Grilled Chicken, Feta, Spinach Slider Skewers

Looking for something just a little different on the grill the other day, I put together this Greek-inspired dinner. It was almost a complete dinner-on-the-grill meal with the veggie skewers I grilled at the same time. Well, I did have to make classic Greek tzatziki to spoon over the sliders. Because tzatziki!

What makes these sliders a little bit Greek? Feta cheese for starters...and the classic Greek flavors of lemon, oregano, and garlic with some fresh spinach for color and juiciness. In fact, if you think of ground chicken as lacking in moisture, this is just the mixture to dispell that thought. Tangy feta, tart lemon, earthy oregano, zippy garlic and green spinach make these sliders a burger mixture you and your guests will really enjoy!

If you can find long, flat bamboo skewers, they are the best! Burgers, sliders, meatballs or whatever you skewer and grill stays put instead of rolling around a round skewer making it a pain to easily get nice grill marks on both sides. Look at the grill marks in the pic! These are so easy to turn and flip, I'm picking up a new supply when I get to World Market in Michigan next month. 

To serve, tuck a slider into a wedge of toasted pita or onto a slider bun, garnish with grilled veggies and slather with a healthy helping of cucumber-y, minty tzatziki. Eat. Repeat!

Grilled Chicken, Feta, Spinach Slider Skewers

• 1 lb ground chicken breast
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 C fresh spinach, finely chopped
• 1 slice firm white bread (like Pepperidge Farm), made into fine crumbs - I used Whole Foods Light White bread to make this gluten free
• 3/4 C feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 1/2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 t dried oregano
• 2 t Jane's Crazy Mixed Up salt (or other seasoned salt)
• lots of freshly ground black pepper

Mix all together well, but lightly. Form into 6 flat patties. Refrigerate at least an hour before inserting skewers - or skip the skewers and just make burgers. Grill until cooked thoroughly - no pink chicken, please!

Serve with your favorite grilled veggies - I served zucchini, red onions, red and yellow peppers. And tzatziki!

Tzatziki

• 1 seedless English cucumber, grated - don't peel an English cucumber, the color in the tzatziki is gorgeous! (if you use regular cucumbers, peel them because the ones from the grocery store are usually waxed)
• 2 C plain, low fat yogurt (I use Fage 0% Greek yogurt)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt, to taste
• lots of fresh ground black pepper
• 1 t fresh mint leaves, finely minced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced

Drain the liquid from the grated cucumber, then mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Chill until serving time.

NOTE: I usually buy the yogurt in quart sized containers and use the whole container to make a double batch of tzatziki. Nighttime snack attacks become healthy and low cal...as long as you're not dipping potato chips into it!

Barbacoa Butternut Tortilla Lasagna

Time for a quickie. Of course, this is only a quick one IF you happen to have leftover barbacoa and roasted butternut squash on hand...and I did. 

Looking for something to do with next week's turkey? Barbacoa Butternut Tortilla Lasagna might be just the recipe you need. Leftover fajita fixings? Or taco meat? Yup. This is for you!

Instead of lasagna noodles, I used flour tortillas. In my case, gluten free wraps performed the duties of flour tortillas to perfection. No difference whatsoever! 

Layer up tortillas, smoky salsa, sweet roasted butternut squash, earthy spinach, salty queso fresco and savory, beefy, barbocoa (or leftover protein of your choice), bake, and there's one easy, colorful, and delicious dinner on the table in a snap. 

(Don't have a barbacoa recipe? Here's mine from a little while back. You're welcome! Spicy Barbacoa With Chilies For Tacos, Frito Pie And Especially For Chris)

Barbacoa Butternut Tortilla Lasagna

• 6-8 appox. 8" diameter flour tortillas - I used Toufayan Gluten Free Wraps to make this GF
• 1 C smoky, chunky salsa - I used Jardine's Campfire Salsa
• 2 C roasted butternut squash
• 10 oz package o frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 8 oz queso fresco, crumbled - feta makes a perfectly wonderful substitution!
• 1 1/2 C leftover barbacoa - if you use leftover turkey or another unseasoned meat, mix in a half packet of taco seasoning for some oomph!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread a little salsa in the bottom of a shallow gratin dish - I used maybe a 9"-10" X 6"-7" oval casserole dish...yep, the Corning Ware French White large dish we all have tucked away somewhere. 

