Thursday, August 5, 2010
Cheesy Bell Pepper Mini Loaves!
I bought some beautiful red bell peppers on sale and remembered wanting to try this recipe for Chile-Cheese Bread. Since I wanted to share some with my mom and she doesn't like spicy things, I left out the jalapeno and green chile and just used a cup of chopped bell peppers instead. I also used buttermilk for that extra tangy flavor and they turned out really yummy! Since I baked mini loaves, they only took about 30 minutes. Cheesy and loaded with vitamins, who could ask for more?
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
What's Cheesy, Yummy and Actually Good for You?
Salmon with Parmesan Horseradish Crust and Dijon Cream! I found this recipe on the Wisconsin Cheese website and knew I wanted to make it! I mean, salmon encrusted with Parmesan and Horseradish? How can that NOT be good? It's also a pretty healthy dish, which is definitely a bonus! I found that the cream wouldn't reduce on low so I turned the heat up to medium and it worked like a charm. I served the salmon over couscous so that it could soak up all the yummy sauce. Such an easy and perfect weeknight meal!
Would You Like a Raisin Bran Flower?
Browsing around the Everyday Baking website, these Raisin Bran Muffins caught my eye. I had some cereal left over that was just the right amount for this recipe so I decided to give them a try. I personally LOVE Raisin Bran cereal so these muffins were just perfect for me! I also like how the recipe used half whole wheat flour, which makes them healthier. I always love it when I can feel good about eating some baked goodies!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
6 Chicken Thighs for How Much?
When I see a good deal, I just know it and the deal of the week were these Foster Farms Chicken Thighs. Fresh, never frozen, no hormones or steroids, 100% natural with no added salt, chemicals or artificial taste enhancers and only $2.50 for 6 of them! I mean, yes they were on sale cuz they needed to be cooked ASAP but I have no problem with that! I found this recipe for Braised Mediterranean Chicken over Polenta a while ago and have been wanting to try it. We've been on a Polenta/Grits kick lately so I thought it would be perfect for dinner. It turned out AMAZING! I left out the zucchini since we just had it last night and added some mushrooms instead. I also used a can of Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with Sweet Onions instead of the fresh. It made my sauce a bit watery so I boiled it to let it thicken up after the chicken was done. It was the perfect combination with the Polenta! You know I'm always happy to find a great deal, especially when it turns out so YUMMY!
Another Savory Zucchini Bread
The Zucchini Cheddar Bread I made turned out really good so decided to make another version of this savory treat. I decided on this recipe for Zucchini Bread with Roasted Red Peppers and Feta but left out the peppers cuz my Feta was already flavored with Basil and Tomatoes. It turned out just as good as the Cheddar one if not better! I love the combination of zucchini and Feta! It's definitely the kind of bread you can have any time of the day and all the veggies make me feel good about eating it!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Getting Fancy with my Fish!
Snapper en Papillote might sound fancy but it's super easy and didn't cost much either! Red Snapper was on sale and I got a nice pound of fillet for about $4. That's great but I had no idea what to do with it! Thanks to Google, I found that Red Snapper is the perfect white fish to cook "en Papillote", which is just a fancy name for "in parchment paper". I remember watching Melissa d'Arabian make Fish en Papillote just recently and really wanted to give it a try. It turned out amazingly simple and tasty! I rubbed my fillets with some of Emeril's Essence to give them a kick and also topped them with zucchini, mushrooms and onions. The individual packets were so cute and the perfect serving sizes. The fish was tender and cooked perfectly in just 20 minutes. I'm definitely gonna be cooking "en Papillote" more often now!
Ingredients:
2 c cooked couscous
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil
1 lb Red Snapper fillet, cut into 2 pieces (or any other white fish)
2 Tbsp Emeril's Essence
1/2 c zucchini, diced
1/2 c mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c onions, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp dry vermouth
2 Tbsp butter
Prep:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Fold 2 16x24-inch sheets of parchment paper in half, and clip off the open corners on each, cutting them round to create an ear shape. Spread the parchment sheets (now oblong shaped) open on a flat surface and brush each with 1 Tbsp of the oil.
