Salmon Zucchini Melts with Dill Butter

Sandwiches for breakfast?

Why not?! They’re easy to prepare and they fill you up. That sounds good to me, especially in the summer when you want to get out of the kitchen quickly and get on with your life. 

They’re good for brunch too. Note that if you have sleepover company during the summer, which I do, often, so I am always looking for food that’s easy but a little different too.

You can carry some sandwiches around, to eat on your terrace or at a picnic area or playground. (Remember that sandwiches were invented for convenience, by a gambler who wanted to eat and play at the gaming tables at the same time).

And they’re an especially good way to use up leftovers, which is a particular thing for me. I hate to throw food out (ask my kids, who would often make fun of the little packages of this and that in my fridge. In fact, they still do that, come to think of it.)

Here’s one, a riff on the old Tuna Melt. It’s not the tote-around kind of sandwich, but is a terrific, nutritious and satisfying sandwich for late breakfast or brunch. Or even dinner. And it finishes up that little bit of salmon from yesterday’s dinner. And the small amount of extra mozzarella cheese. And the English muffins you’ve had in the freezer for a while.

Salmon Zucchini Melts with Dill Butter

2 English muffins (or 2 slices whole wheat bread)

1-1/2 tablespoons butter, slightly softened

1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

8 slices zucchini

4 slices tomato

4 ounces cooked salmon

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees. Lightly toast the bread and spread each piece with equal amounts of butter. Sprinkle the dill on top. Place the slices on a baking sheet. Layer 2 slices of zucchini and one slice of tomato on top. Cut the salmon into small chunks and place on top of the tomato. Scatter the mozzarella cheese over the fish. Finally, sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake the sandwiches for 5-6 minutes or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Makes 2 sandwiches

We did it.

jessehertzberg:

Thank you for joining me and donating $40 for pediatric cancers research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center!

Fundraising Goal: $4,000.00
Total Number of Gifts: 51
Total Value of Gifts: $4,794.40

It’s not too late to participate.

Wonderful cause. Hope you raise lots more $ than your goal.

Beet Salad with Peas

When everyone in a family likes the same thing to eat, you make that something right?

Our family is no different than everyone else’s. Some eat meat, some don’t. A few hate turkey or have had enough of it (turkey is one of my go-to meals). Ditto chicken. One person is carb-free, another one doesn’t like green vegetables, this one is allergic to nuts, that one can’t digest lettuce.

Got it?

That’s why I am making beet salad on Father’s Day. It’s a family favorite. So everyone will pick and choose from the other stuff but all will eat some of this. I make all sorts of versions of beet salad, depending on what else I am serving. This one has peas, added for variety.

Beet Salad with Peas

1 bunch medium beets

2 scallions, chopped

1 cup thawed frozen peas (or blanched fresh peas)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Trim the beets, cutting away the greens, if any, and discarding any hard, fibrous parts of the stem. Wash and drain the greens and use them for other purposes. Scrub the beets, wrap them in aluminum foil and roast for 50-60 minutes or until they are tender. Peel the beets when they are cool enough to handle. Cut the beets into bite size pieces and place in a bowl. Add the scallions and peas and toss the ingredients. Pour in the olive oil and wine vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Makes 4-6 servings

Roasted Corn, Avocado and Tomato Relish

I remember thinking that “relish” meant chopped up green stuff in the glass jar that my Mom stored in the refrigerator door. That my Dad always put on his hamburgers (along with the ketchup and tomato).

I once tried this kind of relish and wondered why a smart man like my Dad would actually eat that stuff, which burned my tongue and tasted both too sweet and too sour at the same time, if that’s possible.

That is relish, of course. Pickle relish. But long into my cooking career that I learned relish can mean just about any chopped up combo of fruits and/or vegetables that you use as a condiment to enhance a “main dish” liked grilled meat or fish or even a veggie burger. It doesn’t have to be pickle relish.

A few days ago I grilled too many ears of corn and didn’t want to waste the kernels, so I mixed them into a relish that I served with grilled chicken breasts, but would go with most entrees I think.

So, if you’re grilling on Father’s Day, try this not-pickle relish with whatever you’ve got going on the barbie. Or anything else you might be cooking, grill or not.

P.S. I left the red bell pepper out this time because I didn’t have one and I didn’t feel like shopping. It’s okay to do that!

Roasted Corn, Avocado and Tomato Relish

2 ears corn on the cob (about one cup corn kernels)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium scallions, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 serrano chili pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

1 avocado

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3 tablespoons lime juice

salt to taste

Preheat the outdoor grill. Remove the thick outer leaves of the corn husks. Soak the ears in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain the ears and pull back the remaining thin leaves of the husk so you can remove and discard the silky threads. Brush the surface of the corn kernels with a film of olive oil and put the thin leaves back in place. Grill the ears over medium heat, turning the ears occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until crispy and tender. Let cool. Remove the kernels from the cobs and place the kernels into a bowl. Add the scallions, bell pepper, serrano pepper and tomatoes and toss the ingredients. Peel the avocado and cut the flesh into pieces. Add to the bowl and toss. Sprinkle with the cilantro, parsley, lime juice and remaining olive oil. Toss ingredients and let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings

Corn Muffins with Coconut Oil and Maple

Love that coconut oil! This time I used it in an old recipe for corn muffins, which are among my favorite breakfast breads. 

Corn muffin recipes are like roasted chicken or potato salad. You can make dozens of changes and it’s still what it is. So, for example, I’ve added crushed cashews, crumbled cheese, chopped herbs, chopped chili peppers, raisins, sun-dried tomatoes, bits of chorizo. Not all at the same time of course.

But this time I wanted to see if coconut oil would be good, because of its health benefits. I discovered that it leaves a lovely, sweet tropical flavor even when it’s baked into food. 

