Back to the kitchen!

I wasn't allowed to put any weight at all on my left leg for 10 weeks which is a very long time. The work that the surgeon did was successful and now I'm starting to get around my condo with the aid of a walker.

I've also started to do some cooking while hanging onto counters, etc. Last night I made a very simple supper but the salad was excellent and the pasta dish quite good as well.

Apple Spinach Salad

4 cups baby spinach
1 medium apple, sliced (I also peeled mine because I don't like apple peels)
1/2 small red onion cut into thin wedges
2 tablespoon roughly chopped dried tart cherries
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup blue cheese (about 2 ounces) or you could substitute feta

Thyme-Dijon Vinaigrette
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt

Put ingredients for dressing in jar and shake well. Use the amount you want on the salad.

Adapted from a recipe from Heart Healthy magazine

Mini Cheese Ravioli & Butternut Squash

1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed, you should have about 2 cups. More is fine.
1 package fresh mini ravioli (the original recipe called for cheese tortellini which I didn't have) *
2 slices bacon, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large sprig of fresh sage (about 10 leaves) or 1-2 teaspoons dried sage leaves
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt & pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish if available

Steam squash until tender or cook in microwave for about 5 minutes with 2 tablespoons water. Cook the ravioli according to package directions. Drain & set aside.
Cook bacon strips until crisp. Drain on paper towel lined plate. Return skillet to stove with drippings. Melt butter in the skillet. Add sage and cook until butter browns. Remove sage and discard. If you use dried sage you won't need to discard it. Stir in wine, sugar and squash. Cook for 30 seconds. Add pasta and heat through. Top with bacon, salt, pepper and parsley.

* If you live in Wisconsin, Minnesota or Illinois, try using RP's Fresh Pasta which is a product made in Madison. They make lots of varieties and all of them are very good.

Recipe adapted from Cuisine at Home magazine

No Recipes

In case any of my followers have noticed that there have been no new recipes for awhile, this is why. I fell in my kitchen on the night of Thursday, August 5 and broke my hip. I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and had surgery the next day. After 6 days in the hospital I was transferred to a rehab center on the west side of Madison which is where I still am. The really hard part is that I can't put any weight at all on my left leg. It makes things very challenging. My husband has been taking most of our CSA vegetables to my daughter's since he's not a cook.

I don't know when I'll be able to start cooking again, but I miss it and am really looking forward to getting back into my kitchen.

World's Best Green Bean Casserole

This is a wonderful recipe that I adapted very slightly from A Veggie Venture website, http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/ which is a great source of vegetable recipes. Alanna Kellog the author of A Veggie Venture has the following to say about the recipe, "'World's Best Green Bean Casserole'. What a lofty name! Still, I just might call this updated green bean casserole the World's Best Casserole, bar none."

It seems to have a lot of steps but its definitely worth it.

BEANS

2 quarts water

1 tablespoon table salt (salt is key to the flavor so don't skimp; if you don't have table salt, use twice as much as the relatively 'less salty' kosher salt or sea salt)

1 pound fresh green beans, ends snapped, snapped into bite-size pieces

Bring the water to boil in a large pot. Add the salt and beans to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes or until as tender as you prefer and still bright green. Drain beans in a colander, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain a bit in the colander again. Place a double layer of paper towels on a baking sheet, arrange beans in single layer to dry, top with a double layer of towels. Don't skip the drying process.

MUSHROOMS & SAUCE

8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms (I like the color of the brown portabella but taste-wise, they're the same as white button mushrooms)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced

Kosher salt to taste

Fresh pepper to taste

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon dry sherry

3/4 cup half & half

Salt & pepper to taste

Slice the mushrooms into thick slices. Melt the butter in a skillet til shimmery. Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Stirring often, cook til mushrooms begin to soften and exude their liquid, about 6 minutes. Stir in flour and cook a minute. Add the chicken stock, sherry and bring to a simmer. Add the half & half, simmer til sauce thickens, about 10 - 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Stir in the cooked beans til they're evenly distributed throughout the sauce.

