Beets Citrus, Tomatoes, Oh My!

You have probably gathered that it is hot here in St Louis...like ick.

So here is another dish for those of us who find when it is over 95 degrees, you don't want to eat something hot.

Today's salad is made up of very basic (and chilled) ingredients:
Pickled Beets (pickled with Apple Cider Vinegar, Sugar, Salt and Cinnamon)
Mandarin Oranges (I got a can of them)
Tomatoes (Sliced and Deseeded)
and
Goat Cheese
with Balsamic Reduction

No, it isn't filling in the long run, but it saves you from bubble gut as I call it. When you get so warm after you have eaten, you feel like your stomach just keeps expanding every which way. OH, it's just me that gets that? Well, I like this dish for summer.

Until the next unbearable day....Cook it up!

Beet and goat cheese

This guys is SO easy and yet so yummy....

All you need is a bit of Goat Cheese, Balsamic Reduction, and a Roasted Beet and you are in heaven.

This is the reason I started to like beets in the first place.

Until next time...Cook it up!

Salad of fruits and yum

It has been humid and hot the last few weeks here in St Louis. Naturally, I decided to make salad for dinner for Husband and I.

We pulled out the grill and skewered some pineapple, red onion, and chicken.

After grilling it to perfection, we allowed it to cool and put it on a bed of spinach with blue berries and raspberry vinaigrette.

Lite and filling

Sorry for the short post as I am busy trying to find a job. Thanks for your understanding y'all!
Until next time...Cook it up!

Quinoa delight!

I have made this dish before several times and it is an excellent meal for when you want to make something ahead of time and not need to reheat it.

Mango Avocado Quinoa 

The recipe is simple. All you need is the following:

Quinoa (1/3 cup raw, or about 2-3 cups cooked)

Cooked Chicken (1 breast, cooked and diced)

Avocado (1, diced)

Mango (1, diced)

Red Onion (1/2, diced)

Cilantro (to taste)

Lime (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

Then you just mix together the first 5 ingredients and add the last 4 to taste. 

Store in the fridge and eat on a picnic with your family!

nomnomnom

eat it all up

Until next time...Cook it up!

Back to the Classics: Steakhouse Edition: Caprese Salad

This is one of my favorite dishes. My best friend, Mugsy, loves it as well. Being one of the first things we bonded over, I thought it would be a decent thing to post about. I remember in Sophomore year in college, my best friend and roommate at the time, Diggy, decided to have a night in and watch some movies together. I offered to make some food for us and as we were both vegetarian then, I decided to make this little dish as catch all dish: dairy, protein, carb, vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, and most importantly, deliciousness. It now reminds me of both Mugsy and Diggy anytime I eat it.

Caprese Salad

Ingredients

2 cups Balsamic Vinegar

3 whole Ripe Tomatoes, Sliced Thick

12 ounces, weight Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thick

 Fresh Basil Leaves

 Olive Oil, For Drizzling

 Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or until balsamic has reduced to a thicker glaze. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl or cruet. Allow to cool.

When you're ready to serve, arrange tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter. Arrange basil leaves between the slices. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the salad, getting a little bit on each slice. Do the same with the balsamic reduction, making designs if you want. Store extra balsamic reduction in fridge for a later use.

End with a sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper. Serve as a lunch, with crusty bread. Or serve alongside a beef main course for dinner.

So I was super dumb when I went to the grocers. I complete forgot the buy fresh basil. My little basil plant died about 6 months ago due to accidental over watering and I still forget that he is gone. RIP Basel. I realize this while I am prepping to make this yummy dish and have no more time to run to the store. Husband, who is a stupidly wonderful man, offers to run to the store. Being a quick thinker, I tell him know and instead re-hydrated some dried basil flakes and then infused the Balsamic Vinegar with the flavor of basil and garlic. While this quick fix tasted good, I missed the fresh basil still. It allows for the satisfying "tear" action of the leaf as well as equally distributes the basil flavor.

While a bit of a let down for me, Husband and I downed the plate as the salad course of our Lunch together and were happily satiated never the less.

