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Oven Roasted Cauliflower…..

Posted by on April 4, 2011

I think this is the most delicious way to enjoy cauliflower.  As you can see, roasting gives the otherwise bland looking vegetable nice color or caramelization.  Use only 5 ingredients…cauliflower, olive oil, salt, pepper and a little water.  Foil line your cookie sheet for easy clean up.  Enjoy hot or cold.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 pinches salt
2 pinches pepper
1 tablespoon water

1)  Preheat oven to 375′.  Foil line a cookie sheet.

2)  Cut cauliflower and place in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Toss to evenly coat.  Spread over cookie sheet and drizzle with the water.

3)  Roast for 25 minutes, give a turn and roast another 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Angie

Filed Under: Side Dishes, Vegetarian | Tagged: Tagged With: ,

Chicken Parmesan…..

Posted by on March 30, 2011

This is a scrumptious dinner.    Make the marinara sauce ahead(recipe below).  If you’re having company, bread the chicken breasts and layer with wax paper between pieces, refrigerate.  Simply put into the oven about 40 minutes before you want to serve and follow the rest of the cooking directions.  While the chicken is baking, cook the pasta.  I think the the best way to get the most flavor into the pasta is to under cook it by a couple of minutes.  Drain the pasta and put back into the pan.  Add a couple of ladels of sauce to the hot undercooked noodles over medium heat.  Allow to cook for a couple of minutes.  The pasta will cook the rest of the way absorbing the flavors from the sauce.

Here we go….

Non stick foil line a cookie sheet with sides.  Add some olive oil…

Spread the oil evenly over the foil, set aside.  Preheat oven to 40o’.

Start with a whole, raw chicken breasts.  Trim any excess fat.  Most chicken breasts are quite large so I suggest giving it a horizontal slice.  This will make for more even cooking.

Place your hand on the top of the chicken breast and with a very sharp knife slice through the center of the breast.  (hard to demonstrate here with the camera in my right hand!)

Here you see the chicken breast halved.  Season both sides with a little kosher salt.

You will need three large bowls to coat the chicken.  One for flour, one for beaten egg and water, and one for the bread crumb/parmesan cheese mixture.  Dip into flour to coat, shake off excess….

Then into the egg mixure, allow the excess liquid to run off….

Finally, dip into the bread crumb/parmesan cheese mixture to thoroughly coat.

Place on the prepared cookie sheet and give a light drizzle of olive oil.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with cheese.  Back into the oven for 10 minutes.  Serve with marinara sauce and pasta.

Chicken Parmesan

4 chicken breasts, halved into cutlets
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup flour
2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons of water
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil
8 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese

1)  Preheat oven to 400’.  Trim the fat off of the chicken breasts.   Lay the chicken breast on the cutting board.  Hold the top of the breast with one hand and with a very sharp knife, run it horizontally through the chicken breast.  Season each breast half with a couple of pinches of salt.

2)  You will need three containers.  To the first add the flour, the second the eggs and water (beaten), and to the third, add the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, mix to blend.

3)  Dip each breast half first into the flour, shake off excess flour.  Dip into the egg to coat.  Finally, into the bread crumb mixture to coat and right onto the cookie sheet.  Once all are on the sheet, drizzle each piece with a small amount of olive oil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and top each breast with one slice of cheese.  Bake an additional 10 minutes to melt the cheese.  Serve with spaghetti and marinara sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Angie

Filed Under: Pasta, Poultry | Tagged:

Marinara Sauce…..

Posted by on March 29, 2011

Everyone should have a “go to” marinara recipe.  Here you go.  Love this over pasta with fresh grated parmesan cheese.  Add a simple salad and you have dinner.   If you’d like to kick it up a notch, serve it with my homemade garlic bread.  (you’ll find the recipe in breads category)  Why not double the recipe and keep a stash in your freezer for later, always a great idea!  Also makes an excellent meatless lasagna…will share that with you soon.

Here we go….

We  begin with a large heavy pot over medium heat and some nice olive oil.

And lots of onions…two cups.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

We’ll add some seasonings now.  The olive oil will absorb the flavors.  We have crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Add the seasonings all at once….

