Recipe: Lemony Grilled Asparagus with Goat Cheese

Here is another recipe included in the baby shower menu for my friend last week. It’s a Pip’s Plate original, and we sort of winged it last Sunday. It turned out incredibly yummy – this recipe is a great way to jazz up plain boring grilled asparagus.

We served this alongside Grilled Turkey, Bacon and Blue Cheese Sandwiches.

Lemony Grilled Asparagus with Goat Cheese
makes: 12 servings (6 pieces of asparagus per person)

Grilled Asparagus
3 bundles of asparagus (enough for 6 spears per person)
juice of 1 lemon
3 T olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Garnishes
1 lemon for zesting
3 oz chevre goat cheese

Directions
1. Prepare the asparagus by bending it from each end to determine the ripe part of the asparagus. Snap off the woody ends – you don’t want to eat these.

2. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Dress the asparagus and let marinate in a plastic bag for at least 20 minutes.

3. Heat grill to medium high heat. Put asparagus directly onto the grill. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning occasionally to avoid burning.

4. Remove from grill. You can place them on a platter or you can put them on individual plates for serving. Either way, once the asparagus is on a plate, use a microplane grater to zest the lemon over the asparagus. You should use the entire lemon. Then, take the chevre and crumble it on top of the asparagus.

Recipe: Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Here is another recipe included on the menu for my friend’s baby shower last week. Something else she loves other than grilled turkey and bacon sandwiches? Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps. We wanted to make something with a peanut dressing, so we ended up at this one.

We served this with the Watermelon Feta and Mint Salad in a little ramekin side bowl.

This is a great summer salad recipe, too. You don’t have to put it in the lettuce wraps – instead, you can just mix it up, leave it in the fridge and have it around for a satisfying and pretty healthy snack.

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
makes: 36 lettuce wraps (plus some leftover salad for later)

Peanut Dressing
8 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup fresh lime juice
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or chunky – it doesn’t matter)
4 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger root
1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salad
9 oz rice stick noodles (vermicelli size – very thin)
2 pounds boneless, skinless hormone-free chicken breasts
3 medium carrots, peeled and julienned (cut into about 3-inch long pieces)
3 medium cucumbers, peeled seeded and julienned (cut into about 3-inch long pieces)
1 cup shelled edamame (soy beans)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted peanuts
2 heads Boston or Bibb lettuce, washed

Directions
1. To make the dressing, combine garlic through pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth, then add oil to combine all ingredients. Put half aside for the salad dressing, and use the remaining half to marinate the chicken breasts.

2. Cook rice noodles according to package. When drained, cut the noodles into 3-4 inch pieces using a scissors then add to a large mixing bowl.

3. Cook the chicken. You may grill or roast the chicken. We grilled the chicken since it was such a beautiful day and we didn’t want to heat the house too much before the guests came over.

• To Grill: Heat grill to medium-high heat. Cook chicken for about 10-12 minutes, turning once.
• To Roast: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in a roasting pan and roast for about 12-15 minutes.

When chicken is cooked through, move to a cutting board and slice. Add chicken to the noodle bowl.

4. Add carrots, cucumbers and edamame to the noodle and chicken bowl. Toss with the reserved peanut dressing.

5. To assemble, put about 1/2 cup of the noodle salad into one leave of lettuce. Serve with crushed peanuts as a garnish.

recipe adapted from epicurious

Recipe: Chili Lime Grilled Corn on the Cob

One of my favorite foods in the summer time is corn on the cob. I remember as a kid, my mom would give me and my sisters a paper bag and all the corn to sit on the back porch and shuck away.

It might be a bit early for corn on the cob and I spent a little more on it just to have it the other night. But it was totally worth it. The first nice day of 75 degrees in Minneapolis was begging for a grill out. So why not grill corn on the cob? It’s really easy and you can grill it while your burgers cook so you don’t have to go back into the house.

