This is a great alternative to mashed potatoes with more flavor and less carbohydrates
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 Cauliflower head
Salt to Taste
1/4 Cup of milk
2 Heaping tbs of cream cheese
Dash Pepper
1 Tb Butter
Directions
Wash Cauliflower, remove stem and leaves and cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces.
Place cauliflower in a steamer and steam until soft. This will probably take 10 to 15 minutes, but keep and eye on the cauliflower because it could be more and it could be less time.
Drain the cauliflower and place it into a large bowl. Then, puree the cauliflower with an immersion blender.
Next, add all of the other ingredients and repeat blending and pureeing with the immersion blender.
Showing posts with label Quick Meals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quick Meals. Show all posts
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Lemon Garlic Chili Asparagus Tips
Serves 3
Ingredients
20 Asparagus stalks
Garlic powder
Salt
1 dried chili crushed
1 tsp lemon juice
Directions
Remove the bottom half of each asparagus stalk. You want each asparagus to be about 3 inches long. This is because the bottom can be stringy and touch.
Place the asparagus in a pan with a few tea spoons of water and the lemon. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the asparagus turns bright green and softens.
Drain the water and add one tbsp of olive oil to finish the asparagus. Also add a dash of garlic, salt and the crushed chili.
Allow the Asparagus to saute until the asparagus browns on each side.
Ingredients
20 Asparagus stalks
Garlic powder
Salt
1 dried chili crushed
1 tsp lemon juice
Directions
Remove the bottom half of each asparagus stalk. You want each asparagus to be about 3 inches long. This is because the bottom can be stringy and touch.
Place the asparagus in a pan with a few tea spoons of water and the lemon. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the asparagus turns bright green and softens.
Drain the water and add one tbsp of olive oil to finish the asparagus. Also add a dash of garlic, salt and the crushed chili.
Allow the Asparagus to saute until the asparagus browns on each side.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Stuffed Mushrooms
Serves 3
Ingredients
250 g Button Mushrooms
100 g Cheddar Cheese (sliced or finely chopped)
1 Tb Cream Cheese
5 Large Crackers (roughly crushed)
1 Lemon
1 Tb Olive Oil
Directions
Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees F
Wash and de-stem the mushrooms.
Mix in a separate bowl the cheddar, cream cheese and cracker meal to make the filling. Make sure that the mixture is entirely consistent.
After the filling is made, use a spoon and fill each mushroom cavity with the filling. The filling does not need to be overflowing.
Place the mushrooms in a 10 inch baking dish and drizzle with lemon juice and the olive oil.
Place the making dish in the oven and cook until the filling becomes brown on top.
Ingredients
250 g Button Mushrooms
100 g Cheddar Cheese (sliced or finely chopped)
1 Tb Cream Cheese
5 Large Crackers (roughly crushed)
1 Lemon
1 Tb Olive Oil
Directions
Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees F
Wash and de-stem the mushrooms.
Mix in a separate bowl the cheddar, cream cheese and cracker meal to make the filling. Make sure that the mixture is entirely consistent.
After the filling is made, use a spoon and fill each mushroom cavity with the filling. The filling does not need to be overflowing.
Place the mushrooms in a 10 inch baking dish and drizzle with lemon juice and the olive oil.
Place the making dish in the oven and cook until the filling becomes brown on top.
Curried Chicken Salad
Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients
2 Chicken Breasts
1 Tb Curry Powder
1 Tb Sugar
Dash Salt
1 Tb Orange Juice
1/2 Tb Lemon Juice
3 to 4 Tb of Fresh unflavored light yogurt
1 Cup Shredded Carrot
1/2 Cup Shredded Onion
1/4 Cup Raisins (optional)
Crackers or small slices of bread
Directions
Slice chicken into 1/2 inch pieces, season with salt and pepper. and pan fry in a skillet until the pieces are lightly browned.
After the chicken is cooked, allow it to cool to room temperature. To can put it in the fridge or freezer to expedite the process.
After the chicken is cooled, mix with the vegetables and raisins. Then add the wet ingredients, spices, sugar etc.
Mix together are you are ready to serve.
For my preparation, I served this with some crackers and small slices of bread. Diners can make their own mini sandwiches or open faced sandwiches.
