13 Friday May 2016
Posted in Cooking, Food, Recipes, Slow Cooking
This was originally posted by another blogger, but it sounded so good!!! Now that my peanut hating daughter no longer lives at home, I’m going to have to try making this!!!
(This recipe is dairy free.) Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 7 hours on low (or 3 to 4 hours on high) Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts 1 cup coconut milk 3/4 c chunky PB 3 tbsp honey 3 tbsp soy sauce Juice from 1 lime 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes […]
23 Wednesday Mar 2016
The photo of this blog post alone had me! Lobster and avocado!?! Food of the gods!!! This is a recipe I will definitely have to try and I will let you all know if I do!
lobster avocado pesto pasta my own recipe pesto 2 ripe avocados 2 green onion sprigs juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup cashews 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper pasta 1 lb spaghetti pasta 1/2 lb langosta lobster […]
http://cookingfromtheheart.net/2016/03/16/lobster-avocado-pesto-pasta/
09 Wednesday Mar 2016
I had bought packages of boneless pork chops marked down that were on the small side. How am I going to stretch this meat to feed my family??? Rather than serving whole pork chops, I thought I would cut the meat into bite size pieces and make a stir fry. I was faking it, but this meal turned out so delicious! The garlic, ginger and spicy Szechuan sauce made for a very bold sauce and the variety of fresh, organic vegetables gave it additional bright flavor and wonderful texture.
This is definitely a dish you could play with and use whatever vegetables you have on hand. You could even use a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. I just used what I had on hand and it made for a wonderful dish that we wolfed down!
The great thing about this dish is you can leave the meat out or substitute it with tofu for a vegan/vegetarian dish. Tofu would work well with this sauce! It would absorb that flavor and give you a protein boost with wonderful flavor.
Szechuan Stir Fry
3/4 – 1 pound pork or chicken, cut into bite size cubes
3 carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 head brocollini, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 pound asparagus, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed or diced
1 tbsp ginger, finely diced
1/2 cup Chicken broth
1/2 cup Spicy Szechuan sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp water
Jasmati or Basmati rice
Cook jazmati or basmati rice as instructed by package. I made about 4 servings worth. Spray non-stick wok or large fry pan with non-stick spray, saute pork (or chicken) over medium high heat until browned on all sides. It’s OK if it’s not cooked all the way through. Remove meat from pan to a plate and set aside. If needed, give pan another spray of non-stick spray. Add all veggies and saute until tender, but still crunchy. Add broth, Szechuan sauce, and meat and turn heat down to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together corn starch and water and then add to rest of mixture. This will thicken your sauce. Simmer until sauce is thickened and meat is cooked through. Serve over rice.
Tip: For those of you that are less-experienced cooks, the mix of cornstarch and water is called a slurry. If you don’t have cornstarch you can also use flour. You want to mix this together really well and work out any lumps, so when you add this to your sauce, you won’t have lumps, but your sauce will thicken nicely. This is good to have in your bag of tricks as you can use it to thicken almost any sauce that isn’t reducing or thickening the way you would like. Just don’t go overboard with too much as it will affect the flavor of your sauce.
Enjoy!
06 Sunday Mar 2016
Posted in Baking, Cooking, Food, Vegetarian
Our family has a recipe for date bars that we just love, so this recipe really appealed to me. Not to mention, I had a bag of chopped dates left over, so this was the perfect opportunity to put them to good use. My 16 year old daughter was in the mood to bake, so I let her bake this cake last night. OMG was it good!!! The dates add a great texture and sweetness. Then you combine this with moist chocolate cake and it’s just fantastic! The cake is not frosted, but we didn’t miss it. I served it with fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream.
This recipe is a variation on the chocolate date chip cake that my Great Grandmother Helen used to make. It’s a chocolate cake so delicious, it doesn’t need frosting… seriously. The dates simply “disappear” in the cake, adding sweetness and preventing the cake from drying out, but otherwise are a secret ingredient. The Hershey’s Kisses […]
http://crowdedearthkitchen.com/2016/03/05/chocolate-kiss-date-cake/
04 Friday Mar 2016
Why has it been so long since I made Chicken Paprikash??? The creamy sauce is so incredibly flavorful!!! I have to admit it! When I was cleaning up and putting leftovers away, I could not stop using the spatula to get the remaining sauce and licking it up! This is definitely going to have to go into my dinner menu on a more frequent basis! And using fat free sour cream helps to keep the fat levels down without sacrificing the flavor. I served it over brown rice and with artichokes on the side. It was a delicious dinner!
