Tabbouleh

Veggie Tabbouleh with Broccoli

It is the start of the New Year and time for reflection.  It is also time to make a bunch of New Years resolutions that you know you are not going to keep.  This year I decided to do something different.  I wrote my 2015 bucket list on post-it notes and stuck them to the wall in my laundry room. They are a combination of fun (ride in a bi-plane), education (get through a french language book that is sitting on my coffee table) and health (run a 10K). As I achieve these "goals" I have a vase to place them in so at the end of this year I can see what I have achieved. My family is supposed to be joining me in the fun. The wall awaits their post-it notes. 

Also as part of the my New Year reflection, I took a good hard look at what I am eating.  I'd give myself a b minus. (In the summer when we are part of a CSA I'd have an a minus.) I have cut out fast food and I try to eat healthy. But I really don't eat as many fruits and veggies as I should and I love desserts.  When I am bored, I make desserts because I love to bake and create wonderful food.  And what is more wonderful than dessert? Also I have a soft spot for chicken tenders. The cafeteria where I work always has great chicken tenders and curly fries. Sigh.....

So I did some research and Alton Brown's plan for a healthy life style (not a diet) struck a cord. I like his list of foods to eat every day. I love the one dessert a week rule .  I can plan all week for the masterpiece that I will create and then eat. It will be the same with pasta- I can already imagine making homemade pasta once a week. Because if I only get pasta once a week, it is not going to be dried pasta from a  box. I like pretty much everything on the list (except sweet potatoes, sardines or mackerel). I am giddy about the avocado. Oh how I love avocado. 

I gave up soda. That was actually quite easy because I replaced it with iced tea. Beer is not going to be eliminated. My husband and I brew beer. I love the taste of beer. I love brewing beer.  We are currently brewing a Scottish ale and a chocolate Jim Beam imperial stout. If craft beer was not available, I could easily give up beer. But the craft beer revolution is going on and the beers, meads, ciders, and ginger beers and root beers that are available are amazing. Last night, I had a hard cider mead from Leaky Roof Meadery called KCC&S Cyser and it was amazing. My current favorites are 4 Hands chocolate milk stout and Odell's Lugene chocolate milk stout. 

Alton Brown's list of foods to eat and my love of Mediterranean food was the inspiration for a really healthy tabbouleh.  I make a huge amount and eat it all week.  If I want a snack instead of chips or a sugary treat, I eat tabbouleh with some whole grain pita. I also like it with quinoa and couscous.  Feta cheese is also lovely with this. If you are a mint fan, add some mint with the parsley. Adjust the lemon to your taste. 

Tabbouleh

1 Head of Cauliflower or Broccoli

1 Large Bunch of Parsley

2 Carrots

1/2-1 Cucumber, Peeled

1 Red, Green, Orange or Yellow Pepper (or a combination of the mini-peppers)

1/2 Red Onion

Several Roma Tomatoes or 1 Large Tomato

Zest of One Lemon

Juice of One to Two Lemons

Approximately 1/4 Cup  (60 ml) of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper, to Taste

Method

In a food processor, process the parsley so that it is finely chopped and dump parsley into a large bowl. Place cauliflower or broccoli (with the stems or hard core removed) in the food processor and pulse so it is in fine pieces but not mush. Place this in the bowl with the parsley. Do the same with the carrot, onion, and pepper(s).  Hand chop the cucumber (removing the seeds) and the tomato (removing the seeds). These should be finely diced. I used all of my tomato for shrimp ceviche so the tabbouleh with the broccoli does not have tomato.    

Chopping the veggies

In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, oil, salt and pepper.  Pour this mixture over the veggie and stir. Taste and adjust. You may want to add more salt or pepper or lemon juice. You may also want to add a bit of cumin or cayenne. 

That is it. 

Veggie Tabbouleh with Cauliflower

The bottom line: will I make this again?  Yes, I love it. 

