Author Archives: petitebeet

Sage Pesto, Ricotta, and Cherry Crostini

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Today I got an amazing bag of summer cherries as well as some fresh sage. I wouldn’t have thought to pair these two, but I came across a recipe on “Not Without Salt” and decided to try it. I also got some (huge!) garlic and had a little mint leftover from last week, so there was even less to go out and buy at the store, which I love. The sage pesto is great because you can use it in a few different ways- she recommends whisking in some champagne vinegar to create a dressing, which sounds great. I think tossing it into some pasta with fresh veggies and little Parmesan cheese would be delicious, too!

Ingredients: (adapted from Not Without Salt)
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh mint
1/2 cup sage
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
Ricotta cheese
Fresh baguette, sliced
salt and pepper

Wash and roughly chop up the three herbs and add to a food processor- followed by the garlic, walnuts, and Parmesan cheese. Blend until well incorporated. Add the lemon zest and juice and stream in the olive oil while the food processor is running. Salt and pepper to taste, and that’s it! Toast the baguette slices and top with a dollop of ricotta, sage pesto, and chopped cherries.

Blueberry Lemon Hand Pies

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Who doesn’t love a perfectly sized pie that fits right in your hand? I got some beautiful blueberries in my CSA last week and decided to make some mini hand pies to bring into the office, and to my lovely sister who just had her first baby! She deserves a million pies. It’s been in the 90s here all week so I was lazy and used frozen pie dough that I thawed to cut my kitchen time down a little. They are very easy to make and absolutely delicious! I found that they keep for about 2 days, but not much longer as the crust gets soft from the moisture. Best to store in an airtight container, but make sure they are completely cool before putting them away.

Ingredients: From Bon Appetit magazine (makes 12)
2 boxes 9 inch pie crusts, defrosted
4 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar (I thought this was a bit much and would use a little less next time)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water
Raw sugar for dusting
All-purpose flour, for dusting

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the blueberries, sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Flour your surface as well as the rolling pin. Take your thawed dough and shape it into a ball, sprinkle well with flour. Roll dough into (2) 15×12 inch rectangles (I could only get mine into a square!) and cut 6 inch smaller rectangles either with a knife or pastry cutter. Brush edges of each rectangle with water and scoop about a tablespoon of the blueberry mixture into the center. Fold in a diagonal and seal edges with a fork. Brush with the egg wash, sprinkle with raw sugar, and slit a hole in the top. Transfer the pies to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in oven for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. The blueberry juice will leak as it cooks. Once finished, transfer to a wire rack.

Cod with Lemon and Vegetables

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I try to eat fish as often as possible, but it isn’t always the easiest thing to cook. Many times I have overcooked it and just ended up with an apt that stinks of fish. Now when I cook it, I make a little “fish bag” with lemon and whatever vegetables I have in the fridge. It steams the fish perfectly and comes out great every time!

Ingredients:
1 pound white fish (I like cod best, but tilapia is nice too)
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful of mushrooms, thinly sliced
Couple of asparagus
Half small white onion, thinly sliced
Small red potato, very thinly sliced
Crushed red pepper
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice all of your vegetables- you can really use whatever veggies you like, just make sure to slice everything thin enough that it cooks all the way through. Place your fish on a piece of aluminum foil, which should be large enough that you can fold into a “pocket.” Add a little olive oil on the fish and top with a few mini pieces of butter, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Top with sliced lemon then add your vegetables. Cook for 25 minutes. Be careful when opening the bag, the steam is very hot!

Angel Hair with Garlic Scapes and Tomatoes

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I had never eaten garlic scapes before (that I know of anyway) and I am totally in love with them now! I got them in my CSA and decided to try a simple pasta dish with them, which came out great. They have the texture of asparagus kind of, but with a light garlicky taste to them. If you haven’t tried garlic scapes yet, I suggest doing it! Their season is short though, so get them while you can!

