Vegetable Ribbon Salad with Balsamic Drizzle

This salad is really a vehicle for the balsamic drizzle.  I have seen balsamic reductions on fancy restaurant menus before and had thought it was too involved for me.  I'm telling you, this quick technique for reducing balsamic vinegar with a little bit of sugar has really opened my eyes to a whole realm of possibilities.  The sweet and tangy, intensely-flavored syrup tastes amazing (like scraping your finger to get the last little bit out of the dish after you've used it all up good), makes for a very simple yet sophisticated presentation and can add deep dimension to savory and sweet dishes alike.  Try it over salads, pasta dishes (it would be especially good on top of a creamy, cheesy sauce like Alfredo, grilled chicken or steak (and a sprinkle of crumbled blue or gorgonzola cheese), even on fresh strawberries with ice cream...yum. 

Paired with delicate ribbons of fresh summer vegetables, this combination that appears elegant and intricate is crisp, refreshing and insanely easy.

Shaved Vegetable Salad with Balsamic Drizzle:
serves 4-6
Salad:
2 small zucchini
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 small yellow squash (optional)
1/2 cup very thinly sliced red bell pepper (optional)
1/2 cup very thinly sliced red onion (optional)

Dressing:
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Balsamic Reduction:
(makes about 2 tablespoons...feel free to make more as needed)
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

For Balsamic Reduction:
In a small skillet or sauce pan, stir together balsamic vinegar and sugar.  Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Continue stirring until mixture thickens a bit and is syrupy.  The whole process will only take a couple of minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

For Salad:
Using a vegetable peeler, shave very thin slices off of the zucchini and squash, rotating when you reach the seeds of the zucchini and squash so that you're just left with the core of seeds (very much like the recent post on Zucchini Fettucini).  Discard the core and place ribbons into a medium sized bowl.  Repeat process with carrots (only you won't have a core of seeds, but at some point when the carrot gets a little flimsy, you have a crunchy little snack).  Add to the bowl.  Mix in bell pepper strips and onion, if using (for the picture above I only used carrot and zucchini).  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

To assemble, toss shaved vegetables with dressing.  Season with additional salt and pepper as desired (this is also where you could certainly throw in some nice freshly chopped herbs like basil or something, too, I just didn't have that on hand nor the inclination).  On individual salad plates (or one big plate), drizzle a small amount of the balsamic reduction in a fancy (or haphazard if you're like me) pattern.  Using salad tongs, pile a portion of the vegetable salad onto the plate (use a twisting motion with the tongs to give the salad "more lift" and visual interest on the plate.  Repeat with remaining plates.  Drizzle with additional balsamic reduction as desired.  Serve immediately.  


Note: Salad can be assembled with the dressing in the bowl up to an hour ahead and kept in the refrigerator (you could also keep the shaved veggies and prepared dressing refrigerated separately for longer).  Just make sure to add the balsamic reduction on immediately before serving because it gets absorbed into the salad and loses some of its flourish very quickly!

Adapted from: Pampered Chef Spring-Summer 2006 Recipe Booklet

Carrot Ginger Soup

I love the combination of carrot and ginger but had somehow forgotten about it until Easter when my friend, Raelene (a really amazing cook!),  brought a delicious carrot and ginger soup to our Easter lunch celebration.  Since then, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it and decided to come up with my own version the other day.  The sweetness of the carrots and the bite of the ginger combined in a smooth, creamy soup is really fantastic.  We topped ours with some plain Greek yogurt (and the leftovers with honey yogurt which was great too!) and garnished with some sweet little chives that are starting to poke up in my Dad's garden.  Ahh, Spring.  Now, if the weather would just start acting like it (we had flurries on May day here in Minnesota today!)... 
 

Carrot Ginger Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
8 oz. carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 2 inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped 
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
large pinch of nutmeg (about 1/8 teaspoon)
1/2 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste
plain Greek yogurt and fresh snipped chives for garnish and serving, optional

In a large sauce pan, saute onion in olive oil over medium high heat until softened.  Add carrots and ginger root and saute for about two minutes more.  Pour in chicken stock, cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until carrots are very tender (about 15-20 minutes).  Using an immersion blender (or if you don't have one, puree in batches in either a blender or food processor--but be very careful to avoid burns!), puree the soup until smooth.  Stir in half and half and season to taste with salt and pepper.  To serve, ladle into bowls or mugs and top with a dollop of yogurt and top with chives (optional).  This soup is good served hot or cold.

