Posts Tagged ‘recipe’

A salad with dinner is always a good idea.  This salad is one my friend, Isabel, made for a dinner party she threw when we were in our twenties - - a long time ago.  I’ve used it ever since.  I was so surprised by how simple it was.  Sometimes I use a homemade vinaigrette and sometimes I just embrace my lazy bones and use La Martinique French Vinaigrette in a bottle.  Isabel is very international and quite sophisticated.  If she’s using it, well, then it’s just fine.

Ingredients for Simple & Sophisticated Isabel Salad

• a head of butter lettuce - I like the kind that comes in a little container and still has its roots attached, like a little hydroponic garden
• La Martinique French Vinaigrette salad dressing or homemade vinaigrette
• 1 can mandarin oranges - drained
• 1 small red onion - sliced very thin
• a generous sprinkling of sunflower seeds

Preparation Instructions

1. Wash and dry your lettuce.
2. In a salad bowl, add the clean lettuce, the drained oranges, sliced red onions and a splash of salad dressing or homemade vinaigrette (not too much - less is more).
3. Toss to combine all and top with a sprinkling of sunflower seeds.

So simple and tasty.

Chicken spaghetti comes in several versions.  In our family, it’s actually more like Tetrazzini.  It’s basically yummy sauteed chicken tenders and whole wheat spaghetti baked with a happy sherry cream sauce topped with parmesan cheese.  You wont find this recipe linked to the Superfoods website, let’s just tell it like it is.  But I’ve tried to clean it up a little.  What this recipe lacks in Superfood credibility, it more than makes up for in flavor and a gratifying effort.  Kids eat this.  All kinds, all ages.  I’ve never had any child turn their nose up to this.  Never.  It makes everyone happy, and my daughter requests it ALL the time.  I serve this with an Isabel salad and Sister Shubert rolls.  Like I said, it’s not necessarily good for you, but it sure is good!

Ingredients for Classic Chicken Spaghetti in a Creamy Wine Sauce

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins - I use between 10 and 15 tenderloins then freeze the rest
• 8 oz. package of sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups heavy cream
• splash of sherry
• splash of white wine (or another splash of sherry if you don’t want to open a bottle of wine)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tsp. hot paprika
• 1 generous Tbsp. flour
• 1 generous Tbsp. softened butter
• 6 oz. whole wheat spaghetti
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cooking Instructions

1. First get the spaghetti water going.  Fill a stockpot with water and plenty of course salt or kosher salt and put it over high heat.

It’s pretty difficult to oversalt cooking water that will be drained.  Go ahead and get some salt in there.

2. Melt the 1/4 cup butter and add the olive oil over medium heat in a very large saute pan.

I use the large All-Clad buffet pan.

3. Saute the chicken tenderloins and the mushrooms together.  As you saute the chicken, cut each one into bite size pieces with your saute spoon or spatula.  Stir it around a bit until the chicken is just cooked through (no longer pink).

 Season with salt and pepper as you’re cooking.

4. Add the heavy cream and stir in.
5. Add the lemon juice, sherry and wine and stir in.
6. Add the hot paprika and stir in.
7. In a small bowl or ramekin, use a fork to make a paste with the flour and butter (1 generous Tbsp. each). Once you have your buerre manie paste add it to the sauce and stir or whisk it in well.

To thicken sauces, sometimes a buerre manie is used.  A buerre manie is a french term and I have no idea what it means.  I do know that it works, however.  A buerre manie is equal parts flour and softened butter. 

8. Allow the sauce to come to a slow bubble.

  It will thicken up a bit.

9. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti (according to instructions) in the boiling water you started earlier.
10. Once the spaghetti is ready, drain it and add it to the cream sauce.  Incorporate all together.
11. Dump all into a casserole dish and top it with some parmesan cheese.
12. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until bubbly

Serve and smile!

Salmon is a superfood, full of Omega-3 fatty acids.  Look for wild salmon, however.  It has more of the Omega-3’s that we need.  Also, keep the skin on while you cook it.  Since the fatty acids are located between the skin and the flesh, if you remove the skin before cooking, the fatty acids will escape.  However, you certainly do not want to eat the skin, so be sure remove it before you serve the salmon.

Cooking en papillote requires some parchment paper or foil.  I like to use parchment, but others prefer the ease of foil.  All you are doing is creating an envelope in which to cook your salmon.  I’ve used this method countless times and it is always a winner, it’s simple and impressive!

Ingredients for Steamed Salmon en Papillote

• 2 lbs. wild salmon fillet - bones removed but skin on
• 1 bunch fresh chives - finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh tarragon - finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh parsley - finely chopped
• 2 lemons - washed and sliced
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions

1. Cut four or five pieces of parchment so that when you fold the piece of paper in half it will form a square.
2. Spread the parchment pieces out on the counter and smear each piece with a bit of olive oil.
3. Cut the salmon into four or five pieces of equal size and place each piece on it’s own piece of parchment

Make sure you cut with the grain - your fishmonger can do this for you too.

