Grilled Green Bean and Heirloom Tomato Salad

When I was twenty-two and a few months into my first job as a sales assistant in the fashion industry, the VP of my department sat me down to tell me that she had to let one of the sales assistants go and that she didn’t think that I had what it took to be in sales. And in the matter of twenty-minutes I lost my job and most of my confidence.

Lucky for me, other people saw something in me and I was hired back the next day to a different department.

And while owning my own restaurant is the ultimate goal, I’ve spent the last six years trying to prove that woman wrong. There is nothing I love more than proving people wrong. And foodie friends, I have.

August 1^st was my first day as the northeast sales representative for all four of my companies brands. I will be toting my lines all over New York and the surrounding areas and spending ten days a month on the east coast.

Chachachachanges.

Of course my favorite part will be the food, but proving to myself and ahem… certain other doubters that I can do whatever I put my mind to will be pretty awesome too.

Now I know I’ve been bad at writing. I do have to sleep after all. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking up some tasty delights.

We are about to hit one of my favorite times of year. That special few months when the heirloom tomato is readily available and at its most delicious. So as usual during August and September I’m trying to stick them in every dish possible.

This one happens to be the perfect blend of cool and crisp. I have no doubt it will end up in your summer rotation.

You will need…

1lb green beans, ends trimmed and halved

1lb heirloom tomatoes, diced into large but bite sized chunks

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup blue cheese

¼ cup pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your grill pan to a medium heat.

In a medium bowl, toss together 1 tablespoons of olive oil and the green beans and season well with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a small pan, heat the pine nuts over medium heat until they are lightly browned and toasty. About 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the grill is hot, place the green beans in a grill basket or directly on the grill. Be carefully to make sure your beans do not fall through the grill grates.

Grill the beans just until they are slightly tender. About 8 to 10 minutes. You still want them to be crisp. Remove them from the heat and allow them to cool to room temperature.

When the beans have cooled, toss together the pine nuts, blue cheese, tomato and green beans.

Drizzle the salad with the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper.

Toss well and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Grilled Green Bean and Heirloom Tomato Salad

1lb green beans, ends trimmed and halved

1lb heirloom tomatoes, diced into large but bite sized chunks

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup blue cheese

¼ cup pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your grill pan to a medium heat.

In a medium bowl, toss together 1 tablespoons of olive oil and the green beans and season well with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a small pan, heat the pine nuts over medium heat until they are lightly browned and toasty. About 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the grill is hot, place the green beans in a grill basket or directly on the grill. Be carefully to make sure your beans do not fall through the grill grates.

Grill the beans just until they are slightly tender. About 8 to 10 minutes. You still want them to be crisp. Remove them from the heat and allow them to cool to room temperature.

When the beans have cooled, toss together the pine nuts, blue cheese, tomato and green beans.

Drizzle the salad with the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper.

Toss well and serve. 

Apple Pumpkin Ravioli

Every autumn my multiple social networking websites light up with buzz about the appearance of pumpkin on the scene. For a solid two months of the year, people go bonkers for pumpkins. Pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin scented candles. Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere.

Shocking… I’m not into pumpkin. Maybe it’s my need to be different and unique or maybe I’m just a pumpkin grinch.

No matter the reason, I decided to challenge myself to do what I challenge others to do. I tried this ingredient in a new and unexpected way to give it a shot in my virtual recipe box. And I’m so glad I did.

This is pumpkin dressed up for a party. And who doesn’t love a good party for your palate?

You will need…

1 pumpkin (about 3lbs) halved, seeds and pulp removed

5 sprigs of thyme

2 honey crisp apples, diced

1 large onion, half roughly chopped and the other half diced

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons sage, finely chopped

¼ cup pine nuts

1 cup white wine

2 chicken stock

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

Homemade ravioli, rolled into thin sheets about 2 ½ to 3 inches wide

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss together the large roughly chopped onion chunks and the apples with 1 tablespoons olive oil and lots of salt and pepper.

On a foil line, rimmed baking sheet spread out the apples and onions.

