Side Dish

Asian Broccoli Slaw with Ginger Soy Dressing

Posted on May 6, 2012 | 0 comments

Sometime a light veggie dish like this is just what the doctor ordered – especially when you’re trying to eat lighter to compensate for some less than stellar food choices (don’t ask). Broccoli slaw mix is new to me. I’m not a huge fan of broccoli so I’ve never bought it but it was on sale at my favorite store so I decided to experiment.  Although it’s shredded broccoli stalks, it really doesn’t taste like broccoli at all. There’s a crunchy fresh taste that I can’t really compare to anything. It doesn’t have a strong flavor by itself so you could add any dressing to it.   If you want to make this a little more hearty, you could add shrimp or chicken. The dressing is tart/ sweet, and a little salty from the soy sauce – make sure you use low sodium sauce. If you leave out the oranges, this would make a good stuffing for spring rolls.

Asian Broccoli Slaw with Ginger Soy Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbls lemon juice
  • 1/8 cup canola oil
  • 2 tbls freshly grated ginger
  • 2 tbls apple cider vineger
  • 3 tbls brown sugar
  • 1 tsp seasame oil
  • 11 oz can mandarin oranges
  • 8 oz jar water chestnuts
  • 12 oz bag broccoli slaw
  • 2 diced scallions (green parts only)

Instructions

  1. Mix first 6 ingredients in a small bowl or jar until well combined.
  2. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl and pour dressing over salad.
  3. Stir to coat and refrigerate for at least and hour before serving.

Number of servings (yield): 8

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Sweet and Sour Marinated Beets

Posted on Apr 5, 2012 | 0 comments

People keep telling me that beets are an acquired taste. Apparently I acquired a taste for them early in life since I’ve always liked them – even the pickled ones in the jar. I don’t however like the mess beet juice makes. Be smarted than I was the day I fixed these. Do not wear a white shirt and use food safe gloves if you have them.

This is a quick marinade to give your beets a nice tang without the trouble of pickling. I like to peel, slice, and marinate them while still warm because I think it helps them slurp up the flavors. If you have a some really good hot peppers, slice one in half and add it to the jar. These are delicious in salads with a little Gorgonzola on top.

Sweet and Sour Marinated Beets

Ingredients

  • 5 medium beets
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1 smashed garlic clove (optional)

Instructions

  1. Wash beets thoroughly
  2. Wrap beets in foil and bake until you can stick a knife through beets with very little resistance, about 1hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
  3. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Peel beets and cut into slices or cubes.
  4. Put beets (and garlic if using) in a stain proof container. I like glass jars for this.
  5. Mix sugar and vinegar together until sugar has dissolved. Add salt if using.
  6. Pour vinegar mixture over the beets and store in refrigerator for at least an hour or up to 5 days.


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Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes with Herbed Couscous

Posted on Mar 23, 2012 | 2 comments

You may have noticed that my little corner of the internet has been heavy on meatless dishes lately. Veggies rule in our house – at least until Good Friday. I have to admit I’m getting into finding new ways to fix vegetables, grains, and beans without any meat to add flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good ribeye steak or a piece of fried chicken but eating lighter feels pretty good.

Asparagus is one of our “go-to” vegetables. It’s great for nights when I’m short on time and it doesn’t take much to make it taste good. The real star of this meal is the Israeli couscous. A handful of fresh herbs with some lemon zest gives the couscous a delicious bright flavor. I estimated the amount of parsley in this because I literally torn off a handful and dropped it in the food processor. Feel free to use more or less according to your tastes. Unless you really like lemon, be mindful of the amount of zest you use. Lemon can brighten a dish but it can also take over if you aren’t careful. I used vegetable broth with salt but if you use low sodium or no sodium broth, add a little salt so it won’t be bland.

Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes with Herbed Couscous

Ingredients

  • 1 pound asparagus
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbls olive oil
  • lemon pepper seasoning
  • 2 cans vegetable broth 14 oz
  • 2 cups Israeli couscous, rinsed
  • 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
  • 2 scallions – green parts only
  • 1/4 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 tbls olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees
  2. Spread asparagus out on a baking sheet. Toss with oil and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning.
  3. Add cherry tomatoes and put baking sheet in oven.
  4. Roast for 10 to 13 minutes or until tomatoes start to blister and aspargus gets tender crisp. Remove from oven.
  5. Bring broth to boil in medium sauce pan and add couscous.
  6. Turn down to a low simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes.
  7. While couscous is cooking, put parsley, oil, lemon zest, and scallions in a food processor. Pulse until there are no big pieces or stems left.
  8. Remove couscous from heat. Drain extra broth and put couscous in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley mixture.
  9. Serve.

