A Czech Dinner: Fried Cauliflower, Mashed Potatoes, Cucumber Salad

This meal is similar to the traditional Czech dish my mom used to make growing up, which we loved! My mom, brother and I would each take a "station" as a part of the cauliflower breading line.

 Typically, the Czechs serve the cauliflower with boiled potatoes mixed with butter and caraway seeds, sprinkled with freshly minced chives. In this dinner, I used mashed potatoes instead.

I didn't make the dish with any meat because I don't think it needs it, though my husband kept saying 'it needs more sausage,' which he always says when I sneak in a meatless dinner.

Fried cauliflower:

1 head of cauliflower, separate florets

Flour, for dredging
2 eggs, beaten
Breadcrumbs, for coating

Vegetable oil, for frying

Cilantro Lemon Mayo:

¼ cup mayo

1 Tbsp freshly minced cilantro

2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic, finely minced or grated

Freshly cracked black pepper

Mashed Potatoes:
2 large red skinned potatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk or heavy cream
Salt & pepper, to taste

Cucumber salad:
1 1/2 Chinese cucumbers, sliced thinly

¼ small red onion, sliced thinly

½ cup of white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
½ salt
½ freshly crushed pepper

Fried cauliflower:

Steam cauliflower florets for about 10 minutes, until fork tender. Let cool so you can handle them. In this order, fill each bowl with the following: flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. Dredge cauliflower in the flour first, then dip in egg and lastly, coat with breadcrumbs.

In a frying pan, heat about ½ inch of oil over medium high heat. Fry cauliflower, turning over on all sides until golden brown. As they are done, set on a paper towel to help absorb some of the excess oil.

Cilantro Lemon Mayo:

In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mashed potatoes:

In a pot with a steamer, steam potatoes until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove steamer with potatoes from pot, drain water from pot. Add butter and milk to pot and return to stove top over low heat; stirring until butter melts. Add potatoes back into pot and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Cucumber salad:

In a medium mixing bowl, add vinegar, sugar salt and pepper. Wisk until sugar is dissolved. Pour over cucumbers and onion; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve cauliflower with potatoes and a side of cucumber salad. Serve with a ram

Fried cauliflower is delicious hot… or eat them cold the next day as a snack!

Enjoy!

Grilled Pork over Succotash with Cauliflower Potato Gratin

I wasn’t sure what to call my veggie mix, but then ‘succotash’ popped in my head. I looked it up and thought it fit pretty well for what I made, minus the beans that a succotash usually includes. This dish mainly features the sides, so you can choose the meat of your choice to grill/bake and serve along the succotash and gratin. I used pork for this dinner, but chicken would also be good.

Gratin:
2 red skinned potatoes, cubed
1/3 small cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
¼ cup freshly grated Cheddar cheese
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup of Gorgonzola cream sauce from my gnocchi recipe (minus the zucchini) http://dinnerwiththewelches.blogspot.com/2011/07/potato-gnocchi-in-gorgonzola-cream.html
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Succotash:
1 ear of corn
½ green bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
¼ small red onion, diced
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
EVOO

Gratin:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, steam or boil potatoes and cauliflower together for about 10 minutes. I prefer to steam to keep the flavor and don’t boil out the nutrients. Drain and add to a casserole dish. Cover with cheese and cream sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Broil uncovered for the last 5 minutes until brown cheese bubble form.

Succotash:

Boil corn in salted water for about 15 minutes. Drain, remove from pot and let cool so you can handle it. In a medium pan, heat EVOO over med-high heat, add peppers, carrot and onion. Sauté for a few minutes until they start to get tender. Using a sharp knife, cut corn off the cob and add to the veggies in the pan. Since the corn is already cooked you can add towards the end. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Plate by making a bed of succotash, top with grilled meat and serve with a side of gratin.

Potato Gnocchi in Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

This dish was inspired by a meal we had in Venice, which was our most amazing dinner of the trip. At the restaurant, Rosa Rossa, they used “duck ham,” which was essentially fried duck fat, which I substituted for bacon here.

Gnocchi:
1 lb Russet potatoes
1 egg, beaten
¾ cup flour
Pinch of salt

Sauce:
3 slices of thick bacon, diced
4 oz Gorgonzola Cheese (room temperature)
1 oz butter
8 oz heavy cream
Freshly cracked black pepper
Zucchini, thinly sliced

Gnocchi:
Peel and cut potatoes into quarters. Steam potatoes for about 10 minutes (or you can bake halved potatoes for 50 minutes); drain and let cool so you can handle them. Using a potato ricer, or the fine side of your grater, shred potatoes into a large mixing bowl.

