Kale, Mushroom, And Dill Squares With Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Here is a delicious meatless meal that is nutritious and packed with protein. Did you know that kale is a good source of protein? 

* * *

Kale, Mushroom, And Dill Squares

From the CSA cookbook, From Asparagus To Zucchini, MACSAC

2 tbsp butter, or olive oil
4-6 ounces fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds kale, cleaned, blanched, drained
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill (I used about half this amount)
1/3 cup minced green onion
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 ts pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 8 1/2 by 12 1/2 inch baking dish, or similar size, with a little butter or olive oil.

In a medium or large skillet, saute mushrooms over medium-high heat in butter, or olive oil, until all the liquid evaporates. Remove and set aside. Blanch kale as above, or steam them down like I did until very tender in the skillet. Cool, then squeeze liquid from kale. Chop kale and combine all ingredients. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Cook about 25-30 minutes or until center is set. Cool about 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.


To blanch or not to blanch
I chose not to blanch. I just washed the kale in warm water, drained it but didn't dry, and steamed it down in a sautee pan until very tender.

Squeeze and chop
Remove kale and let cool a little. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the kale - very important! And chop well. I didn't chop well. I was lazy. I call it a rustic chop. But don't give it a rustic chop. I think this would be better well chopped.

Put it all together
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a prepared baking dish. Bake about 25-30 minutes, until set in the middle.

Cool and cut
Cool about 10 minutes and cut into squares. Enjoy it warm or at room temperature.

They tasted great alone . . .

. . . but really great with roasted fingerling potatoes.

I don't have a precise recipe for these. I just preheated a baking dish in a 400 degree oven. Tossed chopped potatoes with extra virgin olive oil, fresh chopped rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Placed them in the hot dish and cooked until tender, about 30-40 minutes depending on their size.

* * *

Nature
I can't help myself from being distracted by nature! This beautiful oriole visited the bird bath while I was out photographing the meal. Wish I had had my zoom lens.

And, this is how the garden is doing . . .

* * *

The kale and eggs in this recipe were picked up from the farmers' market. The kale is from Confreda Farms and the fresh eggs are from Oakdale Farms.

Simple Lobster Salad Rolls, The Way We Remember

It was her last day of school.

I picked her up and after chatting a little about her day I asked, "What would you like for dinner?" Sounds weird that I'd ask her that. But my little miss junior-to-be loves food and I thought I knew the answer. I thought she'd excitedly ask to have mussels at Bertucci's, her absolutely favorite treat lately.

Without hesitating, she said, "lobsters!". I almost whacked my forehead with the palm of my hand. Of course! Why wouldn't she ask for lobsters, or "mobsters" as she and brother used to call them as toddlers. Lobsters have been a special treat in this family for years. Until three years ago, we vacationed on Cape Cod for two weeks during our summers since before her younger brother could walk. If they weren't yet eating lobsters, they were seeing plenty of them, hearing lots about them, and wearing shirts with them dancing on the front.

Summer 1997

Off season, the only time we had lobsters were on New Year's Eve when we would all shop for them, cook them together, and enjoy the method and mess that comes along with extracting their succulent meat, dipping them in warm butter. And, living in the Ocean State, well, lobsters are that sought-after special treat during the summer months. Seems like it isn't summer until we have lobster.

Since I don't like cooking lobster, I told her that I'd get some loose lobster meat if it were on sale only. Otherwise, she'd have to "settle" for mussels or clams. Lucky her - it was on sale! Although, not so lucky me because I never think the sale price of loose lobster meat is really a sale.

Anyway, here they are! We made these delicious and simple lobster rolls, just the way we remember from our days on the Cape.

Even though I know how I like to make lobster rolls (simply with mayonnaise, celery, and pepper), out of curiosity I looked in a book I had just bought at an antique store in New Hampshire. I was pleasantly surprised to see a recipe similar to mine. Now you should feel lucky because if I wrote my own recipe, the ingredients wouldn't be as precise - like my Chips recipe below!

1963, Twenty-third printing September 1975

Maine Lobster Salad
"For each cup of [cut up] boiled and chilled lobster meat . . . " add
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 stalk of celery, diced
Pepper to taste

Paprika

Mix all ingredients except paprika.

Chill in fridge while toasting rolls, washing and tearing lettuce. Toasting rolls is optional.

Assemble rolls first by layering torn lettuce leaves, fill with lobster salad, top with a whole claw, sprinkle with paprika.

Chips
I don't have a precise recipe for these chips as I decided to make them at the last minute and was busy working about the kitchen. They're easy to make, but require a little watching. So hang out in the kitchen. Do the dishes. Get the rest of the meal ready. Or sip a cup of coffee while they're cooking.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with the baking sheet in oven. To make these without sticking, the baking sheet must be sizzling hot.

Slice a few potatoes (I used red potatoes) into very thin slices with a mandoline. Toss slices with enough high-heat oil of your choice (I used high-heat sunflower oil) to coat well, and a little salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder - all to taste.

