This recipe is credited to my mother, who upon finding herself headed to a Midwest barbecue (read: lots of unhealthy food), wanted to make a vegetable heavy dish that she could nibble on without worry. My younger brother also gets a shout out because he was the one that introduced us to Thai pizza, which is delicious. My mother took the sauce and used it as a dressing over a mix of vegetables. What is below is a rough estimate of what I put in my own version tonight. (At some point I will invest in a camera so that I can share images of these dishes with you).
Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing
3 chicken quarters
1/2 head red cabbage, sliced thin
1 tsp salt
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin 2 inch strips
2 small broccoli stems, sliced into thin 2 inch strips
1 1/2 cups 1-inch pieces snow peas
2 c bean sprouts
5 carrots, julienned
4 green onions, green parts only sliced thin
1/4 c peanut butter (I used smooth, natural)
2 tbsp hoisin sauce, heaping
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce, heaping
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 tbsp water
chopped peanuts for garnish
Place chicken quarters in a pot and cover with water.
Put over high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a low boil and let cook until cooked through.
While chicken is boiling, place red cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt.
Toss to coat and let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Chop remaining ingredients and place in a large serving bowl.
In a small sauce pan, mix together peanut butter, hoisin sauce, teriyaki sauce, maple syrup, red pepper flakes, onion, ginger, garlic, and water.
Put dressing over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Let dressing simmer for a few minutes, then remove from heat.
Once chicken is done, remove from heat, drain, and let cool before handling.
Place cabbage in a salad spinner and cover with water.
Stir cabbage around to remove salt, then drain and spin dry.
Add cabbage to large serving bowl.
Once chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and remove meat from bones.
Chop meat into small pieces and add to serving bowl.
Pour dressing over the top and toss until everything is coated.
You can serve at this point or chill it before serving.
When serving, sprinkle top with chopped peanuts.
Showing posts with label dressings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dressings. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Early Spring Salad
Do you ever have one of those days where dinnertime rolls around and all you can think to yourself is, "I want a giant bowl of vegetables and fruit?" I do. Typically it follows a couple days of needing to go shopping and living off of those staples that I keep around but don't eat in large quantities (like nuts, dried fruit, and frozen english muffins... not necessarily together). I went to the store with a mission to buy spinach, but for the life of me I couldn't find any. So, I ended up with frisee and arugula. I nabbed a fennel bulb to add a little complexity to the salad mix. Since citrus season is fast falling behind us, I also grabbed a sumo tangerine. The asian pears next to them looked so tasty that I grabbed one of those too. Finally, I picked up some garlic and black pepper goat cheese, since I thought that would go nicely with the greens and fruit. I decided to use my staple dressing, mustard, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, since it seems to go with so many things. The resulting salad is a lovely blend of sweet, spicy, and pungent. It's definitely a satisfying end to my day.
Early Spring Salad
2 c frisee, torn into pieces
2 c arugula, torn into pieces
1/4 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
1/2 asian pear, cored and chopped
1/2 sumo tangerine, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp spicy mustard
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
wedge of garlic and black pepper goat cheese
Wash and thoroughly dry the frisee, arugula and fennel and then place on a large plate.
Top with the pear and tangerine.
Put mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a sealable container and shake until blended; pour over the salad.
Place cheese on the side and serve.
Early Spring Salad
2 c frisee, torn into pieces
2 c arugula, torn into pieces
1/4 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
1/2 asian pear, cored and chopped
1/2 sumo tangerine, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp spicy mustard
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
wedge of garlic and black pepper goat cheese
Wash and thoroughly dry the frisee, arugula and fennel and then place on a large plate.
Top with the pear and tangerine.
Put mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a sealable container and shake until blended; pour over the salad.
Place cheese on the side and serve.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Bonus Day
I have tomorrow off, so I thought I would post two things today (ooo). Last night I had breakfast for dinner, but without any syrup requiring breads (I don't have any syrup at the moment, bummer). Instead I made an omelet and a potato-kale scramble. Do you call it a scramble if it doesn't include eggs? Hmm... Anyways, it was delicious and accomplished 2 goals: finish the last of the spinach from the share the week before last and knock down one bag of kale from last week's share. I didn't have any bread for toast (should probably go shopping), but I found a large boiled Yukon Gold potato in my refrigerator. Ah leftovers, how you save the day more often than not.
