Meatless Monday: Broccoli Rabe With Pine Nuts

Here's another great meatless recipe!  While broccoli is a staple in many households, its cousin, broccoli rabe (also known as rapini) is far less common.  This plant has spiked leaves surrounding a bud that looks like a small broccoli floret, and sometimes it even sports yellow flowers, which are also edible.  Even better, it sports the same enormous healthy nutrients as other members of the brassica family, such as vitamins A, C and K, calcium, iron and potassium.

For this recipe, I sauteeed the broccoli rabe up with garlic and chili flakes, finished with some lemon juice and topped it with toasted pine nuts.  Now this is how you cook veggies!  The lovely organic broccoli rabe pictured above came from Ronaldo at Sage Mountain Farm, my favorite vendor at the Hollywood Farmers Market!

Broccoli Rabe With Pine Nuts
Serves 4 people
Cooking time:  7 minutes

Ingredients
1 big bunch of broccoli rabe (about 6 cups raw)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
2 heaping tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and salted
salt and pepper 

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and chili flakes and saute for one minute.

Add the broccoli rabe and reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for about two more minutes.  Next, add the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water and continue cooking until the broccoli rabe is tender, but not overcooked (about three to four minutes).  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place the kale in a serving bowl.  Top with the pine nuts.  Enjoy! 

Source For Ingredients
organic broccoli rabe from Sage Mountain Farm (Hollywood Farmers Market)

organic garlic and organic lemon from Hollywood Farmers Market

pine nuts and organic olive oil from Whole Foods

Simple Suppers: Grilled Chicken Sausage With Roasted Asparagus And Polenta (Plus Music On Tap Featuring Blitzen Trapper)

Happy Friday!

I can't believe how quickly the week has flown by.  Today, I thought I'd share one of my favorite quick dinners to throw together:  Grilled Chicken Sausage With Roasted Asparagus And Polenta.

I always keep a stash of spicy chicken sausages in my fridge, ready to pop into braised cassoulet or a meaty ragu sauce at a moment's notice.  However, they're great by themselves, too.  Simply throw them into a grill pan or onto a grill, and presto chango, you have the centerpiece for a great meal.  I served these grilled sausages over a soft polenta and topped the whole dish with lovely organic asparagus that I roasted in the oven.  This is a healthy, complete meal that cooks up in a flash!  So check it out!

Grilled Chicken Sausage With Roasted Asparagus And Polenta
Serves 2 people
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 chicken sausages
1/2 cup polenta (grits)
2 cups filtered water
1/4 cup parmesan reggiano, grated
1 bunch asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Snap the tips of the asparagus and place them in a roasting pan.  Drizzle them with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, add the 2 cups of filtered water, polenta (grits) and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a pot and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 5 minutes or until they reach desired consistency.  Stir in the parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To cook the sausages, heat a grill pan or a grill to medium high heat.  Halve the sausages down the middle and grill them with the center part down for about 3-4 minutes or until cooked.  Flip over and grill for another few minutes.

To plate, spoon a heaping portion of the soft polenta onto a plate.  Top with a chicken sausage and the roasted asparagus.  Enjoy!

Source For Ingredients
organic andouille chicken sausages (Applegate Farms), organic grits and organic olive oil from Whole Foods

organic asparagus from Trader Joe's

parmesan reggiano from Surfas

Music On Tap

Blitzen Trapper - Furr

Great album from this Portland, Oregon band that fuses Americana with an edgy punk attitude - sort of a Ryan Adams meets Eliott Smith vibe.  I discovered the album in Kuzak's car and can't stop listening to it.  Love it!

Flicks & Food With The Domestic Diva: RATATOUILLE Pan-Roasted Striped Bass With Ratatouille!

My new "Flicks and Food" column is up on GeekWeek!  This week, I went into the vaults and picked one of my favorite foodie films of all time, RATATOUILLE!  I paired the movie with a great recipe for Pan-Roasted Striped Bass With Ratatouille, of course!  It's a great flick and a great dish, so check it out.

CLICK HERE FOR THE DIRECT LINK TO MY COLUMN!

Love By The Glass: Virginia Wine Week March 22-28!

Thomas Jefferson accomplished some amazing feats, but he also failed... to make great wine in Virginia!  And since that time, many have struggled to succeed in his stead with little success.  However, that has all changed.  Virginia now boasts a growing array of wineries which make diverse varietals such as Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Bourdeaux-style blends, sparkling wine and the native Norton.  The state boasts more than 155 wineries and nine different wine producing regions.

An admitted wine snob, I was biased against anything produced on the East Coast, let alone in Virginia, but one winery changed my mind: Villa Appalacchia.  Located off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Floyd County, this winery is the brainchild of winemakers Susanne Becker and Stephen Haskill and specializes in Italian varietals.  They also happen to be friends of my parents and they toted over a few of their bottles last summer when invited over for a dinner party.  Not only did I adore their Pinot Grigio (rich with nice minerality), but I also love their red wines, including Sangiovese and Primitivo. 

Having been won over, I have completely changed my tune about Virginia wines. With modern technology, it's suddenly possible to produce great wines just about anywhere, and if you look at the world map, new wine producing regions are constantly popping up all over the place.  Still don't believe me about Virginia wines?  If you're a local, then coming up March 22-28 will be your chance to check them out for yourself.  Love By The Glass, the first ever Virginia Wine Week, will hit more than 100 participating restaurants and wine shops across the state which will add at least two Virginia wines for sale by the glass.  Look for the posters or visit Virginia Wine to find participating businesses.

While these wineries haven't yet reached the heights of France or Napa yet, with talent and support, you never know what could be possible!  Plus, as a huge fan of eating and drinking local product (I mostly shop at farmers markets and our wine cellar is mostly stocked with California wines), having a great local wine region is a huge plus.  So if you can, check out Love By The Glass (what a great name!).

Click here to read more about Virginia Wine Week!

Click here to visit Villa Appalacchia's Website!

Meatless Monday: Organic Zucchini Soup

Happy Meatless Monday!  Today, I'm writing up one of my favorite soups to make on a cold day - Organic Zucchini Soup!  I add a little peeled potato and pureed this soup to give it a creamy texture (sans the cream, of course!).  While technically a fruit, zucchini is handled like a vegetable in the kitchen and has many health benefits.  It's low calorie, fiber-rich and contains vitamin C, manganese, vitamin A, potassium, folate, copper, riboflavin and phosphorous. This is a delicious, meatless, healthy soup that you're sure to love!

Organic Zucchini Soup
Serves 6 people
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
4 organic zucchinis (large), chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons roasted walnut oil (for drizzling)
salt and pepper

Directions
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until just softening (about 5 minutes).  Add the garlic and chili flakes and saute for 1 more minute.  Then, add the zucchini, potatoes, stock, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  To plate, ladle some soup into a bowl and drizzle with roasted walnut oil (good olive oil would also work).  Enjoy!

Source For Ingredients
organic zucchini, organic potatoes, chili flakes and organic onion from Trader Joe's

organic vegetable broth and organic bay leaf from Whole Foods

organic garlic and roasted walnut oil from Hollywood Farmers Market