Greek without pics

And once again I forgot to take pictures.  I DID take a picture of the salad, but not of anything else.  Sigh.  I've got to get better at this!  Suffice it to say tonight's dinner was Greek inspired.  We had a Greek chopped salad, Greek pizza, and "Baklava" ice cream.  I'll try to recreate the recipes for you (there was also a lot of beer which is why I almost spelled recipes, "recipeas.")

Salad:
Cucumber (English, preferably)
1 lb small golden cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
1 heirloom tomato (I got a cool green one)
1 plum or roma tomato
1/2 red onion, soaked in ice water for 5 min.
Mix all that together then add:  1/2 block of feta cheese and about the same of goat cheese, if available.

Dressing:

Olive oil
Lemon juice
splash balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove
1 tsp oregano

I cannot tell you how much olive oil and lemon juice...2 to 1 is the ratio I think, so follow that until it tastes right.  Oh, and add salt and pepper!

Pizza:  1 whole wheat pizza crust (or whatever you have)
sauce:  tomato sauce (spaghetti sauce is what I use)
toppings: goat cheese, red onion, spinach, artichokes in oil, mushrooms, 1 sliced plum tomato with seeds removed, mozarella

Cook according to crust directions.

Ice cream:  Your favorite vanilla ice cream.  Toast walnuts in toaster oven or pan until lightly browned.  Sprinkle nuts with cinnamon (about 1/2 tsp).  Put 2 scoops ice cream in a bowl or cup.  Top with toasted walnuts and honey.  Everyone will love you and say things like, "I'm never brushing my teeth again!"  (Direct quote from Brooke B.)!!!!

Creole Fried Rice

     Forgive me.  Once again we got half-way through dinner and I said, "Oh no!  I didn't take a picture of the finished product!"  So, you get a picture of the half-empty pan of creole fried rice.  This dish seems sort of like a combination of jambalaya and gumbo...without as much sauce or roux.   It was really great and was a nice twist from our usual weeknight dinners.

You'll need: 
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 lb skinned and boned chicken thighs (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts.)
1 1/2 tsp creole seasoning, divided
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 lb. andouille or smoked sausage, sliced. (I used smoked turkey sausage.)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup frozen sliced okra, thawed
3 plum (roma) tomatoes, chopped
2 green onions sliced (green part only) (I didn't use these.)

So, cook the rice according to the directions on the package.  When it's done, spread it out on a baking sheet (I put aluminum foil on mine first) and then stick it in the fridge so it can cool off.

Next chop up your chicken into bite sized pieces and sprinkle with 1 tsp creole seasoning.  (Sorry the picture is sideways.)  Cook the chicken in a large skillet in hot oil for about 3 minutes.  Add in your sliced sausage and cook 3-4 more minutes until everything starts to get nicely browned.  Add in the onions, peppers and garlic.  Cook until the onions are soft, about 5 more minutes.  Stir in the okra and last 1/2 tsp creole seasoning.  Increase heat to high and add the cooled rice, stirring constantly for 4 minutes or until everything is heated through.

Add in the tomatoes and green onion at this point and serve immediately.  We added tabasco to our's as well :) 

Things to do with Tarragon

Seriously, until like March of this year I didn't even know what Tarragon looked like.  A friend of our's sent some home with us after a ski trip (he'd dried it the year before) and then a week later a coworker gave me a ziploc bag of fresh Tarragon.  What the heck do I do with Tarragon?  I had one recipe in mind...  Tarragon Pistachio Pesto.  Here's the original:

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2011/04/chicken_skewers_with_tarragon_pistachio_pesto

I've used it a few times for Pesto.  You don't need a lot.  To me, when you chop it Tarragon has a licorice odor.  I will only use 1-2 tbsp in a dish because I'm worried it will quickly overpower everything.  But in small doses you just get this barely sweet, flowery taste in the background.

The other night I made risotto:  chop 1/2 an onion and begin sauteeing it with some olive oil.  At the same time, start 5 cups of chicken broth simmering in another pan. After about 5 minutes of sauteeing the onions, add 1 cup Arborio rice.  Cook this for about 5 more minutes on medium heat.  Add 1 ladle-full of broth to the pan.  Stir.  Let the rice absorb the broth.  Repeat.  Stir frequently. When you are down to the last bit of broth, (about 20 minutes later), add 1/2-1 cup frozen green peas.  Add the last bit of broth.  When it's almost all absorbed, add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley and 1-2 tbsp tarragon.  REALLY good!

