Polenta Casserole with Winter Squash and Greens from the Moosewood Cookbook

This recipe is straight from the Moosewood Cookbook. I would be surprised if anyone didn't love this dish! Nice way to use kale too.


Polenta Layer
2 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup whole grain cornmeal
2 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Greens Layer
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
8 to 10 cups stemmed and chopped kale or collars
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Squash Layer
1 1/2 mashed or pureed winter squash
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
Generous pinch of ground black pepper
2/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. For the polenta layer: Bring the water to a boil in a heavy saucepan and whisk in cornmeal. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and thyme and cook on low heat, stirring often, until the polenta is thick and cream, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cheese. Pour unto a lightly oiled 8-inch square baking pan and set aside.

2. For the greens layer: In a soup pot on medium heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic and cook briefly, stirring constantly. Add the chopped greens, water, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender but still bright green , about 10 minutes. Drain and add more salt to taste. Spread the greens over the polenta.

3. For the squash layer: In a bowl, stir together the squash mixture over the greens and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

4. In a preheated 350 degree oven, bake uncovered for 36 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more, until golden and set. The casserole will be easier to servie if you let it sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Chocolate chip cookies with dates and oatmeal

 This recipe is from the Canadian Living Magazine, July 2006. The changes I made the recipe below was to add dates, extra chocolate chips, and roasted nuts, and to put the cookie dough in the fridge for 3 hours before baking. They are really good cookies! I much prefer them to the basic chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the Chipits package.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (150 mL) butter, softened
• 1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) large-flake rolled oats
• 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
• 1 & 1/2 cups (375 mL) milk chocolate chips
• hand-full of chopped dates soaked for about five minutes in boiling water to soften 
• 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts (optional)

• Preparation

  Line rimless baking sheets with parchment paper or grease; set aside.
  In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together rolled oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt - stir into butter mixture until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and dates.
  Put cookie dough in fridge for several hours or overnight until it hardens. This will help to prevent the cookies from spreading out becoming crispy on the sides rather than nice and chewy.
  Drop by heaping 1 tbsp (15 mL), about 2 inches (5 cm) apart, onto prepared pans. Bake in top and bottom thirds of 375°F (190°C) oven, rotating and switching pans halfway through, until golden, about 12 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool.  
  
  (Make-ahead: Store in airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.)
  
   

Spanakopita

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. It's really really good! I added extra garlic and extra ricotta cheese.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 sheets phyllo dough
1/4 cup olive oil
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

Kale Chips

These are so good! I did not expect them to have such a delicious flavor and texture.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 pinch sea salt, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Cut away inner ribs from each kale leaf and discard; tear the leaves into pieces of uniform size. (I made my pieces about the size of a small potato chip.) Wash torn kale pieces and spin dry in a salad spinner or dry with paper towels until they're very dry.
3. Put the kale pieces into a bowl. Mix oil through with your hands until all kale pieces are evenly coated with oil and slightly 'massaged.' Sprinkle the vinegar over the kale leaves and mix. Spread the leaves evenly onto a baking sheet.
4. Roast in the preheated oven until mostly crisp, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and serve immediately.

Baked Beans With Poached Eggs and Roasted Yams

This recipe is loosely based on one I found on allrecipes.com. It turned out so well! They have a yummy old-fashioned baked bean flavour and are quite simple to make although the simmering and baking of the beans takes some time. I got the idea to serve these with poached eggs and roasted yams from Cole's brother Trent. Such a delicious combination!! 

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups black beans
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Soak beans overnight in cold water. Simmer the beans in the same water until tender, approximately 1 to 2 hours. Drain and reserve the liquid.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
3. Arrange the beans in a 2 quart bean pot or casserole dish by placing a portion of the beans in the bottom of dish, and layering them with bacon and onion.
4. In a saucepan, combine molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
5. Bake for 3 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Remove the lid about halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry.

Roasted Asparagus and Cheese Tart

This recipe is from the April 2012 Canadian House and Home Magazine. Cole and I made it this weekend and everyone really liked it! This recipe makes two tarts, enough to serve a crowd. 

1 1/2 lb (1 large bunch) medium-sized asparagus, rough stalk ends snapped off

1 tbsp olive oil

Kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste

Zest of one lemon

2 sheets puff pastry (thawed according to package directions)

1 pkg Garlic and Fine Herbs Boursin cheese

1 cup grated gouda cheese

1 eggs, beaten with a touch of water to make an egg wash

2 tbs torn fresh mint leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. In a bowl, toss asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon zes. Set aside. 

3. Roll out 2 sheets and thawed puff pastry on 2 pieces of parchment paper, creating 2 large rectangles, about 1" from the edge to create a border. Place each pastry rectangle and its parchment paper on separate baking sheets. using a fork, poke holes all over pastry within the border, so that this part of dough will remain flat during cooking while the border puffs up. Lightly brush egg wash over the whole piece of pastry.

4. Crumble 1/2 package of Boursin cheese within the border of each tart, then sprinkle 1/2 gouda on top of each. 

5. Arrange asparagus in single layer evenly over the cheese on each tart and lightly brush egg wash.

6. Bake until asparagus is tender and pastry is golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle each tart evenly with mint leaves. Let cool slightly before slicing into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

 This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com although I changed it a little. I liked these cookies but found them a bit too salty. I recommend using unsalted butter.

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup roasted chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped semi-sweet chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.