Watercress and Pepita Salad

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I serve this salad frequently with anything Mexican I’m making. It’s great. Definitely has that earthy, a little bitter, taste, but great. One of my favorite go-to salads!

Watercress and Pepita Salad

  • 1/3 cup pepitas
  • 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds watercress, tough stems removed
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pepitas on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. (Store at room temperature up to 1 day.)
  2. In a large bowl, combine vinegar and cumin; whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. (To store, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.) Add watercress; toss to combine. Serve topped with pepitas.

White Bean and Olive Salad

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This doesn’t sound like that amazing of a recipe, but it is. Truly. I’ve made it twice in the last month and ate it all, almost single-handedly.

White Bean and Olive Salad

3 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1 T. dijon mustard
salt and pepper
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (I use Northern White dried beans that I soak and cook beforehand)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c. Kalamata olives, halved

In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oil, and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Add beans, onion, and olives; toss to combine.

from Everyday Food, March 2008

Martha’s Onion Rings

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Every now and again, these are the perfect thing.

This is a drop-everything-and -make-these-now recipe. It’s really remarkable. They’re eaten so fast that they’ve rarely made it to the table.

Onion Rings

  • Vidalia onion, sliced crosswise into thin rings
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 can (12 ounces) seltzer water
  • 6 cups vegetable oil
  • Coarse salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, washed and dried very well
  1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. Place onion rings in a large bowl of ice water for 10 minutes; drain and pat dry. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and seltzer.
  2. In a heavy 5-quart pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over high until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees. Working in seven to eight batches, place onions in batter; using your fingers, lift out, letting excess drip off. Carefully place in oil, making sure not to overcrowd pot; cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Transfer rings to prepared baking sheet, and season with salt. Keep warm in a 250-degree oven. Return oil to 375 degrees before starting next batch.
  4. Once all the onion rings are done, place on a platter. Very carefully place parsley in pot (oil will spatter), and fry until crisp, 10 seconds; remove, using a spider or slotted spoon, and season with salt. Sprinkle onions with parsley.

Peanutty Granola

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I renamed this granola because it’s so deliciously peanutty. My mom disagrees, but it’s open for debate. Of course you can substitute any nut for the peanuts if you don’t like them.

Peanutty Granola

4 c. regular oats
1 c. whole almonds, chopped
1 c. dry roasted peanuts
1 c. coconut
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. honey
2 c. dried fruit (mix raisins, craisins, cherries, etc.)

Combine the oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Stir the butter and honey together and pour over other indredients. Spread onto two baking sheets and bake at 300 for 30-40 minutes, stirring once midway through the baking time. Allow to cool on sheets, but stir occasionally. Add the fruit once the granola has cooled completely.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

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I buy dark bananas on purpose so I can make these muffins. The original recipe came from Aunt Caryn and called for a 1/2 cup of butter and all white flour. I altered it and substituted blueberries for the chips to make it more healthy (because I make it so often), but if you want a more decadent treat, try the original. Both are great.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

3 large ripe bananas
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/2 t. soda
3/4 t. powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. white flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. chocolate chips or frozen blueberries (or more, if you prefer)

Mash the bananas, then add sugar, butter, and egg and combine. Stir the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and then add to the banana mixture. Combine. Stir in chocolate chips, then fill a muffin tin. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until browned on top.

Roasted Chicken with Chile, Cilantro, and Lime

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This chicken is great—really, really great. Rex and I make it all the time, and we especially love the onions (we frequently include other veggies on the pan as well), like sweet potatoes, carrots, garlic, and potatoes. It’s worth the effort and the leftover bone makes a great chicken broth.

Roasted Chicken with Ginger, Chile, and Lime

2 T +  t. butter at room temperature
1 shallot, finely chopped (about 2 T)
1 piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 T.)
1 T. finely chopped pickled jalapeno chile
1 T. fresh lime juice
2 t. ground coriander
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 whole chicken (3  lbs.)
2 large onions, thickly sliced
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges, for serving (optional)

Make the ginger-chile butter by mashing together 2 T. butter, shallot, ginger, jalapeno, lime juice, coriander, 1 t. salt, and  t. pepper. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425º. Using fingers, gently loosen skin from chicken breasts. Rub butter mixture evenly between skin and meat; pat skin back down. Tie chicken legs together with cotton kitchen twine; tuck wing tips underneath. Rub chicken with remaining  t. butter; season generously with salt and pepper. On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange onions in a single layer; place chicken on top.

Roast until chicken is well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in a thigh reads 175º, 50-60 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and tent with foil; let rest 10 minutes (the temperature will rise by about 5 º).

On baking sheet, stir onions together with pan juices. Carve chicken; serve with onions and if desired, lime wedges.
Serves 4

Winter Oatmeal Bread

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This is a simple recipe that works well and is easy to put together. It’s great sandwich bread, not quite as moist as the Multigrain I have posted, but still great, and perhaps a better alternative for some kids.I’ve modified it to use a lot of  the staples I keep on hand.

Winter Oatmeal Bread

1/2 c. warm water
1 1/2 T. active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1 1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. dry milk
1/2 c. honey
4 T. melted butter
1 T. salt
2 C. rolled oats
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3 1/2 -4 c. all-purpose flour

In a small bowl, mix the 1/2 c. water with yeast and pinch of sugar. Set aside. In another bowl (I use my standing mixer), mix the rest of the water, dry milk, honey, butter, salt, oats, and whole wheat flour. Beat for one minute. Add the yeast mixture and beat for one minute. Then, a half cup at a time, add the white flour until the mixture pulls away from the bowl. Knead in the mixture (7 minutes) or by hand (15 minutes). Placed in a deep greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Turn dough out and divide in half. Shape each half into a log and place in pans. Let rise for another 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 and bake for about 45 minutes.

Carrot Soup with Cilantro Salsa

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We’ve been making this recipe for years, and always declare it a favorite at the end of the meal. The salsa is what makes the soup, so definitely don’t go without it.

Carrot Soup with Cilantro and Chile
From Best of Taste Magazine (Williams-Sonoma)

Soup
2 T. butter
2 T. canola oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 T. ginely chopped ginger
3 lb. Carrots, peeled and chopped
5 c. chicken or vegetable stock
2 T. creamy peanut butter
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper

Cilantro-Chile Salsa
1/2 c. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. roasted peanuts
2 t. chopped jalapeno
fresh lime juice
salt

1. In a large pot, melt butter with oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 15 min. Add the carrots and stock. Bring to a simmer. Cook until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the peanut butter.
2. In a blender, puree the soup in 2 batches. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or chinois into a pot [Rex and I never do this]. Reheat on low. Add lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
3. FOR SALSA: In a mortar, pound cilantro, peanuts and jalapeno to a paste. Add lime juice and salt to taste.
4. To serve, divide soup among 4 bowls. Top each with a spoonful of salsa.

Honey Poppyseed Dressing

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I  use this dressing over spinach, craisin, and walnuts, or over green leaf with apples, walnuts and goat cheese crumbles. There are countless options. This is definitely my favorite dressing.

Poppy Seed Honey Dressing
From Joy of Cooking, 1997 ed.

Makes about 2/3 c.

Whisk together or shake in a jar:
1/4 c. honey
3 T. cider vinegar
2 T. olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
2 t. dijon mustard
1 t. poppyseeds
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Use immediately or refrigerate.