Carrot Cake

Last week was my Father-in-Law's Birthday.  He loves carrot cake and for the last several years, this is the recipe for the cake I've made for him.  It's a purist's carrot cake: no nuts, no raisins, no pineapple, no coconut.  Carrot cake, pure and simple.  And, after trying a lot of carrot cakes over the years, I have to say this one is my favorite.  Another plus is that it is the only carrot cake I've ever tried that doesn't feel greasy or heavy.  Thank you, Alton Brown, your cake recipe is a winner!  This would make a really lovely addition to your Easter (or another Springtime celebration).  Also, for a really impressive presentation (and serious, cake-eating crowd), double your cake and frosting recipes for a two-layered mammoth of a carrot cake. 

Carrot Cake
makes one 9 inch cake
12 oz carrots, peeled and grated, medium grate (approx. 6 medium carrots)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated, if possible)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
6 ounces (2/3 cup) plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces (2/3 cup) vegetable oil
cream cheese frosting, recipe follows

Butter and flour a 9 inch cake or spring form pan and line with parchment or waxed paper cut to fit in the bottom.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor (which by the way is a lovely way to grate the carrots if you happen to have one), combine flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Pulse for about 5 seconds to combine thoroughly.  If you do not have a food processor (and had to painstakingly grate those carrots by hand), just stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the carrots and toss flour mixture and carrots together until carrots are coated with the flour mixture.

In the bowl of the food processor (or in a blender if you didn't have the food processor--they really are great kitchen tools, though!), combine the sugars, eggs, yogurt and vanilla extract.  With the processor or blender running, slowly drizzle in oil.  If you are really unfortunate and have neither food processor nor blender, combine all the wet ingredients in a bowl, mixing well.  Then, slowly drizzle in oil mixing continuously.  The important thing here is to get a good emulsion (where the oil is incorporated into the other ingredients--think like shaking up a salad dressing).  That will get you an ungreasy carrot cake.  Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir just until combined.  Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes.  Then, lower oven temperature to 325 degrees for another 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.  Turn cake out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.  Frost with cream cheese frosting after cake is completely cooled.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8 oz. package Reduced Fat cream cheese (or regular, I just was trying to cut back where I could), softened to room temperature
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

With an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until well combined.  Mix in vanilla extract.  Slowly add powdered sugar in small increments (about 1/2 cup at a time), beating after each addition.  Beat until smooth and fluffy.  Allow frosting to chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes before frosting the cake.

*Also, some helpful frosting tips: a cold cake is easier to frost than a room temperature one.  Wrap your cake in plastic wrap and freeze overnight or chill in the fridge beforehand.

If desired, you can just generously frost the top of a carrot cake for a rustic appearance.  For a more polished look, frost the entire cake.  For easiest results, frost a chilled cake with a very thin layer of the frosting (a "Crumb Coat") to ensure you don't get all kinds of crumbs in your frosting.  Chill crumb coated cake in the fridge for at least 10 minutes and then cover with additional, thicker layer of frosting for a finished cake. 

Recipe heavily adapted from Alton Brown's Carrot Cake

Sick Day Chicken Rice Soup

We are coming upon cold and flu season--has it already hit?  It seems like everyone has been sick lately.  With that in mind, I share this recipe.  You can keep it in your back pocket for when the dreaded sicknesses strike (unfortunately, we all know it's not going to if, but when).  This is not Granny's chicken soup.  It hasn't been lovingly tended all day, simmering away.  That said, it is sooo much better than anything coming from a can.  This is the kind of soup recipe that would make Rachael Ray proud.  Quick, efficient, and warming your bones within 30 minutes.  This has become my go-to recipe when illness strikes our house (like last week...thankfully we are all clear and healthy again!).  It's simple enough that it's a cinch to prepare even if you feel under the weather.  If you need something that will sooth a cold or upset tummy and you need it now, here's your soup! 

Sick Day Chicken Rice Soup
4 cups of chicken broth (or 4 cups water plus 4 teaspoons chicken base or bouillon)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into chunks
1/2 cup white rice (or you can substitute noodles or barley--I'm a big fan of barley)
1-2 carrots, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup frozen peas
fresh ground black pepper

In a medium pot, bring chicken and broth to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through (5-10 minutes).  Remove chicken from broth and shred into bite-sized pieces.  Return to pot. Add rice and carrots and simmer until rice is cooked through (about 15 minutes--although if you use barley it will certainly be longer and shorter if you use noodles).  Stir in frozen peas right before serving, they'll thaw immediately and keep their bright green color.  Season to taste with pepper and serve. 

p.s. This would be a no-brainer meal to take to someone else who is sick as well!  Throw in a loaf of bread and you've just become the world's best neighbor. For such little effort, it's a BIG way to show someone you care!

Note: I have come to realize that maybe not everyone knows what chicken base might be.  It is one of my favorite products.  There is a brand called "Better than Bouillon" and it is awesome.  It is sold right near the canned broth.  They have different flavors--beef, chicken, vegetable, etc. and it is concentrated flavor that makes great instant broth and gravy.  I also really like adding a teaspoon to sauces as a quick way to deepen the flavor.