Honey Mustard Roasted Chicken

For someone who gets nervous cooking for more than 3 people, I'm surprisingly very much looking forward to cooking for 25 in a couple of weeks.  Cassandra is flying back from New York City and we are co-catering a large pre-wedding family dinner for her beautiful little sister Libby.

I've taken the day off work so that we can clean, prep, chop, and prepare an entire fall harvest feast for Libby and Edward and their closest friends and family.  Can you imagine anything more wonderful than spending a crisp October day in the kitchen with your best friend?  I really can't.

I was excited to try to create a fall menu to incorporate wild rice, squash, kale, Brussels sprouts, and apples.  Easy!  However, I was stumped on what protein to serve.  I don't know how to cook red meat, the thought of trying to serve fish or seafood to a crowd at the proper level of doneness is terrifying, and I was pretty sure Libby didn't want us to serve a lentil loaf.  So, I was thankful to find a simple recipe on Simply Recipes for honey mustard chicken and promised to test it before the big day.

Testing happened over the weekend and it was very successful!  The recipe is so easy and straightforward, and it works on any cut of poultry you like.  I tried a boneless/skinless breast, boneless/skinless thighs, and bone-in skin-on thighs.  The breast was great and cooked quickly, but the thighs were juicier and more flavorful.  Also, using thighs helps create more liquid/fat to make a nice gravy out of the honey mustard mixture. This will be the perfect entree to kick off Libby and Edward's wedding celebration!

Honey Mustard Roasted Chicken, from Simply Recipes
Serves 4, and easily multiplied to serve a crowd

4 pieces chicken (thighs recommended)
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp olive oil
Rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken in a roasting dish and lightly season with salt and pepper.  In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, oil, and salt and pepper.  Pour over chicken and sprinkle with chopped rosemary.

Bake 45-55 minutes, or until chicken is firm to the touch (25-35 minutes for boneless breasts).  The honey mustard mixture should have made a nice gravy, but if thin, heat it on the stovetop and whisk in a teaspoon each flour and butter.  Pour gravy over chicken and serve immediately.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Spicy Sweet Corn Cakes
TWO YEARS AGO:  Squash and Spinach Risotto with Gorgonzola
THREE YEARS AGO:  Tomato and Corn Pie

Open-Faced Croque Madame

I have not eaten my usual August/September quota of tomatoes this year, and it makes me feel like I just let an important piece of paper fly away in the wind, gone forever.  Typically, I'm mainlining tomatoes now for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because they just never taste as essentially tomatoey as they do these few weeks of early fall.  But through a series of weekends with other plans, I just haven't made it to the Farmer's Market with my usual diligence, hence the tomato deficiency.

Marney to the rescue!  My favorite friend/neighbor/co-worker Marney came through like a champ last night and donated two big ruby red beefsteak beauties along with at least a cup of little cherry tomatoes from her garden.  The little guys were a great snack at work today, and the big boys were destined for dinner.

My favorite restaurant in Minneapolis, Barbette, has a sandwich on the late night menu called a Croque Madame.  In French, I think this translates to "Mrs. Crunchy" (I don't speak French so I could be mistaken).  It's traditionally supposed to be a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, smothered in a cheesy bechamel sauce, and topped with a runny fried egg.  Figures - usual French decadence.  The Barbette version subs in roasted tomatoes for the ham.  My version is even lighter yet, but still bistro-quality elegant and very tasty.

To really ensure the wow factor with this humble dinner, first make sure your tomatoes are at peak ripeness.  Then, buy (or make) the highest quality fresh artisan bread you can find (Rustica, in the Mpls metro area), and if possible source out the real deal cave-aged French gruyere cheese. Buying fresh local free-range brown speckled eggs is up to you but I think it's worth the effort and extra buck or two.  Serve with something green - a mixed green salad or sauteed kale and onions.  Just like that, you've turned your kitchen into a French bistro, with food that's lighter and just as delicious.

By the way, Barbette's version of this sandwich is $10.  I think this sandwich at home cost me (even with top shelf ingredients) about $1.50, and that's estimating very high.  For ten bucks, I could have made enough of these sandwiches to feed about 8 people.

Croque Madame, inspired by Barbette in Minneapolis
Serves 1

1 half inch thick slice artisan bread (mine was a center slice of Rustica's Miche)
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp or more dijon mustard (I like the coarse grainy style)
Thin sliced gruyere cheese (can substitute swiss)
2 or more quarter inch thick slices fresh garden tomatoes, lightly salted on both sides
1 egg

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Butter both sides of your bread, put it on a sheet pan and toast for a few minutes until the bottom gets golden brown.