Ingredients
2 Chicken Breasts
1 Tb Curry Powder
1 Tb Sugar
Dash Salt
1 Tb Orange Juice
1/2 Tb Lemon Juice
3 to 4 Tb of Fresh unflavored light yogurt
1 Cup Shredded Carrot
1/2 Cup Shredded Onion
1/4 Cup Raisins (optional)
Crackers or small slices of bread
Directions
Slice chicken into 1/2 inch pieces, season with salt and pepper. and pan fry in a skillet until the pieces are lightly browned.
After the chicken is cooked, allow it to cool to room temperature. To can put it in the fridge or freezer to expedite the process.
After the chicken is cooled, mix with the vegetables and raisins. Then add the wet ingredients, spices, sugar etc.
Mix together are you are ready to serve.
For my preparation, I served this with some crackers and small slices of bread. Diners can make their own mini sandwiches or open faced sandwiches.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Kim's Caprese Salad
A Caprese Salad is definitely a nice simple refreshing dish. Traditionally it is a mixture of tomato and mozzarella cheese which is drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
The salad here has a couple of slight modifications which were thought of by my friend Kim. Thus, this posting and recipe would not be possible without her ideas.
This salad has the extra inclusion of basil and avocado to give the salad some more freshness, color and body. The avocado works as a very good intermediary between the cheese and tomato.
The salad is also unique in that it offers the diner a little individual serving.
This recipe will make about 12 individual servings
Ingredients
4 Tomatoes
12 basil leaves
1 avocado sliced into 12 pieces
12 mozzarella slices (make sure to use fresh mozzarella and not the reduced moisture stuff)
Dash sugar
Dash salt
Directions
Preparing the tomatoes
Slice the top of the tomato just barely removing the stem on the top. Next, use a teaspoon and remove all of the watery seeds and membranes. Basically you want to remove the inside areas that are translucent and thus will be left only with the red outer flesh. Lastly, cut the tomato into quarters.
Repeat this for each tomato.
Layering the salad
Layer the ingredients in the following order (from bottom to top): basil, avocado, mozzarella, tomato.
Then place each completed "stack" into a pyrex dish. Place them side by side, in rows.
Here is mine:
Prior to serving.
Drizzle some olive oil and balsamic over the salad to your liking. Remember 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Also top with just a dash or salt and sugar.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Spinach Rounds with Fresh Yogurt
This Recipe was inspired by the Namli restaurant in Istanbul. It will make 6 spinach rounds.
Ingredients
1 Pound Fresh, Washed Spinach Leaves
1 Glug olive oil
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 Ts Garlic Powder
1/2 Ts Hot sauce
Dash Salt
Yogurt for Topping
Directions
Take the Spinach leaves and toss them with just a little olive oil (1 ts).
Take the olive oil coated spinach and spread it on a baking sheet.
Then, place it in the broiler on high. Every 2 minutes or so toss the spinach so that each leaf receives some direct heat. After the spinach has wilted by more than half, remove it from the oven. Let the spinach cool to room temperature and then mix it with the lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic and salt. At this point, I used a pair of scissors and cut down the sides of my leaves because some of the stems were long, but this is not a necessary step.
Lastly roll the spinach into 6 1.5 inch diameter boules and top with just a dollop of yogurt.
Ingredients
1 Pound Fresh, Washed Spinach Leaves
1 Glug olive oil
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 Ts Garlic Powder
1/2 Ts Hot sauce
Dash Salt
Yogurt for Topping
Directions
Take the Spinach leaves and toss them with just a little olive oil (1 ts).
Take the olive oil coated spinach and spread it on a baking sheet.
Then, place it in the broiler on high. Every 2 minutes or so toss the spinach so that each leaf receives some direct heat. After the spinach has wilted by more than half, remove it from the oven. Let the spinach cool to room temperature and then mix it with the lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic and salt. At this point, I used a pair of scissors and cut down the sides of my leaves because some of the stems were long, but this is not a necessary step.
Lastly roll the spinach into 6 1.5 inch diameter boules and top with just a dollop of yogurt.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Franco American Salad Dressing
Serves 2 to 3 People
Ingredients in Dressing
3 tb Olive Oil
1 tb Lemon Juice
1 tb Apple Vinegar
1/4 ts Mustard
1 ts Soy Sauce
1 ts Sugar
1/2 ts Garlic Powder
Dash Pepper
1 tb Mayonnaise
Mix ingredients in a salad bowl until emulsified. The consistency will still be rather thin. This is not a creamy dressing.
Add 2 to 3 dinner portions (dinner bowls) of lettuce, veggies, etc. into the salad bowl and toss with the dressing.
