Wild Rice Salad with Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

Last Thanksgiving I had this side dish at my in-laws house in Minnesota and I was dumbfounded when I ate it. First of all, I loved it, but I couldn't figure out why. I loved the taste of the roasted root vegetables, and the dressing was just right, but there was a flavor in it that I couldn't figure out what it was that just made this dish seem like crack to me--and I got addicted to it.

After my father-in-law sent the me recipe, I made it and then, EUREKA! it hit me. It was the pepitas that I loved. I used to eat pepitas in Mexico all the time and I think it just reminded me of my childhood.

I've made this dish a couple of times since Thanksgiving and I've played around a little with it. First, when I make it I cut the recipe in half because the original recipe below makes a lot of wild rice salad. I use salted pepitas this way I don't have to use much salt after I combine it all, and I also omit the scallions. As for dressing, I cut it by 1/4 because again, the recipe below makes a lot, and the original one had fresh sage in it, but I omitted that, too.

This is a very satisfying side dish and it could also be a meal for a vegetarian or even a dish you can serve for lent since there is no meat involved.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8)

• 4 cups cooked wild rice 

• 4 small parsnips, cubed 

• 4 small carrots, cubed 

• 1 medium squash, cubed 

• 6 scallions, diced 

• ½ cup pepitas 
(Mexican prepared pumpkin seeds)
• Olive oil
• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Put the root vegetables into a large bowl. Toss to lightly coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
Place veggies in a large roasting pan and roast until soft and slightly brown on the outside, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

In a heavy sauté pan heat about 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the pepitas and cook, stirring and shaking the pan, until the pepitas start to "pop" and get golden brown. Remove from heat and cool.

Toss everything together with 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette (recipe below). Taste for seasoning and add more vinaigrette, if needed. Serve room temperature or cold.

Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS (makes about 2 cups of vinaigrette)

• 
¼ cup apple cider vinegar 

• 1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard 

• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup olive oil 
2 Tbl. honey 

• 1 chopped shallot 

• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS


Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until dressing gets combined. Taste and adjust seasoning. You can also use this vinaigrette as a dressing for any salad. It's pretty good.

Faux Juicy Lucy

I was watching the show Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel and the host traveled to Minneapolis to taste the famous juicy Lucy at Matt's bar. Little did I know that there is another restaurant, called the 5/8's, that also has a Juicy Lucy in their menu. There is a debate about who came up with the original Lucy and where the best one is, but just to refresh your memory, a juicy Lucy is a lot of cheddar cheese stuffed in-between two hamburgers then it's pan-grilled to perfection. I was craving this wonderful burger and I came up with my own version. Of course, it wasn't as good at the one at Matt's Bar, but it definitely calmed my craving.

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 juicy Lucy)

• 2 - 1/4 lb. hamburger patties
• Slices of Tillamook mild cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper
• Hamburger fixin's like onion, tomato, mayo, and pickles

DIRECTIONS

Take your two hamburger patties and flatten them down just a tad bit more to 1/4" thick. Place smallish slices of cheddar cheese in the middle of one patty, leaving about 1/8" border around the hamburger. Top it with the other patty and smoosh the sides good so that it forms a tight seal around the hamburgers.

Heat a non-stick pan on medium-high and add a teaspoon of vegetable or canola oil. Season one side of the hamburger with salt and pepper and place it on the pan, seasoned side down. Season the other side while you cook for about 8 minutes (yeah, I know it's a long time, but remember you have cheese in the middle). Turn patty over and cook another 6 to 8 minutes.

Make sure the hamburger rests for at least 5 minutes before you serve it because it's hot! Serve in a hamburger bun with a little mayo, shredded lettuce, tomato and pickles.

The Ned Diaries

Name: Ned Blaha
Breed: lhasa apso Irish
Hometown: Northfield, MN
Hobbies: Fighting squirrels, peeing on Armida, long walks on the dirt road...

Dear Diary,

Today was a good day. I was able to escape the Blaha household and immediately ran towards Mike's moon unit in the back yard. I peed everywhere and I also tracked a squirrel. The squirrel and I got into a fight, but the little turd ran up the tree. I then walked towards Matthew's vineyard and generously fertilized the ground. *wink* *wink* Then I did a recon of the neighborhood and eventually Jim and Kay (they still think they are my owners) called me and fed me dinner. Yes, it was a good day.

TURKEY TREATS FOR DOGGIES

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped*
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 teaspoons grated cheese
• 1 tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped
• 2 egg
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons brewer's yeast
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine turkey, garlic, cheese, parsley and mix well. Beat the eggs in a bowl and pour over turkey mixture. Add the flour, yeast, and oil. Stir until thoroughly mixed and all ingredients are coated. Drop into small lumps onto ungreased cookie sheet. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until brown and firm. Store in refrigerator or freeze for up to 2 months.

