Sunday, September 5, 2010

Pesto chicken salad

 Bake: Chicken breast spinkle with lemon pepper /herb style seasoning.

 Chop: sundried tomatoes onion celery pesto mayo black pepper walnuts roasted red bell pepper spinach or lettuce

 bake chicken, remove skin, chop/shred mix with chopped ingredients. 

spread on bread or rolls

top with red bell pepper and spinach

Fruity Chicken Salad



 Chop: apple celery dried cranberries mayo Pepper pecans 

 Bake chick breast sprinkled with 5 spice powder and pepper. mix w mayo and chopped ingredients. 

Very good on foccacia.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Greek Zucchini

Zucchini and feta were definitely on the menu but I needed a recipe. The inspiration for this dish came from Veggie Mama. She posted a recipe for zucchini boats that looked and sounded delicious. I wanted something with a few less steps and did a little research to come up with this one... I also had some grape tomatoes that needed to be used up. Quite tasty for a clean out the frig dish! 
 2 med zucchini, sliced 1/2 grape tomatoes, sliced in half 3 cloves garlic Black Pepper Oregano 1/3 c feta cheese water Saute veggies, garlic, pepper and oregano in a little water with lid until just tender. Sprinkle with feta and allow to melt.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Braised Cabbage with Ham

The braised cabbage recipe I usually make is with bacon, so in the interest of better health I made it with ham today. Well okay we didn't have any bacon but whatever, its still healthier. Trader Joe's had a spiral sliced unsmoked ham (nitate free) on sale a couple months ago and we had just eaten a ham so there were lots of leftovers and I froze them. This is a great strategy. We have been pulling out ham to make omelets, breakfast sandwiches, Hawaiian pizzas (as well as other pizzas), Sugie added some to her pork and beans the other day (very tasty) and now braised cabbage. 
 1 whole sweet onion, cut up 1 cup of ham (more or less) torn in bite size pieces 1 medium head of cabbage, chopped roughly into 1 inch pieces 4 cloves of garlic butter olive oil black pepper to taste 1 c chicken broth (optional) 3 T white wine Brown the ham in a little butter, remove. Add onion , saute in a little olive oil til tender. Put ham back in cook a few more minutes, then add cabbage. Stir and cook a few minutes. Add Chicken broth and garlic. Cook for about 15 minutes til cabbage reaches the tenderness you prefer. Add wine, stir and cook for another minute or two. Serve with a nice french or Italian bread. Notes: I like to cut the onions "chinese" style: cut in half vertically (thru the root)remove peel and cut off root. slice from one end to the other so you end up with little wedges. The original recipe called for 8 ounces of bacon. I never used that much. Usually about 4 slices, sometimes less. The original recipe used 1 clove of garlic, I like a little more :) I use much less than the original 2 T of butter and a little less than the 1 T olive oil called for. The chicken broth is my own addition since al dente vegetables are scorned here. It also gives it a little sauce which is good. As usual I omitted the salt. I didn't miss it at all, especially since the ham provides plenty on its own.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Squash Mushroom Medley


Grandma Bressler used to make a squash casserole that I liked, unfortunately I never got the recipe from her but I suspect it was made with mushroom soup. I was looking for a similar recipe online but decided to shortcut and save calories with this improvised but tasty dish.

1 yellow squash, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
2 mushrooms, sliced
1 slice of onion chopped
pepper
dash of butter
splash of milk

Sauté until veggies are tender, about 10 -20 minutes depending on freshness and thickness of slices.

Notes:
It was fine as is, but I might try some herbs next time.
I didn't brown them but you could if you like.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Watercress and Mushroom Omelet


I am currently looking for ways to eat watercress which happens to be in season right now too. I was curious to find out how to eat it (besides throwing it in a salad with other greens) and discovered that it is quite the little nutrition powerhouse and is apparently fairly inexpensive too. This recipe is delicious! I made this to serve two people.

1 tsp butter
3 mushrooms, sliced
2 scallions, chopped fairly small
about 1/2 to 3/4 c fresh watercress, stems removed and chopped roughly

3 lg eggs
1-2 T half n half
black pepper

swiss cheese

Reserve about 1/3 of the chopped watercress to add after cooking with the cheese.

Melt just enough butter to cover the bottom of a nonstick skillet.

Sauté mushrooms sprinkled with black pepper on low heat about 2 minutes, add scallions continue to sauté another 2 minutes, then add watercress and saute 1 more minute. I didn't brown any of these just softened them.

