Broccoli, Basil, and Burrata

Here's a tip you'll want to write down: Trader Joe's has a pretty good deal on burrata.  When I found two rounds of it for less than $8, I snatched it up for a caprese salad.  I only used one for my salad, leaving me with a whole second ball of mozzarella goodness to play with the next night.

When it came time to use the rest of my burrata, there were no tomatoes left, but I did have some pasta and figured I'd try something new.  I chopped the burrata up, letting all the cream pool in the bottom of the bowl I would eventually use as my serving dish.  Meanwhile, I cooked up the pasta and steamed some broccoli.  Once everything was cooked, I tossed the pasta, broccoli, and some basil with the cheese.  The only seasoning it needs, is salt, pepper, and some red pepper flakes.

The cheese is filled with cream so it naturally creates the sauce type quality you want in pasta - neither dry nor soupy.  Burrata is mild so I like the red pepper flakes to spice it up a bit and you can always add some rotisserie chicken for some protein without adding any time to this ultra quick supper.  Yes, you should remember that this is such a good, cheap, and easy meal to make, but another important takeaway is that burrata is more versatile than originally thought.  It doesn't just have to be served with tomatoes or crusty bread.

Butternut Squash with Blue Cheese and Spinach

One of my favorite new recipe sources is the Whole Foods twitter feed.  When Fall hit, they went on a rampage with butternut squash recipes, and I bookmarked this one for later use.  My favorite butternut squash preparation is roasted, but even that gets boring for me when it comes to squash.  But wait!  This recipe adds leafy, green, antioxidant-filled spinach and yummy yummy blue cheese to the dish!  Now we're talkin.

First things first, put cubed butternut squash in the oven to get your roast on.  I'm not a big red onion fan, but when they're cooked down enough, I don't mind them.  I let them go in the pan for a while until they looked like they would be on the sweet side and only give me bad breath instead of the usual, supremely awful breath.  I know I'm hating on red onion, but in this dish they work.  While the onions are cooking, use a fork to break down blue cheese with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, creating a thick dressing.  Once the onions look done, add fresh spinach til it's nice and wilted (even a huge mound will only take about two minutes).  And finally, when that's all good to go, toss the onions and spinach with your roasted squash and blue cheese dressing.

I took a great picture, but unfortunately that went bye bye when my phone was stolen on Saturday night (more on that later).  I know it's tough, but I am confident you can use your imagination and picture this recipe.  I think I can - I think I can - I think I can...

3 on Thursday

It turns out I was dismissed after day one of jury duty.  There's a lot of whining involved with jury duty, but I always thought being part of the judicial process seemed cool.  I was also Captain of my high school Mock Trial team so perhaps it's me just trying to recapture my youth.  After my experience, I wouldn't classify it as "cool" since it's just a lot of waiting around, but I still found it interesting and I had the time to get lots of reading done.

Just across the street from Smile To Go is a store I am newly obsessed with.  Michele Varian carries all sorts of curiosities from painted antique hatchets to wine glasses.  I found plenty of things I wanted to buy right then and there but decided to go home and think about it to avoid going broke.

I'm preppy.  Whoa!  Newsflash!  As such, I'm a pretty big fan of Kate Spade.  I like her simple cuts and patterns and how happy all of her products feel.  Well if regular Kate Spade is happy, Kate Spade Saturday, a new line, is downright punchy.  Lots of bright colors and bold (yet somehow still simple) patterns defines the brand.  I plan to buy some pillows this weekend and have my eye on a few other items.  

When I got out of the subway at Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall, I was excited to see the huge, stately courthouse buildings.  Massive columns!  Rocky-type steps!  The weight of justice being served fairly hanging in the air!  Unfortunately, I served jury duty in a less dignified building - some would even say dingy - but it was still cool to see all the other buildings and remember just how far back our country's laws stretch.

Smile to Go

Everyone complains about jury duty, but I'm sure they would be singing a different tune if they realized how close the courthouse is to Smile to Go.  I've written about The Smile before and would go as far to say it's one of my favorite spots in the city, but until now had not had the opportunity to check out their take-out operation.  It's everything I love about Smile - fresh vegetables, light Mediterranean flavors, and a wide selection of both sweet and savory baked goods - all in a cute to-go shop.

They have four small two-person tables so I set up shop during my lunch break.  I checked read my book and responded to work emails between bites of marinated kale with apples, crunchy carrots with avocado, sesame, and poppy seed, and lamb meatballs.  All this while listening to doo-wop in the background.

While The Smile is usually top of mind for me, I'm sure I'll forget about this to-go spot when I'm in the neighborhood.  I'm not giving my memory much credit, but hopefully it will prove me wrong.  For now, I already know where I'll be going for lunch tomorrow while I wait to find out if I'm selected for the jury.  I may even stop in for coffee and a pastry on my way to the courthouse in the morning.

Fakin Steak and Potatoes

The other day I found a truly massive portobello mushroom. "That's the size of a steak," I thought as I put it in my buggy. Then, "If it's the size of a steak, maybe I should treat it like one. So off I went to create a meal of steak and potatoes...only without steak or potatoes.

For the potatoes, I boiled up cauliflower that I then puréed with a stick blender, pouring in milk little by little til it was the right consistency. Once it looked like mashed potatoes, I mixed in some cheese (I had a double cream Gouda on hand) and fresh thyme. I then piled it into my huge mushroom cap, topped with a little paprika, and threw it in the oven for a few minutes til it set up.

I used 1% milk and no butter so the cauliflower was pretty seriously healthy. And since the steak was really just one big veggie, your cholesterol is a non-issue.

It's not a true replacement for a hunk of red meat (nothing is), but it did satisfy my meat and taters craving and happened to be one of the healthiest meals I've had in a while.

Avocado Cabbage Rollups

Savoy cabbage: it's not just for cole slaw anymore.  I found that it is a great stand-in for lettuce when it comes to making wraps.  Because it's thicker than lettuce, the leaves tend to come off the head whole, without tearing, which means none of your filling will fall out.  No messy spillage makes me even more eager to make healthy veggie wraps as a side dish.

This weekend, I built my cabbage wraps around avocado basically because I wanted an excuse to eat avocado.  In addition to the avocado, I filled the cabbage leaves with julienned carrot sticks, basil, and blue cheese (I actually found this sweet gorgonzola dolce that worked very well in the dish).  I served it with honey mustard because a dipping sauce seemed imperative in this situation.  Y'all, it's honey and mustard.  If you're not making it regularly, you're wasting the ingredients I know you already have in your pantry and leaving some poor cabbage wrap or chicken finger undressed.

Greek Fries

It was time for a potato side dish and although there is nothing wrong with regular roasted potatoes (cut into triangles, natch), I was in the mood to change it up ever so slightly.  I still went the roasting route, but gave them some personality.  Greek personality, preferably that of the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding who puts Windex on everything.

I bought smaller yellow potatoes so it would be easier to cut into fry wedges and then boiled them for about 10 minutes so they would take less time to roast.  I tossed them with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and dill and through them in a 450 oven til they browned up.  When they came out, I sprinkled them with capers and feta.  Opa!