Spinach and Cheddar Omelet with Potato-Kale Scramble
2 tsp butter, divided
3 eggs
3 tbsp green onion, sliced thin
1/2 c spinach, washed and chopped
1 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/2 c cubed cooked potato (cold)
3 c kale, washed and torn into pieces
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
In a pan over medium heat, melt 1 tsp butter.
In a bowl, beat eggs well.
Mix green onion and a pinch each of salt and pepper into the eggs.
Spread butter in pan evenly, then pour in eggs.
Once the eggs are well set, but still slightly wet on the top, use a spatula to flip.
Sprinkle spinach and cheese on one half of the omelet, then turn other half over to cover. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Place 1 tsp butter in the same pan and add garlic.
Once garlic is fragrant, add potato and kale.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then stir while cooking (using spatula to scrape any browned potato from the bottom of the pan).
Once potato is hot and kale is wilted, transfer to plate and eat while warm.
I think I also mentioned that I was going to make some coleslaw with all the cabbage I had left from two weeks ago. I researched a variety of recipes in my old cookbooks. I find, when you're looking for something classic, the old cookbooks are always the best. Too many cookbooks today try to make things less fat (eat less) or time (I enjoy cooking, so I don't necessarily need all my meals done in 10 minutes) or are trying to reinvent recipes (which I have no problem with, I do that a lot, but again, looking for classic). Also, if I'm looking to experiment myself, I like to know how people typically make something and to think of variations all on my lonesome.
After digging around, I found that a "boiled dressing" was a classic for coleslaw. It's not actually boiled, but it is cooked in a pan and then allowed to cool before dressing the vegetables. I took ideas from a few different recipes and settled upon adding mustard seeds and celery seeds to the dressing. For the vegetables, I added shredded zucchini, kohlrabi, and carrots. I also met someone once who salted the vegetables and allowed them to weep before adding the dressing, so I also did that. After a few days, it's gotten a bit watery, but the first couple days it was delicious. Eaten with some cold cooked chicken, it was a nice summery meal.
Classic Coleslaw
6 c finely shredded cabbage (mixture of green and napa cabbages)
2 zucchini, shredded with a grater
1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled and then shredded with a grater
1 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp butter
3/4 c half and half
1/4 c vinegar
1 c onion, sliced paper thin
2 c carrot, shredded with a grater
Place cabbage, zucchini, a kohlrabi in a salad spinner and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and toss.
While vegetables are sitting, place other 1/2 tsp salt, mustard seeds, celery seeds, black pepper, cayenne pepper, sugar and flour in a sauce pan and whisk together.
Add egg yolks to seasonings and mix well with a whisk.
Slowly add half and half, whisking smooth.
Add butter and vinegar, then turn on heat to medium-low.
Stirring constantly, cook dressing until it starts to thicken.
Remove from heat, then pour into a Pyrex measuring cup and put in the refrigerator to cool.
When dressing is cool, rinse the vegetables with water and spin dry.
In a large mixing bowl, combine these vegetables with the onion and carrots. Stir well.
Pour dressing over the vegetables and mix well.
Place in the refrigerator and allow to sit for at least 2 hours before serving.
Spinach and Cheddar Omelet with Potato-Kale Scramble
2 tsp butter, divided
3 eggs
3 tbsp green onion, sliced thin
1/2 c spinach, washed and chopped
1 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/2 c cubed cooked potato (cold)
3 c kale, washed and torn into pieces
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
In a pan over medium heat, melt 1 tsp butter.
In a bowl, beat eggs well.
Mix green onion and a pinch each of salt and pepper into the eggs.
Spread butter in pan evenly, then pour in eggs.
Once the eggs are well set, but still slightly wet on the top, use a spatula to flip.
Sprinkle spinach and cheese on one half of the omelet, then turn other half over to cover. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Place 1 tsp butter in the same pan and add garlic.
Once garlic is fragrant, add potato and kale.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then stir while cooking (using spatula to scrape any browned potato from the bottom of the pan).
