Author Archives: Patti

SPICY LEMON SHRIMP WITH PASTA

Leave a reply

In my last post (Lemon and Caper Sautéed Halibut Cheeks), I mentioned that I sometimes used kind of a formula for cooking seafood and chicken when I wanted to prepare a simple entrée without giving it too much thought. (The older I get, the lazier I’ve become. I’m actually OK with that!)

Anyway, this is another one of those recipes that almost wrote itself since I have been making a version of this for just about forever. (Or as I am fond of saying – since God was a child!)

It uses ingredients I have on hand about 99% of the time. Even the shrimp, since I can buy frozen 1 pound packages of large uncooked shrimp from my local IGA. And shallots and fresh garlic play such a large part in my every day cooking, I almost break out in hives if my supply even starts to get low. Same with all the other star ingredients in this dish. I mean really, can you even imagine being without fresh lemons or Parmesan cheese?!?! It boggles the mind!

So the other day when I was contemplating a dinner I could quickly fix and serve because Mr. C. had only a short window of time in which to grab dinner between rehearsals, I came up with this recipe. At about the same time I realized that I had yet to write out how I prepared this dish and share it with you. So behold – a dish that is ever so easy to prepare, and tastes like a million dollars. And I’m sorry it took me so long to get this recipe out to you. Shame on me!

On a serious note: Please understand. I was being quite flip about having all my favorite ingredients always at the ready.  But I do understand, and fully appreciate that I am in the minority when it comes to even having enough food to eat. Much less being able to buy and consume any type of food just for the effort of driving to my local grocery store. But please know. I care a great deal about what is happening around the world to those less fortunate than myself. But one way I remain sane during these difficult times, is to interject a bit of levity into my writing and hope that in doing so I lift your spirits a bit too. Keep praying for peace. My love to all.

1 T. unsalted butter

1 small shallot, peeled and finely chopped

3 lg. cloves garlic, finely minced

1 lb. lg. raw shrimp, peeled with tails removed

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional if you can’t stand the heat)

¼ c. chicken or fish stock

¼ c. dry white wine

zest of 1 lg. lemon

2 T. fresh lemon juice

6 oz. pasta, cooked al dente in salted water

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

¼ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until the shrimp are pink on both sides and no longer opaque.

Add the chicken stock, wine, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let cook for a minute or two to allow the sauce to boil down a bit. Remove from heat.

Stir in the cooked pasta, adjust seasoning, and serve immediately topped with the parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Lessons I have learned about cooking pasta: Perfectly cooked pasta is actually one of the most important parts of this or any other pasta dish. (And please don’t let the time directions on the pasta package be your only guide for cooking pasta to the al dente stage. Biting into the pasta is still the best way to tell if your pasta is done to your liking.)

So stir your lightly boiling pasta frequently and taste often. Then drain immediately and add the still hot pasta to your sauce. Or for cold pasta dishes, pour the pasta into a colander and run cold tap water over the colander until every bit of the pasta is cooled. Then let the pasta drain and use it immediately or refrigerate until needed.

When your dish calls for hot pasta: Never make your al dente pasta (or molto al dente pasta if your pasta dish is not going to be served almost immediately) sit in its cooking water or having been drained, sit in a colander while you finish your sauce. If anything, make the sauce wait for the pasta to become al dente. Then quickly drain the perfectly cooked pasta and add it to your sauce. Or do like I do, and lift the pasta out of the cooking water with a fine meshed strainer or pair of tongs and transfer it directly to the sauce. Also, don’t forget to save at least a cup of the pasta water. You might need some of the starchy water to thin your sauce to desired thickness.  

When your dish calls for cooled pasta: (like for a pasta salad)

As soon as your pasta is perfectly cooked, pour it into a colander in your sink. Turn on the cold water, and let it flow until all of the pasta is cool to the touch. Then either refrigerate the cooked pasta or use it immediately in whatever dish you are preparing.

 

LEMON AND CAPER SAUTÉED HALIBUT CHEEKS

Leave a reply

The other day when Mr. C. and I were grocery shopping and standing in front of the fresh seafood counter deciding on which fish to buy for our evening meal, I asked my dear husband to make the choice. After no hesitation whatsoever he chose halibut cheeks. Yikes – no pressure there! (I’m still, after all my years spent in front of a stove, slightly intimidated by cuts of meat and critters caught in salt or fresh water that cost more than $20 a pound. Foolish as that may seem, it is never-the-less a fact.)

