Posts Tagged by onion
Sweet Potato Flatbread with Goat Cheese and Pancetta
| July 10, 2011 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Breads, Light, Quick Weeknight Meals, Summer |
This recipe was created to satisfy a random sweet potato craving that I had a few weeks ago (I blame Heather). I wanted something more interesting than a simple baked potato or fries, but I also didn’t want something that would remind me of Thanksgiving dinner. After playing around with a few ideas, I decided to experiment with a pizza-like flatbread. It was a great decision! The thin slices of sweet potato has an amazing texture — crispy like chips around the edges but with a soft, chewy center that reminded me of fruit leather. The combination of those potatoes with sweet caramelized onion, salty pancetta, and creamy goat cheese was one of the most amazing flavor and texture combinations that I’ve ever experienced. It definitely hit the spot and satisfied my craving. The only problem is that now I crave the flatbread!
I used the OXO Mandolin that I won at Eat, Write, Retreat to shave my sweet potato and onion into super thin (1/8-inch) rounds. If you don’t have a mandolin, you can also use the slicing blade of a box grater or a sharp knife to cut the slices as thinly as you can. Whichever way you decide to do it, just make sure to watch your fingers!
Prepared pizza dough makes this recipe super quick to pull together My favorite is Portland Pie Beer Pizza Dough, which has a slightly malty flavor and a great, chewy texture. Of course, you can use your favorite prepared dough or make your own.
Sweet Potato Flatbread with Goat Cheese & Pancetta
Prep time: 10 minutes, Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 12 pieces
- 1 prepared Pizza Dough, at room-temperature
- 2 ounces diced Pancetta
- 1 Tbs Butter
- 1 Vidalia Onion, sliced thinly
- 1 Sweet Potato/Yam*, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
- 2 ounces Goat Cheese, crumbled
- 1 Tbs chopped Parsley
Preheat oven to 350.
Add the pancetta to a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the outside edges are just crisp — 7-10 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan, leaving behind the rendered drippings. Add the butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden brown — about 10 minutes.
Stretch the pizza dough to cover a 9X11 inch cookie sheet. Spread the caramelized onions and any remaining oil from the pan in an even layer across the dough. Top the onion layer with a layer of sweet potato. Sprinkle the pancetta and goat cheese over the flatbread.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the dough is cooked though and the edges of the potatoes are crispy. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Cut into 12 pieces and serve warm.
*Sweet Potatoes and Yams can be tricky. You want the orange ones, which (in the US) should be labelled as both. For more information (it’s actually pretty interesting) you can read more at this link.
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I am participating in Goaterie, a challenge created by a few friends to explore the world of all things goat.
Zucchini and Summer Squash Gratin with Herbs de Provence
| August 9, 2010 | Posted by Lauren Keating under French, Lent, Sides, Summer, Vegetarian or Vegan |
Yesterday – August 8 – was “National Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbors Porch Day.” It sounds like a joke, but think about it. If you have a garden (or know someone who has a garden) chances are you’ve been up to your ears in zucchini and summer squash for a few weeks already. You might be sick of them. And looking for an excuse to sneak some on an innocent neighbor under cover of night. But this gratin might just rekindle your love of the ubiquitous summertime vegetable.
As delicious as my tea-smoked salmon with lavender and honey glaze was (Have you seen it yet? Entered to win some tea?), this gratin held its own. Served together, dinner was an event. I half expected fireworks to go off as I finished my plate. The squash bakes in their own juices until they are soft and delicate. The tomatoes begin to dry from the heat of the oven, leaving them sweet and intensely flavored. The sharp Parmesan and crisp breadcrumbs lend classic comfort. And then, there’s the unexpected. Instead of using italian seasonings, you take a little detour through the south of France thanks to fresh thyme and herbs de Provence (a mixture of savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender).
Sure you may be reluctant to turn your oven on in the height of August. Wait for a rainy day if you must. But I wouldn’t wait. Really, it’s already so hot that having the oven on doesn’t seen to make it any worse. And even if it does, it’s totally worth it.
- 1.5 Tbs olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbs fresh thyme
- 1 zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1 summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
- 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, sliced
- 1 Tbs herbs de Provence
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook stirring occasionally, until golden brown and very soft — about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme. Spread the onions in the bottom of a medium casserole dish (I used a 10.5 by 7 Le Crueset baking dish).
