Monday, October 6, 2008

White Chili

My sister gave me this recipe because she mentioned to me how easy it is. I adapted it a little, like I cooked the beans from dried instead of using canned (they are sooooooooooo cheap when you buy them dried, and as long as you have enough time they are easy to cook), and I omitted the chicken because I didn't think it would add tons of flavor and with the beans you have plenty of protein. (And I was lazy and didn't want to precook chicken.)



1 lb. white beans
2 c. chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T oregano
2 c. frozen corn
1 T lemon pepper
2 T lemon juice
2 t cumin
1 7 oz. can green salsa (the recipe called for a can of green chilies)

Put beans and plenty of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, boil for two minutes, then remove from heat, cover and let sit for at least one hour, or overnight. Pour beans and liquid into crockpot, simmer on high for 2 or 3 hours. Saute onions, then add along with the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 1 hour longer or until beans are tender.

I think in a previous recipe I mentioned that you should drain the bean liquid, that it reduces the oligasaccharides that cause gas. Since then I read something online that said draining it loses more nutrients than it does help. So who knows.

I was surprised how flavorful this turned out. I especially liked the lemon. Most white chili recipes I have seen have some creaminess in them, half and half or sour cream or something. Not having that made it look not very white, but makes it healthier and freezable.

Usually when I make regular chili (not in a crockpot), I just throw the raw onions in the last half hour and let them simmer. I tried that this time, yeah they were crunchy. This recipe would be easy to do on the stovetop too, and maybe then you could get away without sauteing the onions.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Zucchini and Tomato One Pot Wonder

My friend Kathi gave me this recipe saying, "It sounds really gross." So maybe I liked it so much because I had low expectations, but it was easy to make, loaded with vegetables, and like Kathi says you can feed five on a dollar.

1/2 package ground turkey
1 c finely shredded carrot
1/2 onion, chopped
Zucchini, finely shredded
3-4 tomatoes, chopped
Mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper

Combine turkey and carrot. Brown meat with onions. On top of meat, layer zucchini, tomatoes, and cheese. Salt zucchini and tomato layers. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

I served it over brown rice because it seemed like it needed to be over something. Mine turned out really watery (maybe too much zucchini), maybe next time I'll simmer uncovered.

Everyone tried some. Some opted for plain rice after that. I thought it was really good. The tomatoes were from the farmers market and were so flavorful, it was amazing. I enjoyed it, and look forward to more easy yummy recipes from Kathi.

Cilantro Noodle Bowl

I got this recipe from a real recipe blog, 101 Cookbooks. Her recipes always look good, but this might be the first one I've ever actually tried. They usually call for unique ingredients that I don't have on hand so it takes some planning ahead. You'll find this recipe at http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/cilantro-noodle-bowl-recipe.html

I made this last week, with broccoli instead of romanesco since I'd never heard of romanesco before. I'm not sure if I like soba noodles? They were a nice change, but I'm not sure if I could eat them all the time. But of course it is easy to substitute a different kind of noodle, even spaghetti would work here. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were here and they both said they liked it, and even my husband liked it okay. The kids I didn't even expect them to try it, I just made them spaghetti (multigrain) and they had it with cheese on top.

I had trouble with my tofu. I got the extra firm kind, but it was not firm enough to hold up in my pan. I think browning it would have added some flavor, but the only brown parts got stuck to the bottom of my pan.

Guess what? I found romanesco at the farmers market on Saturday. So I'm going to make it again this week. Yum. I'll let you know how the romanesco is.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Chicken Verde

I just realized I have never posted one of my favorite easy recipes. I know we ate it sometime in the last few months, when I was forgetting to post anything. I got it from my friend Honor, and I made it shortly after giving birth to the 4YO. I picked it because it only had two ingredients. When I told Honor that I had chosen her recipe as the first post-partum dinner I made, she said, "I am honored, pun intended."

2-3 lbs. chicken (any kind, but if it has bones you'll have to debone it after it is cooked)
1 16 oz. jar salsa verde

Put chicken in a crockpot, pour salsa over. Cook on low 4-5 hours until chicken is cooked through. Shred, serve in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings. I also like to put a spoonful of rice in the tortilla with it.

To me, this tastes like chicken enchiladas, but without all the rolling and assembling.

Summertime Lime Chicken Tacos

My friend Lauren shared this recipe with me one day because she had made the chicken ahead of time but couldn't stop thinking about it before it was time for dinner! It is easy to make, the hardest part is remembering to put the chicken in the marinade at the right time.

1/3 c vegetable oil
1/4 c lime juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T parsley, minced
1 t cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or more)

Add all the ingredients to a gallon ziploc bag and make sure the chicken is coated. Refrigerate for 8 hours, turning occasionally. Drain and discard marinade. Grill or broil chicken 5-7 minutes on each side. Cut into thin strips. Serve in warmed tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.

Microwave Popcorn

I've been limiting myself to dinners on this blog, just because it is so easy to collect so many fun recipes which don't help you get dinner on the table...because they are desserts, appetizers, or something. But this idea was so easy and healthy and cheap I had to share.

Put 1/3 cup popcorn kernals in a brown paper lunch bag. Fold over top of bag twice. Microwave for 4 minutes. Done.

Popcorn is a whole grain, so as long as you don't drown it in butter or caramel or whatever you prefer on your popcorn, this is a great snack. If you are in the mood for a sweet treat, here is my favorite popcorn recipe:

Honey Popcorn

10 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
3 T margarine

Combine sugar, honey and margarine in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until mixture bubbles around edges.

Pour over popped corn and mix well. Place on wax paper to cool and harden.

Potato Salad

One of my very first posts was my mom's recipe for potato salad, but I just recently found a different recipe that I think will take over from now on. It uses olive oil in the dressing instead of mayonnaise, and it just tastes lighter and fresher, but still the same tang and crunch of potato salad. But since it is oil, which congeals when it is cold, it has to be served warm or room temperature. So not good to make ahead.

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 large), cut into uniform 1/2 to 1-inch pieces (I used red potatoes though)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put potatoes into a saucepan, cover with an inch of cold water. Salt the water (about a teaspoon and a half for 2 quarts of water). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well.


Put potatoes in a large serving bowl with the celery, red onion, olives, and parsley. Add the rice vinegar and oil while the potatoes are still warm, so they absorb the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm. Serves 4 to 6.

