The invitations to be someone's guest at this time of year is getting in the way of exercising my culinary muscles. I'm sure thing will get popping again in a couple of days but tonight will not be one for another post.
In the mean time I suppose I could entertain some suggestions for future posts. Let's see how crazy that gets.
Merry Christmas to you all.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Let's do spaghetti with red sauce!
This evening is for quick and easy. Again noting the avoidance of carbs we're having spaghetti and red sauce.
You ask; spaghetti and avoiding carbs? Well we're doing spaghetti squash and the red sauce is all veggies (well some mushrooms but that's just 'cause).
Pierce the squash several times and pretty much all over the outer skin. Place in the microwave on high for 3 minutes per pound.
Dice 4 cups of tomatoes. Chop bell pepper, celery, summer squash and one white onion. Saute' these vegetables in a pot along with 3 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil and with 5 or 6 large cloves of garlic (sliced thin). After the mixture begins cooking add 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of tarragon and 2 Tbs of Italian seasoning. After about 5 to 6 minutes of cooking, the vegetables will be softened and ready for the tomatoes.
The squash should be ready to be place in a baking dish in a 375 degree oven and it will cook there for an hour.
Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 15 minutes. At this point stir in about 3 Tbs of grated parmigiana cheese and 3 or 4 mushrooms sliced thin. continue the low boil for another 15 minutes and test the taste. Adjust the seasoning to taste and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to medium-low and continue until the squash is ready to come out. You will need to stir the sauce regularly but not constantly.
When you remove the squash from the oven just let it sit for 5 minutes and then slice it lengthwise in half. Spoon the seed out from the middle and discard. Using a fork, rake the squash from end to end and you'll quickly see why it's called spaghetti squash. Place a portion of this spaghetti on a plate and spoon the thick sauce over the top. You'll love the flavors and your friends at PETA will love you too.
Something Fishy going on around here.
This time we wanted something a little special so it's time for two filleted Tilapia, some Acorn Squash and our old standard - Baked veggies.
Take the tilapia fillets and rinse them and pat them dry. Place them on a flat surface and season with a mixture of corn meal, garlic powder, butter buds, salt, pepper and ginger. The total mixture measured only about 2 Tbs. Use about half the seasoning and reserve the remainder for the other side (after turning them over in the pan). This is a very light coating designed to season and not to coat or bread the fish.
Cut the Acorn Squash in sections and remove the seeds. Lay them on a baking sheet (I cover with foil for ease of cleaning) and drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil over them. Season with all spice, salt, pepper, garlic powder and butter buds. Bake these wedges in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 to 60 minutes (depending on the thickness of the wedges).
The other roasted veggies are listed in a prior post.
When the veggies are within 15 minutes of being done you want to place one Tbs of extra virgin olive oil and one tsp of butter in a pan and warm to medium-high. Lightly salt the pan just prior to placing the seasoned tilapia into the pan with the seasoning side down. Pinch the remaining seasoning onto the top side of the fillets as they cook and at 2-1/2 minutes carefully turn them over (I like to use two wide spatulas to lift, turn and place them back in the pan) and continue cooking for 4 additional minutes covered and with the heat reduced to med-low. Before covering drizzle the juice of 1/2 lemon. With the warming time for the pan to become evenly heated prior to placing the fish within you should be removing the fish from the heat as the veggies are ready to remove from the oven.
As you can see, the acorn squash is slightly browned and is truly sweet enough to be dessert.
This combination provides for a very pleasant looking meal. The flavors of the mixed veggies and the sweetness of the squash work very well with the sweet/tender meat of the fish.
Take the tilapia fillets and rinse them and pat them dry. Place them on a flat surface and season with a mixture of corn meal, garlic powder, butter buds, salt, pepper and ginger. The total mixture measured only about 2 Tbs. Use about half the seasoning and reserve the remainder for the other side (after turning them over in the pan). This is a very light coating designed to season and not to coat or bread the fish.
