Your Cooking Coach
Show MenuHide Menu

Tag: dijon mustard

Warm Spinach Salad with Pancetta and Feta

This recipe is a play on the popular warm spinach salad. It is typically made with bacon. You start off by cooking some bacon down; taking the bits out and using the warm fat for salad dressing.

I used pancetta instead of bacon; rendered it and kept it aside. A mixture of dijon mustard, white wine vinegar and apple cider make a delicious dressing. To make it interesting, I added crumbles of salty feta cheese. I am a big fan of this cheese- I love salty cheese, and this one is as salty as they come. It provides an amazing punch of flavor. The good thing is you don’t need a whole lot of it and it is naturally lower in fat than other cheeses.

The salad turned out delicious- it was a great start to the meal, especially since it continued with the yummy meatballs…

  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Place the spinach and cheese into a medium salad bowl. Keep aside.

  • ¼ cup chopped pancetta
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium shallot, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Heat a small frying pan and add the olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly till the pancetta bits are crispy. With a slotted spoon, take out the pancetta and keep aside. Keep the flame to medium and add the shallot. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and apple cider. Whisk in the mustard and add salt and pepper if needed.
Pour over the baby spinach, toss and serve.

Baked Grouper with Mustard Sauce

I saw the Barefoot Contessa and she made a version of this yummy dish. I changed it up a bit and came up with this recipe. It is yummy and easy to make…

  • 4 grouper fillets
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 medium shallot, finely diced
  • ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
  • ½ cup parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, shallot and fresh dill in a small bowl. Place the fish fillets in an ovenproof dish. Slather the sauce all over and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Arugula Fennel & Orange Salad

The orange theme continues. I served this delicious salad with the yummy stew from yesterday. I love cooking with a theme- it doesn’t have to be very complicated. It could either be the same cuisine or just one ingredient that ties the meal together.

As I am obsessed with oranges right now and decided to add them to both my main entree as well as this salad.

The other ingredient in this delicious salad is fennel. Full disclosure on this veggie- I am not a big fan. Well, I guess I wasn’t a big fan until I started giving it a chance and started picking it up every time I would go grocery shopping. I started using it raw in salads. I used my nifty mandolin and came up with super thin, crunchy slices of fennel. It complements oranges really well.

I finished the salad with arugula. Arugula is one of my favorite greens to eat. I love the subtle bitterness they provide.

I then made a very easy salad dressing that includes fresh orange juice, Dijon mustard and agave. Agave is my new favorite sweetness to use in everything. Try this salad- it is yummy!

  • 4 cups baby arugula
  • 2 navel oranges, segments out and the rest juiced
  • 1 large fennel bulb, cleaned and sliced thin

Add the arugula, orange segments and fennel slices in a salad bowl. Mix well and keep aside.

Salad Dressing

  • Juice of the two navel oranges (about ¼ cup)
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons agave
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Add the orange juice, vinegar, mustard, agave, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture until emulsified. Check for seasonings and add to the salad. Toss and serve.

Apple & Kale Salad with Pancetta Dressing

I was watching the Cooking Channel and came across this recipe. Well, not exactly the same one but something similar. The original was made with pears and was served over lettuce greens. I decided to change it up a bit and use up some end of the summer nectarines instead. Since summer fruit is now gone, feel free to use apples or pears. Either way this salad is delicious!!

  • 4 cups baby kale
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup pancetta, chopped
  • 2 medium apples , sliced thin
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1-2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Heat a medium frying pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Take the pancetta out with a slotted spoon. Add one tablespoon olive oil, apple slices, honey and balsamic vinegar. Cook on medium heat while stirring gently for 4 to 5 minutes. Take the apple slices out with a slotted spoon. Add the mustard, vinegar, remaining olive oil, honey and almonds. Using a whisk, stir vigorously to emulsify the dressing. Add salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings.
Add the greens to a salad bowl. Add the nectarines, rendered pancetta and the warm dressing. Toss and serve.

Italian Style Crab Cakes with Salsa Verde

  • 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over
  • ½ cup mayonnaise,
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh chives, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds taken out and chopped (leave seeds in if spice is desired)
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, divided into two portions
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • ¼ cup extra light olive oil

In a medium bowl, add the mayo, egg, basil, chives, jalapeno pepper, ½ cup panko crumbs, Dijon mustard, salt and lemon juice. Mix well and add the crab meat. Gently mix and refrigerate for an hour. Form 8 mounds with the crab mixture and cover with the left over panko crumbs.

Heat a non stick frying pan with the oil until shimmering. Add the crab cakes and cook over moderate high heat until deeply golden brown on both sides. Transfer the crab cakes to plates and serve with aioli or any other sauce.

I served mine with left over salsa verde. I had about ½ a cup left. I mixed it with 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and juice from half a lemon.

Pan Seared Scallops with Salsa Verde

This is a fantastic recipe to entertain with. I made it through the week as my daughter was complaining about missing scallops. I simply seared the scallops in a non-stick pan till golden brown. I also made a delicious sauce with basil, pistachios and capers. The sauce can be used with other meats as well as pasta…

Salsa Verde

  • 1 cup fresh basil, leaves only
  • ½ cup fresh mint, leaves only
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed
  • ¼ cup pistachios, toasted
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
  • 2 anchovies
  • Zest of one lemon
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Process all the ingredients together in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let sit for an hour or two before serving.

  • 1 to 2 pounds scallops, cleaned
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Heat some oil to a frying pan on medium high heat. Sear the scallops on high heat for a couple minutes on each side- careful not to over cook. Serve the scallops with the salsa verde and sautéed green beans.

Fennel Apple & Endive Salad

This is a delicious, crunchy salad- a departure from your regular, green variety. It has a combination of fresh fennel and endives. I added a crunchy apple to add some tartness and amazing flavor. I then complemented the salad with an orange dressing. The whole combination is delicious!!

  • 1 fennel bulb, core taken out, cleaned and sliced thin
  • 1 medium Pink Lady apple, core taken out, sliced thin
  • 1 green endive, cut in half and sliced thin
  • 1 red endive, cut in half and sliced thin

Transfer all the ingredients to a salad bowl.

Orange Dressing

  • Juice of 4 clementines
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Add all the ingredients to an airtight container and mix really well until all the dressing is emulsified. Pour on to the vegetables and toss well. Add salt and pepper if necessary.