Christmas Cookies

I love this time of year. It is time to start baking Christmas cookies. Yes, I start after Halloween and I freeze them I love frozen Christmas cookies. Here are some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Almond Glazed Sugar Cookies 
Candy Cane Kisses Chocolate Thumbprints 

Chocolate Chip Cookies 
Craisin Almond Biscotti

Dark Chocolate Kiss Macaroons   

Fleur de Sel Caramels 
Gingerbread Cookies
Homemade Marshmallows 

Icing for Cookies
Peanut Blossom Cookies 

Peppermint Bark

Rice Crispy Cottage
Shortbread 

Turtles Bar Cookies 
Vanilla and Chocolate Pinwheels

Walnut Crescent Cookies 

Asian Chicken Layer Dip

Asian Chicken Layer Dip

Katie had an amazing birthday. She was surrounded by truly outstanding people and pretty good food. I wish I could say the highlight was the food-- it wasn't. It was the fire show.  Two of Katie's favorite people (before anyone gets upset Katie has a lot of a favorite people and we don't don't list them in order) -- Kevin and Shawna put on a fire show. It was amazing. They are amazing. My food couldn't compete. Shawna also makes cigar box guitars which Steven is now the proud owner of because Christine (another one of Katie's favorite people) won it in a raffle and gave it to him.  It is lovely (see the picture below).

Cigar Box Guitar

So the food theme was Asian. I broadly defined "Asian."  I made a lot of food. Fortunately, I wrote down all of the recipes as I developed them. Unfortunately, I was in such a rush that I did not take pictures. So I have been in the process of slowly remaking the favorite dishes and posting. It will take time.

My favorite dish of her party was the Asian Chicken Layer Dip. I made this (again and took pictures) for Christine's and Kevin's anniversary.  I have to admit; I didn't quite follow the recipe below because I was in the hurry up and get it made mode.  Why? Because, I was running late as usual.

A couple of tips: I use a rotisserie precooked chicken from the grocery store; make sure you add the milk to the cream cheese otherwise it won't spread well; if you don't like cilantro you can substitute parsley; and you can substitute your favorite nut or dried ramen noodles for the almonds. I tried making the wonton chips with cooking spray, olive oil, and butter.  I prefer just vegetable oil.

Asian Chicken Layer Dip with Crispy Wontons

Chicken Layer

The Chicken from One Rotisserie Chicken, Shredded or Two Cups of Cooked Chicken, Chopped
2/3 Cup (60g) of Grated Carrots
1/4 Cup (15 g)  of Chopped Cilantro
1 Clove of Garlic Minced
2 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
1 Tsp of Sesame Oil
1/4 Tsp of Ginger

Sauce

1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Tsp of Cornstarch
1/4 Cup of Ketchup
2 Tbsp of Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce
Sriracha, To Taste
1 Cup of Water

Base

1 8oz (227g) Package of Cream Cheese, Softened
1 Tbsp of Milk

Toppings
3-4 Green Onions, Chopped
1/4 Cup (22 g) of Sliced Almonds

Directions

Combine the chicken layer and refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight.

Combing the ingredients for the chicken layer

Meanwhile, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat until thickened. Allow to cool (this can be made the day before).

I could drink this sauce

Before serving, combine the base ingredients and mix well. Spread in the bottom of round serving dish no larger than 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter.

Mixing the cream cheese and milk to make the base

Top with chicken layer. Drizzle sauce over the chicken layer.

Drizzling the sauce 

Finally, sprinkle toppings on top of chicken layer.  Serve with wonton chips.

Wonton Chips

One Package of Wonton Wrappers
Vegetable Oil

Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4.  Get out several cooking sheets and cover with foil and spray with cook spray. Cut the  wonton wrappers in half diagonally.

Cutting the wrappers in half

Rub each wrapper with oil and place on cooking sheet. Cook in preheated oven for approximately 7 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.  Check the wontons often; they burn easily.

Finished chips

The bottom line: will I make this again?  Yes, it is a lot of work but it is so worth it.

One Pan Pork Tenderloin with Fall Vegetables

Pork Tenderloin with Fall Vegetables

This is an easy yummy dish to make that highlights the best of fall. I can usually draft my husband to help with all of the chopping and that makes the preparation go that much quicker. Add some good music (we have speakers in the kitchen so I can listen to music while I cook) and I am in cooking heaven. 

2 Tbps of Oil
Approximately 1.5 lbs (.70 kg) of Pork Tenderloin
2 Tbsp of Butter
1 Medium Onion, Cut in Chunks
2-4 Carrots, Cut in Chunks
2 Stalks of Celery, Cut in Chunks
3 Cloves of Garlic, Sliced
3-5 New Potatoes, Cut in Chunks
2-3 Apples, Cored and Cut in Chunks
2 Sprigs of Thyme
2 Sprigs of Rosemary
3 Sprigs of Parsley
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C/ Gas Mark 6.

