Food For Thought ~ Green & Blue Food

I remember as a kid my mom saying, "Put a rainbow on your plate."  Green salad, red tomatoes, yellow cornbread, white chicken breast off the grill with a splash of magenta bbq sauce!  That was how she encouraged us to eat a variety of fresh foods and to have a diverse selection of nutritious eats at each meal.

Every now and then those words come back to me ... especially during my un-inspired meals when I bring to the table blah foods.  Recently when I served the family rice, chicken and french bread, I was tempted to give everybody a generous squirt of ketchup in an attempt to at least provide two colors to eat from!

Today's Food For Thought will help you add two colors to your dinner:  Green and a dash of Blue.

Enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes
(This is my "guess and by gosh" recipe ... it turned out tasty!)

Ingredients:
2 very green tomatoes, no pink on them
1 cup Panko, Japanese-style bread crumbs
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup flour
Pinch of coarse salt
Olive oil

In the same way that you bread eggplant or chicken, prepare three dishes:  one with the beaten eggs, one with the flour and salt and one with the bread crumbs.  Eat about 1/2 inch of oil in the pan.  Cut the green tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices.

When the oil is hot, dip each slice of tomato in the flour, then the egg and finally in the bread crumbs.  Be sure to get each slice well coated.  Cook in the hot oil for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and let some of the oil whisk away.  I then stacked them in a casserole dish and slid them in to the oven at about 190 degrees to keep them hot until they were ready to be served.  The sharp taste of the green tomatoes coupled with the crispiness of the bread crumbs made this a dish worth making again!

Penne with Pesto, Blue Cheese and Walnuts

(This recipe is from The Dinner Doctor - with a few tweaks.)

Ingredients:

16 oz. box of penne pasta

1 cup walnuts, toasted*

1/2 cup pesto, from the store or homemade

1/4 blue cheese

1/2 pound broccoli or asparagus spears

* To toast the walnuts, put them in a dry skillet and cook over high heat until browned a bit, stirring constantly.  Remove them from the pan immediately to stop them from burning.

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.  During the final 5 minutes of cooking toss in the broccoli or asparagus.  (I chose broccoli this time as it was from our garden ... and it needed a delicious dish to be showcased in!  Asparagus is equally scrumptious!)

In a small bowl combine the pesto and blue cheese.  Use a fork to mash the blue cheese and incorporate it into pesto.

When the pasta and veggies are finished, drain thoroughly.  Return this to the pot and add the pesto mixture.  Toss well and serve immediately.  Top with toasted walnuts.

Those delightful fritters on the side are made from zucchini from our garden.  Here's how...

Zucchini Fritters

(This recipe is from Food Network Magazine, July/August 2010 with a few adjustments.)

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini, grated

2 tsp. salt

4 scallions, chopped

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup flour

Olive oil

Place the grated zucchini in a colander in the sink and toss with the salt.  Let the zucchini drip into the sink for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat 1/2 inch of olive oil in a skillet.

In a medium bowl, combine the scallions, egg, cheese and flour.  Squeeze the excess water from the zucchini and add to the bowl.  Mix well.

When the oil is hot, spoon about 1/3 cup of the fritter mixture into little mounds in the oil.  Flatten with a spatula and let cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.  Drain on paper towels and season with a pinch of salt.  Delish!

Apple Slaw

(This recipe was inspired by one in Food Network Magazine, October 2011 ... with a variety of tweaks!)

Ingredients:

4 apples, chopped (I chose Granny Smith)

1 large head endive, chopped

1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted

1 cup blue cheese

Vinaigrette (below)

Coarse salt and ground pepper taste

Vinaigrette:

3 T. honey

2 T. rice vinegar

1 T. dijon mustard

2/3 cup olive oil

Coarse salt and ground pepper taste

Whisk together the honey, vinegar and mustard.  Add the oil slowly, whisking well.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the apples, endive, walnuts, blue cheese.  Add enough vinaigrette to coat.  The tart apples with bitter endive and rich blue cheese was a delightful mouthful!

Enjoy your rainbow plate today!

Food For Thought

My family enjoyed a trip downtown last night.  Moseying along through the farmer's market, hearing some live music and walking off a little ice cream treat!  Seeing all that fresh produce (while still savoring my non-veggie deliciousness ...) is a reminder to me of the Joy of the Summer Salad!  This time of year, it is such a delight to toss together fresh ingredients (some from our very own garden) and savor a bit of summer.

Here are three salads we've had recently.  The first is an old favorite while the other two are new to our family ... but sure to become old favorites!

