Caramelized Onion Frittata

The slow cooking of the onions brings out a wonderful flavor that reminds me of brunch at my favorite local restaurant. I hope you enjoy this at-home breakfast treat as much as I did.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 yellow onion – diced
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 4 brown eggs
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a 10-inch oven-safe sauté pan, heat the grapeseed oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion letting it slowly cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and baby spinach, continuing to stir until the spinach wilts – for about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

In a separate bowl, crack and wisk the eggs – season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs over the vegetable mixture, making sure the edges are uniform and all of the vegetable mixture is covered and evenly distributed in the pan.

Place pan in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the edges of the egg are golden brown and the center is cooked. Carefully remove from the pan and enjoy!

Meatloaf, Apple and Onion

Meatloaf is one of those universal comfort foods that take me back to cold weather, warm kitchens, and a homemade meal by Mom. But perhaps the way many of us grew up eating it wasn’t the healthiest with onion mix from a package, cheese, and loads of sugar-laden ketchup. In this version, the apple provides the much needed moisture. Paired with a little homemade ketchup for dipping kept this a true comfort food.

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion – chopped
• 1 red delicious apple – diced
• 1 golden delicious apple – diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce*
• 3 pounds meatloaf mix (or 1 pound each ground beef, pork, veal)
• 2 eggs

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a sauté pan over medium heat, cook the onion and apples in olive oil for about 10 minutes or until tender. Add the spices and Worcestershire sauce, combine well, and remove from the heat to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the meatloaf mix, eggs, and cooled sauté mixture. Be prepared to use your hands to get all of the ingredients to combine well. Transfer your contents to an oversized baking dish and form into a loaf shape. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, or until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 155 degrees.

*Lea & Perrins® Worcestershire Sause is gluten free
http://www.leaperrins.com/products/the-original-worcestershire-sauce/nutrition.aspx

Kohlrabi Mash

Farmers’ Markets open up a wonderful opportunity to try new local ingredients; this year the kohlrabi was too tempting to resist. A member of the cabbage family, I discovered it makes a wonderful mash and prefer it to cauliflower as a potato alternative. My husband liked it because he thought it tasted a bit like broccoli. Thank you to Farmgirl Fare Recipes for the idea.

Ingredients

• 4 kohlrabi bulbs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion – chopped
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• 4 ounces baby bella mushrooms – quartered
• 3 tablespoons chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Quarter and trim the kohlrabi bulbs, peeling away the skins like an apple, and chop like you would for a potato mash into even pieces. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to boil, add the kohlrabi. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

While the kohlrabi is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, cover, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. And finally uncover, and cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated, for another 5 minutes.

Drain the kohlrabi, and place in either a heat safe bowl or food processor. Add the vegetable mixture and chicken stock and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sautéed Apples and Onions

This side dish pairs wonderfully with the Oven Roasted Pork.

Ingredients

• ½ cup homemade chicken broth
• 2 red delicious apples – thinly sliced
• 1 vidalia onion – thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a non-stick sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the apples, onions and spices in the chicken broth. Stirring occasionally, for approximately 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and everything is tender.

Garlic Quinoa

This super easy alternative to rice pairs wonderfully with fish. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups homemade chicken broth
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 green onion – finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic – mined

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook until water is absorbed (approximately 15 minutes).

Sausage and Peppers

I made this dish for a Memorial Day party earlier this year – everyone loved it and there were no leftovers to be had. Thank you to Simply Recipes, the original can be found here: link

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage – sliced 1 inch thick
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 bell peppers (red, green, yellow) – sliced
• 1 large yellow onion – sliced
• 1 – 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 bottle of beer (optional)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt to taste

Directions

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large stock pot. Add the sliced sausage and stir occasionally until browned on all sides. Add in peppers and onion and sauté until they begin to get tender.

Add the tomatoes, and remaining ingredients and bring the mixture up a simmer. Then turn the heat to low, stirring occasionally until the flavors have melded to taste – about 30- 40 minutes.

Serve over your favorite pasta or by itself.

Ratatouille

This recipe is a simplified version of the classic French method.

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants – sliced ¼ inch thick medallions
• 2 medium yellow onions – chopped
• 4 bell peppers (2 each green and red) - chopped
• 3 zucchini – sliced ¼ inch thick medallions
• 4 cloves garlic – minced
• 4 large tomatoes – seeded and chopped
• Fresh basil – approximately 20 leaves
• ½ cup fresh parsley – chopped
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Peel the eggplant and cut into ¼ inch thick medallions. Place in a bowl and toss with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes (allowing the bitter oils to be released), rinse, and pat dry. Then 2 or 3 at a time, depending on your size of pan so that each one lays flat, sauté the eggplant, on medium-high, in hot olive oil about 1-2 minutes each side to brown lightly. Remove to a dish with paper towels (to absorb the oil). Continue until all of the eggplant slices have been browned. Eggplant is very absorbent, you will need to add oil throughout the frying process.

In a large stock pot, heat a little olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and sauté until tender. While heating, chop and add the zucchini and stir. At this point the eggplant should be cool enough to handle. Chop the eggplant into large pieces and add to the pot. Continue to add the remaining ingredients.

Turn your heat to low, and cover the pot. Stirring occasionally, allow the ingredients to simmer and the flavors to meld together – approximately 40 minutes.

To add heartiness to the meal, serve over your favorite pasta.

Jambalaya

This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa – all I did to modify was to remove the butter. With so many fresh favors in this dish, I promise you won’t miss a thing. The original can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/shrimp-and-sausage-jambalaya-recipe2/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound kielbasa or andouille sausage – sliced
• 1 pound smoked ham – cubed
• 1 medium onion – diced
• 1 cup celery – diced
• 1 green bell pepper – diced
• 1 red bell pepper – diced
• 1 cup tomato – seeded and diced
• 3 garlic cloves – minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper – seeded and minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme – chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups long-grain rice – rinsed
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 to 8 dashes hot sauce (i.e. Tabasco)
• ½ cup scallions – chopped  
• ¾ cup fresh parsley – chopped
• ¼  cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp – cleaned with tails removed

Directions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add the kielbasa and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside. Add the ham to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to the bowl with the kielbasa, and set aside. Add the onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, ham, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the scallions, parsley, lemon juice and shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.