Once potato is hot and kale is wilted, transfer to plate and eat while warm.
I think I also mentioned that I was going to make some coleslaw with all the cabbage I had left from two weeks ago. I researched a variety of recipes in my old cookbooks. I find, when you're looking for something classic, the old cookbooks are always the best. Too many cookbooks today try to make things less fat (eat less) or time (I enjoy cooking, so I don't necessarily need all my meals done in 10 minutes) or are trying to reinvent recipes (which I have no problem with, I do that a lot, but again, looking for classic). Also, if I'm looking to experiment myself, I like to know how people typically make something and to think of variations all on my lonesome.
After digging around, I found that a "boiled dressing" was a classic for coleslaw. It's not actually boiled, but it is cooked in a pan and then allowed to cool before dressing the vegetables. I took ideas from a few different recipes and settled upon adding mustard seeds and celery seeds to the dressing. For the vegetables, I added shredded zucchini, kohlrabi, and carrots. I also met someone once who salted the vegetables and allowed them to weep before adding the dressing, so I also did that. After a few days, it's gotten a bit watery, but the first couple days it was delicious. Eaten with some cold cooked chicken, it was a nice summery meal.
Classic Coleslaw
6 c finely shredded cabbage (mixture of green and napa cabbages)
2 zucchini, shredded with a grater
1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled and then shredded with a grater
1 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp butter
3/4 c half and half
1/4 c vinegar
1 c onion, sliced paper thin
2 c carrot, shredded with a grater
Place cabbage, zucchini, a kohlrabi in a salad spinner and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and toss.
While vegetables are sitting, place other 1/2 tsp salt, mustard seeds, celery seeds, black pepper, cayenne pepper, sugar and flour in a sauce pan and whisk together.
Add egg yolks to seasonings and mix well with a whisk.
Slowly add half and half, whisking smooth.
Add butter and vinegar, then turn on heat to medium-low.
Stirring constantly, cook dressing until it starts to thicken.
Remove from heat, then pour into a Pyrex measuring cup and put in the refrigerator to cool.
When dressing is cool, rinse the vegetables with water and spin dry.
In a large mixing bowl, combine these vegetables with the onion and carrots. Stir well.
Pour dressing over the vegetables and mix well.
Place in the refrigerator and allow to sit for at least 2 hours before serving.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Simple Pleasures
One of the things I love about living and working in Portland is that it doesn't take a lot of effort to find a quiet place to enjoy the weather. After work, I take my dog for a walk that meanders through green neighborhoods or around the cove. On the weekends, I can go for a bike ride and see the ocean crashing against the rocks, bluebirds flying through fields, or cranes and ducks enjoying a marsh. And at lunchtime, I can take a simple salad, pick up something from the Standard Baking Company next door and go sit on the pier to soak up sun and let my brain relax.
I've found that some of my favorite salads are the most simple. A bunch of salad greens, some fruit, and a basic vinaigrette eaten with fresh bread is refreshing and satisfying. The key to a great salad (besides fabulous vegetables) is the dressing. I've done a lot of experimenting with dressings over the past couple years and have found that simple is many times the best. I usually use a little oil, vinegar and a sweetener (and occasionally some salt and pepper). The variety comes from the type of oil, vinegar and sweetener you use and then the proportion of vinegar to sweetener. For oil, I've used hazelnut, olive oil, and many flavored oils (like lemon rosemary, black pepper, or basil). For vinegar, I'll use rice, balsamic, white balsamic, or cider. And for sweeteners, I'll use white sugar (rare), honey, molasses, maple syrup, or fruit or fruit juices. I tend to like my dressings tangy, but when I have company, I'll make them sweeter, so anywhere from 3 parts vinegar to 1 part sweetener to 1 part vinegar to 1 part sweetener (or for my more sensitive friends, I'll put more sweetener than vinegar). Below is the vinaigrette (and salad) that I had for lunch today.
Salad with Basic Vinaigrette
4 cups mixed salad greens (baby lettuce, radicchio, spinach, tatsoi, arugula)
3/4 c blueberries
Vinaigrette:
1 tsp lemon rosemary olive oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wash lettuce and tear into bite sized pieces, place in sealable container.
