Korean Beef and Rice

This dish is super easy and I had it on the table in 15 minutes!  It has the same flavors as bulgogi, a traditional Korean dish.  But, with Bulgogi, thinly sliced sirloin has to marinate for hours.  So, not only was this quick and easy it was so flavorful.  It makes 4 small servings so if you have bigger eaters or want leftovers I would double this recipe.  

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil 
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 pound ground beef 
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced 
• Cooked rice, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and ginger. 
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown ground beef and garlic until browned making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat. Stir in soy sauce mixture until well combined, allowing to simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Top with green onions and serve over rice. 

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

You might be, thinking.....If this is a beet and goat cheese salad, where are they?!  They are under the greens and for two good reasons.  First,  I hate to try and crumble this soft cheese over the salad.  It gets all over my fingers, it's just so messy.  Second, when you make it this way you will get a bite of goat cheese with every bite of your salad.  Let me show you how I like to make my beet and goat cheese salad.

Not everyone loves goat cheese and some brands are stronger than others but I really like President brand, it's creamy and mild.  

I take a slice of the goat cheese and spread it on the bottom of the plate.  

Next I layer on diced roasted beets and toss the greens in the vinaigrette.


And last I top with the dressed greens, sugared walnuts and dried cherries (or cranberries).  This salad has so many textures and flavors going on.  It's creamy, crunchy, sweet and tangy.  Delicious!

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized roasted beets (instructions below)
For the Dressing:
• 1/2 teaspoon rounded teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
For the Salad:
• 4 ounces goat cheese-I like President Fresh Goat cheese creamy and mild
• 1/2 cup walnuts or candied walnuts
• mixed greens (enough for 4 salads)
• dried cherries or cranberries

Instructions For the Dressing:    

1. Whisk mustard, honey, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss the greens with the dressing.  Set aside.
2. On each of  plate layer the ingredients in the following order: Spread 1 oz goat cheese on each plate, beets, dressed greens and top with walnuts and dried cherries.
3. Serve immediately.

Servings: 4

Instructions For the Beets:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Rinse the beets and pat dry.  Wrap beets in aluminum foil, place in the oven.
3. Bake  for 1 hours, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork. The time will vary greatly on the size and freshness of the beets.
4. Allow to cool, then peel off skin. 
5. Set aside or refrigerate.
6. Dice into cubes for salad.

Kids talking about Health & Nutrition

This is the cutest video!  Watch, it will make you laugh out loud :)
                                                                                                   

Poached Eggs and Avocado Toast

In my last post I said that I'm not a huge breakfast eater but come the weekend I'm ready for some eggs and bacon.  I've been making poached eggs and avocado toast almost every weekend, it's that GOOD.  I had seen pictures of this all over pinterest and had to try it.  What a wonderful combination!  No recipe needed just use what ever bread you like, toast it, spread it with some mashed avocado (salt & pepper) and top with a poached egg (or fried egg).  That's really all you need BUT if you want to bring it over the top add some crisp bacon and a garden fresh tomato.  So delicious!

I go through about 3-4 avocados a week.  Love them on salads, chunky guacamole, black bean and avocado salsa, great on BLT's and now for breakfast.  Avocados are pricey and it's so frustrating when I cut into a rotten one. I've learned to buy untouched unripened avocados and let them ripen on my counter and once they are ripe I'll store in fridge (for a few days) if not using right away.  This way they are not bruised by all the shoppers who love to squeeze all the ripe avocados in the bunch to find the perfect one.

 There are those times that I need an avocado and I don't have time to wait a few days for it to ripen so here's a tip I was given.  First, don't squeeze, and if you see marks that it was squeezed don't get it as it will be bruised.  Then look for the dark black/brown color of the skin.  Once you find a good candidate, flick off the hard stem and if it's brown under it, it's bad but if it's yellowish/green it will be perfect.  So far, this has worked for me.  

4th of July

We sure had a wonderful, fun packed 4th of July weekend.  We spent time with family and friends hiking, biking, picnicking and relaxing.   While watching the fire works we were entertained by this little girl.  She orchestrated the fire works the whole time.  She was singing, Disney's Frozen "Let it Go".  How adorable is that!

