Roasted Beet Salad With Oranges, Walnuts And Whipped Goat Cheese

Roasted Beet Salad With Oranges, 

Walnuts, And Whipped Goat Cheese

Earthy beets, sweet oranges and peppery arugula are served atop a rich, creamy goat cheese spread for a sensational salad. If you don’t want to use all the spread, hold some back to smear on toasts. Everything can be prepped the day before, and then the salad can be quickly assembled right before serving.

Ingredients:
Whipped Goat Cheese
5 oz (140 g) goat cheese
1/2 cup (125 mL) full-fat sour cream (14%)
1/4 cup (60 mL) heavy cream (35%)
1 tbsp (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Dressing
3 tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp (2 mL) Dijon mustard
Salt to taste
Salad
1 lb (455 g) beets, about 3 medium-size
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large navel oranges
3 cups (750 mL) packed baby arugula
1/4 cup (60 mL) roughly chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 cup (60 mL) loosely packed basil leaves

Directions:
For the whipped goat cheese, place ingredients in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, blend on high until smooth, light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the dressing, whisk ingredients in a small bowl until emulsified. Set aside.

For the salad, preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).

Place beets on a large piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Fold foil around beets tightly and create a tight seal. Place on baking pan and bake until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 to 60 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, trim, peel and cut into wedges. Place in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add half the dressing. Mix to combine.

To segment oranges, cut off a slice from the tops and bottoms. Using a sharp knife, cut off rinds and any white membrane. Cut between inner membranes to release orange segments.

To assemble salad, spread whipped goat cheese over a serving platter. Place arugula in a large mixing bowl and toss with remaining half of dressing. Arrange over goat cheese. Scatter beets and orange segments over arugula. Top with toasted walnuts and basil leaves. Drizzle with any extra dressing left in bowls.
Serves 4 to 6

Grilled Lamb Chops With Tomato, White Bean Salad And Anchovy Butter

Grilled Lamb Chops with Tomato, 

White Bean Salad, & Anchovy Butter 

White beans soak up all the fresh herbal flavours of this salad and provide a solid side for the savoury grilled lamb. It’s a wonderful light meal for a relaxed alfresco dining on a warm summer evening 

 Serves 4 to 6 

Ingredients:

Anchovy Butter
1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp (15 mL) anchovy paste
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped parsley
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice

White Bean Salad
1 tbsp (15 mL) grainy mustard
2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
1/2 cup (125 mL) extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups (500 mL) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 can (340 g) white kidney beans, drained, rinsed
2 cups (500 mL) baby arugula
1/4 cup (60 mL) roughly chopped parsley
1/4 cup (60 mL) fresh oregano leaves
1 small red onion, finely diced, about 1/2 cup (125 mL)
1/2 cup (125 mL) green olives, pitted, coarsely chopped

Lamb Chops
12 lamb loin chops, about 4 oz (115 g) each
3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
For the anchovy butter, mix all ingredients in small bowl until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Serve at room temperature.

For the salad, whisk grainy mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium-size bowl until combined. Set aside.

Place tomatoes, beans, arugula, parsley, oregano, onion and olives in large bowl. Pour in dressing and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate while grilling lamb.

For the lamb, rub chops with olive oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat grill to very hot, about 450°F (232°C).

Cook lamb chops until well-browned and an internal temperature of 130°F (54°C) is reached, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes.

Serve lamb chops on warmed plates, adding a little salad on the side. Top each lamb chop with a dollop of anchovy butter.
Serves 4 to 6

Wine Pairing:  Sauvignon Blanc.

Giant Black Bean Salad Recipe, Ayocote Bean

Giant Black Bean Salad Recipe

Ingredients:
Dressing:

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 small jalapeño, seeded, deveined and chopped
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 small garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salad

2 -3 big handfuls baby arugula (or other salad greens), well washed and dried
3 cups cooked black beans,  Ayocote or Midnight Black beans
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:
Start by making the dressing. I use an immersion blender - but a blender or food processor will work just as well. Combine the lime juice, vinegar, honey, jalapeño, salt, garlic and mustard and puree. Add the olive oil and puree until everything comes together. Taste and adjust with more salt, honey, or lime juice if needed. Set aside until you are ready to serve the salad.

