Butternut Squash with Spinach Pesto and Barley!

This is a different take on a salad I had in Edinburgh on my 30th birthday.

I was in the mood for a squash dish...so I ordered a butternut squash from Fresh Direct...along with some of their lovely pesto, organic white northern beans and grape tomatoes.  I had frozen spinach and barley on hand already.

1 butternut squash
1 container frozen spinach
1 can white northern beans
1 pint pesto
1 package of grape tomatoes
One Onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes

Bear with my memory because I NEVER write things down and made this over a week ago!  LOL

I began by cutting up the squash, which is always an adventure, but MUCH easier since getting a decent knife (thanks Mom!) Then I put it in a large pot with some water and the frozen spinach so I could steam it all up together! 

In the meantime, I cooked 1 cup of the barley according to the package's instructions and sauteed the onion in some olive oil with the garlic.

When the squash was tender and the spinach, thawed, I added the pesto, beans and onion...then seasoned liberally with salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. (You can pump up the garlic and onion flavor with powders if you wish...)

*I also added powdered stinging nettles and I think kelp, to the squash/spinach/pesto/bean concoction....and some white miso paste to the cooking barley. But that, of course, is me :)

When the barley is cooked, add it to the rest.

Just before serving, I added some fresh, sliced, grape tomatoes which I had lovingly sprinkled with celtic sea salt and pepper.

Celtic sea salt is so flavorful...and a little goes a long way! I adore it!

Those tomatoes added just the right touch!!  One day I even added some yogurt cheese to it and YUM!

Note: This made A LOT of food!

BLT Potato Salad

AMAZING!!!

I, in my infinite wisdom, decided to make this on one of our "hotter than hell" weekends.  So this genius had the oven going most of the day (I also made some delectable granola).

4 medium, gorgeous, yukon gold potatoes
Mixed greens
1 package (nitrate free) bacon
canola or olive oil mayonnaise
1 pint grape tomatoes
onion powder
sea salt
mustard powder
red wine vinegar
garlic

Cut the potatoes into bite size pieces, put in pot and cover with cold, salted water.  Let sit while cooking the bacon.

I cooked the bacon on a rack in the oven so it could get nice and crisp!  I also ate roughly half of the precious stash before it made it to the salad. Try to hold yourself back :)

Bring the potatoes to a boil and then reduce heat. SImmer about 10 minutes.  Drain and cool them down with ice water.

Slice tomatoes in half and add to potatoes.

The dressing:

Whisk about two tablespoons of mayo with a dash o vinegar, oil, mustard, onion, and salt.  Add one minced garlic clove and mix into potato/tomato mixture.  The mayo really gives this salad the BLT flavor.

Add greens and crumbled bacon. Serve immediately.

*If you want to eat it over a few days…keep greens and bacon separate and add before serving*

BLT Pizza

This was delicious!  I kicked back with some Brooklyn Brewery Winter Ale...watched some TV and relaxed with this yummy creation a couple weeks ago.

I make my own pizza dough and sauce, but your level of involvement is completely up to you :)

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe

I started the dough early in the day and set it to rise near my kitchen heater. I also cooked a package of bacon on a rack in the oven for about 30 minutes to get it nice and crisp (as well as save the drippings).

I also put the sauce on to simmer:

1 28oz can diced (organic) tomatoes
1 T (organic) tomato paste
1 t Minced Garlic
Onion Powder
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Fennel Seeds
Sea Salt
Pepper


I basically made a bacon pizza (with cheddar cheese) and then topped it with a salad of spring mix and plum tomatoes (dressed with red wine vinegar, warm bacon drippings, onion powder, ground mustard and sea salt).

Heat oven to 400F (if you have a pizza stone, let it heat for 40-45 minutes) and bake pizza for 15-20 minutes or until crust is done and cheese is melted.  I bought a peel especially for pizza making...it's really fun!

MMMMM.....


*I used the leftover bacon in some savory oatmeal for the next couple days!

Tuna and Avocado Salad

Summer is winding down...and this salad is so yummy and easy I wanted to share it!

Tuna, Tomato and Avocado with mixed greens.

Dressing: Lemon Juice, Olive Oil salt and Pepper.


I am so in love with avocados and picking the right time to cut into one has become a bit of a game. The prize being the gorgeous green and yellow slices pictured above.

My gramma used to make sandwiches with just avocado and salt.

Bliss.

XOXO

Re-Do Pasta

For anyone who doesn't know...I began an herbal apprenticeship this past Spring in which a group of amazing women meet once a month and for lunch we each bring a dish.

This past apprenticeship day I was in a rather morose mood and so I didn't know what to make and wasn't really in the mood to cook (gasp!) Also, my sink was piled so high with dishes I couldn't do much anyway.

I decided that I'd make a cold pasta salad of the simplest form: Corn pasta, cherry tomatoes, canned asparagus, olive oil, lemon juice, salt pepper...and I think I threw in some oregano. I also had some fresh Parmesan to grate on top.

The verdict?

It was OK

I think it matched my mood at the time...not terrible, but sort of blah, and I wasn't too keen on the texture of the corn pasta when it was cold.

So, after a lovely day filled with tea and plants...my spirits having been lifted...I decided on a re-do.

All I did was add a little more olive oil and lemon, the cheese, ground sage...and heated the whole thing up.

AMAZING.

The sage lifted up and complimented the lemon beautifully...and the cheese, well...did what cheese does best...be awesome...but it didn't over power.

Two big thumbs up on this one in re-runs.

Gnocchi! Fun to Say and Delicious too!

I am putting this in the category of quick and easy dinner.

I made this one weeknight after work...and it was great because it felt sort of gourmet, but was so easy!


Gnocchi with Tomato and Fresh Basil

1 package Roland Gnocchi (thank you Krissy!)
1 can Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes
1 teaspoon minced garlic (I have a jar of minced g in the fridge at all times)
Fresh Basil, Chopped

*I also almost always have a can of the tomatoes on hand...as well as a carton of organic chicken stock...but that's for other recipes...*


Cook gnocchi according to package and on the side simmer the tomatoes and garlic with a touch of olive oil and add other spices to taste (I added some salt, pepper and crushed red pepper). Right before adding the gnocchi, stir in the basil.

Top with a little cheese (Parmesan would be ideal...but I only had mozzarella and it was tasty too!)


*As a little bonus...feast your eyes on the lovely package design, and copy writing, by none other than my good friend, Madame K! She's a Renaissance gal...