Tonight we sauteed some onions and yellow summer squash.  "What would be good with this?" I wondered.  My first thought?  Bacon.  I cooked up 1 tiny slice all chopped up and added in about 3/4 of an onion.  Once those were super soft I took them out of the pan and slid in 2 sliced up summer squashes.  Squashes?  Squash?  Anyway, I let those cook down with a bit of water, then I let them start to brown a bit with the heat turned up to around 7.  Once I thought they were almost done, I threw in the onions, bacon, and again about 1/2 cup parsley and 1 tbsp tarragon.  Trust me, that is PLENTY but it really adds a different flavor.

I didn't start cooking with any fresh herbs until a few years ago, and if all you have is dried?  That's fine.  Just use double the amount.  I'm lucky to have friends with fresh herbs growing :)  My sis says most fresh herbs are anti-inflammatories, so that's one more reason to use them!

Because you don't feel like cooking a big meal every night

It was rainy today.  Rainy and cold and gross.  My original plan had been to use some flounder and make fish tacos.  However, the rain put me in the mood for soup.  I had this soup in the cabinet.  I bought it the other day on a whim while looking for low sodium vegetarian soups.

The soup was fabulous!  Of course I did add more salt and pepper :)  We had cheese, caramelized onion and mushroom quesadillas with our soup, and both of us added parsley and sour cream to the soup too.  It was super creamy and slightly sweet tasting.  It made for an easy dinner and an easy clean up!   To see more about Pacific Organic Foods, click here!

Fried Rice made with Brown Rice and....Tofu!

That's right I said it.  Tofu!  Once you've had the deep-fried sesame tofu at Zen Garden, you realize tofu can, in fact, be tasty.  Voodoo Biker and I agreed yesterday to again try to cut back on meat, so I figured what the heck?  He wanted brown rice and a stir-fry/fried rice dish seemed appropriate. 

I used extra firm tofu.  Drain all the water out.  I only used half.  Make sure that when you cut slices, you lay them on paper towels so that any excess water can drain out.  Pat the pieces dry very well!

I used my basting brush to dab Yoshida's Teriyaki Marinade on both sides.  You can use Kikkoman or whatever, but make sure it's a marinade and not just the regular teriyaki sauce.

Next I breaded the tofu in Panko bread crumbs (you can find them in the Asian section).  I added about 1/2 tsp garlic powder and powdered ginger to the breadcrumbs before coating.

Heat about 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok or large, deep pan.  Cook the tofu for about 5 minutes, flip, and cook for another 2-3 until it's brown all the way around.

Take out the tofu, add a little more oil, and stir fry whatever veggies you want.  I used about 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup onion, 1/2 cup - 1 cup red bell pepper, and about 1/2 cup sugar snap peas.  Add in 2 tsp grated fresh ginger and about 1 tbsp teriyaki marinade.  Cook quickly over medium-medium high heat for about 6 minutes.  Remove the veggies and throw in 1 cracked egg.  Stir quickly, pan-scrambling.  After you remove the egg, add a little more oil to the pan and then add leftover, or refrigerated rice.  (Same amount you'd normally make - 1 cup dry).  Continually stir the rice for a few minutes.  Add in 1 tbsp teriyaki marinade.  Take the rice off the heat and add the veggies and egg back in.  Mix everything together.  Top with the tofu and then drizzle with about 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce and 1 tsp red pepper flakes.

Rainy Weather Makes me Want to Cook

It's been a rainy weekend.  Rain means soup and comfort food and so on Saturday I made a Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Ka Gai) and Sunday I made a Caramel-Apple Upside Down Cornmeal Cake.  It may have been cold and rainy outside, but we were warm and full inside.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

The Thai soup starts with 2 cooked, shredded chicken breasts and a quart of chicken broth (The Tyler Florence Foodnetwork recipe this is based on uses homemade chicken stock, but I used low-sodium store bought chicken broth).  Get the broth simmering and add the following:

To 1 quart chicken broth add: 1 tbsp lemon grass puree, or 1 lemon grass stalk white part only, cracked open (I used puree), Add 1 tbsp (roughly) lime zest, about 2 tbsp grated ginger (peel and freeze it first and it's super easy to grate), and 1-2 jalapeno peppers or Thai chilis, seeded and chopped.  Oh, you also need 2 chopped garlic cloves.

