I recently discovered beets. Yes, you read that correctly: BEETS. I guess they haven’t technically been hiding from me my whole life, but I just have never noticed them before. I’ve had several opportunities recently, though, to try them out, and each time, I LOVED them! This past Friday I was out for a girls’ dinner, and we decided to try the restaurant’s beet and goat cheese ravioli. Yum!  So, I was inspired to somehow incorporate beets into my Meatless Monday meal this week.  I searched Pinterest and found some delicious looking recipes, but I needed something that didn’t involve too much prep because, well, Mondays.  Enough said, right?!  We’ve been having cold and rainy weather, so soup and salad was calling my name!

I chose this Rainbow Winter Salad from Pinch of Yum.  It called for another new-to-me ingredient: pomegranate.  I was recently at a friend’s house for dinner, and she mentioned how much she loved pomegranates in the winter.  I do love pomegranate juice, but I have never attempted to buy a whole pomegranate.  It always seemed like so much work.  She assured me it wasn’t, so I picked one up at the store.  I’ll confess that a whole week had gone by without me looking at it again.  When I saw this salad recipe, though, it was just the nudge I needed.  Let’s make it an adventure!

To go with this salad, I thought a butternut squash soup would be good.  Let’s just round out the rainbow while we’re at it!  I had made a recipe previously intending to share it for Meatless Monday, but it just fell short.  I mistakenly only had beef stock in the house, rather than the veggie stock the recipe called for.  I attributed the miss to that substitution.  So, I decided to give the recipe another go.  Well, turns out, the stock was not the reason, or rather, it’s actually the entire reason.  I just felt like there wasn’t enough butternut squash flavor in the dish.  I don’t think I’ll be making that one again.

Nick and I usually agree on most tastes and flavors (except for cucumbers and asparagus – for me; and sriracha on EVERYTHING – for him), but tonight we were total opposites.  I was happy how my roasted beets turned out, but he saved all of his for the munchkin.  (Don’t all toddlers love beets? 😉 )  He thought the soup was delicious, and I told him to not get too attached.  Oh well!  You win, you lose some.  While I enjoyed the salad, I don’t think it will be going on my normal rotation.

So, tonight, instead of sharing actual recipes with you, let me share with you some kitchen tips I learned in my experiment with new ingredients.

Beets

I mentioned in my pizza post that I’ve been trying to make more items at home instead of buying them already prepared.  Tonight’s salad recipe called for either pickled beets or freshly roasted beets.  Now, there are two really good reasons to cook at home:  1) it’s cheaper and 2) I know all of my ingredients.  I decided I didn’t want to have to sift through jars or cans of beets looking at ingredient lists.  I looked at one of my favorite kitchen tips website The Kitchn and found instructions for roasted beets.  Easy enough.  Now, I’ll share with you!

You will need:

1 bunch of beets

Foil

Paper Towel

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Cut greens off beets, leaving about an inch of the stems at the top.  Wash beets and wrap individually in foil.  Roast in the oven for about an hour, until soft.  Once cool enough to handle, wrap in a paper towel, and peel off the skin.

Watch out for beet-stained fingers 😛

Pomegranate

So, if you’re not familiar with pomegranates or only with pomegranate juice that comes in a bottle at the store, you may not realize that pomegranates are mainly just seeds.  Tiny little seeds.  To enjoy the pomegranate, you must first release all of those seeds from its skin.  The method I used tonight was super easy, and as an extra bonus, it’s a great way to release any pent up frustration.  😉

You will need:

Pomegranate

Knife

Rubber Spatula (or similar)

Small bowl

Method

Cut the pomegranate in half horizontally so that you have a top and a bottom.  Hold one half over the bowl, cut side down.  Then, muster up all that frustration and smack the top of it with the rubber spatula.  The seeds should start falling into the bowl.  Continue until all seeds have been loosened, and then, repeat with the other half.

Bon Appétit!

