Thursday, August 30, 2012

September 1, 2012

Sunday

Spanish Tortilla with Bell Pepper
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for serving
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced inch thick
1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
Watermelon
 
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add potatoes, bell pepper, and onion; season with salt and pepper (skillet will be very full). Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are crisp-tender, 14 to 16 minutes. Uncover, and cook off excess liquid, 1 to 2 minutes.
 2. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, parsley, hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables in skillet, and stir to distribute evenly. With the back of a spatula, press down on vegetables so they lay flat and are submerged.
 3. Bake until tortilla is set, 12 to 16 minutes. To unmold, run a rubber spatula around edge of skillet to release tortilla; invert onto a serving plate. Drizzle tortilla with oil; garnish with parsley. Serve with chilled watermelon.
 
Monday

Chicken salad
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1 cup chopped walnuts or 1 cup pecans (optional)
1 small minced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
Rolls/Croissants
Chips
 
Directions:
Combine all ingredients; chill. Serve with just about anything- crackers, chips, rolls, bread or bagel with chips.
  
Tuesday

Vegan Thai Curry Vegetables
Ingredients
One 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (do not shake can)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
4 teaspoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons palm sugar or brown sugar
6 tablespoons Thai green curry paste, like Thai Taste, Maesri, and Thai Kitchen, none of which have shrimp or fish paste
1/2 cup diced (1/2 inch) onion
2/3 cup diced (1/2 inch) red bell pepper
2/3 cup diced (1/2 inch) zucchini or other summer squash
2/3 cup diced (1/2 inch) peeled sweet potato
2/3 cup sliced bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained
1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
2/3 cup diced (1/2 inch) Asian eggplant
1 lime
8 large basil leaves, cut into thin chiffonade
 
Method
1. Open the can of coconut milk without shaking it. Spoon 6 tablespoons of the coconut cream from the top of the can into a medium saucepan. Pour remaining contents of can into a medium bowl, and mix well. In a medium bowl, combine vegetable stock, soy sauce, and palm or brown sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Place saucepan of coconut cream over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble. Add curry paste and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir constantly until very fragrant, about 3 minutes; adjust heat as needed to prevent burning. Add onion, red pepper, zucchini, sweet potato, bamboo shoots, green beans, and eggplant. Stir until vegetables are hot, 2-3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
 3. Add the soy sauce mixture and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice to taste; you may use the juice of an entire lime. Stir and mix well. Add up to 1/4 cup water if the curry seems too thick.
 4. To serve, place the curry in a warm serving bowl and garnish with the basil chiffonade. If desired, serve over jasmine rice.
 
Wednesday

Barlow's Blackened Catfish
Ingredients
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 pound catfish fillets
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
 
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. In a shallow, medium bowl, mix cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Brush both sides of catfish fillets with butter. Rub fillets with the cayenne pepper mixture on both sides.
4. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until really hot. Add fillets, and fry approximately 2 minutes on each side, until slightly blackened.
5. Arrange blackened fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, and coat with Italian-style salad dressing. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.
 
Simple Sautéed Spinach
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
20 ounces fresh spinach, (see Note)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
 
Preparation
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add spinach and toss to coat. Cover and cook until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice, salt and crushed red pepper. Toss to coat and serve immediately.
 
Tips & Notes
Note: Baby spinach is immature or young spinach—it's harvested earlier than large-leaved mature spinach. We like the sturdy texture of mature spinach in cooked dishes and serve tender, mild-flavored baby spinach raw or lightly wilted. Baby and mature spinach can be used interchangeably in these recipes (yields may vary slightly); be sure to remove the tough stems from mature spinach before using.
 
Rice pilaf
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups white rice
1 quart chicken stock
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
 
Directions
Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan and saute onion and garlic until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add rice and stir to coat with oil, onions and garlic, and let rice "toast" lightly. Stir in chicken stock and poultry seasoning and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer covered until all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and flake rice.
 
Thursday

Smoked Salmon Bagel Breakfast Sandwich
Ingredients
4 bagels, sliced
½ cup (4 ounces) Reduced-Fat Plain
1 tablespoon chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomato strips
2 teaspoons small capers
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 scallion (green part only), thinly sliced
6 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 ounce baby field greens
Chips
 
Directions
1. Toast bagels until just lightly browned on cut sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
2. Combine cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, dill, and scallion in a small bowl. For each sandwich, spread a layer of cream cheese mixture on each bagel half. Layer on 1 1/2 ounces of salmon and sprinkle with black pepper. Drape some field greens over the salmon and top with the other bagel half. Cut sandwich in half crosswise and serve with chips.
 
Friday

Easy Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
1 teaspoon pure chile powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 green bell pepper—cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
8 flour tortillas, warmed in the microwave
Shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa and sour cream, for serving
 
Directions
1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine the chile powder with the salt, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cornstarch, water and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken, bell pepper and onion, seal and knead gently to coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet until shimmering. Empty the contents of the bag into the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.
3. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a large bowl and serve with the warmed tortillas, lettuce, cheese, salsa, sour cream and lime wedges.
 
Guacamole
Ingredients
3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
 
Directions
In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.
 
Saturday

Pork vindalho

Ingredients:
1 Kg Pork
2 Big Onions
Salt as per taste
 
Pork Vindaloo Masala Ingredients:
15 Kashmiri Chillies,
4 - 6 Garlic flakes,
1" Ginger
2 Teaspoons of Jeera,
1 and a 1/2" Haldi,
1" piece of Cinnamon
3 - 6 Peppers
3 - 6 Cloves
Vinegar
 
Procedure:
First you need to wash the Pork pieces well, and then chop them up into 1/2”  bits. Once you dice the bits you need to dry the pieces of pork. You can dry them up using a cloth as well to absorb all the water. Then add some salt this should help dry the pieces even more. Now keep that aside and lets get the masala ready, grind the chillies into a powder, then add some vinegar not too much into it. Add all the ingredients of the vindaloo masala shown above and then grind all of it in the blender. Once you have your masala ready you can add your masala to the pork pieces and mix it up well. Make sure all the pieces of meat are evenly mixed with the masala. Add a little vinegar to the meat, mix it up and store it overnight in the fridge. Now you can chop the large onions to add to the Pork Vindaloo. Before you can add the onions to the dish you need to blend them in the mixer. Add the blended onions, here its got a specific colour because we used the same liquidiser that was used for the vindaloo masala. Its time to transfer all the ingredients on to the stove, no need to add any water yet. Now you need to add a few peppercorns, a little cinnamon and a few cloves to the dish as you fry the meat. After a little while of frying add some water and let it cook on a slow flame. Let the vindaloo simmer on a low fire as the meat soaks in the masala and gets cooked. You know the Vindaloo is ready when it turns the fiery red colour and the aroma will attract your neighbours :) Remember, the Vindaloo always tastes better the next day as the meat gets properly marinated, its not really a very spicy dish but on the tangy side. The longer you store it the better it tastes just like a pickle! Pork Vindaloo reminds me of Christmas all over again!

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