Hope you're inspired to enjoy your veggies ... so you can enjoy your ice cream, too!

Taco Salad
(A family recipe, i.e. "whatever I have in the kitchen".)

Ingredients:
Lettuce (we use ice berg or romaine)
Tomatoes
Scallions
Ground Beef, cooked and seasoned to taste
Black beans, drained and rinsed
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour cream
Salsa & Guacamole (here are our favorites)
Lime, quartered
Anything else that says "taco" to you!

Pile the chopped lettuce in a bowl and top with any and all of the above.  Brett and I enjoy this dinner in place of the tacos or burritos the kids are having.  We get all the good stuff with a few less carbs ... makes us feel a little bit healthier!

The fresh squeezed lime makes all the difference!

Blue Cheese & Walnut Coleslaw

(This recipe is from "The Dinner Doctor", with a few adjustments.)

Ingredients:

1 package coleslaw mix (or 1 small cabbage, shredded)

1/3 cup walnut pieces

1 small jicama, peeled and grated

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

Black pepper

First, toast the walnuts.  Place the walnuts in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat.  Stir slowly while they toast.  When their skins darken, they are ready.  Transfer to a small bowl to cool.

Combine the dressing and blue cheese in a large bowl and mix until the cheese is incorporated throughout the dressing.  Add the cabbage, jicama and stir well.  Sprinkle with black pepper to taste and top with toasted walnuts.  A delicious addition to any picnic!

The jicama is a delicious and refreshing surprise!

Cauliflower Tabouli

(This recipe is from Food Network Magazine, May 2010, with a few adjustments.)

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

1/3 cucumber, chopped

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 T. olive oil

2 T. soy sauce

2 green onions, chopped
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt & Pepper

Grate the cauliflower on a box grater.  The cauliflower will be in grain-sized pieces.

Great grated cauliflower!

Add the remaining ingredients and toss well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  I was pretty thrilled with the flavor of this dish.  A great substitute for bulgur wheat tabouli, without sacrificing any of the flavor!

Not a grain to be found ... but you don't miss it!

Food For Thought

It's been a little while since I've been in touch with my foodie-side.  I've missed her. :)  We had been so busy with VBSing, traveling, water-parking, traveling, recovering and laundering that we had also been scrounging, left-overing and sandwiching.  Until this week.

My aunt, uncle and cousin were in town and suddenly my dinner inspiration kicked in and I jumped back into actual cooking.  Mommy's happy slicing and dicing in the kitchen; my family is happy eating fresh and good-for-you meals ... Everybody wins!

This week, we enjoyed a few of my favorites:

Southwestern Slaw
Cold Curry-Peanut Salad
Fiery Broccoli (in place of green beans ... and equally tasty and toasty)

Now I'm back into the groove of cooking again and ready to try out some new flavors and foods.

Here are a few new salads to freshen up your main courses ... and to add a little green to your plate.

Creamy Spring Peas

(This recipe is from Food Network, April 2011, with a few tweaks to lighten it up.)

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen peas

1 lb sugar snap peas

1/2 lb snow peas, trimmed and thinly sliced

5 slices of bacon

2 T flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup evaporated milk

Juice of one lemon

Freshly ground pepper

Kosher salt

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set it aside.  Fill a large pot with water (with a pinch of salt) and set to boil.  When the water is at a rolling boil, add the snap peas and cook for 2 minutes.  Then add the snow peas and cook for a mere 30 seconds.  Drain the peas and then dump them into the ice water to cool them quickly and retain their beautiful bright green color.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon.  Once crisp, set the bacon aside on a paper towel and then chop coarsely.  In the bacon drippings, add the flour and cook over medium-high heat until toasted.  Whisk in the chicken broth and evaporated milk.  Stir well to remove any lumps and then cook over medium heat until the mixture is reduced by 1/3, about 5 minutes.

Drain the cooling peas and add them to the creamy mixture along with the frozen peas.  Cook (stirring constantly) until heated through - about 5 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Top with the chopped bacon before serving.

In this case, it's easy being green.

Peas & Sprouts

(This recipe is something I threw together to add a little summer to a recent dinner.)

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen peas

1 lb frozen brussel sprouts

2 roma tomatoes, diced

Rice vinegar

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.

Microwave the peas according to the package instructions and then plunge them into the ice water to stop them from cooking.  Do the same with the brussel sprouts.  Once the sprouts are chilled, cut them into quarters with a paring knife.  Toss the peas and sprouts together in a serving bowl with the tomatoes.  Add a splash of vinegar, oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Simple, but scrumptious!

Broccoli Waldorf Salad

(This is an old family recipe.  And a favorite in the summer time.)

