Fruit Smoothie, deliciously simple

My friend, Manda, shared what she's been making in her smoothies; so, I thought I'd take part in this show-and-tell. We're not brave enough or healthy enough to add in veggies, like Manda does.

Fruit Smoothie

The girls, for the most part, determine what goes into the smoothies, from day to day. That's right, my five year old and four year old have say in what they eat (or, uh, drink), at least where smoothies are concerned. Other than that, I'm pretty sure I have a better idea of what's healthy and conducive towards growth and development.

2012-7-27

The ingredients:

The fruit varies from time to time, from day to day, according to what the girls choose, but here's the basic idea:

• whole milk yogurt - we use half to two-thirds of one of those big containers.
• bananas - two of them.
• coconut oil - one teaspoon.
• fruit - in today's version, we included a frozen package of organic strawberries and some fresh blueberries.

Ready to blend? Set?

GO!

I thought I'd use a fancy schmancy glass (on the left side, in the glass with a stem) for photographing. Normally I store leftover smoothies in glass (what used

FYI, no ice is needed, especially if frozen fruit is used. One can buy fruit frozen. Or one can freeze fresh fruit. Also, no added sugar is needed. Bananas, especially ripe ones, are naturally sweet and will balance out the tartness of certain fruits, such as strawberries.

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

 2012-7-30

Stuffed Red Peppers

Ingredients:

• grass fed ground beef - I got approximately 1 1/2 lbs, but I ended up have loads leftover (which was fine; I used it as a spaghetti sauce)
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• medium white rice, cooked, 2 cups, I think
• 4 red bell peppers
• 1 jar, 26 oz Spinelli's classic marinara sauce
• Worcestershire sauce, a few dabs here and there
• red miso glaze - a squeeze here, a squeeze there
• fresh basil - 6-10 leaves, sliced in chunks
• sea salt
• garlic & salt from a grinder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cook the medium grain rice. I used my rice cooker to do the job.
3. Rinse and wash the red bell peppers. Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes. Then cut a bit more off the top and dice. Set aside both, the peppers (with the tops cut off) and the diced peppers.
4. Cook the diced onion on low to medium heat, with olive oil, until the onion is transparent. Put out the onion (and set it aside) while leaving behind the olive oil and onion juices. Using the same pan, on medium heat, brown the ground beef. Add Worcestershire sauce and red miso glaze. Then, add in the diced bell peppers and the onion. Cook for a few minutes with a lid on. Add sea salt, garlic, and 80% of the marinara sauce. Stir and let it boil softly for a few minutes. Add the basil and stir gently.
5. Stuff the peppers!
6. Set the peppers in a baking pan.
7. Drizzle tops of the peppers with remaining marinara sauce and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
8. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 1 hour.

Take two, Risotto with Seared Scallops

I am working on the risotto, until I get something with which I am well pleased. Nothing less. This past Saturday, I changed things up a bit. I liked the results more than the first time I made it.

2012-7-21

Risotto with Seared Scallops

Ingredients:

• 8 c. chicken broth (I don't remember my measurement equivalents. I learned or was reminded that 1 quart has 4 c. - I used 2 boxes of the chicken broth)
• olive oil
• 1 medium vidalia onion, diced
• 3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 4 bay leaves
• 10 sprigs of thyme
• 2 tbs parsley - I couldn't find any fresh parsley. Wish I had.
• 2 tbs butter
• sea salt, colorful peppercorn (ground fresh, on the spot, with my pepper mill)
• truffle oil - a drizzle here, a drizzle there - careful with this; truffle oil carries a very strong flavor
• 2 c. Arborio rice
• 1/2 c. sherry - I used whatever wine I happened to have
• soy sauce - a dab here, a dab there
• four cloves of garlic - minced
• chives - chopped finely
• scallops

Directions:

