A Girl, A Grill, and a Portobello

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish and tagged with chopped salad, dinner, food, grilling, portobello mushrooms, recipe, vegan, vegetarian May 21, 2013

Once upon a time there was a girl (me), a grill (ours), and a portobello (mushroom). But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself—-

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I look forward to having dinner outside on the deck. I can smell the smoky aroma of something sizzling on the grill; and I start to salivate just thinking about it. The only glitch in all of this is my somewhat shaky relationship with the grill. I depend on Mr. D. to fire it up and tend to whatever there is cooking on it while I finish the other parts of the meal in the kitchen. I admit I’m a “girly girl” and leave things like barbecue tools, fire starters and oven mitts to the man of the house. As a result we usually grill outside on the weekends or holidays when he is around.

On this day, however, my menu called for grilling portobello mushroom caps along with some vegetables for our meatless evening meal.

Grilled portobellos with Chopped Salad.

Big, meaty portobello caps remind me of hamburgers, so I was excited at the prospect of cooking them on the grill. I thought I could handle that, so I prepped the vegetables and cleaned the mushrooms in anticipation of my big moment(s) at the grill.

With a little smile on my face, thinking about the surprise I had in store, I went out to start the grill. After removing the cover and lifting the lid, I was ready to turn it on—-open the gas tank, rotate the start dial to High, and press the starter button. NOTHING HAPPENED. Try it again, repeat the previous actions. Still nothing. I know there’s gas in the tank. Review the directions in the manual. I seem to be doing everything right. Try one more time. Still nothing. I GIVE UP! I think I need grill starting lessons. Back into the kitchen I go to see how I can salvage a grilled meal not made on the grill.

Fortunately I have a grill pan and, although on the small side, I was able to make use of it to cook the various components for our dinner. Where everything was slated to go on the grill at one time, using the grill pan I cooked it in stages and then put it all together for what turned out to be a very nice dinner . A salad of grilled vegetables and beans tops portobellos smothered in cheese.

This was the happy ending!

This is a meal that is low in calories (312), fat (20g), and carbohydrates (25). I think the meal would have been a little more tasty if it had been cooked on the grill because of the flavoring the vegetables would have absorbed, but we enjoyed it just the same. The directions I give here are the ones that go with the recipe for grilling outside, but the pictures show how I improvised. LOL!

GRILLED PORTOBELLOS WITH CHOPPED SALAD

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients for a meatless meal on the grill.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, or 2 tsp. dried dill
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 large portobello mushroom caps, gills removed
1 15 oz. can small white beans, rinsed and drained
2 small bell peppers, quartered and seeded
1 medium red onion cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup shredded cheese, such as cheddar, fontina, or swiss

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium high.

2. Combine lemon juice, oil, dill, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Prepare the dressing.

Add mushroom caps and turn to coat. Remove the mushrooms from the bowl. Add white beans; stir to coat.

3. Place mushroom caps gill-side up on the grill with peppers, onion and zucchini. Using a grill pan to contain all the vegetables, with the exception of the mushroom caps, keeps them from falling through the grates. Grill the vegetables, turning once or twice, until they start to char and soften; About 8 minutes for the mushrooms and 6 minutes for the rest.

Roasting peppers and onions smell sooo good!

Grill the zucchini to get some nice grill marks.

Portobello mushroom caps on the grill.

4. Turn the mushrooms gill-side up again. Fill each one with 1/4 cup cheese and grill until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute more.

Fill the mushroom caps with cheese and let it melt.

5. Chop peppers, onion and zucchini and add to the bowl with the beans; toss to combine.

Chop the veggies and add to the beans and dressing.

Top each mushroom with about 1 cup of the grilled salad. Oh, Yum! this was sooo good.

All’s well that ends well.

P.S. This post would have been more aptly named “Along Came a Spider”, because on investigation Mr. D. found a spider’s nest in the gas line that blocked the flow of gas to the starter button. Defeated by a spider. Dang!

SOURCE: EATING WELL

Chicken Piccata

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish and tagged with chicken, dinner, food, Italian cuisine, lemon, linguine, recipe, spinach May 20, 2013

Chicken Piccata

The series of posts Eat Out at Home continues with this recipe for Chicken Piccata, a dish readily found in most any Italian restaurant. Since I had a package of chicken cutlets to use I was torn between making Chicken Parmesan or Chicken Piccata. Somehow the Parmesan recipe seemed a little heavy and more suited to cold weather, so this one won out, since the light lemony sauce of this recipe seems to go with spring.

