Roasted Salmon, Red Cabbage, and Potatoes

As much I love cooking, some nights I just want a healthy homemade dinner to magically appear in front me. I may not be able to wave a wand and make that happen, but this recipe is pretty close. I love a one pot meal, especially one that requires little attention while it's cooking. I've roasted plenty of salmon and potatoes  before, both separately and together, but I'd honestly never thought of roasting cabbage. As it turns out, cabbage was destined for roasting! I don't know why I'm surprised I've found yet another roasted vegetable I love, but after many raw slaws and tender sautes, I'm particularly delighted by this crispy, crunchy cabbage. A classic combination of mustard, horseradish and lemon becomes a delicious crust atop the salmon with a generous spray of lemon juice popping against the deep roasted flavor all the elements share. This recipe is simple enough for a family meal, yet elegant enough for a last-minute dinner party, mere minutes of prep yielding an inviting meal for any occasion.

Roasted Salmon, Red Cabbage, and Potatoes
adapted from Martha Stewart
serves 4

4 cups shredded red cabbage (from half a small head)
1.5 pounds red or new potatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
Extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound skinless salmon fillet
2 tablespoons grainy or Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons horseradish
Zest of 1 lemon plus lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cabbage and potatoes with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes. Smear salmon with a mixture of mustard, horseradish and lemon zest. Nestle in pan, and roast 15 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice over all.

Whole Wheat Beer Crepes with Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach

I think we've almost made it to grilling weather, which means I'll be shelving my Sunday night breakfast for the lure of the charcoal grill. I've tried my hand at making a lot of whole grain breakfast foods - English muffins, biscuits, donuts, waffles, and pancakes so I feel good about moving on to flame-cooked meals. And so I present to you what may be my last hurrah, whole wheat beer crepes.

I'm especially pleased with this recipe because I was able to incorporate one of my homebrews, a California Common-style beer (a style defined by Anchor Steam), making a recipe that was multiple levels of homemade. Beer not only brings flavor to these crepes, but the carbonation makes them especially light. I used my California Common because it has a presence without taking over, meshing nicely with the whole wheat flour and providing the perfect canvas for savory flavors to shine. My basement is full of even more styles of beer I've brewed - hefeweizen, chestnut and apple ales, a pumpkin dubbel, a dry and sweet stout, an ESB, and a porter, all of which I could be appropriate choices with the right fillings. Make sure to choose a beer you really like that actually has flavor (read: no mass-produced American Adjunct Lagers) because it is what will make these crepes truly spectacular. With such a homebrew cache in my basement, this recipe is sure to make a reappearance, its next incarnation probably a dessert concoction filled with fruit and Nutella.

Like all of the recipes I've made before in this series, I made a big batch and froze the extras to enjoy for a couple of weeks. So far they've been two spectacular weekday breakfasts - the first time filled with cream cheese, strawberries, honey, and almonds and then second simply filled with peanut butter and banana. They can be enjoyed at room temperature, but a quick zap in the microwave turns makes for an especially warm and cozy meal.

Whole Wheat Beer Crepes
adapted from Epicurious
makes about 12 crepes

3 large eggs
1 to 1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup beer
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons canola oil

1. Whisk the eggs until they are combined, then whisk in 1 cup of the milk and the beer. Add the flour to the liquids, sprinkling it over the surface as you whisk to avoid lumps. Add the salt and oil, then whisk the batter vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes so all is thoroughly incorporated. Let the batter site for 1 hour.

2. Heat a 10-inch skillet, perferably non-stick, over medium heat. Brush it with butter, and when it's hot but not smoking, pour a scant 1/3 cup of batter into the center of the skillet and rotate it so the batter covers the bottom of the pan in a thin layer, pouring out any excess batter. Cook the crêpe until it is just golden on one side, 1 to 2 minutes, turn it and cook until it is golden on the other side, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and keep warm by covering with aluminum foil. Continue until all of the batter is used. If the crêpes are thicker than you'd like, thin the batter with additional milk, whisking it in gently.

Sausage, Mushroom, and Spinach Filling with Dijon Mustard Sauce

makes enough for 2 crepes/1 serving

2 small sausage links, casing removed

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 ounces fresh spinach, cut into smaller pieces if leaves are large

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, diluted with 1 tablespoon water

1. Preheat a pan over medium heat. Add sausage and break into small pieces. Cook, stirring frequently and breaking into pieces, until the sausage has rendered some of its fat. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted, 2 to 4 minutes.

2. Pour thinned mustard over sausage mixture and stir to coat thoroughly. Cook just another minute or two or until sauce is cooked down, but filling is not dry. Divide filling evenly between two crepes and serve promptly.

