From time to time, I have been posting recipes on Instagram that I haven’t previously posted here. They are generally a result of something I found at the Farm Stand or for singular ingredient that I happen to have on hand.
If you are not following me on Instagram (why not?!?), then you wouldn’t have seen these recipes. Even for those following me there, I fear having recipes in too many places makes it harder for you to find something that I have published.
So, with that in mind, I am creating this Quick Hits – Recipes from Instagram Page. Once a recipe has been published on IG, I will also make a copy of it here.
These recipes won’t be accompanied by a full blown blog post. They will often have comments or notes, but not a full post.
Bruschetta with Olives and Capers
July 31, 2020 Here is a quick appetizer or light lunch to try. It comes together in about 10 minutes. You can scale the recipe easily for a larger group. Feel free to play with this recipe and change things out.
A couple of notes:
I add the onions after the olives have been pulsed in the food processor. I think that the food processor would over process the onions. The result would be very strong onions that would dominate.
Use any pesto that you have as a spread, but this is a great use for the Beet Green Pesto I posted earlier.
Bread slices can be as large or small as you want depending on what you are using the Bruschetta for. Small baguette rounds are great for a party appetizer. Larger slices make a nice light lunch.
Bruschetta with Olives and Capers
Ingredients
- 4 slices of crusty bread
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- 1 TBS capers
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 TBS fresh parsley chopped
- 1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup beet green pesto any green pesto will do
- Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes sliced
Instructions
- Toast slices of bread until nice and crispy
- While bread is toasting, combine both olives, capers and garlic in the bowl of a small food processor
- Pulse half a dozen times until chunky (keep it rough chopped, not mushy)
- Transfer olive mixture to a bowl and add onions, oregano, parsley, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Combines and season with salt and pepper to taste
- Remove toasted bread slices from oven/toaster when ready and let cool briefly
- When cool enough to handle, spread beet green pesto on each slice
- Top each slice with Olive and Caper mix
- Sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese and several grape tomato slices one each Bruschetta for garnish
- Serve while bread is still warm
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Notes
Use any pesto that you have as a spread, but this is a great use for the Beet Green Pesto
Bread slices can be as large or small as you want depending on what you are using the Bruschetta for. Small baguette rounds are great for a party appetizer. Larger slices make a nice light lunch.
Beet Green Pesto
July 26, 2020. Not sure what to do with all those beet greens? Try making a pesto! It’s easy and delicious. Enjoy over pasta. Spread on toast. Add to a pizza sauce. Swirl into mayo for a sandwich spread. Blend with cream cheese to put on bagels. If you have any other uses — drop them in the comments!!
Beet Green Pesto
Ingredients
- 4 cups beet top greens washed, stems removed
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
- ¼- ½ cup of olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Use a small food processor or immersion blender. Process is similar for both.
- Add all the ingredients except for the cheese and olive oil into your work bowl
- Blend as finely as you can, pausing to scrape out the inside of the sides of the bowl (and blade of immersion blender )with a spatula or spoon every so often.
- Once finely chopped, add the cheese and continue to blend,
- Slowly drizzle in the oil until you reach the desired consistency. You may not use all of the oil
Notes
Feel free to change amounts of garlic, cheese or nuts to suit your tastes or food preferences.
Tip: taste your beet greens first to see if they are bitter. If you find them bitter, blanch for 30 seconds then cool and dry.
Mediterranean Style Slow Roasted Veggies and Chicken
July 23, 2020 Super easy dinner of slow roasted veggies and chicken. No stress, low effort. No exact measures on any ingredients — just used what I had. Lemony overtones gave everything a summery pop! Delicious and lazy summer dinner.
Mediterranean Style Roasted Vegetables and Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 – 2 Small eggplants Cut in 1" pieces
- 1 Large Onion Cut in 1" pieces
- 1 Large Red Pepper Cut in 1" pieces
- 1 Lemon Cut into 8 – 10 pieces
- 2 Cloves Garlic Roughly Chopped
- 3/4 – 1 lb Chicken Breast Cut in 1" cubes
- 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
- Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toss all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly
- Let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour
- Roast in a 350oF/180oC oven until chicken is fully cooked, about 35 – 45 minutes
Chicken Salad with Apricots and Pistachios
July 16, 2020 In a pita or on a bed of lettuce. It’s great either way! Chicken salad with apricots and pistachios. This healthy Chicken Salad makes Mediterranean flavors accessible to anyone!