So, with only the pressure of my own insecurities weighing me down, I decided to stick to a very simple formula I use a lot when preparing seafood or chicken. Butter + lemon + capers + white wine = delicious² (squared). Thus the recipe you see before you.

Now of course you don’t have to use halibut cheeks in this recipe. You can use halibut fillets, or cod, or salmon, or catfish, or whatever relatively firm fleshed seafood that is fresh and on sale that day. Oh wait – that’s how I usually decide which creature from the deep lagoon I’m going to take home with me. I peruse the offerings, check to see which are fresh caught and where, ask questions of the fishmonger if necessary, and almost always choose the “catch of the day” aka the one on sale. You, on the other hand can choose any old kind of fish you want for this dish! And enough about my foibles. Back to this recipe.

This dish is easy to prepare, takes very little time to fix, contains easily obtainable ingredients, and pairs well with rice and a simple salad or steamed vegetable. (Makes for a dinner that takes no time at all to get on the table.)

This recipe is basically da bomb! Enjoy.

1 lb. halibut cheeks

1/3 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch paprika

2 T. unsalted butter

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. capers, drained

2 T. dry white wine

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

Whisk the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika together in a small flat bottomed dish. Lightly flour each cheek, then gently tap away any excess flour.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Swirl the pan around until the butter and oil are mixed and bubbly.

Place the halibut cheeks into the bubbly butter and cook for a minute or two. Flip then add the capers, white wine, and lemon juice. Time will vary depending on the size of the pieces but to make certain the cheeks are at perfect temperature (about 125 degrees), use an instant-read thermometer. Remove pan from heat, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

HEALTHY GROUND TURKEY MEATBALLS IN HOMEMADE MARINARA SAUCE

Leave a reply

This is a low fat recipe. Both the meatballs and the sauce are basically good for you. Now what you serve them on can be a different story. But I’ll get to that later. For now let’s just concern ourselves with the meatballs and sauce.

First the meatballs. What can I say except I probably have never met a meatball I didn’t like. OK, that’s not true. Let me re-state that. I have never met a homemade meatball I didn’t like. I have unfortunately met quite a few mass produced meatballs that, well frankly, I wouldn’t give to a dog. (And I’m not crazy about dogs.)

But homemade meatballs. Ahhhhh. They are routinely delightful. And these ground turkey meatballs are no exception. Thanks to the Culinary Hill web site for this terrific meatball recipe.

Now on to the marinara sauce. This is my “go to”, never fails me, always loved by one and all, never to be changed, simple, always in style, Italian to the core, decades old recipe for marinara sauce. (If that description doesn’t win you over, I haven’t a ghost of a chance of converting you to my thinking, so leave this post immediately.)

But if you are still with me, this is the sauce for you.

Now onto what to serve these delightful meatballs and this incredible sauce on. (And yes I know not to ever, ever end a sentence with a dangling participle. But shucks, I only minored in English in college, so cut me some slack!) Anyway…..

If you are truly concerned about healthy eating, you can always serve these meatballs and this sauce on spaghetti squash, quinoa, black beans, or shirataki noodles. (Haven’t tasted shirataki noodles myself, but what I have read scares the heck out of me, so you will have to venture into this uncharted territory with someone else as your guide.) But if you are like me, and want to stick to the real reason meatballs and sauce were invented in the first place, let’s talk pasta. (And yes I know, pasta gets a lot of bad press.) But from everything I’ve read and heard, foods we eat affect our blood sugar. And since pasta is a high carbohydrate food, diabetics particularly need to watch portion sizes so their blood sugar levels don’t spike.

But pasta itself is a lower glycemic index food. And eating food with a lower glycemic index can help keep blood sugars more stable than eating foods on the higher glycemic index scale. So here’s the good news. Cooking pasta al dente, which I always recommend, helps keep blood sugar in better control. Plus, when pasta is cooked al dente, it remains firmer for better texture, mouth feel, and taste. So for those of you who are especially concerned, but don’t want to entirely give up pasta, always cook pasta al dente, if not molto al dente, and reduce the quantity you normally consume.

