Here we have put together some favorite recipes from past issues. We will continue to add on and are open to suggestions, which you can message to our Facebook page. Enjoy!

Poached Egg with Avocado & Spring Greens & Crispy Cauliflower Cakes

This is really more method or concept than recipe. In my testing I used both spring greens and shredded Brussels sprouts with red cabbage as a base and various garnishes, including tomatoes, croutons, thinly sliced radishes and pickled onions. I did not use any salad dressing, but you could judiciously drizzle over a teaspoonful if you like.

Ingredients
  • fresh eggs, 1 per person
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 cup spring greens per person
  • ½ sliced avocado per person
  • Optional garnishes: sliced tomatoes, croutons, radishes, pickled onions
Directions

The main trick to poaching eggs is threefold. 1) The eggs should be fresh and not straight out of the refrigerator. 2) The pan should be shallow and wide, and the water kept at a simmer — not a boil. 3) Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water and swirl the water as you add the egg.

Take the egg from the refrigerator and warm slightly by putting it, still in the shell, in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes while you heat the poaching water. Fill a wide skillet with 2 to 3 inches of water; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. When you see small bubbles and steam, stir in the vinegar.

To poach the egg, crack it into a cup, swirl the simmering water with one hand. Gently pour the egg into the vortex with the other. Continue to swirl gently for a minute while the egg white sets. This takes some practice. Once you have mastered one egg, you can poach more than one at a time, depending on the size of your skillet. You may have to adjust the heat to keep the water at a simmer. Don’t overcrowd the water. Cook about 3 ½ minutes, a little more for a firmer yolk. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

To serve, put the spring greens on the plate. Serve immediately with crispy cauliflower cakes (recipe follows), topped with the drained egg. Garnish with the avocado and your other choices.

Crispy Cauliflower Cakes

Cauliflower is versatile. You can serve these as sides at breakfast or dinner, or just enjoy with salad greens at lunch.

Ingredients
  • 1 medium head of cauliflower
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 eggs, beaten
Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove and discard or compost the leaves from the cauliflower and break into florets. Place the florets in a food processor and pulse until they become a rice-like texture. Transfer the cauliflower to a large glass bowl, and microwave 2 to 3 minutes until steaming and cooked through. Remove the bowl from the microwave. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Finely chop the chives, or whirl in the food processor, and set aside.

Stir together the garlic powder, salt and flour. When the cauliflower has cooled a bit, stir in the chopped chives and the canola oil. Sprinkle over the flour mixture, then add the beaten eggs. Mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Using your hands, form the mixture into 12 patties and place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with any leftover egg. Bake 30 minutes at 375 until golden on the tops and browned around the edges.

Makes 12 cakes. Recipe can be halved.

Kitchen Note: This recipe can be paleo if you substitute coconut oil and coconut flour for conventional oil and flour.


 

Warm Potato Salad with Andouille Sausage and Spicy Greens

This dish works equally well as a main course or a side. Use the best quality Andouille you can find — if locally made, all the better. I recommend the superb Andouille from Hillcrest Artisan Meats in Little Rock, Arkansas.

 

5 medium red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 smoked Andouille sausage links, about 3/4 pound, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces, then quartered

canola oil

1/2 medium red onion, peeled and finely-chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 small bunch kale, 4 to 5 stems

1 small bunch mustard greens, 4 to 5 stems

2 tablespoons white or cider vinegar

 

Wash the greens, and remove and discard the stems; pat dry and shred the leaves. Set aside.Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, cover and continue boiling slowly for 10 to 15 minutes, just until tender. Drain, and leave the cover off to let excess moisture evaporate.

In a large skillet, cast iron if possible, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil, and sauté the Andouille until lightly browned. Add the drained, warm potatoes to the Andouille and toss gently. Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm.

In the same skillet as the Andouille, sauté the red onion, garlic and Cajun seasoning over medium heat, adding a bit of oil if necessary. When the onions have softened, add the greens and wilt, covered for 3 minutes. Remove lid; increase heat. Sprinkle with vinegar, and cook until any remaining liquid evaporates, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the greens to the serving platter. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

 

 


 

 

Not Exactly Cornbread

This recipe is a personal favorite. It’s definitely not traditional; this buttery cornbread is spruced up with dried fruit. I really like the contrasting flavor the fennel seed provides.

