Greek Pita Pizzas inspired by America’s Test Kitchen, The Best Simple Recipes 2 Tbs olive oil 4 (8-inch) pita breads 1 Tbs red wine vinegar salt and pepper 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano 1/2 small red onion, halved and sliced thin 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped 3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes 1/2 cup hummus 1/2 shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese tzatziki sauce, for serving Kudos to pink-parsley.com for the awesome image!
Greek Pita Pizzas
inspired by America’s Test Kitchen, The Best Simple Recipes
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 4 (8-inch) pita breads
  • 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
  • 1/2 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
  • 3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup hummus
  • 1/2 shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • tzatziki sauce, for serving

Kudos to pink-parsley.com for the awesome image!

Asian Glazed Salmon 2 salmon filets2 tablespoons ginger-sesame sauce (I used an organic brand called Full Circle, but any ginger sesame-based marinade or dressing [not salad dressing] will do. If you can’t find this, a teriyaki sauce will do)1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy saucesquirt of fresh lime juice1 rounded teaspoon brown sugarcilantro In a small bowl, stir together the ginger-sesame sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and cilantro until combined. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the salmon filets, skin side down, on a baking sheet lined with greased foil. Brush with half of the marinade and bake for 10 minutes. Brush with remaining marinade and return to oven for 10 minutes more until salmon is cooked through. Top with additional cilantro. Serves 2. Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper Blog View high resolution

Asian Glazed Salmon

2 salmon filets
2 tablespoons ginger-sesame sauce (I used an organic brand called Full Circle, but any ginger sesame-based marinade or dressing [not salad dressing] will do. If you can’t find this, a teriyaki sauce will do)
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
squirt of fresh lime juice
1 rounded teaspoon brown sugar
cilantro

In a small bowl, stir together the ginger-sesame sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and cilantro until combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the salmon filets, skin side down, on a baking sheet lined with greased foil. Brush with half of the marinade and bake for 10 minutes. Brush with remaining marinade and return to oven for 10 minutes more until salmon is cooked through. Top with additional cilantro. Serves 2.

Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper Blog

Kudos to myadventuresinthecountry.com for this awesome recipe! Oven Roasted Potatoes (Adapted from epicurious.com)1 Tbsp olive oil1/2 lb hickory smoked, thick sliced bacon3 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes2 cloves garlic, minced1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly gratedcoarse saltfresh ground pepperfresh parsley Directions:Scrub potatoes and place in a large pot.  Fill pot with water until potatoes are covered by 2-3 inches of water.  Bring water to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  My potatoes were fairly large, so this took close to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, partially freeze bacon for easier cutter.  (Ten minutes in the freezer works well.) Slice bacon strips in half, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces.  I like to cut my bacon prior to cooking.  It’s easier to work with in the skillet and easy to drain with slotted spoon. Cook bacon in a skillet until golden, but still flexible.  You don’t want it crunchy.  Remove cooked bacon onto a plate lined with paper towels.  Reserve the bacon drippings. Check potatoes and if fork tender, drain and allow to cool.  If making this recipe again, I would peel the potatoes before I boiled them or try leaving the skins on all-together.  Yukon Golds have a relatively thin skin, so I think this would have added a nice look and texture to the potatoes. While potatoes are cooling, preheat the oven to 425° and mince the garlic and parsley.  Also, grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Next, prepare the baking sheet by brushing 1 tablespoon of olive oil and half the bacon drippings on the bottom of the pan. I used a fairly large cookie sheet for this and it worked well. Once the potatoes are cool, peel and cut in half, or quarter if potatoes are large. Place cut side down on prepared pan and sprinkle with course salt and fresh ground pepper.   Place in 425° oven for 35-40 minutes.  Rotate potatoes halfway through the baking time to ensure an even color.  I did not do this and some of mine were more golden than other. Reduce temperature to 375°, turn potatoes over and sprinkle with the bacon, garlic, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add more salt and pepper if desired.  Return to oven for an additional 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are evenly browned and cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley.  Serve immediately!


Kudos to myadventuresinthecountry.com for this awesome recipe!

Oven Roasted Potatoes (Adapted from epicurious.com)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb hickory smoked, thick sliced bacon
3 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
coarse salt
fresh ground pepper
fresh parsley

Directions:
Scrub potatoes and place in a large pot.  Fill pot with water until potatoes are covered by 2-3 inches of water.  Bring water to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  My potatoes were fairly large, so this took close to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, partially freeze bacon for easier cutter.  (Ten minutes in the freezer works well.) Slice bacon strips in half, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces.  I like to cut my bacon prior to cooking.  It’s easier to work with in the skillet and easy to drain with slotted spoon.

Cook bacon in a skillet until golden, but still flexible.  You don’t want it crunchy.  Remove cooked bacon onto a plate lined with paper towels.  Reserve the bacon drippings.

Check potatoes and if fork tender, drain and allow to cool.  If making this recipe again, I would peel the potatoes before I boiled them or try leaving the skins on all-together.  Yukon Golds have a relatively thin skin, so I think this would have added a nice look and texture to the potatoes.

While potatoes are cooling, preheat the oven to 425° and mince the garlic and parsley.  Also, grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Next, prepare the baking sheet by brushing 1 tablespoon of olive oil and half the bacon drippings on the bottom of the pan. I used a fairly large cookie sheet for this and it worked well.