Put blueberries in an 8 oz glass jar with lid.
Place vinaigrette ingredients in a 4 oz glass jar with lid.
When ready to eat, add blueberries to the salad greens; shake vinaigrette to mix and pout over salad.
I've found that some of my favorite salads are the most simple. A bunch of salad greens, some fruit, and a basic vinaigrette eaten with fresh bread is refreshing and satisfying. The key to a great salad (besides fabulous vegetables) is the dressing. I've done a lot of experimenting with dressings over the past couple years and have found that simple is many times the best. I usually use a little oil, vinegar and a sweetener (and occasionally some salt and pepper). The variety comes from the type of oil, vinegar and sweetener you use and then the proportion of vinegar to sweetener. For oil, I've used hazelnut, olive oil, and many flavored oils (like lemon rosemary, black pepper, or basil). For vinegar, I'll use rice, balsamic, white balsamic, or cider. And for sweeteners, I'll use white sugar (rare), honey, molasses, maple syrup, or fruit or fruit juices. I tend to like my dressings tangy, but when I have company, I'll make them sweeter, so anywhere from 3 parts vinegar to 1 part sweetener to 1 part vinegar to 1 part sweetener (or for my more sensitive friends, I'll put more sweetener than vinegar). Below is the vinaigrette (and salad) that I had for lunch today.
Salad with Basic Vinaigrette
4 cups mixed salad greens (baby lettuce, radicchio, spinach, tatsoi, arugula)
3/4 c blueberries
Vinaigrette:
1 tsp lemon rosemary olive oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wash lettuce and tear into bite sized pieces, place in sealable container.
Put blueberries in an 8 oz glass jar with lid.
Place vinaigrette ingredients in a 4 oz glass jar with lid.
When ready to eat, add blueberries to the salad greens; shake vinaigrette to mix and pout over salad.
Friday, June 25, 2010
My fingers are green
My fingers are green from picking snow peas and snap peas. After a few years of meaning to, I've finally joined a CSA. I usually remember about wanting to join after they've all closed. This year I found one that was still open and willing to accept a choose-your-own payment plan. So, I went last week to pay my first installment and pick up my first veggies. As I live in Maine, the CSA had only started the week before I joined, thus not a ton of vegetables last week, but definitely enough to get me through the week.
Each CSA has a different method, but the one I joined does a lot of mix-and-match, which is great if you don't like one of the options. I like experimenting, so I take a little bit of everything. Last week was mixed salad greens, mixed cooking greens and broccoli. This week there was a lot more to pick up and their pick your own field was open with peas. Since I don't have my own garden, I enjoyed picking peas amidst kids hunting for peas, exclaiming that they found a really great one, and munching on half the ones they picked. I started to leave when I thought I had enough, but was stopped by the gentleman overseeing the field. He exclaimed, "That's not nearly enough! Go take more! Eat more!" As I slowly wound my way back out of the plants, one hand covering the basket so my extra peas wouldn't fall out he said, "That's more like it! That's what we like to see!" You have to love a place that tells you to take more.
So, now I have a new goal for this blog. I bought a whole share, which means I'm going to have a lot of vegetables. I figured I'd share my attempts at eating enough vegetables to feed two vegetarians with you. I'm also going to attempt to freeze or can whatever I don't manage to ingest. Each day I'll share at least one meal that involved my CSA produce. (Disclaimer: this is a goal and given my atrocious ability to regularly update my blog, a goal I can't guarantee; but I'll give it my best effort). So, first, the run down of this week's share (and then a recipe):
(measurements are approximate, given that they put out big and medium sized bowls that you measure the loose leaves into)
1 head of red leaf lettuce
mixed baby lettuce leaves (about 1 or 2 full heads worth)
mixed salad greens (about 1 head of lettuce)
mixed cooking greens (bok choy, kale, Swiss chard) (about 1 1/2 heads)
2 bunches scallions
1 purple kohlrabi
1 quart mixed snow and snap peas
My lunch today consisted of this salad and a French roll from the local bakery. I ate it while enjoying a sunny day and watching a seal swim near the pier. Practically perfect.
