Monday Recipe Review - spring is in the air? Summer, maybe?

I can dream, can't I? Without my annual March sojourn to Hilton Head Island - which usually consisted of 3-10 days of endless beach-walking in sunny 70 degree weather and eating at fabulous restaurants every night - I'm a little at a loss this February for something I can look forward to. That was actually something my therapist asked me the other day: What is it I have, that I can look forward to, when I get home from work? I thought hard for a few minutes and realized that this time of year, the only thing to which I look forward are my days off of work. Doesn't count. I need to find something to look forward to daily. I could say I look forward to watching Friday Night Lights on the dvr, but then of course there arises the next question: What snacks go with FNL? Counterproductive. So.. while I think about something that I can look forward to every evening after 12 hours of hand-holding, band-aid passing-outing and occasional life-saving, here's a nice distraction: Thai Beef Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Slaw.

Something to remind us summer's on the way.

I love Cooking Light Magazine. The only thing I don't like about it is that I will never have the time or stomach capacity to make everything I see in a year's worth of magazines that I like. This one, though, I have made a few times. Whether served for company or just whipped up for a casual weeknight dinner, this has received rave reviews. The slaw just gets better and better the longer it sits. Of course, I can't say it's ever lasted more than 2 days.

Thai Beef Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Slaw
(serving size = 2 tacos - makes 4 servings)
Steak:
1 TB sugar
1 1/2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb flank steak, trimmed

Slaw: 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 TB sugar
2 TB rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups packaged angel hair slaw
2 cups packaged matchstick-cut carrots
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

8 tortillas (Cooking Light calls for fat-free flour tortillas. I usually use a corn or whole wheat tortilla)

Combine first 6 ingredients in baggie. Marinate for a minimum of 20 minutes. Marinating overnight really infuses the flavor and makes the steak super tender. Prepare grill or broiler. Remove steak from bag. Discard marinade. Grill or broil 5 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Let steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice thinly, diagonally across grain of meat. To prepare slaw: Combine liquid ingredients with minced garlic, then add slaw, carrots, green onion, and cilantro. Toss well to combine. Divide steak evenly among tortillas. Spoon about 1/2 cup slaw into tortillas. Fold and serve.

Nutrition information (using fat free flour tortillas)
Calories: 431 (24% from fat)Fat: 11.5g (sat 3.9g,mono 5g,poly 1.4g) Protein: 31gCarbohydrate: 50.8gFiber: 5.1gCholesterol: 42mgIron: 4.3mgSodium: 871mgCalcium: 157mg

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro - originally appeared in Cooking Light, April 2007

Monday's Recipe

In honor of the Steelers' ass-puckering Super Bowl win yesterday, from which I am still recovering, here is a great party recipe. It was originally posted on a friend's Facebook page. Thanks for sharing this, Kim! If only I'd remembered to share it before the big game. I myself haven't had the opportunity to make this yet, but it look fabulous! One thing I like about it is you could probably fancy it up by substituting, say, peppered turkey, black forest ham, and swiss for the meat and cheese, and some fancy ciabatta or french bread (obviously you'd eliminate the oregano). Maybe some red onion for color?

Hoagie Dip

1/2 lb salami
1/2 lb ham
1 lb american cheese
1 package hoagie buns
(dice all of these into bite size pieces)

1 small onion, diced
2 tsp oregano
2 cups mayonnaise (real mayo, for the love of God, please!)

1/2 head lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, diced

Mix together all ingredients except for lettuce and tomato and spoon evenly into casserole dish. Top with shredded lettuce and tomato just prior to serving. Serve with crackers.

Monday Recipe Review

This recipe comes from the October '08 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.  It was posted last fall on our forum by my friend Karen and it looked so seasonal and delicious, I had to try it. I've made this twice and shared it both times with my best friend, also a lover of squash and anything you could call comfort food. We agreed: This dish fits the bill as a perfect fall comfort food, and would have been a perfect accompaniment to any holiday table. 

Don't be intimidated by the recipe itself. It seems like a great deal of work at first glance. However, much of the rest of the dish can be put together while the squash is roasting. 

