Ina Garten's Watermelon and Arugula Salad

Hi, guys! How are all your summers going? We're continuing to squeeze all the fun and play we can out of this one. Hope you're all doing the same! Here's a salad for you!

This is a nice little summer salad- it's light and refreshing. Enjoy!

Recipe (serves 6):

1/2 pound arugula leaves

2 pounds seedless watermelon, cut into bite size cubes

1/3 cup good olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound Parmesan cheese, shaved into shards

In a large bowl, place arugula and watermelon. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour enough dressing over the arugula and watermelon to moisten. Toss well and serve it up on salad plates. Finish by shaving the parmesan over the salad. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.


image by Briana

Cucumber + Tomato + Feta Salad

This salad is sooooo cool and crispy and refreshing and zesty and tangy and the list of yummy adjectives could go on and on and on!  I found the original recipe here.  Then I modified it to cut out some of the fat, sugar and add a bit more flavor!  Have a great weekend everybody!!!

Here's what you need:
For the vinaigrette whisk altogether:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 packets of Truvia or 4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne(optional, but I highly recommend it:)


For salad mix together:
2 cups cherry or heirloom tomatoes, halved
2 Large cucumbers, peeled, halved vertically and sliced
1/2 of a red onion, sliced
3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled


Original recipe at jennysteffens.blogspot.com
Modified by Kara
Image by Kara

Veggie Fried Brown Rice

Here is another super clean and healthy, yet incredibly tasty and satisfying recipe for you!  I've made it the last 2 out of 3 days!  That's how good it turned out!  Easily one of my new favorites!  And my kids devoured it too!  This recipe can stand as a meal all by itself or as an accompaniment to teriyaki chicken, beef or pork!  Try it and you will love it!

Here's what you'll need:
1 cup long grain brown rice
2 1/4 cups vegetable stock(I use kitchen basics)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 of a white onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, cut in half lengthwise and then chopped
1 rutabaga, peeled and small cubed
20 baby carrots, quartered lengthwise
A handful of snow peas, tough ends cut off
2 large mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 egg whites
2-3 Tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce
S&P to taste


First, put your brown rice and vegetable stock in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 45-50 minutes.
About 30 minutes before your rice is done cooking, chop your onion and celery and put in a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Allow the onion and celery to get tender over medium heat.

Next, add your cubed rutabaga and quartered baby carrots to the tender onion/celery mixture.  Stir and cover with a lid to cook for 10 minutes over low heat. 

Once the rutabaga and carrots have cooked for 10 minutes, stir in the snow peas and sliced mushrooms.  Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes continuing over low heat.

Add your cooked rice to the veggies and stir well.

I don't have a picture of this step, so I apologize.:(  And if you would prefer not to add egg whites, then you can skip this part and move straight to the soy sauce.  Okay, first crack your 2 eggs into a small bowl reserving only the whites. Make a well in the center of your saute pan, moving the rice and veggies to the outer edges.  Pour the egg whites into the well and turn your heat up to medium, allowing the egg whites to cook thoroughly without being mixed into the rice/veggie mixture.  Once the egg whites have cooked, break them up and mix it with the rice and veggies.  Note:  The reason you do not mix the egg whites with the rice/veggies while still raw is because it will form a sticky sort of coating around the rice and veggies before the egg is fully cooked.  Which I don't think is very desirable.:)

Turn the heat back to low.  Now it's time for the soy sauce.  Mix it in thoroughly.

Add salt & pepper to taste and ENJOY!  Makes 4 generous servings!

Recipe by Kara

Images by Kara

  

Broccoli and Gruyere Gratin

This is officially my new favorite side dish. Guys, it so good! Even Randy, who isn't a broccoli fan, thinks it's delicious. My four year old and 23 month old even like it. I've made it to go with roast chicken and I've even had it be the main dish and served a salad on the side. I think you could serve it with pretty much anything you wanted. Thanks to Real Simple for the recipe! Enjoy!

