White Bean Edamame Salad

Hey there hot weather. I missed you dearly for that one week that you decided to leave IL. Now here you are back in full force. Welcome. (note: a slight hint of sarcasm)

Actually, hot weather doesn't bother me too much because I spend my days in an (over)air-conditioned building. The biggest issue is the walk to and from my car in my jeans and tennis shoes. That said, if you want a bowl of summer-y goodness, you have come to the right place. The white beans and edamame are hearty but light. The tang of the red onion mixed with the red wine vinegar and honey makes the flavor delectable. Plus, don't forget the bacon. The bacon threatens to make this a meal in and of itself, or a perfect side dish for a picnic at the beach (or pool or backyard or etc).

If you want to adapt it for a vegetarian or vegan diet, just substitute some olive oil for the bacon grease and omit the bacon crumbles. However, I wouldn't suggest it... this recipe is perfect and doesn't require tweaking. :)

White Bean Edamame Salad (adapted from A Spicy Perspective)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked Northern Beans (or 15 oz can, drained and rinsed)
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 pieces bacon (plus + 1 tbsp bacon grease after cooked)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dried parsley (or 3 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley)
1/4 tsp paprika
dash of salt and pepper

Directions:
Using kitchen shears, cut the bacon into small pieces. Cook in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a small bowl lined with paper towels to soak up grease.

Combine 1 tbsp of bacon grease, red wine vinegar, honey, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to mix thoroughly.

In a larger bowl, combine the beans, edamame and onion. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to mix. Chill in fridge until ready to serve. Top with bacon before serving.

Note: You can add the bacon before you chill the salad, but it will get a little soggy from the dressing. Still tastes good, but at least the first time around you may want crispy bacon. Leftovers with soggy bacon are still great :)

Cucumber Ranch Dressing

10 years.


That's how long it has been since I graduated from high school. It seems not too long ago when I was spending hours at pom practice in Eyeball alley (don't ask) or marching in the parking lot for band practice until the late hours on Wednesday evenings in the fall. There were countless hours on the golf course in the spring hitting multiple balls in the woods and, of course, sinking those 30 foot putts to birdie a hole and beat our cross town rivals. There are many memories of classes, teachers, dances, parties, and so on. And although it doesn't seem that long ago, it also seems that it has been a lifetime. I've spent nine and a half years in higher education and am currently living in my third new city. I've grown so much and changed significantly over the past 10 years.

Why the walk down memory lane? Well, I was back in my hometown this past weekend for my high school reunion. I had a blast catching up with folks and seeing how everyone is doing. We had a very nice turnout at the events and from how it appeared, most everyone seemed to have fun. Isn't it funny how you can not see someone for 10 years (or 5 or 1 or so on) and when you get together, you can fall back into a comfortable conversation? I love that. I may not be your best friend, I may not talk to you once a week, but know that I care and am genuinely glad to hear about your life.



Ok, ok, sorry about the side wanderings unrelated to food. Let's get back to the topic at hand. After a weekend of driving (and necessitating fast food meals) and some beer drinking, I needed a fresh and cleansing meal. How about a nice chopped salad with homemade cucumber ranch dressing? For me, the more things you throw into a salad, the better it gets. I typically clean out the vegetable crisper, chop everything up, mix it, and enjoy. This cucumber ranch dressing is excellent to bring it all together and super easy to make... plus it is better for you then what you would buy in a grocery store isle. Homemade dressings should not be daunting, try it out and let me know how you feel!

Cucumber Ranch Dressing (adapted slightly from Skinny Taste)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup light mayo
1/4 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeds removed and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp dried parsley (or 3 tbsp fresh parsley)
1/4 cup scallions (mostly green parts with some white)
1 clove garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine the cucumber, scallions and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the buttermilk, mayo, yogurt and lemon juice and pulse until almost smooth. Finally, add the parsley, garlic powder and salt and pepper and pulse to mix completely. Keep refrigerated for up to a week.

Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds

Ch-ch-ch-chia!

Did you have a chia pet when they were sweeping the nation in the 80s? I find them a little creepy but kinda cool. Know what I mean?

Well, chia is back, repurposed and sweeping the (health food) nation again. You heard me right, the same thing that made those funny animals (and characters) is something you can eat. Actually, it is the seed that has gained a lot of popularity recently. The seed is chalked full of fiber and many essential nutrients. If you haven't seen them, they are this little black balls that are very crunchy. They swell up when they are soaked in liquid and become soft.

After reading numerous blog posts and articles about this little seeds, I decided to try them out and make my own decision. Conclusion- I like them. I have just let them soak up in a glass of juice (you really can't tell you are drinking seeds along with it). I also tried them out in this overnight oats recipe. Overnight oats are great because you can mix everything up before you go to bed and your breakfast is waiting for you when you get up in the morning. If you are not a big fan of bananas, I would suggest skipping the banana because it is definitely the dominant flavor. I used coconut milk to make mine, but any type of milk would work great. Play around with the fruits to get something you really enjoy. It will brighten up your breakfast and hopefully get you energized for a productive day.

Overnight Oats (adapted from Skinny Taste)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk (cow's, almond, soy, coconut, etc)
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 medium banana, sliced thinly
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup blueberries
1 tsp honey (or other sweetener of choice)
dash of cinnamon

Directions:
Mix everything in a jar or glass. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Baked Ravioli

I had forgotten that in the Midwest, summer not only means high temperatures and heavy humidity but orange cones littered on every road. On Monday, my normal route to work was blocked because they are working on some railroads tracks, so I had to make a detour through a residential area and weave back and forth through the blocks to get to my parking lot. Today I thought I'd be smart and take a different route altogether into campus. On this route I pass, kid you not, 5 different sites of construction where two lanes merge into one. Of course, there is only a construction crew on one of the sites, but the others have the road torn up and are causing significant backups. So this week I'm 2/2 in late starts for work due to those blasted orange cones.


Okay, enough complaining. I guess I really should be happy because the temperatures are back to double digits and that means I can use my oven again. I've been trying to avoid it because my air conditioner has been working hard enough keeping the warmth from outside away.

I tend to have raviolis in my freezer for days that I need a quick and easy dinner without much thought. This recipe, however, takes the frozen ravioli from okay to gourmet (well, maybe not gourmet, but at least a suitable appetizer from a nice Italian restaurant). They are crunchy on the outside and full of melt-y cheese on the inside. I'm warning you now--- try super hard to let them cool for five minutes before you bite into them. If you don't, you may end up with a burned mouth (just like me :) ).

Baked Ravioli (adapted from How Sweet it is)
Ingredients:
10-15 frozen cheese raviolis
3 tbsp egg white substitute (or 1 egg white)
1/8 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
one pinch each of salt and pepper
Marinara sauce, for dipping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray.

Beat egg white substitute in a bowl until fluffy. Combine the flour, panko, breadcrumbs, cheese and seasonings in a shallow bowl and mix.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add the raviolis. Boil for approximately 2 minutes (about half the recommended time on the package), and drain. Dump the raviolis into the bowl with the egg white and toss to coat. One at a time, remove the ravioli from the egg whites and dip into the breading, pressing to adhere. Place the ravioli on the wire rack. Spray the tops of the ravioli with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes, until crispy. Don't worry they will most likely puff up a bit in the oven.

Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Parmesan Tilapia with Mango Salsa

Does anyone else feel like putting a holiday in the middle of the week really screws with your work schedule? I've been feeling like it is a Monday all day and my productivity has not been the best. I've also been dreaming of the pool at my apartment complex and the strawberry daiquiri I made with dinner last night. To tell you the truth, I think this 4th of July was the first one in a long time that I didn't go in to work. As a grad student, you don't really "get holidays"; you kinda just take off time when you need to and spend the rest of your hours in lab. But now that I've moved on to bigger and better things, I figured I could take the day off. :) However, my science may be regretting that... ha ha.