Cut the Acorn Squash in sections and remove the seeds. Lay them on a baking sheet (I cover with foil for ease of cleaning) and drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil over them. Season with all spice, salt, pepper, garlic powder and butter buds. Bake these wedges in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 to 60 minutes (depending on the thickness of the wedges).
The other roasted veggies are listed in a prior post.
When the veggies are within 15 minutes of being done you want to place one Tbs of extra virgin olive oil and one tsp of butter in a pan and warm to medium-high. Lightly salt the pan just prior to placing the seasoned tilapia into the pan with the seasoning side down. Pinch the remaining seasoning onto the top side of the fillets as they cook and at 2-1/2 minutes carefully turn them over (I like to use two wide spatulas to lift, turn and place them back in the pan) and continue cooking for 4 additional minutes covered and with the heat reduced to med-low. Before covering drizzle the juice of 1/2 lemon. With the warming time for the pan to become evenly heated prior to placing the fish within you should be removing the fish from the heat as the veggies are ready to remove from the oven.
As you can see, the acorn squash is slightly browned and is truly sweet enough to be dessert.
Friday, December 10, 2010
they said "stuff it" and so I did :)
Today supper time involves a party in honor of a musician friend of mine that is getting married at the end of the month. Someone in the crowd specifically requested I bring stuffed mushroom caps so, of course, I said yes. While I usually use large "buttons" this time I'm using some small to medium baby portabella's. I believe the flavors will be pleasant and yet rich. We shall see.
Hang around or come back by in a couple of hours and the details and photos should be here.
ciao for now :)
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Preheat oven to 350
You will need: Mushroom caps, 1 cup sage sausage, 2 or 3 green onions chopped, 1 cup diced tomatoes (either cherry tomatoes quartered or roma's diced), 1/4 cup chopped ripe olives, 3 or 4 large garlic cloves sliced thin, 3/4 cup Feta cheese (freshly grated mozzarella is a good option as well). 2 leaves of fresh basil. 1 tsp of lemon juice.
Drizzle 2 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet to saute the onions, garlic, and stems (chopped fine) of the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste as this mixture cooks. Once the mixture is done, add the chopped basil leaves for just a minute of additional cooking.
Place the cooked mixture in a bowl to cool some. Once it has cooled enough to be handled comfortably you mix in the tomatoes, cheese and lemon juice and stir together until well mixed.
Spray a 9 X 13 X 3 or 9 X 9 X 3 (depending on the size of the mushroom caps) baking dish with non-stick spray and place the caps, top down, in the dish and over-stuff with the meat mixture. If you have any left over stuffing, add it to the pan in between the caps.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes
Using the baby portabella mushrooms worked just fine.
Hang around or come back by in a couple of hours and the details and photos should be here.
ciao for now :)
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Preheat oven to 350
You will need: Mushroom caps, 1 cup sage sausage, 2 or 3 green onions chopped, 1 cup diced tomatoes (either cherry tomatoes quartered or roma's diced), 1/4 cup chopped ripe olives, 3 or 4 large garlic cloves sliced thin, 3/4 cup Feta cheese (freshly grated mozzarella is a good option as well). 2 leaves of fresh basil. 1 tsp of lemon juice.
Drizzle 2 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet to saute the onions, garlic, and stems (chopped fine) of the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste as this mixture cooks. Once the mixture is done, add the chopped basil leaves for just a minute of additional cooking.
Place the cooked mixture in a bowl to cool some. Once it has cooled enough to be handled comfortably you mix in the tomatoes, cheese and lemon juice and stir together until well mixed.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes
Using the baby portabella mushrooms worked just fine.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Why not?
It seems like a good day to enjoy some salmon for supper. The faithful combination of roasted vegetables and butter fried salmon fillet seems like a great way to eat extremely well and healthy for just a couple of bucks. One 3/4 lb Steelhead Salmon Fillet dusted with spices and herbs and let to rest at room temp. while vegetables roast.
