Sugar-Crusted Fennel & Pear Salad

Did You Know? Today, pears are available in grocery stores 10 months out of the year, but they weren’t always so easy to find. In the 1800s people were willing to pay over $20 for just one pear because they were so rare and delicious.

After a few dozen cupcakes and muffins, I think I'm due for some fresh fruits and vegetables here on Buff Chick. We had my Grandparents and Uncle over yesterday afternoon for a late lunch, and while my Mom simmered away the entree, I worked on a side salad for her. I love introducing new foods to my relatives, and salads are a great way to combine a ton of unique flavors into one satisfying dish. I'm always surprised at the flavor combinations that work in salads. You can basically throw in anything and know it's going to taste good. And no matter what kind of greens I go with, I always add in some type of fruit.

My sister first introduced me to this mix after watching Giada toss it together a few weeks ago. She's made it on many occasions, but each time, we had finished the bowl before I had the chance to photograph any of the remains. Giada used pancetta as the protein, but being vegetarians, we opted for toasted pecans and some feta cheese. And sticking with my 'always throw in fruit' rule, I added some diced anjou pear. This mix has quickly become my go-to salad these days, and even my standard iceberg-and-tomato grandfather went for seconds on this one.

Sugar-Crusted Fennel & Pear Salad
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

1 bulb fennel, halved, cored, and sliced; Reserve about a tablespoon of chopped fronds for garnish, if desired
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pecans, toasted
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons feta
1 pear, cored and diced
10 ounces mixed salad greens
Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, toss together fennel, onion, garlic, brown sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the ingredients on the baking sheet in a single layer. Cook until the fennel is caramelized, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, place the salad greens, caramelized fennel and onion, pecans, pear, and 1/4 cup of feta. Toss the salad with the Red Wine Vinaigrette and garnish with the additional couple tablespoons of feta and the fennel fronds. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Red Wine Vinaigrette

2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Tomato, Feta, & Barley Salad

Did You Know? Barley played an important role in ancient Greek culture as a staple bread-making grain as well as an important food for athletes, who attributed much of their strength to their barley-containing training diets. Gladiators were even known as hordearii, which means "eaters of barley."

One more dish before we put Easter away until next Spring. This barley salad was my favorite addition to our lunch on Sunday. The original recipe called for orzo, but that didn't seem hearty enough for me, nor very flavorful. My fondness of barley's texture and chewiness won over, and I used this favorite grain of mine once more in a lovely salad of sorts.

Besides being wonderfully nutty, barley also packs quite the nutritional punch. Unlike your average pasta or white rice, barley delivers over half of your %DV of fiber and selenium per one cup serving, as well as being a good source of phosphorous, copper, and manganese. Racking up benefits like protection against cardiovascular disease, free radicals, atherosclerosis, and type 2 diabetes, barley is a nutritious whole grain you surely want to incorporate into your diet.



Besides the barley, the ingredients backing it up are in no way lacking nutritionally either. Full of juicy tomatoes, creamy feta, and spicy green onions, the whole salad comes together with a wonderful honey-sweetened vinaigrette. You'll have some extra dressing after tossing the barley, so just throw it in the fridge to flavor your salads and veggies for the next couple days (which is about how long it will last). Enjoy!

Tomato, Feta, & Barley Salad
Adapted from Bon Appetit via Epicurious

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil

4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups barley
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 7-ounce package feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup chopped green onions 1/2 cup toasted, slivered almonds

Rinse barley, and place in a small bowl. Cover with water by about two inches, and let soak for about an hour. Drain.

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bring broth and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Stir in barley, reduce heat, cover, and boil until tender but still firm to bite, about 20 minutes. Drain. Transfer to large wide bowl, tossing frequently until cool.

Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, green onions, and almonds into barley. Add vinaigrette (I used about half); toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Serve at room temperature.

Pecorino-Roasted Fennel & Carrots

Did You Know? A one cup serving of fennel provides one third of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of vitamin A and one half of the RDI of vitamin C. Fennel also provides 15-20% of the RDI of calcium and iron.

Continuing with the Easter theme, this recipe was a delicious addition to our lunch last Sunday. Not being in control of the main dish gave me free reign with the side dishes, and lot more time to focus on that pie I made. It was a lot less stressful knowing that my Mom had the ham under control. And although I have a problem with needing to do everything on my own and just my way, I think I might have to take this 'group-effort' approach again.