Tonight I’m taking it back. This recipe was one of my first adventures in cooking back in college. Let’s just say that the first trial was more of a learning exercise because the end result was just short of a disaster.

Life lessons from Black Bean Chili:
1. Black beans will turn a wooden spoon PURPLE (Sorry, Roomies!)

2. Black beans take A LONG TIME to cook

I had faith, though, that this recipe was a keeper.  Even through the semi-cooked beans, I could taste the delicious flavor.  (Hello, Chipotle Peppers!)  I’ve tweaked the recipe over the years into this version.  No matter how many times I tried, I could never get the beans to fully cook within the time frame noted in the recipe.  It would take HOURS longer, in fact.  Finally, after too many times of eating semi-cooked beans or eating what could be considered dinner-for-breakfast, I decided to throw it all in the crock pot and see how I fared.  Success!  Recently, I also replaced the called-for chili sauce after discovering it had too many ingredients on my “do not eat” list.

Hubby specifically requested this recipe this week.  What’s better than a bowl of chili on a cold freezing night?!  It was definitely the perfect day for chili today!  (The icy rain is still falling as I type.)  This recipe is great served in a bowl with all of the usual chili toppings; you can also throw it over some tortilla chips for some black bean nachos or spoon some onto a tortilla for a quesadilla.  And, trust me, you will have enough left overs to try all of these serving suggestions. 😉 You could also throw some into the freezer for another rainy day!

Black Bean Chili

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

Toppings

Instructions

Black Bean Chili

Bon Appétit!

This recipe just might be the easiest one you’ll ever make.  Really.  I try to put fish on our menu once a week.  It’s so good and so good for you!  All of those omega-3 fatty acids are great for so many reasons.  I’m always looking for ways to make fish more interesting, but this is one recipe I keep coming back to.  We usually roast veggies for dinner anyway, so this falls right into our normal meal.  Any fish and any veggie combination really will do!

You could definitely get away with seasoning your fish and veggies, roasting, and then serving, but this recipe also includes the addition of a yummy dill dressing.  Salmon and dill go great together!  I think salmon has a distinct flavor, and dill, being a strong herb on its own, pairs nicely with it.  If you decide to use another type of fish, I would probably just use my favorite salad dressing, or skip it altogether.

Roasted Salmon with Veggies

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

4 salmon filets

1 bunch kale, thinly sliced

1 cabbage, thinly sliced

1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped

EVOO

Salt

Pepper

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup dill, chopped

1 tsp dijon mustard

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Combine veggies in a large bowl and toss with EVOO, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper.  Spread onto a large baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes (butternut squash will still be firm).

Rub salmon with EVOO and season with salt and pepper.  Add to baking sheet, skin side down.  Bake for about 10 minutes.

Whisk dijon with lemon zest, lemon juice, and dill.  Slowly whisk in about 1/4 cup EVOO.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle over salmon and veggies before serving.

Roasted Salmon with Veggies

Add a baguette and your meal is complete 😉

Tip:  If you’re using a few-days-old baguette, just put your hands under the faucet running cold water, then pat the bread, and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes.  The moisture will freshen up the dry bread, but eat it quickly!

Bon Appétit!

Pizza is usually our go-to fallback meal when we don’t feel like cooking.  We currently have three favorite spots within a mile of our house.  We alternate by which toppings we’re in the mood for.  (We have a favorite combination at each place.)  But, pizza is super easy to make at home! If I’m in charge, I just throw it in the oven on a pizza stone; if Hubby is in charge, he kicks it up a notch and throws it on the Big Green Egg.  If you have kiddos at home who love to help in the kitchen, this is a great meal to get them involved.  You could even make personal pizzas so that everyone can have his or her favorite topping combination!  (Just thinking out loud here, but this would be a fabulous choice for a family movie night. 😉 )

