Mediterranean Couscous Cabbage Rolls

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Did you know Couscous is basically pasta? However it's twice as good for you as pasta is because it's pure grain and water instead of egg, grain, and water like pasta.

"Like macaroni and spaghetti, couscous is made from semolina flour, but rather than mixing the semolina with a prescribed amount of water and/or egg into a dough, couscous is made by rubbing the semolina between moistened hands until the flour combines with just enough water to form hundreds of tiny grains" Link

Freezer Friendly: Homemade Oatmeal Pucks

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I love oatmeal in the winter and I've posted about my homemade oatmeal before. However I don't always have time to make homemade oatmeal so I occasionally get the instant stuff.

We were walking through Costco a few weeks ago and I ran across frozen oatmeal pucks in the freezer section. A light bulb went off in my head. I can do that!!

Quinoa Kale Bites Appetizer

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One of our favorite things about the holidays is reconnecting with friends. Recently we had a couple of friends over for dinner where we served these appetizer bites. They were a huge hit and are so tasty!
We made them about 2-3 inches in diameter and got about 10-12 bites. We topped them with tzatziki sauce and a fresh tomato salsa on the others. They were the perfect vehicle for the toppings.

Both Quinoa and kale are superfoods and they are packed with nutrients. Our guest gobbled them up.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

These are my current obsession! Finally a healthy, delicious, sweet snack! The bars are chewy and very peanut butter-y. You can really play around with what other things you'd like to add to it. For this one I added dried apricots, cashews, and chocolate chips!

The great things about granola bars are many. You can use them as a snack. They are great on the go and kids love them. You can carry them hiking or on a walk or just to the office. You can crumble them over yogurt. And these also make great gifts during the holidays or anytime!

These really knock out hunger. There is protein in the nuts and peanut butter and fiber in the brown rice cereal and wheat germ. The recipe is so adaptable so play with it and let me know your favorite add-in's!

Quinoa with Poached Egg, Spinach, and Cucumber

This was a super yummy recipe from our Whole Living 21-day cleanse. We've been trying to use more eggs and less meat in our dinners because it's both healthier and less expensive. This recipe fit the bill very nicely.

Now there are vegetarian meals that make you feel like you just had a vegetarian meal and then there are vegetarian meals that make you forget it's vegetarian because it's so awesome. This is one of the awesome kind!

Quinoa is a grain that is gluten-free and delicious! It's quick to cook and very easy to incorporate into meals. You can even make it ahead of time and throw it in the fridge.

The eggs are the star and you want to make sure it's just lightly poached. The yoke makes a delicious sauce that really make it all come together. The freshness of the cucumber brightens it all up and gives a great crunch!

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

In the Williams Kitchen we've implemented Hamburger Fridays. Every Friday we try a new and delicious hamburger recipe and it's been a huge hit. It keeps us from eating out and it's really fun food!

These aren't your run of the mill burgers, we're talking gourmet burgers packed with fresh ingredients and flavor.

What's one of the most important elements to a burger? The bun. How about some homemade whole wheat buns? Oh yes you can make them at home for a fraction of the cost you pay at the store! A couple years ago I shared with you a tip on freezing buns so you didn't waste food and money. It also applies here.

So many think that baking bread is this super hard thing to do. I'm here to tell you, it's not. The only thing you need is time and a few simple ingredients. What do you have to lose, try it already!

Homemade Oatmeal - Maple Brown Sugar

My favorite season is making it's debut here in the south and the Williams Kitchen is hopping with fall recipes! My favorite Fall breakfast is warm oatmeal. For a long time I just bought the Quaker Instant stuff but this is so much better.

The flavor and texture is just awesome and there is nothing more nourishing than a warm bowl of oatmeal. There are so many good-for-you things in this bowl. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Some tips:

• This recipe is so versatile add whatever you have on hand or love.
• If you need a quick breakfast make a big batch and throw it in the fridge. Then just take out a serving at a time, add some milk to loosen it up and microwave it.
• If the oatmeal is too thick add more milk
• If sweet isn't your thing, omit the maple syrup or cut the brown sugar in half

Hostess with the Mostest - Italian Rosemary Bread

I'm of the belief that if someone invites me to their home and cooks me dinner, I shouldn't show up empty handed. Hostess gifts are also so much fun if you don't wait till your on your way to the party to think about it. If that does happen, grabbing a bottle of wine is always a nice gesture.

