Grilled Tomato, Arugula and Goat Cheese Sandwich

I am bad...yes, I know.  Apparently I am on an every 6 months posting schedule here.  It was my intention to get back into posting my recipes on a regular basis, but life has been busy, so what can I say?  Maybe someday I will have more than a few short minutes when dashing off a quick dinner before having to haul a kid to dance class or a friend's house or whatever.  I've come to the conclusion, since I have two teenagers in the house, that that won't be any time soon.  So, I'm letting   myself off the hook, giving myself permission to just do what I can do, post when I can post.

An entire season has come and gone since I last posted- summer officially ended yesterday, and today is the first day of fall.  That is apparent when I look outside, and see overcast skies, the wind in the trees, and the leaves beginning to color and fall.  But we're in that in-between stage, when summer isn't really gone yet- I can still go out and walk the dog without a sweater on, still need my sunglasses when I leave the house, and summer produce is still in abundance at the farmer's market.  Actually, the tomatoes are JUST now getting good- they didn't even appear at the markets until mid-August or so.  I have not always been a fan of tomatoes.  As a kid, they made me gag, literally, and I was made to eat them in salads daily.  As I grew up, I discovered that some tomatoes are better than others, namely, those that grow locally and are ripened on the vine.  There is no comparison between these tomatoes and their imported supermarket half-cousins.  I have come to a point in my life where I don't care to eat mediocre foods if I can help it. Therefore, I strive for those that are local, and in season.  Right now, tomatoes fit both of those categories, and I enjoy them while I can..  They are plentiful at the farmer's markets, produce stands, and the back yards of home gardeners.  Sadly, that is not me this year. I did not get my act together enough to get to the nursery in the spring to buy young plants to put in my back yard garden. That would require weeding first, which is such a job that I could not fit it into the schedule in the spring.  So, I have had to rely on markets, stands, and the odd donation from a gardening friend.  Recently, I lucked out- a friend from work had a plethora of tomatoes, and brought me a small bag.  I enjoyed a couple as slicers, raw with salt and pepper only, or broiled slightly with a bit of cheese on top.  Both are delicious ways to enjoy a fresh summer tomato.  But I had visions of a sandwich, and once conceived, I had to make it happen.  I was not disappointed, and you won't be either.  Trust me: MAKE THIS SANDWICH.  It is the essence of summer on a plate.

This time of year, basil is also plentiful, and if you have enough, you can make your own pesto from scratch.  I have yet to grow a basil plant that is not devoured by some unknown insect, so I buy my pesto already made at Costco.  It is very reasonably priced, and delicious, but if you have your own homemade, use that.  Goat cheese can also be found at Costco- I buy mine in two logs that come packaged together, also very reasonably priced.  I love Costco..except when I have to actually be there shopping, lol.

Grilled Tomato and Goat Cheese Sandwich

I am the only one in my house who will eat tomatoes.  Therefore, this recipe is for one sandwich.  Feel free to increase ingredients as needed to make more.

Ingredients:

2 slices sourdough bread
2 tsp prepared pesto
1/8 cup soft goat cheese
1 small (racquet ball size) fresh ripe tomato, sliced
Several arugula leaves (or spinach, if you can't find arugula)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil cooking spray

1.  Spray skillet with a thick coat of olive oil cooking spray, and heat on medium-high heat.

2.  Spread each bread slice with 1 tsp of pesto.

3.  Microwave goat cheese for about 15-20 seconds to soften. When soft and spreadable, spread half onto each bread slice, over the pesto.

4.  On one bread slice, lay tomato slices in an even layer.  Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.

5.  On the other bread slice, lay arugula/spinach evenly.

6.  Put sandwich together.  When pan is hot, lay in heated pan.  Grill until golden brown, then turn, adding more cooking spray if necessary.  Grill until golden brown on second side.