Spread them out on the sizzling hot baking sheet. Shake it so slices slide and spread around.

After a few minutes, check and make sure they're not sticking by sliding a spatula under them. Move them around and spread out the ones that are overlapping. Don't let too many overlap - I started off with some overlapping, but they shrink while cooking and there'll be less overlapping later. Check again soon and flip them over when it seems right - you can almost smell that they're done. And if they seem crispy and ready, they may not need to be flipped. Remove and drain on a paper towel lined platter.

Crunchy Couscous Salad, NE NephCure Meeting

Here is a light summer salad I made for the kidney-friendly pot luck buffet we had during a recent NephCure New England Chapter support meeting.  Several parents and families came together for conversation, support, and to hear valuable information from an experienced renal dietitian from Children's Hospital. While my daughter is still in remission* and isn't on a special diet anymore (she was on a reduced sodium diet for two years, although we still watch her sodium intake), there's always something helpful to learn and I like to stay connected with NephCure and the families I have met over the past few years.

When we have these pot luck dinners I love to make a recipe from the DaVita website, a great resource for kidney patients and their families with kidney-friendly recipes and nutritional information.

Crunchy Couscous Salad
Recipe by Carol, a DaVita dietitian. Click here for their printable version.

1/2 cup dry couscous
3/4 cup water

Mixture
1 cup cucumbers, thinly sliced and quartered (I used the English variety)
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoon black olives, chopped (I used pitted Kalamata olives)
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Dressing
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine or unseasoned rice vinegar (I used unseasoned rice vinegar)
2 tablespoons feta cheese crumbles (I looked for the lowest-sodium)
1-1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt (I omitted due to the sodium in the feta cheese and olives)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (I used a few turns of the pepper mill)
Juice of half a lemon (my addition to the recipe)

I started with the couscous because it needs time to cool before adding the other ingredients.  In a medium sauce pan, bring water up to a boil. Remove from heat and add couscous. After about 5 minutes and all the water is absorbed, turn couscous into a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Let cool.

Next, I made the dressing so flavors would start building while I made the mixture. Simply combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

Prepare ingredients for mixture and to the cooled couscous (fluff up some more and if not cool wait a few more minutes). Mix in dressing. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving. I thought it needed a little lemon so I squeezed juice of half a lemon over the salad.

* * *

Nutrients per serving (my version might be a little different since I used Kalamata olives and lemon and omitted salt): Calories 121, protein, 3 g, carbohydrate 14 g, fat 6 g, cholesterol 4 mg, sodium 167 mg, potassium 105 mg, phosphorus 51 mg, calcium 47 mg, fiber 1.4 g

Renal and renal diabetic food choices: 1 vegetable, low potassium, 1/2 starch, 1 fat

Diet Types: CKD non-dialysis, dialysis, diabetes

Patients: Always check with your dietitian or nephrologist.

For more nutritional and helpful links for renal patients and families that the dietitian provided at our meeting click here.

* * *

* * *

*Yes! My daughter is still in remission (she was diagnosed with FSGS Syndrome in February 2008 and has been in remission since February 2010). We received the good news yesterday from her nephrologist. Given her continued remarkable lab results, we are again reducing her Prograf, an immunosuppressant, by another 1 milligram. It's great news but any changes in her medication, even this tiny amount, could cause relapse so we'll be closely monitoring her protein level.

Farm To Table Simple Salad

Sometimes it's just what this family needs. Nothing complicated. Simple, fresh vegetables. A salad. It's a relief. A lesson, even, in the art of simple eating.

* * *

The temperatures soared the other day. It was the second day of high 90 degree heat and very high humidity. While driving home from an Essence of Tuscany cooking class at Johnson & Wales University I thought about making something light for dinner. 

I imagined pairing the gorgeous red lettuce I had picked up at our local farmers' market with the plump luscious-looking strawberries growing in my garden. 

Kale, swiss chard from Confreda Greenhouse & Farms
Red lettuce, onions, cherry tomatoes, radishes from Oakdale Farms
See links mentioned below

As I drove home from class, I pictured the deep rich colors together, like the palette of a masterful baroque era oil painting.

Well, when I got home, my dreamy salad never turned into that beautiful painting I pictured in my mind. I went out to pick the strawberries and they were all gone! All of them. Poof! Gone. Nothing left. I guess some little creatures had the same dreamy idea.

Thank goodness I had picked up some other terrific vegetables at the farmers' market. Broccoli from Confreda Greenhouse & Farms. In addition to their red lettuce, I had cherry tomatoes from Oakdale Farms Country Barn & Garden Shop.

The cheese is also local, "Atwells Gold" from Narragansett Creamery. It felt good to make the meal from mostly local food, local businesses and farmers.

Chickpeas, while not local, are always a staple in my pantry closet and were a nice addition for a little added protein.

* * *

Mussels In Red Sauce

I hope you enjoy this mussel dish as much as we did. I've been trying to find a good recipe for mussels in red sauce and hope to soon create my own because this is my daughter's favorite meal. This recipe was a great starter and she gave it two thumbs up! It tasted fresh and was easy to make. 