4. Place the salmon on half of the parchment so you can fold the other side over and fold it to seal.
5. Sprinkle each piece of salmon with salt and pepper.
6. Sprinkle each piece of salmon with a bit of chives, tarragon and parsley.
7. Place several slices of lemon over the salmon pieces.
8. Fold the other half over loosely and fold.

There is a proper folding technique, but you don’t have to use it.  Any fold will do, just as long as it seals the fish inside and creates “an envelope”.

9. Place the envelopes on a baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, get your sauce going - -

Ingredients for Zesty Herb Sauce

• 1/2 cup fish broth - I buy frozen fish broth
• 1/2 cup white wine or sherry
• 1 shallot - chopped
• remaining chives, tarragon and parsley from above
• a splash of heavy cream

Cooking Instructions

1. In a small pot, bring broth and wine/sherry to a boil with the shallots.
2. Allow the liquid to reduce by about two-thirds.
3. Once reduced, remove from heat and add a sprinkling of the herbs and whisk in the cream.
4. Drizzle the sauce over the salmon.

Fabulous!

Thought you weren’t a fan of brown rice?  Try this.  You’ll like it, and so will your kids.

Ingredients for Tasty Wild Mushroom Brown Rice

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• olive oil
• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 3 green onions - chopped
• salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions

1. Combine the rice and broth in a lidded pot and bring to a boil uncovered.
2. Then lower the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot for 40 minutes.
3. In the meantime, saute the green onions and mushrooms with a generous drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. When brown rice is done, drain it and turn it out into the saute pan with the green onions and mushrooms.
6. Combine all and turn into a pretty serving dish.

Looking for a healthy, easy snack?

This recipe is one I made up to incorporate several “Super Foods“.  I’ve been on a super food kick lately.  I will be writing more about my kick in the days to come and posting recipes that highlight these foods, which have multiple benefits.  In this hummus there are chickpeas, roasted red peppers and walnut oil.  Each of these is a super food in its own right, and combining them not only makes a tasty dish, but makes you a little bit healthier than you were before.  At least that’s what they say.  It’s better for you than French onion dip, for sure!

You’ll need a food processor for this recipe.  I use Cuisinart.

Ingredients for HFT Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

• 19 oz. canned chickpeas (I like Cento brand) - drained and rinsed
• 6 oz. roasted red peppers (I like Cento brand for these too)
• 3 cloves garlic - peeled
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 Tbsp. walnut oil or flaxseed oil
• 1/4 tsp. hot paprika

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, fit with the steel blade
2. Add all ingredients together in food processor and whirl until they are well processed and combined.
3. Serve with whole wheat pita chips, raw sugar snap peas, raw broccoli, raw cauliflower and/or whole wheat crackers.

So easy!  So tasty!  So healthy!

It seems like a simple thing, really, but I will never grow tired of watching my daughter, Margaret, devour broccoli.  It is so easy to prepare and she is always excited to see it on her plate.  More, please!

Ingredients for Margaret’s Favorite Broccoli

• 2 broccoli crowns - cut into florets
• 1 lemon wedge
• Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. In a pot that will accommodate a steamer basket (I use the All-Clad steamer) bring about an inch of water to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, add the steamer basket filled with the broccoli florets to the pot and cover.
3. Steam for 5 minutes then remove immediately.
4. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the broccoli and sprinkle with salt then toss all together gently.

Serve steaming hot with HFT Hearty Housewife Chicken.

In our home, a pot of chili ushers in fall.  Growing up in Chicago with two Houstonian parents, we ate lots of chili in my family.  Even now, the first sign of cold weather (anything under 80 degrees here in Houston) makes me crave a good bowl of Tex Mex Chili.

This recipe calls for masa harina.  Masa harina is corn flour and is usually found on the international aisle.  To me, the masa harina really gives an unmistakable flavor.

Ingredients for HFT Tex Mex Chili

• 1 onion - chopped
• 2 lbs. ground sirloin
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 6 oz. canned tomato paste
• 6 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp masa harina
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 can pinto beans - drained (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
• 1 cup cheddar cheese - grated
• 1 bunch green onion - chopped
• Tabasco sauce

Cooking Instructions

1. In a 4 qt. stock pot, sauté the onion with some olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the ground sirloin and brown. When almost completely brown, add the minced garlic.
3. Once browned, stir in the tomato paste. Add one can of water and stir all together.

Reserve the can for measuring out water to add to your chili at various stages during the cooking process.

4. Add all the dry spices along with salt and pepper.

Taste your chili and adjust the seasonings according to your tastes and tolerances.

5. Add some more water if necessary.

Different people like different consistencies so add the water slowly from the tomato paste can.  I have found that I normally add a total of about 3 cans of water but you may want more or less.