Chili Lime Grilled Corn on the Cob
Makes: 4 servings (easily doubled)
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
4 corn on the cob, shucked
1/2 T adobo chili powder
1 T salt
1/2 T fresh ground pepper
1/2 stick unsalted butter (you may not use all of it)
4 slices lime

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium-high heat (around 375-400 degrees).

2. To make the seasoning, combine the adobo chili powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. (If you have a shaker, make a lot of this and keep it for use throughout the summer.)

3. Place corn on the cob on the grill. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, turning every few minutes to ensure even cooking. The corn will blacken in some places – this is ok.

4. When the corn is done, remove from the grill and place on a serving plate. Set out the butter, limes, and seasoning. To finish the corn on the cob, butter the corn, then squeeze a lime over the corn, then sprinkle some seasoning over the corn. Now enjoy!

This recipe is a great side dish to serve with Garlicky Green Turkey Burgers and Strawberry Citrus Salad for a complete quick and easy grilling meal.

A love letter to Garlic

Dear Garlic-

If you were a person, I would ask you to marry me. I love you so much that my friends tell me I sometimes smell like you after a night of wild cooking. I can never get enough of you.

I remember the first time I met you. It was when my mom introduced us to each other over dinner. The way you dressed that Caesar salad is illegal in most countries.

Because of you, dear Garlic, I am not afraid of vampires. You give me courage to face the world.

In honor of you, I dedicate this post. My dear Garlic, let me count the ways I love you:

Garlicky Roast Chicken with Garlic Jus on Garlic Toast

40 Cloves and a Chicken

Roasted Garlic

French Garlic Soup

44 Clove Garlic Soup

Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Garlic Chips

Chile-Garlic Egg Noodles

Garlicky Greens

Heidi’s Dad’s Garlic Bread

Castilian Garlic Soup

Roasted Sardines with Green Garlic and Mint

Skirt Steak with Cilantro Garlic Sauce

Orange, Sage, and Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Pineapple-Braised Ribs with Honey-Garlic Tomato Glaze

Lots of love,
Pip
xoxoxo

Pip + Garlic = True Love

Review: Bewiched Deli, Minneapolis, MN

Don’t walk. RUN to Bewiched Deli! It’s located in the North Loop area just outside of downtown Minneapolis, MN. I’ve been meaning to get there since they opened. And I fiiiiinally got there the other weekend and have been back once since then. Hee.

Gourmet sandwiches. YUM.

I’ve only tried the Italian Hero so far and it is DE-LIC-IOUS. They put this tangy olive tapenade on it and a huge chunk of fresh mozz. Oh yes, fresh mozz. My favorite cheese.

Aside from that, they layer on the ham, salami, etc. Lettuce, tomato. It doesn’t get much better than that. And they serve it with this incredible olive-pepper relish. I must try to get that recipe. The roasted vegetable couscous served with it was just okay.

And to top it off, they serve some great sodas made with cane sugar. No high fructose corn syrup there! (Including the ever-so-loved Bubble Up)

I should also acknowledge that the staff there is really great too. Very accommodating as a first time visitor and extremely fast take out (how does 5 minutes sound?).

Get there now! And let me know what your favorite sandwiches are from there! (Photo coming soon…)

Bewiched Deli
800 Washington Ave. North
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Telephone: 612.767.4330
Fax: 612.338.2108

HOURS
M-F 8-8
SAT 10-6
SUN CLOSED

Israeli Couscous with Roasted Tomatoes and Olives

This might have been my favorite recipe out of the whole weekend of the Creative Retreat. It was SOOOO good. And no modifications needed from the original epicurious recipe. Even better.

Israeli Couscous with Roasted Tomatoes and Olives
from epicurious
serves 6

For roasted tomatoes and dressing
2 pt red grape or cherry tomatoes (1 1/2 lb)
3 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For couscous
2 3/4 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth if making vegetarian)
2 1/4 cups pearl (Israeli) couscous
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Roast tomatoes and make dressing:
Preheat oven to 250°F.