Salad with nectarines and cheese (directions are for transport to work)
2 cups young salad greens, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
1 nectarine, pitted and chopped
2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
2 oz apricot-ginger white cheese
Put salad greens in a small, sealable plastic bag.
In a small, sealable container, put the chopped nectarine and pour in vinegar and syrup.
Put cheese in a separate bag.
When ready to eat, put greens on a plate, top with nectarine/dressing, and crumble the cheese over all of it.
Lightly toss before eating.
Each CSA has a different method, but the one I joined does a lot of mix-and-match, which is great if you don't like one of the options. I like experimenting, so I take a little bit of everything. Last week was mixed salad greens, mixed cooking greens and broccoli. This week there was a lot more to pick up and their pick your own field was open with peas. Since I don't have my own garden, I enjoyed picking peas amidst kids hunting for peas, exclaiming that they found a really great one, and munching on half the ones they picked. I started to leave when I thought I had enough, but was stopped by the gentleman overseeing the field. He exclaimed, "That's not nearly enough! Go take more! Eat more!" As I slowly wound my way back out of the plants, one hand covering the basket so my extra peas wouldn't fall out he said, "That's more like it! That's what we like to see!" You have to love a place that tells you to take more.
So, now I have a new goal for this blog. I bought a whole share, which means I'm going to have a lot of vegetables. I figured I'd share my attempts at eating enough vegetables to feed two vegetarians with you. I'm also going to attempt to freeze or can whatever I don't manage to ingest. Each day I'll share at least one meal that involved my CSA produce. (Disclaimer: this is a goal and given my atrocious ability to regularly update my blog, a goal I can't guarantee; but I'll give it my best effort). So, first, the run down of this week's share (and then a recipe):
(measurements are approximate, given that they put out big and medium sized bowls that you measure the loose leaves into)
1 head of red leaf lettuce
mixed baby lettuce leaves (about 1 or 2 full heads worth)
mixed salad greens (about 1 head of lettuce)
mixed cooking greens (bok choy, kale, Swiss chard) (about 1 1/2 heads)
2 bunches scallions
1 purple kohlrabi
1 quart mixed snow and snap peas
My lunch today consisted of this salad and a French roll from the local bakery. I ate it while enjoying a sunny day and watching a seal swim near the pier. Practically perfect.
Salad with nectarines and cheese (directions are for transport to work)
2 cups young salad greens, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
1 nectarine, pitted and chopped
2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
2 oz apricot-ginger white cheese
Put salad greens in a small, sealable plastic bag.
In a small, sealable container, put the chopped nectarine and pour in vinegar and syrup.
Put cheese in a separate bag.
When ready to eat, put greens on a plate, top with nectarine/dressing, and crumble the cheese over all of it.
Lightly toss before eating.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Green Salad and Roasted Pears with Warm Apple Bacon Dressing
The other day I had a friend over for dinner. It was a Christmas present wrapping party that lacked in the wrapping department; problems being she only had a few presents to wrap and I ended up too buzzed to wrap adroitly. In my defense, I was using tissue paper, a material that is difficult to maneuver in the best of circumstances.
I was leaving in a few days for the holidays, so dinner was “what’s in the house?” again. Thankfully I had a whole chicken in my freezer, so I thawed that and baked it with just a touch of olive oil, salt and pepper. It would have been perfect had the wine not induced a short bought of forgetfulness. It was just this side of a National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation turkey jerky. Oops. My faithful friend declared it still delicious. What a sweetheart!
I roasted the half of a butternut squash that was sitting in my fridge to go with it and made a green salad with warm apple bacon dressing and roasted pears. While the food was cooking, we snacked on rosemary crackers and habanero cheese... and of course slaked our thirst with wine, yummy, yummy wine.
The next day I found out that I had been secretly sabotaged – since my friend had to drive home, she kept pouring more wine into my glass every time she topped them off. Whether due to the amount of food or the length of time or my voyage into becoming an... well, let’s just hope it was the food and time, because I wasn’t hung over at all the next day.
