raclette panini with wilted greens

We were recently gifted a George Foreman Grill. Now, while I do love grilling and am super appreciative of my new found ability to do it indoors, I am equally as excited about its other feature. PANINI PRESS!!!! On our way home the other day we stopped by to visit the nice folks at The Bedford Cheese Shop. We snagged some fresh ciabatta and I spotted some amazing looking Raclette from Spring Brook Farms in Vermont. Raclette is a traditional melting cheese usually made in France, and sometimes Switzerland. It's usually made from cows milk, and has a supple texture and almost beefy flavor. This domestic Raclette was slightly more mild in flavor (which works out well for sandwiches), but as intended was perfect for melting. I am upset we didn't buy extra for grilled cheeses or mac and cheese. Good thing the cheese shop is only a few blocks away. This recipe makes two pretty big sammiches. And if you don't have a panini press of some sort, don't sweat it, just do what we did here.

Ingredients:
2 good sized Crusty Rolls
3 cups of Greens (we used Beet Greens), roughly chopped
1/2 White Onion, sliced thinly
2 Scapes (or 2 cloves of garlic), finely chopped
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 pound Raclette, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. Safflower Oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a saute' pan over medium high heat, add the oil and onions. Cook until translucent and then add the greens and the lemon juice. Let the greens get just wilted, and then remove them from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Preheat your panini press, and open those rolls. Layer in the cheese and top with the greens. Press until the bread is crusty and the cheese is melted and looks irresistible. Now eat it!

chile infused beet and radicchio salad

Ingredients:

1 head radicchio, whole leaves

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 lb beets

2 dried ancho chiles

1 tsp salt

8 small radishes

3 peppers

juice from 1 lime

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp chili flakes

cilantro, whole leaves for garnish

1/4 lb queso fresco, crumbled

Add beets and ancho chilis to a pot of boiling water with 1 tsp of salt. Adjust to a simmer and cook for 35 minutes. Remove beets from liquid and cool. Remove the chilis. Slice radishes and carrots thinly, and peppers in a 1/4" dice. Mix olive oil, lime juice, chili flakes, and salt and pepper to taste, in a dressing shaker. Let sit while beets cool so that the chili can permeate the dressing. When the beets have cooled, add them over the radicchio leaves. Top with other veggies and dressing. Then crumble queso fresco over the dish, and top with whole cilantro leaves.

I ate this for dinner the other night, and for lunch the past two days. The dressing and dish flavor just gets better with age. Sweet, spicy, salty, and just damn delicious. I kind of wish we would get this all in the box again sometime soon.

soft chili tofu

We still have some quick pickled veggies left over from last week. I guess now they're not quick anymore - just regular pickled veggies. We thought they would pair well with our favorite appetizer which we always get when we order Chinese takeout. Here's our own version of soft chili tofu. It's super simple, fast and the flavors very vibrant - fresh, salty, and little spicy.


Ingredients:

1 block soft tofu, small dice

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1/2 scallions, finely diced

2 tsp red pepper flakes

Cut the tofu into very small cubes and add to a large bowl. Pour in the soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar and very gently toss to incorporate. Next add the scallions and red pepper flakes. Soft tofu is very crumbly so stir everything together as gently as possible. Garnish with pickles cucumbers, beets and onions. And you're done - it's that easy!

chard and chickpea burgers with quick pickled veggies

Ingredients:
Burgers:

1 bunch chard, roughly chopped

1 can chick peas, drained

1/2 cup all purpose flour, possibly more

1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 Tbsp canola oil (or less, your choice- it won't really make a difference in frying texture, only time)

Pickled Veggies

2 beets, peeled, and thinly sliced

2 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups hot water, not boiling
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt

For the veggies: Put the onions and cucumbers into one bowl, and the beets into another... unless you want them all pink, then hell, just use one bowl, do less dishes. Mix the sugar and salt into the hot water, then add the vinegar, and set aside to cool. When the pickling liquid has cooled, add the liquid to the veggies, just enough to cover them, and then cover the bowls and place them in the fridge.


For the burgers:
Put all ingredients (minus the oil) in a food processor or bender and blend until incorporated. Seasonally, you made need more or less flour depending on your greens, or you could even substitute gluten free flours if you so choose. When it looks like its ready to be pattied, wet your hands and get ready to rock. Put 3 Tbsp of oil into a sauce pan and add the pattied burgers, flipping after 2 minutes on each side. Put on your favorite buns, top with pickled veggies and some Wildwood Garlic Aioli, or Veganaise and some greens. Eat them up!

raw carrot and beet salad

This salad is simple, but really tasty and packs a lot of crunch!

Ingredients:
3 beets, 1/2" dice
4 carrots, 1/2" dice
3 Tbsp parsley, roughly chopped

Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Combine beets, carrots, and parsley in a bowl, mix vinaigrette and toss with the roots. The vinaigrette is going to taste a little sour if you try it before you add it to the beets and carrots, but their sweetness will totally make up the difference.

roasted beet salad

Ingredients:
3 beets
1 orange cut into supremes
1 head baby lettuce
3 Tb. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. italian herbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tb. fresh goat cheese crumbled

Place beets in an oven safe dish and cover with water. Place foil over the dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. When the beets are cooling, use a towel and peel the skin off (it is much easier to do when they are warm). Allow to cool and slice.

Wash and split a head of lettuce. Arrange beets and orange on lettuce wedge. Mix oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper in a jar and shake until incorporated. Pour on to lettuce wedge, add goat cheese and yum!