Chicken salad with Apricots and Pistachios.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lbs/225g chicken breast
- 3 TBS each chopped pistachios diced dried apricots, golden raisins
- 1 scallion sliced into small rings
- 3 oz plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 – 2 TBS honey to taste
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp each ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
Instructions
- Combine spices and season the chicken w about 1 tsp of them
- Roast chicken at 350oF/180oC for about 20 minutes., or until fully cooked
- Shred and toss with pistachios, apricots, raisins, and scallion
- Combine yogurt, honey, lemon juice and about 1/2 tsp (or to taste) spice blend
- Fold yogurt mix into chicken
- Serve in pita with lettuce, in a wrap, or on a bed of lettuce
Farm Fresh Frittata
July 10, 2020 Delicious, and incredibly versatile. Good cold, hot, or at room temperature. Great for lunch, dinner, breakfast, or appetizer. Perfect for using what is on hand
Remember to fully cook veggies before adding eggs. Veggies and meat in the recipe below all cut into similar sized cubes or slices, unless noted. Add firmer veggies to pan first, and build to more tender veggies.
And careful not to over bake or it becomes a bit ‘rubbery’
This one is made with farm fresh ingredients in season now. I got the eggs, hakurei turnips, zucchini & green onions from Grant Family Farm.
Farm Fresh Frittata
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk or ½ & ½
- 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup potatoes 1/2" dice
- ¼ cup hakurei turnips greens reserved and chopped
- ¼ cup green onions chopped, whites and greet parts separated
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 lb ham steak optional
- ½ cup zucchini
- ½ cup crimini mushrooms sliced
- 3 oz shredded cheese of your choice
- 2 tsp smoked paprika divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F/220C
- Combine eggs, milk, pinch of salt and pepper and ½ tps of smoked paprika. Whisk to combine. Set aside
- Heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat
- Add the potatoes and turnips and cook for a few minutes stirring occasionally. Add each set of filling every few minutes, and stir to combine
- >>Garlic, white parts of onions and peppers
- >>Remaining smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste
- >>Cubed ham
- >>Zucchini and mushrooms
- >>Chopped radish tops and onion greens
- Whisk egg mix & pour over the filling
- Give the pan a brief shake to evenly distribute the egg
- Add the cheese & gently stir to combine, without touching the bottom of the pan
- Let cook on the stove top for about a minute, until the outside edge of the frittata starts to set & curl
- Carefully transfer the frittata to the oven & bake for 7 – 10 minutes,
- It is done when the eggs are puffy & lightly browned. The center should jiggle a bit with a gentle shake.
- Remove from the oven and place it on a rack to cool.
- Garnish with herbs, slice with a sharp knife, and serve.
Watermelon Salad with Ricotta Salata
June 26, 2020 Summer in full swing here. Perfect time to enjoy a delicious watermelon salad – cool, refreshing, tasty and so easy to make! Enjoy your summer!
All the ingredients are really “to taste” and measures just offer a guideline!
Watermelon Salad with Ricotta Salata
Ingredients
- 4 cups watermelon cubed
- 1 Cup grape tomatoes halved use yellow or mixed color varieties for a colorful salad
- 1/4 Cup pickled red onion chopped
- 1/4 Cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 Cup crumbled ricotta salata or feta cheese
- 1 tbs good quality olive oil
- Sea Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups chopped lettuce or arugula/rocket
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except lettuce/arugula/rocket in a bowl and toss gently.
- Plate salad on top of a bed of lettuce/arugula/rocket
- Crumble additional cheese over the top
Pistachio Topped Pork Chops
June 25, 2020 For this dish I seasoned and grilled pork chops and made a pistachio dressing to put on top while the meat rested. This topping goes great with Lamb or Chicken as well.
The fresh herbs and the nutty flavor of the pistachio really complement each other well. They also pair nicely with the pork.
An Italian Primativo or Spanish Rioja would go nice here!
Below is a quick recipe for the topping that I used. Use about a tablespoon of diced roasted red peppers if you don’t have piquillos. Hazelnuts or almond can work as stand ins for the pistachios if necessary.
Pistachio Topping for Pork, Chicken or Fish
Ingredients
- 2 TBS ground pistachios
- 2 TBS chopped parsley
- 1 TBS chopped chives
- 1 piquilllo pepper chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1 TBS sherry vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 4 pork chops
-
Instructions
Pistachio Topping
- Place the first nine ingredients together in a small bowl and mix well. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
- When the chops are done grilling, spoon the relish over the top and cover the pork chops to rest for five minutes.
Pork Chops
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat
- Season the pork chop on both sides with salt and pepper
- Put a small amount of olive oil in your pan. When it begins to shimmer add the pork chops
- Allow the pork chops to cook untouched for about four minutes and then flip them. A nice golden crust should have formed on the cooked side of the pork chops
- Flip, and cook the other side until golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted in the chops reads between 135oF – 140oF (57oC – 60oC)
- Remove chops from heat and set on a plate to rest for 5 minutes
- Top with Pistachio Topping and Serve
Pan Roasted Hakurei Turnips and Radishes
June 20, 2020 Hakurei turnips, which have been showing up at farmers markets, are also called salad turnips. They have a delicate, sweet flavor with a crunchy texture. Great raw, they can also be braised, fried, grilled or sauteed. Both the bulb and the greens are edible. If you haven’t tried them, they are worth seeking out.
