Ingredients 1 bunch of fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 4" stalks Olive oil 1 fresh pear, diced 1/4 cup slivered almonds Salt and pepper Balsamic vinegar 1. Cook asparagus in a well-oiled skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 2. When cool, add pear, almonds, salt and pepper to taste, 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Toss and serve, cold or at room temperature.
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One of my favorite things to order out is a Greek salad from Panera. They are delicious. Really. But not really worth $8.95, either. I have started making Greek salads for myself, and bringing them to work for lunch. I have found that the key to a great salad (any type) is to have lots of different ingredients, and chop everything up nice and small. So, that's what I do with all of the following ingredients, except for the olives and the banana peppers. Toss it all with the dressing, and it's WAY better than the Panera salad, hands down. Cheaper and organic, if you buy organic produce.
In terms of quantities, I find that I like a high ratio of lettuce to other stuff, meaning that I have an equivalent amount, probably, if you were to measure (which I don't) of lettuce to everything else chopped up. But that, of course, is completely customizable according to your preferences. Mixed baby greens Red onion Cucumber Red pepper Grape tomatoes Feta cheese Fresh Kalamata olives Banana peppers (I buy the rings in the pickle aisle) Dressing: Juice of one lemon, mixed with 1/4 cup of olive oil, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and a teaspoon of oregano. Whisk together and use liberally. Ideally, I take the time to grill or saute some chicken breast on Sunday, which I reserve to put on my Greek salads throughout the week. But this is also great as a stand-alone. I had the pleasure of trying this dish a few weeks ago at a small Lebanese restaurant in Nashua. It was amazing. I think this is a delicious and satisfying midweek option for a family. Caramelized onions make a great base for soups, pasta (like this one) and pizza sauces, and work great in this dish, as well, adding that interesting combination of sweet and savory. Serve this dish with plain yogurt and a nice salad for dinner. Also reheats nicely for lunches the next day.
Ingredients: 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 clove of minced garlic 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp salt and fresh black pepper to taste 2 cups of lentils, rinsed 6 cups of water, or broth of your choosing 1 cup of rice (I use brown) 1. Heat oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute gently for 10 minutes, until softened. Stir frequently. When onions start to brown, add about 4 Tbsp of water and allow them to cook until the water cooks off. This will complete the caramelization. 2. Add cumin, garlic, and salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, just enough to let the flavors combine. 3. Add the lentils and 4 cups of liquid. Allow to cook for about 20 minutes, until lentils are softened. Stir occasionally. 4. Add enough liquid so that the lentils are covered by about 1 inch of water. Stir in the rice. Cover and turn the heat to low. 5. Check the lentils and rice after about 20 minutes. They should both be tender, and all of the water should be absorbed. If needed, add more liquid, cover, and cook for a few more minutes. 6. Serve garnished with fresh parsley, if desired, and with plain, full-fat yogurt on the side. I am so thankful to one of my husband's cousins for introducing me to this recipe. She made and served these one evening when we were at her house, and they have become a weekly staple at ours. These take an hour - a full hour - to be perfect, so plan ahead. I like to get them ready right when I walk in the door from work and start them baking. Sometimes they are a side dish, others they are the main dish. One son has topped them with chili and cheese, for instance. Sometimes I'll just have these for dinner and not much else. This is a simple, low-maintenance recipe. The fries are crunchy enough that you can pick them up and dip them into ketchup. They brown up because you add a little bit of sugar when you are preparing them. They scratch the itch for fries, without needing a deep fryer or using oils heated to high temperatures. They don't require stirring or any other type of maintenance - once you put them in the oven, it's just a matter of waiting an hour until they're done. Ingredients 4 Russet potatoes, cut into fries. I like them to be about 1/2 inch thick. 4 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 2 tsp sugar Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes, and place them into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss until potatoes are coated. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Put in oven for 1 hour. Don't stir or disturb in any other way. After 1 hour, remove from oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Serve. *I recommend putting the potatoes on parchment paper on the cookie sheet. Don't make the mistake I made once of putting them on wax paper...you can imagine. Brilliant. * This is one of my favorite quick school night dinners. It is simple, yummy, and can be ready in about 30 minutes from the time I walk in the door. This recipe uses red curry paste - I buy the Thai Kitchen brand - and fish sauce. These will keep great in the refrigerator and you will get about 5 meals from one jar of paste. I follow the recipe on the curry paste jar, but have doctored it up a bit as well. A word on fish sauce: it stinks. Like really stinks. But it's supposed to, so don't throw it away, thinking you got a bad batch. It gives Thai food its distinctive flavor, and once it's simmered with all of the other ingredients, you don't notice it. I promise. Just don't put too much in. This recipe is easily vegetarian- or vegan-ized. Just use tempeh or tofu in place of the chicken. Or just stick with veggies - I have thrown in peppers, cauliflower, green beans, potatoes, peas, broccoli...most veggies pair very well with the flavors in the sauce. If you object to the idea of fish sauce, use a tamari sauce or soy sauce instead, or just throw in some extra salt. It won't be the same, but it should still be tasty. I have often thought that a white flaky fish or shrimp would work really well in this recipe, but I haven't tried that yet. Ingredients: 1 pound of chicken, or about 2 cups chopped meat substitute of your choice 1 onion, chopped Olive oil 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups of chopped vegetables of your choice 1 can coconut milk 1 Tbsp red curry paste 1 Tbsp fish sauce (or 1/2 tsp salt) 1 Tbsp brown sugar 1. Start jasmine rice cooking on a separate burner. 