Buffalo Cauliflower

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup hot sauce, such as Frank's
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
8 cups cauliflower florets (from about 1 medium head)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Microwave the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl on high until melted. Whisk in the hot sauce and lemon juice and set aside.

Mix olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower and toss until well coated. Spread the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until beginning to brown and just tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Whisk the hot sauce mixture again, drizzle over the cauliflower and toss with tongs to coat. Roast the cauliflower until the sauce is bubbling and browned around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes more. Serve hot with Blue Cheese dressing.

I'm not a huge veggie girl, but I'm trying to be, and this recipe from Food Network Kitchen sounds great.

Non-Gender-Specific Native American Corn

This awesome recipe compliments of Jessie Kelly.

4 ears of corn, cooked and shaved off cob
1 can Ro-Tel
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 green pepper
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon until crisp. Add onion and pepper and cook until soft. Add corn and drained Ro-Tel. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

New England Baked Beans

1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed well
1 medium onion
4 ounces salt pork
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard seed or dry mustard

Have on hand a soup pot and a bean pot or 2-quart Dutch oven with lid.

Discard any broken beans. In a large bowl, combine the beans and water to cover them by 2 inches. Set aside to soak overnight.

Drain the beans, rinse them, and transfer them to the soup pot. Add enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour.

Set the oven at 300 degrees.

Drain the beans and transfer them to the pot or Dutch oven.

Peel and score the onion. Push the onion and salt pork into the beans.

In a bowl, combine the molasses, brown sugar, salt, and mustard seed or dry mustard. Fill the pot with water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven.

Cook the beans for 4 hours, checking occasionally to make sure they have enough liquid. Add water if necessary, to keep the beans covered.

During the last hour, remove the lid from the beans and continue cooking to reduce the liquid. Serve with brown bread and franks.

Corn and Mushroom Compote

Kind of time-consuming... but oh, so worth it. I'm classifying this as a side dish, but could make an excellent dinner on its own.

5-6 ears of super-sweet corn, cut off the cob
2 slices of diced bacon
1 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 cup of fresh english peas, blanched
2 small tomatoes, diced finely
2 T fresh marjoram, chopped
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sherry
1 to 2 T truffle oil
salt and pepper

Mushrooms:

4 portbellos, sliced
4-5 trumpet royale mushrooms, sliced
1 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 cup mushroom stock
1/4 cup marsala wine
2 T chopped fresh basil, parsley and thyme (total, not 2 T each)
Micro Arugula

In a hot saute pan, add bacon and render for 2-3 minutes without burning, then add onion and cook for 1 minute. Add corn and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add some salt to release the sugars in the corn. Make a hole in the middle of the pan and add sliced garlic to it. Cook for 1 minute, then deglaze the pan with the wine. Cook for 1 minute more and add cream. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then stir in tomatoes and peas. Cook until cream becomes thick and coats a spoon. Finish with salt, pepper, butter and fresh marjoram and set aside. Right before serving add truffle oil.

In another saute pan, place oil and all the mushrooms and cook for about 7 minutes until the mushrooms start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute, then add mushroom stock. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half. Finsh with salt, pepper and butter. At the very end add chopped herbs.

Serve by plating the corn first, then top with mushroom mixture, then top with fresh micro arugula. Spoon excess mushroom jus around the plate and serve.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Bacon

1 1/2 lbs small brussels sprouts, each about 1" in diameter, trimmed and halved through root end
1 1/4 cups diced bacon, about 6 oz
1 lemon, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook sprouts in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Spread brussels sprouts in a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with bacon, lemon slices, salt and pepper; stir. Roast brussels sprouts until tender and beginning to brown, stirring every 10 minutes, about 30 minutes. Transfer to bowl and serve.

Italian-Style Green Beans

1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg. frozen whole green beans
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until onion is crisp-tender.

Add beans, tomatoes and seasonings; mix lightly. Cover. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 15 minutes or until beans are tender and mixture is heated through.

Sprinkle with cheeses; cover. Cook an additional 2 minutes or until cheeses are melted.

Roasted Sugar Snap Peas

1 lb. sugar snap pea pods
olive oil
2 cloves garlic
sea salt and pepper

Spread pea pods on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Crush garlic in a garlic press and sprinkle on pea pods. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to mix evenly.

Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Vegetable Melange

1 large zucchini
1 large carrot
1 large leek, white part only, outer leaves removed
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Shave the zucchini and carrot into ribbons using a vegetable peeler to make long, thin strips. Slice the leek into long slices.

Saute leek in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the zucchini and carrot, and saute 2-3 minutes, or until leek is tender.

Remove from heat, toss with lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Made this 8/28/07 with Orange Piccata Chicken.