#theATOD5 Recipes Fit For The Fourth
Independence Day Feasting
[dropcap letter=”T”]he Fourth of July is a day widely celebrated. It is also a day where the grill comes out and guests arrive. While hot dogs and burgers tend to be the norm, we wanted to encourage you to try a little something different. There are a million great burger recipes out there and we are on board with you seeking those out but below are options for the vegetarian, the health conscious man and woman, those hungry for exquisite but still mindful of what they put into their bodies.Let us suggest your culinary quest for the day from beginning to end … Bon Appetít!
[separator type=”thin”]Curtis Stone’s Poached Egg with Bacon, Avocado, and Lime Mojo
Photo CREDIT @ottowacitizen | Recipe by Chef Curtis Stone { on Rachel Ray Show}
What You’ll Need
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 limes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus 12 whole leaves for garnish
1 scallion, trimmed and finely chopped
1 Fresno chile, finely chopped
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
4 large eggs
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and cut into large chunks
Kosher Salt
4 1/2-inch-thick slices ciabatta bread
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) salted butter
4 slices bacon, cooked and kept warm – OR – Prosciutto
Freshly ground black pepper
What You’ll Do
- To make the lime mojo, in a small saucepan, heat 1/3 cup of the oil over medium-low heat until it reaches the temperature of a warm bath, about 100°F.
- Meanwhile, using a Microplane grater, finely grate the zest of the limes into a medium bowl. Halve the limes and squeeze 1/4 cup juice into the bowl. Stir in the chopped cilantro, scallion and chile.
- Add all but 1 tablespoon of the lime-herb mixture to the warm oil and remove the pan from the heat. Set aside.
- To poach the eggs, in a large deep saucepan, combine the vinegar and 8 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat so that the water is just simmering. Crack one egg in a coffee cup or small bowl and gently transfer the egg to the simmering water. Repeat with the remaining eggs, spacing them evenly in the pan, and poach for about 3 minutes, or until the whites are set, but the yolks are still fluid. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the eggs from the simmering water and place them in the warm olive oil-lime sauce; set aside.
- Meanwhile, preheat the broiler (you can use a toaster oven). Gently fold the avocado chunks into the reserved lime –herb mixture to coat. Season with salt.
- Spread the slices of ciabatta with butter and broil for about 3 minutes, or until nicely toasted on top.
- To serve, place the toast on four plates and top each piece with a slice of bacon. Divide the avocado among the toasts. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the eggs from the sauce and place them on top of the avocado. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of sauce over each toast, distributing the herbs and chile evenly. Garnish with the cilantro leaves and serve immediately.
RACHEL RAY TIP: My “How to Poach Eggs” webisode shared on YouTube is one of my most-watched cooking tips, so I’m sharing a recipe to make ‘em really POP! The citrusy Cuban mojo sauce (pronounced “mo-ho”), a light and refreshing alternative to hollandaise, coats the eggs and avocado, and is drizzled over the dish right before serving to drive that flavor home. Serve with Spicy and Smoky Bloody Marys, and I’d say you’re off to a bloody good start.
Vegetarian? No problem. Simply omit the bacon/prosciutto and add your favorite meatless stand-in.
[separator type=”thin”]Northern Spy’s Kale Salad
What You Need
1/2cup cubed kabocha, butternut, or other winter squash
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1bunch kale (preferably lacinato or dinosaur kale), ribs removed and finely sliced, about 2 1/2 cups
1/4cup almonds, cut roughly in half
1/4cup crumbled or finely chopped Cabot clothbound cheddar (or any good, aged cheddar — if you can’t find aged cheddar, use parmesan)
Fresh lemon juice
Pecorino or other hard cheese, for shaving (optional)
What You’ll Do
- Heat oven to 425° F. Toss squash cubes in just enough olive oil to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet (lined with parchment for easier cleanup), leaving space between the cubes. Roast in the oven until tender and caramelized, about 40 minutes, tossing with a spatula every 10-15 minutes. Toast the almonds on a baking sheet in the same oven until they start to smell nutty, tossing once, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the kale with the almonds, cheddar and squash. Season to taste with lemon juice and olive oil (approximately 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Divide salad between two plates or shallow bowls. Garnish with shaved pecorino cheese, if desired, and serve.
