honey-peppered pear + prosciutto bites [porter]

Unbridge club -- where a group of my mother's friends get together and play anything but bridge -- is starting to encompass the younger generation: the daughters and nieces of the core group. It was my turn to host last night and amid the concern of having a spotless house and the worry that 50 and 60 year old women would enjoy laser tag (like I said, anything but bridge!), I knew I needed to have simple, filling and delicious finger food that would hold to my nickname of 'Martha.'

I do not have endless hostessing experience. One of my best friends LOVES to play hostess, so the majority of our casual get-togethers take place at her house. Pulling together a menu other than take and bake pizza that would allow me to interact with my guests immediately upon their arrival requires a bit of planning ahead and avoiding foods that are still delectable when not piping hot.

I bring you to pear + prosciutto! A quick, tasty, and surprising appetizer/snack/finger food that will earn you some serious host/hostess cred.

Ingredients:
makes 32 bites [serves 8-10]
4 bartlett pears
1/3 lbs, very thinly sliced prosciutto [8-10 slices, some tend to go missing in the process :) )
1T honey
1/4 c warm water
2 t fine black pepper, plus plenty for finishing presentation plate

The how to:
Heat oven to 375. Slice the pears into 8 equal segments, removing the core from each slice as you go. In a medium to large bowl, combine the honey, warm water and 2 t black pepper, stirring until uniformly combined. Add pear segments to the honey-water and toss to coat. Let sit while prepping prosciutto. Cut each prosciutto slice into 4 even strips, as best you can. I ended up with some odd shaped pieces and it worked out fine as long as the pieces are long enough to wrap around a pear slice. Wrap each pear slice with a strip of prosciutto and place seam down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, let cool slightly and arrange on a serving platter. Sprinkle the whole platter uniformly with pepper.

Side notes:
First and foremost, I apologize for the lack of photo. In the midst of hostessing, snapping a picture unfortunately did not cross my mind. Now on to the real notes. I left the prosciutto off of a few of the slices to accommodate a vegetarian who was attending; it turns out that the honey and pepper work surprisingly well without the salty offset. To keep the pears warm until guests arrived, I kept the serving platter on the stove top to absorb some of the peripheral heat. These are still good when not super hot, or even warm, but I did not enjoy them as much 3 hours later at room temperature. Luckily, they will probably be gone by then (I had reserved some on the side for my hubby).

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feel-good morning smoothie [porter]

Feel-good morning smoothie

There are precisely three reasons why I drink this smoothie: 1) I am on a mission to actually meet the recommended daily intake of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables 2) A good friend of mine picked up "juicing" (like with a juicer, not steroids :) ) and reported that she no longer felt tired in the afternoons, could easily go until lunch without being hungry, and no longer felt like a slave to coffee 3) A family friend who is a cancer survivor swears by a similar version of this smoothie.

I make this smoothie usually 2-3 mornings per week and I honestly do feel good.  I feel good about my eating habits.  I feel good that this is the type of food that feeds my body well and therefore gives me more energy for longer.  I feel good that a body that gets the right nutrients enables a healthy immune system.  However, I have zero plans to give up coffee--it tastes so good and has lots of antioxidants--but I no longer crave caffeine and sometimes opt for decaf.

Getting in the habit to buy the ingredients for this smoothie on a regular basis was the hard part.  Not being a fan of letting food go to waste, I had to learn how to buy the right amounts, and, to choosing to buy larger portions to be more economical, I worked into our routine other uses for the same ingredients.

Ingredients:
makes 2 smoothies
1 c apple juice
2 generous handfuls of spinach or kale
1 carrot, chopped or 1 handful baby carrots
1 banana
1 c frozen fruit
1/2 c Greek yogurt
1 squeeze honey
1 lime, juice only

The how to:
In a blender combine juice, spinach and/or kale, and carrot.  Blend until the carrot is chopped well.  Add banana and frozen fruit.  Blend until smooth (may have to use pulse function if you have one).  Add yogurt, honey and lime.  Blend until the yogurt is well incorporated (same color through whole smoothie).  Pour and enjoy!

