Fennel and Potato Hash Browns

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Carolyn's Originals, Side Dish, Vegetables and tagged with fennel, food, hash brown, potatoes, recipe, side dish, vegetable, vegetarian July 8, 2013

Fennel and Potato Hash Browns

A bag of frozen hash brown potatoes from the supermarket is a great timesaver, so occasionally I will buy one to keep in the freezer. There are times when a skillet of brown and crispy hash browns is the perfect side dish, and I really love them, but who wants to shred raw potatoes to make them from scratch. Definitely not me, thus the frozen variety in the freezer.

Last weekend I was making a fast meal on a hot evening and a wanted a side dish to go with the salmon kebabs and white bean salad, so I thought about the hash browns as a good go-with. However I wanted to “doctor” them up a little, so I quickly added some thinly sliced fennel and some onion. These were then sautéed together in a little olive oil till tender and nicely browned. Wow! were they good. Sometimes the most unexpected combinations turn out to be the best. This is what I did:

FENNEL-POTATO HASH BROWNS

Slicing up the fennel and onion.

Servings: about 4

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups cored, thinly sliced fennel bulb
1/2 cup (1 medium) vertically sliced yellow onion
1 1/2 Tbsp. fennel fronds, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to pan; swirl to coat.

2. Add the hash browns, fennel, and onion to the pan; cook about 12 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.

Cook it all together till nice and brown with crispy bits.

3. Remove from heat; stir in the fennel fronds, salt and pepper.

Serve on a platter, garnished with fennel fronds.

SOURCE: a Carolyn Original

White Bean and Radish Salad

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Salads, Side Dish and tagged with food, radishes, recipe, salad, side dish, vegetarian, white beans July 3, 2013

White Bean and Radish Salad

Summer is for salad, folks. When the weather turns this warm, I just want a cool, easy to fix salad for my meal. One that looks good on the plate, tastes good, and is healthy for you are all necessary attributes. If it is made with readily available staples that I have in my pantry that’s even better. Well, I’m happy to tell you, this salad fills all those criteria and more.

I put this salad together in about 15 minutes. Once made I let it chill so it would be nice and cool by dinnertime, and served it with some salmon kabobs, cooked quickly on the grill.

Opening a can of white beans is one of my favorite ways to start cooking. There are so many ways you can spin them into salads and side dishes. They can be paired with whatever you have in the fridge or what looks good at the market. In this case the beans are mixed with fresh radishes, scallions, black olives and lots of fresh parsley in the dressing. I would also not hesitate to pair them up with some tuna fish, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, some herbs, and a drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil. When using an ingredient like beans in a salad, you want to combine them with something that offers a contrasting crunch and a pop of color. Here, we have red, white, black and green. So pretty when you plate it up!

This satisfying salad was great served alongside fish, but it will also go well with grilled or roast chicken or steak. It can even become a completely vegetarian meal just by adding some wedges of hard boiled egg. Give this one a test run, it might become your new favorite go-to salad. Its also a great take along if you’re going to a pot-luck picnic over the July 4th weekend.

WHITE BEAN AND RADISH SALAD

Servings: 6 – 8

Ingredients:

2 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained**
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. drained capers
2 cups (packed ) fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/4 cup (or more) white vinegar
Kosher salt, black pepper
1 bunch radishes, trimmed, cut into thin wedges
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 (15-oz) cans cannellini -white kidney beans- rinsed and drained
3/4 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted, quartered

1. Blend anchovies, oil, capers and 1 cup parsley in a blender until a coarse puree forms. Transfer to a large bowl, mix in 1/4 cup vinegar, and season with salt and pepper and more vinegar, if desired.

2. Add radishes, scallions, beans, olives, and remaining 1 cup parsley to bowl and toss to combine.

3. Cover and chill till ready to serve. May be made 4 hours ahead.

**Many recipes call for just one or two anchovies to be incorporated in a dish, leaving you to wonder what to do with the remainder of the tin. I keep a spare ice cube tray available for just such times when I will put 2-3 anchovies with their oil, into each of the depressions, add a small amount of water to cover and freeze them. Once frozen, place into a zip-top baggie, keep frozen, and use as needed in future recipes.

SOURCE: This recipe was derived from Bon Appetit magazine.