I love what the roasting process does to vegetables, especially fennel. The subtleties it brings to the sometimes potent anise flavor is delicious. Playing off the sweetness of the carrots, these two are a match made in heaven. Crusted to a golden brown, the salty pecorino adds yet another layer of depth. Sprinkling the top with kelly green fronds give this dish quite the appeal for such an easy side. Enjoy!

Pecorino-Roasted Fennel & CarrotsAdapted from Bon Appetit via Epicurious

3-4 fennel bulbs, cored, and sliced horizontally, plus 2 teaspoons chopped fronds
3-4 large carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 1/3-inch-thick slices
2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil 13x9-inch baking dish. Layer sliced fennel and carrots in dish, sprinkling layers with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Herbes, then cheese. Drizzle with oil. Bake until vegetables are tender and top is golden brown, about 1 1/4 hours. Sprinkle with fronds, and serve.

YaYa's Potatoes

Did You Know? In 1995 the potato was the first vegetable grown in outer space.

As you all know, my best friend, Brittany, comes from a large, Greek family. Picture "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and then you'll get a sense of what I'm talking about. There's no time to be shy around these people, as hugs and kisses are passed out like you were one of their own. Although we might give Britt a hard time about the resemblence her family has to the previously mentioned, none of us can complain when she's cooking us dinner.

I had never been a very adventurous eater as a kid, but growing up with Brittany definately improved my taste buds. I hated pretty much every vegetable, and had never experienced such a variety of flavor combinations until I started eating dinner at her house. One of our all time favorite meals comes from her YaYa, but lucky for me, Brittany has mastered the technique of recreating all of her grandmother's delicious recipes. Known as Avgolemono soup to most, and YaYa's soup to us, it blends lemon and orzo into a creamy egg-whipped broth. And although we could finish off an entire spaghetti pot between the two of us, it's these potatoes that really steal the show. Dotted with rich, caramelized onions, the potatoes are roasted in a lemon-spiked broth to a deep golden finish. You've never had roasted potatoes until you've had these. And if you don't have a Greek best friend now, I suggest you find one.

I know you'll all be wondering about that soup I mentioned, and I promise it will be posted in the future. Britt and I just moved back to school, so once we get nice and situated, we'll definately be cooking up a batch. Until then, here's the potatoes...

YaYa's Potatoes
2 pounds potatoes, peeled & cut into large chunks (I usually use Yukon Gold, but all I had was Idaho, so that's what was used here)
2 onions, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
2 lemons, zested & juiced
Dried Parsley
Sea salt & pepper
Paprika powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the cut up potatoes and onions in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (I forgot about the onions, which is why I added them after everything was mixed in the above picture). Set aside while you make the lemon dressing.

In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, zest, broth, oregano, garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil, in a slow steady stream. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and onions, and give everything a good toss.

Sprinkle with additional salt (for crunch), paprika (for color), and parsley (for presentation), and put into your preheated oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, give the potatoes a toss, then bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, tossing every 20 minutes or so.

Panko-Pecan Asparagus

Did You Know? Under ideal conditions, an asparagus spear can grow 10" in a 24-hour period, and will continue to produce spears for 15-20 years without being replanted.

We had some leftover breadcrumbs from a dinner my mom made the other day, so I thought I would put them to use in a quick side dish that would be a good addition to any meal. I used asparagus here, because if I kept it in the fridge any longer it would have gone bad, but I'm sure any vegetable would work. Broccoli is always nice with a little crunch, brussels sprouts (now that I've convinced you how tasty they are), potatoes (roasted or twice-baked), squash, any pasta dish (mac & cheese anyone?), you get the idea.

Usually I try to look for spears that are on the skinny side. I think they taste better and they crisp up a lot nicer, but they only had pretty thick ones at the grocery store, so that's what I ended up with. Anyways, this is a really simple dish, but the flavors are in no way lacking. I love the crunch that panko provides. They are a much needed upgrade from regular old crumbs. If you're not familiar with panko, they are a Japanese breadcrumb, with a much coarser texure than its Italian counterpart. The toasted pecan bits round everything out, giving this side a real roasted flavor. So if you're in need of something simple to finish off your next meal, I suggest you start here...