Begin to layer the squash and tomato in the pan, letting them overlap slightly – I did one row on zucchini, one row of summer squash, and one row of tomato. Sprinkle with a little bit of the herbs de Provence and about 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of vegetables, using the same technique as the first layer but mixing up the order of the rows so that you don’t have two layers of the same vegetable stacked right on top of each other. Add more herbs and cheese. Make one final vegetable layer. Top with the rest of the herbs de Provence and the cheese. Sprinkle a thin layer of panko bread crumbs over the top and drizzle with the remaining 1/2 Tbs of olive oil.
Bake at 375 for 60 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 4
Cajun Jambalaya with Okra, Andouille and Shrimp
| July 25, 2010 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Fish and Seafood, One Pan, Quick Weeknight Meals, Shawn's Favorites |
The other day, I was thinking about the way I used to eat. Back when I was in college and shortly after I graduated. Let’s just say it wasn’t very healthy or very delicious. Looking back, I think there was a period of time where I just completely forgot that I knew how to cook a decent meal. Plus, I couldn’t really be bothered. Like a lot of people, I had the misconception that cooking a real dinner out of real ingredients would be too expensive and take too much time. So we’d boil a box of pasta and mix it with a jar of sauce and some sausage. Or we’d try to be “healthy” and make a chicken stir-fry, but we would totally ruin it by using store-bought marinades that were loaded with sugar. For a special treat, we’d buy a box of zatarain’s mix and make jambalaya.
I don’t miss the other stuff at all, but I do kind of miss the jambalaya. And with Foodbuzz pledging to donate $25 to the Greater New Orleans Foundation (helping fishermen who were effected by the oil spill and their families) for every Gulf-Inspired post this weekend, it seemed like the perfect excuse to make it. Of course, I wasn’t going to resort to using a box – I know better than that now! (And a quick look at the back of the box confirmed my suspicions — 21% of your RDA of sodium? MSG? Sodium dioxide?? No thanks!) No, this jambalaya is 100% real food and 100% real flavor. Sure you have to spend a few minutes chopping vegetables, but other than that it really isn’t any more difficult or time consuming than the boxed stuff. And the final product is so much healthier and so much more delicious that there really isn’t any excuse to take “shortcuts”!
- 1/2 lb. shrimp, cleaned with tails removed
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbs oregano (dried)
- 1 tsp thyme (dried)
- 1/4 lb. Andouille sausage, sliced into rounds (Chicken andouille works well if you can find it)
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 3 cups fat-free chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Tabasco sauce, plus more to taste
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 1 cup okra, sliced into rounds
- 2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
- salt and pepper
In a bowl, combine the shrimp, cayenne, oregano, and thyme. Toss to coat.
Set a heavy pot over high heat and add the andouille. Cook for several minutes, until the andouille begins to brown and crisp on the outside edges. Add the onion, pepper, celery, and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes to allow the vegetables to soften. Add the tomatoes, stock, bay leaves and Tabasco. Slowly stir in the rice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp (along with any remaining seasonings from the bowl) and okra. Cook another 5-10 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through and the rice is tender. Stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with additional Tabasco so each diner can adjust the amount of spice to suit their taste.
Serves 6.
Approx. 285 calories, 7 grams fat, 4 grams fiber, 23 grams protein
*****
I’m linking this post to Real Food Tuesdays
Marvelous Moroccan Chicken from Sally Bee’s The Secret Ingredient
| July 18, 2010 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Chicken and Poultry, Reviews, Special Occasions |
When I was approached about doing a review of Sally Bee’s The Secret Ingredient ($17.90 on Amazon), I was a little hesitant. The book was originally published in England, which isn’t exactly known for its amazing food. Plus, the recipes are heart-healthy and I was afraid that might mean that they would be bland. But her story had me intrigued, so I agreed to accept a copy.* Boy am I glad I did — this book has quickly become one of my favorites!
In 2004, Sally Bee was working as a writer and a British television personality when she suddenly suffered three major hart attacks in the span of one week. She had never smoked, didn’t drink, and was generally healthy and fit, but she found that she had been born with a heart defect that had gone undetected her whole life. To make a long story short, she wasn’t expected to survive, but she did! In order to keep her health up, she needed to pay very close attention to what she ate — but she didn’t want her kids to “grow up thinking a diet of mung beans and spinach was normal.” So she learned how to cook heart-healthy meals that were also enjoyable and “normal.”