Ingredients:

4 crowns of broccoli, chopped

1 granny smith apple, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts

3/4 cup mayonaise

1 T sugar

2 T vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, apple, onion, celery, raisins and walnuts.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayo, sugar and vinegar.  Pour this mixture over the salad and toss well.  Refrigerate for one hour before serving to allow the dressing to mingle.

Proof that it's okay to mix fruits and veggies.

Starstruck Edamame Salad

(This recipe is from Food Network, June 2011, with a few tweaks.)

Ingredients:

8 oz small pasta (I used stelline ... adorable little stars!)

2 cups frozen edamame, thawed

1 cup cilantro, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup parmesan

1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

In a medium sized pot, prepare the pasta according to the package instructions.  During the final minute of cooking, add the edamame.  Drain the mixture and transfer to a large bowl.  Add the cilantro, green onions, oil, parmesan and lemon zest.  Mix well and then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Warm and refreshing at the same time!

Food For Thought

A few weeks ago I shared with you several cole slaw recipes ... and received some rave reviews!  Thanks! In the spirit of warm weather hopefulness :) I thought I would share with you a few more summer-time favorites!

Lots of veggies.  Not a lot of cooking.  

And the fresh taste of summer.  Dig in!

Pasta Salad

(This recipe is one of those "a little of this & a little of that" meals ... never the same twice!)

Ingredients:

16 oz pasta of your choice

Veggies of your choice, chopped into bite-sized pieces:

Tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, bell peppers, olives, mushrooms, green onions, avocados, zucchini, broccoli, etc.

Meats & Cheese of your choice:

Chopped kielbasa, cubed ham, cubed chicken, cubed cheddar, shredded mozzarella, crumbled feta, crumbled blue cheese, etc.

Olive oil

Vinegar

Italian seasoning

Garlic clove, minced

For this particular pasta salad, I used:  rigatoni pasta, cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion and shredded mozzarella.  Prepare the pasta according the package instructions.  When cooked, drain and rinse with cold water.  Let the pasta sit in a colander over the sink to drain well.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add your chopped veggies, meats and cheeses.  Drizzle with about 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of vinegar.  Add a generous shake of Italian seasoning and the clove of garlic.  Give this a good stir - it will be very loose and soupy.  Add the pasta and toss well to coat.  I like to let the salad refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors mingle.  If the pasta seems a bit dry when it's time to serve, just add a splash more oil and vinegar.

Simple splendidness ...

Tuna Noodle Salad

(This recipe is one my mom makes regularly during the summer.  And one of my favorites!)

Ingredients:

16 oz pasta of your choice (We used bow-tie pasta this time.)

1 package of tuna (I like the tuna in the pouch ... more fresh tasting.)

1/2 cup cubed cheddar cheese

1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

Salt

Pepper

Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions.  During the last 5 minutes, pop in the peas and let them cook with the pasta.  When finished, drain and rinse with cold water. Let the pasta & peas sit in the colander in the sink and drain.

In a large bowl, combine the tuna, cheese, onions and cucumbers.  Add the mayo, sour cream and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Mix this well.  It should seem overly creamy so that it will also be able to coat the noodles well.

Add the noodles and mix well.  I let the salad sit in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors mingle.  Even my kids like this salad ... they don't even notice the tuna! :)

Creamy deliciousness ...

Tomato & Olive Tapanade

(I served this at a get together ... and brought home an empty bowl.)

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes, chopped

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup olives, sliced

1/4 cup blue cheese

Olive oil

Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Crusty bread

Toss the veggies and cheese together in a medium sized bowl.  Drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a splash of vinegar.  Add a little salt and pepper to taste and stir well.  Let this mixture sit on the counter for about an hour to get to room temperature.  Stir once more before serving.

I sliced the crusty baguette into 1/2 inch slices and used it as a delicious vehicle for consuming all the tomatoey, olivey, blue cheesey goodness. :)

Flavorful bites ...

Roasted Asparagus

(This isn't so much a recipe as it is brief instructions on how to eat an entire pound of asparagus all by yourself!)

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh asparagus

Olive oil

Coarse salt

Crushed pepper

Break off the woody ends of each asparagus by gently bending each stalk.  The asparagus will snap off right where the texture goes from tough to tender.  Rinse the asparagus in the sink and let it drain for a few minutes.  Give them a good shake before spreading them out on a cookie sheet.

Make sure the asparagus are in a single layer for even roasting.  (They cook quickly enough that you can do additional batches, in necessary.)  Drizzle the stalks with a little olive oil and then toss the stalks around with your hands to get them evenly coated.  Next sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the entire pan.

