Tomato-Artichoke Bruschetta July 30, 2008

OMB! (Translation… “Oh My Bruschetta!”)

For lunch yesterday I made the following bruschetta and served it with toasted pita to accompany a simple meal of grilled chicken. It was oh so very tasty. But the pièce de résistance came later than evening as I sat down to my dinner of grilled mahi mahi and broccoli. I thought… I have just a little of the bruschetta left, I think I’ll heat it up and put it on top of my fish. YUMMY! YUMMY! Seriously Yummy! It would even make a great pasta sauce. The toasted walnuts add a real meatiness to the bruschetta. Delete the Parmesan for a great vegetarian option. I definitely give this a recipe rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. I did, of course, make some changes and additions. See below…

I used 3 tomatoes instead of 2

I substituted 1/2 cup of chiffonade basil instead of the fresh parsley. I just felt that the flavors would better suit my palate. I did however add 1 tsp. of fresh Italian parsley paste.  

Finally, the recipe says to use a food processor. I didn’t. I just chopped everything really fine and the consistency was GREAT!   

http://www.shape.com/healthy_eating/recipes/6262

E Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps July 23, 2008

So the following recipe is my version of PF Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps. I would be deluding myself to think that mine could even come close to the oh so tasty lettuce wraps made famous by the Changster but the following is an easy meal that I created based on the flavors and ingredients I could decifer from my favorite lettuce wraps (with a few of my own additions).

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – appx. 2 tbsp.

1 Yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cups Shredded carrots

1 can Water chestnuts, drained and minced

1 tbsp. Minced garlic

1- 10 oz. Package sliced mushrooms, minced

1 tbsp. Crushed ginger

Ken’s Lite Asian Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing, to taste http://www.kensfoods.com/kf/products/productView.servlet;jsessionid=aktE9sow_Mx7?consumerProductId=58&productCategoryId=&productFlavorId=20

Sriracha, to taste (Be smart though, this stuff packs a lot of heat. It is easy to add more heat but difficult to take it away)

1 lb. ground turkey (you could also use ground chicken or firm tofu)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. Soy Sauce

2 large handfuls of mung bean sprouts

3 green onions, chopped

Iceberg lettuce

Directions:

1. Coat a large skillet with 1 tbsp. olive oil and saute’ onion until tender, about 5 minutes over medium high heat.

2. Add carrots, water chestnuts and garlic and saute for another 5-7 minutes.

3. Add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are tender.

4. Add a splash of the Asian dressing and as much Sriracha as desired. Cook for about 2 minutes.

5. Remove skillet from the heat and transfer vegetable mixture to a large bowl. Add the mung bean sprouts and chopped green onions to the bowl and mix gently.

6. Saute’ ground turkey (or tofu) in the large skillet (you may need a little more olive oil).

7. When the turkey (or tofu) is about 1/2 cooked add the crushed ginger, another splash of Asian dressing and 1 tbsp. of soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

8. When the turkey is done cooking add the vegetable mixture and cook for about 2 minutes so that all the flavors can marry.

9. Peel the outer layers of the iceberg lettuce to use for your lettuce cups. 

10. Serve!  

If the lettuce cup idea is too cumbersome; this mixture also goes really well over steamed brown rice.

Let me know what you think. I thought it was easy to make and these lettuce cups were a tasty way to satisfy my PF Chang’s craving. Let me know if you have any suggestions on additional ingredients or changes.

To Print, Click this link to a PDF of the Recipe e-changs-lettuce-wraps

Alisha’s Turkey Veggie Burgers July 23, 2008

My friend Alisha used the following recipe for a Mom’s club event where moms snuck wholesome ingredients into everyday foods for their kids. This is a popular trick for today’s Mommy and there are lots of cookbooks out there on the topic like “Deceptively Delicious” by Jessica Seinfeld.  http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/site/ One of the big hits from the Mom’s club event was a recipe from this book where spinach is snuck into brownies (I am definitely going to give that one a shot!) This concept doesn’t apply just to moms with picky eaters. We can all benefit from more veggies in our diet, right? I served these turkey veggie patties sans buns huns alongside couscous and steamed broccoli. Yum! I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 Carrot, finely grated

1 Zucchini, finely grated

1 Yellow squash, finely grated

1/2 Yellow onion, finely grated

1 lb. Ground turkey

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp. Seasoning salt (Lawry’s)

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

 

Directions: 

1. After grating all of your vegetables get rid of the liquid by squeezing it out in a couple of paper towels.

2. In a large mixing bowl add vegetables to the turkey meat, egg, bread crumbs and seasonings. Mix together (Hands work best).

