Ham and Egg Fried Rice

Inspiration:
Cooking Light


Ingredients:

• 4 cups cold cooked long-grain rice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup thinly horizontally sliced green beans
• 3/4 cup diced ham (about 4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup (1-inch) slices green onions

Instructions:

1. Break up rice with hands to remove large clumps, if necessary.

2. Heat a 14-inch wok over high heat. Add canola oil to wok, swirling to coat. Add 1 1/2 cups onion and garlic to wok; stir-fry 1 minute or until onion begins to brown. Add beans and ham; stir-fry 2 minutes or until ham begins to brown.

3. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add cold rice to wok; stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper. Push rice mixture up sides of wok. Pour eggs in open space in center of wok; cook 30 seconds or until set, stirring to scramble. Gently stir scrambled eggs into rice mixture. Sprinkle with green onions.

Notes: I made this for us to take to work; it made four portions.

Vegetarian option: Replace ham with broccoli and/or mushrooms

Nutritional Information

Calories: 397 (29% from fat)

Fat: 12.8g (sat 2.3g,mono 5.4g,poly 3.2g)

Protein: 14.5g

Carbohydrate: 54.5g

Fiber: 2.8g

Cholesterol: 121mg

Iron: 3.3mg

Sodium: 868mg

Calcium: 57mg

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 8/10

Ham and Gouda Strata

Inspiration:
Food & Wine

Ingredients:

• 8 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups Italian bread cubes (1 inch)
• 6 ounces Virginia ham, cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 1/2 cups)
• 6 ounces Gouda cheese, cut into 3/4-inch dice (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon snipped chives
• 1 cup coarsely grated Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper. Stir in the bread until evenly moistened, then stir in the ham, Gouda cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and 1/4 cup of the chives.
   
   
2. Butter a 9-by-12-inch baking dish and pour in the strata mixture. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese on top. Bake for about 20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Let cool slightly, sprinkle with the remaining chives and serve.

Notes: Easy to make ahead for when you have guests!

Tim's Rating: 8.5/10
Liz's Rating: 9/10

Ham and Cheese on Rye Bread Salad

Inspiration:
Food & Wine

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of seeded rye bread, cut into 1-by- 1/2-inch batons
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup chopped celery (3 ribs)
• 1 pound thickly sliced smoked ham, cut into 1-by- 1/2-inch batons
• 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, coarsely shredded (2 cups)
• 1/4 cup snipped chives

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once, until lightly toasted. Let cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the mustard with the mayonnaise and vinegar. Gradually whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and season with pepper. Add the celery, ham, cheese, chives and the rye bread croutons, toss well and serve.

Recipe Notes: In this fun take on the sandwich classic, Grace Parisi creates a delectable ham salad mixed with crunchy rye bread croutons and bits of Gruyère cheese, tossed in a mustardy dressing with celery and chives. She sometimes likes to wrap the bread salad in Bibb lettuce leaves for an inside-out sandwich.


My Notes: I loved the combination of flavors and textures, and it tasted different than anything I have had recently. Delicious. I used pumpernickel cocktail bread as I had some in the freezer. This tasted much better when the bread was still slightly warm from the oven; later, it was basically dry rye croutons.


Liz's Rating: 9.5/10
Tim's Rating: 9/10

Stuffed Zucchini with Ham and Mushrooms

Inspiration:

Simply Recipes

as well as zucchini, summer squash, and parsley from our CSA

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sized zucchini (at least 1/2 pound each) OR 3 large zucchini (3/4 pound each) OR 1 jumbo zucchini (2 pounds)
  
• 4 Tbsp butter, divided
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  
• 10 ounces of fresh mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1/2 cup finely chopped ham
  
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  
• Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
  
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
  
• 1/3 cup grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash and scrub the zucchini; slice each in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and pulp.
   
2. Steam the zucchini halves until almost tender either using the traditional steaming method or by microwaving in a covered dish (cut side down) with 2 tablespoons of water for 3 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, sauté chopped onions and sliced mushrooms 3 tablespoons of melted butter until soft. Stir in the ham, parsley, and Worcestershire sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Divide the stuffing between the pieces of zucchini.
   
4. Mix the bread crumbs and grated cheese together and distribute over the stuffed zucchini. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and drip over the bread crumbs. Bake stuffed zucchini in a greased baking pan for 20-30 minutes.

My Notes:
I like this idea; I think I would like the result much more if I wasn't so tired of zucchini!
It's clearly easy to turn this into a vegetarian recipe by omitting the ham.

Liz's Rating: 8/10
Tim's Rating: 7/10

Easy Ham and Spinach Quiche

Inspiration:
allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup biscuit baking mix
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  
• 1 large bunch spinach, washed, stemmed, cooked, and chopped
  
• 1 cup cubed cooked ham
• 8 ounces shredded Cheddar or Swiss cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease am 8 x 11 glass baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, beat together milk, eggs, baking mix, butter and cayenne. Batter will be lumpy. Stir in spinach, ham and cheese. Pour into prepared dish.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, until eggs are set and top is golden brown.

Notes:
The eggs got a bit brown, but it tastes great!

Tim's Rating: 8.5/10
Liz's Rating: 8.5/10

Kohlrabi Ham Bake

Inspiration:
Kohlrabi from our CSA and a modified version of this recipe from the blog Simply Recipes, originally from Russian, German, & Polish Food & Cooking.
Ingredients:

• 1.5 Tbsp butter
• 2 kohlrabi, peeled and diced
• 8 ounces thick ham, diced
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• Pinch of mace (can substitute ground nutmeg)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the diced kohlrabi and gently cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Beat the egg yolk, and whisk in the heavy cream, flour, mace, salt and pepper until well combined.
3. Place half of the cooked kohlrabi on the bottom of an oven-proof casserole dish. Layer on the diced ham and parsley. Top with the remaining kohlrabi. Pour the sauce ingredients over the kohlrabi and ham.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Serve immediately.

Notes:
Yummy. I would make this recipe again if we get more kohlrabi from our CSA. It's pretty rich, so I suggest serving it with a green salad.

Tim's Rating: 9/10
("Tastes like Scalloped Potatoes and Ham to me. I like it.")
Liz's Rating: 9/10