For more information, go on line. There is more information about pasta being OK (within limits) than you can ever hope to read. Also there are some great articles on how to cook pasta al dente. Actually molto al dente is best when you are adding the pasta to a sauce. I recommend an article written by Alex Delany for Bon Appétit magazine – December 14, 2017. Good information.

I hope you enjoy these recipes. Happy eating everyone.

Meatballs Recipe:

½ c. finely minced onion

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/3 c. minced fresh parsley

2 lg. eggs

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 c. rolled oats

2 lbs. ground turkey or chicken (93% lean)

extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the onion, garlic, parsley, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano, seasoned salt, and pepper.

Stir in the oats and ground turkey. Mix well, but don’t over work the meat. Using a small ice cream scoop, plop meatballs on a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, gently slather each meatball with olive oil.

Bake the meatballs in a pre-heated 400 degree oven until browned and cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes (an internal thermometer should read 155 degrees). Remove from oven and use immediately, or allow to cool and refrigerate or freeze.

To freeze the meatballs:

Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, not touching. Freeze until solid, about 1 hour, then transfer to a freezer-safe container and store up to 1 month.

Marinara Sauce Recipe:

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

½ c. chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (28-oz.) can chopped or diced tomatoes (Italian tomatoes preferably)

1 bay leaf

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. dried oregano (I use Mexican oregano)

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

3 T. chopped fresh basil leaves

1-2 T. butter, opt.

In a large covered sauce pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. (Take the lid off part way if the sauce is too thin or allow to gently burble away until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.) Remove from heat, discard bay leaf, add the basil, and adjust seasoning. If the sauce tastes acidic, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavor.

 

GF PEANUT BUTTER, CHOCOLATE CHIP, AND WALNUT OATMEAL COOKIES

1 Reply

So having just posted a recipe for a healthy (relatively speaking) carrot bread, I thought I would follow that recipe with a “less-bad-for-you” chocolate chip cookie option. I found this recipe on the Cookie and Kate web site.  

Now, if you didn’t happen to catch my last post, let me just explain that in my endeavor to keep us as healthy as possible as we grow older (at an ever increasing rate of speed I might add), I’m trying to cook and bake with our over-all health in mind.

But it’s not easy. We are very, very spoiled. We love good food and drink, and don’t at all appreciate not being able to eat and drink as we please. But Mother Nature is not on our side in this regard. “She who must be obeyed” has made it abundantly clear that we are not in charge – “she” is! For instance, my stomach doesn’t handle refined sugar very well anymore. And wine – suffice it to say I usually don’t partake. Grrrrr!

But, and here’s the good part – I know how to cook. And there are a world of great recipes out there written by health conscience (and yes I know it should be health-conscious, but I like my word for it better) people much more creative than me. And they take their healthy cooking very, very seriously. (And bless them for it!) And this recipe is proof of what I speak.

The only change I made to Kates recipe was to substitute dark chocolate chips for semi-sweet chocolate chips and add coconut and nuts.

So I made these cookies for our trailer trip. And they were so darn good I couldn’t believe there was no flour, brown or white sugar, and just 4 tablespoons of butter in the whole darn mess. Amazing.

So if you want to continue to feel like you can eat anything you want, I would recommend you give these cookies a try. They are really good and since you should keep them in the freezer, you might not be as tempted to eat as many since they won’t be in the heart of your kitchen – the cookie jar!

So go on. Take a chance. But no, they won’t ever replace a butter rich, soft and chewy cookie loaded with chocolate chips. But they don’t taste like sawdust either. And – they are better for you. Of course, these cookies will never be considered good for you. That’s a given. But better works for me. Hope it works for you too.

2/3 c. real maple syrup

2/3 c. natural peanut butter

4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 lg. egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. fine-grain sea salt

1¼ c. old-fashioned rolled oats*, ground for 30 seconds in a food processor or blender

1½ c. old-fashioned rolled oats*

½ c. coconut

1 c. dark chocolate chips

1 c. chopped walnuts

Whisk the maple syrup, peanut butter, and melted butter together in a mixing bowl. Beat in the egg, scraping down the side of the bowl once it’s incorporated. Stir in the vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Using a large heavy spoon, stir in the ground oats, rolled oats, coconut, chocolate chips, and walnuts until they are evenly combined.