From here we're making layers of ingredients - like a lasagna. The tortillas won't fit, so tear them as you go to fit in a single layer. Next slather on 1/3 of the salsa, scatter  1/2 the barbacoa, then 1/3 of the squash, 1/3 of the spinach, 1/3 of the queso fresco, then repeat the same layers. The last layer doesn't use barcacoa, but otherwise is the same.

This is how it looks before going into the oven. Colorful!

Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool 10 minutes then cut into squares and serve!  

Spinach & Parm Meatballs And Sausage With Hot Banana Pepper Sauce

Staring at the takeout menu, the decision is always the same when a hot hoagie is the night's craving. Meatball or hot sausage?  Okay, maybe a steak n' cheese might figure into the equation, too, on occasion. But generally, it's meatball or hot sausage for me.

And then there's the gluten issue getting in the way of simply ordering from a takeout menu. Except for Mandy's Pizza in West View (thank you Steve for doing amazing GF pizzas, hoagies, calzones and pastas ALL in a GF version!), usually if I want a hoagie, it's going to be homemade. As long as I'm doing my own meatballs or hot sausage, why not make it the way I really want it? Why NOT do both meatballs AND sausage in the same sandwich so there are no potential life altering decisions to be made? Why not indeed. So I did.

Every good meatball or sausage hoagie (did you know I still say "sub" sometimes from my years in Maryland?) starts with a doggone good tomato sauce. Since I still have hot banana peppers from the CSA, that's where I started. And really, Italian hot banana peppers are just made for a good sauce on an Italian hoagie! After starting with the peppers, I added lots of garlic, San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil and good red wine. Good start.

My meatballs are a nice light version with chopped fresh spinach and a hefty amount of Parmesan, as well as fresh bread and heavy cream to be sure the meatballs stay light and tender. Because the sauce itself packs a nice wallop of heat, instead of my usual hot sausage, I used sweet Italian sausage and let the sauce carry the heat for the dish. 

Once the sauce, meatballs and sausage had simmered on the stovetop for a while, all that was needed were good, crusty hoagie rolls (or Udi's GF baguettes for me) and a nice smoky provolone to tuck into the sandwich to get all gooey and melty. Just like takeout!

And the leftovers? Turn the sauce, meatballs and sausage into an easy casserole for a dinner the whole family will love! Who doesn't like double duty dinners?! 

Spinach & Parm Meatballs And Sausage 

With Hot Banana Pepper Sauce

Sauce:

• 3 T olive oil
• 2 large sliced banana peppers - HOT ones!, tops removed, seeds removed, sliced across into thin wheels
• 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 C fresh basil, chopped
• 1 T Kosher salt
• lots of freshly ground black peppercorns
• 2 - 1 lb 12 oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes in puree w/ basil leaf
• 1/3  (or more?) C good red wine

Meatballs:

• 1 1/3 lb lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 2 T Italian flatleaf parsley, chopped
• a generous 1/2 C fresh spinach, chopped - measured after chopping
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 t granulated garlic
• 2 T heavy cream
• 1 slice firm bread, crumbled finely - I use gluten-free bread to make this GF, but if gluten isn't an issue use something like Pepperidge Farm

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage links, cut in half and browned in a skillet

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Start with the sauce. In a large pot, add the olive oil and add the banana peppers and garlic. Saute gently until the veggies are softened, but not browned. Add the basil and stir in well, then add the salt & pepper, tomatoes (crushing each tomato with your hand and fingers as you put it in) and wine. Stir well, bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer gently while making the meatballs & sausage.

In a large bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients well, but lightly. Make meatballs about the size of golf balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes until beautifully browned. 

Add meatballs and browned sausage into the sauce and simmer an hour or so. Don't let the sauce reduce too much, but just to a nice spoonable consistency. Stir occasionally, making sure the bottom isn't burning. 

Serve on good crisp hoagie buns with slices of provolone, if you wish. To make these GF, I use Udi's baguettes. Fabulous!