On a seconded rimmed baking sheet, place the two pumpkin halves and put both the baking sheets in the preheated oven.

Roast the onions and apples just till they are browned, about 20 minutes. Roast the pumpkin until it is very soft. About 1 hour.

When everything is done roasting and everything has cooled enough to handle. Combine the pumpkin, onion and apple in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.

Scoop out about 1 cup of the blended pumpkin mix and reserve it for the sauce.

Stir the cheese into the pumpkin mixture and place it in the refrigerator to cool just until it is firmed slightly. About 20 minutes.

Spread out your pasta sheets and place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling every 2 inches.

Lightly brush the bottom roll of pasta with a little water and place the top sheet on your pasta. Form and cut your ravioli.

When your ravioli has formed, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

While the water is boiling, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add in the remaining onion and cook just until the onions have softened.

Add in the pine nuts and toast until they are slightly browned. About 3 minutes.

Turn up heat a little and pour in the wine. Simmer the wine until it has reduced slightly.

Stir in the chicken stock and the sage and bring back to a simmer.

Whisk in the reserved pumpkin mixture until it is completely combined and saucy.

Cook the raviolis until they are heated through and toss them in with the sauce.

Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Apple Pumpkin Ravioli

1 pumpkin (about 3lbs) halved, seeds and pulp removed

5 sprigs of thyme

2 honey crisp apples, diced

1 large onion, half roughly chopped and the other half diced

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons sage, finely chopped

¼ cup pine nuts

1 cup white wine

2 chicken stock

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

Homemade ravioli, rolled into thin sheets about 2 ½ to 3 inches wide

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss together the large roughly chopped onion chunks and the apples with 1 tablespoons olive oil and lots of salt and pepper.

On a foil line, rimmed baking sheet spread out the apples and onions.

On a seconded rimmed baking sheet, place the two pumpkin halves and put both the baking sheets in the preheated oven.

Roast the onions and apples just till they are browned, about 20 minutes. Roast the pumpkin until it is very soft. About 1 hour.

When everything is done roasting and everything has cooled enough to handle. Combine the pumpkin, onion and apple in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.

Scoop out about 1 cup of the blended pumpkin mix and reserve it for the sauce.

Stir the cheese into the pumpkin mixture and place it in the refrigerator to cool just until it is firmed slightly. About 20 minutes.

Spread out your pasta sheets and place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling every 2 inches.

Lightly brush the bottom roll of pasta with a little water and place the top sheet on your pasta. Form and cut your ravioli.

When your ravioli has formed, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

While the water is boiling, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add in the remaining onion and cook just until the onions have softened.

Add in the pine nuts and toast until they are slightly browned. About 3 minutes.

Turn up heat a little and pour in the wine. Simmer the wine until it has reduced slightly.

Stir in the chicken stock and the sage and bring back to a simmer.

Whisk in the reserved pumpkin mixture until it is completely combined and saucy.

Cook the raviolis until they are heated through and toss them in with the sauce.

Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.

Spinach Pesto

Greetings from New York City!

After a crazy busy trade show in Vegas, I headed home for a whopping sixteen hours before hopping on a plane to the east coast.

Sixteen hours. Just enough time to wash the only pair of jeans I wear, catch up with my parents, kiss my boyfriend and get a good night sleep in my own bed.

To many, this intense schedule might seem a bit much. But for me, it is just confirming that leaving my old job and starting fresh was one thousand percent the right choice.

I feel like I’m starting to live the life I was always meant to live.

Sometimes you have to go out on a limb to get what you want.

So get wild in your life. And in the kitchen.

If you aren’t quite ready to get wild, maybe just mix it up a bit.

You will need…

3 cups spinach

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

¼ cup pine nuts

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by toasting your pine nuts in a small pan over medium heat just until they are lightly browned. About 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the garlic, pine nuts, spinach and cheese.

Blend until completely combined.

Slowly add in the olive oil until it is a fine paste.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Spinach Pesto

3 cups spinach

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

¼ cup pine nuts

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by toasting your pine nuts in a small pan over medium heat just until they are lightly browned. About 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the garlic, pine nuts, spinach and cheese.

