Baked Spiced Fish, Raw Kale Salad & Roasted Delicata Squash

We don’t have too many traditions in our family, but a puzzle at Christmas has been pretty consistent. This year, the puzzle was extremely appropriate.

For my last meal at home, we made an Indian baked spiced fish, raw kale salad and roasted maple delicata squash. Traditionally, I don’t love Indian food, but I may have to revisit that opinion because this recipe was delicious. And every other item in this dinner, for that matter. I don’t usually post every part of the menu, but tonight every part was deserving. *Fish recipe from Complete Indian Cooking.

Baked Spiced Fish

4 tablespoons oil
4 ounces shredded coconut
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 tablespoons lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 pounds code or white fish steaks
salt

Heat oil in a pan, add the coconut, ginger, onion, chilies, garlic, jalapeno, and chili powder and fry gently until the onion is translucent. Add the cilantro, lemon juice, and salt to taste and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the coconut is soft.

Oil the bottom of a baking dish just large enough to hold the fish. Arrange the fish steaks side by side and pour over the spice mixture.  Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until the cod steaks are cooked through.

Roasted Maple Delicata Squash

2 delicata squashes, halved and scooped out
4 tablespoons maple syrup
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and brown sugar and 1/2 tablespoon butter to each squash half and place in a small pan. Pour 1 cup of water around the squash in the pan and bake at 400 for 1 hour.

Raw Kale and Citrus Salad

1 bunch kale, Chiffonade the leaves (thinly chopped)
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
3 clementines, peeled, sectioned and halved
1 handful toasted pine nuts

1 lemon, juiced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Mix salad dressing together and dress salad 5-10 minutes before serving. * Recipe adapted from Lincoln restaurant in Portland, OR.

Chuck Roast with Potatoes & Rosemary

Belated Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah!

 

Mom and I started chopping up vegetables for this bad boy at 7:45am this morning. It cooks in the crockpot for 10 hours! The benefit to that was a wonderful smelling house all day, which was nice to come home to after some good post-Christmas shopping. Served with bakery fresh sourdough rye bread and a salad, it’s perfection. *Recipe from Betty Crocker’s Slow Cooker Cookbook.

Chuck Roast with Potatoes & Rosemary

1 pound red potatoes, cut into fourths
1 cup diced carrots
3-pound beef boneless chuck roast
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (we left out)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
*we added red wine too

Arrange potatoes and carrots in 3 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker.

Trim excess fat from beef. Mix mustard, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper; spread evenly over beef. Place beef in cooker. Sprinkle onion over beef. Pour broth and wine over meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender.

Remove beef and vegetables from cooker, using slotted spoon; serve in bowls with juices.

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

For most people, going home for the holidays means they get to hang out with their high school friends and be home just enough to see their family at meals and  open a present or two. Except, for those of us whose families move away from our high school towns, then family is about all we got. For me, that means a lot of time in the kitchen. These are actually the second batch of cookies I’ve made this week (I made Ranger Cookies on Wednesday). I’ve entered a vicious cycle of snacking, working out, snacking, guilt – and so goes the holiday season.

So, you might as well give in and bake some cookies. *Recipe from Two Tarts.

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup raspberry preserves

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla, salt and egg yolk and beat until well combined. Add flour and mix until stiff dough forms. Roll it into a long rope that is about 3/4 inch in diameter and 12 inches long. Roll into wax paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days). Slice into 1/2 inch rounds, then roll into a ball. Set on ungreased cookie sheet and make thumbprint in cookie. Fill cookies with about 1/4 teaspoon preserves. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let rest at least 5 minutes before moving to wire rack.

Kale, Sausage & Pasta Casserole

After almost 2 weeks of being sick - 2 doctors visits, 2 perforated eardrums and many pain killers later, I'm feeling basically back to normal. Since I can taste again, my normal eating habits are back too, and all just in time for my sister to come visit me! She has been touring around the city by herself while I've been at work the past few days, which is probably for the best since I don't actually read anything in museums nor have the patience for cold/crowds/public transportation. Tonight we cooked together at home and made an adapted version of this recipe that fit our tastes better.

On the side we had honey and lemon glazed carrots: carrots, butter, lemon juice and zest, honey all sautéed together.

Kale, Sausage & Pasta Casserole

1/2 pound wheat pasta
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch kale, chopped
2 Andouille sausages, cooked, casings removed and crumbled
14 ounces low fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta until just al dente. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add onions, cook 2-3 minutes then add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add kale and cook about 5 minutes until wilted.

Add kale and onion mixture to pot of pasta, along with cheeses and sausage, and stir to combine. Spoon into a large, greased casserole dish and cover with breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

Quinoa Cakes with Spicy Yogurt Sauce

My weekend in NYC was amazing. The most fun I’ve had, maybe ever. But surprise, surprise…I’m sick. Again. Two weeks later. Gotta pay to play, I guess. Luckily I was still able to taste dinner. I cut the recipe in half and made the sauce with yogurt instead of mayonnaise. The original recipe on Spoon Fork Bacon makes about 4 servings.

Quinoa Cakes with Spicy Yogurt Sauce

1 cup cooked quinoa
1/3-1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons egg, beaten 
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
cayenne to taste preference
salt and pepper

Combine quinoa, cheese, flour, onion, egg, pepper and salt together. Heat oil in a skillet and drop scoop into pan and flatten. Cook about 4-5 minutes a side. Combine Greek yogurt and the rest of the ingredients together. Top cakes with yogurt sauce.

S’More Bars

Today I took the day off to prepare myself - mind, body and baked goods– for my trip to NYC this weekend. I had a feeling the ROI on an extra hour of sleep and work out would be worth it for the late nights ahead of me. Post work out, I made my favorite breakfast (which I have every morning) plain yogurt, banana slices, granola, scoop of peanut butter, little scoop pumpkin butter. I could eat it for every meal, honestly. Then, because I’ve been going through baking withdrawals, I made s’more bars to bring to Tonya, my host this weekend. Somewhere in this day I’ll also find time to paint my nails, pack my bag, whiten my teeth, shower for the night and make it to Union Station by 4:30. Good thing I took a me-day!

S’More Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (or 6 ounces chocolate chips)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not marshmallows- they vanished)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.