I often screw up and today was one of those days. I was going to start this dish yesterday and Jim wanted to go out to dinner as he had a birthday coupon about to expire at his favorite restaurant. So we went out to dinner on a Wednesday night. We had a great time and a great dinner. This AM as soon as I could arise I took the chicken out of the freezer for the Crockpot dinner. My trainer came and then I rested and drank water. Next I started the preparation. When I got through the chopping and preps and turned it on, dinner was going to be really late. However, I was oblivious and just pushed the button. About the time I was feeding Max, (5:30PM)I realized looking at the timer on the Crockpot that dinner would be ready about 11:30 PM.
So phase 2.
I thought of all the things in the freezer and the easiest would have been salmon or lamb chops. Jim had lamb chops last night and I was not in the mood for just plain salmon or catfish. I knew I had frozen shrimp so I thought Scampi. I opened up my book of unused recipes and out fell Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp by the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. Perfect, I divided this recipe in half. It serves 6.
Ingredients:
2# (17-21 count) shrimp peeled and deveined. My shrimp were the right size and did not need peeling. They had tails that I left on.
Good EVVOO
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1# angel hair pasta ( I used Ink squid pasta)
4 T unsalted butter, melted
2 lemons, zested and juiced
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the shrimp on a sheet pan with 1T EVOO, ½ t salt and ½ t pepper. Toss well, spread them in 1 layer and roast for 6-8 minutes, just until they’re pink and cooked through.
3. Heat a large pot of boiling salted water, add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. I actually started the oven and the water at the same time.
4. Drain the pasta, Quickly add to the pasta, the melted butter, ¼ C EVOO, lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 t salt, 1 t pepper and ½ cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Add the shrimp and serve hot.
I served this with a salad. Jim loved this meal. He actually said, "Please serve this again." I believe that the ink squid pasta made it better. I really enjoyed it.
I am looking at the Crockpot and realize that it is enough to serve an army.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Chicken Salad with Balti Seasoning
Sometimes I choose a recipe as it looks interesting and sometimes it is because of an ingredient. I was looking through the Penzeys Spices catalogue and came upon a spice called Balti Seasoning. It says it is deliciously spicy but not too hot.
They had a recipe for Balti Chicken Salad. I made it today for lunch. Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 C cooked, cubed chicken or turkey
½ C plain non-fat Greek yogurt
3 T mayonnaise
½ C chopped cashews
¼ chopped apricots
¼ C chopped golden raisins
½ C green peas
1 t Balti seasoning mixed with 2 t water
8-12 slices sandwich bread of your choice.
Leafy greens
Instructions:
1. I cooked 2 chicken breasts in the microwave as I did not have leftovers but plenty in the freezer. I cut it in cubes and mixed it with the yogurt, mayonnaise, and seasoning.
2. I did not have the apricots, but the creator of the recipe for Penzeys said he made it up with what he had in the cupboard so, I used ½ C craisins with orange fravor instead of the apricots and raisins. Craisins are dried Cranberries. Anyway just mix it all together and place on bread with green leafy lettuce. You could also just eat it on lettuce.
Our take was that it was good, but did not get a sense of what Balti seasoning really tastes like. I am making a chicken crock pot recipe for dinner and it seems to be a little dull in the spice department. I will wait until it cooks a little more, and may add it to the crock pot.
They had a recipe for Balti Chicken Salad. I made it today for lunch. Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 C cooked, cubed chicken or turkey
½ C plain non-fat Greek yogurt
3 T mayonnaise
½ C chopped cashews
¼ chopped apricots
¼ C chopped golden raisins
½ C green peas
1 t Balti seasoning mixed with 2 t water
8-12 slices sandwich bread of your choice.
Leafy greens
Instructions:
1. I cooked 2 chicken breasts in the microwave as I did not have leftovers but plenty in the freezer. I cut it in cubes and mixed it with the yogurt, mayonnaise, and seasoning.
2. I did not have the apricots, but the creator of the recipe for Penzeys said he made it up with what he had in the cupboard so, I used ½ C craisins with orange fravor instead of the apricots and raisins. Craisins are dried Cranberries. Anyway just mix it all together and place on bread with green leafy lettuce. You could also just eat it on lettuce.
Our take was that it was good, but did not get a sense of what Balti seasoning really tastes like. I am making a chicken crock pot recipe for dinner and it seems to be a little dull in the spice department. I will wait until it cooks a little more, and may add it to the crock pot.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Cleaning Day Pasta
I forgot to write last night, but Donna was right, The Sweet Potatoes with Red Beans was better the second night after I let it cook longer. Not cooking it on low was a problem. If you cannot cook it on low, wait until you can. She also agreed with Jim in the need for more beans. She doubled the recipe as she has 3 football players in the house. Double the beans would have been 28 oz. She had a 40 oz. can. She said it was perfect.