Recipe (*9 in square baking dish):

2 large bunches broccoli, chopped into florets

1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

2 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot, fill with a 1/2 inch of water. Bring to a simmer and add broccoli florets. Cover and steam for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and gently pour florets and water into a colander to drain.

2. Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Whisk in flour and cook for two minutes while whisking. Don't let the mixture darken. Whisk in milk and simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and add 1 cup Gruyere cheese (I do a heaping cup), salt and pepper. 

3. Shake colander to let excess water escape. Transfer florets to your baking dish. Pour Gruyere sauce over the top. Using a spoon scoop the florets around to coat.

4. Top with remaining Gruyere cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until bubbly and golden. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

*The Real Simple recipe calls for baking in a 9x13 pan, but I found the 9x13 pan to be a little too big for this recipe so I opt to bake mine in a 9 in square pan. For a 9x13 pan, I would double the sauce recipe, increase the amount of Gruyere you sprinkle on top, and increase the broccoli to three large bunches instead of two. 

Thanks for stopping in today! 

all images by Briana

Pin It

Yam & Black Bean Burgers

Burgers are one of my favorite things in life. Last week I set out to make a veggie burger that didn't leave me longing for a juicy and flavorful beef patty in its stead. I came up with these yam and black bean burgers. So delicious! This recipe makes enough for you to freeze some for later use. Make sure and read through all the instructions before you begin so everything comes together properly. Enjoy!

Recipe (yields 10 burgers):

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 large yam (or sweet potato), peeled and cut into eighths 

8 oz container fresh mushrooms (any variety you choose), roughly chopped

1 cup uncooked short grain brown rice

1 egg

1/2-1 cup bread crumbs (you could use wheat, white, even crushed crackers)

1 bunch green onions (white and light green parts only), chopped

1 large kale leaf (or 2 medium), washed, ribs removed and chopped up

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

1. Fill a small-medium sized pot with water. Add your yam pieces to water and bring to a boil. 

2. Using a rice cooker (or in a pot over the stove), cook your 1 cup of short grain brown rice according to package instructions or the instructions that came with your rice cooker.

3. In a medium sized skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Turn heat on to medium. When the oil is heated, add mushrooms, chopped kale and chopped green onion. Allow to saute and soften, stirring often.

4. In a large mixing bowl, add the drained and rinsed black beans. Roughly mash up the beans .

5. Turn your attention back to mushroom mixture. Stir it some more. Lightly salt and pepper it.

6. When rice is done, fluff it then add to the black beans. 

7. The mushrooms should be reducing, the kale wilting and the onions softening. Add minced garlic to the mixture. Stir around to combine.

8. Check on the yam. You want the yam to be soft enough but not mushy. This should take 10-15 minutes.

9. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles a semi-coarse meal. Pour the processed mushroom mixture into the bowl with the brown rice and mashed black bean.

10. When the yam is soft enough, turn heat off and remove yam eighths. Add the yam to the food processor and pulse until it resembles a semi-coarse meal. Add the processed yam to the big bowl with all the other ingredients. Now, give the mixture a thorough stir, making sure everything is combined. Add 1 teaspoon chili powder. Stir some more. Taste the mixture and add more salt and pepper if it needs.

11. Add bread crumbs and egg to the mixture and stir thoroughly. Add a full cup of bread crumbs if the mixture isn't coming together into patties easily.

12. Using a 1/3 cup, scoop the mixture and form into patties. Place patties on waxed paper. Cover and refrigerate (or freeze individually in baggies) until time to use.

13. You can cook the patties a few different ways: Bake them in the oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes on each side. In a skillet (lightly oiled) cook for 8 minutes per side over medium-high heat. If grilling, lightly oil some aluminum foil and cook the patties on top of it over the grill. Allow frozen patties to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before cooking.

14. Dress the burgers with toppings you love and serve!

You can also choose to skip the bun and eat them with a fork and knife if you like! Thanks for letting me share this recipe with you today!

images and recipe by Briana