Yep, that's right. I just named a dish after myself. This is my go-to dish if I'm asked to bring a side to any event, and it always gets a ton of compliments. It's based on a recipe for a Greek salad, but I'm not a huge fan of feta cheese, so I tweaked it to my own preferences, and I think it's way better. I also recently came up with a variation that includes quinoa! It's so easy and quick! Let's get to it...
Ingredients:
1 large cucumber
1 green bell pepper
Cherry or grape tomatoes, about 10-15
1 small red onion, or 1/2 of a large one
2 cloves of garlic
Parmesan cheese, grated
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Italian salad dressing
Salt & pepper
Slice the cucumber into about 1/4-inch slices, and then quarter each slice. Dice the green bell pepper. Halve or quarter the tomatoes (or, if using regular tomatoes, dice). Dice the onion. Toss all vegetables in a large serving bowl. Grate the garlic over the vegetables and add some parmesan and some mozzarella cheese. Throw in a dash of salt and pepper. Finally, add salad dressing, as much as you like. Mix all ingredients together. Voila! It's best if you refrigerate it for at least an hour, but it is yummy served immediately, too.
Variations: If you want to include quinoa, simply cook it according to package directions and mix it in with everything above. If you don't have Italian salad dressing, you can use a few drizzles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Locally grown zucchini and yellow squash pasta
I'd never bought zucchini & squash before, but there were some locally grown ones available at the store, so I snatched them up and put together this gem. It's a great, light summer pasta. Serve it as a side or the main entree.
Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1-2 tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
3-4 large basil leaves
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Your favorite pasta noodle, about a pound (I used penne because it's what I had)
Grated parmesan cheese
In a pot, bring water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente.
Chop the tomato(es) into chunks, whatever size you prefer. Using a vegetable peeler as your "knife", slice the zucchini and yellow squash into thin strips. If you use a short noodle, like penne, you might want to make the strips shorter. If you're using a larger noodle, leave them long. Cut the basil leaves into strips.
In a large skillet, start olive oil (4-6 turns of the pan) and garlic over medium-ish heat. Once the garlic begins to yellow, add the zucchini and yellow squash strips. Saute for about 5-10 minutes, and then add tomato and a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for another few minutes. Before draining the pasta, save a little bit of the water in a mug or small bowl and set aside. Drain the pasta and add to the pan of vegetables, with a little bit of the pasta water (brings the flavor of the pasta; not too much though, or your dish will be watery). Add basil and mix all together. Plate it and top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese! This made quite a bit, probably enough for four people or lots of leftovers! YUM!
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1-2 tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
3-4 large basil leaves
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Your favorite pasta noodle, about a pound (I used penne because it's what I had)
Grated parmesan cheese
In a pot, bring water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente.
Chop the tomato(es) into chunks, whatever size you prefer. Using a vegetable peeler as your "knife", slice the zucchini and yellow squash into thin strips. If you use a short noodle, like penne, you might want to make the strips shorter. If you're using a larger noodle, leave them long. Cut the basil leaves into strips.
In a large skillet, start olive oil (4-6 turns of the pan) and garlic over medium-ish heat. Once the garlic begins to yellow, add the zucchini and yellow squash strips. Saute for about 5-10 minutes, and then add tomato and a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for another few minutes. Before draining the pasta, save a little bit of the water in a mug or small bowl and set aside. Drain the pasta and add to the pan of vegetables, with a little bit of the pasta water (brings the flavor of the pasta; not too much though, or your dish will be watery). Add basil and mix all together. Plate it and top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese! This made quite a bit, probably enough for four people or lots of leftovers! YUM!
Farmer's Market Salsa
Chips and salsa always hits the spot. I hit the pepper jackpot at the Farmer's Market, so I whipped up this salsa. Buen provecho!
Ingredients:
1 medium jalapeno, seeds removed
1 green bell pepper
1 large red chili pepper
1 small red onion
2 medium tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
Olive oil
salt and pepper
To prepare the salsa, dice all the vegetables, the smaller the chunks, the better. Mix in the garlic, a splash or two of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper (I always add salt and pepper by hand, as opposed to with a shaker). You can eat it immediately, but it's better if it's refrigerated for a few hours so all the flavors can marinate and it gets a little juicier.
*Warning: chopping jalapenos with your bare hands can cause burning, that, for me, has lasted up to a whole day. Plastic gloves will help.
Ingredients:
1 medium jalapeno, seeds removed
1 green bell pepper
1 large red chili pepper
1 small red onion
2 medium tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
Olive oil
salt and pepper
To prepare the salsa, dice all the vegetables, the smaller the chunks, the better. Mix in the garlic, a splash or two of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper (I always add salt and pepper by hand, as opposed to with a shaker). You can eat it immediately, but it's better if it's refrigerated for a few hours so all the flavors can marinate and it gets a little juicier.
*Warning: chopping jalapenos with your bare hands can cause burning, that, for me, has lasted up to a whole day. Plastic gloves will help.
