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Fast & Easy Dinner: Poached Eggs With Baked Feta

partysugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:50:26 -0700

As a little girl, I used to love it when my mom declared that we were having "breakfast for dinner." This meal usually involved pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Nowadays when I enjoy breakfast for dinner, the menu is a little more sophisticated and always includes poached eggs. The next time I am craving eggs for dinner, I'll be making this vegetarian recipe. With its slab of broiled feta cheese and dusting of spicy ancho chili powder, it's a masterpiece of simple, elegant cooking. Briny olives, crispy focaccia, and fresh sage finish off the dish while providing a Mediterranean feel to the meal. To serve with a glass of chilled fruity Rosé, get the recipe and read more.

Poached Eggs With Baked Feta
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

Six 3-inch squares of rosemary focaccia, halved horizontally
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
10 ounces feta cheese, cut into 6 slabs
Aleppo pepper or ancho chile powder, for sprinkling
6 large eggs
Salt
18 pitted kalamata olives
1 tablespoon chopped sage

Directions

Preheat the broiler and position a rack 6 inches from the heat. Bring a large deep skillet of water to a simmer. Brush the focaccia with olive oil and broil until lightly toasted.
Put a slab of feta into each of 6 individual gratin dishes. Drizzle each slab with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Sprinkle lightly with Aleppo pepper and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned and sizzling.
Meanwhile, crack the eggs one at a time into a small bowl, then slide them into the simmering water. Poach until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about 4 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to the gratin dishes and season with salt. Sprinkle with Aleppo pepper, the olives and sage. Serve with the focaccia.

Serves 6.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Greek Pizza

partysugar — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:50:00 -0800

Sometimes the simplest of dishes can be the most rewarding. Take this quick pizza with classic Greek flavors.

The cooking technique is far from complex and the ingredients are nothing out of the ordinary, yet the resulting dish is comforting, cheesy, and divine.

Feel free to get creative with the toppings - roasted red peppers or Parmesan cheese would be great additions. For the recipe, please read more.

Greek Pizza
From The Nest

Ingredients

1 (12- to 14-inch) pizza crust, freshly made or commercial
1 cup pizza sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
10 to 15 thinly sliced red onion rings, or to taste
1 1/2 cups shredded low fat, regular or soy mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
1/3 cup chopped or sliced pitted black Greek kalamata olives

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Prebake the fresh pizza crust if using, for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool slightly.
Spread the sauce on the crust. Sprinkle the pizza with the oregano, arrange the onion rings on the sauce and top with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the feta cheese, tomatoes and olives over the mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven, and serve.

Serves 6.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: White Bean and Chorizo Salad

partysugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:45:33 -0800

Take a trip to Spain in your kitchen tonight with this crunchy, filling, and flavorful salad.

Canned white beans are combined with spicy chorizo before being tossed with a sherry vinaigrette. Sliced radishes add a refreshing crispness and black olives finish off this interesting dish with a salty tang.

The hard boiled eggs make the salad wonderfully well-balanced. Serve with crusty bread (for mopping the tasty dressing) and a glass of Spanish wine. For the recipe please read more.

White Bean and Chorizo Salad
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

2 large eggs
One 15-ounce can small white beans, drained
1 ready-to-eat chorizo link (3 ounces), finely diced
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 Boston lettuce leaves
1/4 cup pitted Calamata olives
1 radish, thinly sliced

Directions

Put the eggs in a small saucepan. Cover the eggs with water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 12 minutes. Drain and run under cold water, gently shaking the pan. Peel the eggs and pat dry.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss the beans with the chorizo, onion, bell pepper, parsley, oregano and cumin seeds.
Add the olive oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Arrange the lettuce leaves in bowls and mound the bean salad on top. Scatter the olives and radish slices all around. Quarter the eggs, arrange them around the salads and serve.

Serves 4.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Chicken Provençale

partysugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 06:45:10 -0700

With its thick tomato sauce dotted with capers and black olives, this dish is prepared in the classic Southeastern French style. The flavors meld quickly and the simple meal comes together in less than an hour.

Although the addition of potatoes is not traditional, the starchy vegetables are a welcome ingredient that balances the dish. For a complete meal, serve with a crisp green salad and a glass of Provençal red wine. To look at the recipe, read more.

Chicken Provençale
From Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

8 small or 3 medium yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon gold (about 1 pound), halved (quartered if medium)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup niçoise or other brine-cured black olives, chopped
2 tablespoons drained capers

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the potatoes until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes; drain.
While the potatoes cook, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning, until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a large casserole dish.
Add the garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juice and simmer over low heat until the liquid is reduced, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the olives and capers and season to taste with salt.
Scatter the potatoes over the chicken and pour the tomato mixture on top. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice on an angle. Spoon some sauce and potatoes onto each plate and top with chicken.

Serves 4.

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Not Your Regular Nachos: Black and White Nachos

partysugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:48:31 -0700

Now that Winter soups are a thing of the past, it's time to move onto a more interesting adventure. Recently I told you about my desire to open a restaurant devoted entirely to nachos, but in order for me to do so, I'll need a repertoire of nachos recipes. So to get started I've created a new feature entirely devoted to nachos!

