Basil Couscous Salad

 

Basil Couscous Salad

Ingredients 

• 1 cup chicken broth or water
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup cous cous, regular, not pearl
• 12-15 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped, about 1 large or two medium heads*
• 1 cup Craisins
• 1 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
• 2 cups or 3-4 medium ears fresh white or yellow corn, or frozen, cooked, cooled and cut off cob*
• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, salted or unsalted

Dressing: (enough for a double batch of salad)

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves*
• 1 cup mayonnaise, I like regular but you may use light
• 1/2 shallot, chopped
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken , or substitute in notes
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, sold near vinegar and salad dressings
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For best results- a day before, or at least a few hours before:

• Bring chicken broth (or water), olive oil and salt to boil in a saucepan.
• Add couscous to pan.
• Cover with lid and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove lid and break up couscous so no clumps remain.
• Wash, dry and chop lettuce, set aside in refrigerator.
• Cook corn, rinse with cool water. Cut corn off cob and place in refrigerator to cool completely. If using frozen corn, do not thaw, when ready to assemble salad take bag of corn from freezer and use in salad.
• Make dressing by mixing all ingredients in blender or by using a hand immersion blender. Refrigerate.

When ready to serve:

• Chop lettuce into bite size pieces. Add lettuce and rest of salad ingredients into bowl. Just before serving, drizzle dressing (I only use about 1/2 ) and toss. You may serve additional remaining dressing on.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito

 Do yourself a favor and pop these black beans into your crockpot in the morning (no soaking needed). They are super simple and worlds better than canned beans. They will make a big difference in the flavor of the burritos (not to mention anything else you use them in).

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito

Ingredients

For the sweet potato filling:

• 1½ cups finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 to 5 cups grated peeled sweet potato
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• generous pinch of cayenne
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• a cup or more of finely minced cilantro (I used way less, or none at all)
• fresh lime juice to taste

For assembly:

• 6 burrito-sized tortillas, homemade are fun
• sweet potato filling
• 1.5 cups cooked black beans, see notes above
• Boston lettuce or other
• grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack to taste
• sour cream to taste
• guacamole
• fresh lime to taste

Instructions

1. Make the sweet potato filling: In a large sauté pan set over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in 3 tablespoons of the oil until the onions are translucent. Add the grated sweet potatoes, chili powder, cumin and cayenne, turn the heat to low, and cook, covered — covering is important to prevent sticking — for about 8-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to ensure it’s not sticking or burning. When the sweet potato is tender, add salt and pepper to taste and remove the filling from the heat. Stir in the cilantro. Squeeze 1/2 a lime over the sweet potatoes, mix, taste, and adjust with more lime and salt to taste until it tastes nicely seasoned.
2. Assemble the burritos. Gather all of your ingredients. I like to warm up my beans in a small skillet, and if my sweet potato filling has been refrigerated, I like to warm that up, too. I also like to quickly warm up my tortillas (30 seconds) in a large, dry skillet.
3. Place a tortilla on a plate. Top with lettuce. Top with beans, then cheese, sweet potato filling, sour cream, and a big squeeze of lime. Roll into a burrito. Halve and serve. (Obviously: layer the fillings as you wish.) Repeat with remaining tortillas and ingredients.

If you'd rather, you can serve these as bowls with rice instead of burritos.

https://alexandracooks.com/2020/01/17/sweet-potato-and-black-bean-burrito/

Chinese Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

 

Chinese Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

Chinese Broccoli with Miso Garlic sauce is an easy and delicious kid-friendly side dish that pairs well with any Asian inspired weeknight meal! Ready in less than 10 minutes!

Time: 5

minutes

 minutesTotal Time: 7

minutes

 minutes Servings: 4 Servings Calories: 127kcal Author: Jenni

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Broccoli

• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil

• 2 garlic cloves minced

• 1 teaspoons fresh minced ginger

• 2 Tablespoons water

• 1 ½ Tablespoons miso paste

• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

1. Trim the broccoli into bite sized florets.

2. Steam for 3 minutes. The easiest way to do this is to plate the broccoli in a microwave bowl with 3 Tablespoons of water. Top with a microwave plate and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

3. Stir together the water, miso paste, soy sauce and sesame oil and set aside.

4. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.

5. Add in the vegetable oil, and when hot, saute the garlic and ginger until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 15 seconds.

6. Pour the miso mixture into the skillet. Stir constantly for 15 seconds, until slightly thickened.

7. Add in the steamed broccoli, being careful not to add any of the water from the bowl into the skillet and toss to coat.

