Category Archives: Side

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.

 

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.

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

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


 

Tortellini Skewers

Appetizers, Salads, Side, Vegetables, Weight Watcher Friendly December 8, 2013 Leave a comment
Tortellini Skewers

Tortellini Skewers

The holidays are upon us that means parties and food. Appetizers are a great way to feed your guests as they mingle and make new friends. I have a collection of appetizers that are not hard to make and will make a great impression at your next get together. So deck the halls, trim the tree, put up the lights and add some festive music. Enjoy the season

Tortellini Skewers

Yield:
18 skewers

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons jarred pesto
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 packages spinach tortellini, cooked and cooled
  • 2 pints cherry tomatoes
  • 12 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Directions

  1. Mix together the olive oil, pesto and vinegar in a bowl.
  2. On small skewers, thread 1 tortellini, 1 cherry tomato and 1 mozzarella cube per skewer.
  3. Lay the skewers on a platter and lightly drizzle the dressing over them with a spoon.Serve immediately or refrigerate. Sprinkle on the minced parsley just before serving.

Recreating The Salad

Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Salads, Side, Weight Watcher Friendly September 23, 2013 Leave a comment

saladHow to build a salad for lunch or dinner

It never fails, when I sit down at work to eat my lunch someone will comment, your salad smells and looks so good, can I pay you to make one for me.  I allow time in the morning to make my lunch, which is usually ½ hour.  If you build your salad the night before do not add the lettuce or dressing, add that in the morning.  At lunch all I have to do is shake my container to distribute my dressing and eat. My unusual salads typically contain any and all leftovers from dinner during the week, things someone would not typically put in a salad, what I get is a plethora of wonderful vegetables marinating in a dressing of:

Dressing:

  • A sprinkling of kosher salt,
  • A dash of pepper,
  • A sprinkle of garlic powder,
  • 2 teaspoons of olive oil,
  • 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or wine vinegar

 Directions:

I mix all of my vegetables and the dressing together and then add my layer of dry salad greens on top, about 2 cups. I do not mix my lettuce into the dressing as the greens will wilt by lunch time. There is no right or wrong ingredient to add to a salad, I have mixed fruit and vegetables. Things you can add to a salad include the following, canned, frozen or fresh:

Cucumber, shredded cabbage, chives, sliced leek, scallions or sliced onion, jarred roasted red pepper, olives, 1/2 sliced avocado, sliced or quartered mushrooms, left over vegetables; broccoli, cauliflower, mixed vegetables, green beans, peas, canned artichokes, celery, canned beans, carrots, celery, beets, baby corn, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, quartered tomato, sun dried tomatoes, pasta, Pomegranate seeds, asparagus. I have sliced peaches, apples, oranges, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. and added them to my vegetables. What ever you love to eat.

For protein: A ¼ cup canned white beans, black beans or chick-peas, cheese, hard boiled egg, cooked chicken, left over pork, or beef,  If you use tuna or salmon, pack it in another container or plastic bag and add to your salad at lunch. Add walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds etc.  All you need is a 1/4 cup of any protein.

You can put anything you love to eat in a salad.  It is fresh, and filling and it is a meal.  I think the salad is underrated. Don’t eat a boring salad, get rid of the iceberg lettuce, buy a bag of mixed greens, spring mix or use fresh spinach.  Ditch the bottled salad dressing, the flavor of olive oil and balsamic vinegar is amazing and healthier.  Add chopped fresh basil and parsley to your dressing.  Create or rather recreate the healthy salad.  Make it your own – Enjoy!

*To steam fresh vegetables; add to a microwaveable container with a tablespoon of water and cook on high for 2 minutes, remove from microwave and add ice cold water to stop the cooking. Vegetables will be crisp-tender.

Cheese Crisps

Appetizers, Cheese Crisps, Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff, Salads, Side, Soup August 27, 2013 Leave a comment

Cheese crisps are so versatile and fun served with a salad, as a snack, served as an appetizer or use as

Cheese Crisps

Cheese Crisps

a scoop with your favorite dip. They are very easy to make, and the main ingredient is cheese. You can add fresh herbs or spices to the mixture to suit your theme or just leave plain. They are entertaining little treats full of protein and make great conversational foods at the dinner table, try adding cheese crunches with your next meal.

CHEESE CRISPS

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese or (you can use packaged grated cheese, any flavor you prefer)
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • You can add whatever seasoning you like: A teaspoon of powdered Ranch dressing mix, chili powder, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, dry or fresh chopped basil, diced fresh parsley, fresh chopped herbs, whatever feels good to you or nothing at all.
  • Do NOT add salt, the crisps will be salty by default because of the cheese.
  • Parchment Paper to line your cookie tray with (nothing else will work)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

  1. Toss the cheese with the flour and pepper and any herbs or seasoning to taste in a bowl.
  2. Arrange a teaspoon of the cheese mixture on the parchment paper lined baking sheet and flatten slightly.
  3. Bake until golden, about 7 minutes. Cool slightly, then remove with a spatula to a rack and let cool.

Fresh Berry Pudding

Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Fun Stuff, Side May 9, 2013 Leave a comment
Berry pudding

Berry pudding

What a truly exotic and simple dessert to make when berries are at their peak of flavor.  When I hear “pudding” I think of the chocolate puddings I ate as a girl, this recipe is a type of pudding called a bread pudding.  The history of “bread pudding” is a dish with very old roots. It evolved as a use for stale bread, many years ago.  Cooks from many cultures throughout history did not want to waste stale bread, so they invented many dishes, both savory and sweet, that utilized it. Today, bread pudding is still made, but its current forms tend to be far more luxurious than its humble origins. Modern bread puddings often utilize fresh, gourmet breads, such as brioche, and include expensive ingredients, such as vanilla beans, bourbon, Gruyere cheese or pecans. Sweet bread puddings may also be served with a variety of sauces and fruit.