Now, pop them in the oven set to broil.  Leave the oven door open a crack so that you can keep an eye on them.  After about 3-4 minutes, slide them out and move them around a little with a set of tongs to allow them a chance to be roasted on all sides.  Pop them back in for about 3-4 minutes.  

You are looking for the asparagus to be a bright green color with little flecks of black from the roasting ... but not mushy.  I like my asparagus to still be a little crispy when I bit into it.  Something like this:

A plate full of spring!

Food For Thought

We have enjoyed sunshine all week.  All week.  And not the deceivingly icy sunshine, but that actual warm, toasty, "aaaahhhh" sunshine.  We are back to walking up to school to get the kids in the afternoon and I am enjoying the heart-pumping hill-climb with the double stroller and the feeling of being a bit glisteny when we roll up to the crosswalk.  I think spring has finally sprung and I'm happy!

In light of the promise of warmer weather, I thought that I would highlight a few iconic summer-time picnic foods over the next couple of weeks.  You know ... the power of positive thinking, "It will be spring.  It will be spring.  It will be spring."  Perhaps if we woo the season along with the promise of summer food, it will speed up the thawing process!

Anyway ... one of our favorite sides for summer bbq's and picnics is coleslaw.  It's quick.  It's easy.  And, it's tasty.  Without further ado ... I give you not ONE, but FOUR coleslaws to choose from.  Get ready to drool!

FYI:  To chop the cabbage, I like to run it through my food processor.  Cut the head in half and then each half into quarters.  Stand each quarter up and cut out the core.  Run each quarter through the food processor using the blade (not the grater) or chop it into thin slices with your chef knife.

FYI.2:  Not many pics this week ... sorry.  We were too busy eating to take pictures! :)

Traditional Coleslaw
(This recipe comes from my mom ... which means "it's a little of this and a little of that".)

Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage, shredded
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt (I use Kosher.)
Ground pepper
Dill weed

Toss the cabbage and onion in a large bowl.  Splash about 1/4 cup of vinegar and drizzle about 1/4 cup of olive oil over the cabbage.  Give a generous pinch of salt, four good cranks on the pepper grinder and about 2 tsp of dill weed.  (You can always go back and add more later.)

Now, using your hands, scrunch the coleslaw and mix it all together well.  By using your hands, you will bruise the cabbage a bit and help the softening and marinading process to speed up.  Also the oil is good for your hands! :)  Refrigerate for several hours and let the flavors mingle.

Crunchy Cabbage Salad

(This recipe came from my friend Krystal at my bridal shower.)

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage, shredded

2 oz. slivered almonds, toasted

3 T. sesame seeds, toasted

2 packages of ramen noodles, chicken flavored

Dressing:

Flavor packets from ramen

3 T vinegar

1/2 cup oil

2 T sugar

Dash of pepper

Combine the cabbage, almonds, sesame seeds and broken up noodles.  Mix the dressing and drizzle over the salad.  Use your hands to mix the salad well.  I like to let this refrigerate for about an hour ... but not much longer or the noodles will be soft.  Not that it matters much ... this salad is really good the next day, mushy noodles and all!

See that little ramen noodle there? ... crunch! :)

Southwestern Slaw

(This recipe is from The Dinner Doctor, page 130.)

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage, shredded 

OR 16 oz package of coleslaw mix (super easy!!)

1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced

1 t. cumin

1/2 cup bottled ranch dressing

1 ripe avocado, cubed

Salt

Black pepper

Chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 lime, juiced

Toss this all together and gently stir.  This is one slaw that you don't want to use your hands, because you want to be gentle with the avocado.  Also ... don't be deceived by the small amount of ranch dress you will use.  As the cabbage softens, it releases some of its moisture and helps the dressing to coat all the salad.  The avocado will brown a bit, so be sure to make this just about an hour before serving.  This was a fresh twist to the typical coleslaw.

Little hidden bits of avocado-y goodness!

Macaroni Coleslaw

(This recipe came from Taste of Home Cookbook 2009 ... with a few tweaks.)

Ingredients:

7 oz. macaroni noodles

16 oz. coleslaw mix

2 medium onions, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

8 oz. water chestnuts, chopped

Dressing:

1 1/2 cup mayo

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Combine the veggies in a large bowl.  Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix well.  Refrigerate several hours.  Pretty simple!


What I like about this recipe is that you can choose to leave out the coleslaw mix if you don't care for cabbage and you can still have the slaw taste with the noodles instead.  We had this recently at a family gathering and it was devoured!