NOTE: What to do with leftovers besides more hoagies? Cut each meatball in half, and the sausages, too. Cook rigatoni or medium shells, drain and add meatballs and sausage with enough sauce to coat the pasta well. Add cubes of mozzarella and some parm, mix well, pour into a large shallow casserole dish, cover with more shredded mozz and bake at 400 degrees just until the casserole bubbles nicely. Serve with a good salad and garlic bread. Easy dinner! 

Oh what the hell, here's a bonus recipe for the casserole:

Meatballs, Sausage & Shells 

Quick and Easy Casserole

• 8 oz. large shell pasta - I use gluten-free to make this GF - cooked just under al dente to allow for time in the oven
• 4 C leftover meatballs and sausage, each cut in half
• 1 C leftover banana pepper sauce
• 4 oz. sharp provolone, cut in 1/2" dice
• 4 oz. firm mozzarella, cut in 1/2" dice
• 4 oz. fontina, cut in 1/4" dice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Drain the shells and return to the pot. Add the sauce and stir gently to coat, trying to separate the shells. Add the halved meatballs and sausage and the cheeses, again trying to separate the shells so they're evenly distributed with the meats. 

Spray a shallow casserole dish with Pam and pour the mixture into the dish. Bake for about 50 minutes until the cheeses are melted and the casserole is bubbly.

Easy, family pleasing dinner! 

Spring Spinach, Strawberry, Pea Shoot Salad With Chived Lemon Buttermilk Dressing

Spinach, radishes, asparagus and peas are the first brave soldiers of the springtime garden to poke their bold noses above ground. Like the very first robins of the season, these early birds might just be veggie garden harbingers of spring. 

Despite Mother Nature's indecisiveness...20's and snow one day, 80's and sun another...the vernal equinox has finally been crossed, days have grown longer, and warmer temperatures seem as if they're (finally) here to stay. Time for a celebration of salad! 

A riot of green pea shoots, shaved raw asparagus and spinach  mixed with raucous red radishes and strawberries - all things spring - were heaped high onto a great big platter and drizzled with an equally springy chive, lemon, buttermilk and poppyseed dressing. 

This fresh, light and very seasonal salad was just what was needed alongside great big burgers from the grill on a warm weeknight evening. Welcome spring! Finally.

Spring Spinach, Strawberry, Pea Shoot Salad

With Chived Lemony Buttermilk Dressing

• 2 C baby spinach, washed and dried
• 3/4 C pea shoots, bottoms torn off - got them at Whole Foods
• 2 giant radishes, cut in half lengthwise and sliced across thinly
• 5 large asparagus spears, raw - cut into ribbons lengthwise with a vegetable peeler
• 2 green onions, sliced across well into the green
• 3/4 - 1 C strawberries, washed and sliced lengthwise

• 1/3 C buttermilk
• 1/4 C fresh lemon juice
• 3 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 T sugar
• 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced finely
• 1 t poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 T fresh chives, sliced across thinly
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• a hefty grind of black peppercorns

Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl.Combine the dressing ingredients in a Mason jar, screw on the lid and shake until well-combined. 

Drizzle salad with dressing and enjoy!

Garlicky Spinach, Feta, Tomato & Eggplant Stuffed Baby Eggplants

Dinner inspiration can...and definitely is...found everywhere. A walk through downtown might bring heavenly scents of garlic wafting on the breeze from open restaurant doors. My brain says, "Go home, woman, and make garlic butter shrimp!"

A stroll through the Strip along sidewalk displays of vibrant veggies has me craving stir frys of sweet red and yellow peppers, crunchy, candy-like bright green sugar snap peas and creamy white cauliflower to be heaped atop rice noodles found in one of a myriad of Asian shops we pass.

The Mediterranean blue tiled storefront of Penn Avenue Fish Company lures me in with its always-kept promise of fresh fish, both finny and shelled. I find it's always best to go looking for what might catch my fancy instead of having a plan. An open mind for what's new or on sale is requisite for a creative, spur-of-the-moment evening's repast. (Hmmmm...maybe some gorgeous fresh-not-frozen wild caught Georgia shrimp for that garlic butter shrimp?!)