However food makes a great hostess gift and the presentation is my favorite part. Recently, we were invited to a formal dinner party where I gave the hostess this gift.

Two homemade loaves of Italian Rosemary Bread and  a bottle of her favorite type of wine wrapped in argyle socks. Just the wine and socks is a cute gift, I think.

I also made this gift box out of a shoe box and left over burlap from my fabric stash and some ribbon. It turned out beautiful and the hostess loved it.

This bread is delicious with just about anything! Make sure you put it in a plastic baggie if it's not going to be eaten that day. Also after 3-5 days, if you want to make it last a little longer, throw it in the fridge. This bread is also great frozen if you want to eat one loaf and save the other loaves.

Garbage Stir Fry

This recipe is created out of necessity and the notion of not throwing anything away. We've joined a CSA this year and each week we get a bag of goodies, er, fruits & veggies.

There is only two of us but it's a small share. Still, sometimes it's hard for us to get through everything. We try to freeze, pickle, or can the leftovers but we'd much rather eat them fresh. In comes the garbage stir-fry.

We've done this twice now and each time it's been a little different. Here's the concept:

Clean out the fridge!

Seriously, toss everything you can think of into this stir-fry. The stir fry is such an easy throw-together meal and it's so versatile.

Here's what went into our last one: zucchini, cucumber, green pepper, grape and pear tomatoes, green onion, and even some lettuce at the end. We marinaded some beef in soy sauce or teriyaki and threw that in also. Put it all over a bed of rice and you're done!

For a sauce you could use a store bought Asia-style sauce, teriyaki sauce, or make your own by throwing some stuff together. Feel free to use and adapt our Chicken Broccoli Stir-Fry recipe for this purpose!

So clean out that fridge and don't waste an ounce of your bountiful harvest!

Italian Feast Part 2 - Souffléed Gnocchi

Welcome back for part two of our Italian-style feast. Last week we covered the first course, Escarole & Edamame Salad! This week we'll take a look at a souffléed gnocchi. We've always traditionally thought all gnocchi was made of potato. But this Roman-style recipe doesn't call for any potatoes. Instead we'll use semolina flour!

At first it was hard to see how this was going to work. We ended up chilling ours a little longer than the recipe called for and cut ours into squares instead of rounds. This was because transferring these was a little tricky. The trick is to make sure they are thick enough to set up.

I don't think either of us expected to taste what we got. It was truly unique and delicious. It tastes more like a souffle than it does gnocchi. The only thing I can begin to compare it to was the stuff in crock-pot mac & cheese without the macaroni. It's soft, delicate, smooth, and cheesy. It was truly a treat and totally worth the time.

Speaking of time, plan ahead for this one. The recipe called for 2 hours to prepare this dish start to finish but you can do a lot a head of time. Pretty much everything up until baking it in the oven can be done the day before. Enjoy!

Check out!
Part 1 - Escarole & Edamame Salad 
Part 3 - Anchovy & Rosemary Roasted Lamb with Salsa Verde

Daddy's Cornbread

::Picture me in a beautiful southern bell flowing gown as I narrate this post::

Most southerns are very serious when it comes to grits and cornbread. We all have our own "right" way of making it. I am no exception. As a kid I watched my dad make cornbread at least once a week. I was always amazed that he never measured anything. Of course, you also never got a consistent cornbread, but that never mattered.

Many southerns also have strong strong ideas as to what goes in cornbread and what doesn't. Again, I am no exception. In my opinion, cornbread is simple, no sugar, corn kernels, flour, or other veggies are allowed in cornbread. Cornbread should not taste like cake, it should taste like cornbread. Or if you've never tasted cornbread, a dense, gritty, unsweetened bread. Cornmeal and grits are actually the same thing only cornmeal is ground down more.

I use a premix cornmeal (Martha White, to be exact) because that's what my dad used. I do measure my cornbread because I like getting a "good batch" every time. Here's my 4 ingredient simple recipe:

Daddy's Cornbread

1 egg, beaten
1 & 1/3 cup milk (or buttermilk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cup's cornmeal mix

Throw it all in a bowl and mix.

Now let's talk hardware (as Alton Brown calls it):
I prefer cast iron for two reasons. One, it cooks the cornbread evenly. Two, it's just how it's always been done. I don't care for the corn muffins or the little trays that make cornbread into different shapes. You just don't mess with tradition. A round 8-10 in cast iron pan works mighty fine.

