Kale, Mushroom & Tomato Saute with Polenta

Simple weeknight meals are something that I'm always on the lookout for.  After all, it's way too easy to get in a routine of making the same old things every week (I'm totally guilty of this!).  This meal from Whole Foods Market is a great example...It's one of their highest rated recipes on their website, plus it looked super easy.  So, I decided to give it a try.

I'm a big fan of kale lately, so it's no surprise I was drawn to this recipe.  I jokingly say that I'm going to turn green one day from eating it so much.  I mean, it IS healthy!  :)  I love it, because it's pretty versatile and has a great flavor.  The ingredients for this meal are also inexpensive, and I ended up with LOTS of extra kale from the 32oz bag to use in other recipes.

This dish did indeed  come together quickly.  It's as simple as sauting a skillet full of mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and kale.  Then, slices of polenta are quickly sauted in a separate skillet until golden.  Easy peasy.  You can have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes, from start to finish.

Of course, the first question out of my husband's mouth when I placed his plate in front of him was, "But, where's the meat?!?"  That silly man.  I should have known.  If your hubby is anything like mine, crumbled bacon would make a perfect add-on to this quick dinner.

Bon Appetit, my friends!

***This post is brought to you by the great folks at Whole Foods Market.***

Kale, Mushroom & Tomato Saute with Polenta
Adapted from:  Whole Foods Market

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 pound sliced button mushrooms
Salt and pepper
8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch kale (about 3/4 pound), stemmed and roughly chopped
1 (18-ounce) roll precooked polenta, cut into 8 rounds
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in kale and 1/4 cup water, cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook until kale begins to wilt, about 2 minutes. Toss well, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes more. Cover and set aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Arrange polenta in skillet in a single layer (working in batches, if needed) and cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer polenta to a paper towel-lined plate as done.

Arrange polenta on plates, spoon kale and mushroom mixture over the top, garnish with cheese and serve.

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

I just love it when my little nieces spend the night.  We always have such a fun time.  The last time they both spent the night with us, we drug the telescope out of retirement and gazed up at space, while the cicadas hummed and sang from the trees all around us.  They learned all about the craters on the moon, Saturn's rings, constellations and Mars.  Talk about a picture perfect summer evening!

We have a tradition of waking up on Sunday morning and baking something fun together.  I've written about the Buttermilk Biscuits and Chocolate Chip Muffins we've made before here on the blog.  Well, these gorgeous, mouth-watering pancakes are the results of one such recent sleep-over.

These pancakes are amazingly easy, yet so delicious you'll go back for seconds (okay, maybe thirds!).  I mean, who can resist a breakfast that's filled with ooey gooey chocolate chips and is covered with sweet syrup?!?

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes
Adapted from:  Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, pg. 137

Ingredients:
1  3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1  1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Strawberries & Blueberries (optional)
Desired syrup

Directions:
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl, use a fork to combine egg, buttermilk and oil.  Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).  Stir in chocolate chips.

For each stand-size pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet, spreading batter if necessary.  

Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown, turning to second side when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry.  Serve warm.  If desired, top with syrup.

 

Seattle's Best So Simple Iced Coffee

Have I ever told you the story of how Brad and I met?  Well, our little love story started out like this...

One fateful summer day, I stumbled into a little coffee shop right down the street from my new college apartment.  It was smack in the middle of an ideallyic little area called English Village and was called Joe Muggs Newsstand.  I had just moved to Birmingham, AL with one of my best friends, Mary Katherine, to go to college.  We wanted part-time jobs, and low and behold, Joe Muggs was hiring!

We filled out our applications and both got hired.  What a massively fun job that was!  I became a "Master Barista" and could make a mean iced coffee, cappuccino, mocha, or whatever your coffee-lovin' heart desired.  Those were such fun times that I'll never forget.  I could go on and on with stories about working in that little shop.

