Beet Salad with Orange, Mint and Lime

Beet Salad with Orange, Mint and Lime

I sure do roast a lot of beets. That’s really something coming from a woman who grew up on DelMonte canned vegetables (and even after my Mom switched to frozen, she still used beets from the can).

Actually, good canned beets are fine in a pinch. One of those keep-it-on-hand-just-in-case items, like frozen peas and peanut butter.

But roasted fresh beets are better. Roasting brings out the natural sugars, making this already sweet vegetable even sweeter. Besides, when you buy fresh beets you also get the greens, which I cook separately (stir-fried in olive oil with salt and raisins).

Last week I mentioned that may family loves beet salad and that I would be making this recipe for our Father’s Day get-together. And I did indeed make a beet salad, but I made this version rather than that one because the mint that I planted a few weeks ago finally is thriving and I wanted to use some.

It got great reviews.

Beet Salad with Orange, Mint and Lime

• 3 large beets

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 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 vegetable oil, lime juice, wine vinegar, mint and orange peel and toss to distribute the ingredients evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings

Chocolate Milk Shake (Mocha, Spiked)

I miss my Dad. The hugs. The “hello sweetheart.” Everything. So when Father’s Day rolls around every year it’s always sad. Until we start to talk about how he tried so hard to fix various mechanical things around the house and was so bad at it that it makes us all laugh.

Even he laughed. 

Like the time when he tried in vain to fix the family milk shake machine that had been around our house from before I was even born. It was yellowed and chipped but worked like a real soda fountain milk shake maker and then one day it died. My father opened the top, took out various parts and I am sure he had no idea what those parts were for. And then he tried patiently to put the thing back together. Without new parts.

It was almost like a cartoon. He actually did leave out 2 or 3 screws.

We had to get another milk shake machine of course (actually a blender). Because milk shakes were one of Dad’s specialties. Like this chocolate shake, which you can make into a mocha shake by adding 1 teaspoon dissolved instant coffee powder, or spike with 2 tablespoons coffee flavored brandy.

Chocolate Milk Shake (Mocha, Spiked)

3/4 cup chocolate ice cream, slightly softened

3/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder, dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water, optional

2 tablespoons coffee flavored brandy, optional

Place ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed for about one minute or until ingredients are thoroughly blended and the drink is thick and frothy.

Makes 1

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)