Most grocery stores sell prepared dough in their bakeries.  (Trader Joe’s even has a whole wheat option!)  I used to make my own pizza dough all the time, but I got into the habit of picking it up at the store instead.  I usually ended up grocery shopping on my way home from work, and pizza was a quick meal to throw together when getting home late and out of energy.  (Grocery shopping is exhausting, y’all! 😀 ) I’m trying to do a better job of grocery shopping either on the weekends or first thing in the morning, so that I’m not too worn out to cook after filling up my fridge and pantry! I’ve always loved the irony of unpacking a kitchen full of fresh fruits and veggies only to pick up the phone to order take-out instead of throwing together an easy meal.  Trust me, I am very guilty of this!  One of Michael Pollan’s Food Rules that has stuck with me, though, is to make your own junk food.  I have an *unofficial* goal of trying to make at home those processed foods we do buy, primarily bread.  I tend to shop out of the fresh bakery section of whichever grocery store I’m in, but some of their “artisinal” recipes can really put a dent in my wallet.  Breads are actually easy to make at home; it just takes a little trial and error to find your favorite recipe!

As I said before, I used to make my own pizza dough all the time, and I’ve decided it’s time to bring back the homemade dough.  I “cheat” and make it in my bread maker.  While not a necessary piece of equipment, it certainly simplifies the process!  (You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook!)  All I do is throw in my ingredients, select pizza dough, and wait about an hour.  At this point, the dough has been kneaded and risen.  I just leave it in the bread maker until I’m ready for it, and it’s ready to go. Now, the fun begins!  Use your favorite toppings or follow the recipe below for our favorite combination.

I mentioned above that we have three favorite pizza spots.  Well, we actually have four.  All of you ATLiens know the spot of which I speak:  the one that quickly became and continues to be a hot spot, the one where you can BYOB, and the one where you MAY just have to stand around with pizza box in hand until a seat opens up at one of the communal tables.  😉  Antico is not on our normal rotation just because of the convenience factor;  parking can be difficult, and while they take phone orders, they don’t actually place your pizza in the oven until you have shown up and paid.  But, the pizza is AMAZING!  Our favorite is their San Gennaro.  It’s a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy with the best little red peppers I’ve ever tasted.  Seriously.  So.  Good.  One night we were making pizza at home, and we were at The Fresh Market (around the corner from us = very dangerous!) picking up the ingredients.  Lo and behold, we saw those same little red peppers on the antipasto bar.  Could it really be?  We, of course, grabbed some, and now, no pizza is complete without their bright cherry red goodness.  You will thank me for this tip 😉

Sweet Pepper Pizza

Ingredients

1 1/2 plus 2 TBS water

2 TBS EVOO

4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cane sugar

2 tsp yeast (I buy the jar that I then keep in the refrigerator; more bang for your buck, and it will last awhile.)

Pizza sauce (Just use some tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes)

Salt

Italian Seasoning (a couple pinches)

Fresh Basil

8 oz Mozzarella Log (Use the fresh stuff; I’m a fan of whole milk dairy – none of that low- or non-fat for me!)

1/4 LB sweet red peppers (Fill the smallest container at the antipasto bar)

Cornmeal

Instructions

In a bread maker, pour in the liquid ingredients first (water and EVOO).  Then, add the flour, salt and sugar without mixing with the water.  (I like to use a knife or spoon to gently scoop the flour out of the measuring cup to avoid splashes!) Make a small indentation in the middle of the pan right next to the mixing blade.  Add the yeast.  My bread maker has a pizza dough setting, and it takes 55 minutes.

Once the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 500°F.  Cover a pizza stone with cornmeal and place in the oven to preheat.  On a flat surface (I like to use a pizza pan or other sheet pan for easy transfer), spread a generous amount of cornmeal and roll out the dough.  Keep your fingers wet to avoid sticking.  Don’t worry too much about making a perfect circle.  Next, add the sauce.  If using tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, add a sprinkle of salt and a few pinches of Italian seasoning.  Next, spread whole fresh basil leaves on top of the sauce.  Then, add slices of mozzarella, and finish off with the sweet red peppers.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until the crust is starting to brown.

Bon Appétit!