Back to the Classics: Steakhouse Edition: Caesar Dressing

OK, back to the kitchen with me. I finally found something that I really wanted to make: Caesar Salad.

I took this stroke of inspiration to formulate my next posts. As Caesar Salad is a steakhouse staple, I decided to go "Back to the Classics:Steakhouse Edition". I will be starting out with Salads and Appetizers and work my way through the typical Menus options that I can't decide between every time I go to an excellent steakhouse. I apologize in advance to all my Vegetarian and Vegan readers. Check back in a few weeks.

I don't know about you all, but I LOVE a solid Caesar dressing. I don't want it creamy or even heavy on the cheese. I want it tangy and tart and with a kick of anchovy saltiness. I want my mouth to start watering when I smell it and I want the garlic to burn my nose a bit. I'm not the only one.

So after an awesome work out with KimmyG and Kris, I whipped up some dressing to dress my romaine hearts and some slow cooked shredded chicken I had made in the Crockpot early today.

Classic Caesar Dressing

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 6

The Dressing

6 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained

1 small garlic clove

Kosher salt

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more

¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Chop together anchovy fillets, garlic, and pinch of salt. Use the side of a knife blade to mash into a paste, then scrape into a medium bowl. Whisk in egg yolks, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, and mustard. Adding drop by drop to start, gradually whisk in olive oil, then vegetable oil; whisk until dressing is thick and glossy. Whisk in Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired

I was only serving 3 people so I halved some of the ingredients, but not all of the recipe. I actually increased a few things to my tastes: Mine was more like this:

3 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained

1 large garlic clove

Kosher salt

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Freshly ground black pepper

I didn't use Parmesan either (I know, I shouldn't really even call it Caesar then!) as I am attempting the Slow Carb Diet again.

All of these changes and exclusions considered, it was amazingly good. So good that this is how much was left from 2 hearts of romaine!

A perfect elevenses snack.

Next time I will have to try this recipe for the dressing. The addition of the Worcestershire sauce and the use of green garlic intrigue me. Also, I like her method of boiling the egg briefly.

Post Thanksgiving Ideas: 2 Weeks later (Turkey Salad and 7 Layer Dip)

So this will be the last installment of "What to make with Thanksgiving Leftovers" as we are about out of Leftovers. The first idea I have for you this time is a bit of a "No, duh, Sherlock" as all that is different is that you use Turkey instead of Chicken: Turkey Salad
Simply mix Turkey with Greek yogurt, leftover cranberries, celery, and chopped pecans to the consistency you like.  Enjoy as you would Chicken or Tuna Salad.

I totally forgot to take a picture. It was super yummy though.

The next recipe is a bit of a stretch, but I figured I would give it a try: 5 Layer Leftover Dip a la Rachel Ray (with no nutmeg)

5 Layer Leftover Dip
The original recipe calls for the following left overs with left over Cornbread or Rolls to dip into it:
Stuffing
Cranberry sauce
Turkey
Gravy
Mashed Taters

I took mine a bit more "Southwestern", if you will. Layers from Bottom to Top:
1 can Refried Beans
1 cups Mashed Potatoes (with a Little gravy mixed in)
1 1/2 cup Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt)
1 cup Cheddar Cheese
1 can Corn (or left over creamed corn or corn pudding)
2 cup (well) Shredded Turkey (with a little Taco Seasoning)
1/2 Salsa mixed with 1/2 cup of cranberry sauce (with 2 tablespoons minced Cilantro)
Use left over rolls or crackers or tortilla chips or veggies as dippers. Whatever you have on hand.

So I realized while I was prepping everything that there would not be enough regular Mashed Potatoes. Instead I used the sweet potatoes as we had a grip of those still. It turned out pretty good!

Other ideas that MIGHT still happen this year:
Rachel Sandwiches
I have Frozen Sauerkraut.....these also will probably happen for Husband's late night dinners the rest of this month before we leave.

French Fried Potato Balls
How could these be bad...? and I think I have just 1 measly cup of taters left....