We use grease in our house to season the cast iron, keep it conditioned, and for no sticking. So screw the doc, grab the Crisco, and grease the damn pan - you won't regret it. It gives the cornbread a wonderful crispy edge.

Now pour your mixture into the pan and cook at 450 for 20-30 minutes, depending on how crispy and brown you like yours. We normally go the full 30 around here.

Service: The Other Williams (yes, I got my yankee to like my cornbread) likes her's sliced with butter. I enjoy it that way but my favorite is in milk (or half milk, half buttermilk). I was raised that it was the best way to eat cornbread, and I have to agree. Don't gross out until you try it. It's the best cereal you'll ever eat! Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Quinoa Pilaf and Dried Fruit

This dish recently hit our table and it was delicious! The quinoa was definitely the highlight with a yummy dried fruit port sauce. Remember all that dried fruit from the trail mix? Well, it pulled double duty between that and this dish. We didn't add the wheat berries and substituted the dried fruit with what we had on hand- apple instead of pears, cranberries instead of cherries - and it didn't disappoint us.

The only thing we'll do different next time, because this is definitely a do-over, is to grill the pork chop. The chop was great but it didn't really get much flavor from the sauce. Maybe if we had poured it over the pork chop instead of the quinoa it would have been better but the sauce really does belong with the quinoa and it didn't seem to produce enough sauce for both.

ACTIVE: 20 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 35 MIN
SERVINGS: 4

Ingredients

1. 2 1/4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2. 1 small shallot, minced
3. 1 garlic clove, minced
4. 2/3 cup quinoa
5. 2 tablespoons wheat berries
6. 1 thyme sprig
7. 1 bay leaf
8. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
9. Four 5-ounce boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of fat
10. Salt and freshly ground pepper
11. 2 dried pear halves, diced
12. 4 dried apricot halves, sliced
13. 1/4 cup dried sour cherries (1 ounce)
14. 2 tablespoons ruby port

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small skillet, combine 1/4 cup of the stock with the shallot and garlic and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add the quinoa, wheat berries, thyme and bay leaf. Add 1 cup of the stock and bring to a simmer. Scrape the mixture into a 9-inch square baking dish, cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa and wheat berries are tender. Remove the pilaf from the oven and keep covered.
   
   
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and brown them in the skillet over moderately high heat, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add the dried pears, apricots and cherries to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the port and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 cup of stock and simmer over moderately high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Add the pork chops and any accumulated juices and cook over moderate heat, turning the pork a few times, until it is hot and just cooked, about 2 minutes
   
   
3. Uncover the pilaf and fluff it with a fork; season with salt and pepper. Mound the pilaf on plates. Set the pork chops on the pilaf, top with the fruit sauce and serve.
   

One Serving 454 cal, 15 gm fat, 3.3 gm saturated fat, 40 gm carb, 4 gm fiber.

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Pesto Shrimp over Aromatic Rice

We are in the heart of harvest season. So many fruits and veggies are in season right now. In the past we normally have a rather large garden but over the years shade has crept into our only garden space and it's no longer a viable spot. This year all we have are few tomato plants and a couple of peppers in pots in our front yard.

Fortunately, we "know people". We've done a lot of farmers market shopping and we have some friends and co-workers who unload there leftover veggies on us. This meal was created because we had all these veggies in the fridge and need to get to them before they went bad.

The meal itself was just delicious. We do also grow a few herbs in boxes so the pesto was made from our fresh herbs. Just a little goes a long way in this dish and it was really killer. The corn was roasted in a pan to bring out it's natural sweetness and caramelize it a little. Everything pulled together over some yummy aromatic rice was just delicious, healthy, and beautiful!

Enjoy!

Wine Pairing Suggestion:
Dry Riesling, Viognier, or any light-not to sweet- white table wine.



Serving: 2
Ingredients:
12 med raw shrimp
2 ears fresh corn
1 cup jasmine/aromatic rice, cooked
1/2 lemon

Pesto:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil

To make the pesto, combine all ingredients except oil into a food processor and process. Drizzle oil in while processing until combined

Peel and devein shrimp. Cook in hot skillet until pink about 1 minute on each side. Remove from skillet

Cut corn from the cob and cook in skillet until caramelized and warm.

