Pomegranate Salad with Soy Vinegar Dressing

I think this is the first real salad I have posted on here. I have posted a dressing, but never a whole salad. This is my favorite type of salad because it is quick and easy to prepare, no veggies to chop, just throw the greens in a bowl and you're done. For this particular salad I used pomegranate seeds as a garnish – super tasty and juicy. The dressing has a surprise ingredient – soy sauce – which adds just a touch of saltiness. I'll also show you a trick to opening up and seeding pomegranates too, my mom taught it to me. Its genius!

How to cut and open a pomegranate:

Step 1: Cut the pomegranate into quarters with a sharp knife.

Step 2: Fill a large bowl 3/4 of the way with water. Immerse one of the quarters into the water.

Step 3: While holding the pomegranate quarter underwater, begin to scoop out the seeds with your thumb, in the direction towards the bottom of the bowl, not up into your face. They will slip off pretty easily. You can break up the quarters further if you need to. The reason for the water is so that the rest of your kitchen won't be splattered with red juice everywhere. This way, it is contained underwater and is very easy to cleanup.

Step 4: Once you have finished removing all of the seeds from the pomegranate, pour the water and seeds over the strainer into the sink so that the seeds are kept inside. This can be done ahead of time and kept refrigerated once you are ready to assemble the salad.

Soy Vinegar Dressing

adapted from white on rice couple

1/2 garlic clove

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

splash of soy sauce

ground pepper

1.5-2 tablespoons olive oil

Greens, I used a spring mix but arugula or spinach would work fine.

1 In a large bowl, rub the cut side of the garlic clove all around the bottom and sides of the bowl. This will add the hint of garlic once the salad is dressed.

2 Whisk together all the ingredients except the olive oil. 

3 Drizzle in the olive oil in a thin steady stream, whisking all the time. Taste to see if it needs more olive oil or seasoning.

4 Throw some greens in the same bowl as the dressing and using tongs, coat the leaves with the dressing. Top with pomegranate seeds.

Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash

This is another delicious, yet timely, recipe from Heidi at 101cookbooks. Sometimes it just feels good to eat vegetarian for an appetizer or meal. I served this as an appetizer; me and Adam each devoured half of the acorn squash and still had corn pudding left over. I poured the remaining corn pudding into ramekins and baked them in the oven along with the squash — they are great as a snack the next day. My squash didn't brown like Heidi's did, but it was soft nonetheless. This recipe takes a while but is great for a lazy sunday afternoon because you don't really have to do much. Just set the timer and let the oven do the rest. This might be considered more of a fall dish, but hey, the market had tons of acorn squash and fresh corn and I couldn't resist!

Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash

adapted by 101cookbooks

1 small acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup milk

1 egg plus 2 egg whites

1/2 cup fresh corn, I added a bit more

1/2 cup chopped scallions

pinch of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shredded white cheddar

1 Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Rub the interior flesh of the squash with olive oil, place cut side up on baking pan and cover each half with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes. (make sure the squash sits flat and doesn't tilt, or else the filling will make a mess)

2 In a bowl combine milk, corn, eggs, nutmeg, salt and half of scallions.

3 Fill the squash 3/4 of the way with the corn mixture and carefully place back into the oven, uncovered. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until squash is tender and pudding is set.

4 Once baked, sprinkle inner cavity with cheddar and switch the oven to broil. Watch it carefully so the cheese only melts and does not burn.

5 Serve with remaining scallions.

Baked Eggs with Spinach

This was our dinner the other night.

Jealous?

You should be. Breakfast for dinner is my idea of the ultimate comfort food. The first time I made baked eggs at home, it was with tomatoes and onions. This time I opted for a spinach version, mainly because I had a lonely bag of spinach in the fridge ... and it was absolutely delicious. I served it with a dinner roll and the meal was surprisingly filling. This would be a great brunch dish for guests because it is not as time sensitive as scrambled eggs or omelets. This a sinfully delicious egg dish that will definitely be added to the repertoire, for brunch or dinner!

