Recipe: Broccoli Au Gratin

Broccoli Au Gratin

2 (10 oz.) pkg. fresh broccoli
1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese (cut up)
3/4 stick butter (melted)
35 Ritz crackers (crushed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the stems of the broccoli and parboil the broccoli for 2-5 minutes in salted water. In a greased casserole dish, arrange the broccoli and fill in with cheese; pour half of the melted butter on top. Top with crushed crackers and drizzle on the remaining butter. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot.

*Johnna's tip: Spring is buzzing in the air. With temperatures expected to reach 63 today, the District is buzzing with smiles, kinder people on the Metro (*Translation: the library) and a reason to go out and eat lunch. Ironically, we are still in the mood for the heavier winter foods and figured before it gets completely warm, we need to cook all the dishes that need heavy heat now. During the spring and summer, we are notorious for our pasta and seafood salads...they keep things cool. Until then, we are still working on those batches of soups and of course, casserole dishes. Enjoy!

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Recipe: Soft, Cheesy Polenta

Soft, Cheesy Polenta

2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
2 tbsp. butter
2/3 grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tbsp. ground pepper

Heat the chicken broth and water to a boil over high heat. Slowly pour in the cornmeal, stirring with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to low; cook, stirring until polenta is extremely thick and the spoon can support itself in the pan, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat; stir in the butter, Parmesan cheese and ground black pepper. Adjust seasonings. Serve hot.

*Johnna's tip: We snagged this recipe from a newspaper (*Chicago Tribune to be exact) lying around the metro (*we take recipes from so many random places...). We liked how easy it made the process of cooking polenta. A few weeks ago one of our Twitter buddies scared us when they said how disasterous their polenta came out even after the constant stirring. Our pet peeve is making a recipe that doesn't come out right, but that's apart of cooking right?? Trial and error?? Well hopefully, this recipe will save us from trying polenta and failing miserably...

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Recipe: Sweetgreen Holiday Quinoa Salad

Sweetgreen Holiday Quinoa Salad

1 cup red quinoa (rinsed)
1 cup white quinoa (rinsed)
1 large sweet potato (diced small)
1 large red beet (diced into cubes)
1 bunch Kale- flat leaf
2 tbsp. of dried cranberries
½ cup toasted almonds
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar
Freshly chopped parsley or basil
Garlic Salt
Pepper to taste
½ lb. of baby arugula or baby spinach

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rinsed quinoa. Lower heat to a simmer and let cook until the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes); About 5 minutes before it is done. Remove from the heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Allow Quinoa to cool in large separate bowl. Coat sweet potatoes and beets with balsamic vinegar and roast in oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Then add to quinoa mixture. De-stem the kale and cut into ribbons ½ inch thick. Add to warm quinoa mixture. The heat from the quinoa will wilt the quinoa. Add cranberries, toasted almonds, parsley or basil. Give it a squeeze of fresh lemon, drizzle with a little olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Add garlic salt and pepper. You can either mix in a handful of baby arugula or spinach.

Johnna's tip: Trying to stay healthy in the new year?? If yes, this is your recipe. Thanks to Sweetgreen (*the health food haven) for this one. We are actually a little late on posting this one, this was their holiday salad, but we felt it would match perfectly with our New Years Resolutions postings. At the beginning of the year, everyone is trying to eat healthy and work out so they want recipes that will help in those efforts. After tasting this salad at Sweetgreen, we decided it made the cut, it's a tasty little number. Try alongside a baked chicken or as a lunch entree, Enjoy!

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Recipe: Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad

8 slices bacon
3 boiled and chopped eggs
1 head iceberg lettuce (shredded)
3 cups cooked chicken meat (chopped)
2 tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
3/4 cup feta cheese (crumbled)
1 avocado (peeled, pitted and diced)
3 green onions (chopped)
1 (8 ounce) bottle Blue Cheese salad dressing


Add bacon to a skillet. Cook in 1 to 2 tbsp. oil over medium high heat until evenly browned. Drain, crumble and set aside. Divide shredded lettuce among the individual serving plates; then divide and arrange chicken, eggs, tomatoes, feta cheese, bacon, avocado and green onions in a row on top of the lettuce. Drizzle with Blue Cheese dressing. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: As we gear up our stomachs for the feast that will be had on Christmas Day, salads are in order. Cobb salad is one of the most classic salads to come across the American plate and contains something for every taste bud: chicken, bacon, cheese and veggies. For vegetarians, try substituting the bacon and chicken for MorningStar products, they have a cool selection of chicken and bacon without the meat (*we hope that makes sense...). Enjoy!