Food For Thought

It has been yet another wild and woolly week!  And my kids are home again ... don't they ever go to school?!? :)  Between bringing food to MOPS, bringing food to school for conferences, preparing food for Norah's tea party and prepping dinner for her birthday party and baking a chocolate cake x2 ... I'm almost fooded out!  But, I wanted to share some yummy recipes with you anyway.  So, I will take a little break from Halloween costume construction to share this with you.  In light of the craziness of the week, I am posting this "Food For Thought" a day early, but I'm sure you won't mind too much.  :)

This week's food post is all about salads ... some of my favorites for their simplicity and flavor.  Enjoy!

Creamy Coleslaw
(This is an original creation ... sort of reminiscent of KFC, but different.)
Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage
1 bunch of cilantro leaves, rinsed
Splash of vinegar
1/4 cup mayo
1 T. sugar
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Chopped and ready

The secret weapon!

Cut the cabbage into quarters.  Cut the core out of the cabbage and send the sections through your food processor (or chop it fine).  Put this in a large bowl (you will want enough room to add the remaining ingredients and still be able to mix it well.)  Chop the cilantro leaves and add that to the cabbage.  In a small bowl (I used my Pyrex measuring cup) add the vinegar, mayo and sugar.  Mix well.  You should have a watery mixture to add to the salad.  Add a bit more of each if it doesn't look like enough.  Pour this mixture over the cabbage.  Now to get a bit dirty. :)  Using your hands, scrunch the coleslaw and mix the sauce into it.  By using your hands you will gently bruise the cabbage and speed up the marinating process.  When well mixed, add a dash of salt and pepper and mix again.  Refrigerate the salad for a few hours and stir well before serving.  Yum!  We serve this with anything off the grill ... a cool and refreshing salad.

Fresh, Creamy Goodness

"Everything But the Kitchen Sink" Pasta Salad

(This is also an original creation ... and is a tad bit different every time I make it.)

Ingredients:

16 oz pasta (rotini, elbows, fusilli ... you pick!)

3 T. vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt & Pepper, to taste

And ... whatever you want to toss in!

Here are some ideas:

Chopped tomatoes,

Chopped cucumbers,

Sliced olives,

Chopped green onions,

Chopped peppers,

Feta or Blue cheese,

Chopped kielbasa sausage,

Chopped avocado,

Shredded cheddar cheese,

Chopped sun dried tomatoes,

Chopped artichoke hearts,

You get the idea! :)

Prepare pasta according to the instructions on the box.  When the noodles are cooked, drain them in a colander and rinse with cool water.  Dump the drained and cooled noodles into a large bowl.  You will want to drizzle a little olive oil over the noodles and give them a quick stir so they don't stick together while you prepare the rest.  Choose the veggies/meat/cheese you want and add to the noodles (I scope out my pantry and add whatever sounds good!).  Mix the vinaigrette in a small bowl and then add to the noodles and veggies.  Give it a good stir and then let it chill and marinade in the refrigerator for a few hours.

I had three different pasta salads going together in my kitchen the other morning.  So my apologies to anyone who is one of our teachers, a MOPS attender and lives in my home ... your dinners have been a bit redundant! :)

Campanelle, Rotini & Rigatoni

Crispy Chicken Salad

(This is one of my favorites and was inspired by a Wendy's salad, actually!)

Ingredients:

Easy ingredients ...

Romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped

Breaded chicken, cooked (There is a Kroeger brand in the freezer section that we use.)

1 can of mandarine oranges, drained

1 cucumber, chopped

Green onions, chopped
Sugar snap peas, cut into thirds

Chow Mein noodles

Asian Salad Dressing
I also like feta cheese with this, but didn't have any on hand this week.

We served this with toasted pitas* on the side.

Fill salad bowls with the chopped lettuce and top with oranges, cucumber, peas and green onions.  After baking the breaded chicken according to the package instructions, let it cool and then chop it into bite-sized pieces.  Top the salads with chicken, noodles and drizzle with salad dressing.  I like this salad option because it's easy to transform it into an easy kids meal:  crispy chicken fingers, cucumber to dip, mandarin oranges for a treat and pita bread on the side.  Everybody is happy!

*To toast pitas, lay them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle a little olive oil on each one and brush with basting brush to make sure they are well coated.  Sprinkle them with a little coarse salt and then broil them until crispy.

Delicious salad!

One of the best parts about these salads is that they are not dependent on summer's fresh produce (although that does make them better!) and so you can enjoy these recipes even this Fall and Winter.  Add one to a casserole this week and freshen up your dinner!