Fresh Summer Corn with Collard Greens and Maple-Dijon Glazed Chicken Thighs 


Summer is here and it's time to cook less. What's that you say? Yes, easy recipes that taste like Summer and take less of our precious Summer time. 
This recipe does require the use of the oven-which I ditch in the real heat of Summer.
However- this chicken could be marinated and grilled as well, so don't lose hope if you wish to make this in 90 degree heat. 

For the Chicken:

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper
rosemary

Toss together and bake on 450 in oven for 40 min 

(If you are grilling- let chicken sit in marinade over night and grill (if you want to juices to stay in your could grill in foil about 25-30 min))

For the Collards: 

Sautee: 

One bunch collards rinsed and cut into ribbons

with-

One tablespoon Olive Oil 

Shake of red pepper flakes 

Juice of half a lemon 

Salt, pepper and cumin to taste 

For the Corn: 

Boil 4 ears of corn in cold water- add tsp of Salt and Coconut milk into the water for a fresh and sweet flavor - or traditional ol' salted water 

Boil under tender. 

Quinoa Tabbouleh

With the warmer weather finally here, sometimes its nice to have a cold, crisp, refreshing dinner. This quinoa tabbouleh is perfect for those that want a healthy light dinner without needing to slave over the stove top!

This is one of those recipes that the longer you are able to marinate it, the better! . We let it marinate for about 7 hours, but this is definitely something you can make the night before and pull out for dinner the next day!

We decided to serve our quinoa tabbouleh as a small appetizer last night, by cutting up some pita bread and putting some fresh feta on it.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 cup black or red quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cucumber, seeded and finely diced

1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped

10 mint leaves, finely chopped

1 small red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

juice of two lemons

¼ cup olive oil (more to taste)

½ teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

splash of white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar (optional, add if you think it needs a little extra kick)

To make the quinoa, first rinse one cup of quinoa in a mesh colander under running water. That washes away the bitter saponins on the surface.

Dump the rinsed quinoa into a medium sized pan on the stove. Add two cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil.

Cover and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, until the water is absorbed. Once it’s done, remove from heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork.

Let the quinoa cool, then toss in the rest of your ingredients.

Add more olive oil, salt or pepper, and/or vinegar to taste.

If you have time, cover and let the salad chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, to let the flavors blend together.

Enjoy!

-Liz

Feeling slightly under the weather? Well, one of Lettuce Shoppes biggest supporters came down with a cold and we knew just the thing off our new menu that would help her feel better, lentil soup! I know we are leaving soup season happily behind us, but here is a yummy classic lentil soup recipe that just might make you want soup all year round!

Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion diced
1 carrot diced
5 cups vegetable/chicken broth
1 cup dried lentils
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tablespoon cumin
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp chili flakes
2 bay leaves
Dash of salt/to taste
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

In a large pot, sauté the onions and carrot in oil for 3-5 mins until onions are clear. Add broth, lentils, pepper, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, cumin, and salt.
Reduce heat and simmer for 45 mins covered. Remove bay leaves and stir in lemon juice.

Personal note:
I have made this soup numerous times and my personal preference is no lemon, but you try and decide! I also added fresh rosemary and loved the added flavor. Give it a try and leave some feedback!

-Liz

Turkey Piccata

This is a recipe off our new Lettuce Shoppe Menu - which serves our Lettuce Shoppe customers delicious simple meals during their busy work week- Bon Appetit Friends!!

4 (3-ounce) turkey cutlets

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
3/4 cup dry white wine or dry sherry
1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Sprinkle turkey evenly with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add 4 cutlets to pan, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove cutlets from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and cutlets.

2. Add 1 tablespoon butter to pan. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Increase heat to high. Add wine; bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Combine chicken stock and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add stock mixture to pan, and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, juice, and capers. Pour sauce over cutlets; sprinkle with parsley.

VEGGIE BURGERS ON PARADE WITH HOMEMADE KETCHUP AND DILL YOGURT

So I had some specific ingredients that could make totally different meals in my fridge right now- so I asked my husband which he would prefer. He choose a VEGGIE BURGER - all and all I wanted to use up some turnip I had and it was all a circus from there.
I thought of Quinoa but I've been missing the nuttiness of brown (short-grain) rice so let's get started...

 

You will need:

1/2 Brown Rice
1 Cup H2O
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
Handful Sesame Seeds
Red Chili flakes (to taste- you know what you like)

also,

1 cup diced Turnip
1 cup diced Potato
1 med Sweet Yellow Onion , diced
1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika (yum)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Olive oil

set aside:
1 (15oz can) Black beans
1 Egg
1 Cup Cashew flour (you could use bread crumbs)
1 tsp Basil (dried)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

On stove (high heat) combine the rice, sesame oil, chili flakes, and sesame seeds with one cup water- let boil, turn to low for 35 min. Let rest.

Meanwhile, add all remaining ingredients (minus ingredients set aside) into a glass baking dish tossed in olive oil (discern how much you need to coat) and bake for 55 min.

Leave the veg in the oven to cool with residual heat. Then put into food processor and with drained and rinsed black beans. Add this mixture in a bowl with remaining ingredients and rice.

Heat a cast iron pan with olive oil on med/high heat and fry like burgers on each side 3-4 min or until brown.
Put the burger on your favorite bun or toast with lettuce (or other veg) & your fav condiments or the perfect pairing below...