Let the broth and added ingredients simmer for about 10 minutes.  Then add 1 can of coconut milk (I used light coconut milk) and the shredded chicken.  Also add about 1 cup sliced mushrooms and the juice of 1 lime.  I actually threw the lime halves into the soup and let them simmer with it.  Finally, add 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce and 1 1/2 tsp sugar.  Let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Top your soup with fresh cilantro.  It's very light and brothy, with a slightly sweet and spicy taste. I'll be making it again, that's for sure!

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cornmeal Cake

You'll need: 6 tbsp butter (plus another 1/4 cup melted later), 4 apples, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tsp milk, 1/2 cup chopped pecans (i used walnuts), 1/3 cup dried cranberries (optional, I left these out), 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tsp granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 cup cornmeal, 1 cup hot water, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Peel, core and slice the apples.  Melt 2 tbsp butter in an oven-safe, 10" skillet and saute the apples.

 I sauteed these for about 8 minutes.

Next, remove the apples from the pan.  Melt 4 tbsp butter and add the brown sugar.  Stir until everything is dissolved and the mixture boils.  Remove from heat and add the milk.  then sprinkle in the nuts (and cranberries if you used them).

Layer the apples on top of the walnuts and caramel.  You can be pretty about it if you wish.

In 1 small bowl mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  In a medium bowl mix the cornmeal, 1/4 cup melted butter and 1 cup hot water.  Then add in the eggs and vanilla.  Finally, mix the flour mixture into the cornmeal mixture, just until combined.  Pour this over the apples.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a knife, inserted, comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes.

Ta-da!  Carefully invert the cake onto a platter.

Doesn't that look awesome?  We had ours with a scoop of Ben and Jerry's caramel ice cream with dark caramel swirls. In this house, there's no such thing as too much caramel!

Last Minute Ideas

Last night I was exhausted. We had been on a 3-hour mountain bike ride earlier, which capped off 3 days off riding, plus work, etc. I was tired. For dinner I had planned a very simple pasta sauce of tomato sauce, garlic, ricotta cheese, and grilled artichokes (the jarred ones). Then I made the mistake of watching the Food Network before dinner. Tom whats-his-face from "The Next Food Network Star" has this show called "Outrageous Food," and he was talking to a guy about a gigantic meatball sub. Suddenly I wanted meatballs. I've been trying to limit meat to one meal a day, and since I hadn't had any yesterday I figured why not? I thought about it for a few minutes and came up with these little beauties (sorry, these were the only ones left after last night!)

Yummy chicken meatballs!

Here's what I did with full and complete disclosure:  I make my own ranch dressing.  I'd made some in the food processor before making the chicken meatballs and thought I don't think I'll rinse that.  So my chicken got mixed with the ranch herbs of parsley, garlic, chives and onion powder from the get-go.  But I digress... Ok, so I thawed 2 chicken breasts and chopped them into like bite-sized pieces.  I put one chopped chicken breast in the food processor and added 2 cloves garlic and about 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley.  I pulsed that until everything was blended and the chicken was chopped pretty fine.  Then I scraped that into a bowl and pulsed up the second chicken breast.   I scraped that into the bowl with the other chicken mixture.  Then I added 1 egg, about 3/4 cup of bread crumbs, and about 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.  I mixed all this up with my hands and then started making meatballs. 

I used a round pizza pan but any cookie sheet will do.  I lined mine with aluminum foil and sprayed it with olive oil.  My meatballs were roughly golf-ball sized...maybe a little bigger.  I just worked the mixture into a sort-of ball shape and dropped it on the pan.  Nothing more.  I was able to get 9 big meatballs out of the mix.

I at first cooked the meatballs with the broiler on low...and my top oven shelf is about in the middle of the oven, not the very top.  After about 10-12 minutes I kicked the broiler up to high and let the meatballs cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Watch closely so they don't burn!  Mine were done at this point.  I cut one in half to check and then used a meat thermometer to make sure they were at 165F in the middle. 

I served mine alongside my pasta, but today I had one on a salad and that was good too.  These would be super tasty for meatball subs!