Corn Salad with Cucumbers and Red Peppers

I'm back! I did not do a lot of cooking over these last couple of weeks because I have been busy studying. Hopefully the bar exam is behind me for good! Anyways, I really missed cooking and while I am thankful for Trader Joe's I am glad to be back in the kitchen.  My first creation was a salad I found on Food52.  The corn was supposed to be uncooked, I skipped buttermilk and just used milk with a splash of lemon, I added the dressing to the salad before rather than as you are serving it and I skipped the feta cheese because not everything in life needs cheese.  This salad really tastes like summer and is perfect for serving at a barbecue.  I also made Auntie Helen's pasta salad. Yum!

Ingredients

3 ears of sweet corn, cooked and cut off the cob*

1 red pepper diced

1 English cucumber, seeded and diced

1 large or 2 small shallots, cut into slices

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

Dressing

1/4 cup milk, with 1/2 tsp of lemon or white wine vinegar

2/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 Tbs of white wine vinegar

3 Tbs of minced Vidalia onion

1 clove of garlic, mashed

1/4 cup EVOO

salt & pepper to taste

1) Take the shallots that are sliced lengthwise, placed them in a small dish and salt them.  Let them sit for about 20 minutes in the salt.  This will take the bite out of the shallots.

2) Meanwhile--mix the dressing.  Let the milk stand with the white wine vinegar or lemon for about 5 minutes.  This will give the milk a tart flavor, so it can be used as a replacement for buttermilk. 

3) In a small bowl, add the yogurt, the white wine vinegar then the milk.  Add the garlic and the onion and then with one hand stir and drizzle in the EVOO.  Whisk well until the dressing is well blended. 

4)  In a large bowl, add the veggies including the shallots that have been sitting in salt and the fresh dill.  Mix them well and then drizzle the dressing over until it is coated to your liking.  You will probably have leftover dressing.

*To properly cook sweet corn, fill a large pot with cold water and then add your husked corn to the pot. Salt the water and bring to a boil.  Once the corn is at a rolling boil, take it off the heat and let it sit in the water until you are ready to take the kernels off the cob (sooner rather than later preferably).  Make sure to run the corn under cool water before attempting to take the kernels off the cob.

Summer Dinner Party

It is no secret that I love to cook for people.  I believe that good food is meant to be shared, so I try to do it as often as possible.  I especially love summer cooking because there is nothing better than enjoying a drink outside in the sunshine while the grill heats up. 

I specifically chose simple dishes. I did not want to spend my whole day doing food prep and sometimes--especially in the summer, simplicity is an important factor.  Dinner included grilled pork chops, sweet corn and brussels sprouts.  Dessert was strawberries dipped in sour cream and brown sugar.  The pork chop recipe was from Epicurious, however instead of making a garlic-lime sauce, I made a marinade.  The brussels sprouts are a simple dish I make all the time. The corn on the cob was just boiled, but included the addition of cumin butter (human butter according to one of our guests). The strawberries are a Hammond family favorite--and now one of my favorites because of its simplicity and tastiness!

Grilled Pork Chops Marinated in Garlic & Lime
6 boneless center cut pork chops, 1/2 inch thick

For the Marinade
2/3 cup EVOO
1/2 cup lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

1) Mix the ingredients of the marinade.  Stir well, and then place the pork chops in a large plastic bag (or two if you have to) and pour the marinade over them.  Let them sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours before grilling. 
2) When you start the grill, take the pork chops out and pat them dry with a paper towel.  Reserve some of the marinade for basting if you want to.  Let the pork chops sit outside of the fridge until the grill is going.
3) Grill the pork chops on medium high heat, 5 minutes on each side.  After taking them off the grill, let them sit for 3-5 minutes to let the juices settle. 