Combine corn, shrimp and pesto in a bowl and mix well. Serve corn and shrimp mixture over rice. Squeeze lemon juice over for a brighter flavor.

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Cherry Tomato Corn Salad

As mentioned in our post Smoky Bean Tacos with Greens we had an amazing time kayaking with friends some weekends back. The Other Williams and I were responsible for the picnic lunch and we decided to make a corn salad to accompany the tacos.

This was so simple to make but had some big flavor! It's a great picnic food also because there nothing that can go bad in the salad. We used fresh corn and roasted it in a skillet until it started to brown. This really let out the sweetness of the corn.

The texture was just great with the crunchy fresh corn and cucumber and the firm cherry tomatoes. The basil, cilantro, and lime really kicked this up the flavor-meter.

After being so close to nature, paddling, and chatting with friends I couldn't think of a more nutritious, filling, delicious, wholesome meal for some of my favorite people. It was truly a wonderful weekend that made us feel so blessed in so many different ways!

Servings: 6

Ingredients

* ¼ cup minced fresh basil
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 teaspoons lime juice
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* ½ teaspoon salt
* ¼ teaspoon pepper
* 2 cups fresh corn
* 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber

Directions

1) Cut the corn off the cob and put into a non-stick or cast iron skillet on med heat. Cook with a touch of oil if needed until corn is starting to brown.

2) In a bowl wisk the basil, oil, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper together.

3) In a large bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes and cucumber. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving.

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Similar Recipes:
Chicken with Southwestern Salsa
Tabbouleh Salad
Quinoa and Black Beans

Falafel & Rice Wrap

Normally we make our own Falafels, which is a fried ball or patty made from spiced fava beans and/or chickpeas, but I had a craving and The Other Williams wasn't in the mood so I bought some from Whole Foods, pre-made. I made up this delicious lunch on a whim and it turned out great.

Traditionally Falafels are eaten in pita like in our Falafel Pita Sammie recipe. We didn't have pita but we did have tortilla's. We also had some leftover black mahogony rice. This throw together ended up being very tasty. I had it twice that week for lunch!

Serving: 1

Ingredients
1-2 flour tortillas
2 falafels, cooked and sliced or crumbled
1 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp black mahognay rice, cooked
1/2 cup of lettuce

Heat falafels, if needed. Load all the ingredients into the tortillas and wrap up. Enjoy!

Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry

Terri just whipped out a favorite at our house. This Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry is delicious and fast. We have this pretty regularly during the warmer weather. The flavors are good and it's not too out there or too asian to turn you off. Kids would enjoy this also.

While discussing the recipe Terr informed me that she has been cooking this recipe for over 15 years! The recipe actually came from a cook book that came with her first electric wok. The thing is so old, it's yellowed and stained. I literally had to type the recipe word for word.

I love our Asian inspired dishes here. We got a two person set when we were visiting China of the World Showcase in Disney's Epcot. We fell in love with this set and have been using it a lot with our Asian dishes. Here you see a side of pot stickers with dipping sauce and some edamame in the bowl.

So here's an old school recipe for you. We love it and it's definitely good eats!

Vegetarian Option: leave out the chicken and replace it with tofu or extra veggies.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

* 2 Whole chicken breast, boned, skinned, and diced
* 3 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tbsp veg oil
* 4 cups broccoli or 1 20oz package of frozen broccoli
* 1 cup chicken broth
* dash of garlic powder
* 6-8 mushrooms, sliced
* 1 tbsp lemon juice
* 1 tbsp cornstarch

Directions

1) In small bowl, combine chicken, soy sauce, and veg oil.

2) Place broccoli and ½ cup of chicken broth in wok. Set heat control to med. Cook 5 mins; stir-fry once every minute. Push up the side.

3) Increase heat to hi. Add chicken mixture and garlic powder. Stir-fry with 2 wooden spoons for 3 mins. Push up the side.

4) Add mushrooms and stir-fry 1 minute. combine all ingredients in wok.

5) Combine lemon juice and cornstarch with remaining ½ cup chicken broth. Stir into wok mixture and heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low for serving.

Service over brown rice or noodles.

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Soaked Oats and Granola

For breakfast lately I've been bringing this little bowl of goodness to work with me and I've really been enjoying it! It's got everything I need to start my day and it stays with me until lunch! It's easy to make and takes very little time to prepare. Delicious and nutritious!