3.  Divide into patties and grill just like hamburgers. (I used my George Foreman grill at 300 degrees for 12 minutes and they came out perfect.) The mixture can also be used for meatballs or meatloaf.  

4. Note… Alisha like me doesn’t usually use recipes to a tee, the following is just a jumping off point.

Recipe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

To Print, Click this link to a PDF of the Recipe alishas-turkey-veggie-burgers

Acuna Frittata!! July 22, 2008

This is a NO WORRIES meal! Don’t be misled, although I tagged this recipe as a breakfast item I actually served it for lunch with a simple garden salad. Frittatas can be a low fat and cost effective meal that is both filling and full of nutrition.  I used a recipe from one of my FAVORITE vegetarian cookbooks “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest” by Mollie Katzen. I tagged this as a vegetarian option as there are a variety of egg subsitutes available and the cheese is optional. The beauty of the frittata is also the ability to improvise with whatever vegetables you have in your refrigerator. Just be mindful of quantities and the egg to veggie mix ratio.

Acuna Frittata! – From The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen – “Frittata” page 178

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

1/ 2cup minced onion

3/4 tsp. salt (I used kosher)

A pinch of dried oregano

A pinch of dried thyme

8 to 10 mushrooms sliced

1 cup diced zucchini and/ or summer squash

1/2 cup minced bell pepper (I used red)

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 handfuls chopped spinach and/ or arugula (I used arugula since I had some left over from last week’s menu)

Freshly ground pepper

A few fresh basil leaves (if available)

4 or 5 eggs (ok to delete a yolk or two – I deleted 1 of 5 yolks) or equal amount of Egg subsitute

(Optional)1/4 lb. Fontina Cheese, grated or sliced (fontina cheese was just too darned expensive for my budget of late so I opted for nonfat mozzarella. In hindsight a better flavor substitution would be Gruyere.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Heat the oil on the stovetop in a 9 or 10-inch cast iron (or oven proof) skillet. Add the onion and half the salt, and saute’ over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

3. Add dried herbs, mushrooms, zucchini or squash, bell pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring over medium high heat for another 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

4. Turn the heat up and add the spinach and/ or arugula with the remaining salt and black pepper to taste. Stir and cook for just a minute or two – until some of the liquid evaporates. Stir in the basil.

5. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then pour them into the vegetables. Sprinkle in some cheese if desired (which I did). Place the pan in the preheated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the frittata is solid when you shake the pan. (If you so desire, you can add some extra cheese to the top midway through the baking… Which I did and I would recommend)  

6. Serve and cut into wedges – hot, warm or at room temp (I served it warm).

Recipe rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Easy, easy and nutritious

To Print, Click this link to a PDF of the Recipe  acuna-fritata

Garlic Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon July 20, 2008

The following recipe is an easy weeknight staple. It was so seriously quick easy to make and it tasted great. 

I didn’t add anything that the recipe didn’t already call for but I did increase the amount of rosemary and garlic that I used. The leftover chicken made an appearance in a chicken salad for lunch the next day.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/garlic-roast-chicken-with-rosemary-and-lemon-recipe/index.html

THE BOOK July 16, 2008

Ever since I started this blog I knew that I would eventually write about “THE BOOK”. I capitalize the words because it is not just any book. It is one that I revere, cherish and dare I say that I LOVE.  Brace yourself this is going to be a long entry. 

A few years ago I read an article in Real Simple magazine about a recipe binder/ organizer. I ripped out the article but never did anything with it. That year for my birthday my friend Sally gave me the start of what is now my revered book. The goal of this recipe binder/ organizer is that it is personalized just for you and how you cook because you are the one who creates it. It is a working tool; ever changing, ever the same. 