Ratings:
Okay, the truth is I didn't make this for my family. I volunteered to take it to church for a meeting where they served lunch. So I'm the only one who tasted it. And it was yummy.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Quinoa and Black Beans

Well, I haven't posted in months. What have we been eating for all that time? I'm not really sure. When I'm not organized, mealtime suffers, and I think that is what happened. I'm happy to say that we don't resort to fast food very often (I think we did order out pizza once...) but since it is summer we did bbq quite a bit, and lets just say I'm glad my kids like pancakes.


The last six or seven weeks, I have gone to great effort to make a meal plan each week, which means I get things on the grocery list, which means there is a chance I have the right kind of food in the house when it comes time to make dinner. Several times I have even gotten the right food out of the freezer the night before and sometimes I've gotten the crockpot turned on in the morning. That sure helps life to be calmer when I am able to plan ahead like that.

In looking at my meals that I actually planned, almost every single one was a repeat of something I've already posted. 26 meals and I'm already at the end of my repertoire? I wouldn't be surprised if it is true. Pathetic.

I did try a new recipe last night. My brother was coming over for dinner so I needed to actually cook, but he is a pretty low maintenance brother so I decided to try out a new recipe that I found on www.allrecipes.com. I served it with cornbread and a salad.

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels (I used an ear of fresh, cut off the cob)
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (I cooked up 2 c. of dried beans)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Ratings:

The presentation was a little blah. It is just a pile of stuff on your plate. Do you serve it in a bowl with a spoon? Do you wrap it in a tortilla? Is it a casserole? Is it a side dish? The quinoa and beans definitely give it enough protein for it to be a main dish, but I probably wouldn't serve it to company (other than low maintenance brother) unless I could figure out a better presentation, maybe the tortilla idea. It turned out much tastier than I expected. The onions and garlic and corn really gave it a lot of flavor. The spices could have been stronger. And I thought the proportions were a little off, next time I'll use more quinoa to balance it with the beans.

6YO: Asked to try a little, and then asked for seconds.

4YO: Ate cornbread and picked out carrots from the salad.

1YO: He loves beans, so he picked out the beans. When he ate a spoonful with other things mixed in, he spit it out. Maybe a little tedious, but he ate lots of beans.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Mediterranean Soup

I made some soup to go with Leftover Extravaganza, so the soup isn't really filling enough by itself, but it is so yummy I make it for myself a lot. It is my favorite thing to eat on a rainy day.

I got this recipe from a newspaper article showing how you can change up soup ingredients and have a completely different dish. I tried all of them, and this one is by far the best. It is so simple I sometimes make it for lunch while the kids are eating.

1 quart chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 t thyme
couple handfuls of spinach
1/2 c pastina (or other type of small pasta, this time I used broken spaghetti)
Lemon wedges
Parmesan, grated

Saute the onion in olive oil about 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and add garlic and thyme. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add spinach and pasta and cook for about 10 more minutes. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of parmesan.

(A comment about the garlic. Sometimes I mince it, because then you aren't surprised with a mouthful of garlic when you're eating the soup, but sometimes I look forward to that whole clove. Depending on my mood. It is soft and flavorful, but since it is simmered it doesn't knock you out. Although my breath after eating it might.)

Ratings:

Me: I left dinner ready for them and went to a meeting, when I got back it was ALL GONE! I was so disappointed.

Hubby: Normally a soup hater, he loved it. He said it was really good and asked me where I got it.

5YO: I once made some soup to use up vegetables in my fridge, and it ended up having potatoes, leeks, and spinach (among other things). I pureed it all together and told the kids it was Jolly Green Giant soup and if they ate it they would turn into a giant. 5YO liked this idea, so he ate the soup. He got over not turning into a giant, and ended up really liking the soup. He even took some to school in his lunch the next day. He was disappointed when it was gone. So now he always hopefully tastes my soups looking for a repeat. He gave it a good shot, ate most of his bowl, but alas it was not the same.

4YO: Nope.

1YO: He liked this soup. And in case you're wondering, it is possible to eat soup with your hands.

Orange Chicken and Rice

I used to mix everything together as the recipe directs, but this time I set out four different bowls to keep the ingredients separate. I think that helped keep people happy. I also steamed some fresh green beans from the farmers market and they were SO good, so much better than grocery store, even the KIDS enjoyed them.


1 c rice (I use brown and let it cook longer)
1 c chicken broth
1 c orange juice (I just spoon out some frozen concentrate and add water)
1/4 t nutmeg
4 cooked chicken breast halves, in bite-size pieces (I used one of those cans from Costco this time)
11-oz can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 c chopped walnuts


Combine, rice, broth, juice, and nutmeg in a pot over medium heat (I used a rice cooker). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Add chicken to rice, cook another 5 to 7 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in oranges. Sprinkle individual serving with nuts. Makes 4 servings.


Ratings:


Me: I was in a super big hurry (because it was past bedtime...yikes!) and I didn't let the rice cook long enough. I should have just used white rice this time. It was still okay, just required too much chewing. I love the nuts in this recipe.


Hubby: Not a fan.


5YO: It is funny, but when I've served this in the past, he has turned up his nose. But today, since I served them separately, he ate everything (except the nuts). And the green beans!


4YO: She ate a little chicken and rice.


1YO: Loves the oranges, and ate some of the chicken and rice and green beans, too.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Garlic Lemon Salmon

Fish is healthy, fast and easy to prepare, AND my kids like it, so why does it have to be expensive? Figures. They'll eat salmon, talapia, and mild fish like that, but they are more suspicious of shrimp or other-shaped/textured seafood. Me, I love seafood of any kind. There is a lot I haven't tasted, but I figure if I like octopus I can probably handle a lot of it.

This salmon, like a lot of things I make, is not really much of a recipe, just a simple way of getting it cooked. My family likes squeezing lemon wedges over it (and my MIL is constantly bring me fresh lemons from her tree), and it is easy to make rice and a salad to round out the meal. I think the key to getting it flavorful is the garlic, but a little bit goes a long way.

Salmon pieces
salt and pepper
olive oil
garlic, pressed (or minced)
lemons, juiced
parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Season both sides of salmon pieces and cook in a shallow baking dish for about 20 minutes. It doesn't change color when cooked like other meats, but it is done when it flakes easily with a fork. It tastes much better when you don't overcook it, so don't wait for it to brown.