We've been buying the extra thick oats from Bob's Red Mill at Whole Foods but I think any brand will work for this bowl-o-goodness. We use this brand a lot for our grains because they mostly offer organic and there is a cute old guy on the package. I like that these are extra thick also.

This needs to be prepared the night before to allow the soaking process to happen but Terri is telling me just a couple of hours is good also.

Here's how it works at my house. Measure out 1/4 cup of oats into a to-go container. Top that with vanilla rice milk until it covers the oats. I normally don't measure the milk, if there's still too much in the morning you can drain it. The sweetness of the vanilla really adds to the yummy factor and the rice milk is lower in fat than regular milk, but you could use cow's milk or water.

Put this in the fridge overnight.

The next morning dice up some fresh strawberries (or other fresh fruit) and stir in a bit of local honey. When your ready top with homemade granola before eating. Crunchy, fruity, sweet, healthy, nutritious, YUM!

Enjoy!

Yield:
1 servings

Ingredients
* ¼ cup Thick Rolled Oats
* ⅓ cup Vanilla Rice Milk
* 1 tsp Local honey
* 2-3 Fresh strawberries, diced
* 2-3 tbsp Homemade granola

Directions
Measure out ¼ cup of oats into a to-go container. Top that with vanilla rice milk until it covers the oats. I normally don’t measure the milk, if there’s still too much in the morning you can drain it.

Put this in the fridge overnight.

The next morning dice up some fresh strawberries (or other fresh fruit) and stir in a bit of local honey. When your ready top with homemade granola before eating.

Crunchy, fruity, sweet, healthy, nutritious, YUM!

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Mushroom Risotto

This is one awesome recipe. If you've never tried Risotto or even if you know you love it, this one is your recipe. Terri and I literally took 45 minutes to eat this wonderfully flavored and textured meal. It was truly the best Risotto we've ever had. We used our homemade broth and some awesome dried porcini mushrooms. This was killer. We loved it and know you will also!

Ingredients
* 8 cups canned low-salt chicken broth (or homemade)
* ½-ounce dried porcini mushrooms
* ¼ cup unsalted butter
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 cups finely chopped onions
* 10 ounces white mushrooms, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 ½ cups Arborio rice or short-grain white rice
* ⅔ cup dry white wine
* ⅔ cup grated Parmesan
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper, optional

Directions

Bring the broth to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the porcini mushrooms. Set aside until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Keep the broth warm over very low heat.

Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the white mushrooms and garlic. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the porcini mushrooms to a cutting board. Finely chop the mushrooms and add to the saucepan. Saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and let it toast for a few minutes. Add the wine; cook until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 3 minutes.

Continue to cook until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, adding more broth by cupfuls and stirring often, about 28 minutes (the rice will absorb 6 to 8 cups of broth). Mix in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

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Chicken with Southwestern Salsa

This is really delicious and fast. We had this last week for dinner and although the rub could use a little more flavor (next time we'll marinate it in lemon juice overnight) the salsa made up for any flavor missing in the rub. I actually had the leftover salsa for lunch the next day and it was still great!

For a vegetarian dish, skip the chicken and head straight for the salsa!


Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 3/4 cup salsa)

Ingredients
* 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
* 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1/2 cup prechopped onion
* 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
* 1/3 cup chopped plum tomato
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole kernel corn, drained

Preparation
1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, salt, black pepper, and red pepper; sprinkle mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; cook 7 minutes on each side or until done.

2. While chicken cooks, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl; add remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, remaining 1/4 teaspoon coriander, tomato, and remaining ingredients to onion mixture, tossing well. Serve with chicken.

Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp

Last nights dinner was this Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp and it was delicious! Our wasn't too spicy but it will depend on the curry paste you get. This is also just a two serving recipe and was perfectly portioned for two. We put this over brown rice and served a side of snow peas. Enjoy!

Yield
2 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
* 1 teaspoon canola oil
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1/4 teaspoon red curry paste (such as Thai Kitchen)
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 12 ounces large shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/3 cup light coconut milk
* 2 teaspoons fish sauce
* 1/4 cup chopped green onions
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and curry paste to pan, and sauté 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar; sauté 15 seconds. Add shrimp; sauté 3 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Stir in coconut milk and fish sauce; cook 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and basil.

David Bonom, Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2008