Not your - not-yo, sounds like nacho - regular nachos, I'll be dishing out more than just tortilla chips and melted cheese. To get things started, I made a classic style dish that used items I already had in my pantry or fridge. To see how I made these black and white nachos, read more.

Black and White Nachos
From PartySugar

The name of these nachos comes from the color of the ingredients, which were mostly black and white.

Ingredients

1 bag tortilla chips
2 cups grated white sharp cheddar cheese
1-2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped into small pieces
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup sliced jarred jalapenos

Directions

Cover a baking pan with foil. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Arrange a layer of tortilla chips on the baking sheet. Sprinkle a 1/2 teaspoon of cheese on each chip. Spread another layer of chips over the top.
Scatter the chips with the chicken chunks and black beans.
Sprinkle with more cheese, the black olives and sliced jalapenos. Cover with the remaining cheese.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted, the chips are crisp, and the beans are cooked through.
To enjoy, serve with salsa and Coronas.

Serves 4.

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What Would You Make?

partysugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:01:13 -0800

Here's the scenario: you are at home and hungry. You have to cook up something scrumptious for you and your boyfriend/girlfriend/ spouse/child/friend, but the ingredients you have on hand are limited.

You have a package of pita, a can of garbanzo beans, and black olives. Using these products, along with whatever you currently have on hand in your cupboard and refrigerator, what would you make?

To see what I would make, read more.

To eat more salads this week I purchased a huge container of mixed greens. I will start by cutting the pita into 1 inch pieces. I will toss these with olive oil, salt, pepper, and roasted red pepper flakes. I will place the pita croutons on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until crisp and crunchy.
Meanwhile, I'll prep the salad. In a big bowl I'll combine greens, rinsed garbanzo beans, and chopped black olives. To this I will add a couple of things I know I have in the fridge - green onions and sun dried tomatoes.
I will make a simple red wine vinegar flavored with a little bit of mustard and toss the salad to coat.
I'll add the pita croutons and enjoy the salad with a chilled glass of the white wine I purchased yesterday: dry Riesling!

Source

Do You Know About Black Foods?

partysugar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 01:00:00 -0700

Today is the 78th anniversary of the stock market crash that lead to the great depression. The day is known as Black Tuesday. In honor of the day I've put together a quiz to test how much you know about black foods.

Source

Take the quiz

Fast & Easy Dinner: Spinach, Olive, and Feta Omelet

partysugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:50:25 -0700

Do you live alone? Are you a vegetarian? If you answered yes to both of those questions, I suggest you consider this omelet for dinner tonight. It's a perfectly healthy and delicious meal for one.

In this recipe, the filling is a mixture of garlic, tomatoes, spinach, and black olives, but an omelet can be made with just about any vegetable, herb, or cheese, so use the technique and get creative with the ingredients. To look at the simple and straight-forward method, read more.

Spinach, Olive, and Feta Omelet
From The Nest

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 clove garlic, minced
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 ounces (1 cup) baby spinach
4 to 6 pitted black olives, sliced
3 eggs
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

Place a nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and halved tomatoes. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the baby spinach and olives and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, or until all of the spinach is wilted, then reduce the heat to medium.
Beat the eggs, rosemary, half-and-half, salt and pepper and pour into the pan. Stir constantly so that the eggs do not brown. When the center is just a little soft, crumble the feta cheese all around the omelet. Fold onto the plate and serve.

Serves 1.

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Yum's October Must Haves

partysugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:30:52 -0700

Hard to believe October is already here! Although I'm not a fan of colder weather, I am looking forward to everything October has to offer. From harvest meals to Halloween, it's sure to be an exciting month. Here are my top picks for properly enjoying this fabulous Fall month to the fullest.

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It's Tailgating Time! Seven-Layer Bean Dip

partysugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:30:28 -0700

Tomorrow the Golden Bears (my team!) take to the football field for the first game of the year. Since football season is officially here, I thought it would be fitting to feature one of my favorite tailgating dishes: seven-layer bean dip. This game-day classic is a mixture of beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, black olives, and green onions. It's easy to make and downright delicious - thus, no tailgate table should be without it. This recipe makes use of buttery avocados (they're mashed with pickled jalapeños) and ripe tomatoes (they're tossed with diced onions) resulting in a dip that's fresh and addictive. To get the recipe, please read more.

Seven-Layer Bean Dip
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

4 tablespoons safflower oil
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped onion (from 1 medium onion)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) pinto beans, drained, liquid reserved
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
1 to 2 pickled jalapeno chiles, minced
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
6 scallions, thinly sliced
6 ounces pitted black olives, chopped
1 to 2 bags tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

Heat oil in a large pan. Add 1 cup onion and the garlic, and cook over low heat until translucent, about 2 minutes.
Stir in beans, and cook for 3 minutes. Roughly mash with the back of a spoon, adding reserved liquid as needed to attain desired consistency.
Mix tomatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons onion and the salt.
Mash avocados with jalapenos, 2 tablespoons sour cream, and the lemon juice.
Spread 1/2 inch mashed beans into bottom of each jar. Top with 2 tablespoons cheddar, 1 tablespoon scallions, cup tomato mixture, 3 tablespoons avocado mixture, 2 tablespoons sour cream, then 2 1/2 tablespoons olives. Alternatively, layer all ingredients in a large bowl. Serve with chips.

Serves 8.

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