Ratings:

Everyone but the 4YO had some and enjoyed it. I think it might be the first time the 1YO has eaten fish!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Turkey Sausage

First, I just have to say a little bit about the farmers market. I went to one down the street on Saturday, and of course there were some things that were ridiculously expensive, but there were also a lot of fruit and vegetables that were comparably priced to the grocery store, but they tasted SO SO GOOD. I bought some romaine lettuce and some mixed greens that were so fresh and flavorful you could eat them plain. (The previous week I had bought some at Costco. It is like they were completely different products.) I did splurge on a couple things, like the blueberries were almost $5 for a small little clamshell, but then I had a free sample. So worth it.

Tonight for dinner I made the sweet potato hash again, but this time I made the sausage from ground turkey. I'm not sure which way I prefer it, but it is nice to have options, so here is the recipe for turkey sausage.

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey
1 t salt
1 1/2 t ground pepper
1/2 t dried sage
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1 1/2 t orange zest (I used lemon only because I didn't have an orange. But orange tastes better.)
dash Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients well. Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Form into sausage links and cook for about 4-5 minutes until browned.

I have never formed them into links, I always just break it up and brown it. I've also used this recipe for pizza or a bread pudding recipe that I have. It doesn't taste exactly like regular sausage, but you'll notice when you cook it up you also don't have to drain off pools of grease, so I often opt for this instead.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Pan-fried Pizza

*I posted this awhile ago, but I just tried this on the grill instead of the stove-top. I read some recipes online that said you need to brush the dough with olive oil before putting it on the grill, but that wasn't really necessary. It solved the heating-up-the-kitchen problem, besides the fact that you can cook two at a time and get dinner cooked twice as fast.

I didn't think I'd end up posting tonight since I've already posted a pizza recipe, but I got surprisingly good reactions from everyone. I made my pizza dough like I usually do (but I'll include the recipe here again), but cooked it on the stovetop. I thought it would help the heat in my kitchen to not turn on the oven (it has been in the 90's the last few days and we have no a/c). Unfortunately, it still got really warm, but everyone liked the pizza and it was fun to have a change. The crust turned out thin and crispy instead of thick and puffy, a little more authentic Italian I suppose. I doubled the recipe and then froze 3 (of the 8) balls--one recipe wasn't enough and two recipes was too much!

1/2 T. yeast
1 1/4 c. warm water
1/2 t. salt
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. flour

Let the yeast dissolve in the warm (not hot) water. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead them for a few minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and oil the outside with olive oil. Cover and let rise for one hour. Punch it down and divide into 4 balls. Let rest for a few minutes. Preheat a skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil. Roll one ball into a 12 inch circle. Cook in the skillet for about 5 minutes until slightly browned. Flip and add toppings. Cover (I just used a piece of aluminum foil loosely placed on top) and cook for a few more minutes, until cheese is melted. Repeat with other balls of dough. Makes 4 pizzas.

Ratings:

Me: Since we made individual pizzas, I got to make my veggie version. I put garlic, mozzarella, thinly sliced yellow squash, tomato slices, roasted peppers, spinach, and fresh basil. YUM. Everyone else had the usual boring plain sauce and cheese.

Hubby: He repeated about three times how good it was. And he is the hardest to please.

5YO: Ate an entire pizza on his own.

4YO: Ate about half a pizza and then went to town on carrots.

1YO: Ate about half a pizza.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Artichokes

I didn't quite finish making dinner tonight. The kids asked for spaghetti, and I had some artichokes, but I never got to the sauce or anything else. (One of those days...) So we had plain spaghetti and artichokes. Pretty pathetic. Not really worth posting, except my kids ate SO much that I figured I wanted to remember this.

Artichokes are not difficult to cook or eat, but they are definitely unique to both cook and eat. To cook them, cut off the top half inch or so, and the bottom stem. Then snip off the top of each leaf. (You don't have to, but there is a little pokey barb on the tip of the leaf, so it is just a little friendlier to eat if they have been snipped.) Steam for about 30 minutes, until the leaves come off easily. (Once recipe I read said steam them stem side down, another said stem side up. I did it stem side down.) I put mine in the rice cooker with a steaming rack in the bottom and about an inch of water.

To eat, pull off each leaf, dip in melted butter, then scrape off the bottom "meaty" part of the leaf with your teeth. When all the leaves are gone, scrape out the middle "choke" part and discard--you'll recognize it when you see it, you won't want to eat it-- then eat the rest of the heart.

The artichokes came with a label that said "loaded with antioxidants." With a word so scientific and specific as "loaded," I don't really know how they measure up nutritionally, but they are a vegetable and my kids did eat them. If someone can school me about artichoke nutrition, let me know.

Ratings:

Me: So obviously major holes in this dinner, but I love artichokes so I just enjoyed them.

Hubby: He found something else for dinner, can I blame him? (I should also mention that he was late coming home from work so it was not in front of the kids. Thanks honey.)

5YO: He ate an artichoke and a half. Except for the heart, but I'm not complaining since he gave it to me. I had to remind him to chew while he ate his spaghetti he was inhaling it so fast.

4YO: She enjoyed the idea of dipping in butter, so she tried a few leaves, and then realized she preferred spaghetti dipped in butter. Lots of spaghetti dipped in butter. She ended up with butter all over her arms, face, and hair.

1YO: He ate some spaghetti, but this shape of pasta is a little challenging for him. Rotini or penne is much easier to pick up and keep from getting stuck in his throat. He also ate my artichoke heart, so good thing his brother shared his with me.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Chicken Soup With Lemon and Lentils

I needed something to make to go along with my husband's hamburgers, and I've been craving this soup. It is from a book I have called Quick Chicken by Rose Murray, but of course I don't follow the recipe exactly. Am I breaking copyright laws by putting it here? If I am, someone warn me.

First off, I didn't put chicken in tonight. I ran out of time. And the recipe calls for canned lentils added in the last five minutes, but I use dried and start them first. I also just realized the recipe calls for lemon zest, which I overlooked. Oops. I'll have to add it to the leftovers.

5 c chicken broth
2 c lentils
6 carrots, sliced
4 celery stalks, sliced
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 t lemon zest
salt and pepper
1 c cilantro, chopped (original recipe calls for parsley, also good)
1/2 c lemon juice
2 t cumin

cooked brown rice

Rinse lentils. In a large stockpot, add lentils and broth, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer 10-15 minutes (while you chop). Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, lemon zest (and chicken if you want--4 breasts, once it is cooked, remove and dice and return to soup). Simmer 15 minutes more (adding water if it gets too dry) or until lentils are soft and vegetables are tender. Add cilantro, lemon juice, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place a large spoonful of rice in each soup bowl and pour soup over top.