And then there's Costco. Costco's inspirational? Sure is! If you've ever ventured into the Siberian cold of the veggie section, you know what I mean.

Lately, my favorite warehouse store seems to be the reigning champion of small veggies. Bags of mixed, tiny and colorful peppers, adorable, teeny weeny, finger-long cucumbers, giant containers of the smallest baby (preemie?) spinach around. Head-high stacked boxes of Brussels sprouts are the most minuscule green orbs I've found anywhere, ironically in the biggest bags to boot. Heads of Romaine or mixed red and green heads of lettuce no longer than 4 inches to make perfect lettuce wraps!

What did I find on my latest tour-de-Costco? Deep, deep purple...almost black...baby eggplants. Bought 'em, stuffed 'em, baked 'em, devoured 'em, loved 'em. Here's the recipe.

Baked and ready to enjoy. The top pic is "before"!

Garlicky Spinach, Feta, Tomato & Eggplant 

Stuffed Baby Eggplants 

• Olive oil spray 
• 1 T olive oil 
• 3 mini eggplants, cap cut off, sliced in half lengthwise, pulp removed leaving a 1/4" shell - chop the pulp roughly 
• 4 large cloves of garlic, chopped roughly 
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped 
• 1 1/2 cups spinach, left whole if it's baby (or preemie) spinach, otherwise chop roughly 
• 3/4 t dried oregano 
• 4 small tomatoes, chopped (or 12 cherry tomatoes) 
• 1 t salt 
• 2 oz crumbled feta 

Set the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a shallow baking dish with olive oil and set the hollowed out eggplant halves in the dish cut side up. Spray the eggplant edges with olive oil

In a skillet over medium heat, heat 1 T olive oil and add chopped eggplant, onion and garlic. Saute until they start to wilt, but don't let the garlic burn. Add spinach, oregano, chopped tomatoes and salt. Stir until the spinach wilts. Remove from heat and stir in feta.

Spoon the spinach mixture into the eggplant shells. Cover the dish with foil and bake until the eggplants are soft, but not falling apart. Maybe 45 minutes or so. Remove the foil and brown slightly. Serve with chicken, steak, lamb (really nice!) or whatever protein strikes your fancy!

Slow Cooker Italian Sausage, Chicken & Veggie Stew

Sometimes what a fast paced life needs is just a little bit of slow...in the form of a slowcooker, of course. There is nothing like coming home from a long, busy day and opening the door to the welcoming, wafting aroma of a hearty dinner. 

In this case, chicken and sweet Italian sausage simmered with red and green bell peppers, red onion, yellow squash, eggplant, garlic, spinach, mushrooms, fresh basil and a good jarred marinara sauce into a stew-like delight that I served over gluten-free spaghetti. Kimber enjoyed hers over spaghetti squash, but you could just as easily simply serve it in bowls as a veggie-hearty Italian stew.
 
When it comes to slow cooking, I like to take a few extra steps to ensure good depth of flavor. It might take a little bit longer to brown the chicken and sausage before loading them into the crock, but the difference in the end is worth it. 

Think of the difference between roasted chicken and boiled chicken...THAT'S the difference...I like to call it oomph. Then, too, I deglaze the pan with the marinara sauce and a little water to get every single smidgen of goodness into the slowcooker and, eventually, into your mouth!
 
So here's the recipe for a vitamin-rich, hearty, colorful, e a s y one-pot wonder of a dinner. What more do you need? Oh yeah...a glass of good red wine would be very nice. 

 Slow Cooker Italian Sausage, Chicken & Veggie Stew

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 sweet Italian sausage links
• salt and pepper, to taste
• granulated garlic, to taste

• 1 small red pepper, seeded, 1/2" dice
• 1 small green pepper, seeded, 1/2" dice
• 1/2 large red onion, cut into slivers approx 1/4" wide
• 1 small yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise and across into 1/4" slices
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cups spinach, torn
• 1 large eggplant, cubed
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 2 teaspoons oregano, dried

• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, your favorite store-bought brand
• 1/4 cup tomato paste

• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Season chicken with salt, pepper and granulated garlic to taste. Brown the chicken breasts and sausages until just cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Leave the drippings in the skillet and set aside.
 