In this recipe, they are sauteed and glazed with a honey rosemary glaze and then tossed with their own greens. Omit the breakfast radishes if you don’t have them.
The hakurei turnips are a tasty summer side dish. Farm fresh veggies from Grant Family Farm.
Pan Roasted Hakurei Turnips and Radishes
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 bunch Hakurei turnips halved lengthwise. Keep greens and set aside
- 1 dozen ‘breakfast’ radishes halved lengthwise, Keep greens and set aside
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Glaze
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Roughly chop turnip and radish greens and set aside
- Place honey, lemon juice, rosemary and water in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside
- Heat saute pan over medium high heat
- Add garlic and heat for about 1 minute until fragrant
- Add the Hakurei turnips and breakfast radishes. Saute for about 10 minutes, turning frequently until they become golden brown
- Add honey mixture and toss for a few minutes until glazed and tender
- Add chopped greens and stir to combine.
- Continue to toss the greens are wilted
- Add salt and pepper to taste
Sautéed Courgette Salad
June 12, 2020 Sautéed Courgette Salad is a wonderful, light side dish or main salad!
Enjoy! All the ingredients are really “to taste” and measures just offer a guideline!
Sautéed Courgette Salad
Equipment
- 10” Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 TBS Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Small courgette/zucchini medium diced
- 1 dozen cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 TBS red pepper fine chopped
- 1/4 Cup chick peas
- pinch ground coriander , , ,
- pinch ground ginger
- pinch ground cumin
- pinch ground cinnamon
- pinch sweet paprika
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat
- Add courgette and cook stirring until it begin to soften
- Add tomato quarters and cook stirring until just warmed, about 3 minutes
- Add diced pepper, chickpeas, spices, salt an pepper and toss to combine
- Heat until chickpeas are just warmed
- Remove from heat and let stand a couple of minutes before serving
Puttanesca Sauce
May 16, 2020 A quick and easy sauce to make for pasta is a Puttanesca sauce. It works well with lots of different pasta shapes. I made it with my homemade pasta cut as fettucini. Puttanesca recipe is below and is for 2 – 3 people.
Puttanesca Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 TBL extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling.
- 4 Anchovy fillet
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup diced red pepper
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 TBL tomato paste
- 1 TBL prepared basil pesto
- 2 TBL Capers
- ¼ cup Kalamata olive chopped
- 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ lb/250 g fresh pasta
- Parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat
- Add onion, garlic, anchovy and pepper as heat until the onions are softened and the anchovies have broken up
- Add oregano, and mix to combine. Heat until fragrant
- Add tomato paste and pesto and stir to combine
- Add capers and olives and stir to heat through
- Add the crushed tomato and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce heat, and allow to simmer and thicken up while you cook the pasta
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Be careful not to over salt as the anchovies and olives are already salty.
- Cook pasta to al dente.
- If the sauce has thickened too much, add a small bit of pasta water to loosen up
- Add pasta to the sauce and toss thoroughly to combine and fully coat the pasta
- Top with a quick swirl of good olive oil and parsley. Serve warm!
Notes
Moroccan inspired Chicken Lemon & Olives on Pita
June 1, 2018 Moroccan inspired chicken lemon & olives pita. This dish may not be strictly traditional, but draws its inspiration from classic flavors that go so well together! A quick week night dinner. So easy you have to try it!
All the ingredients are really “to taste” and measures just offer a guideline!
Moroccan inspired Chicken Lemon & Olives on Pita
Ingredients
- 2 TBS Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 Cup onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 lbs/225g chicken breast thin sliced
- 1 lemon juiced and zest peeled into 1/2”/1cm strips
- 1/4 Cup sliced green olives
- 2 TBS chopped parsley
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 2 6” pita breads omit or use gluten free pitas for gluten free version
- Leaf lettuce
Instructions
- Heat oil in 10″ skillet with lid over medium high heat
- Add onions and cook stirring until they begin to soften
- Add garlic and heat until fragrant
- Add turmeric and coriander and stir to combine
- Season chicken slices with salt and pepper
- Add chicken to onions and brown chicken
- When chicken is cooked, add lemon juice
- Scrape pan to release cooked on bits
- Add lemon zest strips and olives.
- Stir to combine, lower heat to a simmer, and cover
- Simmer covered about 10 minutes then remove lid
- Continue to simmer until liquid is mostly reduced out – about 5 more minutes
- Remove from heat, stir in parsley and let stand a couple of minutes
- Serve in pita with lettuce
- Enjoy!