Black Bean, Kale and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Posted on January 19, 2013 by skibootsinthekitchen

Quinoa… I’ve underestimated your amazingness. As part of my goals for 2013 which include, cooking healthier and more whole foods, hosting more dinner parties and teaching my dog how to do the dishes- quinoa is one of my new favorite ingredients for just about everything I’ve been cooking lately. I love how easy it is to make and keep on hand so you can throw together a quick salad for lunch or add it to chili (like the black bean, sweet potato & quinoa chili I posted earlier).

The longer you let this salad marinate in the dressing the better it is. I made this the night before and it made the perfect lunch topped with avocado!

What you will need:

1 large bunch of kale, about 3 cups, finely chopped with ribs & stems removed
1 small carton of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 red onion finely chopped
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pomegranate, seeds removed
1 avocado, sliced

For the vinaigrette:

Juice from 1 lemon
4 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (Optional)

What you do:

Cook quinoa according to package directions and allow it to cool, this can be done a day ahead and kept in the fridge if desired. Chop kale and combine in a bowl with cherry tomatoes, onion, black beans, quinoa and pomegranate seeds. In a separate bowl combine all vinaigrette ingredients and whisk together. Pour vinaigrette over kale salad and toss making sure to coat all ingredients with the dressing.

Cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour or over night if possible. Serve salad with sliced avocado on top and ENJOY!

Just put the F*cking Turkey in the Oven…

Posted on November 20, 2012 by skibootsinthekitchen

Mary Risley of Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Fransisco created this video as a “guide” to cooking your Thanksgiving turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce. It’s freaking fantastic… and I quote, “I used to compare myself to a turkey, big breasts and short legs.” This is one of the best cooking videos I’ve ever seen. My family has known Mary Risley for many years and I had the pleasure of visiting her cooking school one year to taste some of her delicious recipes. She is an outstanding chef and culinary guru. If you haven’t already, sign up to get her monthly news letter which always has awesome recipes! I blogged on one of her recipes earlier this fall Pumpkin, Spinach & Tomato Gratin. If you follow her advice and just put the f*cking turkey in the oven I guarantee it will be delicious! (just make sure the oven is on!) Happy Thanksgiving!

Morning Glory Farm – Baked Stuffed Winter Squash

Posted on November 7, 2012 by skibootsinthekitchen

Last weekend I was longing for a little piece of home, so I decided to open one of my favorite cook books from Morning Glory Farm on Martha’s Vineyard. This is the ultimate cook book- every recipe looks/is amazing. It’s the perfect collection of recipes for every season from restaurants and locals all over the island. I had some delicious looking acorn squash from the market in the fridge and this recipe seemed perfect! Its vegetarian (and vegan) but the hearty wheat berries fill you up and it makes great leftovers the next day! It makes enough for 8 people but you could easily cut the recipe in half or cook less squash and save the rice salad for another meal (that’s what I did!) Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 acorn squash, halved and seeded
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 cup cooked wheat berries
1 cup roasted pears
1/4 cup canola oil, divided
1 large shallot, diced
1/3 cup apple cider
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast seeded and halved squash cut side down for 30-40 minutes.

While squash is roasting cook wild rice and wheat berries according to package directions. I got the wheat berries from the bulk section at whole foods which is the easiest way to find wheat berries. I brought a pot of salted water to boil and put the rinsed wheat berries in to cook for 1 hour or until tender.

Once squash is soft, cut pears into large dice and toss with 1/8 cup canola oil. Roast on a sheet tray about 20 minutes. (I didn’t add cinnamon to the pears but I think it would be a great addition and add some flavor- just a dash or two).

Saute shallot in rest of oil over medium heat. Pour apple cider in with shallots, cooking and stirring to deglaze pan.

Mix rice, berries, roasted pears and cranberries into shallot mix. Salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff each squash with filling and serve.

I served the stuffed squash with a simple salad of arugula, toasted almonds, blue cheese crumbs and apple slices tossed with balsamic dressing.

Sunflowers make everything better!

Fall Favorites – Stew in a Pumpkin and Baked Cayenne Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

Posted on October 24, 2012 by skibootsinthekitchen

Fall Favorites – Stew in a Pumpkin and Baked Cayenne Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

For my first blog post- I wanted to start out with one of my favorite fall recipes. I always loved when my mom made this stew because you serve it IN the pumpkin. I loved watching her scoop hearty spoonfuls of yummy stew right from the pumpkin on the table (Martha Stewart is kicking herself she didn’t invent this multifaceted meal… table decor and entree in one!) … plus you get chunks of pumpkin when you serve it! Baked pumpkin seeds are also another fall time favorite of mine. This spicy take on classic baked pumpkin seeds will have you eating the whole batch before the stew is ready (yes, I did eat them all with a little help from Jake). Although its fun to enjoy this stew out of the pumpkin- it’s not necessary to cook in the pumpkin if you want to make it once they are out of season. From my high altitude kitchen (or PomPom’s kitchen, really) to yours- Enjoy!

Stew In A Pumpkin
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
One 8-10lb small pumpkin cut and cleaned. Rub with 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar and dash of cinnamon and nutmeg and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Ingredients:
3 Tbls Vegetable oil
2 lbs Stew Meat
1 Onion Chopped
1 Clove Garlic
2 Cups Beef Stock
1 1/2 Cups Italian Tomatoes (Drained)
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Grated Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 Yams, peeled and cubed
2 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Ears of Corn cut off the cob
1 Large Zucchini, sliced
1 Can Apricot halves
1 Cup Frozen Peas

While the pumpkin is cooking, heat vegetable oil in skillet and sear meat, browning on all sides. Remove meat and add the onion and garlic to skillet- Saute for 2 minutes just to soften.

Add stock, cooked meat, tomatoes, bay leaf, salt, dried oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper to onion and garlic saute. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add yams, potatoes and corn, cover and cook another 10-15 minutes. Add zucchini, apricots and peas and cook another 5 minutes. Ladle stew into the pumpkin, replace lid and bake on cookie sheet for another 30 minutes or until pumpkin flesh is soft. If all the stew does not fit in the pumpkin, leave in the pot and simmer till ready to serve!

While the Stew is cooking on the stove..

Cayenne Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds from cleaned pumpkin
2 Tbls Olive Oil
Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
2 tsp Salt (may need more depending on how many seeds you have)
1 tsp Pepper

In a large bowl, toss pumpkin seeds with olive oil, salt and pepper and cayenne pepper to your taste depending on how spicy you want them (I used 2 tsp).
Place on a baking sheet covered in tinfoil and bake for 25 min at 375 degrees, mixing and tossing often with a wooden spoon.