 

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal (not coarse)

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

 

Wet Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk

 

Fruit:

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds, optional

 

Prep:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter and set aside to cool. Butter and flour 2 medium loaf pans, 8 inches by 4 inches by 3 inches. Line with parchment paper for easy removal. Coarsely chop raisins, cranberries and fennel seeds, if using, with two or three pulses in the food processor. Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.

 

Assembly:

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Stir in the chopped fruit. Divide the batter into the loaf pans, smooth the tops and let stand for 10 minutes. Bake in the middle of the oven until tops are pale golden and a tester comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool in pans about 10 minutes then turn onto a rack and cool completely.

Notes: Currants can be substituted for golden raisins and fresh or frozen cranberries if you don’t have dried. Don’t skip the “let stand 10 minutes” step.

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

 


 

 

Oven Fried Parmesan Chicken

It won’t be as crispy as fried chicken, but it does taste good. You can run it under the broiler for a minute or two at the end to crisp the tops.

 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or 1 1/4 pounds chicken tenders

1/2 cup nonfat, plain yogurt

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper, or more to taste

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Combine the chicken strips and yogurt in a medium bowl, and refrigerate. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a 10-inch pie plate or medium bowl. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator, making sure each is coated with yogurt; dredge through the crumb mixture, pressing down to get a thick coat of crumbs. Place the chicken on the baking sheet, leaving space between the strips. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fork tender, and the juices run clear. Serve with a green salad. Make a “ranch” dressing with 1/4 cup yogurt and a teaspoon of vegetable oil to complement the chicken.

Variation:  Toss orange or Clementine sections with the salad greens, and squeeze a tablespoon or two of orange juice into the dressing. Serves four.

Adapted from Cook Smart, Eat Smart

 

 


 

Spring Chopped Salad

The fresh goodness of chopped salad “shouts,” spring and the sheer number of combinations guarantee your taste buds won’t get bored. Here’s one of my favorite chopped salad recipes.

 

Salad Ingredients:

Two romaine hearts

2 cups arugula

small handful of mint leaves

1/2 cup English peas

¼ cup radish

¼ cup toasted silvered almonds

¼ cup feta cheese

 

Dressing Ingredients:

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon lime zest

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

 

Chop the romaine hearts, arugula, mint and radish into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl. Add peas and almonds. In a separate bowl, whisk lime juice and olive oil to make salad dressing. Add garlic, pepper, salt and lime zest and mix together. Toss salad with dressing and top with feta.

*P. Allen Smith

 

 

 


 

 

Dutch Oven Root Vegetables

 

Chefs Shane Henderson of Ben E. Keith and Brian Kearns from Simply the Best Catering teamed up recently to do a fantastic pig roast. While the pig was wonderful, the roasted root vegetables they served with it really got my attention. Henderson used a cast-iron Dutch oven over the fire with the pig and stirred in a spoonful of the drippings from the roast. 

 

3 pieces of bacon

2 pounds assorted root vegetables – butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, beets, turnips, rutabaga, parsnips

1 to 2 medium red onions

1 head garlic, cloves separated, and peeled

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tablespoon honey, more if you would like

1 tablespoon butter or really good olive oil

 

Peel and cut all the vegetables into same-sized pieces. Cut the onions through the base core to keep some of the layers in chunks. Toss all the vegetables with garlic, olive oil, salt and heavy pepper in a large bowl.

Place the bacon on the bottom of a large Dutch oven, top with the vegetable mixture and thyme. Place the lid on top. Of course, since you are using a Dutch oven, ideally you have an open fire to place it on. If not, just place it in an oven pre-heated to 400 degrees.

Roast the vegetables until tender and golden brown, about 1 to 1 ½ hours; stir occasionally. When they are just beginning to get tender — about an hour in — add the honey and stir through. You do not want the honey to caramelize, burning the mixture. Just before serving, toss in the butter or olive oil, and stir. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Yields about 12 servings.

Courtesy of Shane Henderson, executive chef, Mid-South Division, Ben E. Keith, Inc.

 

Chef’s Note: I cut the vegetables into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Also I roast and hold beets separately if I am using them to keep the juice from mixing with everything else.

An alternative cooking method: You can roast the vegetables at 425 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes on preheated baking sheets that have been brushed with olive oil or lined with foil. Or sauté them on the stovetop in a heavy skillet.

Variation: Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to vegetable olive oil mixture before roasting.