This dressing can also be stored for a long time in the fridge if you want to make it ahead of time. Just give the dressing a quick stir or shake before using.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Quick Tomato Sauce
Ingredients (Makes about 1 cup of sauce)
1 tsp lemon
1 glug Olive Oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 beef bullion cube
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
Dash salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Chili
2/3 cup water
Mix ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a small sauce pot and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
Make sure to remove the chili before using.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Quesadillas
Use the Tortilla Recipe mentioned a few posts back in conjunction with these quesadillas. If you are short on time, you can use store made tortillas. s
Broccoli and Cheddar cheese:
Fold a tortilla in half. Fill with steamed Broccoli (I Normally cut mine into 1/2 inch pieces and season it with a little chili, lemon, salt, pepper and garlic)and a Tbsp of shredded Cheddar Cheese. Make sure to put a little cheese above and below the broccoli so that the quesadilla stays together.
Fry in a greased frying pan. Flip when the bottom is golden and remove when both sides have been toasted.
BBQ Beef
Use slices of flank steak (or it could be another leftover cut), about 1/4 inch thick. I normally season mine with salt, pepper and olive oil.
Add some chopped caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, and a tsp of your favorite bbq sauce.
Fry in a frying pan in the same manner that was mentioned for the Broccoli and Cheddar quesadilla.
Broccoli and Cheddar cheese:
Fold a tortilla in half. Fill with steamed Broccoli (I Normally cut mine into 1/2 inch pieces and season it with a little chili, lemon, salt, pepper and garlic)and a Tbsp of shredded Cheddar Cheese. Make sure to put a little cheese above and below the broccoli so that the quesadilla stays together.
Fry in a greased frying pan. Flip when the bottom is golden and remove when both sides have been toasted.
BBQ Beef
Use slices of flank steak (or it could be another leftover cut), about 1/4 inch thick. I normally season mine with salt, pepper and olive oil.
Add some chopped caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, and a tsp of your favorite bbq sauce.
Fry in a frying pan in the same manner that was mentioned for the Broccoli and Cheddar quesadilla.
Mushroom Pie
Ingredients (Serves 2 to 3)
15 Button Mushrooms, de-stemmed
Filo dough
1.5 Cups Tomato Sauce (recipe to follow)
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
Directions
Place filo dough in a pie pan. Make sure that the bottom and sides are completely covered. It may be useful to trim the edges if they are uneven. Then, spray the filo with a few spritzes of olive oil spray and place it is in the oven at 400 degrees f. Keep the dough in the oven until it is golden brown. It will probably take about 15 minutes, but make sure to watch it.
The mushrooms are the base of this dish. It is of course "mushroom" pie. Slice each mushroom into a 1/8 to 1/4 inch slice. Each mushroom will probably yield 4 to 5 slices per mushroom. Then pan fry the mushrooms in a hot oiled skillet. Season them with a dash of salt and pepper.
When the mushrooms are soft place them in the pie pan with the filo pie crust.
Lastly, top the mushrooms with tomato sauce (Quick tomato sauce recipe: 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1.5 cups water, 1/4 cup sugar, tbsp lemon, tsp chili flake, 2 glugs olive oil, salt and pepper) and the Mozzarella Cheese.
Bake the combined pie in the oven at 350 degrees f until the cheese is melted and golden.
15 Button Mushrooms, de-stemmed
Filo dough
1.5 Cups Tomato Sauce (recipe to follow)
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
Directions
Place filo dough in a pie pan. Make sure that the bottom and sides are completely covered. It may be useful to trim the edges if they are uneven. Then, spray the filo with a few spritzes of olive oil spray and place it is in the oven at 400 degrees f. Keep the dough in the oven until it is golden brown. It will probably take about 15 minutes, but make sure to watch it.
The mushrooms are the base of this dish. It is of course "mushroom" pie. Slice each mushroom into a 1/8 to 1/4 inch slice. Each mushroom will probably yield 4 to 5 slices per mushroom. Then pan fry the mushrooms in a hot oiled skillet. Season them with a dash of salt and pepper.
When the mushrooms are soft place them in the pie pan with the filo pie crust.
Lastly, top the mushrooms with tomato sauce (Quick tomato sauce recipe: 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1.5 cups water, 1/4 cup sugar, tbsp lemon, tsp chili flake, 2 glugs olive oil, salt and pepper) and the Mozzarella Cheese.
Bake the combined pie in the oven at 350 degrees f until the cheese is melted and golden.
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