Add the veggies to a large slow cooker. Slice the chicken across the grain, slice the sausages into 1 1/2" pieces and mix into the veggies in the crock. Any juices that may have accumulated from slicing the meats, add them to the skillet.
 
To the skillet, add the marinara sauce to the pan juices, add water and tomato paste and stir up all the brown bits over low heat. Pour over the meats and veggies in the crock and mix gently.
 
Cover and turn heat to high for an hour. After the hour, turn the slow cooker down to low and cook for another 5 hours. When ready to serve, mix the water and cornstarch together and stir gently but thoroughly into the meats and veggies to thicken the sauce. Serve as is as a stew or over pasta or spaghetti squash.

One dish dinner, baby!

Thai(ish) Coconut Peanut Noodle and Veg Salad with Grilled Steak

Summer pasta salad fatigue setting in yet? Getting tired of the same pasta salads over and over again? You know what I mean...macaroni salad - been there, bow-tie pasta salad - done that, all the mayo-based or Italian-salad-dressing-doused or from-the-box-ala-Suddenly-Salad kinda salads that turn up on every picnic and dinner table in America. Ho hum. What to do...what to do....

Bored and in the mood for a little something different - and just maybe a little exotic - I set about making a Thai-inspired noodle salad with a box of Annie Chun Pad Thai noodles I had on the pantry shelf. The warm salad included lots of bright green basil, broccoli and spinach, crisp sprouts, a little heat of finely slivered jalapeno, freshly squeezed lime juice, sweet and creamy coconut milk accented with umami flavors of peanut butter, fish sauce (don't turn up your nose...it doesn't taste fishy, just adds BIG Thai notes) and tamari.

To serve this one-dish-meal-in-a-salad, we grilled up a cap steak from the rib eye, sliced it into medallions before laying it lovingly atop the salad, scattered crunchy, salty peanuts over all and garnished the whole thing with extra basil and lime to taste. The result? I'm positive our tastebuds gave an appreciative standing ovation to the salad excitement they beheld (and be-tasted?). Vive la summer pasta salad différence! 

Thai(ish) Coconut Peanut Noodle and Veg Salad 

with Grilled Steak

Serves 4

• 2 ribeye cap steaks - or your favorite cut, seasoned and grilled how you like it - 1/2 steak per person

• 8 ounces rice noodles, pad Thai style (I used Annie Chun brand), cooked according to package directions - al dente - drain in a colander and rinse well with cold water - set aside

• 1 cup fresh spinach, julienned
• 6 medium basil leaves, fresh, cut into chiffonade
• 1/2 large jalapeno chile pepper, seeds and ribs removed, sliced thinly into slivers 1/4" long
• 1 cup bean sprouts, fresh, rinsed and dried
• 1 cup peanuts, salted - reserve 1/4 cup for garnish
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 cup broccoli florets, cut into small pieces

• 3/4 cup lite coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons tamari soy sauce, wheat-free to make this GF or regular soy sauce if gluten isn't an issue for you
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

Make the salad ahead of time and grill the steak the way you like before serving.
 
Mix the dressing ingredients - coconut milk through fish sauce - in a bowl until the peanut butter is thoroughly incorporated and pour over the cooked noodles. Add the spinach, basil, jalapeno, sprouts salt, broccoli and salt. Toss well until all the veggies, noodles and sauce are well-combined. Arrange the salad on a platter and top with sliced steak and garnish with the rest of the peanuts and lime to squeeze as needed.
 
NOTE: Feel free to make this by itself without the steak for a lovely side dish!

One Skillet Garlic Spinach and Shrimp Quickie

I promised you a couple of new twists on old favorites for Lent. This one is quick, easy and low-cal to boot!

Honestly, it took less than ten minutes to put together in ONE pan. Okay, I may have cheated just a teensy bit with frozen brown rice from Trader Joe's. Come on...that's being smart and efficient, not cheating!

With no further intro, here's a dish that's sure to become one of your own go-to dinners. Short on time but don't want to skimp on flavor or nutrition? This is it. (I called it a quickie because it's fast, but seriously....who doesn't love a good quickie now and then?)

