Simply Summer Salad

I will admit that with my job as crazy as it is right now, menu planning and cooking have fallen seriously on the wayside. I have had and still have enough of a stockpile, from careful shopping and taking advantage of great deals, that I'm not shopping meal by meal and we haven't been eating take out (not regularly anyway!). Plus, this summer has been unusually warm for Seattle, so heating up an already hot kitchen is not very appealing. I've just been cooking very simply and it's been nice, actually. Here is a simple salad that makes a healthy, fabulous and quick summer night meal. I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand so it's also my "take along" salad if we get invited to a last minute BBQ at a neighbor's house.

Dressing

1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt/Pepper to taste

I use a small lidded container so that I can put all ingredients together, shake and dress the salad right before serving.

Salad

1 bag mix greens or whatever lettuce you like
1 medium apple, cored and chopped into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup walnuts/pecans *can also be toasted
1/2 cup feta or goat cheese

Make it a main dish: Add one can of chicken or tuna.

Gayle's Grocery Cart Challenge is THE place to get all of your recipe inspiration. She hosts the Friday recipe swap and I always seem to find something new over there. Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

Biscuit Egg Bake

After getting lots of Grands biscuits a few weeks ago at the great Albertson's sale, I started searching for some new and creative recipes to use these up. I found this one on the Pillsbury site, modified it for us and it turned out delicious! This would make a fabulous brunch dish or if you do breakfast for dinner, which we often do.

3 Grands biscuits
5 eggs
1/2 cup water or milk
1 cup Veggies of your choice: I had some collard greens that I chopped and sauteed with 1/2 an onion and 1/2 a red pepper, both chopped
3 sausage patties, chopped
1 tsp dry mustard powder
Salt. pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 8X8 square pan with cooking spray. Cut biscuits into wedges and sprinkle 2 of the cut up biscuits into the pan. I used precooked sausage patties so if yours aren't precooked, I'd cook them 1st and then saute veggies in the same pan until cooked but still firm. Let cool. Whisk the eggs until slightly beaten and then whisk in the water or milk, mustard powder, salt/pepper. Stir in veggies, meat and then pour over biscuits in pan. Top with remaining biscuit wedges. Bake for 30-40 minutes until eggs are firm and top is slightly browned.

You can double this and use all of the biscuits from the can but since it was just my husband and I, I made it on a smaller scale. I thought about freezing part of it, but wasn't sure if the biscuits would tolerate freezing. If you try it, let me know!

The Grocery Cart Challenge is the home of the Friday Recipe Swap for all your cooking ideas! She's got a great post about drying your own fruit this week - I can't wait to try that. Check it out and cook something new this week!

My Version: Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

After having this on my Monday Menu Plan for several weeks, I finally made it and it really was everything I hoped it would be! I always believed that FOS would be difficult to prepare but with this slow cooker method, it's just this simple.

Remember how I had all of that leftover prime rib from our Christmas meal? I cut the leftovers up and froze several different meals including beef/barley soup and stew. This was the most basic with only 2 ingredients: the beef and the onions! A few other ingredients to cook it and you have an elegant soup - only you have to know how easy it really is.

Here is the recipe:

1 cup chopped prime rib
2 medium white onions
2 bouillon cubes
5 cups water
5 tbls corn starch
Salt, to taste
1 baguette or croutons
11/2 cups cheese*


Stir meat, onion, bouillan, corn starch, salt and water in slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Ladle soup into small oven-safebowls and top with bread and then cheese. Broil for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

*A couple of notes: I used mozzarella cheese as it was the only white cheese I had, but it did lack the flavor that a Swiss or gruyere has. I also used the more fatty end of the prime rib, which added great flavor but isn't necessarily everyone's favorite to eat. If you are a purist for FOS then obviously you won't use meat at all but may want to add another bouillan cube for additional flavor.

Rocky Road candy is on the menu today over at the Grocery Cart Challenge - see this and tons of great recipes over there every Friday! Thanks GCC!