Side notes:
I use apple juice, but feel free to try other juices.  I will say that I don't like this smoothie as much with orange juice.  Kale is the more antioxidant-packed leaf, but it is more bitter than spinach so I suggest starting with spinach and changing the mix to include kale to your liking.  Spinach is only a 20 cent difference between a small and a large container at my grocer, so I tend to get the large spinach and have it around for salads, too.  I don't get kale very often because we don't have meals that use it often enough to justify the large container.  Again, I hate for food to go bad and I like to meal plan economically!  Our grocer carries carrots that are cut for stir fry for the same price as baby carrots so we get the stir-fry cut bag, well, so we can use them in stir fry, too (see where I'm going with this :) ).  I use fresh banana, but if we have bananas that are about to go bad, I'll cut them up, freeze them on a cookie tray, then put them in Tupperware in the freezer (freezing first on a cookie tray means they are less likely to stick together and you can portion it out later).  Pick any frozen fruit to your liking, but know that mango will give it a grittier texture.  We like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and peaches.  Recently we started using flavored Greek yogurt (honey and blueberry), so I've been leaving out the raw honey.  I might go back to plain Greek yogurt because the flavored one has a lot of sugar.  I especially like to drink these with a straw.

Phew that was a lot of side note!  Even fiance loves this smoothie and it holds him over to a late lunch on the weekends after dog training class--that's impressive.  Try it this week I tell you!  It's good!

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creamy cilantro-lime dressing [porter]

Creamy cilantro-lime dressing on taco salad

Fiance and I have taco night on a regular rotation.  We brown up some ground turkey with diced onions, simmer it in a layer of pre-made taco seasoning, and slap it in to a warm tortilla with fresh diced onion, cilantro, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, and grated cheddar cheese.  We always have leftovers and changing it up a little to not have the same meal twice in a row, we threw most of the same ingredients on top of a bed of lettuce (plus chopped carrots and tortilla chips, less Greek yogurt).  Typically this bed of lettuce would be mixed greens, but spinach is all we had (there's always spinach in the fridge for our smoothies).  Wanting to hedge the non-traditional spinach factor, I experimented for a killer dressing.  Fiance commented, "bottle this one up and I'll have it over and over again."

The Ingredients:

dresses 2 large salads

1 lime, juice only (about 1 T)

1/8 c cilantro, leaves only

2 T light miracle whip

2 T olive oil

1 dash onion powder
pepper to taste

The how to:
In a food processor, first process the lime juice and cilantro together.  You may have to stop processing and scrape down the sides once or twice to get the cilantro evenly chopped.  Next, add the miracle whip, olive oil, onion powder and pepper to the cilantro-lime mixture and process until smooth.  If you would like a thinner dressing, add more oil to preference.

Side notes:
I strongly suggest fresh lime juice for this dressing as it brings the right amount of sour kick and provides vitamin C.  Lime juice from those squeeze bottles will do the trick if that's all that's on hand, but you may have to add a touch more to get the same taste.  Light Miracle Whip is my "mayonnaise" of choice so it's always around, but feel free to try with regular mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt (will not provide the same tangy taste, so may need a small pinch of salt and extra lime to compensate).

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cucumber rosemary cocktail [porter]

The post is a little late, but we made this delicious Cucumber and Rosemary Cocktail for the 4th of July.  It tasted fantastic by the pool (though we had to serve it in a less enticing Solo cup), and it would certainly work well for a dinner party because it won't compete with the menu and it presents well.  Fiance wanted a fancy drink and this delivered!

Ingredients:
4-6 servings
4 med to lg cucumbers
1 tbsp fresh rosemary + sprigs for garnish
1 cup gin
1 cup water
2/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup simple syrup or agave nectar

The how to:
Peel and dice cucumbers.  Add cucumbers and chopped rosemary leaves to food processor and process until pureed.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing juice through the strainer if needed.  Combine remaining ingredients with strained cucumber mixture in a large pitcher.  Pour over ice, garnish, and serve.

