Roasted Carrots and Red Leaf Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk Herb Dressing

This easy salad recipe is from Katie Lee, from the Food Network's show 'The Kitchen'. It was a huge success the first time I made it. There are so many interesting and tasty bites to this salad it's hard to stop eating it. It's practically a meal by itself. Good thing, because my parchment wrapped cod filets were an epic fail! That story in another blog...

Total Time: 45 min
Prep: 15 min
Inactive: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Carrots:
1 small bunch carrots with leafy green tops
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Roasted carrots cooling on the counter with the salad dressing finished.
30 minutes

Dressing:
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped carrot leaves (from the reserved tops)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Salad:
1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
3 tablespoons chopped pistachios
3 tablespoons chopped dried cherries
3 ounces crumbled extra sharp Cheddar

Directions
For the carrots: 
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the green leaves from the carrot tops, then rinse, drain and set them aside to use for the dressing. Use a vegetable brush to clean the carrots (leave the peel on to give the carrots texture). Cut them on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.

In a small bowl, toss the carrots with the olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast until tender and caramelized , about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them; they burn easily! Let cool completely.

For the dressing: 
While the carrots cool, make the dressing. Whisk the buttermilk, yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl until emulsified. Stir in the chives, tarragon, dill, carrot leaves and oregano.

For the salad: 
In a large salad bowl, toss the lettuce, pistachios, cherries, cheese and carrots with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Lemon-Herb Grilled Chicken with Apple, Celery and Snap Pea Slaw

Recipe courtesy of Marcela Valladolid

Total Time: 2- 3 hr
Prep: 40 min
Cook: about 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
Chicken:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces
Vegetable oil spray

Apple, Celery and Snap Pea Slaw:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sugar snap peas, cut in half
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 green apples, cut into julienne
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced

Directions
For the chicken:
Mix together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic in a 1-gallon zip top bag.

Pound the chicken out to an even thickness so it will cook more evenly on the grill.
Add the chicken and massage the marinade into the meat until evenly coated.
Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator.
Let the chicken marinate 1 to 2 hours.

For the apple, celery and snap pea slaw:
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and agave. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the peas, cilantro, apples, celery, jalapeno and onion.
Add the vinaigrette to the bowl and toss.
Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

At this point, I had some corn on the cob started in a pot and it was time for the chef to have a break. Nothing goes with a marinated chicken and apple vinaigrette salad like a margarita and a shot of Cuervo Gold.

Spray some non-stick vegetable oil on the grill.
Preheat a grill to high heat.
Grill the chicken until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
Serve the chicken with the slaw.

This was a new recipe and it turned out great. We will be having this apple, celery and snap pea slaw again soon since there was plenty left over. I wonder how it goes with ribs?

Five-Ingredient Spinach Dip Quiche

This dish is so easy to make and it looked good, so I tried it. I would say adjust the cooking temperature up to 350 degrees and go the full 35 minutes cooking time. Also be sure to use a deep dish pie crust (not specified in the recipe). I ended up making two smaller quiches in regular pie crusts.

Results? I was slightly underwhelmed with the taste. It is surprisingly salty. Perhaps because I used a spinach artichoke dip as well as regular spinach dip. (I swear that is what Jeff Mauro said to use on TV) It did help me power through a kettle bell class this morning, but I don't know if I'll make it again. If I do I will probably just use regular spinach dip and see what happens.

Frankly, if I'm going to the trouble to make quiche I am going to make my favorite Sausage and Apple Quiche.

Five-Ingredient Spinach Dip Quiche
Recipe courtesy of Jeff Mauro

Total Time: 55 min

Prep: 5 min
Inactive: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients
5 large eggs
1 cup store-bought spinach dip
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 store-bought frozen pie crust

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in the spinach dip, half-and-half, cheese, salt and pepper.
Fill the pie crust with the egg mixture and bake until golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes to set, then cut and serve.

An Adventurous Steakhouse Dinner and Sides

This was a very ambitious dinner to make, but the end result was steak that melted in my mouth served with two exciting side dishes I'd never made before.

The smell of the steak, onions, garlic and thyme was awesome, but be sure to turn on the oven hood fan and maybe even open some windows. About halfway through searing the steak all the smoke detectors in my house went off!