Ratings:
(I already mentioned in the hamburger post that only the baby and I ate it...)

Me: It was so delicious and refreshing. I'm a big fan of lentils, and the lemon in this makes it so flavorful. (Even though I forgot the zest!)

1YO: He left the carrots, but loved the rice. He always loves rice.

Li'l Sis: She stopped by after dinner and said it smelled good, so I sent her home with some to try. Comment with your (honest!) rating when you taste it.

Hamburgers

My husband loves hamburgers and french fries. When we go out to eat at a fancy restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, he orders hamburgers and french fries. I certainly will never be able to change him. But since it is not so healthy, when I make it at home I try to help out the meal a little bit without ruining it for him. So far what works is to buy the extra lean ground beef, mix it with an egg, some lemon pepper, and worcestershire sauce, and then form the patties. I make turkey burgers for myself, I just slap a frozen one on the grill. I don't love turkey burgers, but one day I looked at the nutrition information on a package of frozen hamburgers and compared it to the package of turkey burgers. I don't remember the exact numbers, but there was almost FIVE times as much fat in the hamburgers, of course a lot of it saturated. I definitely don't like hamburgers five times as much as turkey burgers, so I always opt for the turkey burger. I like them better than gardenburgers, but I'll eat gardenburgers before hamburgers.

So here's my conundrum. Since I don't do the frozen packaged hamburgers anymore, my version is somewhat healthier. Turkey burgers are processed, gardenburgers are processed, so if I make my own extra lean hamburgers, which is the healthiest? I'm getting less and less happy about meat, because unless you get grass-finished, free-range meat ("organic" is no guarantee) even unprocessed meat does not have the nutrients it should. I'm trying to figure out how to explain this briefly, but basically most meat you find at your neighborhood grocery store is from animals that do not have a healthy lifestyle, so their meat has more fat and less vitamins and minerals than animals that eat healthy and exercise normally. But it is extremely expensive to buy good meat, so not really an option in our family budget. Gardenburgers obviously don't have meat, but vegetables that are smooshed up into a perfect circle aren't exactly fresh picked, and of course need stuff added to keep their shape. My husband will never give up hamburgers, so I'll make his extra lean, but what should I eat? Maybe the answer is none of the above?

We didn't have fries tonight, but I'll just mention that I usually do the frozen kind. I at least make sure they're not made with hydrogenated oils, but there is not much healthy about fries. When I do make them, I like to make sweet potato fries for myself. You can buy sweet potatoes cut into fries (with nothing else added), but you can also just slice a sweet potato into coins and cook on a baking sheet at 400 for about 20 min, turning once halfway through the cooking time. You can also make your own oven-baked fries out of regular potatoes, but to my husband that is like a turkey burger--not the same thing.

Ratings:

Me: I did eat a turkey burger tonight. But I also ate some soup which I will post the recipe. I started to do it in this same post but it got too long when I started going off on the meat tangent...

Hubby: He ate THREE. I try to make them smallish for portion control, but what good is that when he eats three?

5YO: He is also a fan of hamburgers. He asked for one in his lunch tomorrow, too.

4YO: She asked for "a hamburger with just bread and ketchup." Maybe she and I should go vegetarian.

1YO: He ate some soup. When I offered him a bite of hamburger he just stared at it. He can go vegetarian with us.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Lemon Chicken with Artichokes

I have only told two people about this blog. My friend, Emily, and my sister, Valary. Valary and I live in the same city, see each other at least a few times a week, and talk and email even more. Almost every time I talk to her I ask her what she is cooking for dinner hoping for a good idea, so we often exchange recipes and meal ideas. So there is really no need to post this for her sake--we would have just talked about it tomorrow. And I got this recipe from Emily, so there is no need to post it for her. So I guess I'm posting it for myself, since I can never remember what I've cooked recently and sometimes I forget about even my favorite recipes, even when they are as great as this one.

6-8 frozen chicken breast halves
1/4 c flour
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1/2 lb. mushrooms
1 9-oz bottle artichoke hearts (I use frozen or just plain bottled, not marinated)
juice of one lemon (2 1/2 T)
2 t parsley
1/2 c chicken broth

Rinse chicken and coat with flour. Heat butter and oil on medium high. Brown chicken about 5 minutes on each side. Add mushrooms, artichoke hearts and broth. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook 20 minutes. Remove chicken and vegetables to serving platter. Skim fat from remaining broth, add lemon juice and parsley. Cook over medium heat until desired consistency. Pour over chicken and vegetables.

Emily says about this recipe, "so easy...so yummy," and that about sums it up. I like using more vegetables than is called for, sometimes I throw in extra ones like broccoli or spinach, too. Today was the first time I've used fresh parsley in this recipe (usually I just use dried because I don't have fresh on hand) and it was even better.

Ok, what is wrong with me that I can never get my meat to brown properly? Not just this recipe, but any recipe. I use boneless skinless, is that why? I sometimes skip the flour step, but even with the flour it won't brown for like 15 minutes and by then the chicken is practically cooked through. So I usually just do the 5 minutes like the recipe says, and then it isn't browned but the chicken stays tender instead of being overcooked and dried out. Still yummy, but I wish I could figure out how to brown it. Any pointers?

Tonight I made it with brown rice and a salad. The kids didn't eat the chicken, no big surprise, but it turned out delicious even if it wasn't browned.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Scrambled Omelette

First an update on the frozen roasted peppers. A few days ago I made a veggie pizza and pulled a few out of the freezer, defrosted them, and put them on the pizza. Delicious. Then tonight, I did the same for my scrambled omelette, and they were perfect. So as far as I can tell, roasted peppers freeze and defrost without any issues.

I am not a morning person, so I save my breakfast recipes for dinner. My husband LOVES bacon, eggs, and hash browns, so I keep bacon and hash browns in the freezer for when I need a quick meal (for dinner of course. If it is breakfast pour yourself a bowl of cereal.) I don't like this meal much at all, except the eggs don't bother me. My favorite breakfast meal is omelettes, which I can usually make along with this meal without too much added work. Except that it is too tricky to make a whole perfect unbroken omelette, so I finally gave up trying since just stirring it all together tastes just the same. I think that maybe the way I make it is called a fritatta, but since I'm not sure exactly what makes a fritatta a fritatta I decided I better not call it a fritatta. So I call it scrambled omelette. Tonight it turned out fabulous, because of the roasted peppers (I'm so glad I made those!).