Using an ice cream scoop, drop the dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Bake the cookies in a pre-heated 350 degree oven until they are barely set and just beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool completely on the pans. Store in an airtight container in your freezer.

*Reminder: If you are gluten intolerant, make sure you buy oats that have been certified as gluten free.

HEALTHY CARROT QUICK BREAD

Leave a reply

True confession time. I could eat carrot cake with cream cheese frosting every day of my life if weight and remaining healthy were not a concern. But since they are, I probably only bake a carrot cake once a year. But when I do – watch out baby. Because carrot cake is good 3 times a day – for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I really can’t stop myself. I like carrot cake that much!

So when I was preparing food for our last trailer trip, I thought a healthy (emphasis on healthy) quick bread would be nice to have along. Quick breads (think banana bread) are perfect with breakfast, for an elevenses snack with a cup of coffee, or even for dessert. So then, what quick bread to fix? And for whatever reason, I thought about how much I love carrot cake. Which then naturally led me to – why not a carrot bread?

Now I had never thought about a carrot bread before, much less tasted one (that I can remember), but the idea of a carrot quick bread was like a revelation. Maybe all those lovely carrot cake ingredients could be magically transformed into something I could enjoy more often than once a year! Then, I couldn’t imagine that someone out there wasn’t already several steps ahead of me in developing a recipe. So I went on line. And I found a recipe on the An Oregon Cottage web site that was almost what I was looking for. So I started with Jami’s recipe and added my own special touches. And I came up with the recipe I am sharing with you today. (Is that applause I hear coming from your computer?)

So to make a long story short, we cut into this bread for breakfast one morning while on our trip, and there was much rejoicing in the Carr trailer with our first bite.

Now understand, this carrot bread is never going to take the place of carrot cake with its moist and delicious texture and cream cheese frosting to die for. Never in a million years. However, not wanting either of us to die any time in the near future mandates a change in our way of thinking about food. And I’m thinking this bread is a pretty darn good way to enjoy the wonderful flavor of carrot cake without having the little devil that lives on my left shoulder applauding my lack of self-control, while the little angel who sits on my other shoulder weeps uncontrollably into a soggy Kleenex!

So if you love carrot cake, and happen to be looking for a quick bread with lots of carrot cake flavor, that’s easy to prepare, and contains considerably less carbohydrates than “the real thing”, this recipe is for you. And yes, you can add a bit of frosting or glaze to the top of this delicious bread. But you’re not going to get a recipe from me. I have enough to deal with from my own little devil. I don’t need yours hounding me too! (Enjoy the recipe and love and peace to all.)

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour*

2 tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. allspice

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ c. sour cream

½ c. real maple syrup

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted  

1 lg. egg

2½ c. shredded carrots

¼ c. golden raisins

¼ c. shredded coconut

½ c. chopped walnuts or pecans  

cooking spray

Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg together in a large bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, maple syrup, melted and cooled butter, and egg. Pour the sour cream mixture over the dry ingredients and mix just until just combined. Fold in the carrots along with the golden raisins, coconut, and walnuts. (The dough will be very thick.)

Spread the dough evenly into a large loaf pan or two smaller loaf pans that have been coated with cooking spray. Level off the tops with an offset spatula.    

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 50 to 65 minutes (depending on the size of your pan or pans) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a metal rack to cool completely.

Store in refrigerator or freezer.  

*or you can use all whole wheat flour

CHEESY STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS

Leave a reply

For me, there is nothing that says “fall is really here” better than large, relatively inexpensive green peppers in the produce section of our local IGA. And every fall I buy the biggest and most gorgeous peppers I can find to fix one of my favorite dishes – stuffed green peppers. I absolutely love stuffed peppers. And of course, most years I decide that yet another stuffed pepper recipe on this site wouldn’t be a problem because everyone likes choices – so here goes with another option for this perennial favorite.