Recipe Friday: Shortbread Waffles

We are big pancake fans and my husband is very particular about pancakes made with real buttermilk. Our favorite pancake recipe (which you will probably see in a future post!) uses 3 cups of buttermilk. So when we buy the quart of buttermilk, it leaves us with a weird cup or so of buttermilk leftover. I hate for food to go to waste so when I discovered a delicious shortbread waffle recipe that did not call for buttermilk at all, I modified it to include both whole wheat flour and buttermilk! So here ya go:

1 3/4 cups flour (1/2 regular, 1/2 whole wheat)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 - 1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
*1/2 stick of melted butter (I'm listing this as optional as you can also use a tablespoon of vegetable oil to keep it from sticking to the waffle iron. I usually just spray the iron with cooking spray)

Plug in/turn on waffle iron (mine is set at between 3-4 out of 5 on the heat scale). Beat the eggs until fluffy then beat in the sugars. Stir in the flour by 1/2 cup at a time and then stir in the buttermilk and lemon juice. Batter is super thick - use a 1/2 cup dry measuring cup to place a scoop of batter on the waffle iron. Cook according to your iron's directions. I've found that these actually crisp once they are removed from the iron. I usually serve these with fruit and not syrup (there's already a lot of sugar in there!!).

They freeze really well so any leftovers go into a freezer bag. Pull out of freezer and pop in your toaster for weekend breakfast deliciousness on a busy weekday!

Many thanks go out to Gayle, who hosts The Grocery Cart Challenge recipe swap each Friday. She's got an excellent homemade Ranch dressing recipe this week - go check it out!

Orzo Shrimp Salad

I pine for summer again in the middle of February. This is an easy way to bring back memories of warm evenings. It can be a main dish or a side and is always very popular at a potluck. It can also be made ahead and I've found that the flavor just gets better the more it sits.

1 cup orzo pasta, cooked according to directions
1-2 pounds shrimp, depending on size, peeled and deveined
4 sprigs dill, chopped
1 cucumber, partially peeled** and chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 8oz. containers of feta cheese

1 tbls dijon mustard
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil + enough to drizzle the shrimp
garlic salt
pepper


Cook orzo according to directions and drain. In a large bowl, whisk mustard, lemon juice and olive oil. Pour in hot drained pasta and mix well. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Spread shrimp in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil and garlic salt. Roast shrimp for 5 minutes - do not overcook or shrimp will be tough. *You can use precooked shrimp, just roast for 3-4 minutes - when shrimp start to curl up, they are getting overcooked. Add shrimp, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, dill and feta to pasta and toss well to combine.
**I run a peeler down the length of the cucumber to make stripes, it's partially peeled but still has the wonderful green color of the peel

Don't forget to visit The Grocery Cart Challenge on Fridays for lots of fabulous recipes and ideas!

Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs

I can't believe it's Friday already, thank goodness! This was an experiment recipe that turned out absolutely wonderful. It was so simple and easy to prep and the ribs turned out moist and delicious.

2 baby back rib racks - about 8-10 ribs each, cut down to 4-5 ribs

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

Montreal Steak Seasoning

BBQ or other sauce

Rub Montreal seasoning over meaty side of ribs then arrange in slow cooker so that they all fit. Add brown sugar, vinegar and water. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Remove ribs from slow cooker, place on a cookie sheet and brush with BBQ or other sauce*. Put in oven for 15 minutes to warm the sauce on the ribs.

*Next time I will take the sauce from the slow cooker and boil it down to make a reduction sauce. There was a nice amount of liquid after removing the ribs that would make a wonderful sauce or a gravy, if you like.

Find this and all kinds of other yummy recipes at The Grocery Cart Challenge. Lots of goodness over there this week!

Deluxe Chicken Caesar Salad

We adore Caesar salad at our house. We serve a Caesar almost every time we have friends or family over for dinner. What makes our Caesar so good? It's homemade and absolutely delicious. We use this beautiful seasoned wood salad bowl, shown below, in which we mix up the dressing. It's really easy and once you do it, you'll never want to eat another store bought dressing again.

The best part about a Caesar is that it's excellent on its own but then you can also add meat or another veggie to it and make it a one-stop meal. I added French's onion chicken to this one but we also like grilled chicken, salmon or steak. The versatile salad!

Dressing:

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg* or you can substitute 2 tbls mayonnaise
2/3 to 3/4 cup good olive oil
1 medium lemon
1/2 cup parmesan cheese plus 1/4 cup for garnish
1 tsp dijon mustard

Using a garlic press, press the garlic into a large bowl. We then press the garlic further by using the back of a spoon until garlic "oil" coats the sides. Sprinkle in salt and then crack egg into bowl. Whisk the egg and then slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Squeeze lemon juice into mixture and continue to whisk, adding olive oil 1/4 cup at a time until dressing is thick. Whisk in mustard, then cheese. Add 1-2 heads of chopped, washed romaine lettuce to the bowl and toss thoroughly to combine. Add croutons and your choice of topping for a healthy, lite dinner.