Baked Eggs with Spinach

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

9 oz bag of fresh spinach

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1/3 cup half and half

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

4 eggs

shredded parmesan

1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2 Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a heavy oven proof skillet. Add half the spinach and toss until wilted. Add remaining spinach, toss, cover and cook for 2 minutes until tender. Drain in a colander and cool with cold water. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can (I did this with my hands) and roughly chop.

3 Wipe the skillet dry and melt butter over low heat with onions and garlic until softened. Stir in cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and chopped spinach. Stir and remove from heat. Here, I transfered the spinach mixture to a casserole dish but you can leave it in the skillet if you'd like. Make 4 indentations in the spinach and crack four eggs in those indentations.

4 Bake uncovered for 7-10 minutes until whites are set. Lightly season with salt and pepper and parmesan cheese when done.

Late Latkes

I know Hanukkah is over, but I haven't gotten a chance to post my favorite Hanukkah treat – Latkes!! Even though Hanukkah ended on friday, you can still enjoy latkes all year round. My grandmother prepares latkes all the time, sometimes as an appetizer. They are soooo good and everyone loves them. The toppings are where people have differing tastes. I am a sour cream girl. I love the cool cream on top of the hot crispy potato cake. Adam has to pair his latkes with applesauce (gross!) and some even like to mix sour cream with applesauce together (blech!) Toppings aside, these are a snack/side dish/appetizer everyone will love!

Latkes

4 potatoes, serves 2-3

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper

vegetable oil

1 Peel the potatoes and grate with the largest grater hole over a large bowl.

2 Once the potatoes are grated, place them in a clean dish towel, and roll them up jelly roll style and squeeze out the excess liquid. The drier the potato shreds, the less likely they are to burn.

3 Once the potato shreds are as dry as you can get them, put them back in the large bowl and mix in the beaten egg, salt and pepper. Mix well throughout.

4 Heat a medium pan over medium high heat. Pour the canola oil, enough to cover entire pan.

5 Drop in the potato mixture by the spoonful into the hot oil. If the potatoes do not sizzle once they touch the oil, the pan is not hot enough. Work in batches, don't overcrowd the pan.

6 Once the potato cakes are golden brown, flip on the other side and cook until golden. Place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil and continue working in batches.

French Onion Soup

Have you ever had french onion soup out at a restaurant and you loved it so much but never thought you could ever make it as good at home? Well, this recipe definitely will prove you wrong. I am confident when I say, that this recipe is even better than most restaurant french onion soups. It is Julia Child's recipe, who is the master of french cooking. I know it usually it served with giant croutons and melted cheese, but trust me it isn't a necessity. Can you guess what the secret ingredient is? That's right. Cognac. It really transforms this soup from great to amazing. If you have it, you must use it here. If you don't, the soup will still be great but you'll be missing out!! I served this soup for my mom's birthday dinner and in all the hectic preparation, I forgot to put in the 3 tablespoons of cognac right before serving (gasp!!) So, I brought the cognac to the table and everyone passed it around, dropping a teaspoon in each of their bowls of soup. It was actually fun! I love home style meals where you serve yourself sauce, pass around sides, and main dishes are served table side, its much more intimate. Anyways, back to the recipe. Make this. ASAP!

French Onion Soup

5 cups thinly sliced yellow onions

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups beef stock

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup water, optional

1/2 cup dry white wine, or dry white vermouth

3 tablespoons cognac, right before serving

1 Cook the onions with oil and butter, covered, over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

2 Uncover, stir in the sugar and salt and cook for about 35 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions will turn a deep deep golden brown.

3 While the onions are cooking, in a separate saucepan, add the beef and chicken stock and bring to a boil. I found that the soup was a bit too salty for my taste, so I added a cup of water but it depends on your taste. If you used low sodium stock than I don't think you need the water.