Anyway, here's a quick and easy tilapia (or any other non-strongly flavored white fish like cod or pollock) recipe for a summer evening. The mango salsa is super yummy and could certainly be eaten atop some tortilla chips.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Mango Salsa
Ingredients:
2 4-oz tilapia fillets, thawed
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1 egg white, beaten
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 mango, diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced (more or less to taste)
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

To make the salsa, combine the mango, onion and jalapeno in a small bowl. Drizzle with the honey and the vinegar and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to eat.

Mix the cornmeal and flour in one shallow bowl and the egg white in another. One at a time, dip the tilapia into the egg white and then the cornmeal mixture, patting to adhere. Place the tilapia on the wire rack. Sprinkle 1 tbsp parmesan cheese on top of each fillet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

Serve the fish topped with the mango salsa.

Serves 2.

Breakfast Sandwiches on Buttermilk Biscuits

Happy 4th of July! Happy birthday, 'a-Mer-ca!

What did you do this morning? Did you sleep in? Did you roll out of bed and head straight to the pool or beach? Did you starting making food for your cookout this evening?

Oh, what did I do?

Thanks for asking.

I slept in a little bit and then made a good American breakfast to celebrate our nation's birthday. As you may have guessed from my a-Mer-ca, I went Southern with my cooking-- buttermilk biscuits with egg, cheese and bacon. I adapted Alton Brown's recipe for buttermilk biscuits subbing in half whole wheat flour; you may think I did this to make these healthier and go ahead think that, but the real reason is that I didn't have a full two cups of all-purpose flour. Sometimes whole wheat flour can add density and I was a little worried the biscuits wouldn't be quite a fluffy as expected. However, they turned out great! And perfect vehicles for the eggs, bacon and cheese.

Go all out and make this sandwich, or make it your own and use sausage or ham (or Canadian bacon, but pretend I didn't suggest this on a-Mer-ca day). Or just skip the meat altogether and add some cooked portabella mushrooms or spinach for a hearty vegetarian breakfast. Alternatively, I think the biscuits would be perfect as a side to a soup or salad for lunch or dinner... I'll probably be doing that later in the week since I have 10 fluffy biscuits sitting in my kitchen right now.

Well, enjoy these and your 4th of July celebrations!

Egg, Cheese and Bacon Biscuits
Ingredients:
1 egg
3 tbsp egg white substitute (or another egg)
2 slices bacon, cooked to your desired crispness
2 tbsp shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 buttermilk biscuits (recipe below)

Directions:
Beat the egg and egg white in a small bowl. Heat a small skillet to medium heat. Add the egg and season with pepper (you probably won't need more salt since there is plenty of salt that comes along with the bacon). Cook, without stirring, until the eggs are cooked almost through. Flip over and cook the other side (it may be easier to cut the egg patty in half before flipping). Once the eggs are cooked through, fold the egg into two pieces that are around 2-2.5 in round.

Split the biscuits in half. Add one half of the eggs to the bottom half of each biscuit, top with approximately 1 tbsp cheese and 1 slice of bacon, broken in half. Top with the other half of the biscuits.

Makes 2 small biscuits (serves about 1 person depending on your appetite).



Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits (adapted from Alton Brown)
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp cold butter
1 cup cold buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 F.

Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two knives until a crumb-like texture is formed. Add the buttermilk and mix until the dough is moistened and sticky.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and dust the dough with a small amount of flour. Gently fold over the dough on itself about 5-6 times. Using your hands, press the dough into a round with about 1/2 in thickness. Cut into approximately 2 in round pieces (either use a round cookie cutter or eyeball it with a knife). Reshape the dough and repeat until you have used up all the dough. Make sure not to handle and knead the dough too much or the biscuits will not be fluffy.

Place approximately 1 in apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.

Makes 12 biscuits.

