I hesitated on whether or not to post this, because it just seems so easy; it's more of an idea than a recipe, really, but since we all get stuck in food ruts and sometimes get inspiration from other people, restaurants, etc, I decided to share.  You know, in case you were a little tired of a turkey sandwich.

Pick a tortilla or wrap of your choice.  I used a sun-dried tomato wrap.  Layer turkey, baby spinach or mixed baby greens, roasted red bell pepper strips, shredded parmesan cheese, and pesto.  Wrap up like a burrito and enjoy!

Italian Turkey Wrap
by me!
Serves 1

1- 10 inch or larger tortilla/wrap
3-4 slices deli turkey (depending on the amt of meat you like)
Handful of baby spinach of mixed baby greens (about 1/2 cup loose)
3 Tb roasted red bell pepper strips (cut into strips if whole)
1 Tb Parmesan cheese, shredded
1-2 Tb pesto

Layer all ingredients in a tortilla and wrap, folding in two ends and rolling up like a burrito.  Enjoy!

In case you don't follow a lot of food blogs and like to nerd out with at least some of the facts, Meatless Mondays is a movement created by these guys, encouraging people to eat meatless at least one day a week (particularly Monday) for better health, and a lot of food bloggers blog about it with a near religious fervor.  I ate a chicken salad croissant for lunch today, so I'll let you guess my level of commitment.  Nevertheless, I do eat a lot of meatless meals; partially because of the amazing variety cooking without meat gives, partially for health, and partially for economic purposes.



I ran across these tacos from the How Sweet It Is blog on the website/cooking community Tasty Kitchen and pinned them to my board.  I have developed a thing for sweet potatoes cooked with a Southwestern/ Latin flair, and I don't see this thing letting up anytime soon.  Drew and I really enjoyed these tacos, and they'll likely make another appearance in the Edible Givens household.



They're quick (30 minutes-ish, tops), easy, and cheap.  Oh, and most importantly- they're tasty!  They're pretty healthy too.  I'm going to link to the blog using the recipe title to where I got the recipe/idea for these tacos, but will post as I made them.  Enjoy!

Smoky Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
from the How Sweet It Is blog

Makes 8 tacos (2-3 servings)

If you happen to be reading this on the day it was published, you're probably thinking, "uh, Lauren, it's Thursday.  Is that a Freudian slip?"  Not this time!



Last week, Christy Jordan of Southern Plate posted her first "Pie Day Friday" post, and I tried it out that same night/very next day.  Last weekend was when we celebrated my dad's birthday, and the poor man has developed lactose intolerance or an allergy to dairy to the point that he can't have anything containing dairy much at all.  For those who have ever cut dairy out of their diet, you realize how daunting this is.  It cuts out A LOT of foods, including desserts made with butter, milk, cream, etc.  How sad is a birthday without a birthday cake?  When I saw this recipe, a light bulb went off about trying to make the pudding with almond milk rather than cow milk.  I lightly researched it, and discovered that you CAN use pudding mix with almond milk, and it works great in this recipe.  My dad loved it, too, so bonus!  Tasty, easy, quick, and economical, this was a great kickoff to Pie Day Friday, so thanks Christy Jordan!



I'm posting the recipe as I made it (with the almond milk), but you can click on the recipe title to be taken to Southern Plate and the recipe as it was originally posted.  Enjoy!

Frozen Turtle Pie
adapted from Southern Plate

1- 3.4 oz box Chocolate Instant Pudding
1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1 lg container whipped topping (16 oz)
1- pre-made chocolate cookie pie crust
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 jar caramel topping
1 bottle Magic Shell (you'll use for garnish only)

In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix and the almond milk.  Add in 8 oz of the whipped topping and fold with a rubber spatula/scraper until well combined.

Pour approx. 1 cup of the caramel topping in the bottom of your pie shell, until it completely covers the bottom of the pie shell.  Spread about 1 cup chopped pecans, almost completely covering the caramel layer. Pour pudding-whipped topping mixture over the pecans and cover pie.  Freeze until firm, about 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, spoon or pipe a border of whipped topping around the edge of the pie.  Drizzle Magic Shell and caramel topping over pie.  Sprinkle with additional pecans.

Hi!  As we transition from spring into summer, I naturally want to cook less.  This usually translates into making a lot more salads and using the grill.  Here's a recipe that you can make for another couple weeks while it's not too warm:  pan seared polenta.



I can remember my first polenta experience was in college, in the vegetarian line in the cafeteria (I went to a small school whose dining options were cafeteria or to-go counter).  While I wasn't then and still am not a vegetarian, there are a lot of times meatless dishes can be more interesting than meat-centric dishes, and in the cafeteria at my school, the vegetarian line was usually one of the most creative and tasty lines.  This dish recalls those days, when you're looking for something just a little different.



For those that are from the South and have never tried polenta, polenta is basically grits made from yellow corn rather than white.  It can be cooked to a softer consistency like grits, or it can be cooked and cooled to firm up, as in this recipe.



The recipe takes some prep and planning, but is mostly passive prep time, and the active prep is easy.  I am linking to the original recipe on epicurious.com as it was out of the January 2010 issue of Bon Appetit, but I am posting as I made it.



