- \n
- Spinach Salad with Sauteed Pears
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n- Whole Grain Toasts with Parsley Chevre<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n
- Spicy Mushroom and Walnut Saute<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Spinach](\"http:\/\/i722.photobucket.com\/albums\/ww230\/mcolletterogers\/Spinach_Spinner.jpg\" "\\"Spinach")
As a cold-weather crop, spinach is reasonably-priced and sweet-tasting now. A salad spinner is perfect for washing out all the dirt that collect in spinach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Spinach Salad with Sauteed Pears and Mushrooms<\/span><\/h3>\n
As the star of the meal, this dish requires the most time.\u00a0 So start by preparing all its pieces, but hold off on the last step until everything else is ready to go.\u00a0 Also, take the cheese from the refrigerator now so it can warm to room temperature.<\/p>\n
Step 1–Prep Spinach<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
- \n
- 1 bunch spinach<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n
Cut into 1-2″ squares, wash and spin very dry.<\/p>\n
Step 2–Prep Celeriac<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- 1 med. celeriac, shredded on box grater<\/li>\n
- 1-2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Combine celeriac and lemon juice in a small bowl and toss to coat, then toss with spinach.<\/p>\n
Step 3–Saute Onion and Pear<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- 1 med. to lrg. red onion, sliced 1\/4″ thick, then cut into 2″ lengths<\/li>\n
- 1 large Bosc pear, diced to 1\/2″<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Cleriac](\"http:\/\/i722.photobucket.com\/albums\/ww230\/mcolletterogers\/Celeriac_Cutting_Board.jpg\")
While a tough-looking character, celeriac is also a long-storage vegetable that can be eaten raw for nice, wintertime crunch. Remove the skin by cutting away with a paring or utility knife. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n - \n
- For meat eaters:\u00a0 1\/4 lb turkey bacon, diced into 1\/2″ pieces\n
- \n
- 2-3 lrg. galic cloves, minced<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Saute onion in 1 Tbsp. olive oil for 3-5 minutes, add pear and saute another 5-7 more minutes until everything is browned.\u00a0 (If using bacon, add and saute 2-3 more minutes to cook through.)\u00a0 Push everything to sides of pan, add a little oil to center of pan and saute garlic just 1-2 minutes.\u00a0 Turn off heat and stir everything together.<\/p>\n
Step 4–Deglaze Pan<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- 1\/4 cup vegetable, mushroom or chicken broth<\/li>\n
- 1-2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar<\/li>\n
- 1-2 Tbsp. good-quality olive oil or toasted walnut oil, as desired<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Deglaze pan with broth, then add vinegar and oil and stir to mix thoroughly.\u00a0 Reserve until serving time.<\/p>\n
Step 5–Dress and Toss Salad<\/span><\/p>\n
At serving time, if vegetables have cooled, re-warm just 1-2 minutes, then toss with spinach mixture along with:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste<\/li>\n
- Balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice, to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Spicy\u00a0 Mushroom and Walnut Saute<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"Bosc](\"http:\/\/i722.photobucket.com\/albums\/ww230\/mcolletterogers\/Bosc_Pear_Red_Onion_Garlic.jpg\")
Bosc pears, a winter storage fruit, are best when there is no longer a green hue to their skin and they "give" slightly when pressed gently from the sides. Buy several and store in a paper bag so you always have some of these sweet gems for winter cooking. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Chili flakes are added only to brighten up the mild taste of mushrooms for winter.\u00a0\u00a0 So consider sticking to the recommended amounts, even if you’re a chili lover.<\/p>\n
- \n
- 1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced about 1\/8 to 1\/4″ thick<\/li>\n
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Saute mushrooms in a large saute pan for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned but not shriveled.<\/p>\n
- \n
- 1\/8 to 1\/4 tsp. chili flakes, to taste<\/li>\n