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Recipe: Mixed Greens

Mixed Greens

2 smoked turkey wings
1 large onion
1 (16 oz.) Collard Greens Cut, Washed & Ready To Cook: Glory Greens
1 (16 oz.) Turnip Greens Cut, Washed & Ready To Cook: Glory Greens
1 (16 oz.) Mustard Cut, Washed & Ready To Cook: Glory Greens
Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
Salt (to taste)

In a large pot, fill half of the pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add in the turkey wing, reduce heat to medium heat and cook for about 20-25 minutes; add the onion and continue cooking over medium heat for an additional 20-25 minutes. Add in the greens and return to a boil; season with the salt and a dash of the red pepper flakes and simmer uncovered for an hour until the greens are tender. Drain and add to the serving platter. Enjoy!

*Johnna's tip: We learned a valuable lesson over the holidays with these greens, drain! We had left them in their water which we learned spoils the taste of the greens if you leave it in its juices. We also don't remove our meat from the bone which is a personal preference, we like it just the way it is;-) Also, cooking times will vary by the type of stove you have and pots. We like the one pictured here. This is also a great substitute for the typical collards that you would make during the holidays...mix it up!

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Recipe: Easy Candied Yams w/ Marshmallows

Easy Candied Yams w/ Marshmallows

1 (29 ounce) can sweet potatoes (drained)
1/4 cup butter (sliced into pieces)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. imitation vanilla
1 dash of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups marshmallows

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add the sweet potatoes to a medium baking dish. Distribute butter pieces evenly over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg; slightly mix to incorporate all ingredients. Cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes; top with marshmallows and continue to bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender and marshmallows are melted and just browning. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: The holidays are not over! Thanksgiving ushered in all the good sweet potato, pumpkin and turkey recipes but there are still more to come. Now until the end of December, let's see how creative we all can get, send JKGF all of your winter recipes so we can post them (johnnaknowsgoodfood@gmail.com). We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and shared this recipe with our family, who are probably our top critics...they gave this a thumbs up so it might be worth a try. Enjoy!

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Recipe: Kale with Bacon and Asiago

Kale with Bacon and Asiago

1 lb. kale
1 lb. bacon
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced Asiago cheese

Wash and chop the kale. Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook slowly in a skillet. When the bacon is crisp, remove it but leave the fat in the pan. Add the chopped onions to the pan and saute in the bacon fat. Add the kale to the pan and cook until it is wilted. When finished, move from the pan into a bowl. Add in the cheese and toss well.

*Johnna's tip: While at the "library" (*Translation: the D.C. metro...it is freakishly quiet...), we were glad to come across this recipe in today's Express. We have been looking for a kale recipe that matched our taste buds and this one makes the cut. The Express recipe (*courtesy Tim Hayes & Tom Coen of Whole Foods), however, included raisins (*Yuck) and we are not huge raisin fans when it comes to adding it to our foods...there good separately but not mixed in with the other stuff, in our opinion. Try garnishing with a little more Asiago cheese.

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Recipe: Mac Un-Cheese

Mac Un-Cheese

1 lb. (16 oz.) pasta
2 cups vanilla soy milk
2 tbsp. soy margarine
2 tbsp. vegan mayonnaise
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder

Cook and drain pasta. In a large bowl, combine the pasta and all the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly and serve.

*Johnna’s tip: Mac ‘n cheese without all the normal dairy products. This could make things easier for your stomach and in celebration of October being the official vegetarian month, vegan recipes are in order. Pair with some fresh green beans or snap peas.

**Recipe via Compassion over Killing, cok.net

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Recipe: Feta Spinach

Feta Spinach

1 (6 oz.) bag of fresh spinach
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Dash Garlic Powder
1 tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. feta cheese

Add oil to a pan, bring to medium heat. Add in spinach and allow to wilt down a bit. Sprinkle in salt, pepper and garlic powder; combine. Add in butter and garlic; folding into spinach. Reduce heat and add in vinegar; fold in spinach. Remove from heat to serving dish and top with crumbled feta cheese. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: This makes two servings and is more than enough for one person (*All my single ladies/men). We are back in the kitchen experimenting and playing with Greek ingredients such as feta cheese and olives. Spinach had not been on our plate in a long time because frankly we were getting bored with the same old recipes of the Popeye favorite. Feta cheese jazzed things up a bit and we are excited about what will follow...feta/spinach pasta perhaps??