Mussel Soup (Zuppa de Cozze)  
From Angela's Italian & Sicilian Recipes (easy printable version, a little different from below, though, can be found here).  I named it Mussels In Red Sauce because that's what my daughter likes to calls it.

2 lbs mussels
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, (I minced mine)
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 large ripe tomatoes (I used one 28 oz can whole tomatoes but fresh will be really nice when garden tomatoes are available. For fresh tomato instructions, go to link above.)
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (loosely packed)
6 basil leaves (I chopped them)
1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper, optional (I added)
Extra virgin olive oil as needed
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt


Scrub mussels clean, pull off beards, if any. Our mussels were pretty clean already by the fishmonger, making this part a breeze.

Dice onions and mince garlic. Saute onions in a little olive oil until translucent in a stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook through.

Add wine, canned tomatoes with juice (break up tomatoes with hands first), pepper, crushed chili pepper and heat to a gentle boil.

Add mussels, cover pot and steam until mussels open. It doesn't take long for them to open. Check mussels in a few minutes and gently stir. Cover and check again in a few minutes. Remove from heat when all mussels are open.

Gently stir in parsley and basil (the recipe I followed left out the basil from the instructions. Since it's fresh, I added the basil at the end). Add salt to taste. This recipe served all four of us.

Bruschetta:

Use an Italian loaf or French baguette, extra virgin olive oil, and about 3-4 garlic cloves, halved.

To make bruschetta: Slice the bread to accommodate servings. Brush a little olive oil over one side of each slice. Lay slices out on a baking sheet. Toast until lightly brown under the broiler or your preferred method. Rub garlic halves over each slice.

After we eat our first mussel, we like to use a mussel shell as our spoon!

Asparagus With Sauce Gribiche

Oh, Sauce Gribiche, where have you been all my life? 

I can't believe that I've never heard of Sauce Gribiche until now. Maybe the question should be, "Oh, where have I been?" Either way, I'm glad to have climbed out from under my rock and find Sauce Gribiche.

I discovered this wonderful French sauce by accident a few weeks ago. It was coincidental that I had just bought Schartner Farms' asparagus when I opened Edible Rhody and turned to a recipe called "Schartner Farms Asparagus With Sauce Gribiche." It caught my caught my eye immediately. Reading on, I got excited that I had all the ingredients except cornichons. Luckily, I had homemade pickled zucchini with a similar flavor that I had also bought at the farmers' market. So, without any planning on a beautiful spring day, a delicious and elegant lunch had come together. Serendipity!

Beautiful fresh Schartner Farms' asparagus. Fresh parsley and chives from my garden:

Sauce Gribiche
Printable version can be found at Edible Rhody, recipe by Nemo Bolin at the Cook & Brown Public House, Providence

6 hard-boiled eggs, whites and yolks separated

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more to finish
1/4 cup brined capers, chopped
1/4 cup cornichons, chopped (I used pickled zucchini)
3 shallots, finely minced
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (I just adjusted to my taste)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

I started by boiling the eggs, about 10 minutes (I add eggs to cold water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit about 10 minutes).

While eggs were boiling, I started preparing the mixture by chopping and mincing the other ingredients and put them aside.

Capers: I had small capers which I've never chopped before. The recipe doesn't say small or large, but I thought, okay, I'll give it a try and chopped the small capers. Perhaps it imparts more flavor? I don't know. Next time, I'd try the sauce without chopping the capers to see if there's a noticable difference. If you haven't chopped small capers before either, I leave the chopping decision up to you! (I found it amusing that I wasn't the only one who thought this.)

When the eggs were done, I peeled them under running cold water and separated the yolks from the whites. In a shallow medium bowl I mashed the yolks into a paste with the back of a fork, stirred in mustard and vinegar, then slowly drizzled the olive oil to incorporate. It doesn't need to emulsify like a hollandaise or mayonnaise, so don't worry about it separating. I mixed in the remaining ingredients, chopped the egg whites and gently added them to the mixture. Seasoned with salt and pepper to taste, drizzled with a little more extra virgin olive oil to serve.

Blanch Asparagus
I served the Sauce Gribiche with blanch asparagus. I definitely prefer roasted or grilled asparagus, but here is the recipe if you'd like to serve the sauce with blanch asparagus: Place cleaned and trimmed (snap woody ends off) asparagus in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. While they boil, get a large bowl ready with iced water. Remove asparagus and cool immediately in the ice water.

Sauce Gribiche is a classic French sauce that's very versatile. It can be served with vegetables, fish, meat, and bread. Even though it's a classic sauce, it can be made in various ways and with different combinations of herbs. Popular combinations I read about, in addition to above, included parsley (always), chervil, chives, and tarragon.

This recipe made quite a bit for our family so I used some on crackers for a snack one day and I shared the rest with my friend. She served it with grilled asparagus over Memorial Day weekend and told me it was a big hit!