4 While the stock is boiling, sprinkle the flour onto the onions and stir until absorbed.

5 Add in the boiling stock, wine and season to taste. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the cognac. Or, bring it to the table for some fun!

Baked Mashed Potatoes

I've been on a major potato kick lately because of Hanukah, and guess what? I'm loving every minute of it.  Potato latkes are my favorite Hanukah treat, I will post them up soon but we eat them too fast for me to photograph them! I'm sure I'll make another zillion latkes this week so hopefully I'll be able to snap some photos. For a change, I decided to make creamy mashed potatoes baked in individual ramekins. The tops were golden and crisp because of the breadcrumbs and creamy and smooth on the inside. This is a great side dish to any meat or fish — and easy!

Baked Mashed Potatoes

serves 2

4 Potatoes, peeled

salt and pepper

1 cup hot milk, heated in the microwave

Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, just enough to sprinkle on the tops

1 Peel the potatoes and immerse in a pot of cold water, enough to completely cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil ,cook for about 20 minutes until fork tender.

2 Drain potatoes and throw in to a large bowl, season with salt and pepper. With the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher, mash the potatoes until there are no clumps or bumps. Pour splashes of hot milk while you are smoothing out the potatoes, a little bit at a time, until completely smooth.

3 Fill ramekins with mashed potatoes, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake in the oven (I used the toaster oven) until tops are golden brown.

A French Snack

Have you ever heard of this snack? Baguette, slathered with butter, topped with radish slices and finished off with some sea salt? I've been seeing it around lately and decided I should see what all the hoopla is about. Apparently, it is a very popular snack or appetizer in France alongside a glass of white wine. My verdict? Very tasty, however I wasn't overwhelmed. It was great but I don't see myself preparing it again anytime soon. Compared to my favorite snack, I think mine wins! No recipe here, I think the photo is pretty self explanatory.

Now, guess what else! You see that fluffy bread in the photo? Well..... I made it! I baked my very own bread. I feel so accomplished :) I followed the "no-knead" bread baking recipe step-by-step, and it turned out fantastic! Here is the site I followed. No bread machine required, just time and a dutch oven (I used my crock pot bowl) and whoala! This is what came out of the oven:

Isn't it pretty? The crust is crispy and crunchy while the inside is moist and soft. I think next time I will add a little more salt. I can't wait to try other types of breads, like olive and sun dried tomato. Please check out the website and you'll be amazed at what a little time and yeast creates! One tip, make sure to use Instant yeast, otherwise it won't rise as needed. Let me know how it goes!

Kale: two ways

Kale is a wonderful thing, did you know that? It is a versatile green that can be used in anything from soups to casseroles or just as is. Were going to focus on how to prepare kale as is — pure, green and delicious!

I usually cook down some spinach as a green side dish, but I decided to switch it up when i spotted some kale at the farmers market. I cooked it the same exact way I prepare spinach — just throw it in a pan, stir in minced garlic, cook until barely wilted, and top with parmesan cheese. It's slightly tougher than spinach, but still very tasty. And pretty, see you how bright green it is? This is definitely a quick easy side dish for any occasion.

Garlicky Kale

olive oil

kosher salt

1 bunch kale

2 cloves garlic, minced

parmesan, optional

1 Remove center stalks and wash leaves very well to remove any dirt. Tear or roughly chop the leaves.

2 Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat with salt and throw in the kale. Stir in the garlic and combine throughout.

3 Cook, stirring, until bright green until soft but not wilted. Top with grated or shredded parmesan cheese if you'd like.

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Another way to prepare kale is to pop 'em in the oven and...whoala! Kale chips! They crisp up perfectly and taste like a salty chip, only healthy. Give this a try and I promise you won't be able to stop snacking!

Kale chips

1 bunch kale

olive oil

sea salt

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove tough center stalks and wash leaves very well from any dirt. Tear into bite size pieces.

2 Arrange kale leaves in a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.

3 Bake for about 20 minutes until crisp. Add more salt if needed.