Herb-Roasted Beef Rib-eye with Roasted Shallots
Recipe courtesy of Iron Chef, Geoffrey Zakarian

Total Time: 2 hr 25 min (yea, this one takes some time and effort)
Prep: 15 min
Inactive: 1 hr 15 min
Cook: 55 min
Yield: 2 to 4 servings (or in our case 2 servings twice)
Level: Easy (What? Bullshit, this is a lot of work)

Ingredients
One 2.5-inch-thick boneless rib-eye (1 1/2 pounds), tied with 2 pieces of twine to keep it together in a compact round shape
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
(I used an A1 steak seasoning and it was great!)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 stick of butter
10 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 head garlic, cloves smashed

Roasted Shallots:
Cook these before the steak so you can reduce the heat for the steak.
8 shallots, cut in half through the root, skins left on
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for finishing
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

Roasted Shallots:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Season the baking sheet with the olive oil and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Lay the shallots on the baking sheet cut-side down. Roast until the shallots are very tender, about 25 minutes.

Steak:
Season the steak rather liberally with kosher salt. Bring it to room temperature, about 1 hour outside of the fridge.
Preheat (or cool down) the oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine the paprika, cumin, mustard and a few turns of freshly cracked pepper in a small bowl. Season the steak with the rub. (I used the A1 rub, just sayin...)
Heat the canola oil in a saute pan over high heat until smoking.
Add the steak and sear on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Moment of truth. I am hoping not to burn a $30 piece of steak!!

Add the butter, thyme, rosemary and garlic.
Reduce the heat to medium low and baste the steak with the butter as it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes (without burning).

I felt like a real gourmet chef doing this!

Transfer the steak to a rack in a roasting pan and top with a few pieces of the herbs and garlic and 3 spoonfuls of the butter.
Roast to an internal temperature of 120 degrees F for medium rare, 7 to 10 minutes. Allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before slicing into 1/2 inch pieces.
Serve with the roasted shallots.

Sour Cream and Onion Hash Brown Balls
You can make this part ahead and reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
The online recipe is BS, from a professional restauranteur who doesn't want you to be able to make his trademark dish. Here's how I did it.

Ingredients:
3 Idaho potatoes peeled and shredded (1 potato per 2 hash browns)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin
1 egg
3 tbs flour
1 tbs. EVOO
2 tbs. butter
salt and pepper to taste
4 scallions diced small
2-3 tbs. low fat sour cream

Directions:
Brown the onions in a large skillet with the EVOO and butter.
Heat Canola oil about an inch deep in a large skillet or Dutch oven to screaming hot.
Squeeze as much water out of the potatoes as you can. Use a cheesecloth or just wring them out with your hands and pat dry on paper towels.
Mix potatoes, egg and flour in a large bowl.
Salt and pepper the potatoes liberally.
Grab small handfuls of potatoes and roll them loosely into balls, about 2-3 inches round. Don't pack them tight. Just enough to hold together. Don't try to make perfect balls. Let them have some character, with shreds hanging off.
Drop them carefully into the hot oil. Don't mess with them. Let them fry until golden brown, then gently turn them over to fry the other side.
Remove from oil to drain and cool.
Serve with a spoonful of caramelized onions, a dollop of sour cream, topped with scallions.

Baked Chicken Parmesan

Who doesn't like chicken parmesan? I love chicken parmesan, but I never make it at home because I don't like to fry foods. Watching 'The Kitchen' on Food Network Sunday morning, Sunny Anderson showed a simple five ingredient recipe for baked chicken parmesan that I decided I just have to try, so here goes. If this turns out well, it could become a regular in the rotation. You can never have too many good, simple chicken dishes, right?

Sunny's Easy Chicken Parmesan
Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson

Total Time: 40 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 30 min
Yield:4 servings
Level:Easy

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray (olive oil or butter), for coating the baking sheet and chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, gently pounded to an even thickness
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup prepared pizza sauce (not tomato sauce)
Four 1/4-inch-thick slices fresh mozzarella

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Season each chicken breast with salt and pepper, then coat each breast with cooking spray. In a shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Press the chicken breasts into the mixture 1 at a time to coat on all sides, shaking off the excess. Spray the coated breasts with more cooking spray. This makes them turn out crispy without frying!

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake, flipping halfway through, until the juices run clear, 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and turn on the broiler. Spoon the pizza sauce evenly over the top of each chicken breast and top with a slice of mozzarella. Place under the broiler and watch for the cheese to melt and bubble. Serve.

VERDICT: It turned out well! The recipe is so simple I already have it memorized. We will definitely be having this again.