Cranberry Vinaigrette

With the Thanksgiving deliciousness in the recent past you may, like me, find yourself with leftovers that need re-invention. Here's a simple and delicious use for your leftover cranberry sauce. I used this dressing on a turkey and beet salad and it was quite scrumptious. 

1/2 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce (or the jellied version mashed up with a fork)
1/4 cup orange juice (about 1 orange's worth if you're fresh squeezing)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp basalmic vinegar (I use rice vinegar because I prefer a milder taste)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Whisk together well. Serve over salad.
Makes about 1 cup.

Pickle Dip

 A tasty chip dip!

8 oz sour cream

1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce

1/2 to 1 cup finely diced pickle (I prefer dill)

Mix together and serve with chips.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I went to a cooking demonstration at Sprouts (a grocery store in AZ, CA & TX) a few years ago, led by a woman named Dee McCaffrey, CDC.  She is an advocate for processed-free whole food eating.  This is one of my favorite recipes from her cookbook Plan-D.  The only part that I can't find at regular grocery stores yet is the unsweetened or naturally sweetened ketchup.  Polaner and St. Dalfour are the brands that are readily available at stores in AZ and TX.  The recipe is fast and easy.  It's great over white or brown rice and quinoa.  I've even made it in the crock pot on low for 7-8 hrs.  It's also good with ground chicken or beef.  Ground Turkey Breast is the leanest and lowest in calories. 

pesto sauce

4 oz. fresh basil

2 T. chopped garlic

1 oz. pine nuts (I doubled this)

1 c. olive oil

2 T. butter

1 c. grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 t. pepper

salt to taste

Run the basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and butter through a food mill (messy), a mortar and pestle (VERY messy and will work your arm off), or food processer (the best option unless you're making only a very small amount).

Place in a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients, mix well, and refrigerate in a tightly sealed container.  Take the amount of pesto needed and bring to room temperature 30 minutes before use.

Yield: 2 cups

From Buca de Beppo Italian Restaurant cookbook.

Guacamole

The first rule of good guacamole is that it does NOT have mayonnaise in it.  Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we'll get onto the guacamole goodness!  This recipe will make roughly 4 cups of guacamole.  You can scale it down or increase it based on your needs.  You want to be very conservative with the seasonings, sour cream and salsa.  You can always add more, but you can't take away.  The amounts below are a rough estimate.  It depends on the size of your avocados.  Once the flesh is mashed up you should have about 3 1/2 cups of avocado. 

6-8 ripe Avocados, halved, peeled, seeded
1/4 - 1/2 C Salsa, mild
2-4 T. Sour Cream
1/2 T. Garlic Powder
1/2 T. Onion Powder
Salt to taste
Fresh Lime juice of 1 regular lime or 2 key limes

In a medium bowl place the avocado flesh and mash them until mostly smooth.  Add 2 T. sour cream, lime juice and seasonings.  Mix thoroughly.  Add 1/4 cup salsa.  Taste and adjust the seasonings/additions as needed.  Then serve and enjoy.  If you have any extra guacamole left over, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.  To keep the guacamole green, add extra lime juice to the top before putting the lid on.

Queso Blanco

Gina and I made this over Easter and enjoyed it for the whole weekend. It makes a lot (probably about 4 cups!) so feel free to halve the recipe. It can also be made with orange American cheese, but then it wouldn't be blanco. :)

• 1 1/4 (1.25) lb block White American Cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes [We couldn't find the cheese in a block, so we unwrapped lots of little single slices and tore them in pieces.:)]
• 1/4 cup diced green chilies (small can)
• 2 pickled jalapenos, chopped (optional)
• 1 ounce pickled jalapeno juice (optional)
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup cold water
• pinch of cumin (optional)

Toss all ingredients into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, stopping to stir after every minute. The mixture might seem watery during the first few stirs, but should come together as a nice runny dip after all the cheese is melted.

Serve immediately as a dip with tortilla chips or as a sauce over your favorite Mexican dish.Gina mixed a little salsa in hers, which was also delicious.

*Recipe Note: White American cheese is found at most deli counters in your local grocery store.

*Reheat Instructions: Store any leftover cheese dip in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until creamy and hot. 

Adapted from recipe at penniesonaplatter.com 

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

This is more of a dark chocolate fudge sauce, but you could make it more milk chocolate by using different chocolate.