Just before you are ready to serve the salad gently toss the arugula with a bit of the dressing. Arrange it on a platter. Now toss the beans and most of the almonds with a generous splash of the dressing. Arrange the beans on top of the arugula and finish by sprinkling with the remaining almonds and the crumbled feta cheese.

Vegetarian Burgers Black Bean Mushroom Lentil Burgers

Vegetarian Burgers   Black Bean Mushroom Lentil Burgers

These vegetarian burgers stand up on the grill like any of their meaty counterparts. Puréeing the black beans gives the burgers binding power while keeping the lentils and vegetable chunky provides a wonderful balance of textures. If you have any patties left over, they will pair nicely with a crisp green salad.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
2 cups (500 mL) thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, about 100 g
1/2 cup (125 mL) finely diced red bell pepper, about 1/2 pepper
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt, divided
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 can (450 mL) black beans, drained, rinsed and patted dry
1 large egg
1 tsp (5 mL) chilli powder
1 tsp (5 mL) smoked paprika
3/4 cup (175 mL) canned lentils, drained, rinsed and patted dry
3/4 cup (175 mL) bread crumbs

TO ASSEMBLE
Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced
4 whole wheat burger buns
Mayonnaise
Yellow mustard
Baby arugula
Smashed avocado
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan set over medium heat. Add shiitake mushrooms, red bell pepper and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender and lightly golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Scrape mixture into a bowl and set aside to cool completely for about 20 minutes.

2. To a food processor, add black beans. Whirl until the mixture is as smooth as possible (some lumps will remain). Add egg, chilli powder smoked paprika and remaining 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt. Continue to whirl until fully combined, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add cooled vegetables and lentils. Lightly pulse just until combined, about 5 pulses. The mixture should remain rough.

3. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl along with bread crumbs. Gently mix until combined and shape into 4 equal-sized burgers, about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick (see TIP).

4. Cook burgers over a high grill for 5 minutes per side, until grill marks appear and the burgers are heated through. Arrange Gruyère slices over burgers for the last 2 minutes of cooking to melt.

5. Toast buns on the grill, if desired. Smear bottoms of buns with mayonnaise and yellow mustard; top each one with arugula, 1 burger and avocado. Season with salt and fresh pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

TIP Burgers can be made up to 1 day in advance, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated.

 

Herbes De Provence Veal With Creamy Brie

Herbes De Provence Veal with Creamy Brie

Veal always spells luxury. Its light and delicate flavour is the perfect canvas for a French blend of herbaceous herbs, a layer of deluxe creamy brie and a white wine drizzle—elevating it to any style of entertaining. Asparagus would be an ideal companion. Bon appétit! 

Ingredients:

1 lb (500 g) round of double crème brie

8 veal scaloppini, about 1½ lbs (750 g) total
2 tsp (10 mL) herbes de Provence
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, divided
1½ cups (375 mL) dry white wine
4 cups (1 L) baby arugula, not packed

Directions:

To make cheese easier to slice, place in freezer for 20 minutes. Then cut off all rind. Slice cheese in half, forming 2 half-circles. Place 1 half, cut-side down on a cutting board. Slice into 4 pieces, each about ¼ inch (5 mm) thick. Repeat with the second half.

2. Meanwhile, heat broiler with oven rack set 4 inches (10 cm) from the heat.

3. Lay veal slices on waxed paper. Sprinkle top sides only with herbes de Provence. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter and tilt to coat. Add 3 to 4 pieces veal, seasoned-side down. Cook until they take on a little browning, from 1 to 1½ minutes a side. Remove to a large baking sheet. Repeat with remaining butter and meat.

4. Pour wine into pan and turn heat to high. Boil, scraping pan bottom often to release browned bits. When reduced to about ½ cup (125 mL), after about 5 minutes, remove pan from heat.

5. Lay cheese slices on veal. Place under broiler until cheese starts to melt, 1 to 1½ minutes. Arrange on plates or a platter. Drizzle with reduced wine sauce. Scatter arugula overtop and serve.   Serves 4