Other Ideas I didn't try, but might next year:
Sweet Potato Brulee
BOOM! Leftover dessert! Especially the sweet potatoes that Kim makes.

Leftover Turkey (or Chicken) Tertazzini
This one looks really good, but I didn't feel right breaking my diet any more than I already had. Silly low carb lifestyle.

Cathchall Casserole
This one is still possibly going to happen, but no where near how the recipe suggests. I don't understand why you would add rice when you could easily make it a bread pudding...THAT'S IT! Thanksgiving Bread Pudding!

Thanksgiving Eggs Benedict
Benedict anything make me happy...these probably won't happen, but just wait until next year!

Turkey Cranberry Quesadillas
Duh.

Turkey, Cranberry, and Brie Grilled Cheese
Duh, again.

Thanksgiving Risotto
It is Risotto. Plus Sweet Root Veggies and Turkey. While I won't be making it this year, it will be well received next I think.

Bacon, Onion, Cheddar Cheese Mashed Potatoes with Eggs Cooked In
I might not have used this with the left overs from Thanksgiving, but there is a great chance this will be made some time during this winter season.

Turkey Monte Cristo
I have A) never made a Monte Cristo B) ever even eaten one so C) this needs to happen.

Pulled Turkey with Cranberry BBQ Sauce
I just want to make this in general.

Turkey Caesar Sandwich
Of course, this would be yummy...

Stuffing Wrapped in Bacon Bites
I am already planing on making bread pudding with the leftover stuffing plus bacon is too pricey. Other wise though, I am in.

If Tuna is the Chicken of the Sea, then Chicken is the Tuna of the Land.

Husband dislikes mayo. Not to say he won't eat something made with it, but he can't know that it is in there or taste it. I make due with Greek Yogurt and Lemon juice to supplement the creaminess and then sharp flavor and thus far, it has been working out great. Until I decided to make Tuna Salad. Tuna Salad really is the only thing that I like Mayo in. I am not a huge fan of mayo either, but there are some things that just need a little kick of it. So I came up with a recipe that I deemed great for my taste buds and Husbands.

Cat's Husband Friendly Avocado Tuna Salad

Ingredients

3 cans of tuna, packed in water, drained

1 avocado, chopped

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1/4 cup red onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup shopped carrot

1 roasted Serrano pepper, deseeded and chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 teaspoons of Mayo (we don't keep it in the house, so individual packets from Disneyland were used)

Combine all the above ingredients. Then add Greek yogurt, until desired consistency is achieved. I think I used about 1/2 -3/4 of a cup. Serve in a wrap or on a lettuce bed.

As Husband is not low carb right now, he had his in a wrap and was well satiated. 

I rocked out the good old Lettuce boats for this one.

This turned out nicely. I think it could have used just some lime or lemon to give it a kick in the seat, it was light yet filling, perfect for lunch. Try it out. 

A cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out....

Answer me this #7

1. Beach or Mountains? Where would you rather be?

If I have to choose, beach. Preferably a lake beach with close to no waves, a chance to warm up due to shallowness, and shady spot on the sand. And floating dock. But now I am just getting greedy. I like the ocean time of beach, but after a bad experience last summer, I am much more timid about getting into any sort of wave above my hips.

2. Which is more fun: Christmas Eve, or Christmas morning?

Christmas eve! I like the anticipation and tradition that go along with the day before. Normally, all my gifts are purchased and wrapped before Dec 6^th (St Nicholas Day) specifically so I can enjoy the season and focus on what it is really about. While the gifts are great, Christmas Day, even as a child, meant it that Christmastide was in decline and soon to be over.

3. What’s the most embarrassing childhood outfit you remember wearing?

For some reason, both my twin and I like short sleeved,  button front shirts made of rayon or polyester and normally with sort of outrageous/ridiculous design. They looked find on Broder with his jeans, but I decided to pair mine with the short page boy hair cut I had and my addiction to short-alls (Overalls but the legs are shorts) and I will just say, those were my “awkward years”.

