Mustard Roast Beef with Fall Vegetable Hash

Tags

beef, brussles sprouts, fall, gluten free, gravy, mustard, parsnips, roast, seasonal, turnips, vegetables

I don’t normally post two recipes at the same time but these two go together “like peas and carrots” as Forrest Gump would say. I love the flavor of the beef by itself. Drizzling the gravy over the vegetables takes them to a whole other level. If you want a meal to showcase all the best food things of fall, this is the meal for you!

Mustard Roast Beef (from NOSH)

• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus one tablespoon extra
• 4 lb boneless beef rib eye
• 1/4-1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 stick room temperature butter
• kitchen string

Remember to take the beef out of the fridge at least 10 minutes before you sear it or put it in the oven, this will ensure even cooking.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place the mustard seeds, salt, pepper and thyme in a mortar and pestle and pound until lightly crushed. Add the oil and pound until combined. In a separate bowl combine butter and Dijon mustard until completely integrated. Combine spice mixture and mustard mixture, set aside.
Brush the beef with the extra oil. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high and cook the beef for 1-2 minutes each side or until brown. remove from the pan. Secure with kitchen string and rub the mustard mixture over the beef. Place on a rack in a baking dish and roast for 2 hours for medium to medium well. After roasting, cover the meat with foil and rest in a warm place for at least 10 minutes to allow the meat to relax.  After roasting, cover the meat with foil and rest in a warm place for at least 10 minutes to allow the meat to relax. Serves 4-6.

Make a sauce with the pan drippings by placing the roasting pan on the stove top over medium heat. Add beef broth or red wine (I did the wine) and reduce it down to your desired amount.

Fall Vegetable Hash (from Southern Living Sept 2013)

• 4 slices of thick cut bacon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 mediun onion, chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 medium turnip, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cubed into 1/2 cubes
• 1 lb small fresh Brussles sprouts, quarted
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced

Cook bacon in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Drain the skillet, reserving 2 tbsp of the drippings. Coarsely chop the bacon.

Add oil to hot drippings in the skillet. Cook onions and sweet potatoes over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add turnips and cook for another 8 minutes. Combine vinegar and 2 tbsp water. Add Brussles sprouts, garlic, and vinegar mixture to the skillet. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Stir in the bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 8.

Look What Grew in My Garden!

Tags

fresh, garden, home grown, Kentucky Proud, produce, summer, vegetables

This is my second year growing my own garden. I have had success and failure both years. I am not nearly as good at this as my grandparents. I don’t know very many tricks of the trade. But I am learning new things each year.

You can use a 1:1 parts Epsom salt and water mixture to spray your bell pepper plants that bloom and bloom without every bearing fruit. Apparently this malady is caused by a lack of magnesium. Who knew?!

Cucumbers vines trellis really well but you have to look for new cucumbers nearly every day, otherwise they turn into orange or yellow monstrosities that are disgusting! I knew this already but I always had my mom reminding me to go look at them.

Place tomatoes on your counter stem side down. This slows the rotting process.

What great garden or vegetable tips do you have?

 

A Cheese and Tomato Salad

Tags

cheese, gluten free, peppers, salad, side dish, vegetables, vegetarian

I love good cheese and vegetable salad with a nice vinaigrette. The fresh cold salad is great for these increasingly hot days. I love that you can make them in advance and that they make great leftovers.

A Cheese and Tomato Salad

• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
• 1/2 vidalia onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 yellow pepper, diced
• 1/4 green pepper, diced
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 a lemon, juiced
• 1 garlic clove, microplaned
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl. Mix well. Chill until serving time. It’s better if the flavors have time to meld.  Serves 4.

Why You Should Visit the Local Farmer’s Market…

Tags

farmers markets, fresh, heirloom, Kentucky Proud, local, shop, vegetables

Want to buy gorgeously fresh produce that tastes better than anything you’ve ever bought at the grocery?

Want to support your local economy?

Want to eat pesticide free?

Want to know where you food actually comes from?

Shop at your local farmer’s market! Don’t know where to find a farmer’s market near you? Check out this website! In the Lexington area, check out this link.

The gorgeous bread pictured below is from the Berea Farmer’s Market. Photo credit to my friend, Beth.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

Tags

food, Italian, lentil, sausage, soup, vegetables

Lentils are a great little bean. Tasty, versatile, cheap, and used in all kinds of cuisines. Lentils (and other beans) are also a great way to expand a recipe when you don’t want to use a lot of meat. Full of fiber and nutrients thanks to all the vegetables, I plan to use more lentils next time I make this recipe.

Sausage and Lentil Soup (inspired by My Baking Addiction) 

• 1/2 cup green lentils
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 lb spicy ground Italian sausage
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, microplaned
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a Dutch oven, fry Italian sausage until cooked through. Drain sausage on paper towels. To the Dutch oven add olive oil, onion, celery, carrots, and zucchini. Saute on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic cloves, basil, oregano, and thyme. Cook for 2 more minutes. To the vegetable mixture, add the lentils, sausage, broth and tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about an hour to 1 1/2 hours. You may need to add more chicken broth to reach your desired consistency. We like things a little thicker, more like a stew. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.

Breakfast Casserole

Tags

breakfast, casserole, Christmas, food, holiday, morning, sausage, Southern, vegetables

Breakfast on Christmas morning should be tasty and quick. You don’t want to take too much time away from opening Santa’s presents. Any ingredient you would add to an omelet can be added to this casserole.