Brussels Sprouts with Lemon
1 lb of brussels sprouts
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbs. EVOO
salt & pepper to taste

1) Slice the brussels sprouts starting at the top of the sprout first, and then discard the end.  I did this step well before dinner so it was done before the guests arrived. 
2) In a medium pan, heat 2 tbs of EVOO.  Once the oil is heated, toss the brussels sprout in the pan.  Add the lemon juice, and then add salt & pepper to taste.  Cook about 7 minutes until some of the sprouts are caramelized.  

Cumin Butter
1/2 stick salted butter (or 1/2 stick of unsalted and salt it yourself)
1 Tbs. of dried cumin

1) Soften the butter.  I prefer to set it out and let it come to room temperature rather than microwaving it.  Once it is soft, add the cumin and mix well.  Butter your corn with it.  It should work for about 6 ears of corn.

Strawberries Dipped in Sour Cream and Brown Sugar
2 lbs. of strawberries, tops cut off.
8 oz. of sour cream
1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar

This one is almost self explanatory.  Spoon sour cream and brown sugar on your plate. Dip the strawberry in the sour cream first, then the brown sugar.   Enjoy!

Broccoli Slaw

I have always noticed bags of shredded broccoli called "broccoli slaw" at Trader Joe's and wondered what people do with it, so I brought it home to see what I could do.  Broccoli is very healthy for you containing vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants, so one of my goals was to avoid negating broccoli's health benefits by covering it in a creamy dressing or loading a dressing with sugar.  I also wanted to use things I had in my house.  After reading lots of recipes, I found one from Eating Well that met my criteria. 

The recipe turned out great.  The dressing was just enough to neutralize the bite of the broccoli, the water chestnuts added a bit of crispness and the turkey bacon added a little bit of saltiness.  This salad will keep in your fridge for a couple of days and makes a great side at a barbecue.

Ingredients
1 16 oz bag of broccoli slaw
4 slices of turkey bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1 8 oz can of sliced water chestnuts
1/4 cup Greek yogurt*
1/4 cup of mayo (I used Kraft mayo with olive oil)*
1/2 red onion minced
3 Tbs. of cider vinegar
1/2 packet Truvia (or 1/2 tsp sugar)
salt & pepper to taste

1) While the bacon is cooking, cut up the onion. Set aside. When the bacon is crisp either crumble it or cut it into small pieces with kitchen scissors.
2) In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, mayo, cider vinegar and Truvia.  Add the onion.
3) Put the broccoli slaw, water chestnuts and bacon into a large bowl.  Pour the dressing over it and mix well.  Let it chill in the fridge before serving. 

*You can also use 1/2 cup of Rocco's mayo in lieu of Greek yogurt and store bought mayo if you are well-prepared and have it on hand, unlike me!

Simple Gazpacho with Shrimp

It does not get any more simple, pure and healthy than this delicious veggie soup which is served cold. The veggies are raw, so you do not lose any of the nutrients in the cooking process, which makes this soup extra healthy. 

With heat warnings ahead, 16 hours of exam practice in two days--I know cooking will not be on my priority list.  If you can chop veggies, you can make this soup.  It helps if you have a food processor, but a blender will do the trick too.  Some or the reviewers actually said they roughly chopped the vegetables by hand for an extra chunky soup, so do not shy away from this recipe for lack of tools.  There are many gazpacho variations--I picked a more basic version from Ina Garten. 

 

Veggies before they hit the steel blades of the food processor. 

Ingredients
5 Roma tomatoes, cut into one inch chunks
1 English cucumber, cut in half and seeded
2 red bell peppers, cut into one inch chunks
1 red onion, cut into one inch chunks
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups of tomato juice (I use the Sacramento brand)
1/4 cup EVOO
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 Tbs kosher salt
ground black pepper

Optional Garnishments
Greek yogurt (use it like sour cream)
small shrimp (I like to throw a few on top before I eat it)
cilantro

1) Chop up all of your veggies.  In a food processor, take each vegetable separately and pulse until it is coarsely chopped.  It is important you do the veggies separately, because of the different textures.  You can look at the pictures below to see what "coarsely chopped" looks like.  Also--this is a matter of preference.  You may want a really chunky soup or even a puree.