Pour oil into large cast iron skillet and heat over medium heat. Salt and pepper the pork tenderloin and sear in the skillet.

Searing the pork tenderloin; the veggies are chopped

Remove pork and add butter, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and potatoes. Cook for about 8 minutes until vegetables begin to brown.

Browning the veggies

Add the apples. Push the vegetables aside so the pork tenderloin is in the middle.  Add the herbs.

Ready for the oven

Place in the oven and cook until the pork reaches 140-150F 60-65C in the center. This should take about 30 minutes.

Ready to eat

The bottom line: will we make this again? Yes, in fact I have made it several times.  It is both a yummy and beautiful dish.  

Summer Clam Pasta

Summer Clam Pasta 

It is tomato season. Oh how I love tomato season. I have some beautiful assorted tomatoes from my garden and the CSA. I halved the tomatoes and used them. If you want to use full size tomatoes, I suggest skinning them and dicing them. Also I have some beautiful herbs. I decided to use a combination of herbs in this recipe and it was wonderful. You can use whatever you have on hand or think would be a good mixture.  I only had one can of clams (this recipe really needs two). I really liked the addition of the lemon juice but you don't have to add it.  I used a combination of hard white cheeses from our CSA (a combination of goat and cow milk cheeses) so don't feel that you are limited to only using Parmesan cheese. I have a winter version of this pasta that uses canned tomatoes. It is good but lacks that fresh summer tomato and herb taste.

Summer Clam Pasta

2 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
3 Garlic Cloves, Thinly Sliced
1 Medium Onion, Diced
1/2 to 1 lb ( kg) of Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
Juice of One Lemon
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
2 6.5 oz (184 g) Cans of Clams, Divided
A Sprig or Two of Fresh Basil
A Couple of Shoots of Fresh Chives, Chopped
A Sprig of Fresh Rosemary, Chopped
A Couple of Sprigs of Fresh Parsley, Chopped
A Sprig of Fresh Oregano, Chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 Cup of Cheese, Grated
16 oz (454 g) Pasta, Cooked

Place oil and butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic, onions, salt, and pepper and sauté until caramelized.

Add the cherry tomatoes, the juice from two cans of clams and lemon juice. Raise the heat to medium and add the pepper flakes. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Simmer about 5 minutes. Add the clams and fresh herbs and heat for 5 minutes. Add pasta and combine. Grate cheese on the top.

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes, I love this pasta. I really liked the bite from the lemon.

Sweet Summer Tomato Sauce

The finished dish- Spaghetti and Meatballs

This has been a great year for tomatoes and cucumbers. I am swimming in them.  It makes me so happy.  I have already made my roasted tomato sauce and so I decided to convert my sweet tomato sauce into fresh tomato sauce. I worked out the recipe and my daughter made it.  It was lovely. She made spaghetti and meatballs (she used my favorite meatball recipe).  She did a great job. It is absolutely amazing to watch your child on the road to adulthood. Cooking and baking is one of those big milestones. I don't really want her leaving our house without knowing how to cook for herself. 

Sweet Summer Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
2 lbs (.9 kg) of Fresh Tomatoes 
1 1/2 Tsp of Fresh Basil 
1 1/2 Tsp of Fresh Oregano 
1 1/2 Tsp of Fresh Parsley 
1 Tsp of Fresh Thyme  
1/4 Tsp of Crushed Red Peppers (Optional) 
1/4 Tsp of Salt
A Couple Turns of the Pepper Mill 
1-2 Tbsp of Brown Sugar

Peel the tomatoes-- seed them and strain the seeds. Roughly chop tomatoes and set aside tomatoes and juice.

Straining the seeds

Pour oil into large sauce pan and add the onion. Heat on medium until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add garlic. Heat over medium heat for a couple of minutes until starting to brown (you do not want the garlic to brown).

I prefer sliced garlic

Add the remaining ingredients and heat uncovered over low heat for about 45 minutes. The sauce should not come to a full boil.

Simmering the sauce

Serve over pasta (with lots of grated Parmesan cheese) or use as a pizza sauce or add meatballs to the sauce and have a wonderful meal. 

Add meatballs to the sauce.

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes. I am making as much as I can and freezing it for the winter.