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Bacon, Fried Green Tomato and Pimento Cheese Sammy

During my first year of grad school, our go-to bar was this great place, Tyler's Taproom. It has pool, a few televisions, foosball, and best of all, A LOT of beer choices. There is a wall (actually two) that is full of taps as well as lots of assorted bottles. They have lots of seasonal and unique flavor profiles. Unfortunately, the food at Tyler's was only okay; they had a few good burgers, but it really wasn't even that good. After awhile, we stopped frequenting Tyler's and would only go for birthday or defense celebrations. Imagine my surprise when in my last year of grad school, I discovered that they had revamped their menu significantly. They added a number of new and interesting sandwiches and entrees. One of them representing the south in every bite- a pimento cheese and fried green tomato BLT. This weekend I set out to curb my craving for this sandwich (unfortunately I couldn't make the trip to Durham), by recreating it in my kitchen. 

In my opinion, a great sandwich should be gooey, messy and above all, delicious. This will not disappoint. Let me introduce you to the players for our sandwich today:

The bread is the vehicle for all the goodness. This seeded sourdough bread I got from a local bakery was perfect as the base. Next, you need crispy bacon- none of that flimsy, greasy stuff (what do you think this is? an all-night diner?). And, of course, the stars of the show, the pimento cheese and the fried green tomatoes. 

I'm going to assume you know how to pick up some bread from the store (or make it yourself) and microwave/bake yourself some super crunchy bacon. I'll focus here on the recipes for the pimento cheese and the FGT. 

I lightened the pimento cheese by subbing Greek yogurt for some of the mayo. It is so yummy that I won't judge you if you eat it on top of some celery or mini bell peppers (side note: I'm obsessed with those mini bell peppers right now. Perfect for salads or perfectly snackable!).

The FGT are really baked green tomatoes, but that just sounds silly. The green tomatoes are sour and complement the cheese and bacon perfectly. The crust was crunchy and not too heavy. I ate one by itself and I think I would have preferred to dunk it in some ranch. I think these work great for a sammy but I'm not sure I would recommend eating them without additional flavoring. You could certainly step up the breading with some chili powder or cumin or even some shredded parm if you wanted to play around with FGT in order to eat them plain.

On to the good stuff. Doesn't that just look AMAZING?!?! 

If you're going all out Tyler's style, serve them alongside some good and garlicky french fries as I did. And don't plan on kissing anyone right after dinner. ;)


Pimento Cheese (adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine July 2012)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tbsp diced onion
1 1/2 tbsp light mayo
1 1/2 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 tbsp chopped pimentos
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined completely. Chill until ready to serve.


Baked "Fried" Green Tomatoes (adapted from A Veggie Adventure)
Ingredients:
1/8 cup wheat flour
1/8 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large green tomato, core removed and cut into 1/3 slices

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place a baking sheet in the oven as it is heating to get it hot.

Stir together the flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, sugar and paprika in a shallow bowl. Add the buttermilk to a different shallow bowl.

Remove the baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Working quickly, dip each tomato slice into the buttermilk and then into the breading, shaking off excess. Arrange on baking sheet.

Bake for 30 min, flipping once at the halfway point.


Bacon, FGT, and Pimento Grilled Cheese (Inspired by Tyler's Taproom)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup pimento cheese (see above)
2 slices FGT (see above)
2 slices of good quality sourdough (or other bread of choice)
3 slices of crispy cooked bacon
~1/2 tbsp butter or margarine

Directions:
Heat a frying pan on medium heat.

Spread approximately 1/4 tbsp of butter on one side of each piece of bread. On the opposite side of one piece of bread, spread the pimento cheese. Stack on the FGT and then the bacon. Top with the other piece of bread, butter side out.

Add the sandwich to the heated pan, butter side down (put the slice with the pimento cheese on it as the bottom piece), cover sandwich with a lid, and cook until browned, approximately 2 min. Carefully flip over and cook the other side until browned, approximately 2 min.

Remove from the heat and consume! :)