1. On low to medium heat, with some olive oil, cook half the garlic & half the onion until translucent or somewhat clear.
2. Add mushrooms, herbs (spices), butter until lightly brown. Add some sea salt. Drizzle a bit of truffle oil (use only a minimal amount, because truffle oil carries a powerful and sometimes overwhelming flavor). Add 1 c. of chicken broth. Add some salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute for a minute or two, then set aside (shown in the photograph above).
3. Using same pan, add some more olive oil. Add the other 1/2 of the onion and the rest of the garlic. Saute (like step 1) until transparent. Add rice and stir quickly, for a few minutes. Stir in the wine and stir. 
4. Slowly add 1 c. of chicken broth and stir until the broth has been absorbed by the rice.
5. Repeat Step 4 until all the broth is stirred in.
6. Transfer mushrooms to rice mixture.
7. When done, add chives and stir briefly.
8. When plated (placed in a bowl or plate), place seared scallop(s) on top.

Mmmm, seared scallops. I used red miso glaze in searing these scallops.

Shiitake Mushrooms & Calamata Olives Risotto

Shiitake Mushrooms & Calamata Olives Risotto

2012-7-18

I've been planning and getting excited about cooking risotto for awhile now. And it finally happened today. I spent like three or four hours in the kitchen working on this, and most of it wasn't even preparation. Sauteing and stirring the rice took FOREVER. Well, not forever, but given that I have four very small children, this took more time than I could afford.

I got my recipe inspiration from Tyler Florence on his Mushroom Risotto at foodnetwork.com. I made several adjustments, tweaks, and adjustments to make the recipe more my own. This recipe will continue to change and grow, as I perfect the recipe and make it mine.

Ingredients:

• 8 c. chicken broth (I don't remember my measurement equivalents. I learned or was reminded that 1 quart has 4 c. - I used 2 boxes of the chicken broth)
• olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 3 bay leaves
• 10 sprigs of thyme
• 2 tbs parsley - I couldn't find any fresh parsley. Wish I had.
• 2 tbs butter
• sea salt, colorful peppercorn (ground fresh, on the spot, with my pepper mill)
• truffle oil - a drizzle here, a drizzle there
• 2 c. Arborio rice
• 1/2 c. chianti - I used whatever wine I happened to have
• soy sauce - a dab here, a dab there
• four cloves of garlic - minced
• chives - chopped finely

• I served the risotto with fresh calamata olives, on top

I must confess, I have a very limited budget with which to work, and this is one of the greatest ingredient indulgences I've used to date: truffle oil. This is the first time I've used it in any cooking. I guess I am no Master Chef home cook expert.

Directions:

1. On low to medium heat, with some olive oil, cook half the garlic & half the onion until translucent or somewhat clear.
2. Add mushrooms, herbs (spices), butter until lightly brown. Add some sea salt. Drizzle a bit of truffle oil (use only a minimal amount, because truffle oil carries a powerful and sometimes overwhelming flavor). Add 1 c. of chicken broth. Add some salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute for a minute or two, then set aside.
3. Using same pan, add some more olive oil. Add the other 1/2 of the onion and the rest of the garlic. Saute (like step 1) until transparent. Add rice and stir quickly, for a few minutes. Stir in the wine and stir. 
4. Slowly add 1 c. of chicken broth and stir until the broth has been absorbed by the rice.
5. Repeat Step 4 until all the broth is stirred in.
6. Transfer mushrooms to rice mixture.
7. When done, add chives and stir briefly.
8. When plated (placed in a bowl or plate), sprinkle some parsley and calamata olives on top.

If you're so intrigued, the remainder of this post is a photo essay of the directions or cooking process:

Step by Step Photo Directions:

1. On low to medium heat, with some olive oil, cook half the garlic & half the onion until translucent or somewhat clear.

2. Add mushrooms, herbs (spices), butter until lightly brown. Add some sea salt. Drizzle a bit of truffle oil (use only a minimal amount, because truffle oil carries a powerful and sometimes overwhelming flavor).