Panko-Pecan Asparagus
1 bunch asparagus spears (around 15 or so)
2 tablespoons walnut oil (feel free to use olive or grapeseed, I just took this whole dish down the nut route)
1/4 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoons dried parsley
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse asparagus under water, pat dry, and snap off the tough ends.

Arrange spears on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper.

In a separate bowl, combine panko, pecans, parsley, and a little more salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the panko-pecan mixture over the spears, and transfer the baking sheet to the oven. My asparagus was on the thick side, so I roasted mine for about 20 minutes. If yours are more slender, I would only do about 15 minutes or so.

Cranberry Apricot Chutney

Did You Know? There are about 4,400 cranberries in one gallon of juice!

Here's another recipe to prepare for the holidays, courtesy of Elana's Pantry. Compared to other cranberry sauces, this particular sauce does not include any granulated sugar, and only two tablespoons of agave. With all the heavy dishes being consumed throughout the holidays, the health benefits of cranberries should be a selling point for this dish. As a huge cranberry fan, I loved this version. My family on the other hand, thought it was a bit tart. You may want to increase the agave nectar or add 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar, you be the judge...

Cranberry Apricot Chutney
1 pound fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dried apricots, cut into quarters
1/4 cup currants
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon ginger zest
1 teaspoon orange zest

Wash cranberries thoroughly, discarding the soft and rotten ones.

Add cranberries and water to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the apricots and currants, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the agave and both zests, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Enjoy warm, or let cool in the refrigerator.

Mushroom & Barley Stuffed Apples

Did You Know? Mushrooms will double in size every 24 hours, so a Portabella is not that much older than a Cremini!

Stuffed fruits and vegetables are great additions to any vegetarian meal. This particular dish has flavors both sweet and savory, and would be a great side on your Thanksgiving table. The mushrooms and barley provide a meaty base, while the cranberries offer a slight tartness. The apple's sweetness balances the dish as a whole. I serve half an apple as a side, but a whole apple would be a great alternative entree for any vegetarian or vegan guest. Feel free to add baked tofu, or substitute any of your favorite nuts.

Mushroom & Barley Stuffed Apples
4 sturdy apples (Golden Delicious, Granny Smith...)
2 tablespoons olive oil
16 ounces mushrooms (I used button)
1 small onion, diced
3/4 cup barley
1 2/3 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup hazelnuts or walnuts, toasted and chopped
Salt and Pepper

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and let sit for a few minutes, without stirring, so they can brown. Add onion, salt, and pepper, and saute a few minutes longer until onion is translucent. Add barley and toast for a couple minutes. Stir in broth and cranberries, and season to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.

Slice apples in half lengthwise, and remove core and some of the flesh with a small spoon. Use a fork to prick apple a few times so they don't explode. Before placing in a baking dish, cut a small slice off the bottom of each apple half so they do not wobble in the dish. Place in a baking dish.

When the barley mixture is ready, stir in the nuts. Using an ice-cream scoop, mound barley on top of apples. Pack any leftover mixture in between the apples in the dish. Pour a little water (1/4-1/2 cup) in the baking dish, and cover with foil. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more.

Whipped Butternut & Apple Puree

Did You Know? Dollar for dollar, butternut squash provides more value than any other squash.

With the holidays approaching, I have been researching recipes to get my menus in place. One dish that always has a reoccuring spot on our Thanksgiving table is my Mema's butternut squash and apple puree. It's a cross between mashed squash and apple sauce with a subtle citrus flavor from the orange juice. The combinations are some of my favorites, and I know you'll like them too...

Whipped Butternut & Apple Puree
4 Butternut squash (choose ones that are on the darker side with no sheen)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
3 Cooking apples (I use MacIntosh)
Orange Juice
Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400

Cut squash in half and scoop out insides (discard or roast seeds for later use). Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, and roast cut side up for about an hour. Remove from oven, and scoop insides out into a food processor.

Meanwhile, peel and cut apples into large chunks. Place chunks in a medium saucepan, and pour in enough orange juice to cover the apples halfway. Season generously with cinnamon. Cover and cook on medium heat until apples break down and form a nice sauce.

When apples are finished cooking, add them to the food processor along with the squash. Puree until nice and whipped, and lump-free. Enjoy with your Thanksgiving dinner! Leftovers reheat nicely, or thin out any extra with a little vegetable broth or apple juice for a soothing autumn soup.