One Skillet Garlic Spinach and Shrimp Quickie

Serves 2

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups fresh spinach, use baby spinach and you don't even have to chop it!
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• pinch oregano, or even TWO pinches...live large!
• pinch red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 12 shrimp, raw, peeled - tails on if you wish
• 1/2 lemon, squeezed over the finished dish

• brown rice, prepared - check the freezer aisle at Trader Joe's for their cooked brown rice - super simple in a flash!

In a large skillet, heat the oil, add the garlic and spinach together. Stir until the garlic begins to soften. Add the tomato halves and the seasonings. Stir. Add shrimp and cook until the shrimp are pink and opaque.
 
Pile rice onto 2 plates and divide the shrimp and spinach mixture over top. Give each plate a healthy squeeze of lemon. Serve!



NOTE: You do know this is naturally gluten-free, don't you? Now THAT'S good news!

Double Bacon, Swiss & Spinach Quiche Burgers

It's burger night and the weather is crappy out there. The deck is a mess of wind, rain, sleet and hail...kind of a perfectly miserable storm of horror to the U. S. Postal Service and a nightmare for the grilling aficionado. The postman might deliver in weather like this, but do WE really have to bundle up and suck it up to deliver a burger to the dinner table? No.

Sometimes an indoor burger is exactly right for the occasion. Any time I'm making a burger with chicken or turkey, I want to cook it ALL the way through. Not only that, but without the higher fat content beef has, poultry burgers don't hold together as well on the grill. Pan frying or broiling is definitely the way to go. Especially on a night like this.

The flavors of a classic Quiche Lorraine have been haunting my brain lately. Burger night...quiche...why not a burger that echoes that brunch fave? Crisp cooked bacon, red onion, fresh spinach and Swiss cheese would make one really good burger! Using ground chicken instead of beef, allows the quiche-iness come through more clearly.

If quiche is good, then quiche TWICE would be even better. So I doubled down the spinach, smoky bacon and melted Swiss on top of the grilled burger. The result? Real men DO eat Double Bacon Swiss & Spinach Quiche Burgers! Mark loved them! 

Double Bacon, Swiss & Spinach Quiche Burgers

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach, finely chopped
• 3 slices crisp, cooked bacon, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, or more to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

• 8 slices crisp, cooked bacon
• 4 slices Swiss cheese
• red onion, thinly sliced
• fresh spinach
• 4 hamburger buns - gluten-free buns to make these GF

In a mixing bowl, lightly mix the ground chicken, shredded Swiss, chopped onions, chopped spinach, diced bacon, nutmeg and salt & pepper. Form into 4 patties.
 
Heat a heavy skillet and add a tablespoon or so of oil.  When the skillet is hot, add the burgers. Cook all the way through, but don't overcook them - keep them juicy!
 
Top the burgers with Swiss cheese and let it melt before building the burgers on buns with sliced onion, fresh spinach leaves and crisp bacon.

Veal with Spinach, Gorgonzola & Mushrooms

Plans sometimes have a way of changing because of inconvenient little problems wrapped around pesky simian-sounding tools. A.K.A., monkey wrenches. Pow! The plan gets blown to smithereens.
 
That's exactly what happened with Saturday night's dinner. I'd planned (notice the past tense) to make a quick and simple veal cutlet with spinach, mushrooms, lemon and gorgonzola. I figured on a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up what I needed and dinner would be ready in a snap. We hadn't had veal in many years...couldn't wait!

After picking up pre-sliced fancy mushrooms and lucking upon a mild and tangy buttermilk gorgonzola, I headed back to the meat case at our local market - which shall remain unnamed. (Okay, the initials are GE and I'm NOT talking General Electric, if you get my drift.) A quick search of the service meat case produced no veal to be seen.

After waiting a while for the "butcher" to finally look up from his meat-wrapping intensity way in the back of the prep area, I asked if there was veal cutlet to be had. He came around the case, lead me past the "service meat" counter to the prepackaged meat case area and grandly showed me the "veal." 