Gayle's Grocery Cart Challenge is always chock full o' recipes and meal planning ideas. She generously hosts the recipe swap each Friday so go check it out and see what other creative cooks are dishing up this week!

*Those with salmonella concerns or other health concerns should not consume products made with raw egg

Slow Cooker Beef & Barley Soup

We had a delicious but very expensive prime rib roast for Christmas dinner - it was a special occasion after all! Since my husband's family was unable to join us for that feast due to weather, we actually had quite a bit left over. I could not bear to see that rich meat go to waste. So I cut it all up, chopped a bunch of onions, carrots, potatoes, celery and divided it all into freezer bags. One will be French Onion soup (check back for that recipe!), 1 will be a beef stew and 2 were designated for Beef & Barley soup. I always loved that soup as a kid and hadn't had it in years!

I'd never actually made this soup before and it turned out better than I had imagined. There's not a ton of meat (because this was a rich cut, but any less expensive stew meat, cut into smaller pieces will be just as good) and the barley really thickens it up. The barley directions said to pre-cook it but I figured that since it was going into the crockpot, that wasn't necessary. I used a concentrated bouillon product called Better than Bouillon but regular bouillon cubes (2 for max flavor)should work just fine.

Slow Cooker Beef & Barley Soup

1 cup beef, cut into cubes/small pieces
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup onion, diced
3/4 cup barley
2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon
4 cups water

Put all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Perfect for those cold winter evenings: warm food, warm soul!

I love the souper (har har) recipes on The Grocery Cart Challenge every week. Go over there for more great ideas and recipes!

Fantasy Banana Bread

When life hands you brown bananas, make banana bread! I often ask the produce employees at the grocery store whether they have any "red band" bananas that sell at a reduced per pound price. They can be frozen in zipper bags for later use, just thaw and mash with a fork.

My friend Melissa gave me a version of this recipe. I modified it to include a little more healthy options whole wheat flour and yogurt instead of sour cream. The original had way more sugar than I feel comfortable with and even with the amount in there now, you still get a nice almost carmelized crust on the bread. Perfect and warm for a cold snowy January day or for a delightful winter brunch.

1 1/2 cup Mashed bananas
3/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Butter
1 cup low fat or non-fat yogurt
2 tsp. baking soda
3 cup Flour
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup chopped nuts (optional)

Blend Butter and sugar, add eggs & yogurt, add flour, baking soda & nuts if you want. Lastly, I stir in the mashed bananas.

Fill TWO loaf pans
Bake at 350 for about an hour

The Grocery Cart Challenge hosts a fantastic recipe swap every week. Lots of great recipes and ideas to help with menu planning!

What have you got for me lately?

We were out of town for the holiday and we missed all the crazy snowy Seattle weather. I had asked a neighbor to collect our mail while we were gone but because of the weather, they didn't deliver - that's how bad it was! It all got delivered today and here's what was in it:

1 Playtex BPA-free bottle
1 Orville Redenbacher's Natural popcorn plus $1.50/2 coupon
1 Free Genesis Juice coupon which also included 1 free container of Toby's Salad Dressing and Toby's Tofu Pate. Not a big pate person but I'll try anything for free!

Most exciting for me was the Pillsbury recipe and coupon book. It is awesome! Includes yummy-looking recipes that I can't wait to try and best of all, $10 worth of coupons for Pillsbury and other General Mills products. You really can't go wrong with this deal. You can still sign up for it here:

$10 in Coupons with the Pillsbury Newsletter

I usually prefer to make my own pie crusts, pizza dough and other bread but since I am a working mom I sometimes have to go the easy route and use pre-made dough. That's where Pillsbury saves me! Their newsletters have easy time-saving recipes and fun meal ideas. Sign up here for the Pillsbury Newsletter and you'll receive $10 in free coupons for their products:

Cucina! Cucina! Chop Chop

The weather has turned cold and rainy and all we've been eating are soups and stews. Delicious and warm? Yes. But sometimes the rain gets me down and I just want to eat like it's summer again!