Since I’m still on my “let’s get healthier” kick (please may it last forever God), I decided to come up with a recipe that contained no starch. (Of course it still contains fat, because really, could you even conceive of a stuffed green pepper without cheese? I didn’t think so!) Anyway, this recipe does contain cheese, and plenty of it. But remember – cheese is a great source of calcium, fat, and protein. It also contains high amounts of vitamins A and B-12, along with zinc, phosphorus, and riboflavin. So to my thinking, all things considered, if I am going to push the boundaries of healthy eating, cheese is still better for me than say – a chocolate chip cookie even if it’s made with whole wheat flour. But if you are still concerned about the amount of cheese in this recipe, you can always reduce the quanity. Just don’t tell me about it or I will feel guilty. In other words, don’t spoil my self-delusion that cheese is really good for us. Thank you.

But back to this recipe. For starters, let me just say that McCormick’s Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning is a really great item you should consider adding to your spice collection. I use it a lot. Just a tablespoon added to a pound of ground beef makes for truly delicious hamburger patties. And I often sprinkle it on steaks before I throw them on the grill. It’s also fabulous in meatloaf. Or added to the braising liquid for pot roast. And the best part. If you buy it at Costco in the 1 lb., 13-oz. container, it is very inexpensive. If you don’t want to start with as large an amount, Bartell’s (drug store) usually carries the small bottles in various flavors at a very good price. (FYI: I buy the small jars in several flavors for my trailer collection of spices and herbs.)

Anyway, give this recipe for peppers a try. Or check out my other stuffed green pepper recipes on this site. All are really tasty. And if you have never eaten a stuffed green pepper because you think that every bite would include green pepper – you’re right. But also know that cooked peppers are milder in flavor than when they are raw, and are a perfect partner with savory sauces and nicely seasoned meat.

Now you will have to excuse me. There’s half of a stuffed pepper in the refrigerator. And I’m hungry. And Mr. C. is at a rehearsal. So it’s mine. All mine. Life is good!

3 large or 4 small green peppers

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

½ c. chopped onion

1 lg. stalk celery, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

8-oz. tomato sauce

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 T. dried parsley

freshly ground black pepper

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1½-2 c. shredded cheese (whatever combination of cheese you happen to have on hand)

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Set peppers aside. Discard the stem, and chop the pepper tops into small pieces.   

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the ground beef until it’s starting to brown. Add the chopped pepper tops, along with the onion and celery; cook until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, Montreal Steak Seasoning, parsley, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for a few minutes to blend flavors. Remove from heat.

While the meat sauce is simmering, bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the green peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from water and drain. Place in a lightly greased baking dish.

Fill each pepper half way, add half the cheese; add remaining meat mixture until it reaches the top of the pepper. (If you have extra filling, tuck it in among the peppers. Makes for great nibbles for the cook!)

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes or until the peppers are soft and the filling is brown. (If the top is browning too quickly, gently lay a piece of aluminum foil over the whole mess.)

Remove from oven, top with remaining cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted. Great served with a side of brown rice and/or a salad.   

CAMPING WILD AND BROWN RICE PILAF

Leave a reply

One of the hardest decisions I’m faced with when we are on a trailer trip is what side dish to fix with a simple meat entree. It’s easy to take a couple pork chops or chicken breasts out of the freezer, but then what am I going to serve with them? And yes I do sometimes buy rice, risotto, or quinoa packaged mixes to take along for just this kind of situation. But most package mixes just don’t taste as good as those I prepare at home.

So for our last trailer trip, I made up my own “pre-packaged” rice pilaf to take along for 2 of our dinners. (I cooked the rice the first night, served half, then put the remainder in my fridge for later on in the week.) It worked out great! And it was ever so much tastier than any rice that I’ve previously served that came in a box from the grocery store. (Plus no unpronounceable ingredients to worry about!)  

So I decided I would be preparing homemade rice, quinoa, and even pasta side dish packages in the comfort of my home kitchen before all of our camping trips from now on.

So in celebration of this momentous decision, I have added a new CATEGORY on this blog just for recipes that can easily be pre-packaged in your home kitchen and cooked in your trailer, RV, boat galley, or over a camp stove. (Long sentence, but it just had to be said!)

So if you are a camper or boater and want to serve the same level of delicious food while you are on an adventure, be it over land or sea, keep watching for other recipes under the CATEGORY – CAMPING RECIPES. (Clever name right?!?!)