Flip the toasty bread over and spread a thick layer of mustard on the golden brown toasty bread.  Add a layer of cheese and top with tomatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melty.  Feel free to pop this under the broiler at this point for a minute or two to help get a nice heat on the tomatoes and finish melting the cheese (I did).

While baking/broiling, gently fry your egg over medium-low heat until it has reached your desired doneness.  Top sandwich with egg and eat with a fork and knife.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Tomatoes Stuffed with Tuna and Quinoa
TWO YEARS AGO:  Cherry Tomato Tart
THREE YEARS AGO:  Rainbow Rollup

Grilled Carrots with Avocado

This summer I was invited to join a group called "Ladies Salon" which actually has nothing to do with hairdressers, but is in fact "a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase knowledge of participants through conversation."  I call it book club without the hassle of reading books.

The ladies in this group are a classy bunch: mostly vegetarian, partly gluten-free, and totally interesting.  Most have gardens and bring very fresh salads or dishes to the potluck.  Last week, Jess brought a roasted carrot and avocado salad that was hands down the best dish of the night (even though my gazpacho garnered some praise as well).  When I googled it, of course Smitten Kitchen had a great recipe (which was, I'm sure, the inspiration for Jess's dish).

I liked it so much I made it last night, but modified for the grill.  It was a piece of cake to cook, and just as great, or better, than I remembered!  I bought a beautiful bunch of neon orange mini carrots at the Farmer's Market yesterday.  They were about 4 inches long each, and no thicker than an inch.  I scrubbed them up (no need to peel these little babies!) and cut them at a sharp angle before grilling in a grill basket with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  After about 30 minutes over indirect heat, the carrots were soft all the way through and nice and charred.  I tossed them with some chives, juice of half a lemon, and half an avocado.

I served these lemony carrot coins with some cedar plank grilled salmon and a stunningly beautiful heirloom caprese salad.  It was a great and colorful dinner!

Grilled Carrots with Avocado, adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4

1 bunch small, fresh carrots - well scrubbed and cut at an angle
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp chives
Juice of half a lemon
half an avocado, diced

Heat your charcoal grill until all coals are coated in white ash.  Move all coals to one side of the grill and place your grill basket on the other side to cook with indirect heat.  Toss carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and put in grill basket.  Cover grill.  Stir every 10 minutes or so and they should be soft through after about 30 minutes.

Remove carrots from grill and toss with avocado, lemon juice, and chives.  Serve immediately or at room temperature.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Spicy Broiled Tofu Tacos
TWO YEARS AGO:  Chicken Fajitas
THREE YEARS AGO:  Pesto, Hummus, Tapenade

Okonomiyaki

It's time to play Refrigerator Surprise, everybody's favorite game show where you must make a healthy dinner solely out of ingredients scrounged from your fridge or pantry - no grocery shopping trips allowed!   Ali from Green and Lean, come on down!  You're the next contestant on Refrigerator Surprise!

Wooie!  I'm so good at this game.  Sure, it's been a full week since I was last at the Farmer's Market and I know food is a bit scarce, but let's see what we've got to work with here.

Ok, the top shelf is pretty much just cocktail mixers, a half bunch of cilantro (in a mason jar, covered by a bag), and a half gallon of whole milk intended for a batch of yogurt.  Second shelf contains a salad spinner of somewhat wilty leaf lettuce, refrigerator pickles, ground flaxseeds, three jars of assorted Trader Joe's nut butters, and a whole bunch of other condiments.  Bottom shelf is 2 beers and 4 mini cans of pineapple juice (more cocktail mixers).  Well, this is a bit more bare than I expected, but I'm up for the challenge.  What's in the refrigerator door?

Wow.  Pretty bare here, too.  Eggs, butter, anchovy paste, several mustards, and lots more condiments.  Maybe this won't be quite as easy as I thought.  Oh, wait!  The crisper drawers!  I ALWAYS have lots of great fruits or cheese or veggies there!  Hallelujah, I'm saved and will win this contest after all!

Oh crap.  I'm so screwed.  I can't make a fabulous quick and healthy meal out of a tiny $1 farmer's market head of cabbage, half an onion, and some old carrots.

Or can I?