This is my favorite summer Chop Chop Salad. It's quick to assemble and most importantly, everything can be chopped up ahead of time.

1 head iceberg or romaine lettuce, chopped into small pieces
1/2 can garbonzo beans
5 slices of salami, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 can chicken - or whatever you have leftover
1-2 roma tomato (2 if they're small)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 sprigs fresh basil, also chopped

Put chopped lettuce into bowl and layer other ingredients in order. If you really like garbanzos add the whole can. If I have tahini, I usually turn the rest of the can into a tasty hummus, which can be served with pita bread or chips along with the salad.


Dressing:
1 garlic clove
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 cup vinegar - I like balsamic but red or white wine varieties will work well
1/4 cup olive oil
Pinch of salt, pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning blend - mine is McCormick and it lists marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano and basil

Using a garlic press, squeeze the clove into a container that you can seal and shake. Add mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and seasonings, then add the olive oil. Shake the container vigorously until dressing is combined.
If you like a creamy dressing, add 1 tsp mayonnaise with the mustard.

We don't like a drenched salad, so if there's too much dressing you can always store it in the container in the fridge for another salad venture. Just let it sit at room temp for 15 minutes and then shake again to reincorporate.

Can't you just taste the sunshine?

The Grocery Cart Challenge hosts the greatest recipe swap every Friday - Prego! (Not pregnant, "Thanks" in Italian!)

My Chipotle Grill Carnitas Burrito Bol

The Chipotle Mexican Grill near my work is one of my favorite lunchtime hotspots. It's super delicious and depending on what you get, fairly healthy fare. Unfortunately, the one close to me has no parking! It's cutthroat-mall-parking-lot-at-Christmastime-vicious competition for any spot, let alone one close to the door. I have seen arguments over parking spots in the small lot that also serves the also popular Jamba Juice. Rather than risk my sanity on a daily basis if the lot is too crowded, I just find somewhere else for lunch. This lack of parking and an extreme craving for my favorite Chipotle combo led me to this creation:

2-3 lbs pork tenderloin
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 cup tequila
1/4 cup chicken stock
2-3 limes, juiced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt/Pepper to taste

Pat the tenderloin dry and season with cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Place in the crockpot with the onion and pour in the tequila and lime juice. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. If I am leaving it for more than 6 hours I will add an additional 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock to make sure the pork does not dry out. If you don't want to use the tequila* you could also use all chicken stock. I use forks to pull the meat apart and then let it sit in the juice while I prepare the rest of the dish.

*Don't be concerned about this tasting like alcohol - the alcohol cooks off throughout the day and you get a sweet-spicy meat.

2 cups cooked white or brown rice
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups grated cheddar/jack cheese
Corn Salsa
Sour Cream

The corn salsa is really simple to make: I combine one regular size can of corn, one regular size can of black beans, 1/2 a small chopped red onion, 1 small chopped jalepeno pepper. Stir it all up, pour the juice from a lime over it and let sit for 15 minutes.

To assemble the "bol:" Take 2 scoops of rice and top with pork, corn salsa, cheese, sour cream and top with shredded romaine lettuce. If you are watching your carbs, skip the rice and put the lettuce down first instead.

Ole!

As always, thanks go out to Gayle from The Grocery Cart Challenge who hosts an awesome recipe swap every week. I always enjoy seeing what others are cooking - a great inspiration for trying new meals!

Cucina! Cucina! Lentil Soup

I was never a big fan of lentils until I tried this soup at a Cucina! Cucina! restaurant. Sadly, the Cucina chain is defunct but since I love replicating my restaurant favorites, I knew I had to figure this one out. This is an awesome cold weather crockpot recipe that I prep ahead and just pour into the crockpot in the morning before I take off for work. I have used either chicken or italian pork sausage, both come out delicious. If I have it, I will also add chopped spinach for extra nutrients. For this soup, chopping finely is key - no one even realizes how many great veggies they are getting in this soup. I have also added a creamy option, which was how the original was served.

1 cup carrots, finely diced
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced
11/2 cups chopped spinach
11/2 cups dried lentils
1 lb sausage, chicken or italian pork
32oz chicken stock
1tsp dijon mustard
Red wine vinegar

Optional: Fresh Basil, parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half

Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking into small pieces. Toss all vegetables into crockpot, add browned sausage, stock, mustard and 2-3 splashes of vinegar, salt and pepper (all to taste). Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Creamy version: After cooking on low for 8-10 hours, add 1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half and turn heat to high for 30 minutes.

