Spinach and Egg Breakfast Sandwiches with Citrus Salad

Sunday is fancy breakfast day at our house. I had an abundance of chives to use, as well as some yummy local spinach. That day, my interpretation of spinach egg sandwiches were born. I will definitely be making these again.
Spinach and Egg Breakfast Sandwiches
5 eggs, whisked well
1/2 T butter
1/4 c grated romano
1/4 c grated parmesan
1 heaping handful of fresh spinach
2 T chopped chives
2 English muffins
1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat.
2. Add the eggs and stir constantly.
3. When the eggs are almost set, add the cheese, spinach and chives and mix well.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Meanwhile, while the eggs are cooking, toast the English muffins.
6. Lightly butter the toasted English muffin halves and top with scrambled eggs to make a sandwich.
7. Serve with leaf lettuce and citrus vinaigrette (courtesy of Bon Appetit - I used chives instead of shallots).

Goat Cheese Stuffed Grape Leaves

I am lucky enough to have a share of a local farm in Madison, and received my first mystery box of goodies this week. Some highlights - a bouquet (not a bunch, a bouquet) of chives, grape leaves, leaf lettuce, romaine, and rhubarb. I also made a quick stop at the farmer's market on Saturday and picked up some local goat cheese. I knew the grape leaves wouldn't last long in the fridge, so I cooked them up right away.
Grilled Stuffed Grape Leaves with Goat Cheese
Fresh Grape L
eaves, stems removed
Goat cheese
Chopped fresh chives
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
French bread, sliced thin

1. Lay one of the leaves flat and place a heaping spoonful of goat cheese in the middle.
2. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp of chives and salt and pepper.
3. Drizzle with a tiny drizzle (maybe even a drop) of olive oil.
4. Wrap the leaf around the goat cheese like a gift package. If you can't get the leaves to stay in place, use a little extra goat cheese to "glue" them in place.
5. Preheat a grill or grill plan over medium heat.
6. Grill the grape leaves until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
7. Serve the grape leaves on top of french bread. If you'd prefer not to eat the leaves, scoop the cheese out and serve on the bread.

Baked Halibut with Chimichurri

Before this year, I'd never really cooked with fish too often. Now that I've discovered how to do it right, I'm making it every week! This recipe made its way into my inbox from another recipe blog I follow pretty regularly. I didn't change a thing about the recipe, and was quite pleased with the results.
Baked Halibut with Chimichurri (courtesy of theKitchn.com)
I roasted up some asparagus and served it with a side of sauteed mushrooms. Yum.

Shredded Beef Tenderloin Tacos in the Pressure Cooker

I'm not particularly patient when it comes to cooking, so my slow cooker has probably been used only a handful of times in the last several years. Then, along comes the pressure cooker - I can get the same slow cooked taste in much less time. It's a gadget that I now incorporate into my meal plan each week.
I've had about some beef tenderloin in my freezer for a couple of months, and have been avoiding it for no good reason. I decided to give tacos a try, despite a quick Google search returning little to no results for using this cut of beef in a taco. My experiment churned out some incredibly tasty beef with great depth of flavor.
Shredded Beef Tacos in the Electric Pressure Cooker
2 lbs beef tenderloin cut into 4 big chunks
Olive oil
1 jar of salsa (I used Trader Joes Chipotle Salsa)
3 T coarsely chopped green garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
Corn tortillas
Garnishes: thinly sliced radishes, chopped avocado, chopped cilantro, sour cream

1. Set the electric pressure cooker to brown.
2. Brown the beef on all sides in a bit of olive oil.
3. Add the salsa, garlic and jalapeno and mix well.
4. Set the pressure cooker to the stew setting, let it get up to pressure, and cook for 45 minutes.
5. Manually release the pressure and carefully remove the lid.
6. Check the meat using a fork to see if it's ready for shredding. If it's not easy to pull apart with a fork, cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Set the pressure cooker to warm. One chunk at a time, shred the beef with a fork (or you can act like you're Wolverine and use something like these).
8. When it's all shredded, add it back to the liquid in the pot and stir it up.
9. Serve in a corn tortilla with desired garnish. I used my new stand mixer attachment to slice some radishes nica and thin without using the mandoline that I furiously threw away last Thanksgiving (RIP).

Radish Green Smoothies

This year I've made a vow to use every bit of the vegetables I get from the farm, even if traditionally, I don't really love the taste of them. When it comes to something like radish greens, I've tried sautéing them in the past, and am not a huge fan. Why not hide them in a smoothie instead?

Radish Green Smoothies
1 bunch of radish greens
1/2 c pomegranate juice
1/2 c orange juice
1 c frozen mixed berries

Cilantro Pesto Pasta with Three Cheeses

Summer is here! With summer comes delicious greenery from the farmer's market. Here's what I picked up: a bunch of cilantro, radishes, green garlic and asparagus. I'll be using them in several recipes this week.
I don't know when it happened, but once I figured out that pesto didn't have to be made from basil, I started throwing every herb I could in my Cuisinart to see what I could come up with. Cilantro pesto is a bit spicy, and adds a tasty kick to any pasta dish. I bet it would be quite good in scrambled eggs, too.
Cilantro Pesto

Leaves from a bunch of cilantro
1/3 c shredded romano
1/3 c grated parmesan
A few cloves of garlic (I used green garlic)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Add all ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor and process until smooth well blended.
2. Slowly add enough olive oil to make a creamy paste. Season with salt and pepper.

While you are picking the leaves off the bunch of cilantro, set a pot of salted water to boil. When it's ready, cook about half a package of any pasta you'd like according to package directions. I used Archer Farms Radiatore. This recipe serves 2-3 hungry people but could easily be doubled.

Drain the pasta and toss with the pesto and a handful of fresh baby mozzarella balls and some chopped tomatoes.

Turkey Chili in a Pressure Cooker

As soon as I started reading the instruction manual for my new electric pressure cooker, I knew it was going to change my culinary life. I love the idea of popping a bunch of ingredients into a pot, and letting the pressure cooker do all the work. To my surprise, I preferred the taste and texture of my take on this chili recipe to traditional beef chili - fewer calories was just an added bonus.
Electric Pressure Cooker Turkey Chili
1.25 lbs ground turkey
1 T olive oil
2 onions, chopped; divided
1 red bell pepper chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can black beans (I got cuban style black beans from Trader Joes)
1/2 c chicken stock
2 T chili powder
1 T cumin
2 tsp cayenne
Salt and pepper

1. Turn the pressure cooker on and set it to brown,
2. Brown the turkey in the olive oil for a few minutes until it starts to get crumbly.
3. Add half the onions and the bell pepper, season with salt and pepper, and saute for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the pressure cooker and turn on the stew setting. Set it to cook for 20 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to get up to pressure before the timer starts.
5. Manually release the pressure and remove the lid carefully.
6. Enjoy with some shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.
Serves 4
Note that the same result could likely be achieved in a big stock pot if you don't have a pressure cooker. I'd let it all simmer for about an hour before serving.