roasted onions with gruyere

November 17, 2012 by flavorsmack

It’s football day again. We decided on flank steak sandwiches, but I needed something different from the usual coleslaw or potato salad to go with them. In meal planning for football, it isn’t allowed to be fussy. Fussy food is banned on football day which is understandable, but I was tired of the same old sides. Maybe others didn’t care, but I was on the hunt to cook up something else. Well, the ooh la la’s came out when I made this, because it looks fussy, but is actually super simple, and the FLAVOR is huge. Duh – what goes on steak sandwiches? Onions? Check. Cheese? check. Why didn’t I think to make this before? Plus, you can easily use this as a component in a day-two dish. This one is a keeper. Oh, and our team won. Win-win.

roasted onions with Gruyère cheese (believed to have been adapted from Food & Wine)

non-stick cooking spray
12 small boiling onions, peeled
8 large shallots, peeled, halved through the root end
6 large green onions, dark green tops trimmed
2 medium Vidalia onions, peeled, cut into 1″ wedges through the root end
1 large red onion, peeled, cut into 1″ wedges through the root end
1 large yellow onion, peeled, cut into 1″ wedges through the root end
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 TB fresh thyme leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
crushed red pepper
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
6 oz Gruyère cheese, grated

get started on the onions:

Preheat oven to 450. Combine all onions in a large rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with the thyme, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Toss gently to coat. Shake pan to spread out onions into one layer. Roast onions until tender and beginning to brown in spots, 25-30 minutes. Spoon broth over onions to moisten. Loosen any onions from the pan with a spatula. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until heated through about 5 minutes.

note:

This recipe called for croutons in the mixture but I just wanted the cheesy onions this time. If you want this to be a more substantial side dish, bake about 3 cups of 1/2 inch pieces of a crusty bread until golden brown, 7-8 minutes and add to the roasted onion mixture and top with the cheese.

parmesan cornmeal muffins

November 9, 2012 by flavorsmack

Holla! I actually baked something that didn’t burn – AND – they didn’t come out like hockey pucks! Ah, the little successes in life. I’m so glad it worked out because I love corn muffins. I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and decided to try them out. Normally, I am drawn to the cheddar cheesy versions, but in an effort to be kind to my mid-section, I followed this recipe exactly. (ok, so I upped the cayenne, but that’s to be expected). Now having a southern mother, sugar is a no-no in corn muffins. However, I guessed that one tablespoon wouldn’t do much sweet damage so I allowed it…plus she wasn’t looking.

parmesan corn muffins: (ripped from Cooking Light September 2012)

1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 TB sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (hardly seems worth it – 1/4 tsp ++!)
3 oz grated fresh Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, (about 3/4 cup), divided
3 TB finely chopped fresh chives, divided if you so choose (read on)
cooking spray

get started on the batter:

Preheat oven to 400. Combine the first three ingredients in a pourable measuring cup or bowl. Combine flour and next six ingredients (thru pepper) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. And the most important step is to add the milk mixture and stir just until moist. Put the whisk down! Stir in about 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and the chives. (You could save a tablespoon of the chives to sprinkle on top, but then I’d have the green fleck conversation at the table with the kids so I just mixed them all in). Coat the 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Spoon batter into muffin cups, only filling each 2/3 full. Sprinkle muffins with remaining parmesan cheese (and chives if you choose). Bake at 400 for 13 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Serve with hot sauce. Oh – did I say that out loud?

note: this obviously makes 12 muffins…but you knew that already.

roasted potato salad with mustard dressing

November 2, 2012 by flavorsmack

I have made and eaten a ton of coleslaw this summer, so when I needed a side dish to go with my ribs recently, I went the potato salad route this time. I love traditional potato salad, but was really looking for a spin on it. I decided on this one from Cooking Light July 2006, but because I wanted more than just potatoes and onions, I made some additions. It worked out. You can check out the original recipe and look to see what I did, and decide how you want your dish to be. My whole thought with choosing this recipe was that the mustard and vinegar would cut through the heavy barbecue flavor of the ribs. Plus, I didn’t have to boil or peel potatoes! Happiness!

I found this recipe easy to make and was exactly what I was looking for. I loved the sherry vinegar and mustard combination which separated this recipe from the usual mayo salad. I changed it up a little (because I’m a pain) and added some expected elements like the boiled eggs and celery. Go with what you might have in your fridge too – snap peas, scallions, bell pepper, cheddar cheese…etc. Once you have the base salad, I don’t think you can mess it up. This is a kickin’ side. Enjoy!

roasted potato salad with mustard dressing (inspired from Cooking Light July 2006)

3 pounds golden potatoes, unpeeled, cut into one inch pieces
1 TB olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
red chili flakes
non-stick cooking spray
6 slices prosciutto, diced
2 cups Vidalia onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 TB whole grain mustard
3 TB reduced fat mayonnaise
1 1/2 TB honey
1 1/2 TB sherry vinegar
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

get started on the salad:

Preheat oven to 400. Toss first four ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring once. Meanwhile, add sliced prosciutto to a non-stick pan on medium heat and brown until starting to get crisp on edges. Transfer to a large bowl. Coat the same pan with non-stick spray and add onions on medium-low heat. Cook 15 minutes until golden brown and caramelized, stirring often. Add garlic to the pan and cook for another minute. Add onion mixture to bowl with prosciutto. Add celery and potatoes to onions and prosciutto. Stir to combine.

Combine mustard, mayonnaise, honey and vinegar in a small bowl and stir with a whisk. Add mustard mixture and parsley to potato mixture and toss to combine. Add eggs last and gently toss. Adjust potato salad with more mayonnaise or mustard depending on your taste.