Summer Sides

I love making quick and easy side dishes that go great with any meal. Tonight, I made 2 great side dishes: Corn Salad and Basil and Sun dried Tomato infused Rice. I paired with my classic chicken cubes, and result was delicious. Corn Salad:
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a splash of milk and sugar, this is a trick I learned from my mother in law, it makes the corn taste sweet and creamy all the time. Cook 2 heads of corn, both cut in half for easier handling for about 25 minutes.
Remove from water, let cool, and cut the corn off the cob. Add to a bowl, mix in 1/4 pack of boursin garlic and herb cheese, add some chopped dill and all done.  The heat of the corn melts the cheese and you get a deliciously flavored corn salad
basil and sun dried tomato rice:
ingredients:
1 package 15 minute rice - cooked
6 pcs sun dried tomato in oil- from jar
1/2 cup chopped basil
add half chopped basic to a bowl, and chopped sundried tomatoes, add rice and mix.
In a small bowl prepare dressing: 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil from the tomato jar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. the ratio of the dressing ingredients can be adjusted to your liking. if you don't like too much vinegar, add more oil. Mix dressing and pour over the rice and mix.  top with remaining basil.

Recipe for the chicken cubes can be found in an older post : http://fastandgourmet.blogspot.com/2011/03/blogworthy-dinner.html

Enjoy!!!

Goodies from the Garden: String Beans

Summer is my favorite time of year, not only because of the warm weather, but also because I get to plant my vegetable garden.  Every year I try something new, but there are always staples: Tomatoes, Peppers, String Beans, Zucchini and Arugula are a must!  They are easy to grow, and just so delicious especially knowing they are super fresh and organic.  I picked some wonderful string beans from my garden and decided to make something new.  Tonight I made Balsamic Chicken with string beans and cheese tortellini mixed with tomatoes, feta and basil.  I must admit, I was a little nervous putting this meal together because there were alot of ingredients, but somehow they all worked together.

Balsamic chicken: serves 2-3

1 medium onion  sliced in thin rings

2 chicken breasts, cubed
20 string beans, trimmed and cut in half - steamed for a few minutes

Sautee onions in olive oil until golden, move them to the side of the pan, and add your chicken, season with salt and pepper, continue sauteing until chicken pieces turn white, add string beans, mix everything together, and add about 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar.  Cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.

Cheese Tortellini Salad:
1 package cheese tortellini cooked and drained
1/2 diced tomato
1/3 cup crumbled Feta
few basil leaves - chopped
Mix everything together while the cheese tortellini is warm, serve warm or cold
Enjoy!!

a Mexican inspired meal...

I declined to order Blockheads for lunch today, and instead took a stroll down 5th ave only to realize the city has been taken over by food trucks.  Its a new generation of eating out of fancy food trucks, not your regular hot dog stands.  While I walked by a Mediterranean, Korean and fish and chips truck, I ultimately chose a Cuban Truck.  I cant say my food was amazing, but for a food truck it was pretty good, however that's not saying much for the truck.  I think the whole point is to offer AMAZING food, and my chicken sandwich was about a 6 out of 10.  But back to my inspiration, blockheads is a tex mex place in the city and I decided I wanted to make Mexican for Dinner.  This meal was very quick to prepare, thanx to a few shortcuts, and most of it done while holding my 20 month old little boy in one arm because he loves to watch me cook.
I made a pilaf rice and grilled chicken topped with pico de gallo, and a side of  refried beans and guacamole.
Lets start with the easiest:
Pico De Gallo - very good when prepared fresh, today mine came in a glass jar, a mixture of onions, tomatoes, and peppers, Goya does a pretty good job.
Refried beans - black beans from a can, washed under cold water, fried on a pan with a little oil and shredded cheddar cheese, this takes a few minutes over a medium flame, mix and mash everything together.
Guacamole - 1 avocado, mashed and seasoned with salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chicken - 4 thin sliced chicken breasts sliced in thin strips and fried with salt and paprika
Rice - a Pilaf rice mix, cooked according to package instructions.
I cant tell you how delicious this meal was, you'll only have to try for yourself.