I can!  I'll make okonomiyaki (say it out loud, it's so fun! oko-nomi-yaki), a Japanese pancake/frittata/pizza (depending on which website you believe) made mostly of cabbage.  My aunt Barb has lived near Osaka, Japan for many years, teaching at the US military base.  She once told me about how delicious okonomiyaki is.  Then shortly after, I read about it on Heavy Table.  I used 101 Cookbooks' recipe today because it doesn't call for specialty ingredients like dashi or bonito, which I don't have, and I'd be disqualified from Refrigerator Surprise if I tried to make a quick run to United Noodles for them.

First I shredded up the cabbage, carrots, and onion in my food processor, then tossed in some flour and salt.  And hey, since the only herb I've got in the fridge is cilantro, I chopped that up and added it, too.  I carefully stirred in 3 beaten eggs until everything was coated.  The texture of the batter was kind of like making a veggie burger patty.  Sticky, and not too runny.

In my skillet, I heated a mere tablespoon of olive oil and pressed my batter into the pan.  I was worried about it sticking, but I kept using my spatula to push down the sides of the okonomiyaki and that seemed to help.

When the bottom was nicely browned and started smelling good and toasty, I slid the entire thing onto a plate, used another plate to flip it over, and slid it back into the pan with a touch more olive oil.

While side two was cooking up, I mixed together a tiny spoonful of mayo with a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a squeeze of sriracha, influenced by this recipe.  I also found some sliced almonds in the freezer so I toasted them up in a separate skillet.

Now that side two was browned up all over, I used a spatula to slide my okonomiyaki onto a large cutting board, slice off a big piece, slather it with a thin layer of spicy mayo, and top with toasted almonds and some chives snipped from the backyard container.

DING DING DING!  **Bells and whistles**  JACKPOT WINNER!!!!  The cabbage transforms into something sweet but still crunchy.  The crispy brown crust tricks you into thinking you're eating something deep fried and decadent.  The cilantro was a bright hit of freshness.  The spicy mayo added a touch of richness and sweetness and the almonds were the perfect garnish.

Join me next time on Refrigerator Surprise when I make a 4 course Italian feast with only sprouted garlic, almond butter, boxed wine, and a bag of frozen peas.

Okonomiyaki, adapted from 101 Cookbooks and Love and Lemons
Serves 2

1 small head cabbage (about 2 or 3 cups), shredded
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1/2 large onion, shredded
handful chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley, etc), optional
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
3 small eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp mayo
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
hot sauce to taste (sriracha recommended)
toasted sliced almonds to garnish
chopped chives or scallions to garnish

In a large bowl, toss your shredded veggies and herbs with flour and salt.  Mix in beaten eggs until all veggies are coated.

In a medium skillet, heat a tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Press cabbage mix into pan and use spatula to push down sides and press flat.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until bottom is nicely browned.

Slide onto plate.  Use another plate to flip over.  Add a touch more oil to hot pan and slide flipped okonomiyaki back into pan to cook second side.  Use spatula again to keep pressing it flat.  Cook another 4-5 minutes or until side 2 is browned as well.

Remove from pan and slice into triangles. Spread a thin layer of mayo mixed with worcestershire and sriracha on top and garnish with toasted almonds and chives.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Pickled Red Onions
TWO YEARS AGO:  Grilled Balsamic Veggie Sandwich
THREE YEARS AGO:  Quick Zucchini Saute

Colin's Garlic Citrus Shrimp

So I know this guy.  He's one of those guys who is interesting and knows stuff.  Stuff other people have to look up or make up.  He knows it.  I know he's not bullshitting either, because I'm the snot who keeps asking questions to see if he really knows what he's talking about.  He does.  The most interesting man in the world from those Dos Equis commercials has nothing on this guy.

This guy has an absolutely ridiculous variety of different interests and talents.  He knows graphic design and has created websites.  He edits and creates awesome videos.  He is an entertaining and witty writer.  He loves athletics, became an avid cyclist, and competed in marathons and Ironman triathlons.  He is a musical dictionary and introduced me to the Jayhawks and an awesome Ben Folds cover of a rap song (although he has questionable taste in hard core death metal junk, too).  He is an accomplished craft beer connoisseur.  He knows the meanings of every dirty word and will explain them to you upon request.  He loves four-letter words and has a mastery of profanity few could ever hope to achieve.