4. Your house is quiet, you don’t have to do work (housework included). What do you do?

Excellent question….I love to be busy. My first thought was to answer with ”finish some sort of outstanding project that isn’t necessary to stress over”. BUT If you mean don’t have to work on ANYTHING, then it is straight to reading, video games, movies, television, and arts and farts…..I mean crafts.

5. What movie do you want to watch when you’re feeling under the weather?

Usually Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings/a movie that most people have seen, that is a bit too long for a regular viewing and will marathon them….Or a comedy like Mystery Men or Wet Hot American Summer.

6. Did you have an American Girl doll when you were little? If so, which one?

Of course, I did! Samantha all the way! She was super awesome. Artistic, educated, and thoroughly privileged, but knew that she had it so much better than most other people in the city.

And now on to what I wore on Sunday:

It was a lovely day on Sunday and so I decided to show off my pride of our Fallen Heroes by dressing pretty darn patriotically.

After church and lunch, Husband and I got to enjoy a lovely BBQ with some friends from the Softball group Best Friend's Husband is a part of. It was their church's BBQ and it was quite an event. I didn't get many pictures, but I did snap this one of just about the sweetest little Nugget. She and I got to hang out for a good chunk of the party. We are totally tight now.

Later that evening, Nugget's mom and I split cupcakes since we both wanted to try a couple different flavors, my two favorites were the Peanut Butter Chocolate (made by Nugget's momma) and the Flourless Chocolate Mint. The cutest cupcakes were definitely the Margarita cupcakes (pictured below with a less than cute face).

I did make something for the BBQ. An oldie, but a goodie:

Cucumber Onion Salad
Ingredients:
2 English cucumbers
1 small Vidalia onion
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
Method
Slice cucumbers and onion into a shallow dish.
Heat vinegar, water, and sugar until simmering.
Pour over cucumber and onion and allow to sit for at least an hour.
Mine sat over night in the fridge and was perfectly tangy and yummy!

I don't have a picture....I'm sorry, interwebs...

Until the next BBQ...


**Today's title is from Samuel Johnson and reads in full: A cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing.**

What could be worse than hummus?

For when we traveled to Boston a few weeks ago, I made my first batch of Hummus. It ended up being a double batch accidentally and thus I had a TON of hummus when I got home.

In order to use it up and not just gorge myself on crackers, pita chips, and baby carrots, I scoured the web and found the following ideas for how to use up hummus, not as hummus.

FIRST FIND: HUMMUS CRUSTED CHICKEN 

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ cup hummus 

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon red chili powder

1 lemon

Method

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a medium-sized baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the chicken breasts in the dish. Using a spoon, scoop the ½ cup hummus into a measuring cup to avoid contaminating the rest of the hummus from the raw chicken. Put the remaining hummus away, and spoon hummus from the measuring cup on the chicken. Spread it around until the breasts are evenly coated.

Sprinkle the minced garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, and red chili powder on top of the chicken (or whatever seasonings you choose to use). Squeeze one lemon half over each chicken breast.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the hummus has crisped. Serve immediately.

I don't know what I may or may not have done wrong, but this never got crispy. I also refused to let my chicken get dried out. The flavor was very nice, but it was just what it was: chicken coated in warm hummus. Completely edible, but I am happy I didn't make extra.

SECOND FIND: CHICKEN SALAD

Ingredients:
1 cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
1/2 apple, chopped
2 tablespoons slivered almonds (or chopped walnuts)
1 tablespoon chopped onions
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 tablespoons low-fat Greek yogurt
1 squeeze lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons hummus
Lettuce
Additional vegetables (optional)

Method
Mix everything but the last two ingredients together.

Serve mixture in a lettuce leaf wrap-style or as salad atop lettuce with your favorite vegetables.

This turned out super yummy. The Greek yogurt gives a lovely tartness for the creaminess of the hummus. The dried cranberry and apple adds a good sweetness and the texture of the chicken (which I simmer in an inch of water to keep nice and moist) with the crisp celery simply refreshing..

