The Big Salad

Salads can be terrific go-to meals, particularly in the summer. You can add or remove any ingredient, or try different combinations as you please. The only limit is your own imagination!

My inspiration for "The Big Salad" is twofold. First, of course, is Elaine's perpetual quest for The Big Salad (or Ensalada Grande) on "Seinfeld". I'm sure that if Elaine liked the same things I like, this would be the salad for her! My second inspiration is the Soho Grill on 31st Street in Astoria. They let you design your own salads, starting with spinach or mixed greens, and adding any combination of dozens of mix-ins. They stir the salad for you in a large bowl, and repackage it in a plastic bowl to go. What a great concept!!

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The Big Salad

About 2 oz. mixed greens (enough to almost fill a large bowl)

6-8 grape tomatoes, halved

slices of red onion

4 small knots of fresh mozzarella, quartered

1/2 oz grilled chicken, cut in small pieces

1 oz. trail mix (raisins, dried cranberries, peanuts, slivered almonds)

2 tbs balsamic vinaigrette

• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir with salad tongs. Serve.

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Notes

• There's a lot of protein here (chicken, mozzarella, peanuts), so feel free to eliminate some if it's too much for you.
• Trail mix adds a bit of sweetness to the salad. I use "Cranberry Fitness Mix" from Stew Leonard's in Yonkers, NY. You can use any type of trail mix you like, or simply add in a handful of raisins & peanuts.
• I use pre-packaged greens that have fresh herbs added to them. You may want to add some fresh dill, basil, and/or thyme for a nice flavor.

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If you've enjoyed this recipe, or any of the others on this site, please let me know!!

Two Great Meals

Since I missed a week of blogging somehow, I'll make up for it by sharing two great meals that I made last week.

I bought 2 lbs of lean chopped sirloin at Stew Leonard's in Yonkers. (If you're not familiar, Stew Leonard's is a fresh-food shopping mecca in the Northeast: http://www.stewleonards.com/) I used one pound in my "Homestyle Applesauce Meatloaf", and the other in my "Meat Sauce for Pasta". They're both easy, savory meals that are great on cold winter nights!

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"Homestyle Applesauce Meatloaf"

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon cumin

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 large egg, beaten

Salt & pepper

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

*Grease a 2 qt glass baking dish with a small amount of olive oil

*Chop the onion & garlic in a food processor. (Personally, I pulverize it because no one in my house likes big chucks of onion in their meatloaf.)

*In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, onion/garlic, applesauce, cumin, thyme, egg, and breadcrumbs.

*Mix all ingredients thoroughly. (Yes, this is best done with your hands!)

*Shape into a loaf, and place in the baking dish.

*Lightly salt and pepper the top of the loaf.

*Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

I served this meatloaf with mashed red potatoes (with a few chopped chives, for color) and green beans.

And I'll tell you a secret: This meatloaf is NEVER dry. I know that's what most people don't like about meatloaf, which is why they do crazy things like top it with bacon or ketchup or something. The applesauce & the pulverized onion/garlic give this recipe a lot of moisture, and it even stays moist on a reheat.

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"Meat Sauce for Pasta"

1 lb lean ground beef

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes or tomato puree

About 2 oz each of beef broth and dry red wine

1 tablespoon of fresh basil leaves, torn

(Note: I used a frozen paste of basil & olive oil, made from the fresh basil my neighbor gave us a few months ago.)

*Chop the onion & garlic in a food processor

*In a 2 qt saucepan, over medium heat, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

*Brown the beef in the olive oil. Season the beef with fresh ground black pepper. (You may want to do this in 2 batches, 1/2 lb at a time.)

*Add the onion/garlic mixture to the browned beef. Continue heating until the onion becomes translucent.

*Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, wine, and basil.

*Bring sauce to a bubble, then reduce heat to a simmer.

*Continue simmering until ready to serve

I served this sauce with medium shells, and a green salad on the side. A little garlic bread goes nicely on the side, as well.

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I hope you enjoy by 2 best meals of the last week!! If you try these recipes yourself, please let me know how they turn out for you, and please pass them along to your friends! :-)

Enjoy!

Best Meal of the Week: Arroz con Pollo

The first week of 2011 has been a great week for food! I made homemade rosemary crackers on New Year's Eve (recipe still needs work, but it's an easy snack). One night, we had simple sirloin burgers on a bed of greens. We even has terrific store-bought paella, but, obviously, I can't take credit for that.

The best meal I made this week was arroz con pollo, modified from Mark Bittman's recipe in "How To Cook Everything." Here's a link to the recipe: http://markbittman.com/dinner-with-bittman-arroz-con-pollo

What did I do differently? Well, I was so excited about the dish that I forgot to garnish with parsley and lemon wedges -- OOPS! Also, I didn't use a whole chicken, cut into pieces. Instead, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which was what I had in my refrigerator. Next time, I'll use the cut up whole chicken. It will probably add more chicken flavor to the dish. I also added a red bell pepper, which provided a bit of color and a nice overtone.

This was the first time that I had ever cooked with saffron, and I absolutely LOVE it! No wonder it was the most expensive spice in the world! A little goes a long way, too! Just a little pinch of it gives the rice that soothing yellow color and indescribable flavor.

I can't wait to make this meal again!

Welcome!

Welcome to "Best Meal of the Week", my new blog. :-)

I love to cook. I cook a lot, as often as I can. I don't cook every single day, though. But, certainly, a few days a week, I will either try out a new recipe or whip up some quick comfort food.

What's most important to me about cooking? It's got to be easy, and it's got to taste good. Many of the meals I make have similar ingredients because there are certain things I always keep on hand. I also try to use ingredients that are easily accessible. Flavor, of course, is also important. My favorite meals are hearty, savory, and flavorful.

Who/what are my food influences? My mom almost never used recipes to make dinner. She followed her instincts in the kitchen, and I try to do that as well. I write my own recipes now, just so that my cooking is consistent, but I do have some cookbooks that I really like.

The best resource I have is Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything". He makes cooking very approachable and satisfying, and his recipes are extremely flexible. I also rely on Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals" & "30 Minute Meals II" for a lot of my "go-to" meals (chili, rubs for meat, vodka cream sauce, etc.). Mind you, I can rarely accomplish her recipes in the 30 minute time-frame, but that's only because I take my time.

What's the purpose of this blog? Each week, I'll be posting about the best meal I've made in that week. Some things work; some things need more work. I hope you'll try out the recipes that I'll include, and send me feedback about your results. Hopefully, blogging will inspire me to take new risks in my cooking and make me a better cook too!