Shrimp and Feta Omelette with Cilantro

For reasons I can't explain, I got the idea of making a shrimp omelette stuck in my head. There was definitely a time where I would have scoffed at the idea of a seafood omelette, but shrimp omelettes have a proud place in Asian and American cuisine. My recipe doesn't fall under exactly under either of them, but instead uses a complementary set of flavors from all over the map. Old Bay and seafood are a natural combination, that magical blend of spices just as delightful with shrimp as with the traditional crab. Cheese and seafood are often a dicey combination, but salty feta is light enough that it doesn't overpower the shrimp. Cilantro adds just the right fresh and herbaceous note, though if you're one of those people who thinks cilantro tastes soapy, parsley or basil would be suitable substitutes. Although it is an omelette, I consider this a light dinner rather than a breakfast as the only seafood I can easily see myself having at breakfast is smoked salmon. Eggs are one of my favorite options for a quick supper, easily accommodating almost any ingredient or flavor and making it from pan to plate in just a few minutes. I like my omelettes with a little color, as you can see above, but feel free to keep yours golden yellow. Not quite breakfast for dinner, but uniquely satisfying, this is a perfect meal for any busy weeknight.

Shrimp and Feta Omelette with Cilantro
serves 1

Canola or olive oil cooking spray
2 ounces raw shrimp, cut into bite-size pieces
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2 tablespoons/0.5 ounce crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat an omelette pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally until shrimp are translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Whisk the eggs and Old Bay together in a medium bowl. Spray pan with cooking spray and add eggs to pan, agitating the pan gently. Tilt pan and lift edges of omelette to allow the runny eggs to cook. When the eggs begin to firm and are almost cooked, add shrimp, cheese, and cilantro, distributing evenly over the middle third of the omelet.  Use a fork or spatula to fold each side of the omelette over the center filling, tilting the pan to help roll up the omelette. Cook 10 to 30 seconds longer, depending on how brown you like your omelette. Slide onto a plate and serve promptly.

Winter Squash and Ricotta Lasagna

This last beautiful weekend almost had me convinced it was spring, but the cold snap this week indicates otherwise. The only saving grace of this retreat into winter is that it puts some foods back on my seasonal table, like this lasagna. I've gotten quite lax in using up my winter squash puree in my freezer recently, but this recipe uses a whopping four cups to a delicious end. Winter squash and ricotta get paired up all the time, their sweetness and silkiness blending beautiful while still maintaining their own character. Pungent Parmesan cheese adds a more assertive note, with a simple seasoning of salt, pepper, and sage bringing it all together. I can't exactly call this fast food since it spends quite some time baking, but you won't spend long preparing it before putting it in the oven. For a meal that will make you resent this backslide into winter just a little less, make up a batch of this hearty lasagna. Even if it's only for a few minutes, a cozy meal will make the cold spring rains feel just a little less harsh and threatening.

Winter Squash and Ricotta Lasagna
adapted from Vegetarian Times
serves 4 to 6

2 12-oz. pkg. frozen wintersquash purée, thawed, or 4 cups fresh winter quash purée
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
½ tsp. ground black pepper
15 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 short no-cook whole wheat lasagna noodles (about 7x4 inches)

1. To make Lasagna: Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine squash purée, 1 tsp. salt, sage, and ¼ tsp. pepper in medium bowl; mix well. Combine ricotta, ¼ cup Parmesan, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper in second bowl, and mix well.

2. Coat 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place 2 noodles in bottom of dish, overlapping slightly. Spread half of squash mixture over noodles. Layer 2 more noodles on top, and spread with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat layers—noodles, squash, noodles, ricotta—then sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan.

3. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake 45 minutes, remove foil, and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, or until golden on top. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Warm Quinoa-Oat Squares with Date Sugar

I can't make it through the morning without a snack. My stomach sounds the warning alarm for a snack break right around 9:30 each morning and until I get my granola bar and cup of tea, some of my focus definitely gets diverted from my work. Just 10 minutes to check my email, eat a snack and sip a cup of tea recharges me for the second half of the morning and is essential to my work productivity. This slightly sweet combination of whole grains and nuts, although requiring a little more effort than the granola bars I usually make, is one of the most refueling snacks I've made. Although all the grains after softened as they cook, each still retains their own flavor and textural character. The sweetness is subtle and multi-layered, a gentle saccharinity throughout punctuated by bites of sweet dates. I've included the original cooking instructions here, but if you're lucky enough to have an individual brownie pan like I do, you can make perfectly square bars with an adjustment to the cooking time. An entire batch makes a two week cache of snacks and extras fare pretty well in the freezer. I ate these bars without any accouterments, but they would be lovely served warm with more almond milk and fruit for a cozy breakfast. Whether you choose to have them as a snack or leisurely meal, these bars are a perfect way to fuel up for the day.