And while we’re on the subject of food for camping or boating, if you have a good sized freezer I recommend that you stock that freezer really well before you leave home. It is very difficult to find the same kind of choices you are used to when you are shopping in a mom and pop or small convenience store in a small town. But if you plan ahead, you can start your trip with such delicacies as homemade chili, soup, beef stew, meat loaf, meatballs, marinara sauce, curry sauce – to mention just a few. Plus I always include an uncooked package of pork chops, chicken breasts, ground lamb, pork tenderloin, frozen uncooked shrimp, steak, bacon, sausage, and a couple packages of ground beef. Of course I always have to augment my initial supply, but I wait until I get to a good sized town to purchase additional provisions.

But enough about me! This post is really about this dish. It’s tasty and easy to prepare. Nuff said!

Savory Dry Ingredients: (Combined at home before you leave)

2 T. dehydrated onion

2 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. granulated garlic

½ tsp. dried sage

½ tsp. dried marjoram

½ tsp. celery salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/3 c. finely chopped dried mushroom pieces (porcini, shiitake, chanterelle)

Combine all of the above ingredients and store in an airtight container. (I use a small plastic bag.)

Rice and Almonds: (Packaged at home before you leave)

½ c. wild rice

¾ c. brown rice

1/3 c. slivered or sliced almonds

Place each in a small plastic bag.

When you’re in camp or docked for the night:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2¾ c. broth – veggie, chicken, beef, etc.  (I use water and broth crystals when camping)

Bring the olive oil and vegetable broth to a boil in a large covered saucepan and add the wild rice. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir a couple of times while wild rice cooks. After the 15-20 minutes, add the brown rice and the savory dry ingredients (recipe above).

Bring back to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for another 45 minutes or until the rice is tender. Again, give the rice a stir or two during the cooking process.

When the rice is done, remove from heat and add almonds; stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork just before serving.

  

MEXICAN RICE PILAF

Leave a reply

I really hate it when I have to eat my words. (I enjoy eating almost everything else, but eating my own words causes me anxiety and hives.) But sometimes there is just nothing for it except to get it over with and start chewing. So – in full disclosure, in a previous post for Mexican rice, I stated that “with the exception of a particularly delicious paella I once enjoyed in Spain and a fine recipe I have for cabbage rolls, I don’t like rice and tomatoes cooked together”.

But when researching recipes for a recent Mexican food themed meal I found this recipe from Once Upon a Chef. And since I love and trust this site, I bit the bullet. I did make a couple very minor changes, but I don’t mess with the bones of a Jenn Segal recipe, because she is a remarkable chef. So I left in the tomato paste.

And of course, you know what I have to say next. The rice was wonderful, and one of the main reasons was because the (damn) tomato paste was one of the ingredients! Gurrr!

Now this is important so pay attention. Sometimes, actually quite often, I am wrong about food combinations. It’s all a matter of taste anyway. So as I have previously stated, any recipe for something like this rice dish, is simply a guide. If you wanted to add peas (as Jenn originally included), add peas. Or you like a more pronounced garlic influence, up the number of garlic cloves. Or you feel chopped celery would add a nice base flavor, chop away. Or if you are like me, and still on the fence about cilantro, decrease the amount in any given recipe and add a bit of fresh parsley. That’s the joy of cooking. You make it your own by simply being creative and adding your own special touch.

So make this wonderful rice. It turned out that one of the enchilada dishes I served was quite runny. So what my guests did was top their rice with the enchilada. It was great! So don’t hesitate to use this as a base for other Mexican dishes. Have fun in the kitchen. That’s what this is all about.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 c. finely chopped yellow onion

1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely minced (or more or less to taste)

2 lg. cloves garlic, finely minced

1½ c. long grain white rice

2 T. tomato paste (preferably Italian tomato paste)

3 c. vegetable broth

1 tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. ground cumin

2 T. finely chopped cilantro

2 T. finely chopped parsley

4 tsp. fresh lime juice, or more to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large covered pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and rice; cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, broth, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin; turn up the heat and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir periodically. When done, remove from heat.

Add the cilantro, parsley, and lime juice; fluff the rice with a fork to mix. Let the rice sit for a few moments for the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust seasoning, add additional lime juice if desired.