8. Serve.

Recipe from https://thegingeredwhisk.com/chinese-broccoli-with-garlic-sauce/#recipe

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

 

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

Ingredients

Stovetop Candied Almonds (see note 1)

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Creamy Poppyseed Dressing

• 1/3 cup mayo full-fat
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

Salad

• 8 cups (5 ounces) baby spinach or mixed greens
• 2 cups strawberries stems removed and sliced
• 1 large ripe avocado diced, or 2 small avocados
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

• Add almonds and sugar to a medium pan over medium heat. Stir constantly for 3–4 minutes, until the sugar melts and coats the almonds. Watch closely to avoid burning. Remove from heat, stir to coat evenly, then spread on parchment to cool. Break apart once hardened.
• Dressing: Zest the lemon to get 1/2 teaspoon. Add the zest, mayo, milk, cream, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper to a small blender. Blend until smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds.
• Salad: Add greens to a large bowl. Top with strawberries, avocado, feta, and almonds. Drizzle on dressing only for what you'll eat that day—you’ll likely have extra (see note 2). Toss and serve right away.

Notes

Note 1: This makes extra almonds—store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 months in the freezer or 2–3 weeks in the pantry. Great for snacking or topping other salads.

 

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (50g)

• 2 pounds mixed mushrooms such as button, cremini, portabello, or shiitake (1kg), sliced

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 8 ounces; 225g)

• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons flour (45g)

• 1 cup milk (235ml)

• 5 cups (1.2L) chicken stock

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until tender. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are well-browned, about 12 minutes total. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add flour and stir. Slowly stir in 1 cup of broth at a time, mixing well. Add bay leaf, pepper, salt and thyme, then bring to a bare simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

2. Remove bay leaves . Blend soup with an immersion blender until it's a mostly smooth consistency, leaving some small chunks of mushroom. Stir in cream and milk. Taste and add salt, as needed.

Mushroom Bisque

 

One Pan Spinach and Artichoke Orzo Bake

 One Pan Spinach and Artichoke Orzo Bake

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (or 2 tsp dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ¼ roasted chili flakes
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound dry orzo pasta (can also use ditallini)
• 2 jars quartered artichoke hearts (remove any woody pieces and cut into smaller pieces)
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• 3 cups baby spinach, chopped
• 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded fontina cheese (or more mozzarella)

Instructions

1.                   1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, combine the olive oil, garlic, shallots, basil, paprika, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Add the dry orzo, artichokes, and pesto. Pour over 2 1/4 cups of water and stir to combine. Place the spinach on top. Bake for 20 minutes, until most of the water has cooked into the pasta, but not all of it.

3. Stir the pasta around, then sprinkle the cheeses overtop. Bake another 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. If there's a lot of oil from the pesto on top, drain off the excess. Top with fresh basil!

 

https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/spinach-and-artichoke-orzo-bake/?utm_source=Half%20Baked%20Harvest&utm_campaign=2215c19b92-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_11_30_04_42_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-d4e68ae2d9-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

Roasted Lemon Artichoke and Browned Butter Pasta

 Roasted Lemon Artichoke and Browned Butter Pasta

Ingredients

·         1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus additional oil for drizzling

·         2 jars (12 ounce) marinated artichokes drained

·         3 cloves garlic, smashed

·         zest from 1 lemon

·         1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)

·         1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

·         kosher salt and black pepper

·         1 pound of your favorite long-cut pasta

·         3 tablespoons salted butter

·         3 tablespoons raw walnuts, roughly chopped

·         1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped, plus more for serving (or 2 tablespoon dried basil)

·         1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

·         8 ounces burrata cheese, torn (or Ricotta cheese)

Instructions

·         1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Combine the olive oil, artichokes, garlic, lemon zest, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a baking dish. Transfer to the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes or until the artichokes are crisp and turning golden.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta.

4. In the bottom of the same pot used to cook the pasta, melted together butter and walnuts over high heat until the butter is browned and the nuts toasted, 3-5 minutes. Remove the walnuts from the pot. Drop the pasta back into pot. Add the basil and parmesan, tossing to combine. Thin the pasta, as desired, with the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir in the roasted artichokes and any oils left in the baking dish. 

5. Divide the pasta among plates and top with freshly torn burrata cheese, a drizzle of oil, the reserved walnuts, and fresh herbs. Enjoy!