Today was clean the house day. It was horrendous. Luckily I had pasta and more of the Basil tomato sauce that Jim liked. Look back about a month for the recipe. I served it with Adele Italian sausage. We had a special wine that that was given to us by Sandy and Dave. Jim says this is an example of the bottle being worth more than the wine. It was a 2001 Jacob’s Creek, Shiraz Cabernet from Australia. It was decorated with a big red, white and blue bow, over a Christmas ornament. Under that carved in gold is Peace on Earth and the name of Dave’s Company that makes a special kind of fishing boat. I think we stored it the right amount of time as it was very good.
Today was clean the house day. It was horrendous. Luckily I had pasta and more of the Basil tomato sauce that Jim liked. Look back about a month for the recipe. I served it with Adele Italian sausage. We had a special wine that that was given to us by Sandy and Dave. Jim says this is an example of the bottle being worth more than the wine. It was a 2001 Jacob’s Creek, Shiraz Cabernet from Australia. It was decorated with a big red, white and blue bow, over a Christmas ornament. Under that carved in gold is Peace on Earth and the name of Dave’s Company that makes a special kind of fishing boat. I think we stored it the right amount of time as it was very good.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sweet Potato Stew with Red Beans
I did not give this recipe my best attention today. This comes from my trainer who got it from a friend named Carlee. I should have started it sooner and cooked on low instead of high. I think it needed low.
I was distracted by the news that a long time friend is not going to recover and is in hospice. It has been a short time between diagnosis of brain cancer and the end.
I needed some supplies to make Max’s meatballs and as I was not in the mood to go on the planned art tour and out to eat asked Jim to also pick up these ingredients for dinner. As I loaded everything into the Crockpot, I realized that on low we would be eating at 11:00PM. So I switched to high. It makes a lot so I am cooking it some more on low and will report on it again tomorrow. Jim liked it but felt it could use more beans.
Ingredients:
2 10 0z cans diced tomatoes with mild green chile
1 16 oz can of red beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can of vegetable broth
4 C cubed sweet potatoes, about 1 ½ #
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion chopped
½ C water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t grated fresh ginger
½ t salt
½ t ground cumin
¼ t ground pepper
Small pork loin or I used 2 very large boneless pork chops
3 T creamy peanut butter
Directions:
1. Combine the first 12 ingredients in a 5 qt. slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Spoon ½ C cooking liquid into a small bowl and add the peanut butter and stir well.
4. If you add the pork loin at the end of the cooking time, shred the pork and stir it back in the stew.
My trainer also added crushed red pepper. However every time I add this to anything Jim complains, too hot. Jim definitely thought the sauce was very flavorful. I thought the pork was tough and felt if on low, the sweet potatoes would have absorbed much more of the flavor. My pork chops were too lean. I would definitely use a pork loin and cut maybe in quarters depending on the size. According to Carlee the stew had too much meat with the whole one. Donna said she doubled the recipe and used 4 pork chops I also would finely chop the onion and red pepper in my food processor. The onion was not finally chopped enough. Again lack of attention on my part. .
I was distracted by the news that a long time friend is not going to recover and is in hospice. It has been a short time between diagnosis of brain cancer and the end.
I needed some supplies to make Max’s meatballs and as I was not in the mood to go on the planned art tour and out to eat asked Jim to also pick up these ingredients for dinner. As I loaded everything into the Crockpot, I realized that on low we would be eating at 11:00PM. So I switched to high. It makes a lot so I am cooking it some more on low and will report on it again tomorrow. Jim liked it but felt it could use more beans.
Ingredients:
2 10 0z cans diced tomatoes with mild green chile
1 16 oz can of red beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can of vegetable broth
4 C cubed sweet potatoes, about 1 ½ #
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion chopped
½ C water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t grated fresh ginger
½ t salt
½ t ground cumin
¼ t ground pepper
Small pork loin or I used 2 very large boneless pork chops
3 T creamy peanut butter
Directions:
1. Combine the first 12 ingredients in a 5 qt. slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Spoon ½ C cooking liquid into a small bowl and add the peanut butter and stir well.
4. If you add the pork loin at the end of the cooking time, shred the pork and stir it back in the stew.
My trainer also added crushed red pepper. However every time I add this to anything Jim complains, too hot. Jim definitely thought the sauce was very flavorful. I thought the pork was tough and felt if on low, the sweet potatoes would have absorbed much more of the flavor. My pork chops were too lean. I would definitely use a pork loin and cut maybe in quarters depending on the size. According to Carlee the stew had too much meat with the whole one. Donna said she doubled the recipe and used 4 pork chops I also would finely chop the onion and red pepper in my food processor. The onion was not finally chopped enough. Again lack of attention on my part. .
Friday, November 5, 2010
Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans
I know I said I would not be cooking tonight, but I decided I did not want to go out to dinner as Jim just wanted to go to someplace local, not new and exciting. Jim and I both agree that this was very good for us, good tasting, but not very exciting or something we’d make again. I got this from an online blog called “Worth your Salt “that is written by a niece of a friend of Jim’s.