The recipes in The Secret Ingredient focus on fresh fruits and vegetables and are bursting with flavors, thanks to the generous use of herbs and spices. The dishes in the book are fast and easy to make and don’t require any ingredients that you can’t find in your neighborhood grocery store. Since the recipes focus so heavily on fresh foods, you don’t have to worry about needing ingredients that are only available in England. I also really like that Sally Bee has a similar philosophy to me when it comes to not totally eliminating ingredients that have a reputation of being “unhealthy.” In moderation ingredients like butter, cheese, and red meat can add a ton of flavor to a dish without rendering the whole dish off-limits. Sally Bee includes small amounts of ingredients like these in her recipes; she also makes a note on each recipe to identify whether it’s an “everyday” dish or a “treat” that should be limited to once a week. The recipes are also accompanied by absolutely gorgeous full-color photos.
I tested out the recipes for the “Marvelous Moroccan Chicken” (Shared below), the “Spicy Couscous,” and the “Healthy Spring Vegetable Risotto” all three meals were fresh, delicious, and easy (and cheap!) to make. The risotto was packed full of vegetables and was very filling — it also had some pesto stirred in, which was wonderful and a trick that I’ll be using often! The flavors in the Moroccan Chicken were unlike anything I’ve ever eaten before, but we both loved it! The warm spices in it were amazing and the whole house smelled wonderful while it cooked.
Of course, there are a few negatives, but they’re really more mild annoyances that anything. The majority of the recipes require using the oven — which is fine most of the year, but not really an option in the current heat. I also felt that the dessert chapter was a little too long — some of the ideas in it looked nice, but if I’m going to have dessert, I don’t want fruit. I want dessert. So while it’s nice for the healthy options to be included, I doubt I’ll ever make anything from that chapter. There are also a few things that are weird just because the book was originally published in England: metric weights are listed first and some ingredients are referred as they are known over there (for example zucchini is “courgette” and cilantro is “coriander” — though the American English names are given in parentheses). Also, the risotto could have used a little salt (although that would have been pretty inappropriate for a heart-healthy cookbook!)
But, the most important question always is Would I Buy the Book? Absolutely. The recipes are easy enough to be followed by beginning cooks, but are full of inspiration for more advanced cooks who want to use them as a jumping off point for their own creations. The ingredients are healthy and real; the final dishes are simple but elegant. And the photos are stunning. Let me put it this way — for me, flipping through this book is like flipping through a “Healthy Delicious” cookbook… or at least its everything that I would want a cookbook like that to be. 
Marvelous Moroccan Chicken Reprinted with permission from Sally Bee’s The Secret Ingredient
- Pat dry the chicken pieces. Combine all the spices in a large bowl, then add the chicken pieces to coat well with the spice mixture. Let the chicken marinate for 1 hour in the spices.
- In a large flying pan or non-stick saucepan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 7 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Lower the heat to medium low, then add the garlic and onion. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the white wine (the alcohol will evaporate), lemon halves, olives, chickpeas, raisins and stock. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 35-45 minutes, stirring regularly, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Mix in the chopped coriander and parsley, then serve immediately.
- Serve with Spicy Couscous (see page 38) or rice.
Serves 4-6
*While I certainly would have had no problem writing a negative review should the book have warranted it, I don’t usually accept products that I expect not to like… it just doesn’t seem fair.
Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Secret Ingredient free of charge. However, I strive to review products as fairly and objectively as possible. All opinions stated above are my own.
Marvelous Moroccan Chicken Reprinted with permission from Sally Bee’s The Secret Ingredient
- Pat dry the chicken pieces. Combine all the spices in a large bowl, then add the chicken pieces to coat well with the spice mixture. Let the chicken marinate for 1 hour in the spices.
- In a large flying pan or non-stick saucepan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 7 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Lower the heat to medium low, then add the garlic and onion. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the white wine (the alcohol will evaporate), lemon halves, olives, chickpeas, raisins and stock. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 35-45 minutes, stirring regularly, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Mix in the chopped coriander and parsley, then serve immediately.
- Serve with Spicy Couscous (see page 38) or rice.
Serves 4-6
*While I certainly would have had no problem writing a negative review should the book have warranted it, I don’t usually accept products that I expect not to like… it just doesn’t seem fair.
Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Secret Ingredient free of charge. However, I strive to review products as fairly and objectively as possible. All opinions stated above are my own.
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