(You can make the ketchup at the same time as burgers by following recipe below)

Spicy Ketchup

2 Cups tomatoes (I used fresh grape)
1/4 Sun dried tomato (For robust flavor, this could be skipped)
2 Stalks Celery
3 Dried Figs
1 Whole Jalapeno (You can skip this if you don't want it spicy)
1/4 Brown sugar (divide in two)
1/2 Cup Cider Vinegar (divide in two)

Put all ingredients into glass baking dish (8x8) setting aside 1/2 the brown sugar and vinegar. Bake with the burger ingredients in oven at 425 for 50 min. Add the remaining ingredients with oven mixture into food processor and puree. Let cool and put in fridge. It will be spicy...

Note: don't forget an apron and don't wear a white shirt- I did both - big mistake.

Dill Yogurt

This dill yogurt is the nice herby, cool compliment to the veggie burger and spicy ketchup. Whip the following ingredients and you will see how the hint of mustard is just enough. Don't over do the mustard the yogurt should be the star.

1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
Small handful fresh Dill
1/2 a Lemon
1 tsp Whole Grain Mustard
Little salt


Of course I served it with grilled endive, radish (with it's greens) sauteed in butter with red onion, olive oil and balsamic- topped with pa-pitas...

Xoxo -Renee

Gluten-free Banana Bread

and WHO DOESN'T LIKE BANANA BREAD?

This is a classic- mix and bake banana bread - no fail...

Here's how...

3-4 ripe bananas, mashed 
2 eggs 
1 3/4 cups flour (I used half sorghum flour and almond flour)  
1  cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
(You could use butter- or do half and half- (I did 1/4 cup vanilla keifer or yogurt) (you could use milk)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1/4-1/2 cup walnuts (optional- i opted with no nuts for Liz cause walnuts bother her but otherwise I may have added pecans) 

Directions:

1) Combine the oil, eggs, sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and mashed bananas.
2) Add the baking soda and flour.
3) Combine well for 2-3 minutes.
4) Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake in a preheated 325 degree F oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Bon Appetit- Renee

A Winter Classic on the Warmest Day since October...
Two days ago I started working on a Classic Beef Stew thinking Winter was probably never leaving us only to eat this warm and cozy dish last night while the outside temp still hung on at 50 degrees. A big deal for us tired and cold New Englanders.

Here is what you will need:

• One dutch oven or large heavy pot
• Two tablespoons butter
• One package of boneless beef ribs (they get tender fast and little marbled fat about 1+)
• One cup flour (I used sorghum flour)
• One tablespoon Garlic Powder
• 5 Stalks Celery (love celery) 
• 4 golden potatoes (the ones with the yellow thin skin- leave the skin on please and try to buy organic for the skins sake) 
• One small turnip (don't skip this!!)
• Two med or three small sweet potato (peeled)
• Few handfuls of baby carrots or 1/2 a small bag (pre-peeled and all that) 
• One package white pearl onions (there are probably twenty that you will peel and half but they look pretty and give the right delicate flavor so be patient)
• One small purple/red onion 
• 2 (32 oz (64 total)) Beef stock (this can be homemade) 
• 2 Cups White wine  or Red (I had half a bottle on white on hand) 
• 2 oz dry sherry or sweet vermouth (either will do)
• 1/2 bunch parsley (fresh) 
• 1/4 Worcestershire Sauce  
• One large ziplock bag
• One bay leaf

Ok, you are thinking- what have i got myself into? Tons of ingredients. Not really, just lots of veggies which after stewed give tons of flavor. Let this soup do that. The longer you let is sit on low, the happier it gets. 

So, start by cubing all the veggies nice and big just like your mom used to do. The only thing that wont need this is the carrots, which are already the perfect size and of course your onions project which means peeling and halving. The only vegetable you will set aside at this point is the red onion. Other wise the celery, potato, sweet potato, turnip (peeled and cubed), all go into a large bowl raw. Throw those carrots and onions in raw as well and set aside. 

Now you may slice or dice that red onion any way you like and leave on cutting board. 

Take your ribs and cube them the same size as your veggies. 

Take the flour and put inside the ziplock bag with garlic powder and heavy salt and pepper, you may add more spice but I keep it classic. 

Start getting your pot hot at a medium temp enough to melt but not burn that butter. Add the butter to melt and meanwhile put the beef in the bag with the flour and shake the heck out of it. Now, take the beef cubes out floured and put in pot. Turn the heat to a med high to get a nice color on them. Do NOT discard the flour in the bag. Set it aside. Add the red onion to the beef after one minute. 

After browning the beef and onions, deglaze the pot with the sherry (beef still in pot) After another minute, pour in that white wine and let it cook down for ten minutes. 

Now the surprise. Add ALL the veggies in the pot and keep on med/high temp.Add bay leaf. Add both containers of stock and Worcestershire. Let the stock heat to almost a boil before turning to a low simmer. 

At this stage take a spare bowl and put the remaining flour with a few ladles of the nearly boiling stock. Whisk the two together and return to the pot. This will thicken the stew and for all your germ-o-phobes out there, the boiling stock will kill any bacteria of the raw beef in the flour, trust me it will cook off - this cooks hours.  

The Worcestershire sauce will make this stew slightly smokey while the turnip, sweet potato and white wine make it sweet so there is a balance there. If you want it more robust add red wine as opposed to white and skip the sweet potato. I can't stress enough not skipping the turnip- it makes the dish.

(This is a pic before the stew has stewed - by the way add any salt and pepper you need for taste- you will see the apple wood smoked salt i used on top due to the grey color)


Let this stew for an hour and keep out of fridge for an extra hour as it will be hot!
After shutting the burner off add the half bunch of chopped and washed PARSLEY. This brightens the dish but doesn't kill this delicate yet hearty herb too quick. Cool it and refrigerate over night. The following day take it out at very least an hour before you want to eat and follow a similar process by starting it on med heat and putting on low when it gets to the desired temp.

I served mine with GF cheddar biscuits - maybe I'll add that recipe too...