*Note: you can use 2 cups of cooked and chopped chicken livers if you prefer.

Turkey Cakes with Morel Sauce

Earlier this year when I was on holiday in Minnesota, I was introduced to morel mushrooms. I had never seen an actual fresh morel mushroom because they are usually sold in dried form here in Southern California. However, up in the Minnesotan-Wisconsin region, these lovely 'shrooms grow wild and they are plentiful. The mushrooms have a very meaty and nutty taste and really wake up bland meats such as chicken or turkey. I played with the ingredients in trying to recreate the pheasant cakes with morel mushroom cream we had at Legends Grill in Prior Lake, MN. It didn't come out exactly the same, but it was still yummy. If you don't like asparagus, you can omit them from the morel sauce...I just used them because I had leftovers.

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

• 1 oz. dried morels, reconstituted in warm water for 30 minutes and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 c. panko or breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Morel Sauce

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup asparagus, cut into 1/2" pieces (about 3 spears)
• 1 oz. dried morels, reconstituted in warm water for 30 minutes and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the chopped shallot and sauté until soft, about 2 minute. Add 1 ounce morels and minced garlic, and sauté until garlic becomes fragrant, about another minute. Put mixture in a large bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.

Once it's cooled, add the ground turkey, worcestershire sauce, egg, parsley, parmesan cheese, panko and salt and pepper to the shallot and morel mixture. Combine the mixture, without overworking it. Shape into 4 patties about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick.

Spray large non-stick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add patties; cook 4 minutes. Turn patties; cook 4 more minutes or until no longer pink in centre and internal thermometer inserted into centre of turkey reads 165°F. Cover the patties with foil and place them in the warm oven while you make the sauce.

Morel sauce: Wipe the same sauté pan with a paper towel and heat 2 tablespoons butter on medium-high heat. Sauté the shallot and asparagus for one minute, then add remaining one ounce of morels and garlic. Sauté for another minute then stir in the white wine. Bring to a boil then simmer for a couple of minutes, or until wine is reduced by half. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer until the mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste then place the warm turkey patties in the sauce and simmer for about a minute. Serve the sauce over the turkey patties and a side of Minnesotan wild rice will go well with this dish, too.

Eating out at the Mall of America

When I visited the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota this past week, I was in awe and in shock. They have an entire theme park, Camp Snoopy--the nation's largest indoor family theme park--in the middle of the mall! The Mall of America is the nation's largest mall. It is a 4.2 million square foot complex and is home to more than 520 shops; it also has a 1.2 million gallon walk-through aquarium; a 14-screen movie theater and more. So, as you can see, this mall is every girls (and guys) dream.

After our day of shopping we ate a late lunch at Tucci Benucch, a country Italian restaurant. The blurb of the restaurant says that "the setting is an Italian country home with distinct dining areas... [The restaurant] serves as an oasis amidst the busy activity of the shopping mall [and] features thin-crust pizzas, pastas, gnocchi, chicken and fresh fish created by our chefs to add to your dining experience." It sounds pretty fancy, but it isn't. We didn't try their thin-crust pizzas, which is their specialty.

I had the Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad with oven-dried tomatoes, pinenuts and mustard vinaigrette ($13.95) and a glass of prosseco--you know me, I always have to have my bubbly.

My husband had the Stuffed Mushrooms with fresh spinach, garlic breadcrumbs, and lemon butter ($7).

My salad was good but I don't think it was worth the 13 bucks. The oven-dried tomatoes were too salty for me and the salad could certainly use more ingredients like roasted chicken or olives. There was something missing in this so-so salad. On the other hand, the stuffed mushrooms were quite delicious and filling. My husband got 3 very large mushrooms stuffed with a garlicky-breadcrumb mixed with spinach. The mushrooms were swimming in the lemon-butter sauce which tasted great with the fresh bread they serve you. I highly recommend this as an appetizer or just for a light meal.

The service was prompt and the bus boy would not stop filling our water glass! Tucci Benucch is a good place to go for lunch or a light meal, it just seemed to me like a fancier Olive Garden and a lot pricier, too.

Minnesota Wild Rice Sausages

Minnesota is famous for three things: Paul Bunyon and his blue Ox, the Mall of America, and wild rice--don't ya know. Wild rice isn't a rice at all, but a cereal grain, for which reason the French explorers called it Folles Avoines (wild oats). Its technical name is Zizania Aquatica because it is a grain found growing in lakes. The Ojibwe and Chippewa Indians have been harvesting it from canoes for centuries.

