Watercress + Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lawson is one of my favorite chefs and uses watercress in many recipes. Here she is making a watercress and sugar snap pea salad:

For the salad:

1 bag of B&W Watercress

1 bunch of sugar snap peas

For the Lime Wasabi dressing:

3 T bottled lime juice

4 T oil of choice

1 T wasabi paste

1/2 tsp coarse salt

Mix in jar and shake

Finish salad by tossing watercress and snap peas, drizzle dressing and serve.

Balsamic Chicken with Watercress and Nectarine Salad

Before the weather turns too cold, keep the grill warm with this delectable combination of flavors, from "The Colombian"

Balsamic Chicken
With Watercress and Nectarine Salad

4 servings

You can substitute another leafy green, such as baby kale or arugula, or a different stone fruit, such as peaches or plums.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1¼ pounds total), tenderloins and visible fat removed

3 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 to 3½ ounces (1 bunch) fresh watercress, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped (about 2½ cups lightly packed)

1 medium ripe nectarine, pitted and sliced into thin wedges

½ small red onion, sliced into thin half-moons

If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high (400 degrees) with the lid closed. If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them evenly over the cooking area. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for 4 to 6 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames. Brush the grill grate.

Place the chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap, then pound each one to about ¼ inch. (You can also ask the butcher to do that.)

Whisk the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a liquid measuring cup to form an emulsified dressing. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the dressing to a bowl; use it to brush the chicken all over. Reserve the rest of the dressing for the salad; discard any dressing left over from brushing the chicken.

Place the chicken on the grill. Cook uncovered for about 1 minute per side or until just cooked through, with light char marks. Transfer to a plate.

Toss the watercress, nectarines and onion with the reserved dressing in a large bowl. Divide the chicken evenly among individual plates. Top each portion with a quarter of the salad, and serve right away.

Per serving: 280 calories, 33 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 14 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 105 mg cholesterol, 210 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar

Find the original link to the recipe here:

http://www.columbian.com/news/2015/sep/22/dish-turns-chicken-salad-on-its-head/

It's Apple season!

When I was a kid, I used to love going to the apple farm during apple season.

You know what goes great with apples? Watercress!

Here's a recipe I found on "Smarter Fitter":

Watercress & Apple Smoothie

A handful of B&W watercress

1 apple

1/2 a frozen banana

1/4 avocado

a few ice cubes

water to blend in blender

Blend and enjoy!

Here's a link to the original recipe: http://smarterfitter.com/watercress-and-apple-smoothie/

Watercress and Mango Salad with Ginger Dressing

• This is one of many delicious salad ideas from Food and Wine magazine. Find the original link below.
• 
  
• TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN     SERVINGS: 8

• FAST
• HEALTHY
• MAKE-AHEAD
• VEGETARIAN

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 tablespoons canola oil
2. 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3. 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4. 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
5. 1/2 teaspoon chili paste or Tabasco to taste
6. 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
7. Pinch of sugar
8. 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
9. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10. Salt and freshly ground pepper
11. 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
12. 1 scallion, thinly sliced
13. Three 6-ounce bunches of watercress, tough stems discarded
14. 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
15. 1 mango, cut into 1/2-inch dice
16. 1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1.  Heat the canola oil in a small skillet. Add the ginger and cook over moderate heat until just golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer the ginger to a small bowl and let cool. Stir in the lime juice, rice vinegar, chili paste, garlic, sugar and sesame oil. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cilantro and scallion.
2.  In a large bowl, toss the watercress and onion with the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Add the mango and avocado, toss gently and serve.

MAKE AHEAD

The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Stir in the cilantro and scallion just before serving.

http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/2015/04/28/7-best-watercress-salads

Gingered Watercress

This recipe originally came from Cooking Channel TV. You can find the link below.

Gingered Watercress

TOTAL TIME: 25 min

 

YIELD: 6 servings

LEVEL: Easy

INGREDIENTS

• 3 bunches B&Wwatercress, trimmed (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 knob fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tomato, seeded and chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Wash the cress and spin it dry. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add the tomato and cook until it is paste like. Add the cress, and cook down, turning occasionally with tongs, until tender, about 10 minutes. Season and serve.

Calories: 78
Total Fat: 7 grams
Saturated Fat: 1 grams
Protein: 3 grams
Total carbohydrates: 3 grams
Sugar: 1 gram
Fiber: 1 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Sodium: 146 milligrams

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/gingered-watercress.html

How to eat watercress

At watercress central (here), we think you can eat watercress any way you want to. Huffington Post, however, has some pretty great suggestions. Here's just one, but the link below takes you to the other fantastic ideas. It was hard to choose just one they all look so delicious:

Tomato, Watercress and Mozzarella Salad
Serves 4

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 English cucumber
1 ball mozzarella, Claudio’s if possible
1 head watercress
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
vinaigrette (see below)

Halve the cherry tomatoes and place in large bowl. Remove stem and seeds from peppers and chop into small dice. Dice the cucumbers finely as well and add to bowl with the tomatoes. Cut the ball of mozzarella into large pieces and add to the bowl. Add the watercress and pine nuts to the bowl and toss lightly with the Basil-shallot vinaigrette.

Basil-Shallot Vinaigrette
Yield = ½ cup

4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small bunch basil, finely chopped (1/4 cup)

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, shallots, mustard, sugar and salt. Let mixture macerate for 20 minutes. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly until emulsified. Add the basil, whisk, taste, add more salt and pepper if necessary. Set aside. The original recipe was provided by Alexandra's Kitchen: http://www.alexandracooks.com/2007/06/19/tomato-watercress-and-mozzarella-salad/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/09/watercress-recipes-soup-salad_n_3006513.html

Chilled watercress and lettuce velouté with oysters

If I'm honest I'll tell you I didn't know what a "velouté " was when I was posting this.
So, I looked it up, this is how Merriam-Webster defines it:

velouté

 

noun ve·lou·té \və-ˌlü-ˈtā\

Definition of VELOUTÉ

:  a soup or sauce made of chicken, veal, or fish stock and cream and thickened with butter and flour

The recipe I'm sharing today is from "Great British Chefs", you will find the link below. 

1

Place the oysters, flat-side up, in a steamer basket over a pan of boiling water. Cover and steam for 1 minute. The oysters should have opened. Carefully reserve the oyster juices in a cup

• 8 oysters, large and fresh

2

Remove the oysters from their shells and leave to cool. Then cut the lemongrass stalks into thin skewers and pierce an oyster on each. Chill until ready to serve

• 4 lemongrass sticks

3

Gently sauté the shredded lettuces with 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan for about 5 minutes, until softened but not coloured

• 1/3 iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1/2 baby gem lettuce, shredded
• olive oil

4

Cut the stalks from the watercress and parsley and blanch for 1 minute. Add the watercress leaves and parsley leaves, then blanch for another 2 minutes

• 2 bunches of watercress
• 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley

5

Drain in a colander and plunge into a big bowl of iced water. Leave for 5 minutes, then drain, pressing down on the leaves to extract the water. Keep the liquor for blending and adjusting the texture of your velouté

6

Mix the lettuces and the wilted watercress and parsley in a blender with the reserved oyster juices and the butter. Blitz until smooth

• 1 knob of butter

7

Add seasoning to taste, then pour and rub the velouté through a fine sieve into a bowl. Chill until ready to serve

• sea salt
• pepper

8

Once ready to serve, heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the skewered oysters for a few seconds on each side to reheat and lightly colour

• olive oil

9

Pour the chilled velouté into 4 soup plates and serve with two oyster skewers balanced on the side. ENJOY!

http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/watercress-veloute-recipe