2) After each veggies has been through the food processor, set it aside in a large bowl (at least 3L).  When all of the veggies are done, add the vinegar, EVOO, tomato juice, salt & pepper.  Place it in the fridge and allow it to chill.  The longer it sits, the better it will taste!

3) If you want, garnish it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and half a dozen small shrimp. 

*One of the reviewers suggested serving it in champagne flutes garnished with sour cream.  Might be a cute idea for a gathering...

NuVal Nutrition Ratings--so excited I had to blog about it!

I read about this system for rating the nutritional content of grocery store foods and I hope it comes to a grocery store near me soon (Trader Joe's, Rainbow and Target)!

The system was developed by a Yale doctor and nutritional experts.  I think any information we can get about our food is good information.  I also think that it is really hard for the average consumer to decide whether something is healthy.  There is hardly any nutritional education in elementary and high school, food ingredient labels require a college chemistry book in order to figure out what anything is and even if someone does look at the label, they might not know what effect certain nutrients have on their bodies.  The things I do know--I only know because I was required to take a science course in college and that course ended up being Nutrition. You have to go out of your way and seek out information in order to really understand anything about the food you are putting in your body.  This system makes it easy!  I know I used to buy light yogurt full of nasty high fructose corn syrup, light mayonnaise loaded with added sugar until I learned that these products do more harm than good. 

I do wish there was more information about how certain foods got the ratings that they did.  It is kind of unfair that certain food companies have no idea why they received the score that they did.  I feel like an explanation might help them make their product better. 

Harriet Brewing Company

Awhile back, my mom told me about a brewery located in Minneapolis that was written up in the Star Tribune called Harriet Brewing.  She encouraged me to check it out and I did not get around to it until recently after having Westside, one of Harriet Brewing's beers at a local bar.  It was a Belgian style IPA and I was instantly smitten with the beer.  I am not going to do a lengthy beer review, but I will tell you that Westside is hoppy like an IPA, but with the citrus and freshness of a Belgian.

After some research, I learned that you can't just pop into the liquor store and pick up a six-pack.  Harriet Brewing is small and is not to the point where they are bottling their beers.  However, upon visiting their brewery, you can purchase what is commonly called a "growler."  It is a 64 oz. jug filled with beer and it went great with the steak dinner I made the other night.  The people at Harriet are friendly and glad to sell you their beer.  I definitely will be back, filling up my growler to share with my family over the 4th of July weekend. 

Anyways, I urge you to check out Harriet.  I also urge you to check out Fulton (started by Johnnies for all you CSB/SJU people) or Surly.  These three breweries just might be the beginning of a fantastic craft brew scene in Minnesota, made possible by the passage of a new law.  Not only are you supporting something local, but you will also be at the forefront of a new and hopefully growing scene in Minnesota.

Green Beans with Gremolata

This recipe is similar to one my mom makes, but her gremolata is a bit more fancy than mine.  I took the concept and made my own version which is quick and simple.  Gremolata is a concoction made of fresh parsley, garlic, and lemon zest.  There are a few variations--I skipped the garlic. 

Ingredients
1 lb. fresh green beans
2 Tbs. EVOO
1 Tbs. butter
1 cup chopped parsley
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon
2 oz. shaved Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

1) In a small dish, mix the gremolata--chopped parsley and lemon zest.  Set aside along with half a lemon.
2) Heat a large frying pan and then add the butter and EVOO.  Let is heat up, and then add the green beans. Add a small amount of salt & pepper. Saute for about 7 minutes on medium heat. Just before they are done, add the juice from the lemon half. I just just squeeze it right over the pan.
3) Turn off the heat, and toss in the gremolata and the Parmesan cheese.