This recipe is quite simple to make and takes very little time. It requires only basic cooking skills, so even if you’re a newcomer in the kitchen, you will be successful. Preparing the chicken cutlets ahead of time is a time saver. You can pound them out and dredge in flour in advance, then refrigerate them till its time to cook the meal. Because cutlets are lean and cook in just a few minutes, they produce very little drippings to use in a sauce, so dredging in flour first, then cooking them will help them to brown and the flour acts as an emulsifier to slightly thicken the sauce. The addition of lemon, white wine, chicken broth and capers creates the classic piccata flavors. Knowing how to make this dish assures you of success when serving guests, since many people know about this entree, but are unaware of how easy it is to make.

A common way to serve chicken piccata is with pasta. Linguine is a good choice as it will get coated by the sauce. In my version I added some baby spinach to my nearly cooked pasta in the last minute of cooking, just so it got a little wilted . Drain the pasta/spinach combo, place in a large bowl or serving dish and place the chicken cutlets with their sauce poured over the top. Molto Delicioso!

Chicken with its sauce poured over pasta with spinach.

CHICKEN PICCATA

Makes 4 servings. Increase all quantities accordingly to make more servings.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise and pounded into cutlets. (I was able to purchase a package of 4 chicken cutlets ready for use at the supermarket.)
salt and pepper
Chicken cutlets, white wine, lemon, garlic and capers produce the classic flavors of this dish.
all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. drained capers
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
fresh lemon slices
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Season cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. Add oil to a sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat.

2. Saute cutlets 2 – 3 minutes on one side. Turn cutlets oven and cook the other side, covered, 1 – 2 minutes. Transfer cutlets to a warmed platter and keep warm. Pour off any fat from the pan.

Browning the cutlets.

3. Deglaze the pan with wine and add minced garlic. Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with wine and garlic.

4. Add broth, lemon juice, and capers. Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side for 1 minute. Transfer cutlets to serving dish.

5. Finish sauce with butter and lemons. Once butter melts, pour sauce over cutlets.

Finishing the sauce with butter and lemons.

6. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Chicken Piccata served with pasta and spinach.

SOURCE: CUISINE at Home

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Squares

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Desserts and tagged with baking, bars and squares, Cheesecake, chocolate chip, dessert, food, mascarpone cheese, recipe May 17, 2013

Chocolate chip cheesecake squares.

Did I hear someone say “cheesecake”?. Oh, that was me! Yes, well, I fell off the wagon, and I mean big time! But you will remember it was my birthday and Mother’s Day all in the same weekend. So that was my excuse for treating myself and, of course, anyone else who was around to some sinfully rich and oh-so-good chocolate chip cheesecake squares WITH toffee cookie crumb crust. Try saying that three times fast. I could eat one faster than I can say it, and I bet you could, too.

An elegant, creamy, smooth dessert.

There are so many recipes for cheesecake bars and squares out there, that you could pick any one that you like, but I particularly like this one because it not only includes cream cheese, but also mascarpone. And when you combine those two you can’t expect anything but perfection.

The most commonly used ingredient for making a crust is graham cracker crumbs, but Mr. D. has an allergy to graham crackers, so in their place I usually use shortbread cookies crushed into crumbs. In making these bars I would have done the same except when I was shopping for groceries I spied these cookies called Toffee Sandies by Keebler. Since I’ve always loved pecan sandies, I thought these would make an interesting crust instead.

The cookies I used.

Cheesecake is a dessert that is very forgiving in that you can add many different flavorings, use all kinds of toppings, change the crust, and bake in a variety of pans. It still comes out creamy and delicious. So you really can’t go wrong. If you need a dessert that everyone will love, give this stellar creation a try.

