Warm Lentil Potato Salad with Dijon Dressing

Smitten Kitchen is a favorite of mine. She posted this recipe last weekend, and this time, instead of saving the link and forgetting about it, I decided we would have this for St. Patrick's Day dinner. Go figure. We aren't corned beef maniacs so this bit o'green worked. We served it with delicious grilled sausages on the side. Next time, I will serve it with a fried or soft-boiled egg on top. Delicious, anyway, and very filling.

Smitten Kitchen (snipped)

I used the recommended lentils -  a brand of French lentils - small, nutty and yummy. I buy them from Jansal Valley, which is a Sid Wainer company.  Sid Wainer is in New Bedford, and you have to visit the store sometime, if you haven't. We buy their grains and beans in the Shaw's near us.  We've been growing herbs in our Bounty Elite AeroGarden this winter, so we have fresh thyme and parsley at our fingertips. Perfect!

We were very full with 1/3 of this recipe for dinner. The rest we refrigerated and shared in lunch boxes.

Warm Lentil and Potato Salad from Smitten Kitchen (which was "adapted from a few David Tanis recipes.


2 large shallots. Halve one and finely dice the other.
4 sprigs of thyme (no need to pinch leaves off
1 small bay leaf
1 cup of dry small green lentils (Jansal Valley); remove any stones, etc.
salt
Cook lentils: Pick over and rinse lentils. Place them in a small/medium saucepan with the halved shallot, thyme branches, bay leaf, some salt and 4 cups of water. Simmer the lentils over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm-tender. Drain (discarding shallot, thyme and bay leaf) and keep warm.
1 pound of fingerling potatoes

Salt and pepper

Meanwhile, cook potatoes: In a separate saucepan, cover potatoes with 1 to 2 inches cold water. Set timer for 15 minutes, then bring potatoes to a simmer. When the timer rings, they should be easily pierced with a toothpick or knife. Drain and keep warm.
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T smooth Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons cornichons or other sour gherkins, roughly chopped
1 to 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Make the dressing: Place the chopped shallot and red wine vinegar in the bottom of a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in minced garlic, dijon, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper and olive oil. Stir in chopped capers, cornichon and scallions.
Assemble salad: Slice potatoes into 1/2-inch segments and place in serving bowl. Add lentils, dressing and all but 1 tablespoon parsley and combine. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Scatter salad with remaining parsley.

Zucchini Pasta with Pesto, Asparagus and Shrimp

Ingredients

• For the pesto
• 2 packed cups of fresh basil leaves
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts (or a large handful)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• For the rest
• garlic powder
• olive oil cooking spray
• salt and pepper
• 8-10 medium sized shrimp
• 2 medium zucchinis, spiralized
• 6 stalks of asparagus, chopped into thirds

Instructions

1. Put all of the ingredients for the pesto into the food processor and blend. Taste with your finger and add anymore of one ingredient to make to your taste (ie if it's too salty, add in more basil/pine nuts/olive oil). Set aside.
2. Place a medium sized saucepan on medium-high heat and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper. Once heated, add in the asparagus, spray with olive oil cooking spray and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir frequently until easily pierced with a fork.
3. While asparagus is cooking, fill a large saucepan full of salted water. Once boiled, add in the zucchini pasta. Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until (test it!) the zucchini is softened a bit. Pour out into a coriander, lay out on paper towels and pat dry.
4. Place a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place in the shrimp, spray with cooking spray and season tops with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Let cook for 1-2 minutes and then flip over and cook another 2 minutes or until completely opaque.
5. Add the zucchini pasta to a large bowl and add in the pesto, asparagus and shrimp and mix thoroughly to combine. I like to take a scissor and cut the long noodles in half so that they are easier to cute and share.
6. Divide onto two plates and enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Noodles with Bacon, Spinach and Pecans

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled, Blade C
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups cubed skinless butternut squash
• 1 cup packed spinach
• 1/4 cup crushed pecans
• 4 strips of bacon
• olive oil for drizzling
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth, low-sodium
• 1/2 cup light unsweetened almond milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 405 degrees. Once preheated, add the cubed butternut squash into a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Dust lightly and evenly with the cinnamon. Mix together to combine and roast for 35 minutes.
2. While the butternut squash is roasting, put a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the tbsp of olive oil and the sweet potato noodles. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until sweet potato noodles cook through and are soft. Set aside.
3. Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the bacon strips. Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate.
4. Once the squash is done roasting, add the cubes directly into a food processor. Add in the almond milk and half of the vegetable broth. Pulse until creamy.
5. Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the squash puree and the rest of the vegetable broth. Cook until the broth reduces and the puree is creamier. Add water or more vegetable broth, if not creamy.
6. Once the sauce is done, add in the spinach and sweet potato noodles and mix to combine thoroughly. Let cook until spinach wilts.
7. Plate the sauced noodles into a bowl and crumble in the bacon. Top with crushed pecans and enjoy!