The vegetables are cut into approx 1 inch pieces and include, bell pepper, squash, red onion and asparagus. This time I used two green bell peppers though it's fun to use one green and one red or orange or yellow pepper for the added color. The veggies are spread to a single layer in a roasting pan and then coated with 3 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil and then dusted with 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp of garlic powder and 1/2 tsp of butter buds. The roasting pan of veggies is placed in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times during the half hour.
The Salmon is placed in a hot (but not smoking) pan with a Tbs of butter placed in the pan just before placing the salmon face down. After 2 minutes (shaking 3 or 4 times during the 2 minutes) the salmon is turned onto the skin, the temperature reduced to medium low and drizzled with some lemmon juice and then covered for the remainder of about 6 minutes. The salmon should just start to flake but not be dried out.
This time the veggies and salmon cost a total of just under $13.00 and provided for a full serving of veggies left over for another day.
The vegetables are cut into approx 1 inch pieces and include, bell pepper, squash, red onion and asparagus. This time I used two green bell peppers though it's fun to use one green and one red or orange or yellow pepper for the added color. The veggies are spread to a single layer in a roasting pan and then coated with 3 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil and then dusted with 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp of garlic powder and 1/2 tsp of butter buds. The roasting pan of veggies is placed in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times during the half hour.
The Salmon is placed in a hot (but not smoking) pan with a Tbs of butter placed in the pan just before placing the salmon face down. After 2 minutes (shaking 3 or 4 times during the 2 minutes) the salmon is turned onto the skin, the temperature reduced to medium low and drizzled with some lemmon juice and then covered for the remainder of about 6 minutes. The salmon should just start to flake but not be dried out.
This time the veggies and salmon cost a total of just under $13.00 and provided for a full serving of veggies left over for another day.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
A Cold Tuesday Afternoon calls for soup
This is the perfect day to make some Tortilla Soup. I love how most of the recipes for this soup include chicken yet it's not called chicken tortilla soup. It's even funnier around our house 'cause we avoid the carbs that would come from the tortillas and substitute roasted portabella mushroom strips.
This particular recipe is one of my favorite "quickie" meals. You see, I watched this one prepared in less than 5 minutes with a stop-watch running as it was a challenge. Yes, the challenge was met.
At our house we like a thick and hearty soup so I'll share it the way I do it. We're just two so the amounts will need to be adjusted according to your guest list.
Cut one zucchini and one yellow squash lengthwise in quarters and then slice the wedges at 1/2 inch intervals. Dice one medium white onion and chop carrots (2-3) into 1/2 inch pieces. Saute' the carrots and onions in two Tbs of olive oil at a medium high setting until the carrots reach the desired tenderness. Use the stock pot you'll be making the soup in to saute the vegetables. Once the hard vegies are softened then add the squash to the pot and a chopped bell pepper, if you like that flavor. Pour in one 24 oz bottle of medium or even mile salsa and add between 24 and 32 oz of chicken broth. You can also add corn if you like that flavor.
Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot for a 20 minute simmer. Stir the pot and test for flavor; adjusting for salt and possible pepper or garlic as desired. Cover and continue to simmer over a low heat until ready to serve. Once you're ready to put in bowls you'll want to chop about a cup of fully cooked chicken fajita meat into 1/2 inch chunks. Grate about 1 cup of cheddar cheese and slice one avocado. Ladle the soup into bowls on top of the chicken meat (refrigerated it will warm quickly once the soup is poured over it) and top with cheese and avocado.
We place roasted/toasted portabella mushroom caps which were cut into strips which resemble French fries on top of the cheese and enjoy. The mushrooms were prepared during the boiling process by tossing this with a little extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on a cookie sheet and placed in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. They turn quite dark and just begin to get crisp when they are done.
