Hide the Salmon

I found this recipe on the The Lean Green Bean.  It is one of those recipes that you immediately know was put there, just for you.  No ego here….

It has so much of what I like, salmon, spinach, eggs, tomato and feta cheese.  How could I not think, it was just for me?  It is perfect and actually, after making some changes that meet my family’s needs, it was perfect.  If you have a moment go over there and see the original recipe.  I do want to make it that way but I took a shorter route which is what I mean by my family’s needs.

I presented my husband with the plate which is a colorful presentation and he happily was eating.  I wondered out loud, if I should have put the salmon on the bottom or the spinach.  His head popped up and he said, “Did you say salmon?  Is there salmon in this?”  He prodded the vegetables and sure enough, he found the salmon.  He asked, “Why did you hide the salmon?”

Hide the Salmon  (adapted)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 cup frozen spinach

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 piece of salmon, cooked

3 – 4 eggs

4 slices tomato

1/2 cup Feta cheese

Heat  the olive oil in a large skillet over medium hear. Saute the pepper and onion  for  8 minutes.  Add the spinach (Defrosted) and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Push the vegetables aside and drop the eggs in the free side of the pan and let them cook to your liking.  I turned ours over but either way is going to be delicious.

I, also put the cooked salmon slice in the pan to heat up.  Yes, I used a very  large skillet.

Now is the creative part but I am not creative so do as follows:

I used a square soup bowl which may work better than a round one.  These are the layers.

Salmon on the bottom

Spinach, onions and bell pepper on top of salmon

Cooked eggs on top of spinach layer

Sliced tomatoes with feta on the very top.

This is a delicious combination.  My husband commented on the many flavors.

Thanks to the Lean Green Bean.

This is linked to Hearth and Soul Hop     Slightly Indulgent Tuesday      Fat Tuesday         Naptime Creations Tasty Tuesday Link Party    The Gathering Spot            All My Bloggy Friends    Trick or Treat Tuesdays

Penne with Tomatoes, Feta and Balsamic Dressing

I have been seeing recipes similar to this one, in several places, and each time, I plan to make it but, I never get to it.  Yesterday, I came across a Cooking Light recipe from July 2009 and I changed my dinner plans and made an adaption of the recipe.  Although, I don’t like feta plain because it is strong, I love it mixed into a dish that perks up with its flavor.  This one does just that.  I left out the garlic and I think you should add some because garlic makes everything better, unless you are my husband, who gets sick from it.

I used to think, my husband ate anything and everything, and now realize that he has many sensitivities that he did not have when he was younger.  He is also more willing to try new dishes which was not always the case.  When we first got married, he would not eat chicken. Who does not eat chicken?  Fortunately, he now eats it and likes it but tuna fish is still a stranger to him, unless it is a fresh fish.

I will share my adapted recipe which was quite tasty.  My one problem was that the Cooking Light recipe called for a white balsamic vinegar and the only one, I have, is dark so the color of the pasta is probably less attractive.  On the other hand, the mustard gives color to the pasta and modifies the dark balsamic.  

Penne with Tomatoes, Feta and Balsamic Dressing (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• 6 ounces uncooked GF penne
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved 
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh oregano leaves
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 (4-ounce) package crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese 

Preparation

1. 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. 
2. Combine cooked pasta, tomatoes and oregano in a large bowl.
3. While pasta cooks, combine vinegar and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil to vinegar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle vinaigrette over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Add cheese; toss to combine.

Mirror Image

Pasta with Feta, Broccoli and Pecans – Nigella

I found another recipe in Nigella Kitchen that I wanted to make and that became our dinner.  Unfortunately, I was missing several necessary ingredients and did a lot of subbing.  This is a recipe, I would not have made changes to.  It sounded just right the way it was but necessity is the mother of all inventionn, as we discussed previously.  Necessity and I invented an “Almost Nigella” recipe and it was delicious.

(Curly Pasta with Feta, Spinach, and Pine Nuts (adapted)

Shells with Feta, Broccoli and Pecans

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pecans, rough chopped
• 2 tablespoons  olive oil
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1/2 pound short pasta like shells  (mine are brown rice shells – gluten free)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 pound frozen chopped broccoli
• 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Start the water boiling for your pasta.  Once it’s come to a boil add the pasta and cook until tender.
2. Toast the pecans in a dry pan over medium-low heat until they are golden brown. Set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in large sauce pan and add the onion. Cook until the onion is tender, adding a little salt if they start browning.
4. Add the broccoli  and continuously stir until the frozen broccoli heats up. Add the allspice.
5. Once the pasta is finished cooking, save a small amount of pasta water before draining and add to the broccoli mixture.
6. Add the feta to the spinach mixture and stir it around until the feta has melted. Then add the Parmesan cheese and continue to stir.
7. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss everything well to combine.
8. Serve warm and top with the toasted pecans.