Add egg, flour and salt. Gently mix with your hands until ingredients are combined and you have a ball of dough. Do not over mix to maintain light and fluffy gnocchi.

Dust your counter top or work space with flour. Take one piece of dough at a time and gently roll into a long ¾” rope with your hands. Be careful not to press down on the dough, but to roll outwards.

(Make sauce now, before you start boiling gnocchi.)

Cut dough rope into ½” pieces. Drop into a pot of salted boiling water. As gnocchi floats, remove them and set them in a colander.

Sauce:
In a frying pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and to a paper towel on a plate. In the same pan, add zucchini slices and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a small sauce pan over high heat, combine cheese, butter, cream and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn to a simmer. Add bacon. Wisk sauce until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.

Spoon gnocchi into a bowl, top with sauce, add zucchini, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper. Garnish with fresh basil.

Fruit Pizza

Cookie:
1 premade log of Pillsbury Refrigerated Sugar Cookie dough (found in refrigerated section of grocery store)
Zest of one lemon

Frosting:
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings:
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1-2 kiwis, sliced
1 11-oz can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup fresh raspberries, halved

Glaze:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cookie from wrapper. In a medium bowl, combine lemon zest and cookie dough. Use your hands to work zest into dough. Press the dough evenly onto an ungreased pizza pan or baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Let cookie cool.

For frosting, in a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over cooled cookie. Arrange the fruit on top.

For glaze, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in pineapple and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook until thickened. Cool slightly. Drizzle over fruit.

Refrigerate until chilled.

Breakfast Tostadas

A yummy way to start your weekend!

4 corn tortillas
Non-stick cooking spray
4 eggs
Salt and pepper
½ red bell pepper, diced
4 slices of Canadian bacon, or ham, diced
2 green onion sprigs, or regular yellow onion, diced
Freshly grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray one side of the tortillas with non-stick cooking spray, place on a baking sheet and cook for 7 minutes. Turn tortillas over, spray with more cooking spray and cook for another 7 minutes, until crispy. While tortillas are baking make eggs.

In a frying pan, spray with cooking spray, add peppers, ham and onions; sauté for a few minutes. Add eggs and scramble together. Season with salt and pepper. Don’t overcook the eggs since they will go in the oven for a few minutes and cook more.

Top each tostada with scramble eggs mixture, top with cheese and bake for a couple minutes until cheese is melted.

Top breakfast tostadas with sliced avocado, salsa and fresh minced cilantro. Serve with a fruit salad.

Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken with Couscous

Bursting with flavor in every bite. The hubby usually isn't a fan of couscous unless I mix in different ingredients, like artichoke hearts, cheese, etc...get creative!

2 chicken breasts

¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted

2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes
EVOO
Lemon Pepper seasoning
Salt

Couscous:
1 box of olive oil and pine nuts couscous (or plain)
½ red bell pepper, diced
2 green onion sprigs, sliced
Jarred artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
Feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With a deboning knife, insert a hole into the thick end of the chicken breast and using your knife and finger carefully create a pocket. Be careful to not poke a hole through the other side. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine olives, tomatoes with a drizzle of EVOO. Stuff the chicken with this mixture. Season both sides chicken with lemon pepper and salt. In a frying pan over med-high heat, drizzle a little EVOO and brown both sides of chicken. Remove chicken from pan and to a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes until chicken is cooked throughout.

While chicken is baking, add a couple drizzles of EVOO to a pot over med-high heat. Add peppers and sauté for a couple minutes. Add water for couscous to the pot (following directions on the box), bring to a boil, add couscous with seasonings, remove from heat, cover and set to the side for about 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork then stir in green onions, artichoke hearts and feta cheese.

Serve chicken with couscous and drizzle with cooked chicken juice from baking sheet.

Cilantro Lime Salmon

After this recipe, I will definitely will be using more lime in my dishes going forward,...and I might even plant a lime tree!

2 salmon filets, skin on
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of one lime
Zest of one lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp EVOO
salt
fresh ground pepper

Rice:
1 cup of water or chicken broth
½ long grained basmati rice
¼ cup frozen edamame
¼ cup frozen chopped spinach
1 green onion sprig, chopped
Juice from ½ lime
Zest from one lime (save some to sprinkle on top of finished dish)

In a small bowl, combine cilantro, juice of one lime, zest of one lime, garlic, EVOO, salt and pepper into a bowl. Marinate salmon in mixture in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Heat grill to high heat, grill fish skin side down 5-7 minutes, until skin is crisp. Flip fish, remove skin, squeeze juice from half a lime onto fish. Continue cooking for a few more minutes, until fish easily flakes and is still pink in the middle.