And garlic, we need lots of garlic:-)  Cook for a couple of minutes.

Of course, we need tomatoes.  I like using crushed tomatoes for a little texture, tomato sauce, and tomato paste.  Sugar is added to reduce the acidity.

Add the tomato paste.  Cook this in the pan for a few minutes, the tomato paste will start to caramelize and all of the flavors will come together.

Add the crushed tomatoes, the tomato sauce, and a little water.

Finally, the sugar.  Simmer the sauce for about 20 minutes.  Quick and easy!

Marinara Sauce
(no meat)

 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
¼ cup fresh garlic, minced (about 5 large cloves)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 28 ounce can tomato sauce + ½ can water
1 ½ tablespoons sugar

 1)  Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat.  Add onions and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes, cook another couple of minutes.

2)  Add tomato paste and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring often.  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and sugar.  Simmer for about 20 minutes. 

*add additional water if you’d like a thinner sauce.

Filed Under: Homemade Sauces, Pasta, Quick Weeknight Dinners | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Barley and Feta Salad…..

Posted by on March 28, 2011

My latest food obsession these days is barley.    I love t0 taste many different layers of flavors especially in salads.  The barley in this salad offers  a lovely chewy texture.  The feta and tomato give it a nice tang, and the basil, parsley, and cucumber balance out the acidic components of the salad.    It can be made ahead and served cold or at room temperature.  For a light supper, enjoy with a nice piece of grilled salmon or chicken breast.  It keeps very well in the refrigerator.  Enjoy for quick and healthy lunches throughout the week.   Top with a little canned tuna or leftover chicken breast, yummy!

Greek Barley Salad

 For the salad:

 2-3 cups cooked barley (about 1 ¼ cup dry pearled)
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup seeded and chopped cucumber, include skin
1 cup chopped parsley
½ cup finely chopped red onion
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup crumbled feta cheese

 For the dressing:

¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

1)  If you’re using pearled barley (not the quick cooking kind) place in a colander and rinse well under running water in the sink.  This will prevent the barley from becoming too gummy.  Cook with salt according to package directions, cool completely. 

2)  Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.

3)  Prepare all of the salad ingredients and place in a large mixing bowl.  Pour dressing over and toss well to coat.  Season to taste.  Refrigerate unused salad.  Makes about eight one cup servings.

Happy eating!

Angie

Filed Under: Salads and Salad Dressings | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Asian Slaw…..

Posted by on March 25, 2011

This salad is loaded with layers of flavor.  We begin with beautiful, bright, and healthy vegetables and fresh cilantro.  For the dressing, I love sweet and spicy, so I added sugar and a little chili garlic sauce.  I then top with chopped salted peanuts.  Crunchy vegetables, sweet and spicy dressing, fresh cilantro, and salty peanuts, the perfect combination!  Serve with simple grilled chicken breast and steamed rice for the perfect dinner.  If you have leftovers, enjoy the next day.

Asian Slaw

 For the dressing:

 2 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground bottled ginger
¼ teaspoon chili garlic sauce
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

 For the salad:

 ¼ head green cabbage, very thinly sliced
¼ head purple cabbage, very thinly sliced
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
1 medium red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup chopped salted peanuts

 1)  Whisk all dressing ingredients together and refrigerate if you’re not using immediately.

2)  Into a large salad bowl, add all salad vegetables and ½ of the peanuts.  Thirty minutes before serving, add the salad dressing and toss to coat.  Just before serving, toss again.  Top with peanuts.  Serve immediately.  Refrigerate leftovers.  Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Angie

Filed Under: Asian, Salads and Salad Dressings | Tagged: Tagged With: ,

Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette…..

Posted by on March 23, 2011

I

I love the flavors in this vinaigrette.  Of course, the most prominent would be the kalamata olives.  I decided to mince them into the vinaigrette to more evenly distribute the olive flavor throughout the salad rather than a strong bite here and there.  The recipe below makes about 1 1/2 cups of dressing.  It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.  Homemade and delicious!

Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

 2 tablespoons each water, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 large clove garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup olive oil
10 pitted kalamata olives, minced

 Romaine lettuce leaves
Red onion, thinly sliced

 1)  Place all ingredients up to black pepper into a blender.  Blend on low, while the blender is on, add the olive oil in a drizzle until all is incorporated.  Pour into a bowl and add the minced olives.

2)  Place lettuce leaves on a plate with some sliced red onion.  Drizzle with salad dressing.  Makes about 1 ½ cups of dressing.  Keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

Enjoy!

Angie

Filed Under: Salads and Salad Dressings, Vegetarian | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Caramelized Onion Pasta with Toasted Panko and Cheese

Posted by on March 22, 2011

This pasta is incredibly flavorful and made with simple ingredients.  Serve as a delicious side dish or vegetarian main.  Add whatever you like.  I think it would be outstanding with chopped leftover chicken and petite frozen peas…YUM!

I take an additional step in the process because my guys wouldn’t appreciate identifiable onions and garlic chunks.  I give the mixture a whirl in the blender before adding it to the cooked pasta.  Skip this step if you wish.

Here we go….

We’ll start by toasting the panko.  Preheat the oven to 375′ and give the crumbs a drizzle of olive oil, mix well to coat and spread over a cookie sheet.  Bake for 5-6 minutes. 

They should be golden brown.  Allow to cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine the toasted panko, grated parmesan cheese, and dried parsley, mix well.  Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Caramelize onions until they are golden brown as seen above.  This should take about 25-30 minutes.   Add garlic and 1/2 cup each chicken broth and wine.  Cook for 4 minutes.

Omit this step if you wish.  I blend the onion/wine/broth mixture to a smooth sauce so my guys will eat it.  They love the taste of onions and garlic but don’t much appreciate visible onions or garlic chunks.

It will look like this.  Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain well and toss the pasta with the sauce.  Top with the panko/cheese/parsley mixture.  The sweetness of the onions and garlic combined with the sharpness of the parmesan and the crunch of the panko will cause a party in your mouth!  Enjoy!

Rotelle Pasta with Caramelized Onions and Toasted Panko

 For the Crumbs:
½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley

 For the Pasta:

2 ½ cups thinly sliced onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken broth (or use ½ teaspoon Better Than Bouillon with ½ cup water)
½ pound cooked whole wheat curly pasta (or your favorite kind)

 1)  Preheat oven to 375’.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over bread crumbs and stir to evenly coat.  Spread over cookie sheet and bake 5-6 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool completely.  Once cool put into a small mixing bowl with the parmesan and the parsley, mix well.  Set aside

2)  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often until they turn golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Add the garlic, wine and the chicken broth, cook for about 4 minutes.

3)  You may omit this step if you wish.  I put the onion/wine/garlic mixture into the blender so that my people will eat it.  They love the taste of onions and garlic but not necessarily the stringy pieces of onion and chunks of garlic.  It’s a texture thing.

4)  Cook the pasta according to package directions in salted water.  Drain well and gently toss with the onion mixture and top with the panko/cheese/parsley mixture.  Serves 4.

*if you’d like to make this vegetarian, simply substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth.

Filed Under: Pasta, Quick Weeknight Dinners, Side Dishes, Vegetarian | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Cheddar and Onion Whole Grain Biscuits…..

Posted by on March 18, 2011

Umm.  One word.  Delicious.

Ok, maybe a couple more words.    These are made with real ingredients.  I use unbleached all purpose flour, whole wheat flour and wheat germ….and butter.   Can you imagine taking a bite of this right now????  They’re wonderful with honey too.   These go together in 10 minutes and bake for about 17.  Have some leftover?  Quick breakfast:  nuke the biscuit in the microwave for 15 seconds and top with a fried egg and cheese.  That’s what I’m talkin’ about!

Cheddar and Onion Whole Grain Biscuits

1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into ½” pieces
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup thinly sliced green onions (green part only)
½ cup plain non fat yogurt
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon of milk

 1) Preheat oven to 375’. Foil line a cookie sheet, set aside.

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour through the salt, whisk to blend.

3) Add the cubed butter pieces to the flour mixture. Use your hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients until there are no lumps of butter. The flour should resemble cornmeal.