For awhile, there was one certain four-letter word I was convinced was his favorite.  E-P-I-C.  It's not a curse word, but it does have four letters.  He has described so many things with this adjective:  epic tv shows, epic movies, epic songs, epic songwriters, epic beers, epic food, epic parties, certain epic parts of certain epic people's anatomy...  I never see or hear the word EPIC without thinking about this guy.

Where I am most jealous of this guy's brilliance is in the kitchen and at the grill.  I've been the fortunate recipient of countless meals from his kitchen and back yard.  He has taught me how to use my old Weber (the one I use now actually used to belong to him and his wife, they gifted it to me when they upgraded) with confidence.  He has instilled within me the belief that Coastal Seafoods is the only place to get fish in Minneapolis, and like a true culinary disciple I go nowhere else.

This guy invented the recipe for and taught me how to make this awesome garlic citrus shrimp, which I've always called Colin's Shrimp.  It's the most delicious thing anyone has ever cooked for me and I begged for the recipe years ago.  Although Colin doesn't follow recipes, he explained how he made it and I've tried to recreate it.  Of course my version never tastes as good as his, but this is a close approximation.

I make Colin's Shrimp for my family every year up at the lake and they LOVE it.  I've made it for many other friends and dining companions and it's always a hit.  After heating the grill, it takes a mere 15 minutes to make from start to finish and all you really need to make it a complete meal is a nice loaf of crusty baguette to soak up the garlicky/winey/citrus juice (although adding a salad is always a good idea).

For all of the above reasons and a million more, I am enraged that Colin is forced to endure ALS.  It's a disease I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy.  It hasn't stopped Colin from knowing stuff and being pretty much my most interesting man in the world.  Merriam-Webster dictionary describes epic thusly:  "extending beyond the usual or ordinary."  Well, that pretty much describes Colin in a nutshell.  You, sir, are truly epic.

Colin's Garlic Citrus Shrimp
Serves 3-4 people

1.5 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 lime, cut into wedges

Heat your outdoor grill or large skillet to medium.  If cooking on a grill, put butter, oil, and garlic in a disposable pan (or make a tray out of tinfoil) over the grates.  Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute to melt butter and start to cook garlic gently.  Do not burn garlic.

Add wine (careful with alcohol around an open flame) and cook for a couple minutes to reduce and cook off the alcohol taste.

Add shrimp and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp loses its transparency and starts to curl up. Shrimp is done when all pink, but be careful to not overcook or it will be tough and rubbery.

Remove shrimp from heat and squeeze lemon and lime wedges over shrimp.  Serve immediately with fresh bread to soak up juice.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Zucchini Chevre Tartine
TWO YEARS AGO:  Veggie Hummus Wrap
THREE YEARS AGO:  Mustard Dill Fish

Grilled Portobello Salad

The dog days of summer are here, folks.  I love it.  So much.  Even if it means I don't cook much in July and August.  It's fine by me because with fresh farmer's market bounty, every meal makes itself.  With three years of blog archives, I've settled on my favorite summer recipes and have fallen into a delicious daily food routine.

Breakfast is yoatmeal, with raspberries, or nectarines, or blueberries, or whatever looks ripe and sweet that week.  Lunch is usually gazpacho, with cheese or avocado and bread.  For an afternoon snack, I have some juicy watermelon.  Dinner is some type of salad:  this one, this one, and this one have tickled my fancy lately. Some people may find this rotating menu boring.  Not me, not right now.  The tomatoes are sweet and fresh, the lettuce is crisp and crunchy, the fruit tastes like candy.  Every meal is a celebration of fresh local produce.

The only problem with this routine is keeping my Green and Lean readers entertained.  I console myself by thinking (hoping) that you're way too busy enjoying your summer to be reading blogs anyways.

I was planning on making some sandwiches with these portobello mushrooms, but suddenly became reluctant to deviate from my routine so I turned them into a supper salad instead.  To be honest, I've just eaten too much amazing walnut buckwheat bread from Sun Street in the past week so I decided a salad was a better option than more bread!  

At the end of each week, I frantically need to use up all of last week's produce so that I can go to the market and re-stock with fresh stuff.  So, I decided I needed to grill up my zucchini, grape tomatoes, and red onion for my salad also.  I had a package of criminis (same as portobellos, just smaller) so I used them as well.  It would be criminal to not top this combo with some local goat cheese.  The leftover marinade is turned into the salad dressing so nothing is wasted.  Serve with a glass of chilled white wine.  Perfect!