 

Inside THE BOOK

 

MY BIG "FAT" BOOK

 

Here’s the skinny… 

What You Will Need: 

- 3-ring binder: Pick a sturdy one that has more space than you think you will need as recipe collections have a tendency to  grow. 

- Sheet protectors: I prefer the heavier stock/ non-glare sort but any type will do.  Seriously one of the best parts about this book is that you can protect your precious recipes from runaway spillage and rogue splatage. 

- Dividers w/ Tabs to separate each section. 

- Other possible things to personalize your book: Colored paper, colored dots or stickers, post-it notes. 

 

How to Get Started:

1. Create your categories. I have found that the more specific the category the easier it is to locate the recipe. The original book that my friend gave me had 12 categories. It now has 18 based on how I use the book.  

I have my book broken down into the following categories (but once again the categories need to work for YOU and how YOU cook)… Mornings, Sandwiches & Wraps, Appetizers, Soups, Salads, Poultry, Beef, Pork, Fish, Vegetarian, Vegetables, Pasta & Rice, Sauces, Spreads & Salsas, Desserts & Cookies, Breads, Drinks, Tips & How To’s 

2. Write on or print labels for your categories for your dividers.  

3. Go through your recipes & consolidate! You know you have them stashed everywhere! Get all those recipes that you have saved from magazines, e-mails, notecards, recommendations, my blog , etc… Organize them into your new categories and start sliding them into your sheet protectors. This is a good time to discard the ones that you really don’t think you will ever make for what ever reason (i.e. Too complicated, No one in your family including you even likes the main ingredient, etc.) 

4. Assemble! 

5. Collect! Now that you have a handy and personalized place to put recipes you will find that you will probably have more fun collecting them. Go through all those cooking magazines that you have piled up. I have even gone through cookbooks and if there are only 2 or 3 recipes in an entire book that I think I will make, I photocopy those recipes and then I donate the book which can save a lot of space. Cookbooks are expensive so utilize your local library and photocopy recipes out of books you have checked out. Another tip is to go online. There are so many great resources out there for recipes like Epicurious.com, Foodnetwork.com and Allrecipes.com to name a few. 

6. COOK!  

7. Comment and Date. This is one of my favorite parts of THE BOOK. Whenever I make a recipe I write down the following information on the recipe itself (if there isn’t room that is when I use post-it notes);

- Date that I made it

- Recipe rating (How easy was it to make? How good did it taste? I personally like to use a 5 star rating system) 

- Any revisions or substitutions that I made. Plus any revisions or substitutions that I WOULD make the next time.

- Comments from those whom I served it too. Good, bad or indifferent. 

Note: This is a good time to mention that if you don’t think you will make a recipe again. Toss it! You don’t need it crowding up your book. 

8. USE IT! One of the things that I love about THE BOOK is that it is a working tool. I refer to it every week when I make my meal plans as it offers great inspiration. About once every few months I flip through the pages and I repeat the consolidation step. If you’ve had a recipe for over a year and you really don’t see yourself making it.. Toss it! Or if you don’t like to throw things away create another binder and call it Recipes that I Don’t Think I Will Ever Make But Can’t Throw Away For Some Nutty Reason… Another way to manage your book is to look at your clipping trends… Do you really need 5 different recipes for a citrus inspired Salmon? If that is the case (which happens to me all the time) I look at the differences between the recipes and write those down as options & variations on one page. 

So I guess that’s it! I could go on forever about this topic but I think I’ve gone on long enough. Hopefully this will inspire you to create a BOOK of your own. If anyone has any comments on their version of THE BOOK. Please do share!

Almond Blueberry Cookies (Scones?) July 16, 2008

When I went online to FoodNetwork.com to print out Giada’s recipe for the Penne with Beef & Arugula that I made earlier this week I saw the following cookie recipe from the same episode. Anyone who knows me knows that I really don’t bake but I thought why not; I’ll try these. I followed the recipe exactly, even used measuring cups and spoons (I made a right old mess too). The cookies turned out great. They taste like little blueberry scones. In fact I am going to call them scones from now on that way I can justify the fact that I had one with my morning tea.  