Side notes:
I do not have a food processor large enough for 4 cucumbers so I used a blender, which was a lot of work.  I lost a wooden spoon to it.  I suggest adding some of the water to the blender to help it along.  Although any gin will work, we have Hendricks at home and the subtle cucumber and rose flavor complimented the drink well.  Also, substituting lime for lemon will play a stronger homage to the traditional gin and tonic.  Using honey in place of simple syrup would do nicely to round out the garden theme (half the amount if using honey).  I think I'll play with a fall version of this and work in a ginger flavor (maybe into the simple syrup).  The cucumber is a bit strong in this drink so if you are not a huge fan, consider halfing the cucumbers and adding more water/lemon in proportion.

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berry good salad dressing [porter]

Tonight I wanted my favorite salad as a side but did not have any fresh fruit which is a key ingredient.  I did have frozen blueberries though so I let my little brain wander, and I came up with this perfect dressing that I used to substitute for the sweetness in the quintessential spinach-walnut-fruit-and-cheese salad.  Many of these ingredients can be interchanged with similar ingredients making this dressing flexible to what you have on hand.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp lime juice
pinch of salt

The how to:
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend completely.  Feel free to adjust to taste.  The mixture will thin out as the blueberries melt.  If it is still too thick, add more agave nectar to get to the desired consistency.

Side notes:
Feel free to slip some ground flax into this dressing for more hidden health benefits without compromising taste.  Fresh berries can replace frozen (and may actually be tastier if they are in season).  Try any berry in place of blueberries.  I used plain Greek yogurt because it's what I had on hand, but non-Greek yogurt and flavored yogurts will work too--try to stick to plain, vanilla, or complimentary fruit flavors.  The agave nectar adds sweetness and helps to thin the dressing out.  Honey or sugar will work, too.  If using sugar to sweeten, try some water or milk to thin it out.  Any citrus will work in place of lime (think lemon or orange juice).  I used bottled lime juice, and it turned out fine.  The salt can be left, but it helps to cut the sweetness.  Another twist would be to create a berry vinaigrette: use red wine vinegar in place of lime juice, salt, and half of the agave nectar.

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salmon with mustard and ginger soy sauce [porter]

Alaskan sockeye salmon with soy-mustard-ginger sauce

I am on a major health kick this week.  Fiance and I took a Memorial day trip to New York City and dined our little hearts out on bagels, egg sandwiches, pastrami sandwiches, matzo ball soup, Patsy's pizza, Italian tasting menus, and exquisite Japanese food from Morimoto.  Now it's time to recover and put healthy food back in the system.  Having decided on fish as the main course for dinner last night, I could not pass up the wild caught Alaskan sockeye salmon that was being freshly laid out behind the seafood counter.  It was just so red.  I did what I typically do for weeknight meals: threw a bunch of stuff together that sounded good.  Here is the end result...it takes less than 20 min and it's not too shabby if I do say so my self.

Ingredients (serves 2):
12 oz salmon, with or without skin (wild caught Alaskan is best and here is why)
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp lemon pepper
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp grated or minced ginger
optional:
2 tsp ground flaxseed
1 lemon

The how to:
Place the top rack of your oven about 10 inches from the top.  Set the oven to broil and place pan on the top rack to preheat.  A cast iron pan or other oven safe pan is recommended, but I don't have these so I used my thickest baking sheet (foil lined for easy clean up) that would retain heat the best.  While the pan is heating, sprinkle the garlic salt and then the lemon pepper on the top of the salmon (the non-skin side if applicable).  These amounts should be to your taste, but I like an even thin layer of this 2:1 ratio.  Remove the pan from the oven (use a hot pad!) and place the salmon skin side down on the pan and replace on the top shelf of the oven.  Broil the salmon for 7 min.  The salmon will cook on both sides from the pan and the broiler so you do not need to turn.  I checked mine at 7 min, but the thickness of this filet took 1-3 min longer.  The fish should flake easily and still be pink (not red) in the middle when done.  While broiling, combine the remaining  ingredients (including flax seed if applicable) in a small bowl.  Remove the fish from the oven and top with a thin layer of this soy-mustard-ginger mixture.  Let rest for 5 min to let mixture sink in.  Serve with optional half lemon on each plate and see additional serving suggestions below.