Spinach Salad With Roasted Beets, Orange, and Goat Cheese

This is a favorite winter salad of mine and my husband's.  Before this salad, he would never even look at a beet.  Over the past 20 years that we've been together, he has learned to trust my cooking, and at least now tastes things, even if he has his doubts about them!

This is one of those recipes that I am not really sure of the origin.  I have seen similar combinations of ingredients in many different places, and at one point just set out to create my own, and this is the result.  I use blood oranges in this salad because I love their color, and it's just a little bit different, but you can use regular navel oranges if you want.  Even if it's not citrus season, you could use canned mandarin oranges in this.  I would caution against using canned beets though...there just is no substitute for roasted fresh beets!  I roasted mine a couple of days ahead of time, and that cuts down on the prep time when you are serving the salad.  If you don't roast them ahead of time, be sure to give them time to cool before making the salad.  If they are warm, they will wilt the spinach, and I like the spinach in this salad to be nice and crisp.

Spinach Salad With Roasted Beets, Orange, and Goat Cheese (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

Beets:
Fresh beets, one per person, small to medium size
Olive oil

Salad:
4 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed well and dried well, kept chilled
1 orange (blood orange or navel), or substitute canned mandarin oranges
1/2 cup walnut halves
1/4 goat cheese, crumbled
thinly sliced onion- a few slices per salad, to taste (I usually prefer to use red onions in this, but this time all I had was a sweet yellow onion)

Dressing:
Juice from orange (see note below), about 2 tbsp
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp finely minced shallot
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Roast beets.  This can be done ahead of time.  Refrigerate beets until you prepare the salad.  Remove the stem and root ends of the beets and cut lengthwise into quarters or sixths, depending on beet size.  You want bite-sized pieces.  Do not peel beets.  Place in a shallow oven-proof dish and drizzle with a couple tbsp. of olive oil and toss well.  Roast in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, stir, then roast another 10-15 minutes until tender.  When beets are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off  or rub off with a paper towel.  Chill well.

2.  Place spinach into salad bowls.

3.  Segment orange.  Cut a slice off of the top and bottom of the orange,through the pith (white part).  Place on a cutting board upright on one cut end.  Cut  a slice of the peel and pith off from top to bottom, removing as little fruit as possible.

4.  Rotate and cut the peel off all the way around the orange until it is completely free of the peel.

5.  With your knife, slice along the sides of the membrane separating the segments of the orange, so as to remove a wedge of the orange from between the membranes.

6.  Continue to remove all orange wedges.

7.  Squeeze the juice from the remaining orange membranes into a bowl and reserve.  Discard membranes.  (Now you know why they call them blood oranges!)

8.  Heat a skillet over medium heat and add walnuts.  Toast 3-5 minutes until fragrant.  Remove from heat and set aside.

9.  Top spinach in bowl with beet wedges and orange slices.  Add walnuts.

10.  Top with onion slices and goat cheese.

11.  Make dressing.  Whisk together reserved orange juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, shallots, salt and pepper.  Drizzle over salads.

This is not really an everyday salad, but I like to make it once in awhile to make dinner kind of special.  My hubby and I enjoyed this along side some grilled chicken breasts and brown rice, and it made for a delicious, healthy and well-balanced Saturday dinner.

I'm not sure yet what I will share with you next time.  I have a few ideas I'm working on, one of which is a recipe makeover of a somewhat unhealthy convenience food that my daughter loves, but which I hesitate to serve because of the high fat content.  I am researching alternatives and think I might be onto something there, but might not get to it this week.  If not, I'll come up with something else tasty to show you!

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2012!  We stayed home for New Year's Eve, and I prepared a few tasty dishes for us to enjoy here.  I am going to share two of them here today, both of which I have made and served many times, and they are old favorites around here.  Remember, amounts are estimates- taste as you go, and adjust accordingly.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

This is my own recipe.  Several years ago, my hubby came home raving about the lettuce wraps at PF Changs, and asked if I could duplicate them.  Probably not, I told him, but I might be able to get somewhat close.  Later, after I had developed this recipe, I found where someone had posted the actual PF Changs recipe on the internet.  Mine is not nearly as complicated, but it sure is tasty!  I prefer my simple recipe, which uses ingredients easily found in the grocery store.  My son loves this, and chooses to mix his with rice instead of wrapping in lettuce leaves.

