Category Archives: Entrée

Meatless Monday | Summer Salad with Grilled Corn & Black Beans

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Grilled Corn Salad | Aprons & Stilettos

Today I headed over to the local produce stand to pick up some fresh vegetables for the week. I just spent six days in North Carolina enjoying southern food at its finest and after indulging in North Carolina BBQ, fried chicken and waffles, biscuits (with every meal) and grandma’s lemon chess pie, I decided I should probably load up on fresh veggies this week. As I was driving towards Mike’s Truck Garden produce stand I noticed they were advertising fresh corn for sale so I decided to pick up a bag. Taking into account that today is Meatless Monday, I decided to make one of my favorite summer salads: grilled corn & black bean salad with radishes, cilantro, lime juice and queso fresco.

Veggies

4 ears of fresh corn, shucked
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
Queso fresco, crumbled
1 avocado, thinly sliced
Salt

Preheat your grill. Cook the corn on the grill until slightly charred, about 10 minutes. Let cool before cutting off the corn kernels.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder and salt. Once the corn has cooled, cut the corn kernels from the cob and transfer to the bowl. Add the rinsed black beans, radishes, scallions and cilantro. Mix together. Top salad with queso fresco and avocado.

Cheers ~ Crystal

Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

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Turkey Meatballs

Another one of my “go-to” meals are stuffed meatballs – spicy Italian sausage meatballs, sweet Italian sausage meatballs or chicken meatballs topped with an easy pesto-tomato sauce. Several years ago, I was introduced to this easy-to-make sauce while watching a cooking show on the Food Network and it’s still a staple in many of my dishes today. Last night I didn’t have sausage in the refrigerator however I had ground turkey, fresh herbs, cheese and bread crumbs – voilà!

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • Olive oil
  • Extra parsley for garnish
  • 1 tub bite size fresh Mozzarella balls

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except the oil and Mozzarella balls, in a bowl. To form each ball, take a handful of the mixture and wrap it around a piece of mozzarella. Drizzle olive oil over the meatballs and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and are evenly browned. Top meatballs with homemade pesto-tomato sauce and garnish with extra parsley.

Pesto-Tomato Sauce

  • 1 tub good quality fresh pesto (or homemade pesto)
  • 1 can quartered or halves tomatoes
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Add the tomatoes to a saucepan over medium heat and mash with a potato masher. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for about 8 – 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in a 1/2 cup of pesto. Serve over meatballs with your favorite red wine. Some excellent wine choices would be a Super Tuscan, Sangiovese, Rioja or even a Merlot.

~Cheers! Crystal

Herb Crusted Sea Bass & Spring Pea Pancakes

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Spring Recipes

I couldn’t be more excited that it’s spring! My favorite produce stand is open, there’s bud break in the vineyards and the warm weather has set in. I’m also excited because at least once a week I get together with my friend Morgan to make dinner and catch up over wine or handcrafted cocktails. Sometimes we plan out our menu in advance, but for the most part we develop our recipe ideas based on which ingredients we have at home.  This week’s menu was inspired by spring and of course the seasonal ingredients we had in our refrigerator or pantry.

After work I swung by my favorite local market, Oliver’s, and picked up some fresh fish and eggs – and that’s it! Morgan and I had everything else to complete this delicious spring menu. Oh, and when you’re at the store, don’t forget the vino. We enjoyed a bottle of Gloria Ferrer Estate Chardonnay, which paired perfectly with the fish and pancakes.

Crusted Seabass

Herb Crusted Sea Bass

  • 1 pound Sea Bass fillets
  • 1 cup Panko
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Combine the parsley, thyme, lemon zest and panko in a large shallow bowl. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and lightly coat both sides of the fillets. Dredge the fish in the panko mixture and set aside. Preheat a skillet over medium-high, add the remaining butter and drizzle of olive oil and cook the fillets for about 5 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Flip, cover skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 8 minutes or until crust is golden brown and middle is white and flaky.  Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fillets (our fish was about an inch in thickness).

Roasted Asparagus

  • 1 bunch of thin asparagus
  • Olive oil
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Place asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and roast for about 10 – 12 minutes. Keep warm until you are ready to plate.

Pancakes & Fillets

Homemade Hollandaise Sauce

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • Pinch of cayenne
  • Pinch of salt

Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl until the mixture is thickened. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler), just make sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. (Make sure the eggs do not get too hot or else they will scramble) Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Serve warm over fish and asparagus.

Spring Pea Pancakes with Herbed Yogurt

These tasty treats were so easy to make and paired exceptionally well with our herb crusted Sea Bass.

Click here to view this recipe on Morgan’s delicious blog:
There Will Be Snacks

Pea Pancakes

Share with us some of your favorite dishes you are enjoying this spring! @ApronsStilettos

Here’s to another great day! ~Crystal