Shortly after I started the job, I met a handsome fellow that also happened to work there.  Yep, you guessed it...His name was Brad.  I had a crush on this Brad guy and eventually talked one of my co-workers into talking to him on my behalf.  I know, I know...the easy way out, right??  :)

Well, their conversation went well, and Brad and I started dating.  The rest folks, is history.  We've been happily married for over 8 years now.  I can't believe it...My, how time flies!

Joe Muggs Newsstand

 

That hubby of mine is always goofing off!

As you can imagine, coffee holds a special place in our hearts.  In fact, the favors at our wedding were coffee packets with custom labels - "Brad & Celeste, The Perfect Blend."  We even had a custom coffee-chocolate groom's cake!

So, when the great folks at Seattle's Best Coffee recently contacted me to let me know that their House Blend Coffee was now available at Publix stores, I was thrilled to hear this news and so excited to give it a try...especially this particular Iced Coffee recipe.  With summer *officially* here, the temperatures in Alabama are rising quickly, and iced coffee is a refreshing substitute on these sweltering days.

This recipe brings backs memories of the Iced Coffee we used to serve at Joe Muggs.  The flavor is rich, yet smooth.  It's really quite delicious!!  Plus, it's made from high quality, Latin American, arabica beans.  Even the coffee connoisseur hubby of mine was impressed.  After just one sip, he was in love!

 Also, from 6/14/14 to 7/4/14, House Blend is on special at Publix: Roast and Ground House Blend packaged coffee is just $4.99, and House Blend K-cup® Packs are $5.99.  You can't beat that!

You can find more information and additional recipes at  www.seattlesbest.com.

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Seattle's Best So Simple Iced Coffee
Source:  Seattle's Best Coffee

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups ground Seattle’s Best Coffee® House Blend

Supplies:
Bowl
Mixing spoon
Coffee filter or cheese cloth
Strainer
Carafe or bowl with lid

Directions:
Pour grounds into a bowl. Add 1 cup cold water and stir gently. Slowly add remaining 1 1/2 cups cold water, agitating the grounds as little as possible.

Cover, steep at room temperature for 12 hours.

Strain the coffee grounds through a filter. Store concentrate in refrigerator up to 5 days.

To serve, add 1 part coffee concentrate to 3 parts water over ice. Enjoy your smooth-tasting iced coffee with your favorite mix-ins or toppings

Yields 1 cup / 300m

I’m participating in a Seattle’s Best Coffee® blogger campaign and received compensation as part of the program.  However, all opinions and reviews are 100% my own. 

An Exciting Giveaway - $50 Southern Bite Cookbook Prize Package!

Okay, friends...How about another awesome cookbook giveaway?  This one is a new favorite and is authored by my food blogging friend, Stacey Little, from The Southern Bite.  

The Southern Bite prize package features a signed copy of the cookbook in a Southern Bite bag, along with an assortment of fun kitchen utensils/gadgets. The prize package is valued at over $50!

I had the pleasure of meeting Stacey at the 2013 Southern Baking Retreat in Nashville, TN.  I'm a big fan of his blog, and I'm thrilled to offer a copy of his long-awaited cookbook, The Southern Bite Cookbook, to one lucky reader.

Stacey's work has been featured on The Today Show, Fox & Friends, Southern Lady Magazine, as well as many other print and online publications.  His new book is filled with luscious photos of some of the most mouth-wateringly southern food you can imagine.   I also love the personal stories and family shots that fill the pages.  This book is best enjoyed with a glass of ice-cold sweet tea, a porch swing and a long, lazy summer afternoon. 

Just feast your eyes on these recipes (which are all really easy!):

Succotash
Photo courtesy of The Southern Bite Cookbook, via al.com

Fresh Corn Salad
Photo courtesy of The Southern Bite Cookbook, via al.com

Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Pie
Photo courtesy of The Southern Bite Cookbook, via al.com

Turnip Green Dip
Photo courtesy of The Southern Bite Cookbook, via al.com

Okra Fritters
Photo courtesy of The Southern Bite Cookbook, via al.com

Red Velvet Brownies
Photo courtesy of The Southern Bite Cookbook, via al.com

Is your mouth watering yet??