In a rice cooker, add water, rice, a drizzle of EVOO and salt. When the rice is almost done, mix in edamame, spinach and green onions. When rice is finished mix in lime juice and zest; fluff.

Serve fish over rice and sprinkle with extra lime zest.

Spicy Chicken and Sausage over Cilantro Rice

Colorful & spicy!

4 servings

Chicken and Sausage:
2 Spicy Italian sausage links
2 chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 16-oz. can of diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1 cup chicken broth, undrained
EVOO
Salt and pepper

Rice:
2 cup chicken broth
1 cup of long grained balsamic rice
½ cup frozen peas
1 green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

In a medium frying pan over med-high heat, brown sausages, cooking for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and to a plate. Add a few drizzles of EVOO in same frying pan, add chicken seasoned with salt and pepper. Brown both sides of chicken for about 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from heat and add to plate with sausages. Cut chicken and sausage into bite sized pieces.

Add garlic, onion and peppers to pan; sauté for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Add chicken and sausage back to pan. Turn heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

In a rice cooker or pot, cook rice with chicken broth. Add a drizzle of EVOO and pinch of salt. Towards the end of the rice cooking, add peas, green onion and cilantro; mix together.

Serve sausage and chicken mixture over rice.

NOTE: This would also be good over couscous with cilantro instead of rice. Also, add more or less jalapenos depending on how spicy you like it.

Seared Tuna Salad

A light and tasty dinner on a warm summer evening.

2 Ahi tuna steaks
Lemon pepper seasoning
Salt
EVOO
Mixed green salad
Sliced red bell pepper
Shelled edamame
Chopped cucumber
Vinaigrette dressing
Lentil salad

Heat grill or pan to high heat. Brush tuna with EVOO and season with lemon pepper and salt. Over high heat, grill tuna for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on thickness you might want to reduce or increase heat.

Prepare salad by starting with a bed of greens and top with veggies; drizzle with vinaigrette dressing. Add lentil salad and top with sliced, seared tuna.

Note: I just happened to have some lentil salad on hand so I threw it into the dish. I felt it added a little more substance so I’m not sure how much it really “matches” the dish.

Garden Chicken Pasta

2 chicken breast, sliced into strips or bite size pieces
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
½ small yellow onion, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 can diced tomatoes and jalapenos
1 Tbsp flour
EVOO
Salt
Pepper

In a medium frying pan over med-high, drizzle with EVOO with sauté peppers, onions and garlic until tender; remove from pan and set aside. In same pan, add a little more EVOO, add chicken and brown all sides. Turn heat to low and add ½ can of tomatoes.

In a blender, add the other half of the tomatoes with sautéed veggies and flour. Puree until smooth. Add mixture back to chicken. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over bow tie pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Pork Stuffed Collard Greens

Try this recipe with turkey or beef too.

1 large bunch of collard greens
1 lb ground pork
½ small onion, minced or grated
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup bread crumbs (see note below)
Stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook collard green leaves for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine pork, onion, garlic, chili flakes, salt, pepper and bread crumbs. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Divide into 4 sections and make oval shaped mini loafs. Wrap each loaf in 2-3 leaves.

Place seam side down in an 8x8 casserole dish. Add enough broth to reach ¼ of the way up the stuffed greens. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy with rice.

NOTE: If you don’t have bread crumbs, just throw some crackers into a food processor. This is a great way to use up the end slices of bread or stale crackers.

Apple Banana Nut Loaf

1 large ripe banana (about one cup of mashed banana)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 Tbsp softened butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 apples, peeled and grated
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
Zest from one lemon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan; set aside.

In a small bowl, mash banana with a fork. Beat in sugar, then egg and butter. In medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon; add to banana mixture and stir just until flour is moistened. Add apples, nuts and lemon zest; stir just until combined. Pour batter into pan.

Bake uncovered for 55 to 60 minutes.

Let loaf cool before removing from pan. Wrap loaf with aluminum foil and enjoy the next day for breakfast.