1/4 onion, diced
5 or 6 mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup roasted peppers, chopped
2 or 3 eggs, beaten (I used one whole egg and about 1/3 c eggbeaters)
grated reduced-fat sharp cheddar

In a small skillet over medium heat, saute onion for a few minutes, then add mushrooms for a few minutes, then peppers just until heated through. Pour eggs over the vegetables and let cook for a few minutes. Give them a stir and let them cook for a few more minutes. Once it is mostly cooked through, put cheese on top and place skillet in the oven (doesn't matter what temperature, just warm for a few minutes) until eggs are completely cooked and cheese is melted.

I loved my omelette, and everyone else loved their bacon, eggs, and hash browns.

Ok, while I'm talking about this meal, maybe I should mention what I like to drink with it, but maybe then everyone will think I'm crazy. But if you like the flavor of orange julius, you should give it a try. When we have orange juice, like we did tonight, I fill my cup a third of the way with milk, a splash of vanilla, and the rest of the cup with orange juice. (Sometimes I don't get the combination quite right and it isn't sweet enough so I just sprinkle a little sugar in.) I really like it, but I'm the only one.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Fajitas with Roasted Peppers

I usually make fajitas in a skillet, with the usual onions, peppers, and chicken marinated in some worcestershire sauce, cumin, chili powder, and sometimes a splash of lemon or lime juice. But today I had a lot of peppers that I thought I should cook all at the same time, so I decided to use our new grill again and roast them all. I thought maybe they'd end up being to mushy for the fajitas, but they were actually better than they usually are. I can never get them the perfect still crunchy but not raw texture you get when you go to a restaurant, they are always either undercooked or overcooked. So maybe for authentic fajitas you won't want to try it this way, but they were very tasty and I'd make them this way again.

I roasted the peppers whole on one side of the grill. When I've roasted them on the stove, I've done it over low heat, but that seemed to be taking too long so I turned it up to medium. They pop and blister as they cook, and you rotate them until they are blackened on all sides. I cooked some chicken breasts over high heat on the other side of the grill. Then I took everything inside, and went to the skillet. I sauteed an onion until transparent, then tossed in the chicken sliced into strips and added my usual marinade ingredients as seasonings. The peppers need to cool until you can handle them without burning yourself, then you rub off the blackened skin, cut and clean out the seeds, then slice into strips. I threw about a pepper and a half into the fajitas, and then put the rest in the freezer. I don't know if they freeze well this way. I read in a book that you can freeze them but I don't know if they need to be treated differently before freezing. I'll let you know after I use them out of the freezer.

Back to the fajitas, I just warmed everything through and served with whole wheat tortillas, cheese, and a green salad. I really really liked doing the peppers this way, because they were soft and sweet, but still had a little crunch. My husband is usually not a big fan of the peppers in the fajitas, but they were less overwhelming this way, so he didn't pick them out like he sometimes does. The chicken was not as flavorful this way, I think next time I'd marinate them like I usually do, before grilling them. But of course the chicken was what the kids ate. And tortillas with cheese.

BBQ

We just bought a grill. Actually we bought it a couple weeks ago, but we finally assembled it. My husband's all time favorite meal is hamburgers and french fries, so that was the main reason he wanted a grill, but we don't have air conditioning and I can't cook on hot summer days was my main reason. It hasn't been hot summer days yet, but we've already used it several times.

Our first bbq meal was chicken. My MIL always has moist tender bbq food, and her trick is to cook it over high heat to get the blackened grillmarks, and then bring it inside, pour bbq sauce over it, cover with foil, and continue cooking in the oven until cooked through. That way you get the bbq grilled taste, but also the moist, tender meat. However that defeats the can't-cook-on-hot-summer-days purpose of having the grill if you turn the oven on, so we cooked the chicken on high, then put it in a 9x13 covered with barbecue sauce and foil, and left it on the grill with the burner turned off on one side (the side with the pan), and closed the lid. It worked perfectly, except that I kept checking it which lets all the heat out, so it probably took longer than usual. I'll get used to using the grill and won't have that problem.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Best Ever Chicken and Almond Green Beans

I got this recipe at a recipe swap in college. I've recently become more aware of foods with high fructose corn syrup so I can avoid it, so when I made this I realized that the Worcestershire sauce had high fructose corn syrup. Do all Worcestershires have it or just this particular brand? If they all have it what could be used to substitute? Any ideas anyone? I don't know if I would call this chicken "best ever," but it is very good (and VERY EASY). And I couldn't think of a different name for it (except for Easiest Ever Chicken), so here is the recipe for Best Ever Chicken.

1 chicken breast for each person
Salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce

rice or mashed potatoes (I have always used rice)

Preheat oven to 425. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts, then brown each side in a skillet for approximately 5 minutes. (I didn't realize until I was typing this up that I forgot this step. So I would say browning is optional.) Begin cooking the rice so it will be done when the chicken is. Place chicken upside down in a pan big enough to hold them relatively close together. Douse with Worcestershire sauce. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, turn, and douse once more (although I forgot the second dousing as well). Cook for another 10 minutes or until done. Serve over the rice.

I also made some green beans. I just steamed them in the microwave with a little lemon juice and water, melted a little butter over them and tossed in some sliced almonds. They were a little discolored when they cooked, was that from the lemon juice or just the quality of the green beans? Anyone know? But I liked the lemon taste so maybe next time I'll squeeze in the lemon after I cook them and see what happens.

Ratings:

Another winner. I hope that I can find a better Worcestershire sauce so I can continue making this. Everyone, every single person in the family, ate this chicken. The green beans were not as popular, but I serve vegetables on principle even if no one wants them. I liked them of course.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Leftover Extravaganza

Maybe a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but not dinner. "Leftovers" has gotten a bad connotation, so if we are having the same meal as a previous day, I call it by its original name. That seems to help a little. But sometimes we have little servings of this or that leftover, not enough to feed everyone but too much to stay in my fridge taking up room. So I invented "Leftover Extravaganza." Which my kids think is really funny (because you have to kind of say it with a flourish). I usually try to add something new to the mix, like bake some bread or cornbread, throw together a fresh salad, or whatever the meal needs. These meals sometimes are even more popular than the originals since there are so many choices.