Molasses Gingerbread with Mascarpone Cream

From Food and Wine.com

Ingredients
2 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoon(s) ground ginger
1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
1 3/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
3/4 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon(s) finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup(s) boiling water
1 orange, zest peeled with a vegetable peeler and sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips
4 cup(s) water
1/2 cup(s) sugar
1 cup(s) mascarpone, at room temperature
3/4 cup(s) heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon(s) finely grated orange zest
2 tablespoon(s) confectioners' sugar
pinch(s) of salt
Directions
1. Make the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the flour with the ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the canola oil with the brown sugar, molasses, honey, eggs and lemon zest until smooth. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Whisk in the boiling water. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack and let the cake cool completely, about 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, Make the Orange Confit: In a medium saucepan, combine the strips of orange zest with the water and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat until syrupy and the orange zest is soft, about 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the orange confit to a plate; discard the syrup.
3. Make the Mascarpone Cream: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the mascarpone with the cream, orange zest, confectioners' sugar and salt until soft peaks form.
4. Cut the molasses-gingerbread cake into squares and transfer to plates. Dollop the mascarpone cream on top, garnish with the orange confit and serve.

Mushroom Celebration

From Carol Gordon't Sleep On It

5 cups cubed day-old bread
3 T butter, melted
2 T olive oil
1 pound mushrooms
1/2 c. diced celery
1/2 cup diced peppers
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Salt and freshly groung pepper
1/2 c milk
2 large eggs
1 cup condensed cream of mushroom soup

Place the bread in a large bowl and drizzle with the melted butter; toss to combine.  Spread about 2 cups of the bread across the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass baking pan.  Place a large skillet over  medium heat and add the olive oil and mushrooms, sauteeing until tender.  Remove from the heat and add the celery, onions, peppers, and mayonnaise.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and then spread this over the bread
Top with 2 cups of bread cubes.  In a small bowl, beat together the milk and eggs until blended and poour over the casserole.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the Over to 325.  Pour the cream of mushroom soup over the casserole and top with remaining cup of bread cubes.  Bake, uncovered, until browned, about one hour.

Pearled Barley Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds and Pine Nuts

I found this recipe several places online.

1/3 cups pine nuts
1/4 cup plus 2 T extra-virgin oilive oil
3 T white wine vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups Thyme-Scented Pearled Barley (see below)
1 large tart apple, such as Honeycrisp, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 pomegranate)
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the pine nuts in a pie plate and toast until golden, about 5 minutes. Let cool. In a bowl, whisk the oil with the vinegar and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Add the Thyme-Scented Pearled Barley, pine nuts, apple, pomegranate seeds and parsley; toss before serving. If you make it ahead, leave the pine nuts out until the second day.

Thyme Scented Barley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups pearled barley (10 ounces)
1 small onion, finely diced
2 thyme sprigs
3 cups water Kosher salt
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the pearled barley and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly toasted; the grains will turn slightly opaque just before browning. Add the onion and thyme and cook over low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the water and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender. Fluff the grains and discard the thyme sprigs. Season the grains with salt and serve.

Harvest Time Pumpkin Cake

I rediscovered this recipe - obviously not made for decades!

1 pkg yellow cake mix
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking soda
1 can (16-oz) pumpkin
2 eggs
1/4 water
1 pkg (8 oz semi-sweet chocolate morsels)
1 cup chopped nuts



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a BUNDT pan. In a large bowl combine cake mix, spice and baking soda. Add eggs, pumpkin and water. Beat 3 min. on med. speed of mixer or until batter is smooth. Fold in morsels and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 min or until cake test done. Cool for 15 min. in pan. Turn out and continue cooling on wire rack. Top with spice glaze and a sprinkle of chopped nuts.

Spice glaze:
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 T milk
1 T. light corn syrup
1 tsp. spice of your choice

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Use rubber spatula or a large spoon and put glaze on top of cooled cake. Then use a table knife to spread around top of cake wedges. The glaze will then run down the sides slowly and beautifully.