Not only was it prepackaged, it hadn't even been packaged in their own meat department. Good lord, it was vacuum sealed from some big veal factory from God knows where and pre-sliced into what was billed as scallopini. Scallopini? Looked like scraps to me. Nope. Not gonna.

Okay, I'm flexible...instead of veal cutlet and weiner schnitzel, I'd compromise and do a pork cutlet and make it a schwein schnitzel. Nope. No pork cutlets either. Did I think "service meat" in a grocery store would be an actual butcher shop with real, cut-able meat? What century did I think I was living in?

So I headed to the Strip District and Strip District Meats. Surely the huge butcher shop lined on both sides with rows of end-to-end display cases, piled sky high with meats would carry veal. Yes! They did! 

The nice young woman behind the counter led me past those long lines of cases stacked with chicken, pork belly, pork chops and steaks to the veal area at the back of the store. To the FREEZER CASE in the back of the store! Oh they had veal alright, frozen, pre-packaged, vacuum sealed veal. Oh HELL no, not again.

I could have used chicken. But that's not what we wanted. Why waste good mushrooms and SPECIAL gorgonzola on chicken when both Mark and I were craving veal? Saturday's special plans came and went. I think I made omelets instead. Eh.

The next day I checked the internet and Googled "Pittsburgh Butcher Shops." Tom Friday's Market in BrightonHeights came up on my screen. I called good old Tom. YES, they do cut FRESH veal to order! Honest to God fresh, not frozen, veal the way it used to be done. Hallelujah! 

Mark stopped at Friday's real butcher shop today...that lovely little local, independently owned butcher shop with the helpful and friendly staff (and Tom himself!) and picked up exactly what we wanted. Instead of a quick Saturday night dinner, our special veal night became a quick Tuesday night dinner.  It was worth the wait!

I learned something in the process. Things change, not always for the better. "Service" isn't always what you might expect it to be. BUT. Persistence and a lucky Google search may eventually produce positive results. That and the discovery of a new-to-me REAL butcher shop that now has a customer for life.

Veal with Spinach, Gorgonzola & Mushrooms

Serves 4

• 1 pound veal cutlet, gently pounded thin with the flat side of a meat mallet - cut into 6-8 pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup buttermilk - echoes the buttermilk gorgonzola below
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup panko (more if you need it) gluten-free to make this GF, regular if gluten isn't an issue

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced - I like the gourmet variety with oyster mushrooms, criminis and baby bellas - use what you like best!
• 1 bag spinach, baby, cut coarsely
• 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled, plus extra for garnish - I used a mild, but flavorful, buttermilk gorgonzola (and yes, I got it at GE)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced, extra slices for garnish

Spread the panko on a large plate. Beat the egg and buttermilk together and pour into a second large plate. Dip each piece of veal into the egg wash, then into the panko and coat each side well. Set onto a third large plate until all are coated. Don't lay the pieces on top of each other; keep each piece separate to let the crumbs set. Season with salt & pepper.
 
Heat a large skillet.  Add oil & butter and melt over high heat. As soon as the pan is hot, add the veal pieces in batches.  Don't crowd. It won't take long for them to cook, just brown quickly on both sides and remove to a plate. Keep warm while doing the other batch(es). Don't overcook the veal....it's tender, delicate and you do NOT want it to be tough.
 
Once the veal is all browned and removed to a plate, add another tablespoon of butter to the pan. Quickly add the mushrooms and garlic and stir for a minute or two. Add the spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted. Add the gorgorzola and the juice of half a lemon. Stir and remove from heat.
 
Spoon the spinach mixture over the veal pieces, garnish with additional crumbled gorgonzola if you wish and a few lemon slices.


NOTE: Don't want to use veal because of the expense? I don't blame you.  That's why it's been so long since I've made it at home. Use pork instead or even chicken. Be sure to pound whatever you use thinly, but gently. Use bleu cheese if you prefer or leave out the cheese completely. The recipe is flexible...like we all need to be. 

Szechuan Peppercorn Pepper Steak with Daikon

Radishes are those round-ish, red outside, white inside things at the salad bar, right? While you're elbowing your way along the sneeze guard, maybe you top your plate of lettuce and shredded carrots with them, maybe you bury them (if you choose them at all) under your mountain of cottage cheese and croutons. Except for salads, radishes are pretty forgettable.