The hint of orange is such a good companion flavor to chocolate.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE BARS WITH TOFFEE COOKIE CRUST

Servings: 9

Ingredients:

For the crust

1 1/2 cups toffee sandies—fine crumbs
5 Tablespoons butter, melted
Cream cheese, mascarpone, chocolate chips and orange zest provide the flavor

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened ( 1/3 less fat variety, OK )
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup semisweet (or your choice) chocolate chips
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

1. Place the toffee sandies in a food processor bowl and pulse to fine crumbs; place in a mixing bowl.

2. Add melted butter and mix well.

3. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9 inch pan. I made one and a half times the recipe, thus you see a larger pan.

Cookie crumb crust in the pan.

4. Bake crust for 10 – 12 minutes at 325*F.

5. Allow to cool while you make the filling.

Filling:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cheeses, sugar, zest and vanilla until smooth.

2. Add eggs one at a time, beat on low speed just until combined.

3. Fold in chocolate chips

4. Pour over crust and smooth with an offset spatula

Going into the oven.

5. Bake at 325 *F for 35 – 40 minutes or until center is just set and top begins to brown.

Out of the oven–only the edges are browned, but the filling is “set”.

6. Remove pan from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes

7. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer then refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.

You will want more than one of these!

SOURCE: adapted from A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis

Pad Thai

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish, Quick Meals and tagged with dinner, food, Pad Thai, quick meal, recipe, Shrimp, Thai cuisine, vegetarian May 16, 2013

Pad Thai with Shrimp

Recently I was in the mood for some Thai cooking so I decided to make this dish that I had seen made on the Food Network; Sandra Lee’s Money Saving Meals. It is extremely easy to make and quite tasty, coming very close in flavor to what I have eaten at a Thai restaurant located near us. It is the kind of recipe that is very flexible, leaving you lots of room for additions and substitutions. For example instead of the shrimp you could use chicken or tofu, add green peas for some additional vegetables and color, use thin spaghetti instead of rice noodles, and add peanut butter to the sauce if you like more peanut flavor or leave it out completely. The spice level can also be adjusted by using more or less chile sauce.

This meal could be completely vegetarian by using tofu, and vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth called for. Although the recipe’s yield is for four servings, my husband and I ate all of it at one sitting. It was so good, in fact, we devoured it. I really like this recipe for its versatility and I am sure I will be making it again.

Recipe: PAD THAI

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 (8-ounce) package rice noodles
Having everything prepped in advance means this dish goes together in a snap. (Pretend you see 2 eggs here!)
2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 large eggs
1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1 Tablespoon chile sauce
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 carrot, grated
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cups bean sprouts
1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped, for garnish ( I did not use these.)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the rice noodles and let them soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain.

2. In a wok or large saute pan, over high heat, add 1 Tablespoon oil. When it is hot, add the eggs and cook until they are firm. Remove them from the pan and let them cool a bit. Roughly chop them and set aside.

3. in the same pan, add the shrimp and sauté just until pink and cooked through. Set aide with the egg.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, chile sauce, lime juice, garlic, and broth. Set aside.

4. Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon oil to the pan along with the carrots, scallions, and bean sprouts and stir fry 1 minute.

Stir fry vegetables, then add noodles, shrimp and egg.

Stir frying the vegetables.

Add the reserved eggs, shrimp, noodles and sauce, stirring to coat everything completely.

Add noodles, shrimp, eggs, and sauce.

Cook for another minute or so to warm everything through. Serve garnished with peanuts and cilantro.

A delicious and very enjoyable meal.

SOURCE: Sanda Lee’s Thrifty Thai, Food Network

Eggplant Parmesan

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish and tagged with dinner, eggplant, food, Marinara sauce, recipe, vegetarian May 15, 2013

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant, (aubergine in French, melanzane, in Italian), is a vegetable that I am not overly fond of, and therefore don’t cook it very often. However there is one dish that I really like and that is eggplant parmesan. This can be a lengthy dish to prepare what with slicing and breading, then cooking the eggplant before you even begin to put the remaining ingredients with it and baking it. In addition, eggplant has the ability to absorb large amounts of oil that it is cooked in, another reason why I seldom make it.

Eggplant Parmesan and pasta.

When I happened upon this recipe for EP.Parmesan I really took notice because the eggplant is baked after having been dredged in flour, egg, and panko. There is no oil involved for the eggplant to soak up, and the baked slices come out fork tender with a crisp outer crust. Then you layer them in a baking dish with sauce and cheese, bake it up, and eat it knowing you have made a dish that is low in fat ( 9 g. total; 5 g. saturated), yet still very tasty and healthy for you.