Warm Quinoa-Oat Squares with Date Sugar
adapted from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen

Nonstick pan spray
½ cup quinoa, rinsed under cold water
½ cup bulgur wheat
1½ cups almond, rice, or soy milk, plus more, warmed, for serving
1½ cups water
¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
8 dates, pitted
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons date sugar (or ¼ cup granulated or turbinado sugar)
½ cup walnut halves
2 ripe pears (such as Bartlett or Anjou) or apples--halved, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces, for serving (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick pan spray. Line the baking pan with a long sheet of parchment paper, letting the sides of the paper hang loosely over the pan edges to create a sling. Lightly coat the parchment with the nonstick spray.

2. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add the quinoa, bulgur, rice milk, water and salt. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the quinoa has uncoiled and the bulgur is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the oats, vanilla extract and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the dates and date sugar until the mixture is crumbly, about three 3-second pulses. Transfer the date mixture to a bowl and add the walnuts to the food processor. Pulse until the walnuts are coarsely ground, about three 1-second pulses. Add the walnuts and the date-sugar mixture to the oat mixture and stir to combine.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan, smooth the top with an offset spatula and bake until the top is lightly browned and the bars are set but still soft, about 15 minutes. Remove the baking pan from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes.

5. To serve, carefully pull up the sides of the sling to lift and transfer the quinoa-oat square to a cutting board. Slice the bars into 8 rectangles and serve in bowls with the warm rice milk and chopped pears.

Hummus Kale Chips

It finally feels like I can start planning my garden and it just hit me I need to plant a lot of kale. I have a seemingly bottomless appetite for kale chips and I can't believe it took me this long to dress up the basic recipe. It's true that this recipe isn't much of stretch from a simple roasting with olive oil and salt, but it's certainly delicious enough to be worth sharing. I chose roasted red pepper hummus to dress up my kale chips, but any flavor you like will do, be it homemade or from the store. Kale chips are addictive enough on their own, but this little flavor boost makes it even harder to put them down. It's a perfect example of a snack you realize is healthy after discovering it's delicious, so there's no reason not to snack to your heart's content. Rather than paying an arm and a leg for the now-trendy kale chips at the grocery store, sacrifice just a few minutes and make a batch at home to snack well on the cheap.

Hummus Kale Chips
serves 1 to 2

Canola or oil oil cooking spray
2 tablespoons hummus (I used roasted red pepper hummus)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces kale, washed, dried, and ripped into bite-size pieces

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk hummus, and oil together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add kale and toss to coat evenly with the hummus  mixture.

3. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally. Raise temperature to 450 degrees F and continue roasting, tossing occasionally, until crisp, about another 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size and type of kale. Serve promptly.

Polenta Lasagna

I usually make my own polenta from scratch, but occasionally I'll pick up a roll of the premade stuff. Typically I'll just fry it up in a little butter or olive oil, but this time I decided to get a bit more creative. This meal is the perfect compromise between homemade and convenience food, taking shortcut items like jarred marinara sauce and premade polenta and combining them with a pile of fresh vegetables and mushrooms for a lot of flavor in just a short time. That being said, because you're using shortcut items to build a lot of flavor, you better make sure they're good choices. Rao's is frequently regarded as the cream of the crop when it comes to jarred sauces, but it also comes at a pretty steep price. Newman's Own, which I happen to love, comes at a much more budget-friendly price, but use whatever you love (or honestly, just happen to have in the cupboard). I really pumped up the sauce by using not-quite frugal shiitake mushrooms, but this will also be delicious if you can only get your hands on creminis. This lasagna has all the flavor and comfort that a traditional lasagna does, but is a slightly sloppier affair because the polenta rounds don't form the seamless layers that lasagna noodles do. A pile of vegetables carefully disguised as comfort food, this decadent meal will happily feed kids, adults, gluten-intolerants, and vegetarians all from one generous dish without anyone feeling like they're missing out. Spring has finally made her subtle entrance, so seize the opportunity to make a last cold-weather indulgence before warm weather settles in for good.

Polenta Lasagna
adapted from Cooking Light
serves 4 to 6

1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce, divided (or homemade marinara sauce)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
8 ounces shiitake (or cremini) mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
One 10-ounce box of spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (16-ounce) tube of polenta, cut into 18 slices
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Spoon 1/2 cup marinara sauce into an 8-inch square baking dish to cover bottom, and set aside.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, pepper, mushrooms, and garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté 6 to 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add remaining marinara sauce and spinach; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Arrange 9 polenta slices over marinara in baking dish, and top evenly with half of vegetable mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese over vegetable mixture; arrange remaining polenta over cheese. Top polenta with the remaining vegetable mixture, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

4. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.