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| Doesn't this look a lot yummier than the stuff you buy in the jar?! |
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry with Quinoa and Cream Sauce
Obviously my first recipe had to include garlic in the title! I came up with this one sort of by accident. I loosely followed a stir-fry recipe and a cream sauce recipe, adapting each based on what Ray and I like and what we had in stock, and then combined them. And it's all piled atop Quinoa, one of my favorite things! Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
Stir Fry
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-6 cloves of garlic (depending on their size)
3-4 bell peppers, ideally green and red (jalapeno pepper optional for extra kick)
1/2 large onion
Olive oil
Sriracha Hot Chile Sauce (or your hot sauce of choice)
Salt & Pepper
Quinoa, prepared according to package instructions (usually 1 cup Quinoa and 2 cups water)
Cream sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
You should first start the Quinoa, so it will be ready when everything else is. Follow the package instructions.
For this dish, I like to get things prepared before revving up the stove, so...First, cut chicken breasts into about 1-inch chunks. Then, slice the peppers and onions into strips about the size of french fries. In a wok, add olive oil, 4-6 turns of the pan (as you will see, I don't like to use precise measurements; sorry!). Using a hand grater if available, grate garlic over olive oil (or mince). Set the burner to medium heat. Once the oil heats and the garlic begins to yellow, add the peppers and onion and add a dash of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Then, remove all vegetables and set aside in a bowl.
In the wok, replenish olive oil and garlic, if necessary. Add all the chicken, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until all chicken chunks are cooked through. At this time, add the Sriracha sauce (as little or as much as you want, depending on your heat index) and mix well to coat chicken. Then, return the vegetables to the chicken and hot sauce, reduce heat slightly, and let cook and combine while you prepare the cream sauce.
In a small skillet, melt the butter. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Stir in milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, then cook about another minute. Stir in sour cream and heat through. Remove from heat.
Plate the meal like so: on a dinner plate, use the Quinoa as a base layer. Add the chicken and vegetable stir fry on top of the Quinoa, and drizzle the cream sauce over that. I like to mix it all up on my plate to eat it, but you can leave it layered if you want. Either way, DELICIOUS! This is enough for 2 people and leftovers, so probably serves about 4.
Ingredients:
Stir Fry
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-6 cloves of garlic (depending on their size)
3-4 bell peppers, ideally green and red (jalapeno pepper optional for extra kick)
1/2 large onion
Olive oil
Sriracha Hot Chile Sauce (or your hot sauce of choice)
Salt & Pepper
Quinoa, prepared according to package instructions (usually 1 cup Quinoa and 2 cups water)
Cream sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
You should first start the Quinoa, so it will be ready when everything else is. Follow the package instructions.
For this dish, I like to get things prepared before revving up the stove, so...First, cut chicken breasts into about 1-inch chunks. Then, slice the peppers and onions into strips about the size of french fries. In a wok, add olive oil, 4-6 turns of the pan (as you will see, I don't like to use precise measurements; sorry!). Using a hand grater if available, grate garlic over olive oil (or mince). Set the burner to medium heat. Once the oil heats and the garlic begins to yellow, add the peppers and onion and add a dash of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Then, remove all vegetables and set aside in a bowl.
In the wok, replenish olive oil and garlic, if necessary. Add all the chicken, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until all chicken chunks are cooked through. At this time, add the Sriracha sauce (as little or as much as you want, depending on your heat index) and mix well to coat chicken. Then, return the vegetables to the chicken and hot sauce, reduce heat slightly, and let cook and combine while you prepare the cream sauce.
In a small skillet, melt the butter. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Stir in milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, then cook about another minute. Stir in sour cream and heat through. Remove from heat.
Plate the meal like so: on a dinner plate, use the Quinoa as a base layer. Add the chicken and vegetable stir fry on top of the Quinoa, and drizzle the cream sauce over that. I like to mix it all up on my plate to eat it, but you can leave it layered if you want. Either way, DELICIOUS! This is enough for 2 people and leftovers, so probably serves about 4.
In the beginning...
After my first year of grad school, I had this past summer off. The free time gave me the chance to start exercising again, which started a snowball of healthier living. I had more time to cook, and I dove into health and cook books. I'm now a health/cook book junkie and I love spending time in the kitchen and trying new things. The Farmer's Market is my new favorite place, as is the kitchen supplies aisle and the food section at the library!
I stole a cooking technique from Rachael Ray--I noticed she was always using a handheld grater to grate fresh garlic over dishes. For whatever reason, this intrigued me and I had to try it. And so began my obsession with fresh garlic and hand graters. It also left me wanting to add garlic to just about everything. And in most cases, Garlic Goes with Everything :)
So, here I am, trying to share some recipes and other food-related goodies. I'm not claiming to be any sort of expert, I just enjoy cooking and want to share my kitchen successes.
I stole a cooking technique from Rachael Ray--I noticed she was always using a handheld grater to grate fresh garlic over dishes. For whatever reason, this intrigued me and I had to try it. And so began my obsession with fresh garlic and hand graters. It also left me wanting to add garlic to just about everything. And in most cases, Garlic Goes with Everything :)
So, here I am, trying to share some recipes and other food-related goodies. I'm not claiming to be any sort of expert, I just enjoy cooking and want to share my kitchen successes.
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| grating garlic |
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