SWASHBUCKLED! (S1E3): Carbs on Carbs on Carbs

Wanna know what a #HIFD is? Can Amanda keep her success streak going for the third week in a row? Check out the latest episode of Swashbuckled! to find out! (unless your name is Carin Sharin, then just turn it off right now!)

Read on for episode breakdown

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Ingredients in this week’s episode:

Cilantro $1.19

Pineapple $2.99

Bacon Jerkey $5.49

Wild Blueberry Muffins $3.99

I went into this week feeling extra confident, with two successful weeks under my belt, I thought I would be able to keep the streak going forever! But Marie SWASHBUCKLED me with her ingredients this week. Most notably, the Wild Blueberry Muffins (which were delicious on their own).

Speaking of delicious, that Sweet Sriracha Uncured Bacon Jerky was a little piece of heaven on earth, so do yourself a favor and pick some of that up, stat!

So with all those yummy standalone ingredients, why didn’t the dish work?

Well, for one thing, the texture was funky. The idea of carbs on carbs on carbs was a bust. The quinoa made the casserole extra mushy, and the blueberry muffins didn’t crisp up, taking the mush to the next level.  The spice in the jerky didn’t carry through as expected either, so more flavor and spice needed to be infused into the dish.

Below is the recipe…but, do yourself a favor and don’t make it! Instead, if you are interested in trying this out, make some changes and see what you can do to improve this Highly Instagrammable Fail Dish (#HIFD).

Definitely Not Gumbo Casserole

• Servings: 6
• Time: 45 min
• Difficulty: easy, but why would you?
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN…unfortunately

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 bag Butternut Squash
• 1 Chayote Squash, peeled and diced
• 1 cup Heirloom Tomatoes
• 1/2 Pineapple, peeled and diced
• 2 Dorot Garlic Cubes
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 bag Frozen Shrimp, thawed and tail removed
• 1/2 – 1 cup Chicken Stock*
• 1 cup cooked Quinoa*
• 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
• Strussel Topping:
  • 2 Wild Blueberry Muffins, crumbled.**
  • 1 bag Sweet Sriracha Uncured Bacon Jerky
  • 1/2 cup Oat Bran

Directions

1. First off – Don’t make this meal the same way I did, unless you really want to not be satisfied with the final product. If you insist, proceed to step two.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Heat Olive Oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in butternut squash, chayote, and tomatoes. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, then add pineapple, salt, garlic and shrimp. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add broth and cooked quinoa and cook down (*or don’t add those and see how it goes. That is what i would have done differently). Transfer mixture to a baking dish.
3. In a separate dish, combine crumbled blueberry muffins (but…why??), bacon jerky and oat bran. Top on baking dish and bake in oven for about 20 minutes, until top is brown. **But, if you want to make this dish even better, swap out the blueberry muffins for cornbread, and add some shredded mozzarella cheese in there. Omit the quinoa altogether and use just a little bit of chicken broth…

Rosemary Polenta, Tomato Confit, Carmelized Bacon and Eggs

In order to become a dietitian, you have to go through a minimum of a bachelor’s program in nutrition (and not just any program, one that is officially a “Didactic Program in Dietetics”). Then after that, you have to complete a 1-2 year (approx.) internship program, and then you can sit for your national exam.

My internship was at the VA Medical Center, and there were six of us interns who grew to be like sisters over that year (or, 10 months, to be exact). We would carpool, share food, spend holidays together, fight, complain, some even lived together. I really adored all of my intern-mates, and will have a special spot in my heart for them for the rest of my life.

One time, my intern-mate, Hai Van, invited the girls over to her place for brunch. It was probably the best breakfast I had ever had in someone’s home. I kept asking her what she did, and have tried to re-create the meal, but every time, it just isn’t the same. I shouldn’t be surprised, because this girl would come up with THE MOST creative menus, and was also a professionally trained chef. I mean, how can you live up to that??

I remember being very intimidated by this meal, not only because Hai Van was an incredible chef that made magic in the kitchen…but it called for Polenta. I had never made that before, and my only experience was seeing the log at the store. But my friend walked me through the entire process, and it ended up being a success.

Rosemary Polenta

• Servings: 8-10
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This was adapted from The Barefoot Contessa. Believe it or not, I actually reduced the amount of butter, half and half and milk by quite a but. It still turned out creamy and delicious. If you are short on time, you can always use the pre-made Organic Polenta from Trader Joe’s. (Side note, I don’t think Trader Joe’s carries cornmeal, at least I have never purchased it from there. Does any one know?)

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• Flour, olive oil, and butter, for frying

Directions

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary, salt, and pepper and saute for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, half-and-half, milk, and water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly sprinkle the cornmeal into the hot milk while stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for a few minutes, until thickened and bubbly. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan. Pour into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch pan, smooth the top, and refrigerate until firm and cold.

Cut the chilled polenta into 12 squares, as you would with brownies. Lift each one out with a spatula and cut diagonally into triangles. Dust each triangle lightly in flour. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan and cook the triangles in batches over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until browned on the outside and heated inside. Add more butter and oil, as needed. Serve immediately.

The rest of the meal was fairly easy. You can make the polenta the night before and in the morning, just slice some of it up and pan fry it in a little butter and oil. To make the Tomato Confit, combine a container of little grape tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake in a glass dish at 325 for 40 minutes.

The bacon is partially cooked on the stove then finished off in the oven @ 425 (until done, it all depends on how much you cook it on the stove). Before putting in the oven, sprinkle with pepper and brown sugar.

The eggs were just simply fried over medium. Then the dish was assembled with the polenta cake on the bottom, tomato confit and then topped with the egg. Bacon was served on the side.

When Hai Van made this, she sprinkled some fresh basil on top and served a side salad of field greens with balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese, which was perfect for a brunch. It also added some more color to the plate. She also had a bloody mary bar, which is always a fan favorite (Side note – Trader Joe’s has a great bloody mary mix!)