Green Salad and Roasted Pears with Warm Apple Bacon Dressing (for 2)
1 head of green leaf lettuce, washed and dried
3 pears, peeled, cored, and halved
1 tbsp bacon grease
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp apple cider
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Once the lettuce has been washed and spun dry, place it in a bowl in the refrigerator to crisp.
Place the pear halves in a shallow baking dish, face down, and roast until browned well (1/2 hour to an hour... I can’t remember... and not because of wine, I swear!)
Heat the bacon grease in a small cast iron pan.
Add onion and saute until golden.
Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
Add olive oil, white wine vinegar, apple cider, salt and pepper and stir well.
To serve, put lettuce in individual serving dishes, top with three pear halves each, give the dressing a stir and pour over the salads.
Good wine to try: 2006 Maipe Malbec (Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina)
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Random Topics and Some Vegetable Goodness
Yesterday I went to the farmer's market with a coworker. They finally have vegetables. I say finally because I'm sure in Wisconsin the stands have been up and running for some time now, but here in Maine it's cool, rainy, and just not sunny enough for the things to grow quite as quickly. Truth be told, I want some hot weather, but I don't think that's going to happen. Back to the subject at hand, though: vegetables! I bought some fresh basil (expensive! holy lord, don't people know basil grows and grows and paying that much money for it is just insane? Alas, my apartment doesn't get enough direct sun to grow my own.) I also bought some tiny potatoes (they had a name, I can't remember it - not finger potatoes), lettuce, and pattypan squash. I got home eager to use some of my new purchases. I also had a tomato that needed eating (see how it's kind of wrinkly?):
This was the resulting dinner.
I put the potatoes whole in a pan of water, brought it to a boil, added some kosher salt, and cooked until tender.
For the squash and tomato, I combined it with hot capicola, garlic, and fresh basil. It was quite good. Here are the "recipes:"
Pattypan Squash Saute
4 thin slices hot capicola (a type of ham), sliced into strips
1 tbsp olive oil
4 small garlic cloves, crushed
3 pattypan squash, trimmed and cut into thin wedges
1 roma tomato, seeded, halved and sliced thin
1/4 c basil, shredded
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
Heat skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
Add capicola and cook until browned.
Add olive oil.
Once oil is hot, add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Scrape the capicola and garlic to the side and spread the pattypan wedges over the bottom of the pan.
Allow to brown on one side, then turn and brown on the other side.
At the last minute, add tomato, basil, black pepper and salt.
Stir to combine and serve.
Basil Dressing for Potatoes
1 large leaf basil, chopped
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
freshly ground black pepper
Put ingredients in a sealable container, seal and shake until combined. Pour over warm potatoes.
WARNING: AN UGLY SIGHT AHEAD
This is the truth of how my kitchen looks after cooking.
I've been doing a lot of sewing lately. I made two wrap skirts without a pattern. It's very simple really. Buy a length of fabric that will fit around you once and then some. Mine fit around one and a half times. After washing the fabric, wrap the length of fabric around yourself and find the length you want the skirt to be. Mark that (my fabric had stripes so it was easy to cut a straight line across), and cut off the excess. Make sure the vertical edges are straight (almost never are when you bring it home from the fabric store), and hem three sides. The unhemmed side will be the top. I used the cut off portion to make ties for this green one:
To make the ties, I cut the extra bit in half. Then I folded that over on itself, sewed it up mostly (except about 1 or 2 inches), turned it inside out, closed the hole and did some detail stitching at the end to match the detail stitching it did at the ends of the skirt. I sewed one tie to each end of the top of the skirt. I also made an orange one, but I still need to add ties to that one. Also, I didn't hem it, but did a zigzag stitch on the three sides and washed it so that the edges would fray a bit. I'll probably replicate that with the ties when I get around to making them.
And now... some random pictures:
Inside of a boat.
Street musicians in Portland.
Clouds over the ocean.
Magellen's new throne, my books. (Sad, really. All those books and I don't own a single bookshelf).
(I know I still owe you the Jamaican chicken (or beef) recipe...)
This was the resulting dinner.
I put the potatoes whole in a pan of water, brought it to a boil, added some kosher salt, and cooked until tender.
