Goat cheese and lentil salad

Justin and I typically have a fridge that is devoid of anything edible except beer and plain Greek yogurt, the latter being the only thing he won't eat, i.e. my new breakfast staple. However, given parent visits, Holly's birth, and parties, our fridge is actually somewhat stocked. Since we're leaving for our honeymoon in a week (Spain), it's time to cook!

I first made this recipe in grad school and it is one of the only recipes I can make from memory. It's an excellent side, easy to make, good for you, and has goat cheese and garlic. Goat cheese and garlic don't need an excuse!

Goat cheese lentil salad

2 cups lentils (uncooked)
1 cup cous cous (uncooked)
4 ounces goat cheese
1 bunch arugula (see instructions for washing below)
1 pint cheery tomatoes
1 bunch basil
2 lemons
3 cloves garlic

Cut off stems of arugula and place in bowl of cold water. Swish around, wait 5 minutes, remove arugula, dump water, rinse bowl and repeat. Trust me - arugula bunches have tons of grit and dirt. Repeat until you can see no sand in the bottom of the bowl. Once finished, remove and drain.

Cover lentils with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 1 hour. Boil 1 1/4 cups water. Add cous cous, remove from heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and pour into bowl. Crumble goat cheese and add to bowl with cous cous. Wait until it warms a bit and stir.

While waiting on the lentils, quarter cherry tomatoes, slice basil and arugula into threads, and mince garlic.

Drain lentils and add to cous cous mixture. Stir. Add juice of one lemon. (I thought 1 lemon wasn't enough acid. Add another if you agree.) Add remaining ingredients, stir, and salt to taste. Yum!

Lemon bundt cake. Or, what to do with 8 lemons.

So, remember when I told you that Justin bought 10 lemons when I only needed 1? Well , I'm still trying to use them. Oh, and the 5 boxes of powdered sugar that friends who recently moved gave me. Of course I turned to my friend smittenkitchen.com for help and came up with this delicious cake. It was moist, not overly rich, and very easy to make. A showstopper! Now, what to do with the leftover buttermilk...

Adapted from ‘Barefoot Contessa Parties!’
Yield: 2 loaf cakes (or one bundt)
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted.
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/4-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and 2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Mixing at medium speed, add eggs, one at a time, and lemon zest.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to butter and sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly between pans, smooth tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
4. Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.
5. When cakes are done, let them cool 10 minutes. Invert them onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon lemon syrup over cakes. Let cakes cool completely.
6. For glaze, combine confectioners’ sugar and remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cakes, and allow glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Corn and chicken soup with chile-mint salsa

Or, this should be more aptly titled "How to trick my mom into eating jalapenos." Last week I had the parents over and I always try to find a recipe that will surprise them. They don't eat things with a lot of heat. This was a perfect nudge toward the spicy dark side.

A friend at work is a great cook and sent me this recipe from Bon Appetit after I sent her a recipe for ice cubes (worth a read! -http://www.food.com/recipe/ice-cubes-420398/review). I don't have any pictures and made this a while ago, so you'll have to excuse the brevity. I can say that this is going into the rotation.

Ingredients

Chile-Mint Salsa

• 4 jalapeños
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon (or more) kosher salt
• 1 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Soup

• 1 3–4-lb. whole chicken
• 3 quarts low-salt chicken broth
• 4 ears of corn, husked, kernels cut from cobs, cobs reserved
• 1 medium onion, halved lengthwise
• 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 5 whole black peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Garnishes

• 1 large tomato, diced, lightly salted
• Tortilla chips
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• Coarse sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preparation

Chile-Mint Salsa

• Char chiles over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning occasionally, until blackened all over (this adds a smoky flavor and makes the skins easy to remove). Let cool. Using a small knife, scrape skin from chiles; discard. Coarsely chop chiles (for a milder salsa, discard seeds).
• Make a paste by mincing garlic and 1 tsp. salt on a work surface, scraping with the side of knife occasionally. Add chiles and finely chop, then add mint and finely chop. Transfer to a bowl; stir in oil. Season with more salt, if desired. DO AHEAD: Salsa can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Return to room temperature before using.

Soup

• Place chicken and broth in a large heavy pot. Add water just to cover chicken. Bring to a simmer over high heat, skimming the surface occasionally (foam can add bitter flavors to soup; discard it as you skim). Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, continuing to skim surface occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add corn cobs, halved onion, garlic, carrot, celery, peppercorns, bay leaves, and 2 tsp. salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer until breast meat is just cooked through, 15–20 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board; let cool slightly. Cut off breast meat; set aside (cooking breast meat longer will make it tough). Return chicken to pot. Simmer over low heat until legs and thighs are cooked through, about 20 minutes longer.
• Remove pot from heat. Transfer chicken to a platter; let cool slightly. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve into another large pot; discard solids. Shred all chicken meat, discarding skin and bones.
• Bring strained broth to a simmer. Add corn kernels and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add red onion; cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken; simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Garnishes

• Divide soup among warm bowls. Garnish with tomato and tortilla chips. Squeeze lime wedges over; add wedges to soup. Serve, passing chile-mint salsa and sea salt alongside.

Original post: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/08/chicken-and-corn-soup-with-chile-mint-salsa#ixzz25SKOaXez

Cauliflower cheese pie

My sister just had an adorable baby and of course new babies require food... for the proud parents and grandparents. So, it was my duty, other than to hold little Holly, to bring the sides. Since my sister and her husband aren't the biggest carb fans (it's seemingly genetic, but that will have to wait for another post), I had to be a bit tricksy. Hence the cauliflower pie.

I must admit that I didn't randomly stumble upon this while pretending to do work in the office. Instead, a friend made this and I was able to find a great version online. I cannot say enough about this side dish. It was delicious, not too unhealthy, and unique. Also, I made it a day ahead and warmed it up with no complaints. It was great!

Potato Crust:
2 firmly packed cups grated raw potato (I used Yukon gold)
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup grated onion

 Pie:
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
3/4-1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp freshly milled black pepper
3 T. unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onions
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 medium cauliflower, broken into SMALL florets
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp dried
3/4 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
1 3/4 cups grated cheddar cheese
Paprika (I used a smoky Spanish varietal)

Directions

Potato crust:
Preheat oven to 400 and grease 9" pie pan. Place potatoes in colander, toss with salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess water by pressing pieces into colander. Combined drained potatoes with egg and onion in medium bowl. Pat mixture into oiled pie pan, building up sides of crust. Bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown, brushing crust with a bit of olive oil after 1st 20 minutes to crisp.

Filling:

Reduce oven to 350 when crust is done. Meanwhile, beat eggs, milk ,1/2 tsp salt, pepper in small bowl. Set aside. Melt butter in large skillet. Add onions, garlic, and 1/4-1/2 tsp remaining salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Add cauiliflower, parsley, basil and thyme. Cook, covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Over crust, layer 1/2 the cheese, then the cauliflower mixture, then the remaining cheese. Pour the milk mixture over the top and lightly dust with paprika. Bake 35-40 minutes until set.

So, I forgot to take pictures until the last minute!