Meatless Monday | Summer Salad with Grilled Corn & Black Beans

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Aprons & Stilettos

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

Meatless Mondays | Grapefruit Endive Salad

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Aprons & Stilettos

grapefruit3

It’s Monday and if you recall our past post we are going “Meatless” on Mondays. Today’s recipe was inspired by the spring issue of Food & Wine and is the perfect recipe for a warm California day, like today! So grab a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Albariño or any crisp white wine and start cooking!

2 Belgian endives – halved lengthwise, cored and slightly sliced
1 large grapefruit
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sunflower seed oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely crushed pistachios, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon fresh chives, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Salt & pepper

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Pickling the onions will take about an hour so begin by combining the rice vinegar, water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the onion slices, turn off the heat and let the onions sit in the mixture for about an hour. Let cool completely and then drain.

In a separate bowl, whisk the sunflower seed oil and olive oil with cider vinegar and mustard. Add the crushed pistachios and chives, season with salt and pepper and let chill in the refrigerator.

Prepare the grapefruit by cutting in between the membranes to release the grapefruit sections and place them in a large bowl. Add the sliced endives, chopped parsley, marjoram and 1/2 of the cooled down onions*. Coat the salad with the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Divide the salad on four plates, garnish with crushed pistachios and enjoy with a light-bodied white wine.

*Reserve the other half of the pickled onions for another dish. They are great in this slow-cooker pulled pork recipe!

Cheers! ~Crystal

Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple-Ginger Soup

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Aprons & Stilettos

We finally received some much needed rain here in Northern California a few weeks back. For a minute there, I forgot it was winter with all of the beautiful, warm days we’ve experienced in December and January.

It was a Friday night and I had planned for my dear friend Morgan to come over and make dinner together. That morning over text we both had same idea for dinner: SOUP! What a perfect choice to pair with this rainy evening. She had a few ideas that we kicked around and then we both settled on making a comforting squash soup with granny smith apples paired with a pear & pomegranate salad.

1 large butternut squash
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
3 granny smith apples, peeled & cored
3 garlic cloves, grated
1/2 cup half & half
1 tablespoon fresh Thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 granny smith apple, for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Quarter the butternut squash, coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes – 1 hour. Remove the skin and let cool. (If your local store doesn’t have whole butternut squash available, check to see if they have cubed butternut squash.)

Add the apples and 2 cups of broth into a blender or food processor (I used my Ninja and it worked great!) Puree until smooth and transfer it to a bowl. Set aside. In a heavy stockpot, add olive oil, onions and garlic and saute over medium heat until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the onions from pot and place in a bowl. Transfer the apple / broth mixture to the stock pot and simmer. Add the cooled squash to the blender along with 1/2 cup of broth and puree until smooth. Add the squash puree to the apple / broth mixture. Add the half & half and stir continuously until completely mixed together. Add the fresh thyme and ginger. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.

Garnish soup with thin slices of apples & fresh thyme sprig. Enjoy with your favorite salad or crusty bread.

Serves 4 -6

Pear, Pomegranate & Gorgonzola Salad

Arugula salad
1 – 2 ripe pears, sliced
Gorgonzola, crumbled
Pomegranate seeds (click here to learn an easy way to deseed a pomegranate)
Walnuts, toasted
Citrus vinaigrette (recipe below)

Combine pears, cheese, pomegranates and toasted walnuts over a bed of arugula salad. To make this simple vinaigrette, combine juice from 1 orange, 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil (slowly added), salt & pepper.

Enjoy! ~Crystal