For our picnic, one recipe I love making when there is going to be a crowd is my Black Bean Avocado Salsa.  It's a recipe I make all year round but in the summer when corn is available it's even better with the fresh roasted corn.  If (and that is a big IF) there is any left over it will keep in the fridge until the next day.  I just lay plastic wrap right on top of the salsa so that the avocado won't turn brown.   The next day it makes a great topping for a salad.  I just grill up some shrimp and it becomes an amazing shrimp fiesta salad.  

Shrimp and Sweet Corn Caesar

A few weeks ago we ate at Coopers Tavern, which is in downtown Madison, Wisconsin around the Capitol Square.  It's known for European-inspired dishes, has a large selection of craft beer and the atmosphere is casual and relaxing.  They also have outdoor seating with a great view of the Capitol.  The reason for bringing up this restaurant is I had a delicious salad, Sweet Corn Caesar,  and I've been craving it ever since.  I had to recreate it at home.  This is how they make it - crisp romaine with poblano caesar dressing topped with sweet corn salsa, red peppers, avocado, hard-boiled egg, Parmesan, and croutons.  I changed it up a bit and used Marzetti's caesar dressing, roasted some sweet corn, left out the hard boil egg BUT added some sautéed shrimp and homemade croutons.  Now that I've made this salad at home I now can order something new next time I go to Cooper's Tavern.  Maybe brunch on Saturday morning!

I love making croutons with leftover hamburger/hot dog buns, works great!  They are so tender, not hard like the store bought kind.  Cut into bite size pieces and lightly coat with melted (real) butter,  sprinkle with garlic salt and toast 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Tossing every 5 minutes.

This is a great way to roast sweet corn, no shucking needed.  Preheat oven to 350.  Place corn husks directly on the oven rack and roast for 30 minutes. (I used a cookie sheet when I removed them from the oven)  Peel down the husk and all the silk will slide right off.

Crisp Romaine 
Caesar Dressing (coat romaine with dressing)
Sweet Corn 
Red Peppers, chopped
Avocado
Cooked Shrimp
Fresh Shaved Parmesan
Croutons
                                                                                             

Stuffed Portobella Sandwich

My favorite place to be on a summer Saturday morning is at the Madison, Wisconsin Farmers Market.  I like to go early because the crowd really picks up after 8:00am.  My first stop is Colectivo Coffee for my favorite large triple shot, vanilla latte.  It's such a treat as it's my only latte I'll have all week.
  I never get tired of seeing our beautiful Capitol and what a beautiful morning it was. Just look at that blue sky.  Days like today I say to myself, "this is why I live in Wisconsin"!

For lunch I picked up some beautiful large portobellos and fresh spinach for stuffed portobello sandwiches.  I've made these sandwiches the last two Saturdays.  They are delicious!  

The portobellos are stuffed with sautéed spinach, artichokes and roasted red peppers then topped with  mozzarella and fresh shredded Parmesan cheese.  Served on a toasted ciabatta roll.

I first had this sandwich at The Great Dane Restaurant here in Madison.  Easy enough to make at home!

Ingredient:


Portobello Mushroom caps (1 per sandwich) (buy large ones as they will shrink)
Stuffing: (just make enough stuffing for each portobello)
olive oil
Marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
Roasted red peppers, chopped
Baby Spinach (Spinach really cooks down so use a lot)
Shredded mozzarella and freshly shredded Parmesan for topping
Ciabatta rolls


Directions
First preheat your oven to 425 or turn on your grill.
Sauté roasted red peppers and spinach in a little olive oil for the stuffing.  Set aside.
Take the stem off the mushrooms and clean the gills off the bottom of the caps. (carefully not to break portobello use a spoon and scrape off gills)
Brush Portobellos lightly with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet (covered with foil for easy cleanup) or grill. Roast or grill for about 15-20 minutes.
When mushrooms are cooked stuff and cover with cheese, put back in oven until cheese is melted.
Serve on a toasted ciabatta bun.