Category Archives: Dinner Ideas

Mu shu Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Appetizers, Chicken, Dinner Ideas, Fish, Fun Stuff, Salads, Side, Vegetables, Weight Watcher Friendly May 20, 2014 Leave a comment
Mu shu Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Mu shu Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Mu shu is is a dish of northern Chinese origin, possibly originally from Shandong. It is believed to have first appeared on the menus of Chinese restaurants in the United States in the late 1960s.  In its traditional Chinese version, mu shu consists of sliced or shredded pork, thinly sliced wood ear mushrooms and day lily buds.

My original recipe called for a rotisserie chicken, shredded, which can be used in this recipe, but I used shrimp. Instead of a Chinese pancake or tortillas, I used lettuce leaves to wrap the filling in.  The end result was a very satisfying and filling veggie, shrimp wrap. I used bagged coleslaw, and used my peeler to shred a small zucchini into strips.  The incredible taste comes from the other ingredients, the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Experiment with other vegetables like snow peas, mushrooms, bamboo shoots (canned), the resulting dish is exotic and satisfying, enjoy.

Mu shu Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry (I didn’t have any and used apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1.   Mix those ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk – set aside

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger

2.   Set those two ingredients aside

  • 1 (14 oz) bag of coleslaw
  • 1/2 cup sliced scallions
  • 1 small peeled zucchini, sliced very thin with a vegetable peeler
  • any other vegetable you want to add

3.   Add those ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

  • About 12 Bibb lettuce  leaves rinsed, and dried.  if you don’t have Bibb lettuce, any long lettuce leave will work.
  • 1/4 cup chopped cashews (I used walnuts)

4.   Set the last two ingredients aside.

Directions:

  1. Heat a large wok or frying pan on medium-high heat, add the 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and swirl oil to coat pan or use a pastry brush.
  2. Add garlic and ginger to oil and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring to prevent burning.
  3. Add soy sauce mixture, coleslaw, and vegetables. Cook for 1 minute stirring.
  4. Add shrimp and stir fry until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Coleslaw and veggies should be crisp tender at this point.
  5. Divide mixture among lettuce leaves, sprinkle with cashews and enjoy.

 

Baked Eggs in Ham Cups – easy

Breakfast, Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff May 10, 2014 Leave a comment

baked eggs ham crispsNeed a great breakfast for mom that is easy and delicious? Try this recipe. You can leave your eggs whole or beat them with your vegetables and cheese.  Serve with a side of roasted red potatoes, steamed asparagus and fruit salad.  You can substitute the shallots with a small red or sweet onion, use your favorite vegetables, if you don’t have sour cream, substitute plain yogurt. The possibilities are endless. You can’t mess this up. Makes 6

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup finely chopped shallots
• 2 cups of any vegetables you love, suggestions: chopped mushrooms, chopped red pepper (or jarred roasted red peppers)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil or butter
• ½ cup of your favorite shredded cheese
• 2 tablespoons of sour cream or yogurt
• 6 slices of Virginia Ham
• 6 large eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Melt and heat your butter, or coconut oil, or olive oil in a large pan on medium heat
2. Sauté your favorite vegetables, and the chopped shallots until soft. Stirring often.
3. If adding spinach, slice it into small pieces – add last after your vegetables are softened just to wilt it. You don’t want mushy spinach.
4. Spray your muffin tins with baking spray, this recipe makes 6
5. Line each muffin cup with a slice of ham, ends will stick up and hang over the sides. baked eggs ham crisps2
*If making scrambled egg cups: using an egg beater or fork, beat your eggs with 2 tablespoons of milk, a pinch of salt and pepper, divide your sautéed vegetables in each of the muffin cups and pour egg mixture into each cup using a ladle. Sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded cheese on top of each cup.
*If leaving eggs whole, divide the sautéed vegetables among the 6 muffin cups 

  1. Crack one egg into each cup, sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper
  2. Sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded cheese on top of each cup
  3. Bake for 15 minutes until eggs are set and cooked to your likeness

Cooking Endive

Appetizers, Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Salads, Side, Vegetables May 7, 2014 Leave a comment

EndiveI received two little endives in my bountiful basket and wanted to do something special with them rather than just cut them up and add to my salad. I decided to cook them. Endive belongs to the chicory genus, which includes several similar bitter leafed vegetables. I am talking about the little bullet shaped endives, not the curly leaf or chicory. Endive is rich in many vitamins and minerals, especially in foliate and vitamins A and K, and is high in fiber. Endive has a bitter-sweet taste, actually I thought it was very savory, almost nutty. I served it up with my baby potatoes and flounder; it made a very filling side dish. Let your kids eat these little “boats” with their fingers. Make it fun.
endive2Here are a few suggestions on how to enjoy your endive:
1. Slice endive in half lengthwise; I kept the root end intact as it will hold the leaves together after sliced. I brushed both halves with olive oil, and sliced a fresh garlic clove into very thin slices and put the slices in between the endive leaves. I sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper, and a little garlic powder. I put my endive in my small oven with my potatoes at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. When I removed them from the oven I sprinkled some balsamic vinegar over them.

