Fried Oysters w/ Green Tomato, Sweet Corn, Pickled Okra and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

If you are looking to make a truly Southern dish in your own home then this is it!  This is a recipe from Hank's Seafood Restaurant Cookbook.  Hank's is on list after list of a must-see restaurant if you head down to Charleston and this salad is on their current menu.  I saw this recipe about a year ago in Southern Living magazine and I have been dying to try it out so I finally bit the bullet.  My husband, who isn't a huge oyster fan, absolutely loved it -- although pretty much anything is good when it's fried.  

The recipe calls for green tomatoes, but I used regular red tomatoes because I simply couldn't find green tomatoes anywhere!  How is that possible? 

So what I love most about this salad is the pickled okra.  If you haven't had pickled okra before then good Lord, get to the store and buy a jar immediately!  It is so fantastic I could die.  I ate the entire jar in one day.  Yummy!

Fried Oysters with Green Tomato, Sweet Corn, Pickled Okra and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (makes 4 salads)

2 c. cracker meal
1 c. cornmeal 
1 c. all purpose flour
salt and pepper
peanut oil
2 large handfuls arugula
16 oysters
4 to 8 halved pickled okra

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
2 ears fresh corn
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 c. diced green tomato
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped mixed herbs
3 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. For vinaigrette: cut corn from cobs, reserving cobs.  Heat oil in saute pan, add corn and cook 1 minute.  Cool.  Combine stock and corn cobs in saucepan.  Boil then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.  Pour mixture through fine wire mesh strainer.  Cool to room temperature and refrigerate.  Stir green tomato into corn and stir into stock.  Just before serving, add in herbs and blue cheese.
2.  Pour 1 and 1/2 inches oil in a cast iron skillet; heat over medium high until temperature reaches 350.  
3.  Whisk cracker meal, flours, 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in shallow bowl.  Dredge oysters in mixture, shaking off excess.  Fry in batches 2 to 4 minutes or until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  
4.  Spoon vinaigrette onto 4 serving plates.  Top with oysters and okra. 

Baby Zucchini and Potato Salad with Arugula and Feta

Hey everyone!  I’ve really been out of the blog world lately and now I’m back!  Today I have an amazing side dish for you all!  A few weeks ago we were down in Charleston, SC {best city ever, BTW} for the Wine and Food Festival and on the way home we stopped for some buzzed grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s!  I love love LOVE Trader Joe’s and cannot get enough of them!  The prices are fantastic and their produce is amazing -- I just about died when I saw a little bag of baby zucchini! AHHH!  So I created this warm salad topped with feta cheese and balsamic syrup.  Of course you can substitute regular-sized zucchini {chopped up of course}.

Baby Zucchini and Potato Salad with Arugula and Feta (serves 6 to 8 as a side dish)

1 bag baby zucchini (about 15 zucchini), stems removed

1 small bag baby potatoes

1/2 bag baby arugula

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 pint grape tomatoes

1/2 c. feta cheese

salt and pepper to tasted

balsamic syrup, for drizzling

1. Preheat oven to 425.  In an oven-safe dish, place potatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.  Add zucchini to the roasting pan and stir.  Return pan to oven and roast 10 to 15 minutes more, until zucchini is cooked through.  Remove from oven and transfer to serving dish. 
2. Add arugula to the potato/zucchini mixture and toss.  This will allow the arugula to wilt into the hot veggies.  Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Toss the salad with the grape tomatoes and balsamic syrup.  Top with feta cheese and serve.

Arugula Pesto-Goat Cheese Crostini

Today is our 100th Blog Post!!!!!!!!!!!  I am so excited to have made it to this milestone and hope you all have been enjoying ChowGals as much as I have!  I’m in the process of putting together a special giveaway to mark the occasion but have been feeling a little under the weather lately so I just couldn’t get my act together in time.  So look for a giveaway next week!  And keep reading and enjoying the blog -- tell your friends and send us pictures of any recipes you make -- we love to see our stuff in action!  

For today’s post, a festive little snack -- Arugula Pesto-Goat Cheese Crostini -- the colors are perfect for a Christmas/Holiday party.  This appetizer really is simple - and don’t be worried about making homemade pesto -- throw all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and you’re done!  Easy as can be!  Pesto is traditionally made with basil leaves, which I love, but a few years ago I had a hankering for pesto and had a big pile of arugula in the fridge.  I substituted it and I loved it!  It was so peppery and really packed a punch flavor-wise.  Don’t be afraid to experiment in the kitchen -- I find some of my favorites that way!

Arugula Pesto-Goat Cheese Crostini

1 loaf ciabatta bread, sliced and each slice halved

cooking spray

1 large package or bag baby arugula

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/3 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 log soft goat cheese, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Spray each side of bread slices with cooking spray and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden, flipping bread slices halfway through baking time.  Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine arugula, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and walnuts.  Process until ingredients resemble a paste.  With the processor running, stream in the olive oil.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Smear goat cheese on each slice of ciabatta bread and top with prepared pesto.  Serve immediately.

Strawberry Arugula Salad

Hey everyone!  Right now, I’m sitting at the Charlotte airport awaiting my flight to Omaha, Nebraska to visit my sister-in-law.  I’m very excited and very calm due to the 2 bloody mary’s I enjoyed at the bar.  My fear of flying overtakes me a little bit but I figured a quick blog post would take my mind off the fact that I’m about to board one of those little planes -- just praying it’s not a prop plane.  

So today I have a quick and easy salad recipe for you!  Hello, SkinnyChow!  This salad is a lovely combination of peppery arugula, juicy strawberries, creamy crumbled blue cheese and a lovely homemade balsamic dressing.  Add some crunchy croutons and you’ve got yourself a wonderful (and beautiful) first course salad.  

Strawberry Arugula Salad (serves 4)

1 package baby arugula

1 pint fresh strawberries, quartered

1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese

1/2 c. store bought croutons, or make your own croutons if you feel so inclined

Toss all ingredients and lightly dress salad with dressing, or as desired.

Balsamic Dressing

I made this dressing significantly lower-fat by reducing the amount of oil without sacrificing flavor.

3/4 c. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

Blend all ingredients.

This is such a lovely spring and summer salad.  If you’re the kind of person that isn’t a fan of fruit in your salad, go ahead and give this recipe a try.  Strawberries and balsamic are a classic paring and you will love it.  

Plane just pulled up -- not a prop plane!  YAY!  Hopefully I’ll have some amazing restaurants and food to show you from Omaha so check out the blog in the next few days for some treats!