This Strawberry & Goat Cheese Salad is perfect for a Sunday brunch or celebratory party because it is so easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. What really puts the salad over the top is the homemade Blackberry Balsamic vinaigrette. It’s so simple to make salad dressing and vinaigrette at home with just a few basic ingredients. I love using fresh herbs, infused vinegars and olive oils in my homemade concoctions. Olive oil and vinegar shops are popping up in bigger cities, which is where I purchased my Blackberry Balsamic, but you can also order it online here. Regular balsamic vinegar would work just fine in place of the blackberry variety, just  add a teaspoon of honey to give a hint of sweetness. The walnuts could be substituted with pecans, and if strawberries aren’t in season, you can switch them out for dried cranberries.

Don’t forget to check out all of the other wonderfully appetizing ideas from the other Recipe Redux members! Just click the blue frog below the recipe.

Strawberry & Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:
6 cups mixed greens
1 cup strawberries, sliced
4 oz. goat cheese
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp. Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. In a large serving bowl, add mixed greens, sliced strawberries, goat cheese and walnuts
2. In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil and black pepper.
3. When ready to serve, drizzle vinaigrette over salad or serve on the side.

I’m pretty sure the worst cook in America could prepare this soup without difficulty.

Check it out.

Red Beans & Greens Crock-Pot Soup

Ingredients:
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1-15.5 oz can Glory Foods Sensibly Seasoned®Red Beans
½ cup diced white onion
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup farro or barley
½ tsp. chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. Glory Foods®Hot Sauce
Black pepper
1 cup Glory Foods Sensibly Seasoned ®Mixed Greens

Directions:
1. Add all the ingredients, except for the mixed greens, in a crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.
2. Add mixed greens to crock-pot and cook for 30 more minutes. Serve with cornbread.

Didn’t I tell you it was easy?

Disclosure: I was compensated by Glory Foods to provide culinary demonstrations. I did not receive compensation to promote their products or this recipe on my blog.  

Reblogged from Local Forkful food blog:

If you're a lover of  The Food Network or The Cooking Channel, then you're familiar with all the cooking competitions such as Cupcake Wars, Iron Chef, America's Worst Cook and Chopped! It's no secret that Nashville, TN has recently spiked on the 'global culinary thermometer' (hope you like that? I just made it up) But any who, with all the Culinary Talent in this city from…

Read more… 122 more words

These little guys are so easy to make! They are perfect for brunch with the family or as a weekday breakfast option before you head out the door because they reheat well. You can find mini frozen pastry shells hanging out with the frozen fruit and cool whip (another tasty combo for a pastry shell!). Since asparagus is in season now, it’s a great addition to the quiche, but you can add whatever veggies you prefer. Asparagus actually contains prebiotic fiber which nourishes good gut bacteria (a.k.a probiotics) to help maintain a healthy digestive tract. Way to be awesome, asparagus.

Spring Asparagus Quiche

Ingredients:
4 mini pastry shells, unthawed per package directions
8 asparagus stalks
3 large eggs
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 green onion stalk, sliced thin
4 pieces bacon, cooked and chopped well (optional)
Black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven according to pastry shell directions and place shells on a baking sheet. Set aside.
2. Cut the top 2 inches from each of the asparagus stalks and set aside. The remaining asparagus sections will not be used in this recipe (you can use them in this recipe).
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add in green onion and bacon, if using, and black pepper.
4. Evenly divide egg mixture among pastry shells. Gently place two asparagus pieces on top of egg mixture for each quiche, forming an “X”.
5. Bake for 15-20 mintues, or until egg is set in the middle of each quiche.

*To reheat: If the pastry shell is in an aluminum pan, remove it before placing in the microwave. Microwave quiche for 30 seconds and then enjoy!

The cool weather is hanging around in Nashville a little longer than usual, which means there’s still time to enjoy this comforting, vegetarian pot pie. Visit the Stone Soup blog from Food and Nutrition Magazine to read my full article on cooking with aromatics, or scroll to the end of this post for the recipe.

Tofu Veggie Pot Pie

Ingredients
1 frozen pastry crust

Crispy Tofu
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
14 oz. extra firm tofu, cubed
1 sprig fresh thyme
Ms. Dash Garlic Herb Seasoning, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Vegetable Filling
1 tsp. olive oil
½ cup diced onions
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced carrots
¼ cup frozen peas, unthawed
½ cup sliced mushrooms
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp. Ms. Dash Garlic Herb Seasoning
1 ½ cup vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup flour
2 Tbsp. milk
Black pepper
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and tofu cubes. Make sure tofu is spread out in a single layer. Cook tofu for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tofu is golden brown and crispy. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. In a stockpot, sauté celery, onions and carrots in olive oil over medium heat for 4to 5 minutes.
4. Add peas, mushrooms, thyme and Ms. Dash seasoning and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add vegetable broth and Greek yogurt, being sure to stir well.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and flour to create a roux, then add to stockpot and mix well. Add in black pepper.
7. Allow to simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. If mixture looks to thick, add more vegetable broth.
8. Once thickened, add tofu cubes to vegetable filling. Pour mixture into casserole dish (I used a 7x5x2-inch casserole dish).
9. Place pastry dough over the vegetable filling, allowing approximately an inch extra to come over the edge of the casserole dish. Remove any excess dough.
10. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and water. Brush pastry dough with egg wash.
11. Place pot pie dish on a baking sheet to prevent a mess in your oven! Bake for 25 minutes, or until pastry crust is golden brown. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Strawberry Shortcake Skewers