Linked to This week’s Cravings

See Ya in the Gumbo

Cookbook Sundays

Vegetarian Side Dishes and at Priya’s Easy N Tasty Recipes

Gluten-Free Weekly Menu Plan      Tasty Tuesday

Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese and Walnuts – Ellie Krieger

    

This is an Ellie Krieger recipe which means it has the odds on its side for being a success.  It is uncanny how almost all her recipes are right, for my family.  Whether it is an appetizer or dessert, we almost always like  the dish.  This is yet, another success.

Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese and Walnuts (adapted from – Ellie Krieger)

I made this gluten-free.  It called for whole wheat pasta and I substituted a gluten-free pasta.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound gluten-free fusilli or other spiral shaped pasta
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, rinse it under cold water, and put it in the refrigerator to chill.

In a dry saute pan toast the walnuts over a medium-high flame until they are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set the walnuts aside to cool then chop them coarsely.

In a large bowl, toss together the chilled pasta, walnuts, feta cheese, onion, and spinach. In a small bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

For us, this salad was used as a main dish.  We loved the addition of the crunch of the walnuts and the competing taste of the feta.  I would prefer this in the warmer weather.  I ended up, serving it warm and that worked out.  (I added the cheese, at the table and left that cold.)

This is linked to Scrumptious Sunday    Sweet and Simple Sunday     Savory Sunday     What Makes you Say Mmmm?

Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

Another Ellie Krieger recipe.  I, probably, say it all the time.  We enjoy her food.  Each dish earns praise, in our home, and the food disappears.  This is an easy sauce to make and with pasta, it is a winning recipe.

Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta Sauce   Ellie Krieger  adapted

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 8-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup organic vegetable broth  (I use Imagine)
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese or a 6-ounce block
• 1/2 pound gluten-free fettuccine 
•  dash black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsely

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion until soft, about 10 minutes. Add roasted peppers and saute until heated through. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Place mixture in a  food processor withbroth and all but 2 tablespoons of the feta. Process until combined, about 30 seconds.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Toss pasta with sauce, adding pasta water by the tablespoon, if needed.

 Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide among pasta bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and remaining feta.

Ellie Krieger, Food Network - Sunset Festival 2010 (Photo credit: Ed Bierman)

Note:  I find that the addition of some water from cooking the pasta makes a huge difference, in the creaminess of a sauce. 

Trick or Treat Tuesday!

Topped Baked Eggplant

I have been doing in an inordinate amount of cooking with eggplant, this season.  I discovered just how much I like it after thinking, I did not like it.  In truth, I don’t think, I would enjoy it, as part of a stew, soft and mushy.  I like when it is crisp and sets up other flavors to show their best side.

This was a Martha Stewart recipe but I ended up changing it, quite a bit.  Martha’s recipe can be found here.   I don’t enjoy mint in vegetable dishes.  I love mint chocolate chip ice cream and that is where mint, should stay, in my opinion.  I tried one time to include mint in a meat dish and that was the last time, I used it in anything than desserts.

Brownies with a mint filling are delicious.  Mint chocolates are great.  Gum with mint flavoring is the best.  Mint has its place, yes indeed.

After many years in education, I have learned that elementary school kids, at least boys, do not like mint in their cookies or cakes.  I also discovered that peanut butter is liked by only fifty percent of the guys.  Marshmallow does better, coconut much worse.  It is interesting to realize that their palates may not be  fully developed.

Topped Baked Eggplant

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium eggplants (1 1/2 pounds total), cut into 1-inch rounds
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 ounces  feta cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
• 1/3 cup red onion, diced small
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoons red-wine vinegar, plus more if desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on baking sheet.  I used a cookie sheet.  A pizza pan would have worked, as well.

Arrange eggplant rounds in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Bake until undersides are browned .

 Roast until undersides are browned and eggplant is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon oil, feta cheese, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and vinegar. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired. 

Transfer eggplant to a serving platter. Top each round with a spoonful of tomato mixture and serve.

I would have liked this better topped with mozzarella and cooked in the oven, for a few minutes, pizza style.  I love feta cheese but not so much, in this case.  Cheddar would have worked as would Tomato Basil Jack cheese.  This is a recipe, I would like to work on and change a bit.  Needless to say, you most likely will enjoy it Martha’s way.  It certainly caught my eye.

This is linked to   Makin’ You Crave Monday                Real Food Wednesdays       Dining with Debbie       Healthy 2day Wednesdays!    Tastetastic Thursdays            Pennywise Platter Thursday