Except those cold, scarlet red, icy white orbs of bite-y, crunchiness aren't the only radishes out there. There are long radishes, HUGE radishes, white, pink and even black radishes. 

Not only that, fresh from the fridge and in a salad isn't the only way to serve them. Radishes that aren't cold? Warm radishes? Even (dare I say it), cooked radishes? Yes.
 
The first time I encountered cooked radishes was at Volt Restaurant in Frederick, Maryland. You know, Volt? Of the Bryan Voltaggio, Top Chef fame? Kimber and I lunched there a while ago...you may remember that glowing account of our day in Frederick.

A beautifully plated entree of branzino included an artistically arranged smattering of roasted radishes along the edge. I was skeptical about roasted radishes, but soon found Chef Voltaggio (or his kitchen crew) knew his stuff. 

Taste? Somewhat like a potato with a little bit of a horseradish-y kick...the texture was potato-like as well. I filed that knowledge away in the back of my mind and promptly forgot about it. Until..... 

Strolling through the Whole Foods produce aisles looking for parsnips for a stew, I found what I was looking for on the bottom shelf of that glorious, colorful refrigerated produce section. They were the prettiest parsnips I'd ever seen. They were so clean, so smooth, so white, so BIG! Like no parsnip I'd ever seen before. 

I pondered...the sign SAID parsnips...must be a new variety. They went into the cart and upon reaching home, also went into my stew. Those parsnips were incredible! The best ever! 
 
You already know what's coming next...they weren't parsnips, they were daikon radishes. Whole Foods (once again) had mislabeled an item in the produce section. I didn't know any better, I'd never had daikon before. 

Like the recent Whole Foods mislabeling of  Garnet/Japanese Sweet Potatoes, this too had a happy outcome as the parsnip/daikon was my favorite part of the stew.  

You know, I'm beginning to think Whole Foods has some kind of nefarious mislabeling scheme going on. If they label a new food as something known and familiar, maybe someone (me) will try it, get to like it and consequently BUY it. Again and again. Very clever, Whole Foods. Your scheme is working. Deliciously.
 
Here's a recipe I created JUST to have daikon again.

Szechuan Peppercorn Pepper Steak with Daikon

• 1 pound round steak, partially frozen, sliced thinly across the grain
• 1/2 cup beef broth, store bought is just fine
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons sherry, or white wine if you don't have sherry on hand
• 1/4 cup tamari soy sauce, be sure to use wheat free tamari to make this gluten-free!
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, or peanut oil

• 1 large daikon, peeled, quartered lengthwise and sliced across into quarter size pieces
• 1/2 large onion, large dice
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded, large dice
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded, large dice
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 pound snow pea pods - fresh, whole, nice and small, tender ones, remove the strings
• 1/2 bag spinach, roughly chopped

• 1 tablespoon peppercorns, Szechuan, crushed with a mortar & pestle or in a sealed heavy plastic bag
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, powdered
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch, check the label to be sure it's gluten-free is gluten is an issue

An hour before you start to cook, mix the broth, water, sherry & tamari in a sealable plastic bag & mix well.  Add the beef strips and let marinate for an hour (or more).
 
When you're ready to start dinner, heat a large skillet or wok - I use a big electric skillet.  Preheat the skillet to smoking hot. BE SURE YOU RESERVE THE MARINADE.  Gradually add half the beef and brown on both sides.  Remove this batch and do the next; add the first batch back into the skillet.
 
While the beef is cooking, add the crushed peppercorns, ginger, sugar and cornstarch to the marinade.  Stir well and set aside.
 
Add the daikon, onion and peppers.  Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Add the spinach and garlic and stir until the spinach wilts. Add the snow peas last and stir another minute.
 
Stir the marinade well again being sure the cornstarch is completely incorporated into the liquid. Pour the mixture over the beef and veggies in the skillet and continue stirring until the mixture comes together.
 
Pour the pepper steak into a bowl and serve over rice. My favorite is brown rice!