Tonight I pulled out the leftovers, and then made a tiny package of thin steaks I had in the freezer that wouldn't have made a whole meal on its own. Took about 7 minutes to cook. Done.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Butterflied Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

I haven't watched Oprah in years, but once a long time ago when I did, I saw Nigella Lawson teach Oprah how to make this recipe. At first I was intimidated by "butterflying" a chicken, but it is actually very easy, you just cut down both sides of the backbone so the chicken will lay flat. (And I don't have good knives or anything.) Then it takes about half the time to roast than if you left it whole. I'm sure you could substitute any kind of seasonings. I like to freeze it, then let it thaw for a couple days in the fridge so the flavors really get into the chicken. By the way, there is a mistake, an onion is listed in the ingredients and then they never tell you what to do with it! Just cut it in quarters and toss in the bag with everything else.

I also made some brown rice in the rice cooker, I threw in some dried onions and minced garlic. I sauteed some spinach with garlic which I like but don't expect much from others. We also had some watermelon.

Ratings:

I think we have a winner this time. Everyone ate everything (except spinach as predicted) except the 4YO didn't try the chicken. Even hubby ate the spinach, I'm not sure if it is because he liked it or if he just feels obligated to eat what I serve. I think it is because everything has such a mild taste that it went over well.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Spaghetti

I asked the kids what they wanted tonight and the answer was spaghetti. I won't even write how I made it, because is there anyone in the world who has never made spaghetti?!?!? Even my husband has made spaghetti, and that is saying something.

I used the Barilla Plus spaghetti because I like the more nutritional value as compared to regular spaghetti. I made my MIL's green beans, too. Not many options today, but that is what today was like.

Ratings:

Hubby wasn't home for dinner, and everyone else filled up on pasta with or without sauce. Since it was their request there were no complaints.

Taco Salad

I never know if this is a meal that people know of or if it is some invention of my family. Some people have never heard of it, but many people have their own version of it. I've heard it called taco soup, mexican spree, mexican haystacks, but the concept is basically the same. We use chips, and top it with chili, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and whatever toppings we like. This time I also used the leftover Spanish rice. Here I will include the recipe for the chili. I always make a gigantic batch, and then freeze leftovers in ziploc bags.

2 c. dried pinto beans
2 c. dried black beans
1 large onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 can diced tomatoes with jalapeno (or other tomato product, or fresh)
2 T chili powder
2 T cumin
1 T oregano

Rinse beans and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and put the lid on and leave to soak for 1-24 hours. (It is not necessary to soak the beans this way, but if you do not soak it will take about 20-30 minutes longer to cook them.) Drain and rinse beans again, then add water just to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about one hour, adding more water if it gets dry. Add remaining ingredients (of course everything to taste) and simmer until onion is soft, about half an hour.

I've found that the only way to know if beans are really done is to taste them. I fish out one pinto and one black to see if they are at all mealy, and if they are I keep on cooking. If the chili is too watery, I add a can of refried beans or just get my potato masher and mash a bunch of the beans until it thickens up.

Ratings:

Everyone loves this, partly because you can put whatever you want on top. Meals that you can assemble yourself are good for picky families. Only the 4YO cannot be convinced to eat the chili, so we make her eat some vegetables before she has more "chips with cheese." Everyone else does pretty well balancing their own meal.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Easy Burritos

Tonight we needed a portable dinner again. It was very simple, but each ingredient had a reason why I chose it so I'll mention each one. I've made all of these things from scratch except the cheese, and homemade is healthier, but on a day like today not practical.

Tortillas: tricky because most are made with shortening or lard, neither of which are healthy. I find that the namebrand, healthy-version tortillas don't taste very good, so I usually find better ones at Trader Joe's. This time I had Trader Joe's Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas.

Refried Beans: I've noticed that the vegetarian version has no trans fats, while the nonfat version does. It is less than 1/2 g per serving, therefore they can call it nonfat, but if you read the ingredients it is there.

Spanish Rice: I used a package here, too. I "dilute" it by adding the same amount of plain rice and doubling the water, so there is less sodium and other additivies per serving, and I don't notice much difference in flavor.

Cheese: I wish there were a healthy substitute for cheese! I used sharp cheddar, because with the sharper flavor you don't need to use as much, therefore less fat (and horomones which are carried in the fat. Even if you buy organic cheese, there are natural horomones), and I also found a reduced fat version that is made with 2% instead of whole milk. It is a tad healthier, but it really would be better not to eat it. But it is just so yummy.

So that was it. I made the rice in my rice cooker, warmed up the tortillas, so the warm tortillas and warm rice were enough to warm up the beans and cheese since they were sitting wrapped up for about 45 minutes before we got to them. I took along some apples and oranges also.

Ratings:

Me: It really doesn't matter what it tastes like when it is this easy. But they tasted good to boot.

Hubby: Yay! I actually got a compliment on dinner tonight! He really liked them. As usual, there is a reverse correlation between the time and effort invested and how much they are appreciated.

5YO: Opted for a grilled cheese sandwich when we got home. He asked why we didn't have pizza again this time. Maybe we will start doing Friday night pizza.

4YO: She only ate the fruit.

1YO: Since I had carefully planned to have a portable meal, he opened his burrito and ate the rice with his hands. I tried to show him how to eat it the right way, but he just pushed me away and ate his way. TWO of them.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Sweet Potato Hash

Tonight I made Sweet Potato Hash and spinach salad. They don't really "go" together, but I have lots of spinach. The hash is one of my all time favorite recipes. I don't even know why. It is just so good. It is from Rachael Ray, her recipe title is much longer.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_31461,00.html

I leave out the jalapeno and the cheese, just because there are so many flavors in this dish that you really don't miss them. I sometimes leave out other things too, like the tomatoes if I don't have any. Sometimes I make it with my homemade turkey sausage, but tonight I used a package (at least it is reduced fat!) so I'll save that recipe for later. I scramble the eggs, just because it is easier.

Ratings:

Me: The sweet potatoes are just sweet and creamy and yummy and the fresh herbs are so tasty. Like Rachael suggests, I eat the leftovers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I don't get tired of it.

Hubby: He usually eats this without too much trouble, but tonight he had a very very small helping. Oh well, obviously this is one of my favorites, not his.