Grilled Portobello Salad

Serves 2

2 portobello mushrooms

1 package crimini or button mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1 cup grape tomatoes (optional)

1/2 red onion, large dice (optional)

2 zucchini, large dice (optional)

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil, plus 1-2 Tbsp additional

salt and pepper

lettuce

goat cheese

1 tsp dijon mustard

In a large bowl, ziploc bag, or tupperware, marinate your mushrooms and other veggies in 3 Tbsp each balsamic vinegar and olive oil, then add salt and pepper.  Let sit at room temperature for an hour or so.

Heat your grill to medium high and grill your marinated vegetables for about 4 minutes on each side.  Use a grill basket for the smaller veggies.  

Add a teaspoon of dijon mustard to your leftover marinade and whisk in another Tablespoon or more of olive oil until it emulsifies.

Layer grilled vegetables on a bed of lettuce, top with crumbled goat cheese, and drizzle with dressing.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Cauliflower Steaks with Broccoli Gravy

TWO YEARS AGO:  Chili Lime Veggie Burritos

THREE YEARS AGO:  Gazpacho

Grilled Zucchini Enchiladas

When's the last time you cooked something so good you licked your plate?  For me, it happened last night when I made Grilled Zucchini Enchiladas.  And again half an hour ago when I ate leftovers.  This is some pure unadulterated white and green goodness, with a vast majority of the ingredients sourced fresh from the farmer's market.

Let's discuss tomatillo salsa, shall we?  I. Am. Obsessed.  I've made it in summers past (here and here), and I love it so much that I might make a few enormous batches to freeze or give away as gifts this year.  This salsa is somewhat sweet, thanks to the tomatillos.  The sweetness also helps offset the heat of the jalapenos and then you get a tangy kick of lime with the overall smoky charred backbone - it's a very balanced flavor profile.  It would taste awesome on chicken or pork, eggs, practically every vegetable, and, duh, tortilla chips. I admit that in the past 24 hours, I've taken a few hits of it, straight up, on a spoon.

I wanted to keep the guts of these enchiladas as green and white as possible (because that sounded pretty), so I grilled up some zucchini, onion, and corn and mixed in white beans and goat cheese.  The hot grilled veggies melted the goat cheese so the filling was all creamy and rich.  I rolled that hot filling up in some grill-charred corn tortillas and topped it with the still warm green salsa.  

I don't whip this phrase out very often, but I am a Norwegian-Minnesotan so I sometimes use it for emphasis: UFF DA!!  Best enchiladas EVER.  If you try one new food this year, make it tomatillo salsa.  And if you don't like it, I'll take it off your hands, promise.

Grilled Zucchini Enchiladas

Serves 4

For the tomatillo salsa:

12-15 tomatillos, papery coverings removed and rinsed

3-4 cloves garlic, skins removed

1 medium onion, quartered

1-2 jalapeno chili peppers (or serrano chilis), depending on your spice tolerance

juice of 1 lime

1 big handful cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

For the enchiladas:

3 zucchini or yellow squash (or combination), sliced into planks

1 red onion, sliced into thick rings

3 ears corn, shucked

1 can or pint white beans, drained

1 log goat cheese

1 package tortillas, flour or corn

To make your tomatillo salsa, heat your outdoor grill, grill pan, or broiler.  Coat tomatillos, onion, chilis, and garlic in olive oil and grill or broil until charred all over.  A nifty grill basket comes in handy here so things don't fall through the grates.  Remove stem and seeds from chilis and pulse everything in a food processor or blender with lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.

To make your enchiladas, coat onion, zucchini, and corn with oil and grill until barely charred.  Chop zucchini and onion and remove corn from cob.  Put veggies in a big bowl with beans and 3/4 of the goat cheese log. Mix well and the heat from the veggies should melt the cheese but no big whoop if it doesn't.

Toast your tortillas over a gas burner or the grill to get a little char on them.  This step is not necessary, but I think it adds another smoky grilled flavor to the final dish, plus a little extra crunch.  Careful you don't make the tortillas TOO toasty or you won't be able to roll them.

If making for a crowd, roll filling in tortillas and place in large baking dish.  Top with tomatillo salsa and crumble remaining goat cheese on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or hot through.

If making for just a few people (or if you can't use your oven), roll hot filling in tortillas and put on plate and top with tomatillo salsa and crumbled goat cheese.  You can nuke it for a minute if it's no longer hot.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Bird Bars

TWO YEARS AGO:  Salad on a Stick

THREE YEARS AGO:  Arugula, Feta, and Watermelon Salad