I loved the result. Tender, luscious corn muffins. Breakfast today was dee-lish.

Corn Muffins with Coconut Oil and Maple

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 large egg

2/3 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease 8 muffin tins. Melt the coconut oil, mix with the vegetable oil and set it aside to cool. In a bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix the maple syrup, egg, milk and cooled oils, beating until well blended. Pour the liquid into the cornmeal mixture and stir to blend the ingredients. Spoon equal amounts into the muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 8

Fennel Slaw

When you want cole slaw but don’t have cabbage and you don’t want to go shopping what do you do?

That was my dilemma yesterday.

So I made cole slaw without cabbage. Of course, then it isn’t really cole slaw, which actually means “cabbage salad” (koolsla in Dutch).

Without the cabbage, it’s just slaw. I’ve made it with celery, snow peas, daikon, zucchini and kohlrabi.

Yesterday I looked in the refrigerator bin and found a bulb of fennel, so that’s what I used. This is a wonderful salad that goes with just about anything you might be grilling over the weekend — fish, meat, poultry or vegetables.

Fennel Slaw

2 bulbs fennel

2 large carrots

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Remove and discard the stems, fronds and fibrous fennel core. Shred the fennel and place in a bowl. Shred the carrots and add to the fennel. In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, honey, thyme leaves and lemon peel and whisk to blend ingredients thoroughly. Pour over the vegetables and toss. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Makes 4-6 servings

Kale

I love Kale and this looks like a terrific recipe.  Totally agree about the trends, we have seen lots of use of the word Artisan and Jewish Food does seem to be trending.

New submission from Tamar Genger @JoyofKosher (tgenger@kosher.com)

Kale and Potato Gratin

2012 is the year of kale. I am sure of it.

You know how, near the beginning of every new year food writers and organizations speculate on the coming trends? So the James Beard Foundation said this year it could be Thai food (didn’t we already do that?), doughnuts (ditto) and Caneles.

Huh? (Caneles are a kind of molded cake made out of crepe batter).

Huffington Post suggested Alfajores.

Huh? (two sweet biscuits with mousse or jam in the middle; sounds like a combo of Oreos and Macarons).

Well now the year is nearly half over and maybe I haven’t been looking too hard but I haven’t seen more Thai food. My local Dunkin’ Donuts still has the same old stuff and the bakeries don’t offer more than the usual jelly filled kind.

And I haven’t yet found a place that sells either Caneles or Alfajores. Though maybe I could get some Alfajores if I visit my brother in Buenos Aires.

So I’ll stick with kale as the big winner for 2012. Kale is healthy, delicious and a terrific way to add vegetable variety to your meals. 

You know it’s a trend when you hear that older people who have spent an entire lifetime not eating kale are eating it now. And younger people who are into healthy eating are eating more of it.

And especially, because of my husband, who is eating kale portions for two recently. He has said he hates kale but when I make it in a gratin he asks for seconds, as I mentioned the other day.  He gobbled up this one too. 

Kale Gratin! Who knew!

Kale and Potato Gratin

4 small Yukon Gold potatoes

1 large bunch kale (14-16 ounces)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1-3/4 cups whole or lowfat milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup finely grated Swiss cheese

1/2 cup packed fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons melted butter

2-3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a baking dish. Peel the potatoes and boil them in lightly salted water for about 15 minutes or until tender. Let cool and slice. Place half the slices on the bottom of the baking dish. While the potatoes are cooking, wash the kale and remove the thick stems from the bottom. Chop the kale coarsely. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Immerse the kale and cook for 7-8 minutes or until soft. Drain and squeeze out as much water as possible. Set the kale aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the flour and cook for about one minute. Gradually add the milk and stir until the sauce is smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir to blend the ingredients. Add the Swiss cheese and mix it in. Stir in the kale. Spoon half the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining potatoes and kale mixture. Mix the bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over the kale. Top with the Parmesan cheese. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Makes 6 servings

Spiced Iced Coffee

Coffee improves your memory. At least according to this article.

It’s the caffeine, actually.

Maybe that’s why I used to get 100s on my spelling tests when I was in grade school? Because my Aunt, who lived with us for a while and didn’t know better, gave me (and my brother) coffee to drink for breakfast and off we went.

I always did well on spelling tests and now I’m thinking it was the coffee.

I will confess here that I am addicted to coffee. I need some hot in the morning and at various times during the day. Like before noon and around 3 in the afternoon. I used to have some after dinner but gave it up.

Somewhere around this time of year I switch to iced coffee after that first mugful in the morning. But I am very particular about this. Good iced coffee starts out with COLD, STRONG coffee. I hate those places where they make it from hot coffee because then the coffee melts all the ice and the drink is too diluted and doesn’t taste like anything except maybe something is wrong with the water.

I brew a batch of strong coffee, let it cool and keep it in the fridge for when I need a coffee boost. Most of the time I drink it plain, mixed with a little milk. But the other day I prepared some spiced iced coffee and it was quite good too. You can drink it plain also, or with milk or cream.

It becomes dessert if you add a blob of ice cream. And a really lovely grownup beverage if you mix in some rum or brandy.

Spiced Iced Coffee

4 cups strong coffee

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 broken 4-inch cinnamon stick

8 whole cloves

8 whole dried allspice berries

ice cubes

1/3 cup rum or brandy

milk or cream or ice cream if desired

Brew the coffee and place it in a bowl. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves and allspice berries. Let the coffee cool in the refrigerator. Strain the coffee into tall glasses filled with ice cubes. Stir in the rum or brandy, if desired. Add milk or cream to taste, if desired, or add a blob of ice cream. Makes 4 servings