Ingredients:
Angel hair pasta
2 Italian sausages
2 garlic scapes
Asparagus
Cherry tomatoes
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop the garlic scapes, asparagus, and tomatoes. Toss in olive oil then roast together in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the asparagus is fork tender and the tomato skin is starting to pop. While that cooks, remove the casing from the sausage and cook in a pan until browned, also cool your pasta. When the vegetables are done roasting, chop the garlic scapes then toss everything together with the pasta. Add some good olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Pizza with Swiss Chard and Potato

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Pizza is one of my favorite things to make. There are just so many options when it comes to toppings. I had a bunch of Swiss chard and mushrooms this week, so I picked up some pre-made dough at Trader Joe’s to make a pizza. If you can’t find dough in your grocery store and don’t have the time to make it, run to your local pizza place and they will usually sell you a big ball of it for a dollar or two, which is awesome!

Ingredients:
Pizza dough
All-purpose flour
1 bunch of red Swiss chard
1 small shallot, chopped
White button mushrooms (though any mushroom will work well)
1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup smoked mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
Black truffle oil, for drizzling
Fresh cracked pepper

Separate the leaves and stems of the chard. Chop the stems into 1 inch pieces, and roughly chop the leaves as well. Also cut up your mushrooms and shallot, and slice up the potato. Add your olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and chard stems and saute for about 3-4 minutes. You do the stems first as they take longer to cook down. Next add the chard leaves and cook until wilted, about another 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they give off some liquid.

While that cooks, flour a clean surface as well as your rolling pin, and begin to roll out the pizza dough in all directions. Make sure to keep your dough in the fridge until you need it so that it doesn’t get sticky, and continue to sprinkle flour while rolling it out. Place the dough on a baking sheet and add the tomato sauce, followed by the shredded cheese, thinly sliced potato, and mushroom mixture. Drizzle with the truffle oil and throw in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the bottom has a nice golden brown crust and the top is bubbly! Let cool for 5 minutes, then eat the entire thing.

Fettuccini with Corn, Pancetta, and Shiitake Mushrooms

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I don’t cook shiitake mushrooms very often, but I got a bunch in my CSA and needed to figure out what to do with them. This pasta worked out though! The sweetness of the corn and the salty pancetta helped to give the mushrooms a nice flavor.

Ingredients:
4 oz pancetta
1 can of corn
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream (or half & half)
1 lb fettuccine
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper

Start by bringing your water to a boil for the pasta. Heat a large skillet and add the pancetta, without oil, browning it for about 3 minutes. In the meantime, wash the mushrooms, remove their stems, and chop to your preferred size. Add the mushrooms and half of the corn to the pancetta, cooking until the mushrooms give off some liquid.

While that cooks, put the remaining corn in a blender along with the cream, and blend until smooth. Next, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer so that you have a nice thin liquid. Add this to the mushroom-pancetta mixture and cook until everything thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. If you like a little heat sprinkle in some red pepper flakes as well. Finally, toss in your cooked pasta and mix well to distribute the sauce. Top with fresh chives or parsley!

Vegetable Pot Pie

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It’s starting to get a little warmer outside, so I have been trying to get in all my winter favorites before Spring is in full bloom! Like pot pie- I have never made it before, but I absolutely love it. Creamy vegetables, flaky golden crust…how can you go wrong! I decided to make this one without chicken, reason being that I couldn’t find any chicken that I trusted at my grocery store. If I’m going to eat meat, I have to feel good about where it comes from. My pot pie came out great and totally warmed my little heart up. And yes, the entire thing was gone in about two days. I do what I want!!!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small leeks, trimmed and sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 medium carrots
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
10 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup mushroom broth
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 cup fresh chives, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg yolk (mixed with 2 tablespoons water)
7 ounces store bought puff pastry or pie dough (I used pie dough)
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Chop all of your vegetables, potatoes, and fresh herbs so they are ready to go. Also have your dough thawing now if you haven’t started this already.