*Johnna's tip, tip: This isn't the first time feta and spinach meet...how about a recipe for spanokopita??

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Recipe: Quick Coleslaw

Quick Coleslaw

1 medium cabbage (shredded)
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sweet salad cube pickles
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup prepared mustard
1 tbsp. celery seed
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; stir and chill for 2-4 hours; Serve.

*Johnna's tip: 1, 2, 3, done. This recipe is just a matter of having all the ingredients in your kitchen, no real cooking involved. We are realizing coleslaw is such a great garnish to foods like burgers, hot dogs, etc. after disliking coleslaw for so long. It honestly just depends on how you season your slaw, bland slaw is a bummer.

*Johnna's tip, tip: Use red cabbage, we love this as a substitute for the regular cabbage.

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Recipe: Stewed Potatoes

Stewed Potatoes

6 russet potatoes
Salt (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
6 slices of bacon
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water
2 ice cubes

Peel potatoes, cut in 3/4-inch cubes, and place in a deep pot. Cover with water. Fry bacon until crisp and then crumble. Add the bacon and fat to the potatoes. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer until potatoes are tender. Place flour, water and ice cube in a small jar; put lid on and shake until flour is dissolved. Then while gently stirring the potatoes, slowly add in the flour-water until the soup in the potatoes reaches your desired thickness.

*Johnna's tip: Don't know why we had the sudden urge for these, but we can taste and smell them cooking on the stove. Pair with a big, juicy steak and you have a real meat and potatoes meal on your hands. If you decide on the steak, try Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce as a topping instead of the typical steak sauce...it is delicious!

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Recipe: Ranch Dressing

Homemade Ranch Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup buttermilk powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Put mayonnaise, buttermilk and buttermilk powder in a medium jar with a tight-fitting lid. Sprinkle with a little salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Add chives, put lid on, and shake jar vigorously for 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning. Use immediately or refrigerate for a few days.

*Johnna's tip: Making your own salad dressing is fun and gives you more control of what to put over your salad. Trying to flatten that tummy for a Labor Day fiesta?? Use the low fat or fat free mayo in this recipe. Enjoy!

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Recipe: Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

1 lb. shrimp (peeled and deveined)
Old Bay seasoning (to taste)
Ground pepper (to taste) (*preferably from a pepper mill) 1 tbsp. of finely minced garlic
1 avocado
Mixed Greens
1 tomato

Season shrimp with Old Bay seasoning, ground pepper and finely minced garlic. Put in fridge for about 2-3 hours. Broil shrimp in oven for 6-10 minutes or until reddish color. Cut up avocado and tomato into small pieces. Put mixed greens in a bowl and add avocado and tomato pieces. Add shrimp to mixed greens mixture and a dressing of your choice (*I like Brianna's Real French Vinaigrette) Enjoy it!

*Johnna's tips: Today's recipe comes from one of our readers out of New York, thanks for the great salad! This is definitely healthy eating on a budget and can be your lunch for the week. Side with a delicious summer fruit like sliced mango, peaches or oranges.

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Recipe: Summer Chicken Salad

Summer Chicken Salad

2 cup diced chicken meat (*cooked and diced)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Dash of pepper
Cashews for garnish

Toss diced chicken meat, celery and parsley in a large bowl. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, seasoned salt, and pepper; fold into chicken mixture. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: 90 degrees people! No time for slaving over the stove in this type of heat. Whip up a good chicken salad and buy your favorite wheat bread, some crackers or some mixed raw veggies (*that can be consumed raw, of course...) and munch on this until the heat wave passes. Yes, in DC, 90 degrees can be considered a heat wave (*Well that's because the heat is in conjunction with the humidity, emissions from the buses and trains and not to mention the crowds of tourists adding to the over a million residents of the District...Not to say we're not glad to have them, but it does add to the body heat numbers...) Stay cool!

