Wheatberry Salad

Here is a salad for today's lunch. I have fresh yellow beans, a golden zucchini, sun gold tomatoes and a pretty little brown colored sweet bell pepper from the farmer's market. Also, I have some avocados and sherry vinegar. I think I'll put some feta on top to add some creaminess and saltiness. We will enjoy eating this out on the porch. It is September 1st and the weather in Cincinnati is gorgeous, 67°F at noon! I'm wearing a sweater!

Combine
3/4 c wheatberries 3/4 c water
in steam oven tray and steam for 25 minutes.

Trim and break
2 handfuls of yellow beans
Place in steam tray and steam for 14 minutes

Slice into small pieces
1 small bright golden zucchini squash 1 sweet brown bell pepper
Steam for 3 minutes.

Peel and slice
2 avocados

Cut in half
30 sungold tomatoes

While steamed ingredients cool, blend together a vinaigrette of:
3 T olive oil 1 T sherry vinegar salt & pepper to taste

Toss each set of ingredients in a small amount of the vinaigrette.
Then toss it all together.
Add feta or mozzarella pearls if desired.
Serve at room temperature.

Last night I was testing a new recipe for a client. I had some beautiful patty pan squash and a little inspiration. I steamed the squash and then opened them up and stuffed them with turkey, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Here is the recipe:

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash
Yield: 4 entree servings

Ingredients
4 medium sized (4-inch) patty pan squash
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cups onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste (optional)
10 oz turkey, ground 93/7 lean
2 oz spinach, chopped
15 cherry tomatoes, roasted and chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
panko bread crumbs (optional)

Do ahead:

• wash and trim squash
• prepare a pot for boiling
• preheat oven to 350°F
• mince garlic
• chop onion, tomatoes and spinach
• chop bread into small cubes

Procedures

• Wash outside of squash.
• Prepare a pot of boiling water (1" deep) and place squash on steamer rack over boiling water. Use a lid and steam squash for 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
  
• Remove the seeds and flesh of the squash with a melon-baller. Throw away the seeds, but chop the flesh and set aside to drain.
  
• In a non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil and add the finely diced onion. Sauté until just starting to brown.
• Add the garlic and sauté, until fragrant.
• Add the dried squash flesh, cooking for another 3 or 4 minutes.
• Add the chopped spinach and saute until wilted.
• Take the skillet off the heat and allow it to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  
• In a separate bowl, toss together bread cubes, parmesan cheese, chopped tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
• When onion and spinach mixture is cooled, add turkey and bread crumbs and mix well with your hands.
• Spoon the mixture into the bottom of the squash, mounding it up high.
• Cover with aluminum foil, and place stuffed squash in the preheated oven for 50 minutes to one hour.
• Remove foil and check the internal temperature. The goal is 165°F.
• Sprinkle panko bread crumbs over the top of the baked squash and return to the oven, uncovered to toast the bread crumbs and get to 165°F.
• To serve, place the top of the squash (with the stem) to the side on the plate.
  

Dobos Torte Party

A week ago, I invited several friends to my house and we made a Dobos Torte. It was a special day. I love cooking in my kitchen at home, and my friends enjoyed being in my new kitchen too! We took a break for lunch, and MKS brought a gorgeous salad with perfectly boiled eggs. We sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather.

The torte turned out really well. We made it nut-free and gluten-free, because some of the folks who would be eating it had requested this. Here is a photo of the bakers and me.