6. Drain the beans and add them if you are going to put them in your chili.

I like the beans but my husband does not.  It’s up to you.

7. Lower the temperature under the chili to a slow simmer and cover.
8. Allow the chili to slow-cook while you prepare some rice according to the package instructions.
9. Grate the cheese and chop the green onions.

A little Tabasco is nice to throw on the table too.

When the rice is ready, your chili will be ready.  Serve chili in bowls over rice and top with cheese and green onion.  Mmmmm, Delicious!

What is better than a loaf of golden banana nut bread sitting on your counter? It’s fabulous for breakfast and a comforting after school snack. If you’re like me, you usually have a few bananas sitting around that are past their prime. No problem! Make some banana bread!

Ingredients for Golden Banana Nut Bread

• 3-4 overripe bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter - melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup pecans - chopped

Cooking Instructions

1. In a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, cream the peeled bananas and the sugar. Allow this mixture to whisk for about 3-4 minutes.
2. While the mixer runs, combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl and use a balloon whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. To the banana and sugar mixture, add the melted butter, the eggs and the vanilla.
4. Don’t over beat, just combine all.
5. On a low setting, add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture until combined.
6. Fold in the pecans.
7. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
8. When a toothpick comes out clean, pull the bread out of the oven and allow it to cool.

Slice and enjoy!

Always satisfying. Always delicious. On a crisp day, nothing comforts you like a mug of this creaminess. In the summertime, you can chill this soup and Voila! You have Vichyssoise!

This recipe is adapted from Julia Child’s recipe. To slim it down, use fat free evaporated milk and fat free sour cream. Not worried about it? Hit it with some heavy cream and creme fraiche. Either way, you will find yourself thinking about it again and again.

Ingredients for Creamy Potato and Leek Soup

• 3 cups leeks - cleaned and chopped - (about 3 leeks)
• 3 cups russet potatoes - peeled and diced - (about 3 potatoes)
• 6 cups water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A splash of heavy cream/half and half/milk/fat free evaporated milk - whichever you prefer
• A dallop of creme fraiche/fat free sour cream - whichever you prefer
• A sprinkling of fresh chives - chopped

Cooking Instructions

1. First, prepare your leeks.

   Leeks look like big, huge green onions and they tend to hold onto dirt.

2. To prepare them properly, cut the dark green ends off right at the point that the leek turns from white to light green. Then cut off the root end.

   You are left with a column of white and light green leek.

3. Slice the column lengthwise then peel the first two or three layers off and discard.
4. Chop what is left and toss into a bowl of cold water.
5. Once you are finished, swish the chopped leeks around in the water and then drain them. They are prepared and cleaned.

6. Peel and dice your potatoes.
7. Place the potatoes and the leeks in a 4 quart stock pot or pan with a cover.
8. Add water and salt and pepper.

   Taste to determine if you have added enough salt and pepper.

9. Bring the soup to a bubble then lower to a simmer and partially cover for 30 minutes.
10. When cooked, remove the soup from the stove and use a hand blender to puree the soup.

11. Add the heavy cream/milk.

    A splash means different things to different people. Do what looks and tastes good. It may be more than a splash, but it does not take as much as you might think to achieve a nice, creamy texture.

12. Ladle some soup into a bowl or mug and, if you want, top with a dallop or creme fraiche or fat free sour cream and some chopped fresh chives.

So good. So easy. So cheap.

There are several keys to great flank steak. First, you need to start with quality meat so make sure you buy your meat from the best butcher. Central Market never disappoints; I know I’m always getting a great steak there. Second, make sure you use enough kosher salt and pepper to create a sort of crust by rubbing it into the meat. Finally, carve the steak against the grain and at a 45 degree angle to ensure tender pieces.

For this dish you will be most happy with a grill pan and a sturdy pair of tongs. I use the All-Clad grill pan.

Ingredients for Simple Seared Flank Steak

• 1 good quality flank steak
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Ground pepper

Cooking Instructions

1. Get all your ingredients out and ready.

   You’ll want to be able access them with dirty hands without contaminating your kitchen.

2. On a work surface, coat each side of the steak with olive oil and rub it all over.

   I use the butcher paper my steak comes in.

3. Sprinkle the steak generously with kosher salt and pepper on both sides then rub in with your hands.

4. Allow the steak to come to room temperature. This takes about 30 minutes.
5. Allow your grill pan to heat over the stove burner on high heat. This may take several minutes.

   Make sure it is good and hot so your steak will sear.

6. Put your steak on the grill pan and weigh it down with a flame proof plate or smaller pan.
7. Grill for 5-6 minutes then flip and grill for another 4-5 minutes.
8. Allow the steak to sit in the pan off the heat for about 10 minutes then slice and serve.

   Make sure you use a sharp knife and slice the steak against the grain holding your knife at a 45 degree angle. Cut slices thin for best results.