The lemon zest and the toasted almonds added so much flavor. YUMMMY! 

 

Almond Blueberry "Scones"

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/almond-blueberry-cookies-recipe/index.html

Recipe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Penne with Beef & Arugula July 15, 2008

I just noticed that since I started this blog I haven’t made any recipes using beef. The main reason is that I don’t actually eat a lot of beef. Based on my body and my blood type I just don’t crave it very often. But every now and then when the feeling strikes my fancy I will prepare a little red meat. The following recipe caught my attention. The ingredients that Giada used reminded me of a wonderful Carpaccio appetizer that I had while I was in Italy. The bitterness of the arugula really complimented the dish so well. Make sure you buy a nice cut of meat and be sure not to overcook it; you want it cooked tender with a little pink inside. 

 

The following are my revisions;

I added 1 chopped green onion

I only used 1/2 lb. of penne instead of 1 lb. 

I added freshly shaved parmesan on top to garnish

I served this at room temp. 

 

The flavors worked so well together and I would definitely make this dish again. 

 

Recipe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

For some reason the link to this recipe will not activate on this blog entry so just copy and paste the URL into your web browser and it will come up. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-beef-and-arugula-recipe/index.html

Alisha’s Asian “Summer Roll” Salad July 15, 2008

The following recipe came to me via my good friend Alisha. She had heard of the recipe first from Food Network’s Ellie Krieger. The recipe was for Soft Asian Summer Rolls. The only problem was that when Alisha went grocery shopping she couldn’t find the rice paper rounds so she IMPROVISED and used all of the ingredients for a light and refreshing salad.  I made this last week and it got rave reviews from my dude.

Ingredients:

6 oz. Vietnamese Rice Noodles (mine were called Rice Sticks) cooked according to the package, drained, rinsed and chilled

1 lb. frozen cooked medium shrimp, defrosted and halved (Alisha’s tip was to throw the shrimp in with the noodles about 1 minute before the noodles are finished and it worked well).

1 chicken breast boiled, diced and chilled. Alisha did not use chicken and the original recipe did not use chicken either. What can I say? I felt like a little chicken! ; )

1/4 cup or 12 Thai Basil leaves (or regular basil) rinsed, dried and chiffonade

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup or 12 mint leaves, rinsed, dried  and chiffonade

A few cups of torn or chopped Red Lettuce

Chopped Scallions

Sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss with dressing* to taste.

*Dressing: Alisha used 1part Costco Sesame Salad Dressing and 1 part Ken’s brand Asian Ginger Salad Dressing and it tasted great. I didn’t have either but I did find an Asian Sesame Vinaigrette at Fresh n’ Easy that I doctored with fresh ginger, a splash of soy sauce and 1 tsp. of Sriracha.

If you would like to look at the Original Inspiration for the Recipe you can click on the link below for Ellie Krieger’s Soft Asian Summer Rolls

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/soft-asian-summer-rolls-with-sweet-and-savory-dipping-sauce-recipe/index.html

If you would like to print this revised salad recipe; click on this link below

To Print, Click this link to a PDF of the Recipe asian-summer-roll-salad1

Recipe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Makeshift Mojitos July 15, 2008

As I was planning my meals and my grocery list for the week; I surveyed my refrigerator as usual to see what I had left over from last week. What caught my attention was just a handful of fresh mint (about 8 leaves) but I couldn’t think of where to use the mint in my meals for the week. While at Fresh and Easy I noticed in the fresh beverage section a 16 oz. bottle of Organic Ginger Limeade. BINGO! Makeshift Mojitos!  Mojitos are a little time consuming to make but they are so refreshing especially in the summertime. The following is just a quick imitation but it sure is refreshing. If you don’t have a “Fresh and Easy” market near you any fresh limeade will do.

(1) 16 oz. bottle of Fresh Organic Ginger Limeade

8 – mint leaves muddled with a 1 tsp. of granulated sugar

3-4 cups Perrier or Sparkling Water with lime essence

Mix all ingredients in a pitcher, chill and serve over ice with a fresh squeeze of lime.  

I opted to make this cocktail virgin but if you want to give it a little kick, I am sure 1 cup of white rum will do the trick. ; )