THIRD FIND: HUMMUS SALAD DRESSING

Ingredients:
For the dressing:
2 tbsp. of water
1 tsp. of hummus
1 tsp. almond butter
1 tsp. of pure maple syrup
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. tahini
dash of salt

Method
Make the dressing by adding all the ingredients to a mug and whisking with a fork until smooth.

I think that this is the winner for the experiment. Creamy without being heavy and the flavor is clean and understated on a salad of romaine and grated zucchini. I am very happy I made this and that we have some to use over the course of the week for nightly salads.

Until the next meal...


**Today and yesterday's title comes from Rick Riodan's The Sea of Monsters:
Annabeth: My fatal flaw. That's what the Sirens showed me. My fatal flaw is hubris.

Percy: the brown stuff they spread on veggie sandwiches?
Annabeth: No, Seaweed Brain. That's HUMMUS. hubris is worse.
Percy: what could be worse than hummus?
Annabeth: Hubris means deadly pride, Percy. Thinking you can do things better than anyone else... Even the gods.**

One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.

So the day before we headed out to Boston I wanted to use up our salad stuffs and the bundle of asparagus. So I went to my favorite dish. 

Salmon and Veggie in foil!

I have posted about this before. But I think that I like the lack of squash, tomato, and onion. It made the whole dish have a mushy texture.

This was not the healthiest preparation (note the pads of butter) , but the fat plus a touch of salt and pepper and then a hot oven is all you need to make easy asparagus.

Then the salmon just had some butter, lemon, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of thyme over it.

Now on the the thing I was excited about making that evening: Strawberry Balsamic Salad.

It is super easy. I need to use up the strawberries that were headed out in my kitchen so I washed and diced the best looking of the bunch and the quartered them. a bit of red onion and then a balsamic reduction and you have yourself a salad that is out of the ordinary (at least in my kitchen).

This picture is really bad, but I wanted to show it dressed:

In other news, I got the PURTIEST Ukulele from my husband! I am extremely excited about it!

Until the next meal...

**Today's title comes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.**

You don't win friends with salad.

Husband had the most amazing guy doing crafty for his last show: Spartan Craft Services!

The gentleman who worked the show, Abel, is really impressive. Everyday, Husband sent a photo or description of what Abel had made for them for snack to me and I just keep getting inspired (and a bit jealous). One of my favorite parts is that he posts the history of the dish which he is serving as well as the snack having excellent presentation.

One of the first things that Husband requested me to attempt to copycat (which is a bit difficult as I didn't get to taste it, but easier as Abel gave the basic rundown of ingredients to Husband) was his Orange Juice Reduction Salad Dressing over a bed of Spinach and fruit.

The ingredients that Husband gave me were as follows: OJ with sugar and cornstarch then blended with apple cider vinegar, Serrano pepper, and a bit of mustard.

I found this dressing recipe from the Barefoot Contessa who is certain one of my love time faves and decided to attempt to tweek it a bit to attempt to get something close to the one Husband liked so much.

Failed Attempts at Copying
Ingredients

3 tablespoons good apple cider vinegar 
1 teaspoon grated orange zest 
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 
2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 
1 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
2/3 cup good olive oil 

Serrano pepper - roasted black

Method

Whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, maple syrup, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. 

Mash the Serrano into a paste with a fork and, depending on the size of pepper, add teaspoon at a time to taste in the whisked dressing.

Slowly whisk in the olive oil. 

Allow to infuse over night to encourage flavor blending, but for this reason, be delicate with the Serrano.

To roast the Serrano black and soft:

I either pull out my George Foreman and cook it on high on that until the outside is black and crispy, or just blacken it on the grills of my stove top. After it is nice and black, I throw it in a ziploc to it soft/slow cooks itself and gets nice and soft.  

Leave off Chicken if you are going vegetarian. :)

I ended up adding like 4 small Serranos. I didn't really mean to...BUT a spicy salad was kinda great. The dressing was like burning sweet and tangy. I think that next time I make this dressing it will only be 1 pepper, but it might make it's way back up to 2 after trying it not spicy.

Until the next meal...

**Today's title comes from Homer Simpson.**