Guacamole Deviled Eggs
by
What You’ll Need
6 hard boiled eggs*
2 ripe avocados
1 Tbsp lime (or lemon) juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp sour cream (can skip if you need dairy-free)
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro (plus a several leaves for garnish)
1 serrano or 1/2 jalapeno chile pepper, minced (include the seeds for more heat, leave them out for less)
1 Tbsp chopped chives or green onion
What You’ll Do
To make hard boil eggs, place eggs in a saucepan and cover with at least one inch (or two) of cold water. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the eggs cook in the residual heat for 10-12 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. For more advice see our How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs.
- Carefully peel the hard boiled eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Place them on a serving platter. Scoop out the cooked yolks and set aside.
- Cut the avocados in half. Remove the pit. Scoop out the avocado flesh and place in a bowl. (See How to Cut and Peel an Avocado.) Roughly mash with a fork. Use your fingers to break up one or two of the cooked egg yolks (2 to 4 halves) over the mashed avocado. (Reserve the remaining egg yolks for another use.) Sprinkle with lime juice and salt, and stir in the sour cream. Stir in the chopped cilantro, serrano or jalapeño chile pepper, and chives.
- Scoop a generous spoonful of the avocado mixture into each well of the hard boiled egg whites. Top with a small sprig of fresh cilantro or some chopped chives.
Roasted Vegetable Pizza
What You’ll Need
75g potatoes, peeled and chopped small
50g gram (chickpea) flour
125g ground rice
50g cornflour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp cream of tartar
pinch salt
25g spread
125ml milk
a little oil for greasing
For the topping
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
½ red pepper, sliced
½ yellow pepper, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
½ tin button mushrooms, drained and halved
40g feta cheese, crumbled
handful fresh basil leaves, torn
What You’ll Do
- Add the potatoes to a pan of boiling water and cook 15 mins until soft, then mash.
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC/gas 7. In a large bowl, mix together the gram flour, ground rice, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar and salt.
- Rub in the potato and spread , until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add enough milk to make a soft dough and form into a ball, then roll out to a 30cm round and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
- Top with slices of tomato, peppers and onion, and mushroom halves.
- Crumble over the feta and bake for 15–20 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the pizza base is golden and crisp.
- Scatter over the basil and serve.
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Juicy Teriyaki Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Homemade Wasabi Mayo
Makes 4 ‘burgers’ and one pot of mayo
What You Need
Teriyaki Marinade
4 tbsp soy sauce, shoyu or tamari sauce
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar OR mirin
1 tbsp honey (I like acacia)
1 tbsp grated gingeroot
2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
The rest
4 portobello(a) mushrooms, wiped cleaned (no washing) and stems removed
2 red onions, thickly sliced (see images)
Fresh sprouts of your choice (I used pea)
Shredded lettuce
Best quality breadrolls
Wasabi mayonnaise (see below) – make while the mushrooms marinate
What You’ll Do
1. Whisk together the marinade. Place the mushrooms into a large ceramic dish and pour over most of the marinade. Toss the mushrooms and marinade with your hands. Brush the rest of the marinade over the onion slices and place the slices in the dish. Cover and leave for 15 minutes to one hour. Meanwhile, make the mayonnaise, or mix good quality mayonnaise (I like Delouis and Stokes) with a little wasabi paste – to taste. If you remember, give the vegetables a turn during the marinading time.
2. When you are ready to cook, fire up a stove-top ridged griddle pan over a medium flame, brushing with a little oil. If you are grilling outside, keep the vegetables to the side of the main heat source, allowing the mushrooms and onions to grill slowly.