2 C brown sugar
1/2 C corn syrup
1 C heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
6 ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, chopped**
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
Candy Thermometer or instant read therm that goes up to 300 degrees

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan - preferably non-reactive - combine sugar, corn syrup, cream and salt.  Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 mins.  Bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute.  Try to keep the sides cleaned off (don't want mixture to burn or crystallize.  You can wipe down with wet paper towel or pastry brush if necessary.)  Remove from heat.  Stir in  chocolate until completely melted.  Clean off sides again.  Set pan on burner again and over medium heat, cook the mixture without stirring until it reaches 238 degrees or the soft ball stage.  Remove from the heat.  Add but DO NOT stir in butter and vanilla.  Set pan on cooling rack or place in bowl with ice-water and cool till 110 degrees.  When it is cool, stir the fudge sauce in the pan with a wooden spoon until it begins to loose it's glossy sheen.  Approx 5-10 mins.  Eat and enjoy! Can be stored in airtight container in fridge for up to 1 month. 


**I used unsweetened cocoa to make mine.  I followed the conversion instructions on the container and mixed with the oil and let sit about 15 mins before combining everything.

Baked Spinach-Artichoke Dip

2 (6-oz) packages fresh baby spinach
1 Tbsp butter
1 (8-oz) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14-oz) can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Pita wedges, crackers or other things to dip

1. Preheat oven to 350'F. Microwave spinach in a large, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 3 minutes or until wilted. Drain spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Chop spinach.
2. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cream cheese and garlic; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until cream cheese melts. Fold in spinach, artichokes, sour cream, and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese; stir until cheese melt.
3. Transfer mixture to a 1-qt. shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake at 350'F for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately with fresh pita wedges, crackers, etc.
Yield: 11 servings

Note: This dish can be assembled up to a day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, and then bake just before serving.

Cooking Tips: Instant salad dressing

Picture from hauteapplepie.com

If you have leftover pesto, either homemade or store-bought, make a vinaigrette with it. Just add white-wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. It's an instant, delicious salad dressing.--FN Calendar

Fruit Dip

This is a delicious fruit dip! And super-easy. Perfect for an Easy Peasy summer day.

1 8-oz package cream cheese
1 7-oz jar marshmallow cream
1 tsp almond extract

Combine thoroughly. Refridgerate until ready to serve. Serve with fruit.

Basic Beef Marinade

Marinades are used to flavor meat, but also to make it more tender. This is a general all purpose beef marinade.

In a glass dish or Ziplock bag, combine:

1 cup oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh ground pepper
1 sliced onion (optional)

Place meat in bag and seal shut, removing as much excess air as possible. Marinate in fridge 1 hour to overnight, turning occasionally. (1 hour for smaller kabob cuts or milder flavor, longer for larger whole steaks or stronger flavor) Discard marinade when steaks are removed.

Best Dressed-Part I

Following the sugar binging of the holidays, January is a great time for salads. Here are some fresh new dressing options:



L to r: Lemon Sugar Snap Dressing, Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette,
Lime Cumin Dressing, Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

 Lemon Sugar Snap Dressing
(Cooking Light, Nov 2010)

3 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
1 T minced shallots (or green onions)
1 T chopped fresh parsley*
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Yield: 4 servings, dresses 6 cups of greens
Cal: 116, Fat: 9.2g (sat 1.1), Sod: 152mg

Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette
(The Essential Eating Well Cookbook, 2004)

1 T red wine vinegar
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, halved and seeded
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 T chopped fresh parsley or basil*
salt and pepper to taste

Set a box grater over a shallow bowl. Rub the cut side of the tomato against the coarse holes to squeeze out the tomato flesh. Discard skin. Repeat with other tomato halves.
Skewer the garlic clove with a fork. Use it to vigorously mix vinegar into the grated tomato. Still mixing, slowly drizzle in oil. Add parsley (or basil). Season with salt and pepper. Discard garlic.

Per tablespoon: Cal: 23, Fat: 2g, Sod: 39mg

Lime-Cumin Dressing
(Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2009)

1/4 c fresh lime juice
1 T sugar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin

Whisk together. Dresses 6 cups of greens. Good salad with Mexican dishes.
Yields: 4 servings

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
(Cooking Light, Nov 2010)

2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 T minced shallot (or green onion)
1 T fresh chopped parsley*
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 minced garlic clove

Whisk together. Dresses 6 cups greens.
Yield: 4 servings
Cal: 136, Fat 11.2 g (sat 2.4g), Sod: 272mg

*NOTE-For substituting herbs: 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs = 1/3 tsp ground herbs.

Seasoning Mix Packets

These are something we made at our RS Activity. For Christmas, I'm going to give my co-workers a collection of "mixes"--some of these and some of the cakes in a mug. For assembly, we put the dry ingredients in the little baggies, then stapled the instruction label to it.

RANCH DRESSING

In the bag:
1 ½ tsp onion salt
1 ½ tsp black pepper
1 ½ tsp Accent salt
On the tag:
Mix contents of package with:
2 c mayo
1 c buttermilk
Mix well. Refrigerate overnight before serving as desired. Keep refrigerated.

_____________________________________________________________________________

SPAGHETTI SAUCE
In the bag:
1 Tbsp basil
1 ½ tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic
On the tag:
Brown ½ lb ground beef. Drain fat and add:
1 can condensed tomato soup
8 oz tomato sauce
1 can sliced mushrooms
Stir in contents of package and simmer for 15 min.

