Citrus Collards with Raisins

Recipe from vegetariantimes.com




I have my friend Dorothy to thank for this easy and tasty recipe. She served hers alongside quinoa and baked yams. This would be a great side dish to any meal. Me, I had this all on its own for my dinner.

The recipe calls for collard greens but I had kale that needed to be used up. I'm sure this would be tasty with your favorite greens, being collards, kale, or chard. My raisins also needed to be eaten soon and were not as plump as when they were purchased, so I soaked them in the orange juice called for in the recipe; they were back to their soft, fat little selves.

The ingredients paired beautifully. The slight bitterness of the kale against the sweet raisins and the burst of citrus was delightful. I easily could have eaten more - if there was any.

Success meter (1-3): 3

I also added a bit of orange zest to the recipe.

If using a wok you may want to blanch the kale or whatever green you use, first, then dry it in a salad spinner. As good as this dish was, I would have liked the kale to be a bit more tender than it was.

You can find this wonderful recipe by clicking here.

WW: Stir-Fried Garlic Eggplant with Pork

Wok Wednesdays wokking thru Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young





I get such a kick out of going to the meat market and asking for only two ounces of pork. The last time, the butcher joked that he felt we were conducting a drug deal with the package being so small. This time when I asked for two ounces, the gentleman repeated my order "two pounds ground pork". "No, two ounces." "Ounces?" "Yes please. I know it's not much.." "No problem, we will give you any amount you need."

I should probably just buy a pound of pork and freeze it in two ounce increments; but then I would miss out on the butcher's reactions to my order.

It was a good thing we went to the Farmer's Market on Sunday for my grocery did not have the Asian eggplant. I thought I only needed two eggplants, the recipe calls for three, so I was one short but the dish turned out perfect anyway.

I have never been a fan of eggplant. I would avoid recipes that called for it and was going to pass on this recipe as well. What made me decide to just go for it, is I have loved just about every recipe we have made so far from this book - and boy am I glad I did. This is fabulous!!

Success Meter (1-3): 3!!!

Partially cooked pork.

This is so good I'm thinking I can cut the eggplant smaller

or even purée it and serve it à la bruschetta style!

My husband & I both agree the eggplant dish

was far better than the steak!

You will not find the recipe here on my blog or within the Wok Wednesdays community. We encourage readers to go and purchase this book at their local independent bookstore or on-line.

Make sure to visit my co-wokkers to see their results on this stir-fry.

Look for the LYL link on the Wok Wednesdays page.

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Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

Recipe from Barefoot Contessa - Back to Basics
by Ina Garten




Let me start off by saying I would definitely use arugula in this salad as called for in the recipe; I used spinach that I had in the fridge that I wanted to use up. The peppery flavor of arugula would be a nice contrast to the sweet butternut squash. To me the spinach came across rather "flat" in taste and texture.

As for the dressing I did not have cider vinegar - used champagne vinegar, apple juice in place of apple cider, and I would cut the oil by half - all I could really taste is the olive oil. Not sure how much of an apple presence there would be if I had the correct vinegar and cider.

Monica of A Beautiful Mess raved about this salad; so maybe if I had the correct ingredients for the dressing it would have turned out better. This is definitely worth a second try and would look beautiful on the Thanksgiving table!

Success meter (1-3): 2

Make sure your squash is almost ready before

adding the cranberries. They turn out quite

chewy and hard if cooked too long.

The beginning of what I thought would be a great dressing.

Arugula makes for a prettier presentation. 

You can find the recipe at Barefoot Contessa and on Monica's blog.

Book Ninety: Complete Entertaining Cookbook

From Williams-Sonoma
Recipes by Joyce Goldstein



                                    Sweet & White Potato Gratin


Trying to tame my craving of something delicious, homey, and comforting, this side-dish hit the spot, along with the rest of this meal.

This may not be the healthiest dinner we've had, but man-o-man, was it good.

And how can it not be good - salmon with a honey-soy glaze, spinach salad with pear and blue cheese, and a gratin made with not only sliced Idaho potatoes, but also sliced sweet potatoes (my all-time favorite) and covered in a garlic infused heavy cream, and baked until the potatoes are tender and the cream thick, and well, creamy. Yes it's worth repeating - this hit the spot.

This gratin I'm thinking, would make a fine addition to your Thanksgiving table, when fat and calories don't count are not counted.

Success meter (1-3): 3

A mandoline makes slicing the potatoes a breeze.

 

Yep. The potatoes are good.

Book Forty-Nine: A Passion for Potatoes

by Lydie Marshall


          Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Olive Oil


Who doesn't like garlic mashed potatoes? If you pass them up because you are on a restricted diet, you can have these. Note that there is no butter or cream which makes them low-fat and cholesterol free! These are not your Thanksgiving or steak house mashed potatoes, but not a bad substitute.

I used Yukon Gold potatoes which have a thin skin, so I chose to leave the peels on. It's important to use the best garlic you can find. Mine had a hint of green and the "green" flavor came out in the product. Also use an olive oil that you like the flavor of. You can kick these up a notch by adding fresh herbs or spices. I think scallions would be a nice addition.

The mashed potatoes turned out nice and soft and the olive oil made them so very creamy - almost as good as the real thing!

Success meter: (1-3): 3

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