3. Shake off and save the excess marinade; place the vegetables on the griddle. Cook over a medium heat for about 5-8 minutes on one side, then turn down the heat a little and cook for a further 7-10 minutes. Baste with the leftover marinade or a little oil if the vegetables look in the least bit dry. Because of their sugar content, the onions will undoubtedly be cooked before the mushrooms, so rescue them before they colour too much. Dark grill marks and a shiny sugary surface is fine, but burnt is not a good look, or eat.
4. Assemble the burgers, using the suggested toppings or your own imagination – grilled pineapple or courgettes, ripe tomatoes, avocado, radishes. You could even eschew the bun altogether and wrap a large lettuce leaf around the mushroom and tuck in.
WASABI MAYONNAISE
(adapted from my Chipotle Mayonnaise recipe)
What You’ll Need
1 MEDIUM ORGANIC EGG
¾ tsp best Dijon mustard
1 ½ tsp caster/super-fine sugar
½ tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
400 ml rapeseed/canola oil
What You’ll Do
Wasabi paste, to taste OR grated horseradish (although I fancy ordering ‘the real thing’ from British the wasabi company next time)
Pop the first six ingredients into a blending jug. Using a hand/immersion blender, process a little and then start adding the oil in a slow, steady trickle. Once it starts to thicken (the sound from the blender will deepen a little), pour more rapidly until it is completely amalgamated. If you want a less stiff mayo – more of a sauce – you may not need all of the oil. At this point you can add in the wasabi/horseradish, or take some out and blend it in by hand.
[separator type=”thin”]Paleo Coconut Whipped Cream + Macadamia Grilled Pineapple Stacks
What You’ll Need
Coconut oil, melted (for grilling)
12 Pineapple rings
5 1/2 Tbsp Coconut sugar, divided
1-1/4 Cups Dry roasted macadamia baking pieces (155g) (or about 1 lightly heaping cup of whole dry roasted macadamias)
2 Large egg whites
1 13 oz Can of FULL FAT coconut milk, chilled at least 24 hours.
2 Tbsp Honey
Fresh mint for garnish, optional
What You’ll Do
- Rub your grill generously with coconut oil and preheat to medium/high heat.
- Lightly pat the pineapple rings dry and place them into a large bowl. Toss with 3 Tbsp of the coconut sugar until evenly coated.
- Place the pineapple onto the preheat grill and cook until lightly charred and caramelized, about 2 minutes. Flip and repeat again. Place on a plate and set aside. Turn your grill down to medium heat.
- While the pineapple cools, place macadamia pieces into a small food processor (mine is 3 cups) and process until large crumbs form. Spread the crumbs into a large, sided plate. Place the egg whites into a medium bowl.
- Take one pineapple ring and dunk it into the egg whites, shaking off the excess. Then, place the pineapple into the macadamia pieces, using your opposite hand, and gently press both sides into the nut pieces. You’ll need to lightly press the nuts on to adhere them to the pineapple. Place onto a separate plate and repeat with remaining pieces.
- Brush a little more coconut oil on the grill and place the pineapple back. Cook until the macadamia pieces are just beginning to look charred and the egg appears to set, about 1-2 minutes per side. Watch carefully so you don’t burn them. Transfer to a plate and let cool while you make the coconut cream.
- Turn your can of chilled coconut milk upside down and open. Pour out the liquid that has risen to the top (save it for a smoothie later) and scoop the thick cream from the bottom of the can into a large bowl. Add in the honey and beat with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.*
- Place one ring of pineapple down and spoon (or pipe, like I did) some coconut cream (about a heaping 1 1/2 Tbsp) onto the center. Top with another ring and repeat. Finish with one more piece of pineapple and a squeeze of coconut cream. Repeat with remaining rings.
- Garnish with mint, if desired, and DEVOUR immediately!
Notes
I like to whip my coconut cream a few hours in advance and then cover and refrigerate it. This way it hardens up and doesn’t melt as quickly one sandwiched between the warm pineapple.
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