Add 1 c. of chicken broth. Add some salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute for a minute or two, then set aside. (I apologize I don't have any photographs of me adding the chicken broth to the pan.)

3. Using same pan, add some more olive oil. Add the other 1/2 of the onion and the rest of the garlic. Saute (like step 1) until transparent.

Add rice and stir quickly, for a few minutes. Stir in the wine and stir.

4. Slowly add 1 c. of chicken broth and stir until the broth has been absorbed by the rice.

Repeat Step 4 until all the broth is stirred in.

This is the ladle I used to spoon the broth. To do step four, I used two ladles full at a time.

6. Transfer mushrooms to rice mixture.

7. When done, add chives and stir briefly.

8. When plated (placed in a bowl or plate), sprinkle some parsley and calamata olives on top.

Done!

Tuna Noodle Casserole with an Asian Twist

 

 Tuna Noodle Casserole with an Asian Twist

Aeons have passed since I last posted any recipes. My apologies. I would claim that having four children, five years old and under, has kept me on-my-toes-busy; but, I don't want my children to one day believe that I blame them for not getting much of anything (beyond cooking, doing laundry, folding clothes, feeding four little mouths, wiping bottoms, changing diapers, transporting people places, going grocery shopping, etc.) done.

I've gotten a chance play around with Tuna  Noodle Casserole and made an American-Asian fusion, which I will call my very own. Before mentioning what makes the Asian fusion portion of the recipe, I will say that I didn't use egg noodles. At the time, I only had elbow macaroni; so, my recipe is using that. The ingredients that added a bit of an Asian flavor to this dish were three: shittake mushrooms, soy sauce, and ground ginger.

Here are the ingredients I used, minus the seasoning & spices (they aren't pictured below).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. (16 oz.) elbow macaroni
• 1 package of shittake mushrooms (around 12-15 mushrooms), washed and sliced thinly
• 5 pearl (?) onions, sliced very thin
• chives, perhaps 10-12 strands, rinsed & cut very thin
• 4 cartons of 12 oz. Pacific organic cream of mushroom condensed soup - this was the only cream of mushroom soup I could find that didn't have MSG in it.
• 4 cans (5 oz each) of Wild Planet wild albacore tuna - I am relatively new to this brand but was extremely pleased with the quality. It's 100% pole and troll caught. The fish tastes, to me, nearly like the tuna purchased behind the glass case in the meat & seafood section of a grocery store. One can costs a pretty penny, but it is THAT exquisite
• Panko bread crumbs
• organic chicken broth
• water
• frozen green peas - 1/3 to 1/2 a package
• 5 cloves of garlic - peeled & cut into small chunks
• freshly grated Parmesan
• sea salt - not much - since the cream of mushroom soup comes salty
• soy sauce - also not much
• ground ginger

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large pan or skillet (I am seriously lacking in technical jargon and extremely precise measurements; my apologies for that), place in the sliced shittake mushrooms, pearl onions, cut garlic, cut chives, cream of mushroom soup, water, chicken broth, and green peas. Place the pan/skillet on medium heat.
• Once the pan's contents are nearly boiling, cook the pasta to al dente, and not any longer than that amount (or the pasta will be soggy and mushy after baking). While the pasta is cooking, add some sea salt, a bit of soy sauce, and several pinches of ground ginger. 
• When the pasta is finished cooking, drain the water and combine the pasta with the pan's contents. Stir thoroughly.
• Pour everything into a 9x13 baking pan. I used a deep Pampered Chef stoneware pan. Spread evenly. Cover the top with a very thin layer of Panko bread crumbs. Grate some Parmesan (I grated the Parmesan on the spot; I can taste the difference in the freshly grated cheese and it is so much tastier!) and sprinkle it here and there. I didn't put a thin, continuous layer of cheese, because I wanted the flavor of the cheese in the dish without making it cheesy.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
• When ready to serve, add some freshly grounded colored peppercorn (I used a pepper mill) on top.