2. Rub 1 Tbsp Essence onto each fillet with your hands and place on half of a parchment sheet. Arrange couscous next to each fillet on all sides. Top with zucchini, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 Tbsp vermouth over each fillet and top with 1 Tbsp butter.
3. To close each bag, fold the second side of the paper over the layered food, fold the bottom edge over the top, and work your way edge over edge, folding and twisting, until the bag is sealed. Place them on a baking sheet and brush the tops of the bags with the remaining oil. Bake until the paper is puffed up and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
4. To serve, place each bag on a plate, slit the bags in an "X", and fold back the paper. Serve steaming hot.
Ingredients:
2 c cooked couscous
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil
1 lb Red Snapper fillet, cut into 2 pieces (or any other white fish)
2 Tbsp Emeril's Essence
1/2 c zucchini, diced
1/2 c mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c onions, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp dry vermouth
2 Tbsp butter
Prep:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Fold 2 16x24-inch sheets of parchment paper in half, and clip off the open corners on each, cutting them round to create an ear shape. Spread the parchment sheets (now oblong shaped) open on a flat surface and brush each with 1 Tbsp of the oil.
2. Rub 1 Tbsp Essence onto each fillet with your hands and place on half of a parchment sheet. Arrange couscous next to each fillet on all sides. Top with zucchini, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 Tbsp vermouth over each fillet and top with 1 Tbsp butter.
3. To close each bag, fold the second side of the paper over the layered food, fold the bottom edge over the top, and work your way edge over edge, folding and twisting, until the bag is sealed. Place them on a baking sheet and brush the tops of the bags with the remaining oil. Bake until the paper is puffed up and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
4. To serve, place each bag on a plate, slit the bags in an "X", and fold back the paper. Serve steaming hot.
Plumy Good Porkchops!
I had some plums left over from making my Dimply Plum Cake so I thought I'd turn them into dinner. I love the combination of pork and fruit so I braised some pork chops in an Asian-style Plum Sauce. It turned out amazing! The plums became syrupy simmered in the apple juice and was just the PERFECT sauce for the meat! I also made my very first Rice Pilaf (round of a applause please!) and served the chops on top of it. A yummy dinner that's totally needed on a Monday night!
Ingredients:
4 plums, pitted and cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 pork chops (1-inch thick)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp finely grated ginger
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 c apple juice
1 Tbsp butter
Prep:
1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Brown chops about 2 minutes on each side, transfer to a plate.
2. Add garlic and ginger to skillet and sauté, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and juice, scraping up brown bits. Bring to a boil. Return chops to skillet and arrange plums around them. Turn heat down and simmer mixture, covered, over low heat 20-30 minutes, or until chops reach 160°F.
3. Transfer chops to serving platter. Turn heat up to high and boil sauce, uncovered, until thickened, 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in butter until melted. Pour sauce over chops.
Easiest Rice Pilaf EVER!
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 c onions, chopped
1 c rice
1-3/4 c chicken broth
In a small pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft, 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until coated. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in stock and bring to a simmer. Turn heat down to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff rice with fork before serving.
Ingredients:
4 plums, pitted and cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 pork chops (1-inch thick)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp finely grated ginger
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 c apple juice
1 Tbsp butter
Prep:
1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Brown chops about 2 minutes on each side, transfer to a plate.
2. Add garlic and ginger to skillet and sauté, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and juice, scraping up brown bits. Bring to a boil. Return chops to skillet and arrange plums around them. Turn heat down and simmer mixture, covered, over low heat 20-30 minutes, or until chops reach 160°F.
3. Transfer chops to serving platter. Turn heat up to high and boil sauce, uncovered, until thickened, 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in butter until melted. Pour sauce over chops.
Easiest Rice Pilaf EVER!
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 c onions, chopped
1 c rice
1-3/4 c chicken broth
In a small pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft, 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until coated. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in stock and bring to a simmer. Turn heat down to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff rice with fork before serving.
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