Combine eggs, black pepper, and half n half (or milk or water) in a bowl whisk them until well mixed. Pour over the softened veges and cook over medium to low heat. Flip and put cheese and reserved watercress on half then fold over. Turn off heat when eggs are done and allow to sit about one minute to melt the cheese.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Tropical Papaya Fruit Salad















2 c papaya
2 grapefruit
2 oranges
1 can of pineapple in its own juice
Mix and chill.
Note: I saved most of the pineapple juice for another use.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Pork with Apples and Sweet Potatoes

I had purchased a whole pork loin and froze 2/3 of it without cutting it first so then had to thaw all of and come up with several recipes to use it up. This was pretty easy and even tastier than I expected.

 
about 1 lb of pork loin
apple, chopped, not peeled
sweet potato, chopped
Orange wedges and juice
sprinkle brown sugar
drizzle of honey
crushed fennel seed
crushed rosemary
black pepper
garlic powder
water

The amounts will depend on how much meat you have and how many people you are feeding, and how much you like each seasoning. Go light on the brown sugar as this is meant to be a savory dish
Put chopped apples and sweet potatoes on bottom of 7x11 pyrex baking dish (or whatever) and rest roast in center sprinkle seasonings on vegetables and meat. 
Bake 40 -60 minutes depending on the size of the roast.

Note:
I like to crumble the fennel seeds and rosemary so you don't get to much in one bite...
I usually put a little water (or other liquid) in the bottom of the pan to keep things moist and prevent the juices from burning while baking.
I think I will try adding some chopped onions next time to give it a little more complexity.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Cuban Style Black Bean Soup














I am finally getting around to making my black bean soup for the first time this winter (well okay its Spring now but you get the idea). I am posting the recipe I have been using for years although I made a few change this time which i will note at the end.
1 pound bag of dried black beans (soaked)
1 large (or two small) sweet onions, chopped (yellow would be fine since the're being cooked)
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
3-4 carrots, sliced (I used 1/2 of a 1 lb bag of baby carrots)
3-4 large garlic cloves (more if small)
1 large jalapeño, finely chopped
1 ham bone (with some meat left on it)
1 15 oz can Hunts tomato sauce
1 c low sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
6-8 c water
3 T red wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp summer savory
1/8 tsp allspice
black pepper
drizzle of olive oil to sauté the vegetables

In large soup pot, drizzle the olive oil and heat on low. Add the chopped onions, chop the next vegetable, add, stir and so on until all are in the pot then continue to sauté until onions and celery are soft, taking care not to let them brown.
Add remaining ingredients and make sure the ham bone is covered by liquids. Simmer about 2 hours. Remove ham bone after 1 1/2 hours and pick meat off, shred and return to pot (discard the bone).
Serve with a dollap of sour cream and chopped cilantro. I like to serve with corn bread but had some tamales in the freezer and served them instead.
Notes:
I normally use crushed red pepper but put in jalapeño instead this time. I keep some in the freezer most of the time and it seems like a more traditional ingredient so I made that part of the main recipe.
I used a 29 oz can tomato sauce this time, 1 c chicken broth 1 cup vege broth and a little less water. It was a more tomato-ey soup than usual but was very good.
I want to try adding a green bell pepper next time but did not have one on hand today.
I happened to have about a cup of chopped butternut squash in the frig so I threw that in and it was very good, plus added a little color.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Asian Cole Slaw











Here is another of my favorite dishes from Franklins that I have been trying to replicate. Not only is it very tasty but since there is no mayonnaise it's much healthier too. I really think the sweet chili sauce is the secret ingredient I have been trying to figure out...

Asian Slaw
shredded red cabbage
shredded carrots
sweet chili sauce
grated ginger
splash soy sauce
splash rice wine vinegar
cilantro
splash lime juice
scallions
Mix and marinate if you can wait long enough.
Some ideas to try:
scallions
sesame seeds
sesame oil
maybe leave out the soy sauce to lower sodium content...
AND SUNFLOWER SEEDS!!! <---this div="" good="" idea...="" is="" s="" sounds="" vickie="">

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I am not quite sure if this qualifies as health food since it is somewhat high in fat but it does contain vegetables if thats any consolation. McDonalds is now offering broccoli soup and thats where I got the inspiration to make this recipe. I am quite certain that mine has lower sodium content since I add no salt... If you think its a little bland you may want to add some. This was my first attempt at this dish so some tweaking will likely need to be done.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 T butter
1/2 chopped onion
Black pepper
Nutmeg
Low sodium chicken broth
1 small head broccoli
2 c Milk
4 0z Cheddar ( shredded or cut in small pieces to facilitate melting)

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Saute onion and black pepper until soft, do not brown.
Add nutmeg and chicken broth (vegetable broth would probably be good here as well).
when almost done add milk, heat, add cheese, melt.