2. Slice your endives in half. Sprinkle cut side with kosher salt and pepper, and any other seasoning you might like. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy pan along with 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Place the endive halves cut side down in the pan, cook on medium-high heat until they are brown. Add ½ cup chicken broth and simmer until almost all liquid is gone. Remove from pan sprinkle with Kosher salt, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar
3. Brush sliced endive with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper, a little Parmesan cheese and grill on the BBQ until lightly brown on both sides.

Maple Bacon

Appetizers, Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff April 24, 2014 Leave a comment

maple baconMaple glazed bacon, who doesn’t love the smell and taste of bacon, dress it up with a coating of pure maple glaze and you have a gourmet dish or appetizer. Glazed maple bacon can add a savory note to desserts, just crumble the bacon into maple flavored frosting for cupcakes.  Or consider sweet and savory appetizers; wrap maple bacon around sweet potato slices, or asparagus before baking. Wrap around prawns or cream cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers, or small smokey links before baking. Maple syrup adds a sweet note to thick-cut bacon slices, which are obviously delicious served right  alongside pancakes, eggs or waffles.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (use the real stuff)
  • 12 slices good-quality thick-cut bacon
  • coarse ground pepper (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

  1. Pour the maple syrup into a shallow bowl and give each bacon slice (both sides) a generous dip in the syrup.
  2. Lay the bacon on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the bacon over and bake until it is crisp at the edges and caramelized on the bottom, another 10 to 15 minutes.*Note: this cooking time is depending on the thickness of your bacon, keep an eye on it while baking so it does not burn, especially if using a thinner bacon.
  4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
  5. Lift the slices from the liner so they don’t stick after cooling. Cool for about a minute, transfer to a long platter to serve.

Chicken Stew Soup

Dinner Ideas, Side, Soup, Vegetables March 29, 2014 Leave a comment


Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond

Ingredients

One 2- to 3-pound chicken fryer, cut up
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
16 ounces frozen home-style egg noodles
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Splash of half-and-half, optional
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh parsley

Directions

Start by putting the chicken in a pot and covering it with water. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot. Set the chicken aside to cool briefly.

Shred the chicken with 2 forks, reserving the bones. Return the bones to the pot and boil for 20 minutes. Remove the bones from the pot and discard.

Add the shredded chicken, carrots, celery and onions to the pot. Then add the salt, pepper, thyme and turmeric. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the noodles; no need to thaw them first!

Finally, mix the flour with 1/2 cup water until smooth. Stir the flour mixture, the splash of half and half (if you’re into that kind of thing) and the minced parsley into the pot. Simmer until the noodles are tender, about 15 minutes, tasting and adding more salt if needed at the end. The soup should be thick and stew-like and your kitchen should smell like home.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chicken-and-noodles-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Blueberry corn muffins

Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner Ideas, Salads March 29, 2014 Leave a comment

Ingredients

Muffins:

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup shortening, melted
8 ounces dried blueberries


Vanilla Butter:

1 stick butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 whole vanilla bean

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

For the muffins: Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, milk, baking soda, egg and vanilla. Slowly incorporate the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add the melted shortening, stirring constantly. Stir in the dried blueberries (you can use a little more or a little fewer if you’d like).

Pour into a greased mini-muffin pan, trying to make sure the blueberries stay evenly distributed. Bake until golden brown, 10 minutes or so.

For the vanilla butter: Combine the softened butter, sugar and the caviar from the vanilla bean. Stir until totally combined, and then spread into a ramekin and serve with the warm muffins. (Butter can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.)

Chipotle Aioli

Appetizers, Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff, Side March 29, 2014 Leave a comment

Chipotle Aioli:
1 clove garlic
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
Squeeze of fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chipotle Aioli:

Put the garlic and chipotle in a food processor and puree until very smooth. Add the mayonnaise and lime juice and blend until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Spread a thin layer of Chipotle Aioli on the cut sides of the rolls and put them on a baking sheet, cut-sides up. Broil until the aioli browns slightly and the rolls are toasted on the edges


 

Spaghetti Squash

Dinner Ideas, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Vegetables, Weight Watcher Friendly March 15, 2014 Leave a comment
Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

I made spaghetti squash tonight for dinner and instead of steaming it in the oven which is how I have always made it, I roasted the squash and it turned out fabulous. Spaghetti squash can be baked, boiled, steamed, and/or microwaved. It can be served with or without sauce, as a substitute for pasta. The seeds can be roasted, similar to pumpkin seeds (another treat). Spaghetti squash can range from ivory to yellow or orange in color. Its center contains many large seeds. When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash; when cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti. Spaghetti squash contains many nutrients, including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene It is low in calories, averaging 42 calories per 1-cup (155 grams) serving. This fruit does not taste like spaghetti; it absorbs the flavor of whatever other ingredient you cook it with or serve it with. It is not only healthy, but gluten free as well.