I know mushrooms aren’t a typical ingredient to this Hungarian dish, but my husband and I love them so much! I couldn’t resist adding them, since my daughter, who doesn’t like them, wasn’t at home to eat with us. They were a good addition to this dish.
Chicken Paprikash
1 pound bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Olive Oil Spray
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
4 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/2 cup low sodium, fat free chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (I used a Chardonnay)
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup fat free sour cream
Spray frying pan with olive oil spray. Season chicken with salt, pepper and a little paprika. Brown chicken in the pan over medium high heat for about 4 minutes on each side. It doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through. Remove chicken to a plate and add onions to cook until tender. Spray more olive oil, if needed. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until mushrooms are soft. Add paprika and salt and pepper to taste, stir. Return chicken to pan and coat with onion mixture. Add broth and wine, stir. Cover and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate and cook sauce until reduced by about half. Then add sour cream and whisk to mix sauce well. Add chicken and coat with sauce. Serve over rice or pasta. Use spatula to scrape up remaining sauce and lick it all up!!!
Enjoy!
15 Monday Feb 2016
I had to share this blog post that I discovered yesterday day. This Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it! I love me some spicy food!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day, my dear friends! Today I’m off to celebrate with my closest loved ones. My little family and I have some fun planned. And I’m spoiling the fur babies with extra treats all around! Here is what we will be eating this week! Hope you enjoy today, and remember to show yourself some […]
http://lifealreadyinprogress.com/2016/02/14/weekly-meal-plan-20/
06 Saturday Feb 2016
Posted in cooking, Food, Healthy Cooking
This was originally posted by someone else, but I’m re-posting to remind myself, “Must try zucchini lasagna!”. I’ve made zoodles, so this sounds like a logical next step!
Hi, everyone! I’m a firm believer in quality over quantity so that’s why I haven’t posted anything in a while… 🙈 But tonight I just had the best lasagna EVER and I feel as though I ought to share it with the world (after all, I’d like to think I’m not a selfish person- at […]
https://bringyourowncarbs.wordpress.com/2016/02/04/zucchini-lasagna/
01 Monday Feb 2016
My husband and I have been married for 30 years this year and since our kids are pretty much grown, we get plenty of meals out alone. Last Valentine’s Day we wanted to do something fun and memorable. The Canvas and Cabernet event I wanted to do was booked, so we made our own plans. We wanted to do something with this couple we’be been friends with for about 20 years. We decided to chip in and buy some expensive ingredients and I volunteered to cook us a fabulous dinner. In the process, I also came up with the idea to do a blind tasting game for our dessert. So if you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day or any dinner party idea, feel free to steal this one!
It’s almost been a year, so I don’t remember the details of the dinner I cooked. I do remember that we bought lobster tails and oysters. I made lobster four cheese Mac and cheese and my husband barbecued the oysters. I do remember the dinner was off the hook good!!!
Now for the blind tasting game, here’s what we did…
Hopefully I’m explaining this clearly enough. We didn’t have prizes or anything for the winning team, but you certainly could. Or you could change it and have couple against couple and have a prize for the winning team.
We had a blast playing the game! It’s very surprising how when blindfolded it is difficult to identify foods you are incredibly familiar with.
If you have any question about this, just let me know.
Happy early Valentine’s Day!
27 Sunday Dec 2015
Our family just adores meat loaf. I have a basic recipe that I usually use and it is just delicious! The texture is good. It’s firm without being dry. Using ground turkey keeps it lean, so if you’re watching your weight this is a good recipe for you. We usually serve our meat loaf with mashed potatoes and peas. My younger daughter and I weren’t big pea fans, but when you can mix them with your mashed potatoes they are yummy!
The great thing about this recipe is it is super easy and you can play with in a bit. Last night, I was out of ketchup, so I substituted barbecue sauce. I also laid some slices of turkey bacon over the meat loaf and then topped with the tomato sauce. These were some delicious flavor additions!
Turkey Meat Loaf
1 pound ground turkey (I usually use the extra lean)
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 packet of onion soup mix
1 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup ketchup or barbecue sauce
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first six ingredients in a bowl. Drop into a greased baking pan and shape into a loaf. Pour can of tomato sauce over loaf. Bake meat loaf for 45-50 minutes.
Slice and enjoy!
26 Thursday Nov 2015
Posted in cooking, Food, Thanksgiving
If you’re looking for last minute recipes for your Thanksgiving dinner, check out my previous Thanksgiving series of blog posts. You’ll find everything from hummus appetizer, cranberry sauce, salads, barbecued turkey to a wonderful chocolate pie. You’ll find lots of great recipes that are sure to be a hit!
I hope you have a blessed time with all your loved ones!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Inside Kel's Kitchen 