2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, garlic, veggies, and chicken. Saute gently for 10 minutes. 3. Pour in can of coconut milk. Add curry paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Stir to combine. 4. Allow mixture to simmer gently for another 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice. Fall time = pumpkin time, right? Pumpkin is not only delicious, but also full of nutrients including vitamin A, B vitamins, and minerals such as copper and potassium. I love pumpkin baked goods, but rarely bake them myself anymore. I saw a recipe shared on Facebook this week that looked so delicious, I thought I might try it. It was a "conventional" recipe, but I have adapted it to be dairy- and gluten-free. These muffins come out like the inside of a pumpkin pie, so if you don't like super moist cakes/muffins, this probably isn't the recipe for you. They are firm enough to hold onto and eat like muffins, but just a tad gooey. I LOVED them, as did everyone in the family, but I can imagine that there are some people who would not enjoy their texture. Saturday turned out to be a lovely fall day, cool and crisp, with some rain in the mix later in the day. It was a perfect day for baking, especially something involving pumpkin and cinnamon. I found that I had already packed my muffin tins away, but still had a mini-muffin tin to use, so that's what I did. Turns out they packed really well and tasted great at the summit of a mountain today, and were much easier to share due to their small size. This recipe would be easily "paleo-ized" by using almond meal or coconut flour in place of the GF flour I chose. Ingredients Pumpkin puree, make your own or buy a 15-oz can (I bought the can.) 3/4 cup of your favorite sweetener (I used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar) 2 large eggs 1 tsp maple syrup (original recipe calls for vanilla but I was out...) 3/4 cup coconut milk (from a can, stirred well before measuring) 2/3 cup flour (I used a GF blend that has xantham gum included, but remember to add 1/2 tsp xantham gum in addition to your favorite GF flour if not in the mix) 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg (if desired) 1/4 tsp ginger (if desired) 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 24 mini muffin tins (or 12 regular sized muffin tins). Pour batter into tins until about 2/3 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, checking occasionally for doneness. These will be very, very moist, but if you check them and they still seem too underdone, put them in for 5 minute intervals. Let stand and cool for at least 20 minutes, then remove from pan and serve. You can top them with whipped cream, or whipped coconut cream if you are dairy-free. How to make coconut cream, you ask? Buy a can of coconut milk (NOT "lite"). Scrape the solid layer off the top and add to a mixing bowl. Add about 1 Tbsp sugar. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed for several minutes, until peaks form in the cream. Serve as a topping for your pumpkin pie bites. I have way more tomatoes coming out of my garden than I can deal with right now. In years past, I would rinse them, cut off the stems, put a few cups into storage bags, and store in the chest freezer in the basement. This is a great way to store tomatoes if you have the freezer space. They can be thawed and used to make soups and sauces throughout the year. This year, however, being in the throes of a home sale/purchase, and facing an impending move, I had already defrosted and cleaned out the freezer, so that wasn't an option. Also, I am not motivated to process and can tomatoes right now, what with the start of a new school year and the above-mentioned move. I have shared some at work, but I am picking more and more every day - more than we can possibly consume. It occurred to me the other day that sundried tomatoes are delicious, take up small amounts of space, can be stored for long periods of time, and are probably pretty easy to make. The photo to the left shows my finished product. I started with a lot of freshly-picked Roma tomatoes. I cut them in half and placed them on a cookie sheet, insides facing up as below. I then put them in a 250 degree oven for about 4 hours. I turned the oven off and let them sit overnight. In the morning, they looked like the tomatoes in the photo below. They weren't quite dried enough, so I put them out on the deck before I left for work in the morning. (It was a hot, sunny day.) When I got home 10 hours later, they were drier, but still not completely dehydrated. I put them back into a 250 degree oven for another hour that evening, and they were perfect. This process obviously involved a lot of trial and error. I think when I do this again, I will leave them in the oven for 6-7 hours at 250 degrees and that should finish them nicely. If I were home during the day, and if the weather were right, it would be fun to try drying them in the sun only, but it seems that it would take longer, maybe even several days. Once finished, I placed them in a glass container and mixed them with some olive oil, basil, a pinch of salt, and bouquet