This casserole make 6 generous servings, and if you have any left over you might try warming it up, and serving it in a crispy hard roll for a great sandwich.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Yield 6 generous servings

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Aubergines from http://www.usda.gov/oc/photo/98c0468.jpg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten with a little water (or use egg substitute, i.e., Egg Beaters)
1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
1 3/4 lbs. eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 cups marinara sauce, plus more if serving with pasta
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cups reduced-fat shredded mozzarella
10 – 12 large basil leaves
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 package spaghetti, cooked according to pkg. directions (optional)

1. Heat oven to 375*F. Using a large baking sheet, line with parchment paper and coat with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place flour, egg whites and panko in separate shallow dishes. Dredge eggplant slices in flour, dip in egg, and coat with panko. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake at 375* for 40 – 45 minutes until easily pierced with a fork.

Eggplant slices breaded and already baked.

3. Spread 1 cup of sauce over the bottom of a 13 x 9 – inch baking dish. Place half the eggplant slices over sauce and season with 1/8 tsp. each of the salt and pepper.

A layer of sauce in the bottom of the dish, then eggplant, then more sauce.

Layer with 1 cup of sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and the basil, roughly torn into pieces.

Sprinkle with grated mozzarella and chopped basil.

Repeat layering with remaining eggplant, salt, pepper, sauce and mozzarella.

Next layer of eggplant in place, to be covered with more sauce and cheese.

4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parmesan over top and loosely tent with foil. Bake at 375* for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

All hot and melty with cheese.

5. If desired serve with cooked spaghetti, remaining Parmesan and additional sauce.

Serve with pasta for a hearty, meatless meal.

SOURCE: Family Circle.com/healthyfamilydinners

Very Berry Strawberry Cookies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Carolyn's Originals and tagged with baking, cookies, cream cheese, dessert, food, freeze-dried strawberries, recipe May 14, 2013

Very Berry Strawberry Cookies

This is the time of year when strawberries are reappearing at the market and they look so beautiful; red, ripe and juicy. They never fail to get my creative juices flowing. The native berries that grow here where I live have not ripened yet (usually not till the end of May), so until those are available I will use the California-grown berries available at the market.

However, I have found from past experience that baking with strawberries does not produce a true, vivid strawberry flavor. They are so much more enjoyable in their natural state, luscious and juicy with just a little sugar on them. So for baking I have been exploring ways to get a true strawberry flavor. I think I have found the answer, and it happened quite by accident. One morning I was eating Special K cereal with Red Berries and was struck by how strong the berry flavor was. These freeze-dried strawberries had the color and flavor I have been looking for. So I searched the dried fruits section of the supermarket and there I found bags of freeze-dried strawberries.

Freeze dried strawberries can be pulverized into powder.

Bingo! I was on to something. Reasoning that if I could crush or pulverize those freeze dried berries and mix the powder into the dough, I could get the strong flavor I wanted. I love to experiment, so I was excited to give this a try. The results, I’m happy to tell you, were quite good. Using a recipe I had for a basic sugar cookie that also uses some cream cheese, and adding the strawberry powder to the dough, I got a tender cookie with a pretty pink color and real strawberry flavor. They are just great on their own, but you know what? You can also mix this strawberry powder into cream cheese frosting and make sandwich cookies for a double-whammy of strawberry goodness. (Notice that I’m not mentioning calories here!) Ok, Ok, let’s be reasonable. Let’s enjoy these cookies with a dish of strawberry ice cream instead!!!

The perfect accompaniment to Very Strawberry ice cream.

VERY BERRY STRAWBERRY COOKIES

Yield: Makes about 4 1/2 dozen 2″ cookies, or 27 sandwich cookies

For the Cookies:

1 cup ( 2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup ( 4 ounces) cream cheese at room temperature. Reduced fat version is OK.
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup strawberry powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg
3 cups flour, I used half white whole wheat flour;

For the Filling:

1/2 cup cream cheese (4-ounces)
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 Tablespoons strawberry powder
1 Tablespoon strawberry jam
milk or cream as needed for spreading consistency

To make the cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F. Lightly grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Begin by crushing the dry strawberries. I used a mortar and pestle and was able to get a fine powder with little or no lumps. If you have difficulty getting it smooth, you can always sift the powder to remove any lumps. Measure 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons if making the filling.