If you'd like a copy of this great cookbook, please enter my rafflecopter giveaway below...It's super duper easy to cast your entry!
Good luck, friends!  :)
IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you enter by leaving a blog comment, don't forget to click the "I Commented" green tab on the rafflecopter widget below.  If you don't, it will not count your entry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#SaveTheBiscuit: Berry Salad w/Poppy Seed Dressing & Buttermilk Biscuit Croutons

You know what they say - When life gives you left-over buttermilk biscuits, make croutons!

Wait a minute, I think I got that a little bit wrong.  ;)

But seriously, where have buttermilk biscuit croutons BEEN all my life?!?  They are insanely delicious right out of the oven, and equally amazing after they've cooled and hardened a bit.  I came across the idea in the May 2014 issue of Southern Living magazine, and wondered, "Why haven't I thought of this before?"

This is a wonderfully fresh take on the classic buttermilk biscuit and is the perfect way to use up extra biscuits that you might have on-hand.  Because we all know, it would simply be a crying shame to waste something as mouth-watering as a homemade biscuit!

I paired these croutons with a flavor-packed salad that will be one of your favorites this summer.  It's filled with fresh strawberries, blueberries, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, red onion, chicken, biscuit croutons, and sunflower kernels.  A drizzle of a sweet and tangy poppy seed dressing pulls it all together.  

Another thing that made this salad so spectacular is the fresh greens that were grown by my incredible in-laws.  They are the best and have made me feel like a part of their family since the first day we met.  I sure do love them and feel so lucky to have them in my life. 

This year, they planted a bountiful garden that includes sugar snap peas, assorted salad greens, strawberries, carrots, swiss chard, tomatoes, radishes, and cilantro.  They also have a number of fruit trees/bushes - fig, blueberry, peach, cherry, and raspberry.  I might even be leaving a few things off.  Needless to say, it's so much fun venturing over to their house to sample the latest offerings of the garden.  

The greens really made this salad.  There's nothing better than picking your own produce and eating it right away.   All those bagged salad greens at the grocery store really pale in comparison.  I've included a few photos of the garden below.

This is the fourth installment in my #SaveTheBiscuit series with the great folks at White Lily flour.  You can see my other White Lily posts here:

Just Peachy Shortcake with Toasted Pecans & Maple Drizzle
Caramel Pecan Biscuit Bake
A Buttermilk Biscuit Tutorial

Bon Appetit, my friends!

My awesome in-laws, Travis and Carol, with my little niece, Amber.  Love them!

Gorgeous salad greens growing in their garden.

Swiss Chard...Mmm...

Fresh greens, right after a light rain.

A cute little sugar snap pea.

Berry Salad w/Poppy Seed Dressing & Buttermilk Biscuit Croutons

Ingredients:

For the salad:

4-5 large handfuls of your favorite salad greens

1 lb. strawberries, sliced

1 cup blueberries

1 cup toasted walnuts

1/3 cup sunflower kernels

1/2 red onion, minced

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1 rotisserie chicken

For the Croutons:

(Adapted from Southern Living magazine, May 2014)

3-4 buttermilk biscuits, cooled

Salt & pepper, to taste

Extra virgin olive oil 

For the Dressing:

(Adapted from:  Taste of Home)

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds 

Directions:

Follow THIS RECIPE to make the buttermilk biscuits.

Let biscuits cool completely and then slice into small, crouton-sized cubes.  Place biscuit pieces on a silicon-lined baking sheet in a single layer.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.   Place in a 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until crisp and lightly toasted.

Meanwhile, remove chicken from the bone and cut or shred into bite-sized pieces.  Set aside.

Place the salad greens into a large bowl.  Add the strawberries, blueberries, toasted walnuts, sunflower kernels, red onion, crumbled goat cheese and chicken.  Gently toss to combine all ingredients.

Divide salad onto individual serving plates and lightly dress with the desired amount of vinaigrette, reserving extra for later use.

To make the dressing:

In a blender, combine the first six ingredients; cover and process until blended. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Stir in poppy seeds. Chill until serving.  Yield: 1 cup.