Blend until completely combined.

Slowly add in the olive oil until it is a fine paste.

Season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Asparagus and Creamy Mustard Linguini

In any relationship, eventually you and your partner will come across many challenges. Things that challenge you as individuals and as a couple.

This weekend, Wes and I had one of the ultimate tests.

Being on the same team for a board game.

And not just any board game. A board game where we had to agree on what decisions to make and those decisions were timed.

I’m not going to lie. I was concerned we would be the couple of the four to rip each other’s heads off. In fact, I was REALLY concerned because as a couple, we have been together WAY less time than the other three.

But not only did we not kill each other, we killed everyone else.

WINNING.

Winning, just like this pasta dish.

You will need…

2 lbs asparagus, chopped

1 cup basil, chopped

1 pound linguini

¼ cup pine nuts

4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

1 to 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard (to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating a large pot with salted water on high until the water boils.

While you are waiting for the water to boil, add the pine nuts to a small pan and heat them over medium heat until they are brown and toasty.

When the pine nuts are toasted, set them aside.

Add the pasta till the boiled water and cook to the packing instructions.

With about 5 minutes left in the pasta’s cook time, add the asparagus into the pot.

When the pasta has cooked, drain the pasta but make sure to reserve 2 to 3 cups of the pasta water.

Put the pasta and asparagus back into the pot and add in the goat cheese, pine nuts and the mustard.

Adding about ¼ a cup of water at a time, alternate adding in water and stirring until your sauce is nice and creamy.

Season with salt and pepper, top with the basil and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Asparagus and Creamy Mustard Linguini

2 lbs asparagus, chopped

1 cup basil, chopped

1 pound linguini

¼ cup pine nuts

4 ounces crumbled goat cheese

1 to 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard (to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating a large pot with salted water on high until the water boils.

While you are waiting for the water to boil, add the pine nuts to a small pan and heat them over medium heat until they are brown and toasty.

When the pine nuts are toasted, set them aside.

Add the pasta till the boiled water and cook to the packing instructions.

With about 5 minutes left in the pasta’s cook time, add the asparagus into the pot.

When the pasta has cooked, drain the pasta but make sure to reserve 2 to 3 cups of the pasta water.

Put the pasta and asparagus back into the pot and add in the goat cheese, pine nuts and the mustard.

Adding about ¼ a cup of water at a time, alternate adding in water and stirring until your sauce is nice and creamy.

Season with salt and pepper, top with the basil and serve.

Basil Pesto

The truth is, most of the time it is easier to buy something than make it yourself.

Clothes.

Houses.

Condiments.

Read that one too fast did you?

All of the above are just easier to buy than make yourself.

But some things are worth the effort and much better when you make them yourselves.

Like thoughtful cards.

Or romantic dinners.

And this pesto.

There is something about deliciously fresh pesto that is extra special. Romantic dinners and thoughtful cards are great too.

But I was really just craving some pesto.

It’s one of those things that looks like it would be really hard, but you are just putting a bunch of sh*t in a blender and pressing a button.

It’s easy and delicious.

And pretty.

Which is totally the most important part.

 You will need…

¼ cup walnuts

¼ cup pine nuts

3 tablespoons chopped garlic (about 9 cloves)

5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (this means pressed down)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 ½ cups olive oil

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Start by placing the walnuts, garlic and pine nuts in the bwol of a food processor or blender.

Process the mixture for 15 seconds.

Add in the basil leaves, salt and pepper and ½ cup of the olive oil.

Process for 30 seconds and then add another ½ cup of oil.

You want to add it slowly so the mixture doesn’t become too oily and the consistency can be to your liking.

Add in the Parmesan and the remaining oil (if you desire it be oilier) and puree the mixture for 1 minute.

Serve with your favorite pasta, on crackers or spread on a delicious piece of bread.

Or rub it all over your body if that’s your fancy.

I don’t judge.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

P.S. Yes oilier is a word. I looked up.