2012-6-9

My 5 year old has really taken a liking to this dish. Bon Appetit!

Wild rice with rotisserie chicken

2012-3-3

Quick, yummy, and healthy I can claim. My recipe, not so much.

A friend had delivered a cooked chicken, a rotisserie chicken. I purchased a couple packages of Near East wild rice (with spice packs), a package of organic carrots, a package of organic celery, and a red onion.

I cooked the wild rice on stove top.

In a pan, I caramelized the finely sliced red onion, using olive oil, on medium heat. Once the onion was done, I added the carrots and celery. I added chicken broth and sea salt. Placed a lid on the pan. Cooked the carrots and celery on the stove for approximately 15-20 minutes.

I preheated the oven to 375. In a stoneware rectangular pan (like one used to bake lasagna), 9 x 13 (I think), I covered the bottom with the contents of the frying pan (carrots, celery, red onion, broth). Next layer up, I sprinkled freshly grounded peppercorn (mine had a variety of colors, different kinds of peppercorn), followed by rotisserie chicken torn into pieces. The top layer was the cooked wild rice. I covered the stoneware with aluminum foil and baked the dish for 45 minutes.

Time was spend peeling carrots, washing celery, and cutting the vegetables. Other than that, the dish doesn't take much effort or time to make. And the dish was popular amongst the friends with whom I had shared.

Avocado and Mango Salsa

2012-3-3

I cannot lay claim to creating anything here, except for quick and easy goodness. I bought the mango salsa at Sunflower Farmer's Market, my favorite grocery store. I am not being offered any incentive to speak for or on behalf of the store. If there were a Trader Joe's here, I'd be in even more trouble; love, love, love that grocery store.

This morning, while my friend was making me a delicious omelet (with asparagus, tomatoes, shittake mushrooms, and green onions), I was looking to fill my tummy quickly. Nursing twins gets me hungry in a ravenous sort of fashion. Having some avocado purchased me a few moments.

Egg Drop Soup

2012-2-25

Egg Drop Soup

This morning, I set out to make a meal for a couple. On the docket included: white rice, egg drop soup, fried rice, and fresh strawberries and blueberries. I have posted my recipe for fried rice. But, egg drop soup is new here.

The good news is: I can and will share all the ingredients to my soup. The bad news is: I have no exact measurements to share. Wasn't making careful observation of what I was doing. Another piece of good news is that it turned out superb.

Ingredients:

• water
• organic free range chicken broth
• sea salt
• soy sauce
• freshly ground peppercorn
  
• ground ginger
• green onions
  
• free range brown eggs
• corn

Make sure the green onions are cut fine.


But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Directions:

• In a pot, add water and chicken broth. The ratio was roughly 1/2 water or 1/2 chicken broth. In the end, the soup might have become more 1/3 chicken broth and 2/3 water. On high, bring to a boil. Beat eggs (I think I used 10) in a bowl and set aside. Once the broth is on a high boil, begin the egg drizzle. This takes concentration and some work. Do NOT pour all the eggs in at once. I poured a little (perhaps 1/6 of the entire amount) and continuously (non-stop) gently stirred. Then I added some water, waited until the broth was again boiling a lot, after which I added some more water. Repeat until all the eggs are in the soup. Two points - constantly stirring when the eggs are poured in and making sure the liquid is boiling before adding more eggs - are crucial to avoid the eggs clumping (unless you're trying to make poached eggs).

• Turn stove to medium heat (from high). Then the other ingredients can go into the soup: thinly sliced green onions, minced garlic, sea salt (I probably used at least several tablespoons), soy sauce (I used just a bit, enough to barely color the broth), ground ginger (a couple or a few pinches), freshly ground peppercorns (I used around 10-12 peppercorns), corn (I used frozen corn).

• Allow to simmer for a few minutes, and the soup is ready to serve.
  

2012-2-25

I was really pleased with the results.

2012-2-25

My mouth is watering just writing about it.