Lentil Salad

2-3 servings

½ lb dried lentils

4 cups water
2 Bay leaves
1-2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
½ small onion, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Zest from one lemon
Juice from one lemon
¼ cup fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, minced
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
EVOO

Boil water in a pot and add Bay leaves and lentils; turn heat to low and cook for 25 minutes. Drain any excess water, remove Bay leaves and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, heat EVOO over med-high heat and sauté veggies and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

In a mixing bowl, add lentil and drizzle with EVOO. Toss with sautéed veggies, lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley.

Eat alone as a vegetarian dish or serve as a side. Eat warm or cold.

Coconut Brownies

I totally cheated on this one since I didn’t do anything from scratch,

but they were so good!!

1 box of packaged brownies

1 container of cream cheese frosting

Shredded coconut, toasted

Make brownies according to package directions; let cool. Spread cream cheese frosting over cooled brownies. Cut into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle each square with toasted coconut.

Fresh Vegetable Pasta Salad

A great dish for a potluck or BBQ, or as a side for any grilled meat.

Although it calls for many different fresh herbs, if you don’t have one or two of them on hand, don’t let it stop you from putting this pasta salad together.

About 3 good servings

2 large handfuls of Ditalini pasta (or any pasta of your choice)
½ small red onion, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
3-4 radishes, diced
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
1/2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 Tbsp fresh basil, sliced
1 Tbsp fresh chives, minced
2-3 oz of Pepper Jack or Cheddar cheese, cubed

Dressing
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp water
1 large clove of garlic, minced
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients for dressing; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix cooled pasta, veggies, herbs, cheese and toss with dressing. If the pasta seems a little dry, drizzle with more EVOO and toss.

Steak Taco Salad

A great meal to use up leftover grilled steak. Fast and tasty.

Grilled skirt steak, sliced (I used cold leftovers from this recipe)

Mixed greens
Crushed tortilla chips

Black beans (cold or warm)
½ red bell pepper, sliced
½ avocado, sliced
Jalapenos slices (canned)
Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Make salad by starting with a bed of salad then top with the listed ingredients, finishing with sliced steak. Top with a dollop of sour cream and salsa or serve with ranch dressing.

Teriyaki Pork Loin with Roasted Asparagus Pasta

This is a tasty one. The hubby said 'thank you' like 4 times afterwards. :-)

1 ½ lb pork tenderloin
Teriyaki sauce

About 10 sprigs of asparagus cut in 1” pieces
EVOO for drizzling
Salt and pepper

½ lb bowtie pasta
1/3 cup EVOO
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 Tbsp minced chives
A few dashes of crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper

½ cup of feta cheese or 4 oz of crumbled goat cheese

Marinate pork tenderloin in teriyaki sauce over night, or buy pre-marinated pork at the store.

Over medium heat, grill pork for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

In a medium pot, boil salted water and cook pasta for 7-9 minutes; drain and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes, until tender. Remove and set aside to cool.

In a small mixing bowl, combine EVOO, mustard, garlic, lemon zest & juice, chives, pepper flakes and S&P; whisk together. Toss dressing with pasta salad. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in cheese and asparagus.

Plate sliced pork with pasta salad. Drizzle juice from meat over pork.

Spicy Steak Tacos with Tropical Salsa

2 lb skirt steak
Cajun seasoning
4-6 corn tortillas

Tropical Salsa
1/2 cup of diced fresh pineapple
½ mango, diced
1 small avocado, diced
½ small red onion, minced
1 Tbsp minced cilantro
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
Juice of one lime
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper

Over med-high heat, grill seasoned steak for a 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and let rest before slicing. Grill tortillas until they are warm and crispy.

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for tropical salsa.

Make tacos with sliced steak and top with salsa. Enjoy with black beans sprinkled with Monterey Jack cheese.

Spicy Cheesy Chicken Dip

2-4 Servings

1 ½ cup of cooked, chopped chicken (great way to use up leftover chicken!)
1 8 oz. Chive and Onion cream cheese
¼ cup grated Gruyere cheese (save some for sprinkling on top)
1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup Frank's RedHot sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Transfer to a small casserole dish, top with extra cheese and bake for 25 minutes, until top is browned and bubbly.

Enjoy dip with crackers or a sliced banquette.

Pepperoni & Vegetable Flatbread

Store bought flatbread (Ambretta Tuscan Sweet Tomato flatbread)
Fresh Mozzarella cheese, sliced
Fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
Spicy turkey pepperoni slices
½ green bell pepper, sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
Basil and Garlic pasta sauce
Fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon pasta sauce on flatbread. Layer with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, veggies, parmesan cheese and basil.

Bake for 13-15 minutes.

Get creative by adding more veggies or different meats. Enjoy with a few different types and share with a group.