Carmelized Peppers over PotatoMash and Grilled Chicken

The inspiration for tonight's dinner came from a vegetable stand.  I saw a display of red, green, yellow and orange peppers next to each other and I knew that I had to put them together into something pretty.  This meal was so easy and super delicious, try for yourself.

Grilled chicken breast prepared any way you like, I used a poultry seasoning and a squeeze of lemon juice and grilled on the stove in a grill pan.

Idaho Potatoes were boiled till soft, then drained and mashed with 1/2 cup warm milk and 1 TBS butter.

For the Caramelized Peppers:

1 of each - yellow, green, red and orange pepper sliced thin

1 onion sliced thin

Heat 2 TBS olive oil and 1 TBS butter in a frying pan, and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, turning often.
What you get is a simple yet delicious combination of flavors and a nice dinner idea. Enjoy!!


cut up peppers



Roasted Vegetables

There is nothing easier than roasting vegetables.  Its the quickest side dish to prepare, not exactly the quickest to cook depending on the vegetable, but nevertheless, its always worth it.  What you get is gorgeous colors, delicious flavor, and a healthy side dish or Snack.  I roast vegetables all the time, the best are broccoli and butternut squash. Just cut up vegetables in a uniform size, to make sure they cook evenly, line a baking sheet with foil ( spray foil with caooking spray) for easy clean up, drizzle extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt, and voila, you've got a meal. Bake at 400 degrees until soft and golden brown.  Enjoy
Other Roasting ideas: Asparagus, cut up potato wedges, brussel sprouts.

Burger and Fries!!!

Tonight's dinner was fast food inspired, Chicken Cheeseburger, Fries and Cole Slaw, and all made from scratch.  I was at Trader Joe's this weekend, and picked up the cutest mini buns, and I thought, they really deserve to be served right.  To think, the inspiration came from a pretty little bun. So I made mini chicken burgers and home fries, as well as my own cole slaw, and the result was amazing.  So much so that my husband called it his new favorite meal.  The fries recipe happens to be my childhood favorite.  Its so simple, yet the flavor of freshly cut fries is so delicious no wonder they call them home fries. 

Mini burgers: makes about 15 mini burgers

1 lb ground chicken

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped dill

Mix all ingredients, shape into mini burgers and fry on a skillet ( I have a grill skillet which is perfect) until golden.  The burgers cook quick, about 2 minutes per side, I also added a quarter slice of American cheese to each.  To make the sliders, I mixed ketchup and mustard and smeared on both sides of the bun, topped with a little cole slaw.

Home Fries:

5 Idaho potatoes

peel and wash potatoes and cut thin, heat 2 TB spoons vegetable oil in a non stick skillet and add potatoes, cook, turning often on medium-low heat till golden and soft, about 25 minutes, you can also cover to cook quicker, but check on it often and turn often.

Cole Slaw

1 package shredded cabbage and carrots

dressing:

This recipe I really eyeballed all the ingredients, a few tablespoons white wine vinegar, mayo, Dijon mustard, squeeze of lemon.  whisk everything together and mix with cabbage, I also added half of a pear, finely chopped, for the sweetness. Mix well and let stand for a few hours so the cabbage can marinate, or refrigerate overnight.

Creamy Corn Soup!!!!!

You only realize how many people read your blog when you stop blogging and suddenly everyone starts asking " what are you cooking" and "why aren't you blogging", the answer is I am cooking and I still take pictures almost every night, I guess that doesn't really count.  So here I am, back at it, and I've got lots to blog about.  Where should we start? How about today's experiment.  I've been making Split Pea Soup for ages, its actually a simple recipe I came up with myself.  It starts with sauteing chopped onions, celery and carrots in olive oil, you add water and dried split peas, a few cut up potatoes, a little salt and just let that cook for about an hour, mash everything up and you've got yourself a great soup.  Today, I decided to try something new, everything the same, except I substituted dried split peas for fresh corn.  The Result....Delicious.  Try for yourself.

Creamy Corn Soup - serves 3-4
1 medium onion
1 large carrot
2 stalk celery
1 leek - washed well
2 - fresh corn, cut from the cob
2 large potatoes-cubed
In a Large pot or dutch oven, sautee the onions, celery carrot and leek in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil until golden.  Add corn and about 4 cups of water, bring to boil, then reduce heat. Add salt ( start with 1 teaspoon and then taste and see if it needs more) Add potatoes and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Turn off the heat and let cool.  I then used a hand held immersion blender to cream the soup.  If you don't have this handy tool, you can always use a potato masher, or a real blender to get it really creamy, just make sure to cool the soup first. I garnished with a dollop of sour cream, fresh ground pepper and basil. Enjoy 

Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls

Can one really claim to be responsible for a recipe that was given to them by someone else? Can a recipe possibly come from someone who doesn’t cook?  If you ask my husband, he will tell you this recipe is his.  The technicality doesn’t really matter, what matters is that I have an awesome and incredibly easy recipe for sweet and sour chicken balls.  Add that to my own braised cabbage, and you've got a great dinner.
The cabbage:
1 large onion - diced
1 large carrot - shredded
1/2 head of cabbage, thinly shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in either a large skillet or pan, add onion and carrot, sauté until golden, add cabbage and 1 can of tomato sauce or paste, mix, cover and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes, the longer you cook the better.  note - you can add a little bit of water while this is cooking to make sure this is moist.
Sweet and Sour chicken balls
1 lb of ground chicken
1 egg
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix everything together and shape into balls, place on a cookie sheet and cook for 15 minutes at 375 degrees
While that’s cooking, heat up 1 Tablespoon olive oil and add crushed garlic, or powdered garlic, whatever you have.  Immediately add 1 large can of crushed tomatoes, dash of salt and pepper and dried basil, stir and let cook for 5 minutes, add 1/3 cup of grape jelly and simmer for another 5-10- minutes on low heat.  Add Chicken balls and cook for another 15 minutes.  If you have extra time, you can cook longer, as the flavor will enhance the longer you cook. If not, remove and serve.  These are also great in miniature size as appetizer. Enjoy

Okra....

I'm always looking for a new ingredient and Okra was my inspiration for tonight.  Although you can hardly call okra something new, for me it was, as I have never cooked with it before.  My entire meal today was built around the okra.  Here was my thinking, okra in some kind of a red sauce,  I started with a chopped onion and garlic, sauteed that in olive oil, added a can of crushed tomato.  At that point I knew I needed a starch so I added 3 diced potatoes and a diced yellow squash.  I let this cook for about 30 minutes, then added a can of vegetarian baked beans, salt, pepper and paprika to taste and a few dashed of Tabasco sauce.  I served this over some chicken meat loaf , recipe right off the Lipton soup mix. ( I cooked the meat loaf on a sheet tray to make it extra thin.)   I have to admit, half way through cooking, I really wasn't sure how this will taste, but it really came together and was delicious.

chicken loaf baked on a cookie sheet

Something Different...with an Indian twist!

I love the variety of shortcuts that are available in the supermarket.  Take for instance a package of Kashmir Spinach thats already prepared, all you have to do is heat it up.  One could ofcourse just heat it up and eat right out of the microwaveable bag, I however like to use it as a tool for creating something different. I made a dish that has a hint of the indian spices, yet mainstream enough to serve to an anti-indian food eating husband.

If you have never tried this line of Indian inspired ready to eat dishes from the brand Tasty Bite, I suggest you give it a try, they are simply delicious, and when combined with simple ingredients like rice or pasta, it really makes for a great meal. 

I Combined the kasimir spinach mix with some cooked orzo pasta and cannellini beans.  Topped with some chicken stir fried with onions, zuccinni and red pepper, this was a dish with huge flavor through every bite.