How to beat stress through cooking. . .

Every couple years or so this thread pops back up. I'm in my pjs in bed, but I guess I will have to post something tomorrow.

Thank you Charles! That should keep everyone in yummies for quite a while.

Salads for a friend

It’s been ages! But as usual, I’m stressed, and cooking. I’m trying to make things a bit healthier so here are some salads I’ve tried off Pinterest.

Roasted Broccoli and Lemony White Beans with Bacon
Cook Time 30 mins
Yields 4-6
You can make the roasted broccoli a day ahead of time, then finish the rest of the recipe as follows.

INGREDIENTS

1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets (3/4 pound)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound thick cut bacon (5 slices), cut into small matchsticks
1 (15 ounce) can white beans, drained
1 medium shallot, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 medium lemon
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place a large roasting pan in the lower half of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Once the oven is preheated, remove the heated pan and spread the broccoli florets out on it. Then drizzle the broccoli with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and toss just a bit to combine. Return the pan to the oven and roast the broccoli for 15 minutes. Toss the broccoli and roast for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until broccoli is just softened and nicely caramelized and charred. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

While broccoli is roasting, heat a medium-large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Fry the bacon pieces, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crispy on the edges but still mostly chewy. Once most of the fat has rendered from the bacon, drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Then add the shallot and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, until shallot has softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until garlic is softened and fragrant. Add the roasted broccoli and beans, folding to combine. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the fresh lemon juice over the top, followed by the lemon zest, parsley, and a bit of freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot or at room temp.

Chopped chicken and Blueberry salad:
Ingredients
Salad
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 head Romaine lettuce, finely chopped
1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
1 cup roughly-chopped toasted pecans
2/3 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup blue cheese (or any soft cheese)
Dijon vinaigrette (see below)

Dijon Vinaigrette
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt and black pepper
Preparation

To make the salad:
Season chicken breasts on both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside.
Transfer chicken breasts to a separate plate and let rest for at least 5-10 minutes. Then chop into small, bite-sized pieces.
Add the chicken to a large bowl with the lettuce, blueberries, pecans, red onion, blue cheese, and vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.

To make the vinaigrette:
Whisk all ingredients together until combined.

Marinated Lentil Salad

LEMON GARLIC DRESSING
1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly Cracked Pepper
SALAD
1 cup dry brown lentils
1/2 bunch parsley
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/4 small red onion
2 oz feta, crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the lentils according to the package directions. For most brown lentils, bring 3 cups of water to boil in a pot, add the lentils, then continue to boil for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water until they are cooled.

While the lentils are cooking, prepare the lemon garlic dressing. Use a microplane, zester, or small-holed cheese grater to remove about 1 Tbsp of the lemon's zest (the thin, yellow, outer layer of the peel). Set the zest aside. Juice the lemon and measure 1/4 cup of the juice to use for the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.

Rinse the parsley well, shake off as much water as possible, then pull the leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Cut the grape tomatoes in half. Finely dice the red onion.

When the lentils are cooked, cooled, and well drained, transfer them to a large bowl. Add the chopped parsley, tomatoes, red onion, crumbled feta, lemon zest, and the prepared dressing. Stir to combine the ingredients and coat everything in dressing.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat. Always stir the salad just before serving to redistribute the dressing and flavors.

Perfect time of year for this one

Basic Caprese Salad

Sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
Perfectly ripe sliced tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves
Good olive oil
Good Balsamic vinegar
Or Good quality pesto

Layer the tomatoe and mozzarella slices with the fresh basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil, and vinegar, or good pesto.

Flan

Flan is next on my list.

Here's a receipe from creme caramel

https://youtu.be/eWeiY7h4odk

Dammit, Minxie, now I'm hungry enough to eat bread.

Thank you, though, for posting these. A good salad is a great thing.