Ingredients:
4 medium sweet potatoes
1 15 oz can of low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced ( I used one can of diced tomatoes, drained)
1 T EVOO
1 t cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t kosher salt
¼ C rescued-fat sour cream
¼ C reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1. Place cleaned sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour or until potatoes are cooked through
2. While the sweet potatoes bake, combine the black beans, tomatoes, EVOO, cumin, coriander and salt in a pan. Stir well so that the beans and tomatoes are evenly coated with the spices. Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until heated through.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and split lengthwise. Spoon the bean mixture into the center of each potato. Top with sour cream and cheese.
I would however recommend this to people who go out a lot, do not like to cook and do not eat healty at home. It is fast, tasty and very good for you.
Ingredients:
4 medium sweet potatoes
1 15 oz can of low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced ( I used one can of diced tomatoes, drained)
1 T EVOO
1 t cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t kosher salt
¼ C rescued-fat sour cream
¼ C reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1. Place cleaned sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour or until potatoes are cooked through
2. While the sweet potatoes bake, combine the black beans, tomatoes, EVOO, cumin, coriander and salt in a pan. Stir well so that the beans and tomatoes are evenly coated with the spices. Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until heated through.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and split lengthwise. Spoon the bean mixture into the center of each potato. Top with sour cream and cheese.
I would however recommend this to people who go out a lot, do not like to cook and do not eat healty at home. It is fast, tasty and very good for you.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Leftover Night
I have tons of the soup from yesterday and it is cold and raining. So we are having that as a side dish and spinach and feta sausages. I know that I am going to get a few days of eating out, so it may be Monday before I cook again. Sometimes it is good to go out.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Soup Dinner
When I first moved to CA I meant my friend Marrilyn while walking our dogs. Marrilyn eventually figured out that I liked to cook and one day she asked me what my favorite thing to cook was. I said soup. She said she was very surprised. I feel soup is very complex. There are a million different recipes and variations of a recipe. Jim liked this recipe; I thought it was a little boring. I got this from the Nov. 2010 Penzeys Spices flyer. The photo looked great. I was a little put off by the canned vegetables. I generally do not like anything that comes out of a can. Maybe if you use fresh or frozen corn and green beans it would be better. I also used the cream instead of the additional whole milk. It was too creamy.
Three Sisters Green Chile Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 C whole milk
2 C heavy cream, or I would recommend just additional whole milk
1 t salt
8 strips of bacon cut into 1” strips
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1T ground cumin
1 t oregano
1 14.5 oz can sweet corn, drained
2 C cubed zucchini, (I medium zucchini)
3 – 4.5 oz cans of green chilies
1 t ground pepper
1 c pepper jack cheese, optional
To begin, I made a mistake. I only bought one can of chilies. When I pointed this out to Jim, he was relieved that I did not put all the chilies in as he does not like anything remotely hot. I recommend the two more cans. I did not add the cheese as it was so thick and creamy. Use the milk, forget the cream and add the cheese.
Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Add the milk and salt and heat over medium heat. (Do not boil)
2. In a skillet, cook the bacon and onion until the onions are translucent and tender. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Drain the mixture and then add to the pot along with the corn, zucchini, beans and chilies.
4. Cover and simmer for over med. heat for 15-20 minutes.
5. Taste and add more pepper and salt. Mine probably needed more S& P as I did not have enough peppers.
Serving size says 12-14. I’d say as a first course. Serves 6, as a full meal.
Jim served a Viognier, 2008 Vina Robles. It was much better than the soup. But again the soup was probably better if you read the directions carefully and follow them.
Three Sisters Green Chile Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 C whole milk
2 C heavy cream, or I would recommend just additional whole milk
1 t salt
8 strips of bacon cut into 1” strips
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1T ground cumin
1 t oregano
1 14.5 oz can sweet corn, drained
2 C cubed zucchini, (I medium zucchini)
3 – 4.5 oz cans of green chilies
1 t ground pepper
1 c pepper jack cheese, optional
To begin, I made a mistake. I only bought one can of chilies. When I pointed this out to Jim, he was relieved that I did not put all the chilies in as he does not like anything remotely hot. I recommend the two more cans. I did not add the cheese as it was so thick and creamy. Use the milk, forget the cream and add the cheese.
Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Add the milk and salt and heat over medium heat. (Do not boil)
2. In a skillet, cook the bacon and onion until the onions are translucent and tender. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Drain the mixture and then add to the pot along with the corn, zucchini, beans and chilies.
4. Cover and simmer for over med. heat for 15-20 minutes.
5. Taste and add more pepper and salt. Mine probably needed more S& P as I did not have enough peppers.
Serving size says 12-14. I’d say as a first course. Serves 6, as a full meal.
Jim served a Viognier, 2008 Vina Robles. It was much better than the soup. But again the soup was probably better if you read the directions carefully and follow them.
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