Halve tomatoes through stem ends and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on a rack 30 minutes.

Peel garlic and purée with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is very smooth.

Make couscous:
Bring broth to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and stir in couscous, then simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes.

Spread couscous in 1 layer on a baking sheet and cool 15 minutes.

Transfer couscous to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, dressing, roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cooks’ note:
• Roasted tomatoes, dressing, and couscous can be made 1 day ahead and kept separately, covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Grilled Steak with Roasted Garlic & Thyme Butter

This was quite possibly the best steak I’ve had. It was unbelievably good, and everyone wanted the recipe at the Creative Retreat.

Grilled Steak with Roasted Garlic + Thyme Butter
serves 8

1 head garlic
1 t olive oil
1 T chopped fresh thyme
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
8 six-ounce steaks (your choice of cut)
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice off the top 1/4 inch of the head of garlic just so that you can see the cloves exposed. Place on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap foil around garlic and place in the oven to roast until it is soft – approximately 20-25 minutes. Roasted garlic is sweet and savory, not as sharp or spicy as raw garlic. It gives a nice rich flavor to the marinade.

Meanwhile, heat the grill to medium high and take the steaks out of the fridge to get to room temperature. When the garlic is done, take out of oven, let cool 5 minutes, then squeeze out the cloves into a small bowl. Add butter, thyme, salt and pepper to the mixture. (You can also put the butter in the microwave for 5-10 seconds if you want a runny marinade. Just be cafeful if the steaks are cold – it will solidify the butter when you put it on the steaks.) Mix until fully combined, then spread over each of the steaks. Cook steaks until desired doneness.

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary

My mom has been making these potatoes for as long as i can remember, and they’re always delicious. This is another recipe from the weekend menu for our Creative Retreat.

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary
serves 4

1 1/2 # baby red potatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
2 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Quarter the baby red potatoes and toss in the garlic, rosemary and olive oil. Prepare a baking sheet with tin foil (this will make clean up SO much easier). Place potatoes on baking sheet and roast for about 40-45 minutes. They will be done when they’re browning.

Greek Salad

I feel like I’ve made this salad a hundred times. It’s fast, easy, and delicious. It’s perfect for backyard BBQs, baby showers, bridal showers, brunch, etc. This is another recipe from the weekend menu for our Creative Retreat.

Greek Salad
serves 8

2 bags organic mixed greens
8 oz feta, crumbled
1 seedless cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ half moons
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 T herbes de provence
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
3 T olive oil

To make the dressing, whisk together herbes de provence, lemon juice and olive oil. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss in the dressing.

Grilled BBQ Rubbed Pork Chops

These might be my favorite way to cook pork chops. I’ve made these several times this summer, and the recipe is always delicious. It’s a great recipe when camping because it’s so easy (just make the rub ahead of time and take it with). We made these at our Creative Retreat this summer and they were delicious.

You can make these in the oven too, if you don’t have a grill. Bake in a shallow baking dish rubbed with a little oil in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, turning halfway.

Grilled BBQ rubbed Pork Chops
serves 8

2T ancho chile powder
2t salt
1t cumin
1/4t pepper
pinch of cayenne
pinch of allspice
pinch of cinnamon
8 thick cut hormone-free pork loin chops

Heat your grill to medium high heat.

Prepare the rub by combining all the above ingredients except for the pork chops. Rub each side of the chops with the rub.

Grill the chops until desired doneness (I prefer mine medium to medium well). For cooked through, plan on approx 5-6 minutes on a side. Flip halfway through.

*Note: if you aren’t cooking for 8 right away, make the rub and just use as much as you need. You can store the extra rub for at least a month.

Wine Pairing Suggestion
These chops go well with a bold, fruity red wine like a syrah or zinfandel. If you prefer white wine, a nice French style chardonnay works (something not oaky) or a Gewurtzeminer if you want to balance the spiciness.