Pan Seared Polenta
to serve 4 adults

4 cups water
4 Tb. olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal)
Freshly ground black pepper
Tomato based sauce of your choice

• I usually bake the polenta the night before and then will pan sear it the day I want to actually cook it
• The Bon Appetit recipe link (recipe title) also gives the recipe for a spicy tomato basil sauce.  If you promise not to judge me, I'll confess that I usually use a doctored-up jarred sauce.  Here's where you can add meat if you want.
• Serve with a nice green salad and you've got a great, lighter meal!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!  To anyone reading this who is a current military member or a veteran or who has/had a family member in the military, thank you for the sacrifices you and your families have made.

The salad I'm writing about today was made on Wednesday and I've been eating on it the past couple days. I like it.  It would make a decent side dish (maybe for a cookout or gathering), and Deb from Smitten Kitchen even recommends it with some salad greens and a pita.  I am, however, eating it as a light lunch by itself with a fork.    It's great for warmer weather, and doesn't have the risk associated with mayonnaise based salads.  It's easy and quick, and can be made even quicker with jarred roasted red peppers.  I am going to type the recipe as I made it.  Feel free to peruse smittenkitchen.com for her variation.



Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

I can't believe how time has flown!  I speak both of the almost three weeks since my last post, and of my wedding anniversary.



Yesterday Drew and I celebrated six years of marriage.  I realize we're still relative newlyweds, but I'm just as starry-eyed over him as the day we started dating.  Marriage can be very difficult, but the rewards of perseverance and love are great.  One of the activities we've always enjoyed doing together is cooking, especially new things.  It's like a little adventure that you experience with the person you're cooking with.  We decided to tackle one of Alton Brown's "recipes" from Good Eats Season 1 ("Hook Line and Dinner" episode), the salt crusted fish.  After some light internet research I think I have learned that salt crusted fish is an Italian dish, and that it's a pretty widespread/common concept, having been written about in Saveur, Bon Appetit, and Gourmet Magazines, and with recipes online by the likes of Mario Batali and Alton Brown.



The salt dome not only helps to season the fish a bit; it helps to regulate oven temperatures for more even cooking.  It also makes you feel really accomplished as a cook for not too much work.  I will type up the recipe as we made it- that is, the serving amts with ingredient amts. adjusted accordingly.  I'll put in my notes how you can adapt this for yourself.

The whole meal- fish, served with citrus and sliced bread and a salad of mixed  greens, avocado, shallot, and orange slices.

Salt Crusted Fish
inspired by Alton Brown's Good Eats
Feeds 2 hungry adults

1- 1.5 lb whole red snapper, gutted, fins cut off, de-gilled
1.5- 2 lb Kosher Salt
1 orange, sliced into rounds and then halved
1 lime, sliced into rounds
10 sprigs parsley, whole
10 sprigs thyme, whole
1 egg white
2 Tb water

Preheat your oven to 450 F.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (not absolutely necessary but beneficial).  Prepare fish; stuff cavity of fish with the citrus and the herbs.  Don't overstuff, but take care that the cavity is nicely packed.

In a large bowl, combine the salt, egg white, and water and form a wet mixture.  It needs to be moist and chunky but not liquefied.

On the sheet pan, lay down a 1/2'' thick layer of the salt mixture the approximate length of the fish and a little wider.  Place the fish on top of the salt and cover the fish in an even layer of the remaining salt mixture.  The tail and the mouth can be left uncovered.  Lightly pack the salt on; don't crush the fish but do make sure the salt forms a dome.  Think back to the days you played in sand or snow and tried to build tunnels.

Bake the fish 25-30 minutes or until salt crust is lightly browned.  Pull from oven and let rest/cool approx 10 minutes.  Break or loosen crust and peel off fish.  Using serrated knife, peel off skin and place flesh on a plate, taking care to remove any bones or to avoid the bones altogether.  Lift skeleton off and repeat with bottom half of fish.

Notes

• We used a yellow-tailed snapper and purchased it from Whole Foods.  Most nicer grocery stores will not only have whole fish; the guys behind the counter (are they always fish mongers?) will gut, de-gill, and de-fin for you.  Thank God for those people.
• We used orange, lime, parsley, and thyme because we had it.  Feel free to use whatever you want!
• If you're feeding more than two people, use the general rule that you want 1 lb of fish per person.  
• You want approx. 1 lb. Kosher salt per pound of fish.  The avg. box contains 3 lb of Kosher salt.
• Other fish that work well include snappers, striped bass, salmon, etc.  

Please excuse the hole in the middle...that's where I tested for doneness.  It's nicely covered up with whipped cream or ice cream!

Last year I had the fun experience of being invited to and attending a Kentucky Derby party.  The ladies wore dresses and hats and the guys wore...whatever they wanted.  We had various foods that each of us elected to bring, and I found this pie on Martha Stewart's website.  It was a huge hit with everyone who ate it.  It has a very dense, moist consistency, like fudge pie or chess pie.



It comes together fairly easily and is very tasty, so be sure to have this at your next derby gathering, which may be tomorrow.  Enjoy! 

The recipe title is also the link to the webpage on Martha Stewart's website- it's good for other photos as well as a pie crust recipe and video tutorials. 



Run For the Roses Pie
from Martha Stewart

1 pie crust

• While the alcohol does dissipate during cooking, use your discretion if you'll be at a gathering with children or those who do not/cannot drink for whatever reason.  If you're really nervous about it, feel free to search for substitutes, but you're looking for a vanilla-caramel type flavor. 
• The original recipe calls for a pate brisee crust.  I'm not yet foodie enough to have attempted to make my pie crust, so I use Pillsbury refrigerated crusts.