To make ahead, do not add the cilantro, parsley, and lime until you have re-heated the rice and just before you plan to serve. To reheat the rice, heat in a covered container in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the rice is good and warm. Stir in the cilantro, parsley, and lime. Adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

OVERNIGHT MEXICAN COLESLAW

Leave a reply

I know I’ve said it before, ad nauseam in fact, but I love dishes I can prepare ahead for special dinners with family and/or friends. There is just something about waking up on the day of the planned event having at least part of the meal happily residing in my refrigerator or on a counter. OK, I still feel a bit of panic, but it is soon offset by remembering that I have at least one if not some of the preparation already completed. (And at my age, every little bit helps.)

So recently when I was planning to serve Mexican food to 38 people, I realized most of the dishes I wanted to serve would have to be fixed ahead. And I knew I wanted to serve a coleslaw, both for color and crunch.

Now most of my coleslaw recipes you can cut the veggies ahead, and you can prepare the dressing ahead, but you shouldn’t combine the two parts until just before you plan to serve. But I wanted a coleslaw that could be made ahead, in fact, one that would profit by spending some quality time in cold storage. So I went online. (Of course I did!) And found a recipe on The Kitchen Magpie site. As usual, I changed the ingredients a bit, but not in any radical manner.

So all I can say now is that if you like coleslaw, this is a recipe which should be given special attention. It is crazy delicious and very simple to assemble. And you can make it the day before you want to serve it! (I keep coming back to that salient feature, but I’m old, so cut me some slack.)

Anyway – just make this salad. It’s yum!

1/3 c. fresh lime juice

½ tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. honey

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ c. extra virgin olive oil

½ head green cabbage, very thinly sliced

½ head red cabbage, very thinly sliced  

1½ c. grated carrot

4-5 very thinly sliced green onions

¼ c. chopped cilantro

1 T. chopped Italian parsley

Shake the lime juice, cumin, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil together in a small covered jar. 

Toss the green cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, green onions, cilantro, and parsley together in a salad bowl.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss together until the veggies are completely covered in dressing. If time allows, cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight for best results. Toss again just before serving. 

CHUNKY SHRIMP, AVOCADO, AND TOMATO DIP

Leave a reply

This lovely seafood/guacamole/salsa like appetizer is simply delicious. The recipe comes from one of my favorite recipe sites – Natasha’s Kitchen. I changed a couple of amounts here and there, but this gem can only be attributed to Natasha’s culinary genius.

It’s like guacamole on steroids. Every bite beckons you to take another bite. So in that way, this is a dish where you could conceivably make a pig of yourself in front of your friends and family. So maybe the first time you prepare this before meal nibble, you should do so all by yourself in the privacy of your own kitchen. Just sayin’. It’s just that good. Or, you could always make a double batch and eat as much as you want, leaving the lions share for your family and friends. (Sounds like I speak from experience, right?!?!) Actually not.

I made this last Sunday for a Mexican food themed pre-concert meal for our 101st JazzVox concert in our home. But I barely got a taste of it before our guests heartily enjoyed their way through the whole bowl. But the bite I did get made me certain that it would not be too long before I made some just for Mr. C. and me.

So if you are ever in the mood for a special appetizer, give this delightful recipe a try. I would also advise you to visit Natasha’s site. She has a wonderful flair for food and her recipes are mostly easy to follow and include, again mostly, readily available ingredients. Happy eating!

Oh, and sorry I haven’t posted recipes for a while. We were enjoying another adventure out in this amazing world of ours. If you would like to follow us on our recent trailer trip, klick on September 2019 Trailer Trip.

1 lb. lg. raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

3 med. limes, juiced, or more to taste

couple dashes of hot sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot), opt.

½ English cucumber, semi peeled, seeded, and finely diced

4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

3 avocados, diced  

½ c. finely diced red onion   

1/3 c. chopped cilantro

yellow and blue tortilla chips, for dipping

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a fry pan over medium high heat. Add shrimp and sauté just until cooked through. Remove from pan. Allow to cool, then coarsely chop and place in a large mixing bowl.

Pour the lime juice over the shrimp, and let sit for a few minutes before gently stirring in the hot sauce, cucumber, tomatoes, avocados, onion, and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with tortilla chips.