, which causes less breakage than a knife). Coat the rounds lightly with olive oil and refrigerate until needed. 3. Tear the bread slices into small pieces and process in a food processor until the bread becomes fine crumbs. Transfer bread crumbs to a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Toast crumbs until evenly browned, stirring occasionally; let cool, then coat the goat cheese rounds with the crumbs. Place the cheese rounds on a baking sheet and bake until soft, but still holding their shape, about 20 minutes. 4. Meanwhile, cut the radicchio into fine shreds. Set aside. In a small sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over low heat. Add the sliced olives and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the beans; stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Toss the radicchio, just to coat, with equal amounts of balsamic vinegar and olive oil; add salt and pepper to taste. Divide the the radicchio between 4 plates. Top with warmed beans and baked goat cheese. SERVES 4 TAKE a LOOK: I am fairly new to Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah"). I began using it not quite a year ago; after my daughter was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. Originating thousands of years ago in the South American countries of Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru, Quinoa is actually a seed, even though it is referred to as an "ancient grain". Closely related to beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds(!) Quinoa is nutrient-rich in lysine, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin E, potassium, and iron; all reason enough to make Quinoa part of your diet. But aside from all of this -- plus the fact that Quinoa is gluten-free -- I like it most of all for its nutty taste. This recipe for Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Citrus-Coriander Dressing is from Faith in the Kitchn (get the recipe HERE). I served it as a side dish to a pork tenderloin with a chili powder-packed dry rub -- a nice contrast to the fresh oranges in this salad. In fact, I liked the oranges in this salad so much, I increased the number to three, using both Cara-Cara and Valencia oranges. My advice: Refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to infuse the salad. TAKE a LOOK: What can I say? It's another healthy salad. adapted recipe from COOKING by Kim Johnson Gross and Jeff Stone SALAD: • Olive oil • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced • 4 cups cooked wild rice • 1/2 pound smoked turkey (or chicken), diced or shredded • Couple handfuls cherry tomatoes • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley DRESSING: • 4 to 8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped • 2 cloves of garlic, minced • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar • 1 tablespoon soy sauce • 5 tablespoons olive oil 1. Place a small skillet over medium heat and drizzle with a film of olive oil. Add the red onion and sauté until onion is wilted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 2. Make the dressing: Place the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce in the bowl of a food processor. Mix to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until smooth. 3. In a serving bowl, combine the salad ingredients with the dressing; mix gently. Serve either chilled or at room temperature. • My daughter added diced avocados to her salad and highly recommends doing so. TAKE a LOOK: January. The new year. After the busyness of the holidays, everything suddenly becomes quiet and time, very briefly, seems to slow down for me. Many hours are spent contemplating what's ahead. Is this the spring that I will finally change out my brick-edged vegetable plots for raised beds with new soil? Will my hand-drawn Cochon on the kitchen blackboard be erased and replaced with a Bouledogue Francaise perhaps? (notice any similarities?) While preparing for our daughter's wedding last year, we put aside any thoughts of travel -- but this new year we've already booked a trip, traveling by train later this summer, to Glacier National Park where we will stay in historic lodges in the U.S. and Canada... A photography show in and of my hometown, Amana, Iowa, is a possibility... And France, unfortunately, has been put on hold until spring 2014 (it seems like an eternity); Paris and Provence with my sister and best friend, Renate. Sometimes the anticipation is almost more exciting than the actual event (well, almost), and talking about and planning our visit will certainly consume my time and thoughts over the upcoming months. So, in the meantime, I continue to spend my days in the kitchen. I need to plan more luncheons and dinners with friends. That will give me an excuse to bake the desserts that are tempting me, something I've been trying to limit in this new year. Until then, I'll focus on healthy salads. When I stumbled upon "Forbidden" black rice at a local grocery, I snatched it up and made this delicious recipe from the Kitchn. I highly recommend it! Serves 4 as a side portion • 1 cup black rice • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt • 1 garlic clove, minced • 1/4 cup orange juice • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar • 1 grapefruit, peeled and quartered and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces • 1 avocado, peeled and diced • 2 green onions, chopped • Salt and pepper, to taste 1. Rinse the rice. In a small, lidded saucepan bring to a boil 1 3/4 cups of cold water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the black rice, return to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 40 minutes or until the water has been absorbed (check the rice after 30 minutes). Once cooked, uncover and allow to rest for about 10 minutes. 2. While the rice is cooking, make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, orange juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and rice wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 3. Place the rice in a serving bowl and add the vinaigrette and remaining ingredients. Gently stir to combine and adjust seasonings. Salad may be refrigerated for up to two days. TAKE a LOOK: Each and every spring when I plant my vegetable garden, I place red cabbages at the corners of my "formal" garden beds. My garden will NEVER rival the Château et Jardins de Villandry in France, but I am rewarded by the end of the summer with more red cabbage than I know what to do with. So, what do I do with the red cabbages that aren't given away to friends? This season, I've been making Apple-Cabbage Slaw with Crystallized Ginger. It's easy, fresh, and delicious. And I always add more julienned apples than the original recipe calls for. Here's my version... • Apple-Cabbage Slaw with Crystallized Ginger |
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