TOPPING

1-2 slices good whole grain bread

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 a 2.8 ounce can of French fried onions

1/8 teaspoon table salt

1/16 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In the food processor, process the bread, butter and seasonings in about 10 quick pulses. Stir in the onions -- but don't process.

COOKING RIGHT AWAY Preheat oven to 425F. Transfer hot bean mixture to a greased quiche pan or baking dish. Top beans with topping and bake for 15 minutes.

COOKING LATER Transfer bean mixture to a greased quiche pan or baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Return to room temperature. Remove plastic wrap. Heat in 425F oven for about 10 - 40 minutes until hot and bubbly. (Ten minutes works okay for a shallow dish like a quiche pan. Allow more time for a deeper dish.) Add topping and bake for another 15 minutes.

Salmon with Minty Mango Salsa

I'd like to say this dish is made with local foods--but its not. However, I will say its delicious and we loved it!

Mango Salsa:
1 medium, ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 cup peeled and diced cucumber
2 green onions, sliced
1 medium tomato, diced
1 avocado, coarsely chopped
1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped mint
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Sea salt

Salmon:
1# wild-salmon fillet
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons olive oil

1. To make the mango salsa, combine the mango, cucumber, onions, tomato, avocado, jalapeño, garlic, mint, and lime juice in a medium bowl, stirring gently to combine. Add the salt, to taste. Cover and set aside. If not using the salsa right away, chill in the refrigerator.
2. Season the salmon fillets on both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Sear the salmon on both sides until golden brown and flaky, about 3 minutes each side.
3. Spoon the salsa on top of the fillets; serve immediately.

I've adapted this recipe created by Mariel Hemingway slightly.

Roasted Baby Beet Salad

1# or however many beets you have, stems trimmed to 1#
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 bag of salad greens or torn lettuce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender. It will take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets and cut in wedges. Whisk together dressing ingredients. Dress the salad greens with as much dressing as you like, top with the beets and drizzle with a bit more dressing.

Artichoke Spinach Pizza

This is another good recipe to use some greens. The original recipe called for frozen spinach, but fresh works well. No need to cook it first.

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 HVF bag of spinach (probably about 4 ounces)
1 whole wheat pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
2/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) grated sharp provolone or shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese or more if you prefer (I had some goat cheese feta and that worked very well)
you can also add a few slices of turkey pepperoni if you wish

Preheat oven to 450°.
Chop the spinach finely.
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in spinach.
Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Spread spinach mixture over pizza crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border; top with artichokes, cheese and pepperoni if using.
Bake at 450° for 13 minutes or until cheese melts.

Yum! Good for you pizza.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Spring (or Summer) Greens Lasagna

This tastes pretty much like a normal lasagna but you can use a LOT of greens in it. To get 8 cups of packed greens, I used 1 bag of HVF saute greens, plus some romaine lettuce, a few radish tops--you get the idea--whatever green stuff you need to use up. Do try to chop the greens up somewhat fine so that they aren't stringy. As I mentioned before I throw mine in the food processor and pulse a few times. You need to do this in batches and don't let them turn to mush.

1 box no-boil lasagna noodles (I didn't use the whole box)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced
8 cups packed greens, well washed and coarsely chopped, any combination (ideas include spinach, saute mix, chard, beet or turnip tops, even romaine lettuce works)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (fresh herbs are good if they're in season)
1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups organic tomato-based pasta sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated
1 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

1. Try to make this the day before you want to eat it because it gives the noodles a chance to soften.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add onions. Saute, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Add garlic, greens, and herbs, and saute, stirring frequently, until greens are slightly wilted and greatly reduced in volume. Set aside.
4. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish. Layer half the noodles on top. Its OK to break them to cover the bottom of the dish. Cover with half the greens mixture, then half of the remaining sauce. Place dollops of ricotta on top, using it all, then sprinkle on half of the mozzarella, then half the Parmesan. Repeat with a layer of noodles, greens, sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest overnight. Add about 1 cup water, if it looks a little dry.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for about 40 minutes leaving covered. Remove the foil and bake about 15 minutes more or until the top is brown and it looks bubbly.
7. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Adapted from care2.com

Note: If you want to cut down on the fat calories a bit, reduce the amount of cheese. It will still taste good and people won't really notice.