Ingredients

  • 1 large spaghetti squash
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large Roma tomato finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh basil
  • ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

  1. Using a large knife slice the squash in half, not lengthwise, it is too hard to get even slices, I slice it in half.
  2. Use a fork to remove the seeds and center strings.
  3. Drizzle the inside of the two halves with the olive oil, using a brush to be sure all surfaces have been coated.
  4. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and garlic powder all over the inside surface of the squash.
  5. Using an oven safe dish or pan place the cut ends of the squash down on surface.
  6. Bake in a 400 F. degree oven for 40 – 50 minutes or until the squash is soft and the strands pull up easily with a fork.
  7. Remove from the oven and fluff the squash with a fork, pulling the strands away from the sides – leave squash in shellspaghetti squash
  8. Turn oven onto broil
  9. Add the tomatoes and fresh basil to the fluffed squash and sprinkle each half with the mozzarella cheese.
  10. Place under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Baked Ziti

Dinner Ideas February 16, 2014 Leave a comment
Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti

It’s all about Sunday dinner on a cold winter day. How about Baked Ziti, an old time favorite, a wonderful comfort food. Served with a green salad and toasted garlic bread.  Today you can buy the old-fashioned white pasta or replace it with whole wheat, protein or high fiber pasta. I use jarred spaghetti sauce in this recipe, but you can use your own homemade sauce, I have been known to cook Italian sausage or meatballs (my recipe – search meat balls) and add to the mixture. Use fresh parsley, easy to cut if you bunch it and just slice it with a knife at the top of the bunch into thin ribbons.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 18-ounce box of Ziti, cook and drain as directed on the box. Do not rinse
  • 3-1/2 cups (32-ounce jar of sauce) spaghetti sauce
  • 2 cups Ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped, fresh parsley
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cook pasta according to directions, drain but do not rinse (rinsing pasta prevents sauce from sticking to it)
  2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients and only ½ cup spaghetti sauce
  3. In a 3 quart casserole pour another ½ cup of spaghetti sauce on bottom of dish and spread out
  4. Pour contents of ziti mixture into casserole and spread out
  5. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce on top of ziti mixture, sprinkle with parmesan cheese
  6. Bake covered with aluminum foil in a 375 F. degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly

Beef Stew – Old Fashioned

Dinner Ideas February 16, 2014 Leave a comment

beef stewOld fashioned stew, the smell fills your house with mouthwatering aromas. The trick to good stew is seasoning the meat, browning the meat and of course what you add to the broth. The fun thing about stew is you can add any kind of vegetables you love to eat. My stews are usually full of onions, carrots and small red skin potatoes, I even add mushrooms, celery, and sometimes at the end of the cooking period I will throw in a box of frozen peas. My sauce will usually thicken as it cooks but if it does not, you can thicken it at the end of the cooking time with a roux. Search roux in the search box for instructions. I use boneless chuck for my meat because it becomes so tender when cooked it melts in your mouth. But you can use beef round.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 pounds of boneless chuck *(pot-roast) cut into 1 inch cubes
  • ½ cup seasoned flour in a large zip lock bag as follows:
    • ½ cup flour
    • 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 teaspoon garlic salt or powder
    • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (or paprika)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large onions cut into quarters
  • One bag of mini carrots or 4 large carrots cut into chunks
  • About 6 small red skinned potatoes cut in half or 1 lb. of regular white potatoes quartered
  • 3 ribs of celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pound of mushrooms, cut into halves or quarters (depending on size)
  • 1 large garlic bulb, cloves separated and paper removed
  • 4 cups of beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cut all your vegetables and gather into a bowl, set aside.
  2. In small batches place meet cubes in the zip-lock bag and shake to coat, remove from flour mixture and put on a plate until ready to use.
  3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Be sure the oil is hot (rippling but not smoking) before adding the meat in small batches. Brown meat on all sides, remove with a slotted spoon to a dish and add another batch of meat until all is browned.
  4. After the meat has browned, turn heat to medium low.
  5. Add the cut-up vegetables to the hot oil in the pan, there should be only about a tablespoon of oil left in the pan, if not, add and let get hot.
  6. Cook about 5 minutes stirring once or twice until lightly browned.
  7. Add the beef broth, tomato paste, and mustard, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Bring to a boil.
  8. Return the browned meat to pot, reduce heat to low.
  9. Cover and simmer for about 4 hours, or until meat is cooked through, and tender.
  10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.