garni. They can be stored in the fridge this way for several months. Alternatively, you can leave them dry and store in a sealed bag at room temperature. I didn't intend to grow butternut squash this year. I find that the vines take up way too much of my limited garden space, and for the past two years, my squash plants have gotten a strange fungus which spreads to other plants. This year, however, I must have had one rogue seed that managed to germinate and a vine cropped up. I couldn't bear to cut it back - it was so green and healthy - and so I have this huge butternut plant growing all over my garden. Surprisingly, this one vine has remained very healthy and has produced more squashes so far than my multiple plants produced last year. I have had one casualty to the lawn mower (it was being pushed by a 12-year-old), but I have 3 that have ripened, and at least another 5 on the vine that should mature in the next few weeks. I found this recipe on the back of a can of coconut milk, and have adapted it slightly. Ingredients: 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 4 cups of chopped butternut squash (fresh or frozen) 1 can coconut milk 4 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken) or water, with 1 tsp salt added Salt and pepper to taste 1. In a large pot, combine the olive oil, onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook over medium heat until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. 2. Add coriander and cumin. Cook for another 5 minutes, until aromatic. 3. Add broth and chopped squash. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, or until squash is tender. 4. Using a blender (traditional or immersion will work) blend squash/broth mixture until smooth. Return to medium heat. 5. Add coconut milk. Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until warm. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired. I eat a lot of vegetables, and have found it is possible, every once in a while, to develop salad fatigue. I can only eat so many salads in a week and not get just a tad bit bored with them. Sure, I can mix it up with different toppings and dressings, but sometimes, a salad is just a salad, and I don't want to see another one for a few days. Also, depending on what's for dinner, I can get to the point where I don't want to be bothered with the making of the salad. Washing and drying leaves, tearing, chopping, making a fresh batch of dressing because we're almost out...
I have found that many vegetables get along very well with the oven. Throw a mixture of veggies cut into big chunks on a baking sheet, coat with some olive oil, and back at 400 degrees for 15-45 minutes (depending on the veggies you choose), and you end up with a delicious medley of tastes and textures. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in many vegetables. And you don't lose a ton of nutrients to the water, like you can with boiling. Oven-roasted veggies can be served as a side dish or a main dish. Sometimes, having the vegetables, maybe drizzled with plain yogurt, is enough. Sometimes, they make a nice accompaniment to a main dish. I cut all of the vegetables into bite-sized chunks and put on a baking sheet. Then I (liberally) pour olive oil over them, and use a spatula to stir in order to thoroughly coat them. I sprinkle them with some salt and pepper, and throw them into a preheated 400 degree oven. Below are my favorites for oven roasting, listed in order from least amount of cooking time to longer amount of cooking time, with the lower end of cooking time being 20 minutes and the longer end being 45 minutes. You may need to do some well-timed veggie choreography as they cook - remove the onions and cabbage to a platter while the yams and potatoes finish cooking, for instance. These vegetables reheat well as needed, and can also be thrown together with some broth and pureed to make a creamy vegetable soup. For cabbage and cauliflower, try cutting it into slices, or "steaks". Onions Bell peppers Zucchini Green cabbage Red cabbage Cauliflower Eggplant Yams Butternut squash Turnips Beets Carrots Potatoes This recipe is adapted from "Moosewood Cookbook" by Mollie Katzen. This was a staple weekly meal before we had kids, when life was carefree and there was no one around to say "eeewww yuck" when I put something on the table. This sauce can be served over pasta (gluten-free or otherwise), spaghetti squash, grilled or pan-seared meats or fish, and also makes a great pizza sauce. Caramelizing the onions requires low heat and time - do not try to rush this process! (I speak from experience.) It's a great way to up the veggie factor in a meal, and makes a satisfying vegetarian entree. I have found mushrooms to be a nice addition, as well.
Tonight, the adults will have this sauce over spaghetti squash. I don't anticipate the boys will be excited about this one, so they can have their spaghetti squash with butter and cheese, maybe with some chicken to round it out. Ingredients: 1/2 cup olive oil 4-6 large onions, thinly sliced (this is the worst part) - about 6-8 cups 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup white wine (optional) 1 pound of spinach, fresh or frozen (thawed and drained if frozen), chopped 1 cup crumbled feta cheese Optional: sliced mushrooms, toasted walnuts, parmesan 1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add salt, lower heat, and cook for at least another 10 minutes, or up to an hour for really sweet sauce. 2. Add white wine, and mushrooms if desired, and turn the heat back up to medium, and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes. 3. Add spinach and cook for an additional 5 minutes. 4. Add crumbled feta, turn to heat to low, and cover. Ready to serve. 5. Serve over pasta or squash, or use as a pizza sauce or omelette filling. Garnish with chopped walnuts and/or parmesan cheese. |
AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
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