3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese, salt and baking powder, strawberry powder and sugars.

Mixing up the cream cheese, butter, sugars and strawberry powder.

4. Once the mixture is nice and light and fluffy, beat in the egg and then mix in the flour.

5. Scoop by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each cookie into a 2″ circle with the bottom of a glass dipped into sugar.

Drop by tablespoon onto baking sheet and flatten into 2-inch circles.

Bake for 14 – 16 minutes, until barely golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Makes about 54 cookies.

To make the filling:

1. Beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Add the strawberry jam, and blend into the cream cheese. Add the sugar and strawberry powder gradually along with small amounts of milk or cream to achieve a spreading consistency.

2. Generously frost the bottom side of one cookie and top with another to make a tasty sandwich. Makes about 27 sandwich cookies.

These are not going to last long.

You can never have too much of a very good thing!

SOURCE; a Carolyn Original based on a modified recipe for sugar cookies from Taste of Home

French Onion Steaks

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish and tagged with dinner entree, food, French Onion Soup, ground beef, recipe May 13, 2013

French onion Salisbury steak.

Years ago, when real steaks were out of the question because of their cost, Salisbury steak was a classic dish made with ground beef, and “fancied” up with a flavorful gravy and given an impressive name. This was, of course, before my memory, but my parents talked about Salisbury Steak dinners, frozen and packaged as TV dinners. I don’t know if these dinners even still exist, perhaps not—they were awful, I hear. Please don’t tell Swanson I said so! : – )

Anyway, I came across this recipe in a rather old issue of Cook’s Illustrated that pairs the classic Salisbury Steak with another classic, French Onion Soup, giving that old recipe a new spin. It even includes a crouton and melted cheese.

Dredging the lightly seasoned steak burgers in flour enhances browning and also gives body to the onion sauce. Stove-top braising keeps the ground-beef patties moist and tender. Sweet onions, like Vidalia give a milder flavor to the French onion sauce. For a bolder taste, use yellow onions which are available year round. If you are not an onion fan, I think this dish will win you over.

FRENCH ONION SALISBURY STEAK

SERVINGS: Makes 4 steaks

For the steaks:

1 1/4 lb. ground chuck ( 80 – 85% lean)
French onion Salisbury steak.
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. minced scallions
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp, black pepper
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

For the sauce:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Cups sliced onions ( 2 large onions)
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Cheese Toasts ( recipe below)
minced fresh parsley for garnish
Shredded Parmesan

1. Combine ground beef, 1/4 cup parsley, scallions, salt and pepper. Divide into four even portions and shape each into 3/4 – 1 – inch thick oval patties.

Form beef into 4 oval-shaped patties.

2. Place 2 Tbsp. four in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour. Remove and save 1 tsp. flour.

Dredge each patty in flour.

3. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add patties and sauté 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Brown well on each side.

Set aside while you make the onion sauce.

4. Add onions and sugar to pan; saute 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; saute until paste begins to brown, 1 minute. Sprinkle mixture with reserved flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, wine, salt and thyme.

Saute onions, garlic, tomato paste and thyme.

5. Return meat to pan, bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.

Return beef patties to the pan and continue cooking in the sauce.

Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion sauce ladled over. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

CHEESE TOASTS

4 slices Italian baguette, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
pinch of paprika
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400*F. Lightly spray a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Place bread slices on baking sheet.

Combine butter, garlic, and paprika; spread on one side of each slice of bread. Combine cheeses and sprinkle evenly over butter.

Top each bread slice with seasoned butter and cheeses.

Bake until bread is crisp and cheese is melted, 10 – 15 minutes.

Cheese toasts. Make extra to eat out of hand along with the meal.

French onion Salisbury Steak, served with spinach and strawberry salad.

SOURCE: Cooks Illustrated

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Salads and tagged with almonds, food, goat cheese, recipe, salad, spinach, strawberries May 9, 2013

A salad of spinach, strawberries, goat cheese and almonds.

Some spring seasons have come and gone when I haven’t devoted much time to utilizing strawberries. This year for some reason I feel as though I’m on a mission to use them in as many ways as possible.