- 1\/4 to 1\/2 cup walnut pieces<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Push mushrooms to sides of pan, pour about 1 tsp. olive oil into center of pan and warm slightly.\u00a0 Add chili flakes and cook about 30 seconds.\u00a0 Immediately stir in walnuts and continue cooking about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nuts begin to brown and smell toasty.\u00a0 Stir mushrooms and walnuts together, turn heat to lowest setting and keep warm until ready to serve.<\/p>\n
Whole Grain Toasts with Parsley Chevre<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
This idea came via a comment on last month’s parsley article, where Jill Swenson<\/a> shared another great use for parsley:\u00a0 her favorite creamed cheese and parsley sandwich.\u00a0 Since I can’t eat cow milk products, I substituted sheep milk chevre (from Sunny Breeze, a family farm in Craig, Colorado, sold at Vitamin Cottage).\u00a0 Goat milk chevre would also work.\u00a0 Because of their bold flavor,\u00a0 very little is needed.<\/p>\n
- \n
- 2-3 oz. sheep or goat chevre or creamed cheese (warmed to room temperature)<\/li>\n
- 1-2 tsp. stoneground mustard<\/li>\n
- 1-2 Tbsp. plain soy milk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- 2-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh, flat-leafed parsley<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Mushrooms](\"http:\/\/i722.photobucket.com\/albums\/ww230\/mcolletterogers\/Mushrooms_Chili_Flakes.jpg\")
Chili flakes are added only to brighten up the mild taste of mushrooms for winter. So consider sticking to the recommended amounts, even if you're a chili lover. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n - \n
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Combine cheese and mustard in a small mixing bowl and mash and blend with a large fork to combine, adding soy milk as needed to make a spreadable mixture.\u00a0 (It helps if the cheese can be left at room temperature for an hour or so.)\u00a0\u00a0 Stir in parsley and add salt and pepper or more mustard and\/or parsley, to taste.<\/p>\n
- \n
- 4-6 slices whole grain bread, toasted and cut in quarters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Serve bowl of spread on a tray, surrounded by toasts and small bowls of additional parsley and mustard to use as desired.<\/p>\n
Read more about Superfood Parsley<\/a> and check out the easy recipe for Parsley Pesto<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Learn how to quickly and easily make meals like this.\u00a0 Learn basic cooking techniques like saute and deglaze, and also how to use new and different ingredients like chevre and bosc pears.\u00a0 There’s all this and more in Whole Kitchen cooking classes<\/a>.\u00a0 New classes are starting soon<\/a>.<\/p>\n
![\"Gluten-Free](\"http:\/\/i722.photobucket.com\/albums\/ww230\/mcolletterogers\/Bread_Gluten_Free.jpg\")
Since white bread products have little nutritional value, be sure to use a 100% (or at least partially) whole grain bread. We used gluten-free Vegan Oat Bread from Colorado Springs- based Outside the Breadbox, found at Vitamin Cottage. Note how they are cut in triangles for a little flair. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Easy, Fun, a Little Fancy + Vegetarian and Gluten Free So you’re bored–with restaurant food (see previous post) as well as your weekly rotation of 5 standard meals.\u00a0 If you can saute and deglaze, two simple Cooking Basics we learn about in Whole Kitchen classes, you can break out of that rut in a heartbeat.\u00a0 … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,20,23,1],"tags":[80,103,250,396,428,483,515,543],"class_list":["post-1077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthy-cooking-basics","category-recipes","category-seasonal-eating","category-uncategorized","tag-boredom-in-the-kitchen","tag-celeriac","tag-gluten-free-recipes","tag-mushrooms","tag-parsley","tag-restaurant-meals","tag-seasonal-eating","tag-spinach","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1077\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- 4-6 slices whole grain bread, toasted and cut in quarters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- 2-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh, flat-leafed parsley<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- 2-3 lrg. galic cloves, minced<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- For meat eaters:\u00a0 1\/4 lb turkey bacon, diced into 1\/2″ pieces\n
- Whole Grain Toasts with Parsley Chevre<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n