________________________________________________________________________________

VEGETABLE DIP

In the bag:
1 Tbsp dried onion
1 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp Bon Appetit*
1 tsp dill weed
*Bon Appetit is put out by McCormick. If you don’t have/find, substitute equal parts onion powder and celery salt
On the tag:
Mix contents of package with:
1 c sour cream
½ c mayo
1/8 tsp lemon juice
Mix well and refrigerate overnight. Serve with fresh vegetables. Keep refrigerated.

Beef Satay & Peanut Dipping Sauce

BEEF SATAY

1 lb beef (something about 1" thick, like a flank steak), sliced cross-grain into 3/8" strips

For marinade, combine:
1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. lime juice
2 fresh red chilis, diced (or red pepper flakes, or cayenne)
3 stalks lemongrass (1 Tbsp. lemon juice)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. ground corriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cardamon
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. granulated sugar
lime zest

1. Mix the marinade in a gallon size Ziplock bag. Add sliced beef. Marinate for 2-24 hours.
2. Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 10 minutes. Turn on broiler.
3. Thread marinated meat onto soaked skewers. Brush with peanut oil, if desired. Broil till brown and tender (approximately 3 minutes per side). For easy cleanup, line the cookie sheet/broiler pan with tin foil.
Tastes great over Jasmine rice. Makes about 10 skewers.

PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE

Blend together to form a paste:
1/2 c. peanut butter
5 dried red chilis (or red pepper flakes)
8 small shallots (or one large onion, diced)
1 garlic clove, minced
8 almonds, ground
1 stalk lemongrass (1 tsp lemon juice)

Sautee sauce for 5 minutes.

Add:
1 c. coconut milk
2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. brown sugar
dash of salt.

Mix and serve with beef satay.

French Fries & Belgian-Style Dipping Sauce

Yet another entry from my America's Test Kitchen "Cooking for Two." The blurb on this one gave the science behind a couple of specific points: 1. Use Yukon Gold potatoes. The Russets turned tough; 2. Start with the oil at room temperature ("cold-start"). This makes them gold on the outside, creamy on the inside, and with about a third less oil absorbed than traditionally cooked fries; 3. If we don't touch the spuds for about 20 minutes after putting them in the pan, enough of a crust formed that we could stir them with no ill effects; 4. You don't have to rinse the cut potatoes, and since using golds, you don't have to peel them, just wash them good.


"You will need a 4-quart saucepan for this recipe; if your pan is larger, you may need more oil to cover the potatoes. For cooking oil, we like both peanut and vegetable oils because of their high smoke points and neutral flavor." (EP-I don't have a 4-qt sauce pan, so I just poured in enough oil to cover the potatoes in my 3-qt saucepan.)


FRENCH FRIES

1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 medium), sides squared off, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick batons
3 cups peanut or vegetable oil
Kosher salt

1. Combine the potatoes and oil in a 4-qt saucepan. Cook over high heat until the oil has reached a rolling boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the potatoes are limp but the exteriors are beginning to firm, 12-14 minutes.
2. Using tongs, stir the potatoes, gently scraping up any that stick, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the fries are golden and crisp, 5-10 minutes longer. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the fries to a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.

BELGIAN-STYLE DIPPING SAUCE

3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp ketchup
1/4-1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp salt


Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Makes about 1/4 cup.

Curried Chicken Skewers

Another recipe from my America's Test Kitchen "Cooking for Two" magazine. I didn't know if I liked curry or not, so I thought I would try this. I just marinated mine for 1 hour. It was a nice blend of honey/curry flavor that I found very tasty. I served mine with couscous.

CHICKEN
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Nonstick cooking spray
Wooden skewers

Combine the honey, curry powder, salt, paprika, pepper flakes, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Slice the chicken breasts on the bias into 1/2-inch-thick strips. (To make it easier to cut the chicken into thin, neat strips, place it in the freezer for 15 minutes.) Add the strips to the spice mixture and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
Position the oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Weave the chicken evenly onto the skewers. Lay the skewers on the prepared baking sheet and cover the skewer ends with foil (to keep from burning).
Broil the skewers until the chicken is fully cooked and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes, flipping the skewers halfway through. Serve with sauce (see below).

Serves 2 as main dish, more if using it as an appetizer.

SAUCE
1/2 cup 2 percent Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp minced fresh mint
1 Tbsp water
1 scallion, sliced thin (optional)
1 small garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper

Combine the yogurt, mint, water, scallion, and garlic in a small bowl, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Here's another dipping sauce that is great with Gina's fried zucchini:

1 T dijon mustard
1 T honey
2 t orange juice
dash of ground red pepper

Mix. Dip. Enjoy.