Vegetable Polenta Pot Pie

This was a meal I created on my own, using bits and pieces from other recipes to put it all together.  The result was a very tasty and satisfying dish.

Since this was a "make it up as I go along" type of recipe, the measurements are often not exact.  But feel free to do what I did and just adjust as you go along.  In my case, I had a large stash of frozen veggies that I used for the filling.

Vegetable Polenta Pot Pie

Ingredients

Filling:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp celery seed
Other spices and seasonings to taste (I used coriander and a cube of chicken bouillon)
1 3/4 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
2/3 cup milk
Various vegetables (such as mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, corn, green beans, peas, etc.), pre-cooked (such as roasted, sauteed, steamed, etc.)

Polenta crust:
3/4 cup cornmeal
3 cups liquid (I chose 2 cups broth, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp freshly grated Romano cheese

Directions

Filling:
In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, celery seed, and other spices to taste. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place mixed vegetables in a large baking dish or two pie pans.  Pour gravy over vegetables and mix well.

Polenta crust:
Combine liquid in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil. Gradually stir in cornmeal and salt. Reduce the heat as soon as it starts to show the first signs of spitting, keeping it low enough that the polenta won't puff, pop, and spit as it cooks. Stir it every few minutes. Cook until polenta thickens and pulls away from sides of pan, stirring constantly, about 20-30 minutes (or longer depending on coarseness of cornmeal).   Mix in olive oil.

Pour warm polenta over vegetable mixture. Using spatula, smooth top, covering vegetables completely. Sprinkle polenta with Romano cheese.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake pot pie until polenta is firm to touch and vegetable mixture is heated through, about 20 minutes. Preheat broiler. Broil pot pie until polenta is golden, about 4 minutes.  Serve hot.

Original links:
For gravysauce - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/26317/chicken-pot-pie-ix/
For polenta crust - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/vegetable-pot-pie-with-wine-sauce-and-polenta-crust-1549 and http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/05/how-to-make-the-best-polenta.html

Bok Choy Stir Fry with Beef and Oyster Sauce

Things I like about this recipe: 1) It's quick; 2) It's delicious; 3) It uses very inexpensive ingredients.  I ended up using regular bok choy instead of baby bok choy and it worked out just fine.

Bok Choy Stir Fry with Beef and Oyster Sauce

Ingredients

1 pound baby bok choy
1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil (or other high flashpoint oil)
1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound top round beef, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions

Trim the ends of the bok choy. Wash, pat dry with paper towels, and then set aside.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and then add the garlic and ginger. 

Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until soft, and then lay the beef slices flat on the pan. Cook each side for 1 minute or until browned.

Stir in the bok choy and cook for 1 minute, or until the bok choy just starts to wilt.

Stir in the oyster sauce, fish sauce and bell pepper and cook for about 1 minute or until heated through.

Garnish with sesame seeds and serve warm.
Original link:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/bok-choy-stir-fry-with-beef-and-oyster-sauce

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

On the upside, this was a delicious side dish that used items I had readily available in my pantry (I did have to resort to dried parsley instead of fresh).  Also, my kids loved it.  On the downside, the pasta did all stick together - but that was probably execution rather than directions. It was still delicious and made an excellent accompaniment to some spinach and feta chicken sausage I had on hand.

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk, or more, as needed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Stir in chicken broth, milk, butter and fettuccine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through, about 18-20 minutes. Stir in Parmesan. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Original link:
http://damndelicious.net/2014/10/11/one-pot-garlic-parmesan-pasta/

Stir-Fried Sesame Asparagus

Asparagus is great just about any way you cook it.  Here's a quick and tasty version with an Asian flair.

Stir-Fried Sesame Asparagus

Ingredients

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed, cut on diagonal into 2-inch-long pieces
4 teaspoons sesame seeds

Directions

Stir soy sauce and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Heat oil in heavy large skillet. Add garlic and stir 15 seconds. Add asparagus and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add soy mixture and toss until asparagus is coated, about 1 minute longer. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.


Original link:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/stir-fried-sesame-asparagus-103789

Potato Salad with Green Beans and Salsa Verde

This is an excellent dinner side dish.  Calling it a potato salad is a bit of a misnomer in the traditional sense, since it's served hot and immediately (a little hard to accomplish at your next picnic or potluck).  But that being said, it's definitely worth trying out.

Potato Salad with Green Beans and Salsa Verde

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced chives
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
Salt
1 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
Chive blossoms, for garnish (optional)

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil with the chives, parsley, mint, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic and season with salt. Let the salsa verde stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water, add a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes over moderately high heat until just tender, about 8 minutes; drain and return them to the saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and toss to coat. Season with salt.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and cook until crisp-tender, 4 minutes; drain. Return the beans to the pot and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt.

Add half of the salsa verde to the potatoes and half to the beans, stirring to coat. Transfer the beans to a serving bowl. Top with the potatoes, garnish with the chive blossoms and serve right away.


Original link:http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/potato-salad-green-beans-and-salsa-verde 

Simple Grilled Salmon Fillets

This isn't so much a new recipe as it is a new way to grill salmon that I tried and I really like.

Simple Grilled Salmon Fillets

Ingredients

Salmon fillets
Canola or vegetable oil (for grill)
Olive oil (for fish)
Pappy's seasoning (or similar seasoning salt)
Lemon

Directions

Prepare a well oiled and well heated grill. Brush the salmon fillets with olive oil. Place on grill skin side up and grill for four minutes.  Flip. Brush with a mixture of Pappy's seasoning, olive oil, and the juice from one lemon.  Grilled for four more minutes. Pull and enjoy.