Notes:

Do not allow milk to boil or it will curdle. It will taste fine but the texture is somewhat repulsive...If this happens, sprinkle shredded cheddar on individual bowls of soup to disguise the texture.

It needed more cheese, so I sprinkled it on top of each bowl.
I may try adding garlic next time...maybe a combination of cheeses...

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas

Move over Franklins, I finally made a chicken quesadilla as good as theirs! lol. Heres a good way to use up some of the adobo sauce from the chipotles. Super easy too.




chicken breasts
adobo sauce (from the chipotle in adobo)
oregano
cumin
garlic powder
tortillas
cheese
salsa
sour cream
cilantro

I cut up some boneless chicken breasts in to 4-5 long strips, coat with adobo sauce, sprinkle with seasonings, broil in toaster oven for about 5 minutes per side, chop in small bite size pieces.
Lightly toast tortillas, put chicken on one half, top with cheese, fold in half, place in toaster oven to melt, add toppings and serve with the yummy pinto beans (or whatever).

Notes:

Trader Joe's Whole Grain with oatmeal and flaxseed tortillas really went well with the smoky flavored chicken.

Tortillas taste much better toasted. The trick is to get them toasted enough to taste good without drying them out too much and making them brittle. Be careful to allow for the extra cooking time when toasting them since they go back in the oven to melt the cheese.

I have been using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream as a healthier alternative.

I also made this with an uncut chicken breast, which was easier, though not quicker since it took longer to cook, and did not have as much of the adobo flavor. It was fine though and I didn't have to dirty a cutting board, knife , etc. Lazy version takes more like 10 minutes per side. This went with the leftover beans for a quick Monday night dinner.




Chipotle Pinto Beans


I finally made another attempt at Pinto beans. Last time I made them similar to other bean soup recipes and they were a bit bland and I couldn't seem to figure out how to liven them up. The answer: chipotles in adobo. Smoked sausage adds a nice smoky flavor which helps too.

1 lb pinto beans, soaked
1/2 lb smoked sausage (like kielbasa), sliced thinly
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 carrots, sliced thinly
1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced
1 can zucchini in tomato sauce
1 can whole tomatoes, smushed
1 small can tomato sauce (no salt added)
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
2 cups water
black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf

Brown the sausage in large soup pot. When almost done add onions and some black pepper and allow them to carmelize a bit too. Add bell pepper, carrots and garlic and allow to cook about 5 minutes or so (stir a few times) before adding liquid. Add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer about 2-3 hours or more (stirring occasionally) until the beans are softened.
I served these with chipotle chicken quesadillas (recipe will be in next post).

Notes:

I used 3 chipotles and it was a bit too hot. I will try 2 next time.

The zucchini in tomato sauce was just what I had on hand, but I liked it and will use it again.

The form of tomatoes you use can vary greatly. I prefer Hunts tomato products. the soups never taste right to me when I use other brands. (The zucchini was Del Monte). I am sure it just depends on what you are used to, as long as it is good quality.



Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Carrot Soup by Jackie

Submitted by Jackie:


Coconut Carrot Soup

carrots,
can of coconut milk,
dill seed,

S n P,
cilantro

Boil carrots until soft. Place in blender with all other ingredients, except
cilantro. Blend until smooth. Reheat, serve and top with cilantro.

Cannellini Bean burger (Jackie)

Submitted by:Jackie Green

I had to get creative with dinner this weekend thanks to the lack of groceries, thanks to the snow. I made both of these and they were delicious:

Cannellini Bean Burger


drained cannellini beans,
minced fresh ginger,
chili garlic sauce,
bread crumbs,
egg,
minced garlic,
couscous,
soy sauce,

fresh spinach (or any salad mix)

and


for coating:

sesame seeds,
flour,
salt n pepper

Fry garlic and ginger for 1-2 minutes. Mash the beans and add all
ingredients, except spinach. Shape into burger patties and coat in the coating mix. Fry in sesame oil until browned. Serve over a few spinach leaves. Great
with plum sauce.