For the squash and tomato, I combined it with hot capicola, garlic, and fresh basil. It was quite good. Here are the "recipes:"
Pattypan Squash Saute
4 thin slices hot capicola (a type of ham), sliced into strips
1 tbsp olive oil
4 small garlic cloves, crushed
3 pattypan squash, trimmed and cut into thin wedges
1 roma tomato, seeded, halved and sliced thin
1/4 c basil, shredded
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
Heat skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
Add capicola and cook until browned.
Add olive oil.
Once oil is hot, add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Scrape the capicola and garlic to the side and spread the pattypan wedges over the bottom of the pan.
Allow to brown on one side, then turn and brown on the other side.
At the last minute, add tomato, basil, black pepper and salt.
Stir to combine and serve.
Basil Dressing for Potatoes
1 large leaf basil, chopped
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
freshly ground black pepper
Put ingredients in a sealable container, seal and shake until combined. Pour over warm potatoes.
WARNING: AN UGLY SIGHT AHEAD
This is the truth of how my kitchen looks after cooking.
I've been doing a lot of sewing lately. I made two wrap skirts without a pattern. It's very simple really. Buy a length of fabric that will fit around you once and then some. Mine fit around one and a half times. After washing the fabric, wrap the length of fabric around yourself and find the length you want the skirt to be. Mark that (my fabric had stripes so it was easy to cut a straight line across), and cut off the excess. Make sure the vertical edges are straight (almost never are when you bring it home from the fabric store), and hem three sides. The unhemmed side will be the top. I used the cut off portion to make ties for this green one:
To make the ties, I cut the extra bit in half. Then I folded that over on itself, sewed it up mostly (except about 1 or 2 inches), turned it inside out, closed the hole and did some detail stitching at the end to match the detail stitching it did at the ends of the skirt. I sewed one tie to each end of the top of the skirt. I also made an orange one, but I still need to add ties to that one. Also, I didn't hem it, but did a zigzag stitch on the three sides and washed it so that the edges would fray a bit. I'll probably replicate that with the ties when I get around to making them.
And now... some random pictures:
Inside of a boat.
Street musicians in Portland.
Clouds over the ocean.
Magellen's new throne, my books. (Sad, really. All those books and I don't own a single bookshelf).
(I know I still owe you the Jamaican chicken (or beef) recipe...)
Thursday, June 28, 2007
My New Spin on Chicken Salad
Let me start by saying that while the posts about food have been lacking in photographic evidence, you should be thanking me for that. Seriously, I don't think I've ever taken more unappetizing pictures ever before. So, until I have the foresight to actually set aside part of the meal so that I can take a picture of it in good light, not to mention remember that I'm supposed to take the picture the next day, you don't want to see the dark, slightly disgusting pictures I've been taking lately.
That aside, let us get to today's meal. Actually, tonight I had leftover greens and rice and cooked some Cajun salmon to go with it. But, the other night I made chicken salad, but added a little something-something to make it extra tasty. I've been eating it for lunch all week and I still haven't tired of it. Good thing, too, since I have a lot left still!
Lemon-Thyme Chicken Salad
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp dried or fresh thyme (fresh would probably be a lot tastier, but I only had dried in the house)
salt (as needed)
3/4 lb brussel sprouts, shredded and rinsed well
6 good sized carrots, peeled, quartered and sliced thin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp sugar
12 oz small shell pasta
1/2 c mayonnaise
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp thyme
good pinch of cayenne pepper
pepper to taste
Put chicken breasts in a pot, cover with water, add salt and thyme and cook until done. Allow to cool.
While the chicken is cooking, put on a large pot of water to boil.
Once water in second pot is boiling, add salt, stir, then add pasta.
Cook pasta until done, drain and rinse in cold water until cool.
While pasta and chicken are cooking, prepare the brussel sprouts and carrots.
Put brussel sprouts in a large serving bowl, sprinkle with a bit of salt (not too much, maybe 1/4 tsp) and about the same amount of sugar.
Also while other things are cooking, mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme, cayenne pepper, and pepper (and salt if desired) in a bowl and set aside.
Once chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces.
Add carrots, pasta and chicken to the shredded brussel sprouts.
Add the dressing and stir until well coated.
Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
That aside, let us get to today's meal. Actually, tonight I had leftover greens and rice and cooked some Cajun salmon to go with it. But, the other night I made chicken salad, but added a little something-something to make it extra tasty. I've been eating it for lunch all week and I still haven't tired of it. Good thing, too, since I have a lot left still!
Lemon-Thyme Chicken Salad
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp dried or fresh thyme (fresh would probably be a lot tastier, but I only had dried in the house)
salt (as needed)
3/4 lb brussel sprouts, shredded and rinsed well
6 good sized carrots, peeled, quartered and sliced thin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp sugar
12 oz small shell pasta
1/2 c mayonnaise
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp thyme
good pinch of cayenne pepper
pepper to taste
Put chicken breasts in a pot, cover with water, add salt and thyme and cook until done. Allow to cool.
While the chicken is cooking, put on a large pot of water to boil.
Once water in second pot is boiling, add salt, stir, then add pasta.
Cook pasta until done, drain and rinse in cold water until cool.
While pasta and chicken are cooking, prepare the brussel sprouts and carrots.
Put brussel sprouts in a large serving bowl, sprinkle with a bit of salt (not too much, maybe 1/4 tsp) and about the same amount of sugar.
Also while other things are cooking, mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme, cayenne pepper, and pepper (and salt if desired) in a bowl and set aside.
Once chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces.
Add carrots, pasta and chicken to the shredded brussel sprouts.
Add the dressing and stir until well coated.
Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Green Salad with Creamy Curry Vinaigrette
I just discovered my new favorite salad. I had some left over chicken breast from some chicken soup I made the other night. I only put the dark meat in the soup, so I had two breasts to use in other meals. I created this salad from things I had around the house (I haven't been purchasing many things lately, mostly due to lack of time).
1/3 c plain yogurt
2 tsp brown rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
4 to 5 leaves lettuce (torn and washed)
1/2 chicken breast, chopped
1/4 c walnuts, chopped
1 pear, cored and chopped
Mix the yogurt, vinegar, sugar, salt and curry powder together. Let sit while you prepare the other ingredients. Combine lettuce, chicken, walnuts, and pear in a large bowl. Pour on the dressing and toss (or stir carefully if you're kitchen accident prone like me).
I have a suspicion that I would love this salad even more with currants instead of pear, but pears were what I had at the time.
I've also been making orange yogurt by mixing plain yogurt with a spoonful of marmalade. It's delicious (especially if you use full fat yogurt).
I'm mostly settled into my new town, so the possibility of my posting more often will definitely increase. Nothing made me happier than unpacking all of my kitchen things! Well, a few things are still in boxes because I have almost no counter space and it's taking me a while to wash and put away everything. Plus, there isn't enough cabinet space for all of my kitchen stuff. I think my first investment will be a small, movable island for the kitchen. Who cares if I have a huge living room which currently houses 1 chair, 1 coffee table, 1 end table and a ton of boxes of books? I need to cook!
1/3 c plain yogurt
2 tsp brown rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
4 to 5 leaves lettuce (torn and washed)
1/2 chicken breast, chopped
1/4 c walnuts, chopped
1 pear, cored and chopped
Mix the yogurt, vinegar, sugar, salt and curry powder together. Let sit while you prepare the other ingredients. Combine lettuce, chicken, walnuts, and pear in a large bowl. Pour on the dressing and toss (or stir carefully if you're kitchen accident prone like me).
I have a suspicion that I would love this salad even more with currants instead of pear, but pears were what I had at the time.
I've also been making orange yogurt by mixing plain yogurt with a spoonful of marmalade. It's delicious (especially if you use full fat yogurt).
I'm mostly settled into my new town, so the possibility of my posting more often will definitely increase. Nothing made me happier than unpacking all of my kitchen things! Well, a few things are still in boxes because I have almost no counter space and it's taking me a while to wash and put away everything. Plus, there isn't enough cabinet space for all of my kitchen stuff. I think my first investment will be a small, movable island for the kitchen. Who cares if I have a huge living room which currently houses 1 chair, 1 coffee table, 1 end table and a ton of boxes of books? I need to cook!
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