dinner time: wild rice casserole

When I got home from work today I was so hungry and figured I would probably just eat dinner by myself(i.e. make a box of macaroni and cheese)--because there was no way I could wait for Colby to get home. The only thing that kept me from doing that was knowing that I was going to be making one of my favorite dishes from Heidi Swanson's cookbook--Super Natural Every Day. ​We've been barreling our way through this book and, even though we haven't made every recipe in the book, we have picked out some go-to's for sure.

Tonight I made the wild rice casserole and, when Colby dug in, he said it reminded him of something his mom would make when he was a kid--comfort food. It's kind of like a mature casserole. Not bland and boring like you'd expect from a casserole, but instead super flavorful and fulfilling. ​

The recipe below is a mix between Heidi's cookbook and the recipe on her website, 101cookbooks.com

Wild Rice Casserole

1/2 pound (8 ounces) cremini mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 yellow onion, well chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups cooked wild rice, room temperature
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
2 large eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
a bit of fresh thyme, chopped
 

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Rub a medium-large baking dish with a bit of olive oil or butter and set aside. The pan I use is slightly smaller than a classic 9x13 baking dish - just grab for something in this ballpark.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat saute the mushrooms in a glug of olive oil sprinkled with a couple pinches of salt. Stir every minute or so until the mushrooms have released their liquid and have browned a bit. Add the onions and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute and remove from heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir until combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, dijon, and salt.

Combine the rice mixture and cottage cheese mixture in a large bowl, stir until well combined and then turn out into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the Gruyere cheese, cover with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 or 30 minutes more or hot throughout and golden along the edges. Sprinkle with the chopped tarragon, and the remaining Gruyere and enjoy.

Serves about 8.

steamed fish with ginger and soy sauce

We decided to make another recipe from our Thai cooking class the other night and it turned out great. This recipe for steamed fish with ginger and soy sauce, or pla nueng chi eaue, is so light and healthy but still full of flavor. It's become a new favorite.

Steamed Fish with Ginger and Soy Sauce*
Serves 4 people

1 lb red snapper (we had tilapia left over in the freezer, so we used that) 
4 tsp ginger, thinly sliced
3 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
3 shallots, sliced
4 scallions, sliced
3 tsp cilantro, chopped
2 chilies, sliced
salt and pepper

Combine all of the ingredients and marinate the fish for half an hour in the refrigerator. Steam the fish for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked. Serve hot with fresh cilantro and chilies.

*recipe from fuel for the soul

pesce al cartoccio or fish in a pouch

As promised, here is one of the tasty recipes from our Italian cooking class. It turned out great and is such a simple and flavorful, healthy dish. Hope you can give it a try!

2 lbs of fish (we used tilapia)
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 c. white wine
1/3 c. pitted kalamata olives
3 tsp. chopped parsley
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
Foil or parchment paper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cut 6 pieces of foil or parchment paper large enough to wrap the fish in
Place a couple lemon slices on the foil, drizzle some oil and wine over them
Put the filets on top of the lemons, pour some more olive oil and wine on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Add the olives, garlic, and parsley on top (we also added halved cherry tomatoes and capers)
Close the packets, but not too tight, by crimping the edges of the foil or paper
Set the pouches on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15 minutes, or longer depending on the size and kind of fish used

Enjoy!

Again, if you're ever in the Boise area and would like to attend one of these classes, or would like to be added to their mailing list, you can check out their website here.​

a (sort of) night in italy

Last year, my parents stumbled upon a husband and wife duo that was providing cooking classes out of their home in the adorable North End of Boise. They attended a few of them and finally decided to invite us along. So, on Christmas Eve, my husband and I along with my parents and brother and sister-in-law went to our first one together. It was an amazing evening spent learning about some tasty, beautiful—yet very simple—Thai cooking techniques. The next day, my brother and I were already talking about when we could plan the next one.

Well, the night finally arrived. Last weekend we spent the weekend in Boise and Saturday night my family and some friends of ours had another amazing evening—but this time we learned about some Italian foods. We made pasta, steamed fish, and a bringyoutoyourkneesgood chocolate mousse. The whole night was filled with laughter, good wine, and delicious food. Pretty much perfection. I love how food can do that.

This week, Colby and I are going to try some of the recipes on our own and I’ll post those recipes when we’re done. If you’re interested in attending one of the classes you can go here and sign up to be on their mailing list. They truly are lovely people and are so generous to open up their home like this.

a summer salad: spinach with strawberries, feta, and candied walnuts

I went to a dinner this week where we were all asked to bring a comfort food—or food from our childhood. It was feeling so warm and springy this week, so I knew exactly what I wanted to bring. My mom used to make this strawberry spinach salad for picnics in the summer when I was growing up and it was so tasty. And, more importantly, sooooo easy. 

Strawberry spinach salad
8 handfuls of spinach
8-10 sliced strawberries
½ to 1 cup of feta cheese (depending on how much you want)
2 c. of candied walnuts (recipe below)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a big bowl and serve.

I didn’t have time to make my own dressing this time, but here’s a great recipe to use…

Candied walnuts
half a cube of butter
2-3 c. walnuts
¼ c . brown sugar (or more…)
½ tsp. salt

Melt the butter in a sauté pan at a low to medium heat. Add the sugar and move it around the pan a bit. Add the walnuts. Coat the walnuts in the buttery sugar goodness for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer to a paper towel or plate to cool and sprinkle the salt evenly over the nuts. You can even pop them in the fridge for a bit to speed up the process. If you have any leftover, these make a great little snack or a topping to your oatmeal the next morning.