When I was growing up we lived next door to a farm where every year one large field was planted with strawberries. When they began to ripen, several of us teen-agers were hired to help with picking and the berries were sold at a road-side farm stand. Picking strawberries by hand is an experience not to be missed (or forgotten, either). The work is hard on the knees and back, but the opportunity to sample warm, sweet, juicy strawberries, right off the plant more than made up for the aches and pains in the back and knees.

Strawberry Field (Photo credit: timtak)

On most days when I got off work, I was sent home with a basket of berries for my folks. As I recall the only ways my mother served strawberries was as a shortcake or fresh strawberry pie.

We did not have access to California grown strawberries in the supermarkets as we do now. So when the berries were ripe (usually end of May through to July 4, if the weather was good) we ate berries often, made jam, and froze some sliced and ready for recipes in the months ahead. And since they are fruit they were designated as dessert. Now-a-days we add fruits to main entrees, and salads, and I like the sweetness fruits add to a dish. The recipe I have for you today is just such a combination; a spinach salad with strawberries, goat cheese, or feta, and almonds. The dressing is a balsamic vinaigrette, which really complements the strawberries and helps to bring out their sweetness. This is very easy and quick to make, and goes with a variety of main dishes. With all that spinach, its also healthy and good for you, so try this while berries are “in season” where ever you live.

A pretty salad on the plate.

SPINACH AND STRAWBERRY SALAD

SERVINGS: 4

Ingredients:

1 ( 5 – 7 oz. pkg.) Baby Spinach
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 / 2 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper

1. Combine spinach and strawberries in a large bowl.

2. Whisk together the vinegar and oil in a small bowl. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Add vinaigrette to salad and toss gently to evenly coat. Divide salad among four plates. Sprinkle each salad with cheese and almonds.

SOURCE: TASTE OF HOME

Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Desserts and tagged with dessert, food, lemon, Low calorie, low fat, recipe, strawberries May 8, 2013

Lemon panna cotta.

Panna Cotta is a dessert that I’ve been wanting to make for such a long time, but just never seemed to get around to it. I have collected several recipes for making it, all just a little different from each other.

Panna Cotta, which means “cooked cream” is Italian in origin, and can be made with milk, cream, half and half, buttermilk, or any combination of these. I also have a recipe using yogurt. Panna cotta is a cool, silky, creamy dessert that is often served with fruit or caramel sauce. The higher the fat content of your base liquid, the richer the dessert will be, and of course, more calorie laden.

A light refreshing dessert.

Happily this is a dessert that can be adjusted in terms of calories and fat content. The recipe I’m offering here is a lighter version that makes good use of lemon for flavoring and still produces the silky texture of the classic with a pleasing hit of sweet and tang. Meyer lemon–a lemon-orange hybrid–is sweeter than conventional lemon. If you don’t have access to Meyer lemons, you can use a regular lemon and enjoy a dessert that’s a bit less sweet. I used a regular lemon in my panna cotta and it had a nice mild lemon flavor, and was neither tart nor overly sweet,—-just right!

Silky, smooth, creamy and cool.

I also sliced some strawberries, added about 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar to them, and then served a few spooned over the panna cotta for a very pretty presentation.

MEYER LEMON PANNA COTTA

Servings 4

Requires just a few ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 Meyer or regular lemon
1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk, divided
1/2 cup half and half ( I used light cream)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin, ( 1 envelope)
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat buttermilk
cooking spray
Mint leaves and lemon rind strips (optional)

Directions:

1. Remove rind from lemon using a vegetable peeler, avoiding white pith. Squeeze 3 Tablespoons juice from the lemon and save.

Peel the lemon very thinly to flavor the milk and squeeze the lemon for juice.

2. Combine lemon rind, 1/2 cup milk, half and half, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat ( do not boil). Remove pan from heat; cover and let stand 20 minutes. Discard lemon rind.

Heating the milk mixture with the lemon peel.

3. Sprinkle gelatin over remaining 3 tablespoons milk in a small bowl, and let stand at least 10 minutes.

4. Return half and half mixture to medium heat; cook for 1 minute or until very hot. Add the gelatin mixture, stirring with a whisk until dissolved (about 1 minute). Stir in buttermilk and 3 Tablespoons lemon juice.