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Next, melt the butter over medium heat in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the leeks, celery, onions, and carrots. Toss together and cook for a minute or two until the onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms and potatoes and cook about 5 minutes to allow the mushrooms to release some liquid. Sprinkle in the flour and mix throughout. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the mushroom broth followed by the milk. Bring to a simmer until the liquid has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the frozen peas, parsley, and white vinegar. Mix well and salt and pepper to taste. I ended up adding a sprinkle of paprika as well.

Pour the vegetable mixture into an 8 x 8 baking dish. Top with the dough and trim any excess hanging over the edges. I ended up making little leaves with my leftover dough pieces! Next, tuck the edges into the sides of the dish and brush the top of the dough with the egg wash. Cut a few slits so the top can vent and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let sit for at least 5 minutes before digging in. Bon appétit!

Jalapeño and Lemon Hummus

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I’ve been on a huge hummus kick lately, eating it at least 2-3 days a week for lunch. Chickpeas contain a lot of fiber and protein, so not only are they delicious, but they’re good for you too! I’ve never actually made hummus myself, but it couldn’t have been any easier. The longest part was soaking my dried chickpeas then boiling them before actually making the hummus. A can of chickpeas would have worked, but I had some dried ones I wanted to use up. In the end it came out great! I ate it with some pita bread and kalamata olives. My favorite.

Ingredients:
2 cups chickpeas, dry (soaked/boiled) or canned
1/3 cup tahini
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
Jalapeños, as many as you can handle!
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Paprika for topping

If you are using dried chickpeas, you’ll need to soak them for at least 12hrs, then boil them for about 45mins (depending on how soft you like them). I soaked mine overnight then boiled them the next day when I got home from work.

Start by adding your chickpeas to the food processor. Next add the garlic, tahini, salt, lemon juice, water, and jalapeños. For the jalapeños I just used jarred ones this time and started with a small handful. I tasted it as I went and added a few more more later until it had a good amount of heat. If you’re using fresh jalapeños I would start with even less to begin with.
8 Process everything until the ingredients are pureed together. Half way through, I drizzled the 2 tbsp of olive oil in the top to help smooth it out. Put your hummus into a bowl and top with a little more olive oil and paprika. Serve with whatever your little heart desires!

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Broiled Grapefruit with Brown Sugar

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Last time I was visiting home, my younger sister Kendra made me an amazing breakfast treat: broiled grapefruit with brown sugar. Something I never would have thought to do, but it was so delicious! It was an especially nice way to enjoy fruit in the winter time. The sugar caramelizes a bit and the grapefruit gets super juicy. It’s magical. I wanted to share her special treat with you. It is very easy to make, and once you try it you’ll be hooked. Thanks k-bear!

Ingredients:
1 large grapefruit
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the broiler. Cut the grapefruit in half and with a sharp knife cut the sections. In a small bowl mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Spread the mixture evenly across the top of the grapefruit. Place under broiler for about 3 minutes until the sugar is bubbling. Dig in!

Thai Red Curry with Squash and Peppers

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There are a few recipes I want to try before Spring sneaks up on me, and curry was one of them. I’ve never made it before, but I absolutely love it so I wanted to give it a try. I also had a kabocha squash on hand, so it was a good time to make this recipe. It came out great and was a good starting point for me. To make things even easier, I had some of my favorite organic brown rice from Trader Joe’s- only 3 minutes to make!

Ingredients: (adapted from Chow)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 peppers (I did 1 red and 1 green), cut into 1 inch chunks
1 medium kabucha squash, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1 inch 1-1/2 pieces
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 can regular unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Chopped cilantro for topping
Steamed rice for serving

Start off by chopping everything up and having it all ready to go. Heat the oil over medium heat and add your onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, peppers, and ginger and cook another minute or so. 11
Continue adding the red curry paste, covering the onions and peppers. Next throw in your coconut milk, water, soy sauce, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt (which I forgot). Simmer for 25 minutes or until squash is fork tender. Remove from heat, add the lime juice, and serve over warm rice with chopped cilantro.