Once the potatoes are cool, peel and cut in half, or quarter if potatoes are large.

Place cut side down on prepared pan and sprinkle with course salt and fresh ground pepper.   Place in 425° oven for 35-40 minutes.  Rotate potatoes halfway through the baking time to ensure an even color.  I did not do this and some of mine were more golden than other.

Reduce temperature to 375°, turn potatoes over and sprinkle with the bacon, garlic, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Add more salt and pepper if desired.  Return to oven for an additional 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are evenly browned and cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley.  Serve immediately!

Raspberry Coconut Macaroons

I like traditional coconut macaroons, but I find it difficult to keep their sweetness in check (as there is no butter or flour to absorb the sugar). Tart, fresh raspberries unevenly blended with the batter make for a dreamy pairing; pureeing the coconut (a technique I learned from Cooks Illustrated) makes these macaroons feel light and scratch-free and you won’t even believe how good they are drizzled with melted bittersweet chocolate. (I did a couple, but stashed the rest in the freezer until Passover. I’ll do the rest once they’re defrosted.) The result is my favorite coconut macaroon, ever, one that will hopefully put to rest my Macaroon Marathons, at least for another year.

If you’d like to use unsweetened coconut instead — Keep in mind that it’s very hard to guess how much sugar is in sweetened coconut but I might start by doubling the sugar, or possibly going up to 1 1/2 cups (which I’ve seen recommended on almond macaroon recipes that start with freshly ground, and thus, unsweetened, almonds). Theoretically, the 14-ounce bag of sweetened coconut holds 5 1/3 cups of coconut (or so the Baker’s brand bag advertises) but mine clocked in at less than 4 cups and I suspect that fluffing/compressing of the ingredient makes the cup volume vary greatly.

Makes 50ish 1 1/4-inch cookies

14 ounces sweetened, flaked coconut
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large egg whites
Heaped 1/4 teaspoon flaked sea salt or level 1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 pint (6 ounces or 1 1/4 cups) fresh raspberries (if washed, patted very dry)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a food processor, blend the coconut for a minute. Add sugar, blend another minute. Add egg whites, salt and almond extract and blend for another minute. Add raspberries and pulse machine on and off in short bursts until they are largely, but not fully, broken down. (I counted 13 pulses. I might have been a little obsessive, what with the counting.) Some visible flecks of raspberry here and there are great. When you open the machine, you’ll see some parts of the batter that are still fully white while others are fully pink. Resist stirring them together.

With a tablespoon measure or cookie scoop (I used a #70), scoop batter into 1-inch mounds. You can arrange the cookies fairly close together as they don’t spread, just puff a bit. Scooping a little of the pink batter and a little of the white batter together makes them look extra marble-y and pretty.

Bake cookies for 25 to 30 minutes, until they look a little toasted on top. Let them rest on the tray for 10 minutes after baking (or you can let them fully cool in place, if you’re not in a rush to use the tray again), as they’ll be hard to move right out of the oven. They’ll firm up as they cool, but still remain softer and less dry inside than traditional macaroons. Thank goodness.


Kudos to the smittenkitchen.com for this unique recipe for cookie/coconut lovers.


Asparagus Salad with Shrimp Asparagus Salad with Shrimp Recipe Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes We like using little salad shrimp for this recipe because they are sustainably caught in North America, but you could use any shrimp. Add to shopping list INGREDIENTS 1 pound asparagus, woody stem ends removed 1/2 pound pink salad shrimp, cooked, shelled 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced (1/2 teaspoon to 1 1/2 teaspoons, depending on how much you like fresh garlic) 1 Tbsp lemon juice (more to taste) 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley Salt and black pepper to taste METHOD 1 Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus to a bowl to cool. Add the shrimp to the pot of boiling water. If they are pre-cooked, remove after 30 seconds—this is just to warm them. If the shrimp are uncooked, boil them for 2-3 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the shrimp and add them to a large bowl. 2 Slice the asparagus spears thinly on the diagonal until you get close to the tip. Cut the asparagus tips off in one piece. (They look prettier that way.) Put the asparagus in the bowl with the shrimp. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add more lemon juice if desired, to taste. Yield: Serves 4. from: simplyrecipes.com View high resolution

Asparagus Salad with Shrimp

Asparagus Salad with Shrimp Recipe

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes

We like using little salad shrimp for this recipe because they are sustainably caught in North America, but you could use any shrimp.

Add to shopping list

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound asparagus, woody stem ends removed
  • 1/2 pound pink salad shrimp, cooked, shelled
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced (1/2 teaspoon to 1 1/2 teaspoons, depending on how much you like fresh garlic)
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice (more to taste)
  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD

1 Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus to a bowl to cool. Add the shrimp to the pot of boiling water. If they are pre-cooked, remove after 30 seconds—this is just to warm them. If the shrimp are uncooked, boil them for 2-3 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the shrimp and add them to a large bowl.

2 Slice the asparagus spears thinly on the diagonal until you get close to the tip. Cut the asparagus tips off in one piece. (They look prettier that way.) Put the asparagus in the bowl with the shrimp. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add more lemon juice if desired, to taste.

Yield: Serves 4.


from: simplyrecipes.com

We curate hand-crafted and artisan food.  Eat simply.

We curate hand-crafted and artisan food.  Eat simply.