Beet Beauties

As I do often at night I was scrolling through the food & drink section of Pinterest. I love seeing new creations and flavor combinations. I have recently discovered beets! I didn't hate beets but before a few months ago I defiantly wasn't buying them. I knew they were messy and I just had no intention of playing with them. I work for two chefs here in Houston, (another post about those soon) and they both use beets! I knew I had to try them because we'll I just don't feel it's right to sell somethingI haven't tried before. Wow, boys and girls, I have been missing out!!! So on Wednesday night I came across this amazing blog post http://francesjanisch.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/beet-and-goat-cheese

-jewels/

Frances' pictures of these beautiful beet and 

goat cheese jewels, I knew in that instant that I 

had to make them for our up and coming picnic. 

I only had about a 1/4 pound of goat cheese and I 

was lucky enough to have orange and cranberry

 goat cheese from

http://www.swedefarm.com/goat-cheese.html

I changed up the recipe just a little bit and added

 8 ounces of softened cream cheese to the goat cheese.

Everyone that tried this loved it and was shocked

 by how gorgeous and delicious it was.

 
Ingredients:
About 7 beet roots, in as many different colours as you can find.
Soft goat cheese, about 500 grams / 1 pound (I used 1/4 orange and cranberry goat cheese with 8 oz cream cheese)
Salt and Pepper
olive oil
2 bread tins
Basil leaves, pistachios and any kind of edible flower for garnish
Maldon Salt for finishing.
And a VERY sharp knife

Method:
Cook the beets in boiling water until soft, about 30 minutes.
Peel and let cool.
Slice very thinly.

Line one of the bread tins with plastic wrap leaving some overhang to fold over once the terrine is completed.
Start layering the beets and goat cheese, as if you were making a lasagna, seasoning with salt and pepper and a small drizzle of olive oil between layers.
Start with the lighter coloured beets first, ie golden beets, followed by a layer of goat cheese (don’t worry if you don’t make an even smooth layer. It’s pretty hard to do that with goat cheese any way), followed by more golden beets, until they are finished.
Then repeat with the red beets and goat cheese, making sure that the last layer will be the beets.
(I also added in thinly sliced orange here and there between the layers, but I’m not sure I’d do that again. You could serve the orange as a garnish, which I think would be better.)
Don’t worry if you haven’t reached the top of the bread tin. If you do, that’s great, but if you don’t it really doesn’t matter.
Once you have finished the layering, fold the plastic over to seal.
Now the trick is to place a weight on the terrine so it compresses.
I did this by placing another bread tin the same size, on top of the terrine, and placing a can of corn, or beans, or whatever can you have to act as the weight.
Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or over night.
When you are ready to serve, pull the terrine out of the tin on to a board. Unwrap the terrine and carefully slice (with that very sharp knife), making each slice about 1/2 an inch or 15mm thick.
I trimmed the edges to make them nice and neat, but you don’t have to.
Using a spatchula, place the slices on a long platter and decorate with basil leaves. I added pistachios and sage flowers, but any nuts and edible flowers will do. Whatever you think will look pretty.
Finish off with a sprinkle of Maldon Sea Salt.
Serve with crusty bread, and a crunchy arugula salad.

Thanks again Frances!! This was so beautiful

 to and fun to eat! The moral of this story even

 if you never thought you would have tried 

something you should anyways because 

you may just end up loving it!!!  What is something

you thought you'd never like but tried and 

loved? Leave me a comment!

Xoxo,

Mrs. J

Bang Bang...My Baby Shot Me Down

Every time I hear bang bang, I think of Kill Bill. I love that song! So I had a pretty good hunch I'd love this dish. I found a pin a few weeks ago on pinterest called Bang Bang Shrimp. I clicked on it and it took me to
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/05/bangin-good-shrimp.html?m=1
Thank goodness I remembered to get some fresh shrimp at the farmers market I work at. This recipe is so simple! The shrimp were plump with a sweet spicy sauce. I have never heard of The restaurant that this dish is from so I'm very glad I stumbled upon this recipe. This dinner was only 54 calories per serving!! For the hubby I added some wheat tortillas to make tacos out of it. I will use the sauce again. One of the best ways I have ever prepared shrimp!!

Ingredients:

5 tbsp light mayonnaise
3 tbsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1 tsp Sriracha (to taste)

For the Shrimp:
1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined (weight after peeled)
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp canola oil (I used sesame oil)
3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
4 tbsp scallions, chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce and Sriracha. Set aside.

Combine lettuce and cabbage and divide between four plates. Set aside.

Coat shrimp with cornstarch, mixing well with your hands.

Heat a large skillet or wok on high heat, when hot add oil. When oil is hot add the shrimp to hot pan and cook tossing a few times until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and combine with the sauce coating well.

Place shrimp on lettuce and top with scallions.


xoxo,
Mrs. J

Confetti Frittata

Meatless Monday: Confetti Frittata
Every month I get the Rachel Ray food magazine. Honestly, I don't care much for her shows but I do love her food! Every issue I have come across I have used more than five recipes in each one. No I'm not getting paid by Rachel Ray to say this it's the truth, although if she wanted to donate something who am I to say no ;) Anyways the latest issue had a recipe for Broccoli Rabe Frittata with a Fennel Salad.
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/broccoli-rabe-frittata-with-fennel-salad/
I had just got some fresh broccoli and also I had fennel. It was my first time trying fennel and it was okay but I wouldn't eat often. It taste like licorice. On my first attempt I followed the recipe fairly close, replacing the broccoli rabe with broccoli florets, taking out the potato and adding a sweet potato.
All in all it was delicious and C loved it!! A frittata is good warm or cold and great very any meal. I made a frittata tonight as well, this time I skipped the fennel salad and added purple cauliflower. It was very delicious! We love eggs around here and this is a good way to get our protein since no meat is in this meal.

The below recipe is Rachel Ray's. I adjusted it for my own tastes as you should as well! Don't be afraid to try something new and fresh!

ingredients
1/2 small lemon, zested and juiced
5 tablespoons EVOO
Salt and pepper
1 large bulb fennel, sliced, plus 1 tbsp chopped fronds
1 1 pound bunch broccoli rabe, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 ounces pecorino-romano, grated
10 eggs, lightly beaten

directions
Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp. lemon juice, the lemon zest, 1 tbsp. EVOO, salt and pepper. Toss with the fennel and fronds. Set aside.

In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium-high heat. Stir in the broccoli rabe with 1/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the stems are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 3 tbsp. EVOO to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the scallions and broccoli rabe; cook for 2 minutes.

Stir half of the cheese into the eggs; season with salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the vegetables. Cook until set around the edges of the pan but still jiggly in the center, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. I cook this frittata in an electric skillet so I put the lid on and let it set until the eggs are cooked all the way and the cheese is all melted.

Serve the frittata with the fennel salad.


I love shopping at the farmers market! There are so many varieties of fruits and vegetables! I try to get one new thing every time I go, that way I can enjoy new flavors! If you are interested in shopping at a farmers market but don't know where to go leave me a comment.

xoxo,
Mrs. J


ps. I am blogging from my phone so no professional food pics just some iPhone shots! Sorry maybe during the summer when I have more time! Thanks for reading :)