Spring Tonic Quiche

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Brunch, Main Dish, Pies, Pastry and tagged with Asparagus, brunch, cheese, eggs, fiddleheads, food, quiche, recipe, vegetarian June 4, 2013

Spring Tonic Quiche

This may seem like an odd name for a recipe, but it comes from Barbara Kingsolver’s excellent book, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: A Year of Food Life. In it she describes a winter of relying on root vegetables and home-grown canned goods, so the first green shoots to emerge from the earth in the spring were pounced upon by her family. The minerals contained in these new shoots were believed to provide renewed vigor and energy for bodies tired of being cooped up all winter.

This recipe uses fresh young asparagus but if you’re in an area where fiddleheads** are available they would be a wonderful replacement for the asparagus. The quantity of the recipe is designed to fit into a 9″ or 10″ pie pan. If you’re using a shallower quiche pan use 3 eggs and cut back the buttermilk to 3/4 cup.

The buttermilk called for in this recipe gives the custard a “tang” that is typical of buttermilk. If you prefer a more traditional flavored filling you may use regular milk instead with equally good results. This quiche cuts and hold its shape vey well especially it you let it rest for about 15 minutes before serving as the recipe suggests.

SPRING TONIC (ASPARAGUS ) QUICHE

Asparagus, chives, cheese, buttermilk, eggs and Worcestershire sauce make the filling.

Yield: 8 slices

Ingredients:

1 single recipe pie dough, or use 1/2 package refrigerator pie dough
2 1/2 cup asparagus spears or fiddleheads, bias sliced into 1/2″ pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 cup grated cheese ( your choice, but Swiss, Parmesan and/or Asiago are good)
3 to 4 four large eggs
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 425*F. Line a 9 or 10-inch pie pan or 10-inch quiche pan with the pastry. Chill the lined dish while the oven comes up to temperature. This will minimize shrinking while it bakes.

2. Bake the chilled crust for 10 minutes; remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375*.

3. For the Filling: Spread the sliced asparagus over the crust. Place the tips around the outside edge for a nice effect. Sprinkle the chives and cheese on top.

Layer asparagus, chives and cheese in the crust.

Whisk together the eggs, flour, buttermilk, and Worcestershire and pour over the vegetables and cheese.

Egg mixture poured over the vegetables.

I used the asparagus tips to decorate the top.

4. Place the dish on a baking sheet to catch any spills and bake for 40 – 45 minutes, until the custard is firm 3″ in from the edge and a knife inserted in that spot comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

Out of the oven and cooling.

This makes a nice light meal served with a salad.

**A note about fiddleheads: These are the tops of ostrich ferns, and they appear in shady woodland spots in early May. They look like green, fuzzy bumps; below the brown stalks of last year’s growth.

English: Photo of fiddleheads emerging in the spring (taken in Rindge, New Hampshire). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They emerge tightly curled and covered in a brown, scaly papery covering. They can easily be snapped off when they are no more than 3 or 4 inches high. To clean them, wash well and remove the papery covering. Cook in boiling salted water until you can just pierce them with a fork. Drain and rinse and treat them as you would asparagus.

SOURCE: The Baking Sheet, King Arthur Flour.

Cauliflower-Broccoli-Cheese Soup

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Quick Meals, Soups and tagged with food, Low calorie, low carbohydrate, low fat, recipe, soup, vegetables, vegetarian May 22, 2013

A quick post today featuring a soup that I made this past weekend when I had an abundance of broccoli and cauliflower on hand that needed using up.

Cauliflower-broccoli-cheese soup.

After spending the morning outside spreading mulch and pruning some shrubs, Mr. D. and I were starving and ready for a break. In just about 30 minutes I was able to have this thick, vegetable soup on the table ready for us to devour. If you use frozen vegetables it takes even less time to make. I didn’t realize a “made from scratch” vegetable soup could be ready in such a short time, and be so delicious. It has only 150 calories per serving, and is low in fat and carbohydrates, yet satisfies and is filling. To make it vegetarian, switch out the chicken broth and use vegetable broth instead, and omit the cheese.

CAULIFLOWER-BROCCOLI-CHEESE SOUP

Yield: 4 servings

Total time to make; about 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp. canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 lb. frozen broccoli and cauliflower or 5 cups fresh, chopped
1/2 cup fat free milk
2 oz. reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper or to taste
1/4 cup seasoned croutons
ground nutmeg for garnish

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat, add onion and cook until just beginning to brown. Add garlic and continue cooking until onions are lightly browned.

2. Add chicken broth, broccoli and cauliflower; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 10 – 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3. Puree mixture with and immersion blender or a regular blender. Return mixture to saucepan, add milk and heat through.

4. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Season with pepper. Sprinkle each serving with nutmeg and garnish with a few seasoned croutons.

Quick to make; filling and nutritious.

Seasoned croutons add a little crunch to an otherwise smooth soup.

Nutritional Profile: 150 calories, 6g. fat. 2g saturated fat, 15 g. carbohydrates, 4g sugars, 8g protein.

SOURCE: found in a circular from my local grocery store

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

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

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

Grapefruit-Avocado Salsa

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Side Dish and tagged with avocado, food, gluten-free, grapefruit, recipe, salsa, side dish, vegan, vegetarian April 19, 2013

Grapefruit and avocado salsa.

I love to make salsas. They are so easy. A salsa can really elevate an entree above the ordinary and help bring the flavors of a dish together. Recently I cooked some flounder filets, prepared very simply by lightly dusting with a mixture of flour and cornmeal then pan frying in a little butter and olive oil. A very ordinary way to quickly cook fish fillets. But to go along with it, I made this salsa using grapefruit and avocado.

My original intention was to have fish tacos, that’s why I made the salsa. As I finished making it, however, I tasted it, and WOW, my taste buds woke up and started to sing!…it was fabulous and I didn’t want it to get lost in a taco. I just loved the way the citrus paired with the avocado. So I served it as an accompaniment to the flounder, along with a vegetable and a salad. I know I will be making this salsa again very soon, I wanted to eat it by the bowlful!

GRAPEFRUIT-AVOCADO SALSA

Only a few ingredients needed for this salsa.

YIELD: Serves 4

1 Ruby Red grapefruit, segmented and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 avocado, diced
2 Tablespoons diced red onion
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
coarse salt

To Make the Salsa:

Combine grapefruit, avocado, onion, cilantro, jalapeño , and lime juice in a medium bowl. Season with salt and set aside. That’s It!

A great accompaniment to a mild flavored fish fillet.

SOURCE: Martha Stewart’s Whole Living

Butternut Ravioli in Sage Browned Butter Sauce

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Appetizers, Side Dish and tagged with Appetizer, brown butter, butternut squash, food, ravioli, recipe, sage, side dish, vegetarian April 10, 2013

Butternut Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Not too long ago we were out for a special dinner that was catered, and for the appetizer we were served this dish; butternut squash ravioli with a sage brown butter sauce. It was so good I wanted the recipe, but, sadly, it was not available from the chef. So I went on the hunt for a similar recipe, and on the Food Network website, I found this one by Emeril Lagasse.

He roasted his squash for starters, but I simply steamed mine, then mashed it with the same results. Possibly roasting the squash brings out a debt of flavor that mine lacked, but with the nice balance of seasonings that are added I was perfectly satisfied with my results. I found that using won ton wrappers is a good substitute for fresh pasta dough, if you’re in a time crunch. However you don’t get that toothy “al dente” texture. Not a big issue for me; we enjoyed them all the same.

In trying out this recipe I served the ravioli as a side dish with roast chicken, and it was a good compliment. The original recipe is written to be served as an appetizer, and that is very nice for a sit-down dinner where silverware is in use. But I would not try to serve it when people need to balance a plate and use a fork to eat it.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI WITH A SAGE BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

YIELD: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

9 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons minced shallots
1 cup cooked butternut squash, mashed
salt
freshly ground pepper
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
3 Tablespoons grated Parmesean cheese, plus more for serving
pinch nutmeg
fresh pasta dough,rolled out into wide ribbons, or won ton wrappers
12 fresh sage leaves
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saute pan, over medium heat, melt 1 Tablespoon of the butter. Add the shallots and sauté for 1 minute. Add the squash puree and cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 Tablespoons cheese and nutmeg. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Cool completely.

2. Start a large pot of salted water over medium-high heat and bring to boiling. Cut the pasta into 3 – inch squares. (Or alternately, use won ton wrappers.) Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of each square. Bring one corner of the square to the opposite corner, forming a triangle, and seal completely, by wetting the edges slightly and pressing together. Add the ravioli to the pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes or until the ravioli float and are pale in color.

Remove the pasta from the water and drain well. Season with salt and pepper.

3. In a medium saute pan, melt the remaining 8 Tablespoons butter. Add the sage leaves to the butter and continue to cook until the butter starts to brown. Remove from the heat.

4. Place some of the ravioli in the center of each serving plate. Spoon the butter sauce over the ravioli. Sprinkle with additional cheese and garnish with parsley.

Can be served as a side dish also.

SOURCE: Emeril Lagasse, via Food Network

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