5YO: He chose to eat 2 bananas and an apple instead of what I made for dinner.

4YO: Ate the eggs with ketchup, and got very excited about the "leaves" in the salad. She ended up eating several "leaves."

1YO: Didn't like the "leaf" his sister gave him, but he liked the eggs.

Pancakes

As I suspected, I didn't want to do much cooking after last weekend. We ate leftovers one day, and then pancakes. And then the next day my husband had a dinner meeting so we had MORE pancakes!

Pancakes doesn't really merit a post, but I do use my own recipe that has whole grains and we use fruit, yogurt, applesauce, or low sugar jam on top so that it is healthier. (When they go to grandma and grandpa's house the kids always ask for white pancakes with syrup, even if it isn't breakfast time! I'm such a mean mom.)

I make this mix in a gallon size ziplock bag and it is so fast. You can mix up a batch before the griddle is hot.

10 c. whole grains (I generally use 6 c. whole wheat flour and 4 c. rolled oats)
3 c. powdered milk
1/3 c. baking powder
1/4 c. sugar

To make pancakes:

1 c. mix
1 egg
2 T. oil
3/4 c. water

I also like to add wheat germ and ground flaxseed, so I just use extra water to give it the right consistency. So easy.

Ratings:

Me: I need a new frying pan! I have to spray the pan between each pancake, and even then sometimes I have a mess stuck to the bottom. But dinner doesn't get much easier than this. They were very filling, and I had mine with blueberries.

Hubby: I know he doesn't feel like they are a real dinner, but at least he only had it one night instead of two. I've finally weaned him off eating his pancakes with ice cream. Why eat a whole wheat pancake if you put ice cream on it?

5YO: Pancakes and blueberries. He likes his blueberries still frozen. He calls them "crystals."

4YO: She had her pancakes with honey. I used to be able to avoid too sugary toppings until grandma and grandpa spoiled them. She played with blueberries, not sure how many she actually ate.

1YO: Pancakes and blueberries. Now he has purple fingers.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Lasagna and Homemade Bread

We had friends over for dinner so again I had to make a big batch of something. I made a big lasagna, homemade bread, and green salad. I think after this weekend I won't cook for a few days!

I make lasagna different everytime I make it. Actually, lately I haven't made real lasagna because I don't like using regular pasta with no nutritional value. I use a multigrain pasta (like Barilla Plus) but they don't have lasagna noodles, so I just use other shaped pasta and make a sort of lasagna casserole. But since we had invited friends I didn't want to serve too many of my unusual foods. I used regular lasagna noodles. This time I sauteed onions and garlic with ground turkey, and used a jar of marinara sauce. I don't bother to cook the noodles first, I just water down the sauce to make sure there is enough moisture. I put a layer of fresh spinach in it, and cottage cheese mixed with an egg. Simple. Cheap. They took seconds so it must have been okay.

The bread I try to make pretty often. It is easy, and healthier and cheaper than store bought bread. My 4YO loves it, she calls it "pan pan gran pan" (great big bread) from a book we read. I just mix it in my kitchen aid mixer. The original recipe called for half whole wheat half white, but I experimented a lot and actually like this ratio better.

1 1/2 T yeast
2 1/2 c. warm water
1/4 c honey
2 t salt
2 T oil
4 c whole wheat flour
2 1/4 c flour


Dissolve the yeast, water, and honey. Add the salt, oil, and whole wheat flour, mix well. Add 2 cups of the white flour and knead for 6-8 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add the remaining flour. Divide the dough in half and put into two loaf pans sprayed with non-stick spray. Spray the top of the loaf also, and put into an oven preheated to 225 and turn oven off. Leave in oven for 20-30 minutes until double. Then do not open oven, turn on to 350 and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely.


Ratings:


Me: I liked it, except I ran out of foil so the cheese got a little too toasty. The bread was a little crumbly, but the 4YO was helping me pour in the ingredients so it is not surprising that it wasn't exactly right.

Hubby: I think I did okay on this one. He ate it and even took leftovers to work.

5YO: Didn't want lasagna. Doesn't know what he's missing out on.

4YO: Same. But she loved the pan pan gran pan.

1YO: He liked the meat, but left the cheesy part and the big pieces of noodle. He ate the small noodle pieces, so it was probably a chewing issue.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Mexican Lasagna and Green Beans

Tonight I had to make dinner to take to a neighbor who just had a baby, so I decided on this because it was easy to make a huge batch. This recipe also from Robin Miller, you use the leftover chicken from Garlic-Lime Chicken I made a couple days ago, but I made some substitutions in order to make a big batch. Here is her recipe for Mexican Lasagna, that is not really mexican and not really lasagna, but it still tastes good.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_33070,00.html

I forgot to mention that I didn't include the olives in the other recipe, so I added a can of sliced black olives. I also added drained cans of black beans and white beans, so I could double the recipe without doubling the chicken. I substituted plain fat free yogurt for the sour cream. (I know you kill all the good bacteria when you cook it, but fat free sour cream has a bunch of unnatural additives in it so I prefer yogurt.) I also substituted a can of diced tomatoes with chiles for the salsa, and a can of green salsa for the chiles. Because that is what I had in the cupboard.

The green beans are a recipe from my MIL, I don't know where she got it, but she always serves it at holiday meals and it is always a hit. I didn't know canned green beans could taste so good. Although I can never make it quite as good as she does.

1 can green beans (or fresh, today I used fresh)
1/2 c. chicken broth
a few tablespoons olive oil
a few tablespoons vinegar
oregano
pepper
Mrs. Dash

Simmer everything together until heated through. This is one of those recipes that tastes better the longer it sits, so even make it the day before if you can.

Ratings:

Me: The lasagna was good and filling. It was a little too watery, maybe from the diced tomatoes since you can't really drain the can without losing everything. I just can't do storebought salsa anymore--my MIL's fault (she is from Mexico and makes unbelievable homemade salsa). Maybe I should keep some on hand just for this recipe. The green beans were better than sometimes, because I used fresh, and I let it simmer for awhile, then I turned off the heat and just left them there for a couple hours until dinner was ready.

Hubby: I think he actually liked this. Either that or he was famished.

5YO: He tasted it, liked it, ate it, asked for more, and then said it tasted like dirt. I ought to teach him respectful table manners. He filled up on some pineapple my MIL brought over.

