Category: Lunch

No. 582Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Garlic White Beans with Spicy Black Olive Vinaigrette

Garlic White Beans with Spicy Black Olive Vinaigrette | Bijouxs Little Jewels

These beans are so much more than just a bowl of beans, they create and contribute to a great number of dishes and are a great new Little Jewel from the Recipe Membership Collection.

SIMPLE ITALIAN FOOD

These beans come together in a flash and are a favorite that I have adapted from Canal House PRONTO! 2013. To keep things simple, use canned beans drained and rinsed. Place the beans in a bowl then start mixing in the other ingredients. With so few ingredients in the recipe using the highest quality ingredients does really make a difference. As you can guess, a really good olive oil is a must! Novello extra-virgin olive oil was my choice as it is in season. I usually find some at Trader Joe’s but only in January, as this olive oil is an early harvest. Fruity green olives and green grass overtones, yum!

TOAST WITH BEANS & SAGE

Garlic White Beans with Spicy Black Olive Vinaigrette | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

Another way to use these delicious beans is to top thick slices of country bread with the hot beans and add fried sage leaves. Very Italian. Savor the simple recipes from the Recipe Membership Collection.

 

No. 576Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives

Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Spicy food is a culinary tradition in hot, arid countries and LA has been no stranger to the heat. What to do about dinner always remains an ongoing question. Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives, just as the name suggests, is a very strong pasta-just in time.

FOODS OF TUSCANY

There are some very special ingredients at play this version of the recipe. Simple yes, but with very intense flavors that begin with Ligurian Olives from the hills of the Italian Riviera. Both black and green olives are packed in brine along with pure mineral salt. The olives create a rich black color for the sauce, with a taste almost akin to salty caviar.

 

Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives | Bijouxs Little Jewels

The Taggiasca Ligurian olives (to be exact), are mixed with capers, garlic and anchovy to coat strands of another special Tuscan local ingredient addition, Ancient Tuscan Grain Spaghettoni.

ANCIENT TUSCAN GRAINS

Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives | Bijouxs Little Jewels

These Tuscan Ancient Organic grains are farmed, milled and bronzed but all within 4 miles, keeping this a very local and closed loop product. I discovered these grains online and it is a more ‘toothsome” pasta, similiar to our whole wheat. A special Bronze Extrusion process is used that gives the pasta a rougher surface texture. This allows the sauce to really attach to the pasta, making every bite a flavorful experience. This pasta stands up to the assertive flavors of olives, garlic and capers of the sauce.
Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives | Bijouxs Little Jewels
Just add little jewels of red pepper flakes – a plate of intense flavor to counter that spicy craving.
Stay Strong!

 

No. 574Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Green Goddess Salad with Crunchy Granola

Green Goddess Salad with Crunchy Granola | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Green Goddess Salad with Crunchy Granola is a light and lovely salad with the surprise crunch from seeded granola. Salads are always a little jewel from the Bijouxs Recipe Membership.

GREEN GODDESS

Salads are at the top of my list for meal-makers and starters. I am always keeping my eyes out for new ways with the salad bowl.

This salad is a fresh take on the Green Goddess salad, with a much lighter than usual green dressing. I enjoy the fresh herbs, avocado oil and Dijon mustard that join for the dressing. I used Little Gem lettuce a favorite, along with leaves of red radicchio for color & flavor.

Green Goddess Salad with Crunchy Granola | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CRUNCHY SEEDED GRANOLA

The surprise here is a crunchy granola topping in lieu of the usual croutons. A simple seeded granola is baked with seeds; pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and rolled oats. Spiced with red chili flakes and honey for a sweet-spicy kick.

Green Goddess Salad with Crunchy Granola |Bijouxs Little Jewels

Simply Beautiful Food for the home cook by Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

 

 

No. 564Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Roasted Pear Salad With Arugula, Walnuts & Roquefort

Roasted Pear Salad With Arugula, Walnuts & Roquefort | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

Cooking the seasons at Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen with Roasted Pear Salad With Arugula, Walnuts & Roquefort. Tis’ pear season, enjoy with this not-to-miss salad with a little twist on the pears.

PEAR SEASON

Yes, pear season is here and there are a bounty of choices. For this salad I chose Bosc pears, identifiable with the a warm cinnamon brown skin with russeting over the surface of the skin, beautiful. The pears are firm, great for baking, as in this case roasting the pears before adding to the salad.

Roasted Pear Salad With Arugula, Walnuts & Roquefort | Bijouxs Little Jewels

ROASTED PEARS

Roasting the pears for the salad creates a more complex flavor for the salad. Usually they are added raw but here they are roasted, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper, creating a complex flavor for the salad. They roast quickly in about 15 minutes and are ready for the salad. Adding them while still warm creates a salad that is both cool & warm.

Roasted Pear Salad With Arugula, Walnuts & Roquefort | Bijouxs Little Jewels

ROASTED PEAR SALAD

The other salad ingredients are basic: arugula, walnuts and best of all crumbled Roquefort cheese. For the cheese select real Roquefort from France, check the label. It is a bit more pricey but the flavor is beyond compare.

Roasted Pear Salad With Arugula, Walnuts & Roquefort | Bijouxs Little Jewels

SORGHUM

The salad’s grain if often a wheat product, but I used Sorghum. It may not be familiar to you, but this grain-free wonder is a stand in for wheat and grain products. You prepare it like many other grains, the easiest way is to use the Instant Pot. You can use cooked sorghum as a stand in for quinoa, rice, or even oats for breakfast. I have used it in this kale salad, it really stands up to the other ingredients.

Enjoy this Fall salad, another Little Jewel from the Recipe Collection Membership. Join to receive access to all 564 recipes in the collection.

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