Side notes:
I served this on a bed of mixed greens with very thinly sliced (more like shaved) white onion and green bell pepper.  I kept it pretty basic to feature the salmon instead of feeling like it was a salad with salmon on top.  I used the left over topping I had and mixed in ponzu, honey and a little splash of yellow mustard and used to lightly dress the greens.  I also served a small portion of roasted broccoli - it was hard to resist when I already had the oven on high heat and broccoli in my fridge.

Now that's all out of the way, I want to share why this dish is so healthy.  You can click on any of the links in the ingredient list to see more in depth information from World's Healthiest Foods (a non-profit organization dedicated to making the world a healthier place).  The salmon in this dish (6 oz per serving) provides roughly 75% of the daily recommended need of omega-3's while the flax seed and mustard help to supplement this dish to provide roughly 100% of this important requirement.  Eating a meal of this nature as little as once per week can have significant heart-health benefits.  Also, ginger, flaxseed, and mustard (and possibly soy sauce - more research needed) all offer anti-inflammatory benefits.  Lastly, lemon and ginger offer immune-system-boosting effects, which is excellent for Fiance who caught a cold near the end of our trip.

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seriously delicious and easy roasted broccoli [porter]

Roasted broccoli in under 20 minutes

The fiance and I went to my friends house last night to help hang their new TV.  When I say that we went to help, I mean to say that fiance went to help, and I went to hang out with my friend Y.  While the boys were having all kinds of trouble (breaking a bolt off into the stud, starting over, finally succeeding and then realizing that this mount blocked the TV's power source--the TV just ended up on the entertainment stand 3 hours later) Y and I made dinner.  She showed me how to make this fantastic dish, and I couldn't wait for the boys to finally call it quits so we could indulge.  I intended to make it tonight as well, even before I remembered that I started a blog yesterday and would probably need to make it again so I could get a photo that would grab your attention :)  I might make it again tomorrow.  Seriously, it is that good and it's broccoli.

Reasons why we should eat broccoli (World's Healthiest Foods):

1. Cholesterol lowering benefits
2. Boosts your body's ability to detoxify
3. May lessen reactions to allergies
4. Studies show that it reduces the chances of several forms of cancer

Reasons why we want to eat broccoli:

1. If cooked properly it is quite tasty
2. It adds color to our plates (if you ask my friend Y, pretty food is just as important as good food)
3. It is so fast and easy to cook

Okay, now go buy broccoli! 

Ingredients:
1 bunch of broccoli
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp seasoning (I used Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning, but feel free to change it up)
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 dash cayenne (optional)
1 lemon, halved

The how to:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Chop the broccoli into large florets, discarding the lightest part of the stems, and wash and dry thoroughly.  Place the broccoli in a large bowl and toss to coat with the remaining ingredients except for the lemon.  Line a cookie sheet (one that has a rim so any juices don't run off and make a mess) with foil and spread the broccoli as a single layer.  Roast for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and squeeze half of the lemon (to taste).

Side notes:
All parts of broccoli are edible, but simply may take longer to cook, so slice thinner or use different pans to roast accordingly.  For a one pan method, which you probably don't even need to clean because of the foil lining, skip the bowl for tossing and use a plastic bag (I'm frugal and would rather clean the extra dish, but we can call it "green" of me if you want).  Try adding other things to the pan for different flavors: garlic, shrimp, peppers, etc.  Also, these seasonings may also be worth trying on steamed broccoli; just add the seasonings after steaming florets for 5 minutes over 2 inches of boiling water.

How do you like your broccoli?

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