Number of servings (yield): 4

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Fruity Three Grain Salad

Posted on Mar 11, 2012 | 2 comments

For the past two weeks hubby and I have gone from eating meat and dairy almost every day to eating it once a week. Boy let me tell you it hasn’t been easy. The meat hasn’t been that difficult to give up but eggs and dairy has been a whole difficult story. I never realized how much I love eggs and milk. The good thing about giving up animal products is that we’ve started exploring all sorts of different veggies and grains.

I have a fondness for grocery store bulk bins which is one of the reasons I like Whole Foods. Aside from the cost savings, I love being able to buy only what I need. Somehow every time I go in there, I end up in the sections with the grains buying little bags of different things I want to try at some point.They sell every type of grain you can imagine many of which I’ve never tasted (or heard of for that matter). Since we aren’t eating meat, I figured it was time to start cooking some of those grains I keep buying.

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Brown Sugar Glazed Butternut Squash for Two

Posted on Feb 6, 2012 | 0 comments

When it comes to butternut squash, I like to keep it simple. I wasn’t even sure I liked this type of squash until a couple of years ago and since then I’ve gone through several different recipes. I always knew it had potential but I couldn’t find a recipe that knocked my socks off. After all the work it takes to get a squash prepped and ready, I wanted to feel like my time and energy was worth it. I stumbled across this recipe on Cooks Country’s website. Truth be told it ended up being butternut squash for one. It was so good I ate it all before my husband got home. Two cups is about half of a medium squash. If using a whole squash, double all of the other ingredients.

Brown Sugar Glazed Butternut Squash for Two

Ingredients

  • 2 cups butternut squash cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1/8 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cover rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat lightly with cooking spray.
  2. Mix sugar, butter, salt, vinegar and pepper in large bowl. Add squash and toss until well coated. Spread out on baking dish. Put in oven and stir every 15 minutes, until squash is well browned and completely tender, about 25 – 30 minutes.
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Smoky Mac and Cheese

Posted on Nov 6, 2011 | 0 comments

Sometimes I feel bad that most of our meals revolve around my favorite dishes more often than my husbands. Luckily my hubby is very flexible about food and we have very similar tastes. However there are a few dishes where our tastes diverge. Macaroni and cheese is one of them. It’s one of my husband’s childhood comfort foods and he still loves it. I can always tell when he doesn’t feel well or when he’s had a bad day because mac and cheese somehow gets worked into our conversations. I usually act like I don’t hear it and change the subject but this week I wanted to do something special for him. We just go back from a wonderfully relaxing vacation in the Smoky Mountains.  Unfortunately, the time in the mountains did a number on his allergies and he came back home feeling pretty crappy. What a perfect time for a cheesy gooey bowl of mac and cheese.

This is what I would call grown up mac and cheese. No Velveeta here. I used a Tomme de Nena from Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese which is a creamy semi firm cheese. You could use a Fontina, Gruyere, or a cheddar.  To counter the sharpness of the Tomme and to give it a creamy smokiness, I added a smoked Gouda. It would be just as good with a smoked Gruyere or a smoked cheddar. Please don’t use pre shredded cheese in the bag. I know it’s a pain to shred cheese but the difference in taste and texture is worth the work. Ham can be substitute for bacon. I popped this in the oven for a little while to firm it up a little but it would be just as good straight from the stove top.

Smoky Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups macaroni – cooked according to direction for al dente.
  • 1 large shallot diced
  • 2 cups lowfat milk – warmed
  • 2 cups Gruyere cheese – freshly shredded
  • 1 cup smoked gouda cheese – freshly shredded
  • 3 slices of bacon – cooked and crumbled
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/2 white pepper
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375.
  2. Melt butter in sauce pan over medium.
  3. Add shallots and saute until translucent.
  4. Sprinkle flour over shallots and butter. Cook mixture 3 to 4 minutes stirring frequently.
  5. Add warmed milk 1 cup at a time whisking between additions.
  6. Add shredded cheese 1 cup at a time and whisk until melted.
  7. Add mustard and pepper.
  8. Fold in macaroni and crumbled bacon.
  9. Fold mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 15 minutes uncovered.

Number of servings (yield): 8

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