Montreal Steak Potatoes

13 Aug

I am a potato girl… and making them roasted in the oven allows me for the toaster oven to work on the side dish on its own while I continue making the rest of the meal.

These potatoes are a bit spicy and zippy, which are perfect to go side by side a sandwich, a hot dog or even on their own.

 

MONTREAL STEAK POTATOES

2 medium russet potatoes, cubed into 1-inch pieces – red skinned potatoes would work well here too
About 1 tsp of spicy mustard
About 1 tbs of olive oil
About 1 tbs Montreal Steak Seasoning – it contains coarse salt, coarse pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic and paprika
Kosher salt

 

  1. Pre-heat toaster oven to 400F.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, combine potatoes with mustard, olive oil, Montréal seasoning and salt.  Toss well so all potato pieces are well coated.
  3. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast in oven for about 30 minutes.  At about the halfway time, move the potatoes around to make sure they cook evenly and turn golden brown on all sides.

  

Serve them alongside your favorite meal – an eggplant sandwich, a hot dog or even…  you fill in the blank here.

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Spinach Crepes Revisited

11 Aug

I love spinach crepes… they’re my favorite savory combination of crepes. 

I used to eat a spinach crepe every Saturday as lunch at the Alliance Française…  I had a spinach crepe too for lunch when we visited Versailles last year.   When given the choice, a spinach filling usually wins for me.

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Crepe epinard 1

When I did the Gateau des Crepes for the Fête de la Bastille celebration, the recipe yielded more spinach filling and more crepes than we actually need for the crepe stack.   And if it’s just me eating, the same components can be assembled differently in a more single dish friendly format.

 

SPINACH CREPES REVISITED

2 spelt crepes
About 2 tbs of spinach béchamel filling
2 tbs grated gruyere cheese
1 small handful of toasted walnuts, chopped

 

  1. Pre-heat toaster oven to 350F.
  2. If crepes have been refrigerated, we’ll need to reheat them slightly.  In a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, place crepe individually for a few minutes until they’re warm and pliable.
  3. Take each crepe and spread about 1 tbs of filling into each one.  Sprikle with half the walnuts into each crepe.  Roll crepe onto itself and place in a buttered dish.
  4. Spread some extra spinach filling over the crepes and sprinkle with a bit more walnuts.  Add the grated gruyere on top to finish.
  5. Place in oven for about 10-15 minutes until the filling heats up and the cheese on top melts well.

 

Two crepes is, to me, the perfect serving for one person.  You can drizzle a bit of honey or agave nectar on top if you’d like a different sweet touch to the crepe…  I highly recommend it.

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Panzanella Salad

9 Aug

This is another recipe that combines this Basic Italian Tomato Salad with several other ingredients so you can enjoy its delicious flavors in another format…

 

PANZANELLA SALAD

1 recipe of Basic Italian Tomato Salad
1 whole-wheat ciabatta roll
2 cups of baby spinach, washed and dried well
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Freshly cracked Black Pepper

 

  1. Make Basic Italian Tomato Salad.  Set aside.
  2. Cut ciabatta roll in half.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toast in oven at 350F for about 5 minutes.  Take the bread pieces out and cut into 1-inch pieces.  Set aside.
  3. In a large salad bowl, add the baby spinach, Tomato/Mozzarella salad and bread pieces.  Toss everything to combine and allow the juices from the Basic Italian Tomato Salad dress the salad.

 

That’s it!!!  Easy, no?

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Eggplant Gratin

5 Aug

The other day I did a whole batch of fried eggplants and even though I loooove to have them with just a squirt of lemon on top, sometimes I want to change it up.

It had been a while since I had eggplant parmesan and by having these fried eggplants, making one would be half the time.  This recipe is actually a mixture of two recipes I had seen before – one from Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa and another one from Tyler Florence I had seen years ago.

This is the result of the combination…

 

EGGPLANT GRATIN – serves 2 people

About 6-8 slices of fried eggplant
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup of spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
½ cup of petite diced tomatoes
1tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1tsp Italian Seasonings
Kosher salt and Pepper to taste
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup Italian shredded cheese blend

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
  2. In a medium sized bowl mix together the ricotta cheese and squeezed-dry spinach.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
  4. In another bowl, mix together the petite tomatoes, vinegar, oil, Italian Seasonings, salt and pepper.  Mix well and set aside.
  6. In a shallow gratin dish, place a little of the tomato juice on the bottom.  Now place a layer of fried eggplant on the bottom.  Place a few tablespoons of the tomato mixture and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Now place the ricotta/spinach mixture in an even layer.  Place a few more tomatoes.  Cover with another layer of fried eggplants.  Place the rest of the tomatoes you have left.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and the Italian shredded cheeses.
  7. Place in oven for about 20-30 minutes for the tomatoes to cook a bit and the eggplant to reheat well.

 

This is a great combination between an eggplant lasagna and eggplant parmesan. .. It tastes great and it’s easy to do once the eggplants are already fried.  You can certainly assemble this any night of the week.  The breading on the eggplant will get soggy due to the tomato sauce… but the taste is so delicious you will not mind at all.

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Healthy Lifestyle Change for August – Eat at least 2 fresh fruits a day

2 Aug

For the same reason we should eat more green salads, we should also eat more fresh fruits.  This was one of my new year’s resolutions a few years ago.  Just in case you are living on another planet and still need to be reminded the benefits of eating more fresh food, here are a few cues:

  •  Great source of insoluble fiber
  • Contain essential vitamins and minerals to protect you from chronic diseases
  • Is the way nature intended for us to nourish ourselves

My recommendation is to have fruits preferably in the morning with your breakfast or as a snack in the afternoon.  Another alternative is as a dinner snack if you’re not having a full-blown dinner. 

  •  Fruits are best eaten early in the morning.  They’re the best way to “awaken the stomach” after not having had any food while sleeping. 
  • Snacking on fruits is a delicious way to help keep your metabolism going while consuming natural sugars.
  • Try not to eat fresh fruits as dessert… because fruits are mostly water and they slow down your digestion.

 

If it’s difficult for you to eat fresh fruits, here are a few ideas:

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  • Buy fruits you can eat without having to peel, just as they are, like grapes, apples, pears, apricots, peaches, strawberries.  Just make sure you wash them well to take off any dirt or wax.
  • Add fruits in your breakfasts – like adding bananas to your cereal, blueberries to your pancakes, etc.
  • Make freshly-squeezed juices
    •  A citrus juicer is a great investment to juice oranges or grapefruit

                

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    • The best juices to consume while eating are apple, pineapple or papaya because they contain enzymes that help digestion

 

 When making a fruit salad, it is important to know which fruits go well with other fruits.  When we eat fruits that are incompatible, usually produces uncomfortable gas.  Here are some good comphbinations:

  • Papaya, mango, apple, pears, peaches, bananas, plums, etc.
  • Strawberry, kiwi, grapes, passion fruit, pineapple, starfruits, green apples, orange, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits.
  • All melons should be consumed by themselves – watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, musk, etc.

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