Grilled Asparagus Chopped Salad

Day 147: Bobby Flay’s Grill It!

May 27, 2011

I am on a salad kick that is now combined with grilling. I rarely make a meal using my oven in the summer but I do get tired of the traditional grilled chicken breasts. Mix it up when you grill and add in something fun like grilling fruits and vegetables.

Bobby Flay is that cutie pie grilling Iron Chef master that can be seen on the Food Network. His focus is on the grill, and when he writes a cookbook, I pay attention. This cookbook is full of 150 dishes that are not all that complicated but as always full of flavor.

The Ruling: So good! I can’t wait to make this one again. We did not have Meyer Lemons, and used just regular lemons and it was still delicious. Did my fussy eaters try the salad…..nope. Too bad for them!

Grilled Asparagus Chopped Salad with Creamy Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette and Grilled Pita Chip Croutons, pg 14

Ingredients:

• 2 pocketless pita breads
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups mesclun greens
• ½ pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 8 ounces aged white Cheddar cheese, cut into ½ inch dice
• 1 English cucumber, cut into ½ inch dice
• ½ cup black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and drained again
• Perfectly Grilled Asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (recipe follows)
• Meyer Lemon Dressing (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat your grill to high.
2. Brush the pita on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill until golden brown and crispy, about 1 minute per side.  Remove the pita to a cutting board and cut each pita in half.  Cut each half into ½ inch slices.
3. Combine the mesclun, tomatoes, cheese, cucumber, olives, chickpeas, and asparagus in a large bowl.  Add half of the dressing and toss well to coat; season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with more of the dressing and top with the pita chips.

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Perfectly Grilled Asparagus, pg 11

Ingredients,

• 1 ½ pounds (about 24 medium stalks) fresh asparagus
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat your grill to high.
2. To trim the asparagus, snap the spears with two hands; the tough part should break right off.   For a cleaner look and less waste, you can cut off the tough bottoms with a knife and peel the bottom half of the stalk if necessary.
3. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, toss with the oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Grill the asparagus, perpendicular to the grates of the grill, for 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until just crisp-tender.

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Meyer Lemon Dressing, pg 15

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice.
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves

Directions:

1. Whisk together the Meyer lemon juice, vinegar, honey, mayonnaise, both mustards, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.  Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified and then stir in the tarragon.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at http://www.ididit-fargo.com/.

• Interested in starting your own Professional Organizing business, visit http://www.mssimplicity.com/ to learn about how Melissa can help you! 
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Grilled Cheese With A Grown-up Twist

Day 80: “Bobby Flay’s Throwdown”

March 21, 2011

I swear this will be the last panini like sandwich for at least a week.  The chapter in the cookbook was called grilled cheese…..I never dreamed it would be a panini….ok, maybe I did. Is anyone counting how many paninis I have made in the last month? I can’t count that far! Why so many paninis you might be asking.  Well let me tell you because they are hot and fast! Some nights standing in the kitchen just is not an option.

Bobby Flay’s show on the Food Network is fun to watch. Usually the contestant in the throw down is taken totally by surprise. Really? I would suspect if I was the best at something and the Food Network called and wanted to do a show about you, I would question if Bobby Flay is going to show up. The cookbook is full of beautiful recipes each with a picture. Lovely cookbook but I was looking for the easiest thing in the cookbook and it couldn’t have 30 ingredients, yeah it was that kind of day. But if you want some cool recipes, have fun with this cookbook!

The Ruling: Everyone ate it….because they could put in what they wanted to. Just a few of us had the avocado. I liked the mayonnaise/balsamic spread, and in fact put a little more on my sandwich! Should there be any surprise that we used our panini press instead of a griddle?

The Calvert, page 156

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 5inch round or square pieces rosemary focaccia, split
• Vegetable oil or butter, for the griddle
• 10 slices Monterey Jack cheese
• 8 ounces sliced oven-roasted turkey
• 4 slices applewood-smoked bacon, cooked until crisp
• 1 avocado, halved and thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat a griddle to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the mayonnaise and vinegar in a small bowl. Spread 1 tablespoon on each cut side of the focaccia.
3. Add a little oil to the griddle. Place the focaccia, mayonnaise side up, on the griddle. Put 2 slices of cheese on top of each piece of bread, and cover with a heatproof bowl to melt the cheese.
4. Meanwhile, divide the turkey into 2 portions and put on the griddle to warm. Place the bacon slices in an “X” over each portion, and cover with the avocado and remaining cheese. Once the cheese is melted all around, put a mound of turkey on 2 bottom halves, and top with the remaining bread.
5. Add a bit more oil to the griddle and press the sandwiches with a cast-iron pan or other heavy thing, turning once, until the bread is crisp on both sides.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

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