Breakfast Casserole (from Old World Garden Farms)

• 3 slices bread
• 1/2 lb. ground sausage, cooked & drained
• 1/8 c. yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 6 oz fresh mushrooms, sauteed
• Large handful of spinach
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Black pepper to taste

In an 8×8 inch glass casserole dish, combine the bread, sausage, bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach, and cheese. In a bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Pour over bread mixture. Refrigerate over night. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for about 40 to 45 minutes.

Fried Okra

Tags

fried, gardening, okra, Southern, vegetables

All batters should be made from cornmeal. Squash, fish, okra… You want to compliment the food, not overwhelm it with some heavy, greasy batter.  Simple is the best.

Fried Okra

• 3 cups fresh okra pods, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cornmeal (NOT cornmeal mix)
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil for frying

Combine cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper in a ziploc bag. Add okra slices in batches, and toss to coat. Heat enough oil in a cast iron skillet to fry a batch of the okra.

When oil is hot, add okra in batches. I changed the oil between the batches to keep it from tasting burnt. Fry okra until brown on all sides, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Drain the okra on paper towels to get rid of the excess. Season to taste.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Tags

bacon, brussels sprouts, cabbage, quick, sides, vegetables

My husband hates brussels sprouts. I love them. So, despite his protests against this vegetable, I concocted this recipe. It is a combination of several recipes I have seen and is tailored to our tastes. After tasting these, my husband said, “Everything is better with bacon”. He had a second serving too. 🙂

My grandfather first got me to try brussels sprouts by calling them “baby cabbages”. That just fascinated the five-year-old me. Since then, I have loved them. They are really healthy too. High in many vitamins including vitamins C and K, folate, and dietary fiber. Low in calories (though probably not with the bacon). Sometimes I get bored with the same vegetable sides- green beans, corn, peas, beans. SNORE! These baby cabbages perked up any meal. I served these with pork marsala and mashed potatoes last night. Try these, even if you don’t think you like brussels sprouts.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

• 1/4 pound sliced bacon
• 1/8 cup butter
• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
• pepper to taste

Fry the bacon until crisp and then drain on a paper towel; set aside. Reserve one tablespoon of the bacon grease. While the bacon is cooking, rinse and quarter the brussels sprouts. In the skillet, melt the butter in the bacon grease. When melted, add the onion, sprouts, salt and pepper. Saute the ingredients over medium heat until the sprouts are tender. In the last minute of cooking, crumble the bacon and add to the sprouts.

Bacon Bok Choy

Tags

bacon, bok choy, vegetables

I had a couple of extra head of baby bok choy from the stir fry earlier this week. I needed a way to fix it other than just steaming it or something equally as boring. I found this recipe on AllRecipes, a place where I find many good recipes. After I tasted the recipe, I wished I had more bok choy. One serving was simply not enough. If you have never tried bok choy, you will certainly like it this way….

Bacon Bok Choy

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 pounds baby bok choy
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• salt to taste

Fry bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon and drain the fat, reserving one tablespoon of the grease in the skillet. Add the olive oil, onion, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until the onions are starting to be tender. Add the bok choy, and place a lid on the pan. Let cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the lid; cook and stir until the bok choy is tender but still crunchy, about 2 minutes. Stir in the bacon, and season with salt. Serve piping hot!

Chicken Veggie Noodle Bowl

Tags

Asian, Dinner, Japanese, noodles, soba, Supper, vegetables

My junior year of college I had the privilege of traveling to Japan as a student craftsperson. At County Fair held on the grounds of Seisen Ryo (the hotel where we stayed), I demonstrated how to braid the brooms made at Berea College. The experience was life changing. I met amazing people, ate wonderful new foods, and was exposed to a fantastic culture.

Below: This plate was part a meal we were served at a traditional Japanese home during a traditional Japanese meal. Each were in season at the time. The grapes are as big as rubber bouncy balls.

Below: Fried pork served with grainy mustard.

Below: The most delicious thing I ate the whole time in Japan was this creamy vanilla pudding with fresh fig, kiwi, pear, and grapes topped with raspberry sauce. Unbelievably good!

Since coming back to the US, I have tried to incorporate some of Japanese food into my own menus. Soba, a noodle made of buckwheat, is a traditional Japanese ingredient I have access to in KY. When I ate it in Japan, it was prepared in a broth with scallions and mushrooms. Very filling and like a fancy version of ramen noodles.  Today’s recipe is one of the best ways I have found to serve soba.

Chicken Veggie Noodle Bowl

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sriracha (chili-garlic sauce found in the Asian section but excellent in many other cuisines)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3/4 lb chicken tenders
• 1 1/4 lb baby bok choy
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/2 lb snow peas
• 1 sweet pepper, sliced into strips
• 1/2 lb mushrooms of your choice
• 6 ounces of soba noodles, cooked according to package instructions
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions

In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, hoisin, vinegar, and sriracha. Set aside. Heat a large nonstick skillet and add 1 tbsp. Saute chicken until no longer pink in the middle; set aside. In skillet, add second tbsp oil along with bok choy, onion, and garlic; stir fry for 3 minutes. Add snow peas and peppers and stir fry for about 4 minutes or until tender crisp. Cover part of the time. Stir in sauce and chicken. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce starts to thicken or about 2 minutes. In a large serving bowl, combine soba and sesame oil. Toss in vegetable and chicken mixture. Garnish with scallions.  Makes 4 servings.