This soup will be thick and quite tasty. The amounts above provide for two large bowls full.
This particular recipe is one of my favorite "quickie" meals. You see, I watched this one prepared in less than 5 minutes with a stop-watch running as it was a challenge. Yes, the challenge was met.
At our house we like a thick and hearty soup so I'll share it the way I do it. We're just two so the amounts will need to be adjusted according to your guest list.
Cut one zucchini and one yellow squash lengthwise in quarters and then slice the wedges at 1/2 inch intervals. Dice one medium white onion and chop carrots (2-3) into 1/2 inch pieces. Saute' the carrots and onions in two Tbs of olive oil at a medium high setting until the carrots reach the desired tenderness. Use the stock pot you'll be making the soup in to saute the vegetables. Once the hard vegies are softened then add the squash to the pot and a chopped bell pepper, if you like that flavor. Pour in one 24 oz bottle of medium or even mile salsa and add between 24 and 32 oz of chicken broth. You can also add corn if you like that flavor.
Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot for a 20 minute simmer. Stir the pot and test for flavor; adjusting for salt and possible pepper or garlic as desired. Cover and continue to simmer over a low heat until ready to serve. Once you're ready to put in bowls you'll want to chop about a cup of fully cooked chicken fajita meat into 1/2 inch chunks. Grate about 1 cup of cheddar cheese and slice one avocado. Ladle the soup into bowls on top of the chicken meat (refrigerated it will warm quickly once the soup is poured over it) and top with cheese and avocado.
We place roasted/toasted portabella mushroom caps which were cut into strips which resemble French fries on top of the cheese and enjoy. The mushrooms were prepared during the boiling process by tossing this with a little extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on a cookie sheet and placed in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. They turn quite dark and just begin to get crisp when they are done.
This soup will be thick and quite tasty. The amounts above provide for two large bowls full.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Chicken and Squash for supper
I'm not certain what it'll be yet but I have some chicken breast and some squash on hand so let's see what happens.
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Since we're avoiding carbs we'll forgo the rice or pasta that might normally accompany this and that's ok as the squash and chicken will be a satisfying meal.
The skinless/boneless breast fillets were dusted with salt, turmeric, curry powder and ground cumin. They were seared in butter to form a golden crust on the outside and were sprinkled with a small bit of crushed tarragon leaves as they fried in the butter. (not much butter - about two Tbs for the whole batch)
The chicken was allowed to cool just a bit prior to rubbing in a bowl of cranberry sauce (prepared ahead using fresh cranberries, water, zest of a lemon and Splenda) to coat the chicken pieces slightly and they were then placed in a buttered baking dish and baked at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Then the chicken was turned over in the baking dish and the baking continued an additional 15 minutes.
Then the baked chicken was covered with a light coating of blended creme fraiche and half-n-half and also sprinkled with shredded cheese and returned to the oven for an additional 15 minutes at 225 degrees.
The squash was steamed with spices and butter buds.
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Since we're avoiding carbs we'll forgo the rice or pasta that might normally accompany this and that's ok as the squash and chicken will be a satisfying meal.
The skinless/boneless breast fillets were dusted with salt, turmeric, curry powder and ground cumin. They were seared in butter to form a golden crust on the outside and were sprinkled with a small bit of crushed tarragon leaves as they fried in the butter. (not much butter - about two Tbs for the whole batch)
The chicken was allowed to cool just a bit prior to rubbing in a bowl of cranberry sauce (prepared ahead using fresh cranberries, water, zest of a lemon and Splenda) to coat the chicken pieces slightly and they were then placed in a buttered baking dish and baked at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Then the chicken was turned over in the baking dish and the baking continued an additional 15 minutes.
Then the baked chicken was covered with a light coating of blended creme fraiche and half-n-half and also sprinkled with shredded cheese and returned to the oven for an additional 15 minutes at 225 degrees.
The squash was steamed with spices and butter buds.
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