strawberries + feta = good

I found this recipe in a coupon circular a couple years back, a cross-promotion between Kraft salad dressings and Athenos feta. I had this for a Lenten Friday lunch today. (We follow the Catholic rules about no meat on Fridays of Lent.)

In an unexpected pairing, the sweetness of the strawberries and the saltiness of the feta complement each other beautifully.

Strawberry-Feta Salad

Prep Time: 10 min Total Time: 10 min Makes: 4 servings

What You Need
1 pkg. (5 oz.) mixed baby greens
3/4 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese
3 Tbsp. PLANTERS Sliced Almonds, toasted
1/4 cup KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Make It

TOSS all ingredients except dressing in large bowl.

ADD dressing just before serving; mix lightly.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Substitute
Prepare as directed, using KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing.


When I make this, I mix up my own balsamic vinegar and oil dressing with a little pepper and/or Italian seasoning, and use raw slivered almonds, a personal preference. I pile on the nuts for extra protein and iron, and this humble salad becomes a satisfying light meal.

Noah's Pudding

Did you ever have one of those days where you have nothing in your fridge and pantry, or rather some stuff that is seemingly impossible to make a meal of? (Hmmm...I have a bottle of soy sauce, three saltines, and a can of olives...) Well, apparently, Noah had at least one of those days. According to the Muslim version of the Noah and the flood story, toward the end of the journey, there was not much food left on the ark, just a little of this and a little of that. So Noah threw it all together and made a pudding.

Last Sunday, my church was visited by a local group of Turkish Muslims. As a gesture of interfaith friendship, they brought us this pudding. It was like cream of wheat in texture, and extremely sweet. There are many variations on Noah's Pudding; this is the recipe the visitors had printed out for us.

Noah's Pudding

1 cup wheat
1 cup white beans
1 cup chickpeas
1 cup raisins
1 cup almonds
3/4 cup peanuts
12 dried apricots
5 1/2 cups sugar
Water (enough to cover)
Walnuts and cinnamon for topping

Although the recipe did not state the cooking method, I would venture to say it is boiled and simmered, perhaps something that could be made in a crockpot. Wheat? Maybe farina (cream of wheat). I would not use the 5 1/2 cups of sugar.

There are many recipes for Noah's Pudding on the internet, worth checking out. For example, here's another recipe for Noah's Pudding from Myrecipes.com which uses barley and rice.

Ham, eggs, and Sara...

I was getting bored one Saturday afternoon, and by fluke channel 24 was coming in, Connecticut Public Television. (We decided against getting cable, so getting more than 3 channels in English via the rabbit ears in this basement is a rare and happy event.)

Then I fell in love. A cheery but not too cheery blonde who was making beautiful food in a manageable amount of steps... It was culinary girl-crush time.

The program is Sara's Weeknight Meals, with cookbook author Sara Moulton. I lament that, given our TV situation, I'll probably never see her again. But at least I got this dish to remember her by...

Eggs in ham cups

First of all, heat the oven to 400F and prepare a muffin pan with cooking spray.
Line each cup of the pan with a slice of ham (medium-thick slices)
Break an egg into each ham-lined muffin cup.
Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes.

She added sofrito* and shredded cheese before cooking, and suggested pesto also.
Her exact version is here.

Check out Sara Moulton's website:
http://www.saramoulton.com/weeknightmeals/

*Sofrito is mixture of onions, garlic, cilantro, peppers, etc., used as a sauce or base in Latino cooking.

Green beans and nuts, redux

a chopper like what I have, except mine isn't serrated


I love green beans almondine. It is one of my favorite, easy side dishes. Heck, it comes ready-to-nuke in the frozen food aisle. Basically, it's green beans plus almonds (slivered, usually) and copious butter doesn't hurt.

Tonight, for once, I was out of almonds. Bummer. I live a few yards away from a gas station/convenience store, so I decided to look for some there. Unfortunately, no dice, but I bought a packet of cashews instead ($1.99).

The (frozen, french-cut) green beans cooked in the microwave, while I chopped the cashews into small bits with my manual chopper. Then I added a small spoonful of margarine, a dash of Molly McButter sprinkles (optional, for when you want extra butter flavor), some dried cranberries, and tossed it together.

It was quick, simple, and delicious, which was good to accompany the more involved chicken dish we were having. (It calls for cornish hens, but I do it with chicken leg quarters and cook it slightly longer.) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cornish-Hens-with-Maple-Mustard-Glaze-2581