Mushroom Marsala on Gorgonzola Polenta w/ Arugula Salad

meatless meal in minutes...

It was a busy weekend and I've had little time to think about my blog and this post. So, I needed something quick and easy tonight. One of my favorite things to make when time is short and I need to make dinner is polenta - it cooks in 3 minutes, much quicker than pasta. It's a lot like grits if you've never had it before. And it's really good with butter and cheese...especially with Gorgonzola cheese. Yum!

Polenta is an Italian staple, so I'm topping it with a classic sauce - Marsala. Typically chicken is served with this sauce (and that's what I made for my husband; he hates mushrooms). But, to make this a vegetarian meal, I just left it out and doubled the amount of mushrooms. This simple supper is nearly a whole meal as well, just serve it with your favorite green vegetable. Need a deliciously easy meal in minutes? Make this for dinner, here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4
Mushroom Marsala
2 T Olive Oil
1 lb. Sliced Mushrooms (such as crimini)
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1/2 T Fresh Thyme, chopped
2 T All-Purpose Flour
1/2 C Sweet Marsala Wine
1/2 C Vegetable Broth
2 T Unsalted Butter
1/4 C Fresh Parsley, chopped

Gorgonzola Polenta
1 Box Quick-Cooking Polenta (4 servings)
1/4 C Half & Half
1 T Unsalted Butter
4 oz. Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled

Arugula Salad
2 C Baby Arugula
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper

Directions
Following the directions on the polenta box, bring 4 1/2 C of water to a boil in a sauce pan.

Brown the mushrooms: Heat the olive oil over medium. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned about 5 minutes. Hold off salting them, this draws out liquid and keeps the mushrooms from browning. Stir in the thyme, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for another minute.

Make the sauce: Add the flour to the mushrooms and cook out, about one minute. Pour the Marsala into the pan and boil down for a few seconds. Then add the vegetable broth and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and parsley. Taste for seasoning and keep warm.

Make the polenta: Salt the boiling water and slowly whisk the polenta into it. Turn off the heat and continue whisking for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. Whisk in the half and half and butter. Finally stir in the crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.

Plate the dish: In a bowl combine the arugula, lemon juice, oil, and a pinch each salt and pepper. Toss to combine. In a shallow bowl put down a bed of the polenta, top with the mushroom Marsala, and finish with the arugula salad. Serve with your favorite green vegetable. Enjoy!

Roasted Duck Breasts over Wild Rice with Pomegranate-Orange Sauce

duck...duck...food!

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm focusing on pomegranates and Valentine's day with this series of red recipes. How appropriate that color falls at this time! Last night I made a dinner worthy of any date night and perfect for Saturday. It's a meal that will impress, but really was quite easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for the duck to roast, it smells so good!

This recipe was inspired by duck a l'orange, a classic French dish that pairs roasted duck with an orange sauce. My sauce not only contains orange juice and zest, but also pomegranate juice and molasses. Pomegranate molasses can be found at specialty stores (try Jungle Jim's) or you can make your own (follow this recipe). If you want to impress your Valentine's Day date don't go out to dinner, make it! Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 2
2 Duck Breasts (1/2 lb. each)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
1/2 C Pomegranate Juice
1 Orange, zest & juice
2 T Pomegranate Molasses
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 T Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Fresh Thyme, chopped
To Serve: Wild Rice and Pomegranate Seeds

Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. We are roasting this duck low and slow!

Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, score the skin and fat side in a crosshatch pattern, making the cuts about 1/2 inch apart. Be careful not to cut into the breast meat. Season the breasts well with salt and pepper.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over med-high. Sear the breasts skin and fat side down, about 6 minutes. Remove the breasts from the pan. Reserve or discard the fat. Wipe out the skillet and place the duck, skin side up, back into it. Put the skillet into the preheated oven to roast for 35-40 minutes. Or, until the duck registers at 145-150 degrees on a digital read thermometer. Once cooked, remove to a cutting board, rest for about 5 minutes, and then cut into thin slices.

As the duck is roasting, make the wild rice and sauce. For the rice: cook to package directions and keep warm. For the sauce: combine the pomegranate and orange juice, zest, molasses, vinegar, brown sugar, thyme, and 1 tsp. salt in a small sauce pan. Heat to a boil and reduce by 2/3, about 15 minutes. The sauce will be think and syrupy. Keep warm.

Plate the sliced duck over a bed of wild rice. Pour the sauce over the top and around the sides of the dish. Top with fresh pomegranate seeds. Valentine's Day dinner never looked so good. Enjoy!

Oven "Fried" Potato Wedges w/ Balsamic Ketchup

it's good to be bad...

For this rainbow series, given my New Year's resolution to eat better, I'm lightening up some of my favorite comfort foods. It's important to still be able to enjoy some of what I consider comfort or "bad" foods like fries, pasta, and dessert. All in moderation. So, for this series, I'll be lightening up and highlighting the nutrients in each one of these dishes. First, I'm tackling the fry....

There is one easy way to bring down the calorie and fat count with fries and that's to bake them. And while I do this, I'm also taking my potato wedges a few steps further by making them good for you. First, I'm using 3 types of potatoes: red, yellow, and sweet. These varieties have many more benefits compared to the usual russet potato, such as iron, vitamins C/A/B5/B6, thiamin, and much more. Specifically, sweet potatoes contain carotenoids which help fight against disease and promote eye health. Secondly, I'm leaving the skins on the potatoes. That's where so many of the vitamins live and traditional fries strip us of those nutrients. Finally, I'm serving these potato wedges with a balsamic ketchup. Balsamic vinegar is high in antioxidants and it cuts down on the high sugar level found in most ketchups. I think I've given plenty of health reasons to make these fries, but I should also mention, they are tasty! So, make these with dinner tonight, here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4
Potato Wedges
4-5 Small Red Skin Potatoes
4-5 Small Yellow Skin Potatoes
2 Small Sweet Potatoes
2-3 T Canola Oil
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
Cooking Spray
3 T Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 T Fresh Thyme, chopped

Balsamic Ketchup
1/4 C Ketchup
2-3 T Balsamic Vinegar
2-3 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Clean the potatoes by scrubbing and drying them well. Cut into wedges, making sure each is about the same size. Put them in a bowl, drizzle with the oil, and season with salt. Spray the prepared baking sheets with cooking spray. Evenly distribute the potatoes on the two trays. Be sure to give the wedges space so that they can cook on all sides (and don't steam). Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the Parmesan cheese and thyme together in a small bowl. Once the potatoes have finished cooking on the first side, flip each fry, and sprinkle with the cheese mixture. Put back into the oven and finish cooking, about 10 more minutes.

As the fries finish cooking, make the balsamic ketchup. In a small bowl combine the ketchup, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Taste and adjust flavors to your liking. Set aside.

Serve the fries immediately with the balsamic ketchup. We enjoyed ours with turkey burgers (yep, still working toward eating more poultry this year too). Sometimes, it can be good to be bad. Enjoy!