Grilled Asparagus

Grilled Asparagus 

Asparagus season is almost over here. If you are not paying attention the season can pass in the blink of an eye.  One of my favorite ways to make asparagus is on the grill.  The smokey flavor from the grill pairs well with the fresh crispness of this stalk green. Grilled asparagus has many fans in my house.   


Prep time: 2 minutes 
Cook time: 8 minutes 
Total time: 10 minutes  

Ingredients: 
1lb of asparagus bottom stalk portion removed 
1 tablespoon of coconut oil 
sea salt and black pepper to taste 
1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice   

Directions:  Lay asparagus on a flat plate, drizzle with coconut oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roll to spread seasoning.  Place asparagus on a hot grill, and grill until done about 8 minutes. Remove from grill, drizzle with a little bit of lemon juice, or with my spicy mustard vinaigrette and enjoy!   

Sautéed Mushrooms

Perfectly Sauteed Mushrooms

One of my favorite side dishes in the world is sautéed mushrooms. I love mushrooms in general, but there is just something that happens to a mushroom when it's sautéed perfectly that sets off a flavor explosion in your mouth. Sautéing mushrooms is easy, but there is an art to it, not all sautés are created equally. The key to a good mushroom sauté is to let the mushrooms brown. Browning is where flavor lives.

Ingredients:
10 ounces of sliced mushrooms (I used crimini and oyster)
2 large cloves of garlic
1 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 tea spoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley finely minced
Sea salt to taste

Directions: add the olive oil and garlic to a sauté and and let cook for 10-20 seconds or until you can smell the garlic:

Add in the sliced mushrooms and season with sea salt:

The mushrooms will begin to release water, toss and allow them to cook for 5 minutes. The water should begin to evaporate. Add in the tab of butter and toss the mushrooms:

Cook for another 3-4 minutes without tossing, to allow the mushrooms to brown, add in soy sauce and toss, until the soy evaporates, about 1 minute:

Transfer the mushrooms to a dish, sprinkle the parsley on top and enjoy!

Parmesan green beans

Parmesan and Percorino Green Beans

Hello there my fellow foodies! I feel like I've been neglecting you guys and my blog. I've been so busy with work and raising my daughter that I have barely had enough time to post all the recipes I have in my cue! This last week in particular has been trying, and I didn't get around to posting a second recipe, so I'll try to post 3 this week to make it up to you.

 My husband is a big fan of green beans, he would eat them every day of the week if I served them. This is a super quick and delicious way to serve green beans, and we all love green beans this way! Serve these with meatloaf and you have a winning dinner!


Ingredients
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese grated
1/4 cup of Percorino cheese grated
1lb of fresh organic green beans stems removed
Sea salt an black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 400F. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Place the green beans in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Drizzle the green beans with olive oil, and season with sea salt and black pepper.

Bake for 10 minutes or until green beans are fork tender, then remove from oven top with grated cheese and bake for 1-2 minutes or until cheese melts.  Remove from oven and enjoy!

Share your favorite green bean recipe. I could use some new ways to enjoy green beans!

Wine Braised Kale

Braised Kale

Thank goodness that the Holidays are over. I feel like I've been on a fast moving train for the last 2 months! I don't know about you, but I love being home and settled into my routine. The Holidays always take me out of routine.  It's nice to get out of routine, but it's heaven to get back into routine also. While I've been away from you, I've been indulging in comfort foods, like stews in wine sauces! I love adding wine to sauces and stews. A wine sauce always makes me want to lick the plate clean! This recipe for Kale is so extremely yummy that if you're not a Kale lover, you may just become a kale lover overnight! Kale gets a bad rap, I think it's because most people don't know how to cook it. People always pull me aside in the grocery store and ask me how I cook it. They whisper the question as if my responding answer will contain the secrets of the earth! Maybe for them it does. If you are not eating kale because you haven't a clue how to make it, I hope that this recipe changes that!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients:
1 bunch of Lancinto Kale washed and chopped finely
1/4 cup of shallots or brown onion finely chopped
1/4 cup or more of a good white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1 large clove of garlic sliced thinly
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:
Heat olive oil add garlic and shallots and  cook until you can smell the garlic, (20 seconds), add in kale, and sauté until wilted. Add in white wine, sea salt, and pepper, bring to a simmer and lower the heat. Cook covered for 5-7 minutes. It's done when Kale is tender.