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Recipe: Baked Sweet Potato

Baked Sweet Potatoes

4 Sweet potatoes (*They should be even in size)
Vegetable Oil
Butter
Salt (to taste)
Paprika

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scrub the potatoes; brush all with vegetable oil. Arrange the potatoes on the oven rack and bake for 40-50 minutes until tender. Remove and prick with a fork to let out the steam. Cut a 1 1/2" cross in the center of each potato. Hold each potato with a pot holder and press upwards until the filling bursts through the cuts. Top with butter and sprinkle with salt and paprika. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: In need of comfort food that won't depress your diet?? Try a sweet potato! They are the other potato that tastes delicious especially after you season with salt, pepper, maybe even a little garlic (*You know our fetish with garlic...). Serve alongside some well seasoned baked chicken (*Note we state "well seasoned"...Seasoning is the key to a good baked chicken, otherwise it's just shriveled up chicken meat on a bone...)

Picture source: http://www.ehow.com/how_2118798_bake-sweet-potato.html

Recipe: Cajun Fries

Cajun Fries

2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup corn flour
2 tbsp. cornmeal
2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
1 qt. frying oil (*Canola or Vegetable suggested)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Cut the potatoes into french fries and place in bowl of cold water for 12 minutes. Combine the corn flour, cornmeal and Cajun seasoning and blend well. Drain the potatoes, leaving them wet and coat with the Cajun mixture. Heat up deep fryer to 375 degrees F and add fries to oil cooking for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the deep fryer and drain on paper towels over a plate. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and about a tsp. more of Cajun seasoning. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: Cajun fries are great with creamy based dipping sauces. Try experimenting with a remoulade recipe you have on hand or create your own Cajun compliment;-)

Picture source: http://frenchpub.com/categories/view/11

Recipe: Honey Mustard Dressing

Honey Mustard Dressing

1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp. mustard
1 tbsp. honey
1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

In a bowl, add all ingredients and whisk together; cover and place in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours before ready to serve. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: Back on our dressing kick again. Honey mustard dressing is not only good for salads, but try on your sandwiches too;-)

Picture source: http://www.colmansmustard.com/honeymustardvinaigrette-rpu1.html

Caesar Dressing

Caesar Dressing

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 3 oz. can of anchovies
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
8 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. pepper
Peppadew Splash on Sauce
Shaved Parmesan Cheese (*add in gradually until you have desired thickness)

In a blender, add all ingredients and blend well until smooth. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: Try saving some of the shaved Parmesan for the top of the salad and make some homemade croutons out of about a 1/4 of a loaf of french bread (*chop, season with salt/pepper/garlic and bake...easy:-) Sounds delicious and reminds us of one of our favorite fast food spots, Panera Bread...they're Caesar is great on the go. Serve on romaine lettuce or the lettuce of your choice and Enjoy!

Picture source: http://www.cayennebarandgrill.com/menu.htm

Balsamic Vinegerette Dressing

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup olive oil

In a jar or resealable dish, add all ingredients and shake together until combined throughout. Pour on top of desired lettuce. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: With the price of many things in the grocery store constantly increasing, it's time to come up with some money saving techniques for the kitchen. One way to start is by making little things that can go a long way i.e. salad dressing. Balsamic vinegar is an excellent item to keep in your pantry because you can use it for a plethora of things such as: marinating tool for baked chicken or another desired meat and of course, salad dressing. Keep on hand for those times when you don't feel like spending $4-$5 on a bottle of dressing you can easily make at home;-)

Picture source: http://www.coles.com.au/recipes/recipe.asp?rid=1209

Creamed Spinach

Creamed Spinach

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 boxes (16-24 oz.) frozen spinach
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
dash nutmeg

Melt butter in top of double boiler over low direct heat. Blend in flour until smooth. Cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add spinach. Cover and cook over boiling water, stirring occasionally, for about 15-17 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

*Johnna's tip: Creamed spinach is not some dish that's so intricate in detail, so we don't understand why some restaurants just can't figure out how to make it (*Hint: Smith & Wollensky's...). After attending a peaceful and pleasant brunch @ Smith & Wollensky's for Mother's Day (*Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the Mommy's out there!), we were disappointed to find that the creamed spinach resembled some green, mushy crap that shouldn't be allowed on the dining table...and it was cold! When they brought out more of the green, mushy crap (*Now heated to an appropriate temperature...), we began thinking of recipes that might make this side dish a more appealing option and here you have our version of how Creamed Spinach should be done. Try this recipe alongside some baked chicken and rice;-)

Picture source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheesy-Creamed-Spinach/Detail.aspx