Ingredients:
8 whole lettuce leaves, preferrably large and wide, such as Butter, Boston Bibb, or Iceberg, washed and dried
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 package lean ground turkey
2-3 tbsp hoisin sauce (this can be found in the Asian food aisle of the grocery store)
1-2 tbsp garlic-chili sauce (also in the Asian food aisle)
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped to uniform small pea size
 3-4 green onions, thinly sliced, including green part
Couple drizzles soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Sesame seeds for garnish
Optional: fresh pea pods, sauteed in sesame oil until crisp-tender

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add turkey.  Break meat up with a spatula or spoon as it cooks, so that you don't have large chunks, but a fine, even crumble.  Drain fat and return skillet to medium heat.  Add hoisin and garlic-chili sauces and stir to incorporate completely.  The turkey meat should look like it has a glaze over it, but it should not be "saucy".  Start with 1 tbsp. of each sauce and add as necessary.  Watch out- the garlic chili sauce is spicy, so don't add too much!

When you are happy with the turkey/sauce ratio, add the water chestnuts and green onions, and mix well into the meat mixture.  Drizzle soy sauce (I go once around the pan) and mix in well.  Heat over medium heat for a few minutes until the meat sizzles gently.  Don't overheat and dry out the meat mixture.  Add a little more soy sauce if it seems too dry.  Turn off heat and add cilantro, incorporating well into meat mixture.

Serve immediately, or make ahead and refrigerate, then reheat in the microwave to serve.  Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture onto each lettuce leaf and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  If you also sauteed the suggested pea pods, add those on top before the sesame seeds.  I also sometimes add bean sprouts to the pea pod sautee.

These are delicious- sweet and smokey from the hoisin sauce, and a little bit of a spicy bite from the garlic chili.  You can use ground turkey breast to keep these very lowfat, but if you use regular ground turkey instead of ground turkey breast, don't use turkey that is less than 93% lean.  If you use a leaner meat, these are quite healthy.  The hoisin sauce contains only 35 calories and 8 grams of sugar per tablespoon.  This recipe makes 8 servings, so even if you use 3 full tablespoons of hoisin in the dish, it's only 3 grams of sugar per serving.

Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese Toast

This is also my recipe. Several years ago, my husband and I spent our annivesary weekend at the Skamania Lodge in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge.  At dinner in their restaurant, we ordered a goat cheese appetizer that we both just loved.  Soft, warm rounds of goat cheese were served with pita bread wedges, sundried tomatoes, roasted garlic, and kalamata olives.  We liked it so much, we made it at home a couple of times.  Eventually, I decided it would be easier to combine our favorite components into a spread, and this is the result.  I originally tried it with the kalamata olives included, but they make the consistency too watery.  If desired, serve them alongside these toasts.

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. log of goat cheese (I get mine at Costco)
3/4 cup oil-packed sundried tomatoes, drained and rinsed well
4-6 cloves fresh garlic
1 french baguette, sliced thinly

Lay baguette slices on baking sheet and spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray.  Broil until lightly toasted, then turn bread slices and repeat on the other side.  Be careful not to let edges brown too much.

Take goat cheese out of refrigerator and let sit out at room temperature.  Peel garlic cloves and wrap in foil.  Put into a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until soft and tender.

Crumble goat cheese into food processor and add garlic and sundried tomatoes.  Process until smoothe.

Spread a couple tbsp. of goat cheese mixture on each slice of toasted bread, then put under the broiler until cheese has warmed and just began to brown.  Serve immediately.

This can be made ahead and refrigerated.  Remove cheese from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving so that it can soften.