4) Add the cheddar cheese and green onions, stir to blend. Make a well in the center.

5) Whisk the yogurt and milk together. Dump into the center of the flour mixture. Mix with a fork until the dry ingredients are moistened. Dump onto counter. Bring all ingredients together with your hands, knead a few times to make a dough. Dust the counter with a small amount of flour if the dough is too sticky.

6) Roll out the dough to ½” thickness. Using a 3” biscuit cutter, cut out as many biscuits as you can. Place them on the cookie sheet 1” apart. Put the scraps together trying to handle too much and cut out as many as you can. Pitch the scraps.

7) Beat the egg with the milk. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash. Bake for 14-17 minutes or until the biscuits are golden and set.   Makes 12-15 biscuits.  Serve with butter and honey. Yowza!

*Don’t have yogurt?  Substitute 1 cup of buttermilk, or 1 cup of milk with 1 teaspoon of vinegar.

Have a wonderful day!

Angie

Filed Under: Breads & Muffins | Tagged: Tagged With: , , ,

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Accompaniments….

Posted by on March 16, 2011

Irish Soda Bread.  This soda bread is not of the dry variety.  This bread is moist, slightly sweet, and quite pleasing to the eye.  I make mini loaves as they take about half the baking time.   The shorter the baking time the less dried out it may become.  You can buy mini aluminum loaf pans at most any grocery store.  Serve alongside your traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner.  If you have any leftovers, use it for french toast…OH  BOY!

Sauteed Cabbage.  I know this isn’t the traditional “boiled” cabbage but come on!  Who wouldn’t prefer delicious caramelized cabbage over boring boiled cabbage!  Trust me, you’ll LOVE this!  So simple.  Slice the cabbage into quarters and remove the core.  Thinly slice the entire head.    In a heavy large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the cabbage.  Season with kosher salt and pepper.  Cook for 40-50 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring often,  until the cabbage is caramelized. 

Homemade horseradish.  Wow!  If you like the sensation horseradish gives your sinuses, look out!  There is nothing like homemade horseradish to go with your corned beef and potatoes.  It’s quite simple.  Fresh horseradish root can be found in the produce section at most any grocery store.  Make your own cocktail sauce with one cup of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.  Add horseradish to taste.  So good!

I hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!

Angie

Filed Under: Breads & Muffins, Side Dishes | Tagged: Tagged With: , , ,

Baked Potato Skin Appetizers with Bacon and Cheese

Posted by on March 14, 2011

Who doesn’t love potato skins?  Look to buy small potatoes.  They bake in about 45 minutes and are easy to manage when eating.  Make the skins and bacon ahead of time and bake right before you want to serve.  Save the leftover potato flesh for skillet potatoes. 

Start by baking 12 small potatoes at 375′ for 40-45 minutes.  

Cook the bacon until crispy.  Drain over paper towels and cut into small pieces.  Set aside.

Once the potatoes are done, cool until you can handle them.  Carefully scoop out the flesh of the potato.

Brush canola oil on the potato skins to coat.  Once they’re all coated with oil, season generously with kosher salt.   Bake in 375′ oven for 14-16 minutes.

The leftover potato flesh will be good for 7 days in the refrigerator.

Top the hot skins generously with cheese and cooked bacon.  Bake at 375′ another 5-7 minutes.  Serve with sour cream and sliced green onions.  Enjoy!

Potato Skin Appetizers
 12 small potatoes, baked, halved, and hollowed out
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
½ lb. bacon cooked and cut into small pieces
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream
½ cup thinly sliced green onions

1) Preheat oven to 375’. Bake potatoes for 35-40 minutes.

2) While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels and cut into small pieces. Set aside.

3) Remove potatoes from the oven and allow to cool until you can handle them. Cut in half and remove the flesh of the potato.  Save the flesh for breakfast potatoes.

4) Brush the inside and the back side with a thin layer of canola oil. Season the inside of the potato skin generously with kosher salt.  Place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and generously top with cheese and bacon. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes.

5) Remove from the oven and top each skin with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of green onion. Serve immediately.   Makes 24.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Oven Fried | Tagged: Tagged With: , , , ,
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