4YO: Ate the leftover pizza from last night and some sliced cucumbers. She was happy.

1YO: Loved it. Ate two bowls full, even after eating apples and oranges right before dinner. Either he has much better eating habits than his big brother and sister, or he just hasn't learned to talk yet.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Friday Night Pizza


Lately I've heard of several families who have pizza every Friday night, and I always think, every Friday? Don't they get tired of it? Well, I'm not on a strict pizza schedule yet, but my husband asked me to make more of the kids' favorite meals so we've definitely had it more often than usual. Check out how I cut the pizza in a rectangular cookie sheet so they look like slices from a round pizza. Which of course makes a difference for kids.

Tonight we had to be somewhere at 6:30, so I made pizza in order to have a portable meal. With baby carrots and steamed broccoli it was much healthier than the other option--fast food. I use some whole wheat in the crust (I've experimented with more and it just makes the crust too heavy and the flavor not bad, but not like pizza.), and we steer clear of greasy toppings. I love piling on the veggies, but if I do that I'm the only one eating it. (I still do sometimes.) I just use canned pizza sauce (and freeze in a ziploc bag what I don't use) so it is a pretty simple meal, as long as I start early enough for the dough to rise.

1/2 T. yeast
1 1/4 c. warm water
1/2 t. salt
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. flour

Let the yeast dissolve in the warm (not hot) water. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead them for a few minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and oil the outside with olive oil. Cover and let rise for one hour. Punch it down. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray, sprinkle with a little cornmeal (don't worry about making an even layer, it gets spread out when you press the dough into the pan). Stretch and press the dough into the pan with your hands. Add sauce and toppings to taste. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes on the bottom rack.

Ratings:

Me: I try not to eat too much cheese because it is high in saturated fat, but it just tastes so good. I just tried to balance it out by eating a lot of broccoli.

Hubby: He liked the pizza and ate some carrots, but said the broccoli was stinky.

5YO: Was very excited, ate two pieces, and carrots.

4YO: Same as big brother.

1YO: Chewing is an issue, so he couldn't eat much pizza, but he also ate broccoli with me.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Garlic-Lime Chicken and Potato Salad

How long do hard-boiled eggs last in the fridge? Hopefully since Easter until now. Note to self: Don't make 18 eggs next year.

This is my mom's recipe for Potato Salad Dressing.

2 T sugar
1 T flour
1/4 t. paprika
1/2 t dry mustard
1/4 c. vinegar or pickle juice
1/4 c. water
1 egg
1/2 t salt
pepper to taste
1 1/2 T canola oil

Whisk over very low heat until thickened. Add some dry minced onions. (Although I didn't have any today.) Mix with equal(ish) amount of mayonnaise. I use Smart Balance mayonnaise, it is not lowfat, but it is made with healthier oils compared to other mayos.

Everyone has their preferences about potato salad. I like black olives in mine, but my family does not so I leave them out. Also, not that potato salad is healthy, but I try to only make potato dishes where I can leave the skins on where most of the nutrients are. Here's how I made it today.

8-10 red, gold, and blue potatoes (I saw them at Trader Joe's and thought it would be fun to try. They taste like...potatoes.) cubed and boiled, skins on.
6 Easter eggs, cubed
2 stalks of celery, diced (including the leafy part that is the most flavorful, learned that trick from Rachael Ray)
1 dill pickle, diced

Mix everything with the salad dressing and chill for several hours. (Especially if you use the dry onions, give them plenty of time to absorb moisture or they will be crunchy.)

We had the potato salad with carrot sticks and Robin Miller's Garlic-Lime Chicken. This chicken has a great flavor, and you also use the leftovers with her Mexican Lasagna recipe that I'll be making on Saturday. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_33067,00.html

Ratings:
I had to leave for a meeting before everyone ate, so you'll only get my review today.

The potato salad was nice and creamy, but just a little bland. It needs more pickles, or maybe some green onions since I didn't use dried. (But of course I used up my green onions in yesterday's stir fry.) The chicken was very yummy. I like recipes that keep the chicken moist like this. Do you think this recipe would turn out well in a crock pot? I used more cumin than the recipe called for just because I really like cumin.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Stir Fry Surprise


The good thing about stir fry is you don't have to measure anything and the ingredients are flexible. That is why I call it surprise, because it depends what I have in the fridge that needs using up. Today it was green onions and shrimp. A couple things I think make a big difference--sesame oil and cilantro. Don't skip those. Everything else substitute liberally.

This is how I made it tonight (the measurements are approximate), and then I'll give you my family's ratings.

4 c. jasmine rice

Cook according to package directions or in a rice cooker.

1/2 lb. shrimp
small box of tofu
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. soy sauce

Stir together and set aside to marinate while you're cooking the rest of it.

A few tablespoons oil--some sesame, some canola (sesame oil has a very strong flavor so you don't want to overdo it, and canola oil heats to a higher temperature than other oils like olive oil. High temperature is key to stir frying.)

1/3 head cabbage, shredded
1/4 c. chicken broth

Saute the cabbage over high heat for just a couple minutes, until it gets a little soft around the edges. Then pour on the chicken broth, not even to cover, and let it simmer until it is mostly evaporated and the cabbage is soft. Remove cabbage to serving plate.

1 carrot, shredded
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 big handfuls bean sprouts

After the pan has heated up again (add a little more oil if there isn't enough moisture left from the cabbage), add the remaining vegetables and cook for a few minutes. Remove to serving plate with the cabbage. Add the soy sauce mixture and heat through. Toss everything together. Sprinkle a handful of chopped cilantro over the top. Serve over the rice.

Ratings:

Me--Better than some stir fries I've made, because I didn't let myself overcook the vegetables. I stopped cooking before I thought they were done, and they were just right. The shrimp was a little too salty but still edible, probably because it had salt added and then it sat in the soy sauce. If I'd used chicken or just tofu it would have been fine, or just tossed the shrimp in at the end.

Hubby--Ate a whole plateful without a comment. Probably means he could stand it but didn't love it. (He is very picky and asian food is not his favorite.)

5YO--Tasted the vegetables, made gagging noises and played dead. Ate his rice with bbq sauce on it.

4YO--Ate 3 platefuls of rice (no bbq) but didn't touch the vegetables I put on her plate because the bean sprouts looked like worms.

1YO--Two thumbs used as utinsels up. He ate 3 bowls of rice and vegetables.