Butternut Squash Bake

• 1.5 lb.  butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut in 1-inch cubes (3 cups)
• 2  Tbsp. olive oil
• 8  oz. dried extra-wide noodles
• 4  Tbsp. butter
• 6  - shallots, chopped
• 1  Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1   8oz. carton mascarpone cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, snipped
• 1 cup panko (Japanese-style) bread crumbs or soft bread crumbs (I got one bun from the bulk bin at the bakery and processed it in the food processor because I hate that most bread crumb mixes contain HFCS. It made the perfect amount of bread crumbs.)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In bowl toss squash in oil; place in oiled 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Roast, uncovered, 30 minutes, until lightly browned and tender, stirring twice.

2. Meanwhile, in Dutch oven cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; set aside. In same Dutch oven melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add shallots; cook and stir over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until shallots are tender and butter just begins to brown. Stir in lemon juice.

3. Add noodles and squash to shallot mixture. Stir in mascarpone, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1/4 cup parsley, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Transfer to greased 2-quart oval gratin dish or baking dish.

4. In small saucepan melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter; stir in bread crumbs, remaining Parmesan, and parsley. Sprinkle on noodle mixture. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes, until crumbs are golden. Serves 8.

• Servings Per Recipe 8 to 10 side-dish servings
 
• Calories 413, 
• Total Fat (g) 26,
• Saturated Fat (g) 13, 
• Monounsaturated Fat (g) 9, 
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 2,
• Cholesterol (mg) 82, 
• Sodium (mg) 278, 
• Carbohydrate (g) 37, 
• Total Sugar (g) 3, 
• Fiber (g) 2, 
• Protein (g) 15, 
• Vitamin C (DV%) 31, 
• Calcium (DV%) 14, 
• Iron (DV%) 12, 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Recipe Review Monday

I'm going to try something different and review recipes on Mondays, as time allows. There will be no rhyme or reason as to where the recipes originate. Like any foodie worth their sea salt, I follow lots of food blogs. I belong to a forum which has become a source for many of my new favorite recipes. I read cookbooks for fun, and I'm a big fan of Cooking Light - especially since they have gotten back to using real ingredients like butter and real cheese, rather than gross chemically-altered substitutes. Once in a while, I even come up with something myself. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, you know. The hard part with my so-called recipes is actually remembering to write down ingredients, and proportions, and what I actually did. I'm one of those "pinch of this and that" and "cook it til it's done" kinda cooks. The way my Grandma cooked, the way my Dad cooked... the only way I know how to cook.

It actually stresses me out in some ways to have to follow a recipe. This is surprising, because my career prior to becoming an ass-wipin' lifesaver was as a baker and cake decorator. Ask anyone who knows and they'll tell you that baking is purely science. There is wiggle room in cooking, and room for individual interpretation; in baking, not so much. Screw with proportions too much, start that "little of this, little of that" crap with the wrong ingredients, and you can end up with hockey pucks instead of muffins.

So, having said that, what is the first recipe I'm going to post and review? A fool-proof pasta sauce, maybe? A great appetizer? How about my favorite side dish? Nope.

A cookie. Not just a cookie. A cookie made with healthy, non-processed ingredients, without the flour/butter/sugar combination found in 99.9% of the cookie recipes we tend to use. This is what attracted me to this particular cookie.

Let me first credit the source of this recipe: 101 Cookbooks
If you're going to browse this site, leave a trail of fresh-baked, organic bread crumbs, 'cause it's easy to get lost for hours in the huge variety of healthful recipes. The other wonderful tool on the site is that you can search recipes by category, or by ingredient. The photographs of the finished product are gorgeous, bordering on (food) pornographic. So without further adieu...

Nikki's Healthy Cookies - from 101 Cookbooks
3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder
6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect - just shy of 15 minutes seems to be about right in my oven.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.

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I really liked how these cookies turned out. They are dense, and only minimally sweet. I opted to use coconut oil, and really liked the mellow coconutty flavor in the background of these; The banana flavor is pretty subtle. I added a sprinkle of Demerara to the tops as I took them out of the oven, for just a little sweetness. I'm sure if you wanted to sweeten them up, you could opt to use sweetened shredded coconut, or a sweetened chocolate chip. I used an 85% cacao dark chocolate bar, chopped up. If you like the flavors of coconut, banana and dark chocolate, as long as you're not expecting the typical extremely sweet treat, I'll bet you'll enjoy this cookie.

These would be a great treat at the midpoint of a long hike.