5. Lightly spray 4 ( 6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups. Divide the lemon mixture among the cups. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

6. To serve: run a knife around outside edges of panna cotta. Place a plate upside down on top of each cup; invert onto plate. Garnish with mint and lemon rind, if desired. Or you may wish to serve with a fruit sauce or sliced fruit as I did.

Panna cotta served with sliced strawberries.

Nutritional Profile: Calories 185; Fat 6.3 g.; Protein 7 g.; Carb 26 g.; Sodium 258 mg.

SOURCE: Cooking Light

Borscht

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Soups and tagged with beets, food, recipe, soup, vegetarian May 7, 2013

Borscht with sour cream and dill.

Since getting back on track with a lower carbohydrate diet, I have been looking more closely at the kinds of carbs a recipe contains. Simple carbs are out and complex carbs are in, at least for a while. I want my meals to still be interesting, tasty, satisfying, provide variety and be visually appealing, and of course be nourishing, and healthy. I don’t think that’s asking too much do you? With all those requirements in mind, I turned to this recipe for a soup called Borscht.

This is a soup I have known about for a long time, but never tasted. I knew that its origins were in Eastern Europe, particularly Russia, and that it contained beets. And that is as much as I knew about it. Probably what kept me from attempting to make it was the beets which I was never fond of until recently when I learned to roast them. With the encouragement , no urging, of my dance partner who is Russian I decided to try to make it. Well, with the internet being the wonderful tool that it is, my recipe search easily turned up many, many, recipes. As I began to look at some of them I found them all to be quite different from each other, the one commonality being beets and the water they are cooked in. This appears to be a soup that every family has a recipe for, and makes with their own special touches.

I selected one that included a lot of vegetables, a beef broth base, and seasonings that I had on hand. It is a multi-step recipe that I made on a weekend day and the hands-on time I spent on it was about one hour. So if this recipe appeals to you and you want to give it a go, plan adequate time for prepping all the vegetables. Once everything is in the pot, it takes care of itself and gives you back a beautiful deep red colored soup, chock full of vegetables and goodness with a wonderful complex flavor that is hard to define. The quantity of the original recipe is HUGH, so I made only half the amount and it was still enough for 6 -8 servings. That is the size I am printing here. If you would like to serve an army, then just double all quantities. I served it topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of dill. We absolutely loved it, have had it twice as our main meal, and I have been eating it for lunch also.

BORSCHT

SERVINGS: 6 – 8

INGREDIENTS

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
Isn’t this a beautiful color?
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cups cabbage, chopped
3 large beets (size of oranges or apples)
2 cups beet water
2 cups potatoes, chopped in fairly large dice
6 cups beef broth (or vegetable broth for a completely vegetarian version)
1 1/2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
2 cups beet greens, kale or spinach, chopped
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup fresh dill, or 1 – 2 teaspoons dried dill
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream and more dill for serving

PREPARATION

1. Prepare beets by scrubbing really well, leaving skins on. Place beets in a large pot, cover with water and boil until cooked through, adding water if necessary to keep them covered. This may take and hour or longer, so you can do this the day before. When beets are tender, strain beet water into a bowl or large measuring cup and reserve. Run beets under cold water removing the skin and when comfortable to handle, grate with a box grater.

2. In a VERY large soup pot heat olive oil, when hot add garlic and onions and stir for a few minutes until translucent. Add celery, carrots, and cabbage and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add potatoes and continue to sauté for 10 minutes. If veggies are starting to stick, add a small amount of broth.

3. Add beef broth, pasta sauce, 2 cups beet water and bay leaves and continue cooking until vegetables are tender.

4. Add grated beets into the soup, the vinegar, brown sugar and cumin. cooking for another 10 minutes or so.

5. Add chopped greens and 1 teaspoon dried dill or fresh dill. Cook a few minutes till greens are wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as needed.

Serve this hearty soup with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of dill and be sure to include a dark whole grain bread to round out the meal.

A loaf of dark rye or whole grain bread is the perfect accompaniment.

P.S. My dance partner rated my first time effort at “4 stars out of 5”, based on how his mother makes the soup.

SOURCE: slightly adapted from VanCityFoodie blog

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Borscht

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