You will need:

Strawberries, washed and quartered

Pound cake, cut into 1/2 inch squares (I purchased my cake from Whole Foods)

8 oz. heavy whipping cream, chilled

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Homemade Whipped Cream

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until firm peaks form.

The cream is still frothy here, but after a couple minutes, the magic happens….

The cream becomes firm, forming ripples.

Food on a stick is just so much more fun! Have you made any unusual skewers or kebabs that work well for parties?

I instantly knew what I wanted to do. Have you ever been to a crawfish/shrimp/crab boil? If you said no, put this on your list of things to do for the summer! It is so much fun to stand around a big table with a pile of good food and just dig in with friends!  Fresh seafood, potatoes and corn on the cob, and finger lickin’ good flavor…what more could you want from a meal? I had to make mine spicy since this is a Cajun-inspired meal, so the Zatarain’s Extra Spicy Shrimp Boil was my personal choice, but you can use the regular Shrimp Boil seasoning instead. I significantly reduced the amount of salt from the original recipe, but you won’t miss it if you use the Zatarain’s and the Old Bay seasoning.

Louisiana-Style Shrimp Boil

Adapted from Gourmet: Spicy Boiled Crabs, Shrimp, Potatoes, Corn and Garlic
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 garlic bulbs, left whole
2 lemons, quartered
1 packet Zatarain’s Extra Spicy Shrimp & Crab boil
2 Tbsp. table salt
1 onion, cut in half
2 lb. red potatoes, quartered
6 ears of corn, shucked and cut in half
2 lb. large shrimp, unpeeled (I used 31/35 count shrimp)
1 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, bring 3 gallons water to a boil and add garlic, lemon, Zatarain’s Shrimp Boil packet, salt, onion, and potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
2. Remove potatoes from stock pot with a slotted spoon and place on large serving platter. Cover with aluminum foil.
3. Return water to a boil and add ears of corn. Boil for 5 minutes.
4. Remove corn cobs from stock pot with tongs and place on platter with potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil.
5. Return water to a boil and add shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes.
6. Remove shrimp from stock pot and add to platter with potatoes and corn. Sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning and enjoy right away.

To make it more casual and authentic, serve the shrimp boil on newspaper or on a brown paper sack.  No utensils required for this dish—just use your hands!

For all of the Recipe Redux recipes, click the link below!

This Valentine’s Day, the sweet crew at Yacht Club Company are showing Oh My Nosh! some love on their blog, so head over to check it out! And while you’re there, visit their store for some new swag. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Really I’m on a veggie kick. I’ve been experimenting with vegetables that I enjoy, but typically do not buy–fresh broccoli, cauliflower, butternut squash, etc. And what I’ve learned from these experiments is that roasting vegetables is my favorite way to enjoy them. Roasting veggies changes the flavor totally and it is so simple. Just watch…..

Spread broccoli and cauliflower on a baking sheet.

Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and mix with hands to coat. 

Sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper. 

Roast in a preheated oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, flipping vegetables halfway through roasting. 

And that’s it! Then you can enjoy the roasted veggies by themselves, in a pasta dish, as a pizza topping, or whatever else you can dream up!

This cruciferous vegetable isn’t just making a comeback in my kitchen, though. Cauliflower is in the spotlight now as the new trendy veggie that is taking center stage. Janet Helm of Nutrition Unplugged (my go-to resource for food trends) posted about the revival of cauliflower in restaurant kitchens in her Food Predictions for 2013 post. Good ‘ol cauliflower even had its day in New York magazine.

Have you tried any adventurous recipes with cauliflower lately? I have some ideas cooking in my head for more cauliflower recipes, but I’d love to hear what you’ve tried!

Cauliflower & Chickpea Masala

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 small head of cauliflower, broken into small florets
½ tsp. fresh ginger, grated
½ tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. garam masala
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. chili powder
Crushed red pepper, to taste (I used about 1 tsp—depends on how hot you like it!)
¼ cup green bell pepper, diced
15 oz. diced canned tomatoes
15 oz. garbanzo beans
¼ cup water
¼ cup vegetable stock
Salt, to taste
Cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add garlic, onion, cauliflower and all spices to skillet, mixing well to coat cauliflower. Sauté on medium heat for five minutes.
3. Add bell pepper and sauté for an additional five minutes.
4. Add canned tomatoes, beans, water, vegetable stock and salt to skillet and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.
5. Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro.