I few days ago, I had a fleeting memory of tabbouleh. I used to make it often and somehow it just got out of the rotation. But the memory triggered the brightness of the lemon, the crispness of the cucumber, the chewy texture of the grain.
Traditionally tabbouleh is make with bulghar wheat, of which I just happened to have on hand. But when I opened the container, well, it was a bit old. Having everything else on hand to make the salad and an overwhelming craving, I looked at other grains I have and what might be a suitable substitute. Quinoa!!!
An excellent substitute it is. The quinoa I have on hand is multi-colored (white, red, black) but any color will work. And when it comes to cucumbers, I almost always use the small pickling cucumbers (they're sweeter and crunchier) or a English (hothouse) cucumber. There were several recipes from which I took ingredients I prefer and made my own recipe. Vary amounts according to your tastes.
QUINOA TABBOULEH (4 servings)
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
salt to taste
1/4 cup EVOO
2-4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (depending on how tart you like it)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 pickling cucumbers, partially peeled and diced
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
chopped fresh mint, to taste
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to taste
S&P to taste
In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature; fluff with a fork.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine olive oil, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, garlic, mint, and parsley. Stir in the cooled quinoa. Season to taste with S&P. Add more lemon juice if desired.
As with the chili (see yesterday's post), if you're a beef stew lover, you probably have your own recipe. So this post is for me. You see, Jim's comment on this was "this reminds me of what I used to eat." Good enough for me (he did go back for seconds....a good sign).
I used my Ninja 4-in-1 for this (browning the meat on the stovetop setting, then turning it to the crock pot setting). So I'm going to list this as a crock pot recipe. Adjust if you're using strictly stovetop or slow cooker.
BEEF STEW (6 servings)
1 1/2 lb stew meat (cubes found in the meat section, or chuck roast, or London broil...I used London broil), but into bite-sized cubes
1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp S&P (I used Crazy Salt)
EVOO
1/2 large onion, cut into chunks
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
about 10 button mushrooms, halved
1-2 ribs celery, depending on size, cut into chunks
3 tsp garlic
2 cups beef broth
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes (undrained)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tsp marjoram
3/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 large or two small bay leaves
(green peas....I would have added at the last few minutes if I had them)
Heat skillet until hot. Add olive oil and bring to heat.
In a plastic produce bag, add flour, paprika, and S&P. Add stew meat (I did this in three batches) and shake to coat. After each coating, add to skillet to brown meat. Remove meat to plate.
In the crock pot, layer the onions and carrots. Top this with browned meat. Then top with the celery and garlic. Add beef broth. Add the tomatoes, wine, marjoram, thyme, salt, and bay leaf.
Cook in the crock pot for 8-9 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high until beef cubes are tender.
I imagine most folks have their favorite chili recipe. I don't. Chili for me is usually a "clearing out the freezer/fridge/pantry" dinner. I don't think I've ever made it the same way twice.
So when I ran across this recipe, I didn't think too much of it. And then I saw the magic ingredient: smoked paprika!!!! Why hadn't I thought of this? I love all things smoked paprika and chili is the absolute perfect vehicle for this beloved seasoning.
So if you have your favorite chili recipe, by all means use it. Just try adding some smoked paprika. Or use this wonderful recipe provided by the Iowa Girl. It's delicious. I served mine with cornbread sticks. A green salad is a nice touch.
SPICY, SMOKY, SWEET CHILI (6 servings)
1 lb ground beef, turkey, or chili
1 large shallot or 1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
S&P
29 oz can tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, or tomato puree
15 oz can Bush's vegetarian baked beans (not drained)
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp chili powder
1-2 heaping Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to toss....I don't use any)
chopped cilantro, optional
Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green or yellow/white onions, tortilla chips, sour cream
Brown meat, shallot or onion, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat, seasoning with S&P. Add the remaining ingredients then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
CROCK POT COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: Transfer ground meat to a 5/6 quart crock pot then add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine (can be done ahead of time. Store in the fridge until ready to start cooking). Place a lid on top then cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Recipe Source: http://iowagirleats.com/2014/09/24/signature-spicy-smoky-sweet-chili-crock-pot-friendly/
After moving to Minnesota years ago, I became quite fond of wild rice soup. To this day, I don't think I've made it same way twice. Every recipe I've tried has not been a disappointment. This is no exception.
A plus to this one: it's a crock pot recipe. Throw everything in at once and come back four hours later for a great dinner.
CROCK POT CHICKEN and WILD RICE SOUP (4 servings)
1 lb chicken breasts (do not use frozen), cut in half if large
1/2 small onion or one large shallot, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced or chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 large or 2 small bay leaves
2 Tbsp butter
6 cups chicken broth
3/4 wild rice-brown rice blend (Lundberg Farms brand recommended.....easily available)
Add all ingredients into a 6-quart crock pot then cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken breasts are cooked through. Rice should be done around the same time. Shred chicken then stir back into soup and serve (soup will thicken as it cools).
NOTE: Depending on the type of rice you use, it may not be cooked through at 4 hours. If that's the case, shred chicken then keep in the refrigerator until rice is tender, then stir into soup and let warm for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Source and step-by-step photos: http://iowagirleats.com/2015/10/07/crock-pot-chicken-and-wild-rice-soup/
I have about half a dozen recipes I wanted to post but I can't remember where I got them! So I hoping, like this one, the light over my head comes on and I can share them with you.
I search of those others, I found this one I did several weeks ago. It's a wonderful stir-fry in which you could substitute other veggies (broccoli, zucchini, peppers) and maybe even doubling the sauce (a comment one user made which I will do next time.....a reason I love allrecipes.com and also their magazine.....readers give those of us who aren't very creative some great alternatives). And their photos are much better than mine (see link below!)
INDONESIAN CHICKEN (4 servings)
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 cups water
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
2 tsp EVOO
3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I used crunchy)
2 tsp honey
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp red chile paste, such as Srichacha sauce, more or less to taste
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp chopped peanuts
Bring rice and water to a boil in a pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.
Steam green beans in a pot fitted with a steamer basket over boiling-hot water until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes (I used my microwave steamer).
Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then cook chicken, stirring, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Add broth, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, chile paste, and lemon juice to skillet, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken (along with any juices accumulated in the bowl and green beans. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with green onions and peanuts.
Recipe Source: http://allrecipes.com/search/results/?wt=erins%20indonesian%20chicken&sort=re
OK.....I first acknowledge this is not my photo!!! I made these for Thanksgiving and forgot to take a photo.
I must say, you have to be an aficionado of onions to make this recipe. And I am. Any recipe calling for onions, I add extra. My favorite pizza? Onion, onion, onion, and tomato (the best I've ever had is at Iriana's in Little Rock, AR). My favorite onion (used almost exclusively) is the sweet onion (Vidalia, Walla Walla, Texas 1015). I should start an onion trivia game.
This recipe calls for "brown onions." I'd never heard of that. But comments below the original recipe asked "Does this mean yellow onions or shallots?" with a resounding "NO!...it means brown onions." But further searching had people saying that yellow onions are also called brown onions. So that's what I used (while a sweet onion would have been just as good.)
It was a nice addition to the Thanksgiving table. Leftovers heated up nicely and were just as good as freshly baked.
GOLDEN BAKED ONIONS (6 servings)
6 brown onions, peeled and halved
1 Tbsp EVOO
S&P
1 cup (250 ml) regular or heavy cream
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup (50 g) finely grated regular or smoked mozzarella
1/2 cup (50 g) finely grated Gruyere (or Swiss or smoked provolone)
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Place the onions, cut-side up, in a greased baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with S&P. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or until just starting to brown. Combine the cream, thyme, mustard, and cheeses and spoon over the onions. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until the onions are golden.
NOTE: I did the first 1 1/2 hours of baking ahead of time (earlier that day) and then finished the last two baking steps when baking the dressing.
Recipe adapted from: http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/golden-baked-onions
After several days of leftover turkey, we needed a change. Shrimp....curry....rice. Poifect!!!
I had picked up a pineapple on sale ($1!!!) and added a simple Asian-dressed salad (recipe below). Easy, quick, delicious.
COCONUT SHRIMP CURRY (6 servings)
For the shrimp marinade:
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/5 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1-2 pounds shrimp
For the sauce:
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion (any color) finely chopped
1/2-1 red pepper, sliced, optional
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (about 1" peeled piece of ginger)
S&P to taste
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can coconut milk, light or regular
chopped cilantro, to taste
Hot cooked rice, for serving
For the simple shrimp marinade, toss the shrimp with the S&P, cayenne, and lemon juice in a resealable large bag or in a bowl. Refrigerate 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until rippling and hot. Add the onion and pepper and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in the S&P, ginger, garlic, coriander, turmeric and curry powder. Continue cooking over medium heat, until the mixture is very fragrant and the onion is soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the undrained tomatoes to the pot and cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, for about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Add the coconut milk, stirring to combine mixture to a simmer and cook until the shrimp are curled, lightly pink and cooked through, 2-4 minutes. Stir in cilantro.
Serve over hot, cooked rice.
Recipe Source: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/coconut-shrimp-curry-silpat-giveaway/
ASIAN TOSSED SALAD (mix as much/little as you like)
Chopped romaine
small broccoli florets
crumbled (uncooked) ramen noodles
green onions
Asian salad dressing (homemade {Google for your favorite recipe} or store-bought)
