Rosemary Mustard Beef Kabobs and Vegetable Tian

School starts tomorrow. PowerPuff Girls is on. Meat is in the fridge, marinating, and the oven is preheating. I still have homework to do for my Master’s before the night is over. But laundry is done, the five year old starts kindergarten tomorrow, and it’s so muggy in this apartment. Ugh. I’m all over the place. But dinner will be good.

This recipe is adapted from a grilled chicken recipe. I just slathered the marinade on some beef and I’ll grill that instead. 

Ingredients:

• some sort of protein
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice from one large lemon
• two cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced, fresh rosemary

Grill the marinated meat. The end

Tian:

Ingredients:

• Some combination of veggies. I chose sweet potatoes, red potatoes, onion, summer squash, and zucchini.
• 2 T butter
• 1 T rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Method: I caramelized the onion first. Then I sliced all of my veggies about a 1/4 inch thick. Then I layered them in a casserole dish. Then I dotted them with butter, salted and peppered them. Then layered the onions on top, with the rosemary and garlic sprinkled on top of that. Then, cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Take the foil off, add some Parmesan cheese to the top, and bake another 30 minutes, uncovered.

 

 

Lemon Chicken Kabobs and Lemon Parsley Pasta

I am forever trying to find interesting, healthy, and kid-friendly recipes to cook. Having kids to feed has really tested my cooking abilities. I’ve been used to, in my adult life, to cook food for adventurous eaters. Then when I got with this little family, the biggest one would rather eat Spaghettios than mostly anything else. The little ones aren’t always the best eaters. Some days, they are adventurous. Some days, they just want scrambled eggs and nothing else. So, to adjust, we have Spaghettios in the cupboard and dozens of eggs in the fridge. I’ve got the usual recipes in my repertoire: meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, chili, spaghetti, pancakes and other breakfast things, pork chops, grilled fish,  tacos, etc.

Last night for dinner, we had lemon chicken kabobs and lemon parsley pasta. The chicken was my own recipe and the pasta came from Martha Stewart. The chicken was simple. I cut it up into kabob-sized pieces and marinated it in a fresh and bright marinade.

Kabob Recipe:

• four boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• five crushed cloves of garlic
• lots of olive oil
• several sprigs of fresh thyme, stripped from the stems
• one sprig of rosemary, stripped from stem and chopped
• salt and pepper
• crushed pepper flakes
• juice of a lemon

The pasta was simple parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper, lemon zest, garlic, and a bit of lemon juice. Easy and delicious. Here’s the recipe. I followed it exactly, except I halved it.

The great thing about these dishes together is that the marinade would go well with any protein or vegetable, and I used angel hair pasta–but you could use orzo, cous cous, or even rice.

In other news, we went to Turtles for brunch yesterday and it was amazing. I got chicken fried steak and it was absolutely perfect. Crisp and juicy with a well-seasoned gravy–and Henry had smoked salmon hash and he nearly licked the plate clean. I have to go out and find some good smoked salmon so I can recreate this dish at home. I think we could eat it every day.

Roasted Greek Chicken over Asparagus and Red Onion

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• juice of two lemons
• some dried oregano
• some dried rosemary
• 2 cloves of garlic
• some salt and pepper
• some cayenne pepper
• some paprika
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 pound asparagus
• olive oil

Method: Marinate chicken in spices, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Zip-lock baggies are great marinating chicken receptacles.

Slice red onion and spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet or casserole pan.  Wash and trim asparagus and layer it on top of the onion.

Place chicken and its marinade on top of the onion and asparagus.

Roast at 400 degrees until chicken is done.

When the chicken is close to done, sprinkle feta cheese over the meat and vegetables and broil until bubbling and brown.

Serve with pasta, rice, or whatever inspires you. I made orzo with fresh tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, feta, and olives.

Sunday Afternoon Lunch: Roasted Asparagus, Sweet Onion, and Zucchini in a Lemon Vinaigrette

• Two zucchinis
• half of an onion
• 1 pound of asparagus
• Juice of half of a lemon
• Some olive oil
• S & P
• A squirt or two of dijon mustard

Method:

Roast vegetables at 450 until they are sufficiently roasted.

Make the vinaigrette (lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, salt and pepper).

Dress the vegetables.

Eat.

Sunday Menu Planning

Jeff and I have decided to cook around themes each weekend, in order to learn more about different cuisines and to cook and eat foods we might not otherwise try.  So, last weekend, everything I cooked was Mediterranean inspired and this week, I decided to narrow the focus a bit and cook Greek dishes.

All of the recipes on the menu this weekend come from the same website: Closet Cooking. I’ve blogged a little bit about this website and blogger before–and I can’t say enough about how much it inspires me to try something new each time I visit the site.

From this website I’ve chosen:

Spanakorizo

Baked Shrimp and Feta Pasta

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Melitzanes Papoutsakia

I’ll post the process and progress either today or tomorrow.

Oh, one last thing:  As many of you know, I used to be a vegetarian.  Now, I’m not.  I haven’t really posted any sort of explanation or given much of you insight into this change.  I don’t intend to do that here and now, but I do have an idea for you to consider.  I have been reading Anthony Bourdain’s new book Medium Raw and Jeff and I religiously watch No Reservations on Netflix.  I love, love, LOVE Anthony Bourdain.  His opinion of vegetarianism is pretty clear.  He writes, in his book Kitchen Confidential:
“Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans … are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit.”

He later rants:

“To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living.

Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food. The body, these waterheads imagine, is a temple that should not be polluted by animal protein. It’s healthier, they insist, though every vegetarian waiter I’ve worked with is brought down by any rumor of a cold.

Oh, I’ll accomodate them, I’ll rummage around for something to feed them, for a ‘vegetarian plate’, if called on to do so. Fourteen dollars for a few slices of grilled eggplant and zucchini suits my food cost fine.”

He has also said that choosing the path of vegetarianism is a “first world luxury.” This idea struck a chord with me.  I don’t know if I agree with his sentiments, but from a Marxist point of view, is he right? Are “first world” vegetarians classist? Imperialist, even?    Looking down upon their meat eating peers in their own country and abroad?

Most of the world’s population eats what they can afford and whatever is in season.  Period.  They eat what they have access to.  Most of the world cannot afford to be vegetarian.

So, if you can afford to, should you?