Ingredients

  • 5 cups mixed fresh berries, such as blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries (about 3 pints)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • (optional) 1 vanilla bean split lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 18 thin slices white sandwich bread

Directions

  1. In a saucepan, cook berries, water and lemon juice over medium heat until berries release their juices but still hold their shape, about 2 minutes, scrape vanilla beans from vanilla pod and add to berry mixture. Stir in sugar and salt; cook until dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Strain sauce into a bowl through a sieve or colander; do not discard the berries, set aside. Let cool.
  2. Line a cupcake tin with plastic wrap, pressing it into cups. Using cookie cutters or an inverted glass, cut out six 2 1/4-inch rounds and twelve 2 3/4-inch rounds from bread.
  3. Pour 1 tablespoon sauce into each cup; add 1 tablespoon of reserved cooked berries. Top with smaller bread rounds; add another tablespoon each of sauce and berries. Make another layer of bread, sauce, and berries; top with remaining bread rounds. Press down firmly with the bottom of a glass.
  4. Fold plastic over; cover with a baking sheet. Weight with a heavy skillet. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
  5. To serve, pull up on plastic wrap, and gently unmold each pudding onto plates; drizzle with sauce.

Cook’s Note

Using a cupcake tin lined with plastic wrap makes it easy to form, transport, and unmold the chilled puddings.

Spätzle Noodles

Dinner Ideas, Side May 4, 2013 Leave a comment
Spätzle Noodles

Spätzle Noodles

 I made my Beef Bourguignon tonight and will make spätzle noodles to accompany. Spätzle Noodles are German noodles, the geographic origin of spätzle is not precisely known; various regions claim to be the originators of this noodle. Written mention of spätzle has been found in documents dating from 1725, although medieval illustrations are believed to place this noodle at an even earlier date. Noodles more generally have a history extending back 4,000 years in East Asia and at least 2000 years in Europe. Traditionally, Spätzle are made by scraping long, thin strips of dough off a wooden (sometimes wet) chopping board into boiling salted water where they cook until they rise to the surface. Since this can be a cumbersome way to prepare spätzle, several devices were invented to facilitate cooking that resemble a strainer or colander, potato ricer (Spätzlepresse), food mill or coarse grater. I will press my spätzle through a colander with large holes, since I do not possess a Spätzlepresse. Such an easy recipe for a delicious side.

Spätzle Noodles

  • One cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh if possible)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  1. Mix the flour, milk, eggs, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl to make a thick batter.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (It is important to add lots of salt to the water for flavor)
  3. Form the spätzle. A special spätzle maker can be used—it looks something like a cheese grater with a receptacle to hold the batter before it gets pushed through the holes. But a special device is not necessary. One can also use a rubber spatula to push the batter through the holes of a large-holed colander or a kitchen spoon with holes. Push the spätzle batter through the holes of whatever device is used directly into the boiling water.
  4. Don’t overload the pot of water. Work in small batches, if necessary. The spätzle batter will sink to the bottom of the pot of boiling water, then float to the top as it cooks. If the starchy water begins to boil over, turn down the heat slightly.
  5. Cook the spätzle for approximately five minutes.
  6. Drain the spätzle in a colander.
  7. Sautee the spätzle in a large nonstick skillet with a few tablespoons of butter. Remove from heat when the butter coats the spätzle and starts to brown.

Beef Bourguignon

Bread, Dinner Ideas, Side May 3, 2013 Leave a comment
Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon

Beef bourguignon is one of many examples of peasant dishes being slowly refined into today’s haute cuisine.  Most likely, the particular method of slowly simmering the beef in wine originated as a means of tenderizing cuts of meat that would have been too tough to cook any other way.  Over time, the dish became a standard of French cuisine. The recipe most people still follow to make an authentic beef bourguignon was first described by Auguste Escoffier. That recipe, however, has undergone subtle changes, owing to changes in cooking equipment and available food supplies. Julia Child‘s Mastering the Art of French Cooking describes the dish, sauté de boeuf à la Bourguignonne, as “certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man”.  I have to agree!

Well it is still snowing here in Montana and it is the weekend, finally.  After a week of salads and sauteed chicken breasts, I need some comfort food.  To me a big pot of beef stew and crusty homemade bread is just a bowl full of comfort goodness.  This is a BIG recipe, but really, once you get your prep work done (all the chopping and measuring ahead of time) it comes together fairly easy.  The bottle of Pinot Noir adds such a wonderful flavor.  I buy a pot roast chuck and cube it – it makes the best stew meat because it becomes tender the longer it cooks.  This “stew” does not have potatoes in it – but if you must, add baby red potatoes. Print this out and keep it in a safe place, next winter you will want to make it again!

Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon good olive oil
  • 8 ounces bacon, diced
  • 2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes (buy a pot-roast chuck and cube it)
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 yellow onions, sliced
  • 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
  • 1 (750 ml.) bottle Pinot Noir (or other dry red wine)
  • 1 can (2 cups) beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 pound frozen whole onions (sometimes hard to find, but you can buy a bag of frozen peas & onions)
  • 1 pound fresh mushrooms thickly sliced  or quartered, set aside – added almost at the end of cooking

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven.
  2. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned.
  3. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.  
  4. Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
  5. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned.
  6. Set aside.
  7. Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned.
  8. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
  9. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices.
  10. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat.
  11. Add the tomato paste and thyme.
  12. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 2 hours (or more) or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork. (you can also put this together in the morning and put in your slow cooker for the whole day)
  13. Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew.
  14. Add the frozen onions.
  15. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew.
  16. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.