Friday, December 28, 2012

December 30, 2012


Sunday

Salmon Croquettes


Ingredients

2 fillets canned salmon, flaked

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons green onions, diced

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Vegetable oil, for frying

 

Directions

Over medium heat, heat oil in a medium skillet. Combine canned salmon, beaten egg, green onions and 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Form into patties and dust with additional bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.

 

Coleslaw


Ingredients

5 cups shredded cabbage

1/2 cups almonds, toasted

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/4 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts

1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper

 

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

1 tablespoon honey mustard

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper

 

Directions

Combine cabbage, almonds, cranberries, celery, green onions, and green pepper in a large plastic bowl with a snap-on lid. Combine all dressing ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Pour dressing over slaw just before serving. Stir well.

 

Monday

Western skillet eggs


Ingredients

1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 shallots, sliced

2 large green bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 pound thinly sliced ham, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 slices sourdough bread, torn into pieces (about 2 cups)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for topping

8 large eggs

Fruit of choice

Bread

 

Directions

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Whisk the half-and-half, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste in a small bowl. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until just softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers; cook until the peppers are soft and the shallots are golden, 5 to 6 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, ham, bread, parsley and 1/4 cup water and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Remove from the heat. Make 8 evenly spaced indentations in the bread mixture with the bottom of a ladle or small measuring cup. Crack an egg into each indentation. Slowly pour the half-and-half mixture over the eggs. Bake, rotating the skillet a few times, until the whites are set, about 15 minutes. Top with parsley. Serve with bread and fruit of choice.

 

Tuesday

Black eyed peas


Ingredients:

6 cups water

1 cube chicken bouillon

1 pound dried black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced

1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced

8 ounces diced ham

4 slices bacon, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

salt, to taste

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Directions:

Pour the water into a slow cooker, add the bouillon cube, and stir to dissolve. Combine the black-eyed peas, onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, ham, bacon, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper; stir to blend. Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours until the beans are tender.

 

Corn bread


Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus butter for baking dish

1 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish.  In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk, and butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and fold together until there are no dry spots (the batter will still be lumpy). Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until the top is golden brown and tester inserted into the middle of the corn bread comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the cornbread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

 

Kickin’ collard greens


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 slices bacon

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 cups chicken broth

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 pound fresh collard greens, cut into 2-inch pieces

 

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and return to the pan. Add onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until just fragrant. Add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt.

2. Pour in chicken broth, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until greens are tender.

 

Wednesday

Chili dog nachos


Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan

1 pound ground sirloin

Salt and pepper

2 hog dogs, sliced into 1/2- inch pieces

1 small onion, chopped

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 sack yellow corn tortilla chips

1 sack, 10 ounces, shredded yellow Cheddar

Sour cream, garnish

Salsa, garnish

2 scallions, chopped

 

Directions

Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add oil then beef, and begin to brown and crumble with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add chopped hot dogs and continue browning, another 3 minutes. Add onions and seasonings, Worcestershire, chili powder, and cumin. Cook another 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and simmer 5 minutes more. Preheat broiler. Arrange corn chips on a platter or in a casserole dish. Top the chips with the cooked chili dog topping. Cover the chili dog sauce with cheese. Melt cheese under hot broiler, 2 minutes, until melted and bubbly. Garnish with sour cream, salsa and chopped scallions.

 

Thursday

Shrimp fried rice


Ingredients

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp, halved lengthwise

One 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced into matchstick pieces (about 1/4 cup)

 2 tablespoons dry sake

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cooking spray

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1 cup snow peas, halved

2 carrots, thinly sliced on an angle

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 small red onion, halved and sliced root to stem

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

Frozen spring rolls, cooked according to direction

 

Directions

Prepare the rice according to package directions, adding the cinnamon stick with the water. Fluff the rice, discard the cinnamon stick and set aside to cool. Toss the shrimp with half of the ginger, 1 tablespoon of the sake, the vinegar and pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Let marinate 10 to 15 minutes. Mist a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the shrimp with the marinade and cook, stirring, until just opaque, 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and set aside. Mist the same skillet and return to medium-high heat. Lightly beat the eggs and egg whites and add to the skillet. Cook until scrambled, breaking up with a spatula and transfer to the same plate as the shrimp. Return the skillet to medium-high heat, mist with nonstick spray and add the snow peas, carrots, garlic, onions and remaining ginger. Cook, stirring, until softened and crisp-tender, 5 minutes. Transfer to the same plate as the shrimp and eggs. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the cooled rice, toss with the oil and pack in the skillet in a firm layer. Cook, without stirring, until the bottom of the rice is browned and crusty. Stir the rice and pack it in another layer. Repeat the process until the rice is well toasted and browned, and stopping if the rice seems to be getting dry. Add back the shrimp, eggs and vegetables along with the remaining 1 tablespoon sake and soy sauce and toss well to combine. Remove from the heat and top with the sliced scallions. Serve with spring rolls.

 

Friday

Broccoli cheddar soup


Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 medium red-skinned potato, diced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

One 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Crusty bread

 

Directions

Separate the stems and the florets from the broccoli. Trim and discard the bottom of the broccoli stems and peel the tough outer layers. Finely chop the stems and coarsely chop the florets and set aside separately. Mist a large pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the broccoli stems, onions and potatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the vegetables are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the reserved florets and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and continue to steam until the florets are bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the entire contents of the pot with the florets to the soup along with the nutmeg. Stir to combine and remove from the heat. Stir in the Cheddar, Worcestershire and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the scallions and serve with bread. Cook's Note: Leftover soup should be reheated in the microwave rather than the stovetop, where the cheese will "break" or separate from the broth.

 

Saturday

Chicken chettinad


Ingredients:

750 gms boneless chicken, cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp mustard seeds

1.5 tsp cumin seeds

2 inch cinnamon sticks

4 black peppercorns

3 green cardamoms

4 - 5 cloves

2 bay leaves

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

3 green chillies, finely chopped

15 curry leaves

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp red chilly powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp black pepper powder

Salt to taste

Coriander to decorate

 

Method:

Step 1 : Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, black peppercorns, bay leaves and green cardamoms. Immediately add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds till they turn brown.

Step 2 : Add turmeric powder. Stir for a few seconds and add the onion. Do not let the turmeric turn brown. Saute the onions till they turn brown. Add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and curry leaves. Stir well, till the ginger garlic paste looses its raw smell. Add tomatoes, red chilly powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir well. Cook till the tomatoes are completely broken down and cooked and oil starts to leave the mixture.

Step 3 : Add the cut chicken and mix well for 5 mins. Cover and cook for 8 - 10 mins or till the chicken is cooked. Stir occasionally. Add 3/4 cup of water just in case the dish seems too dry. You do not want to make it runny. Just a thick gravy. Add black pepper powder and mix everything once. Decorate it with coriander leaves.

Serve hot, with any bread or with rice.

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