We purchased Lunds/Byerly's Wild Rice Sausages on our recent trip to Minnesota and we grilled them here in San Diego last night. These sausages are SO GOOD! The wild rice gives them a fuller and nuttier texture and a totally different taste. One sausage contains your meat group and your grain group! As always, we like to eat our sausages with saurkraut, pickled cauliflowers and carrots and a good grain mustard.

If you can't find wild rice pork sausages at your local store, you can order them online from Louies Fine Meats located in Cumberland, Wisconsin.

Here's a dressed sausage with grainy mustard, pickled peppers and cauliflowers and lots of saurkraut!!!

Kay's Dill Seed Bread

My husband and I are finally back in San Diego after spending a week in Northfield, Minnesota. We had a great time although it did take me time to get used to the cold weather. I learned many new recipes from my in-laws and I can't wait to try them on my family here. As I mentioned before, my father-in-law is a great breadmaker, but my mother-in-law, Kay, is also an incredible breadmaker. The night before we left she made her famous Dill Seed Bread. If you can't find dill seeds at your grocery store, try a natural food store or you can order it online. Note, these are actual seeds, not dill weed.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pkg. Or 2-1/2 t. Dry yeast
• ¼ c. Warm water
• 2 T. Sugar
• 1 c. Cream-style cottage cheese, room temperature
• 1 T. Minced onion
• 1 T. Melted or softened butter
• 1 Egg
• 1 t. Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 t. Dill seed (not weed)
• 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 c. (or slightly more) flour

1. In a small glass bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and add the sugar to proof.
2. In a separate large bowl combine the cottage cheese, minced onion, butter, egg, salt, baking soda and dill seed; add the proofed yeast to the mixture.
3. Now start adding the flour one cup at a time; you should add enough flour to allow the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Knead approximately 10 minutes until all of the cottage cheese curds are no longer visible. If you are mixing by hand rather than by Kitchenaide style mixer, you may want to blend or process the cheese prior to kneading by hand.
5. Let dough rest in a warm, draft free area and allow the dough to double in size, about an hour. Once the dough doubles in size, punch the dough to expel the gasses.
6. Shape dough into a loaf and place on a sprayed cookie sheet and allow to double in size again.
7. Brush the loaf with a mixture of egg and milk.
8. Bake at 350 F. until dark golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.
9. Brush the loaf with softened butter upon removal from oven. You can also sprinkle with kosher salt and/or dill seed.
10. YUMMY!

Norwegian Pancake: Lefse

Minnesota is a state of many cultures but the predominant influence here is the Scandinavian culture, yah! Since I've been staying in Northfield, Minnesota these past few days, I found that there is a Norwegian community here. There is even a private college in town, St. Olaf College, named for Olaf II, the patron saint of Norway. Saint Olaf's School was founded by Norwegian immigrants in 1874 and a great dish these immigrants brought with them is lefse. It's a potato-based pancake that is very yummy. I had the opportunity to learn how to make this pancake while I was here.

Lefse was introduced to Norway a little over 250 years ago and, like Ireland, Norway suffered from the effects of the potato famine in the mid-1800's, which is about the time that many Norwegians came to the United States. They brought their knowledge, griddles, mashers and rolling pins. The result is a delicacy that's part of a special tradition that's been replicated in every Norwegian-American town for more than 150 years.

LEFSE FROM DOT

• 5 large potatoes
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup flour to each cup of potatoes

Boil potatoes, mash very fine (with a ricer, if you have one). Add evaporated milk, salt, sugar and butter. Beat until light. Let stand until cool.

Add flour, one cup at a time. Remember, it's 1/2 cup of flour to every one cup of mashed potatoes. So try to measure how much mashed potatoes you have.

Place a linen cloth over your cutting board and sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour. The linen cloth prevents the lefse from sticking. Get our rolling pin out and sprinkle it with flour, too. Roll small pieces of dough (about 2" diameter), place it over the cloth and roll with your rolling pin. Sprinkle flour so that dough doesn't stick. Roll out as thinly as possible. Use a lefse stick (see below), if you have one, to move the thin pancake to the hot griddle. If you don't have a lefse stick, use your fingers or a thin spatula. Bake the pancake on a medium heat griddle until light brown, turning frequently to prevent from scorching. Place lefse between clean towels to keep from becoming dry. To eat the lefse while still warm, spread butter over it then sprinkle it with brown sugar. Roll the lefse like a taco and enjoy anytime! I like to eat it in the morning for breakfast. Thanks to Dot for this recipe.