Serve with a sprinkling of chopped fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

Mangi!

Grazie to The Grocery Cart Challenge for hosting a terrific recipe swap every Friday!

My Version: PF Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I really like going to PF Chang's - usually for lunch. My colleague and I often will just order a meal of appetizers and one of our favorites is the Chicken Lettuce Wraps. I tried making them at home and they were immediately my husband's new favorite meal. They are easy to make ahead and easy to prepare.



I don't think Chang's has vegetables in theirs but I add them for nutrition value and since I grate them pretty finely, I don't think my husband even realizes that there are carrots in there.



***Warning - raw meat discussion ahead for those averse to such talk. I use chicken breasts for this recipe but plan on experimenting with buying less expensive thighs and just taking the meat off the bone. Not sure if this is more hassle than it's worth but willing to give it a try since it all just gets ground up in the food processor anyway.



Note about sauce-y-ness: This sauce can be thickened with corn starch if you like a thicker sauce. We like topping variety with this dish, often using Thai chili sauce (Srichi) and Mae ploy sweet chili sauce for the wraps so I tend to keep the main sauce level low. If you or your kids don't like so spicy, you can do more of the simple soy sauce. You can also do the sauce that they do at PF Chang's: soy sauce with spicy chinese mustard and chili paste.



Make ahead tip: If prepping veggies for another meal, I will cut additional carrots/celery/onion and put them in the fridge to make this meal. If I drag out my old school (seriously, it's circa 1980) food processor for whatever, I will prep the chicken/chestnuts, add the soy sauce and let it marinade overnight.



2 chicken breasts

1 small onion, finely diced

1cup carrots, shredded or grated

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1can water chestnuts

1 1/2 tbls wok or other vegetable oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbls red pepper, or less if you like less spicy

1 head iceberg lettuce

1 cup chow mein noodles



Cut chicken breasts into medium pieces, place in food processor and process until meat is coarsely ground. Add can of water chestnuts and process until combined and chestnuts are ground. Heat oil in a wok or large sauce pan over med-high heat. Add chicken mixture and saute until meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large chunks. Put chicken into a heat proof bowl and set aside. Add remaining 1/2 tbls of oil to wok/pan with onion, carrot and celery. Cook until just soft, then add chicken back to the wok/pan. Pour soy sauce over mixture and simmer 5 minutes.



While chicken is simmering. Separate individual lettuce leaves and wash over a colander or put in a salad spinner. Place individual leaves on a platter and put chicken mixture into a bowl. Assemble wraps by putting chicken mixture on to lettuce and top with sauce and chow mein noodles. De-lish!

Grocery Cart Challenge hosts a great recipe swap every week - thanks for the wonderful ideas!

Lavender-licious

Lemon Lavender Scones were the baking adventure upon which I embarked recently. We planted (ok, my mom did it - she plants, I reap) several different varieties of lavender last year and this year, including a couple that were labeled "culinary." I did not, however, keep track of which ones were which so I just guessed for this recipe.

I like to use a 1/2 and 1/2 combination of unbleached white flour and whole wheat pastry flour. I have a special place in my stomach for Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, it is a finer grained species of wheat flour. If you haven't tried this, I highly recommend it - much healthier for your family.

My original was not lavender-y or lemony enough so I modified the recipe so that more of the lemon and lavender flavor comes out. I glazed the scones with a lemon-powdered sugar glaze.

A word about flour prices: At my local Fred Meyer, prices for Bob's are actually comparable to the regular flour in the bakery section. This includes the bulk section where you can also find whole wheat, albeit not the "pastry" kind that Bob does.

Lemon Lavender Scones

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 stick of butter (cut in small cubes)

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon dried lavender

Preheat oven to 425. Place dry ingredients and butter in food processor and pulse until pea-sized lumps form. Whisk egg and milk together and stream into dry ingredients until sticky dough forms. Turn dough out onto generously floured surface and knead approximately 12 times. Shape dough into a disk about 1/2 inch thick and cut into wedges. Place wedges on baking sheet (greased if you like) and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Cool on rack

Glaze:

Mix 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar, 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice and stripe glaze on scones.

These are a great breakfast treat or perfect for an afternoon of tea with the ladies! Enjoy!