by jphilo | Jun 12, 2013 | Recipes
This week the skies cleared, and the weather served up conditions fit for outdoor grilling. I took advantage of summer’s arrival by trying out a new recipe that came in the Summer 2013 edition of Hy-Vee Season’s Magazine. For those of you not from Iowa, Hy-Vee is a grocery store chain based in our fair state.
The chain has been around for decades, while the magazine debuted about a year ago. So far, every issue has been filled with healthy recipes–many of them dairy-free or easy to convert. The ingredients for shrimp skewers (called kabobs at our house) were at hand–right down to fresh basil waiting to picked in our herb garden–so I gave them a whirl.
The kabobs met two of my three keeper recipe requirements. They were health and easy to make, served with brown rice. However, they did not wow the man of steel or me. We liked them, but not enough to make the recipe a keeper.
It may have been the tomato-shrimp combination that didn’t tickle our taste buds. If that’s the case, and you like tomato and shrimp together, you’ll want to give this recipe a try. Because it really was easy. And healthy enough to make me feel virtuous all evening long!
Spicy Tomato-Basil Shrimp Kabobs
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into 16 pieces*
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 16 pieces*
1 small white onion, cut into 16 pieces**
In medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, tomato sauce, vinegar, basil, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt. Add shrimp; stir to coat. Cover and marinate for 30–60 minutes. Meanwhile, soak 8 10-inch wooden skewers in water.
In a bowl, combine peppers and onions. Add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, turning vegetables carefully to coat them.
Thread shrimp, pepper pieces, and onion pieces on skewers. Drizzle remaining marinade over skewers. Grill over medium heat for 4–5 minutes per side until shrimp are opaque. (It took closer to 10 minutes per side when I made them.)
*I used an assortment of miniature sweet peppers and did not count the pieces precisely.
**I used 1/2 of a large white onion and again did not count pieces precisely.
by jphilo | Feb 13, 2013 | Recipes
Mashed potatoes is one of those foods that makes winter palatable. But Mom’s version of this comfort food is made with lots of butter and milk.
Which makes them very buttery and smooth.
Which is what makes them comfort food.
Which doesn’t jibe with my new dairy-free diet.
Which made winter rather unpalatable.
Until I discovered a secret ingredient that gives dairy-free mashed potatoes the buttery, comfort flavor I love so much. What is the secret ingredient? Yukon Gold potatoes!
Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes
4–5 Yukon Gold potatoes
2 tablespoons margarine
1/4–1/2 cup almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, or chicken broth
salt and pepper
Peel, cube, and wash potatoes. Put in sauce pan and add water until the bottom half of the potatoes are covered. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Turn down heat to maintain a low boil and cover. Boil 15–20 minutes until tender.
Drain off water. (You can save water and add it to gravy or use it as liquid in homemade bread.) Add margarine to potatoes. Use a hand potato masher or electric hand mixer to mash potatoes and margarine together. Add milk or broth a few tablespoons at a time until potatoes are the consistency you like. Keep mashing until lumps are gone. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
by jphilo | Sep 5, 2012 | Recipes
The hunt for recipes that allow us to use our weekly bag full of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) vegetables and fruits continues. Our allotment of cucumbers is one I find difficult to use – often I leave them in my brother and sister-in-law’s fridge during Tuesday visits with Mom at his house. So when the August 17-19 issue of USA Weekend ran this recipe, I was delighted.
As usual, I messed with the recipe by adding onion, which we both like, relegating the feta cheese to stand-by status to accommodate dairy allergies, and cutting down on the amount of tomato and cucumber, (Even though I wanted to use mine up, I can only eat so much of that veggie.) So here’s my version of this yummy sandwich that is healthy, easy and delicious. Hiram and I gave this recipe 2 thumbs up. What about you?
Zesty Greek Salad Pitas with Olive-Garlic Tapende
1 small to medium cucumber, seeded and cut into chunks (about 1 cup)
1 cup of chopped tomato
4 medium radishes, cut into chunks
1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 – 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano or 2 teaspoons fresh
Fresh ground black pepper
3 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves, washed
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 whole-wheat pita pockets
1/4 cup Olive-Garlic Tapenade (see recipe below)
In a medium bowl, combine all vegetables except spinach. Add olive oil, vinegar, oregano, and black pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside.
In blender or food processor, combine 2 cloves garlic (I ran mine through a garlic press first), 1 cup Kalamata olives, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, and 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Process in blender or food processor until mixture is spreadable, but not completely smooth.
Spread inside of each pita pocket with a tablespoon of olive-garlic tapenade. Stuff with 3/4 cup spinach and 1/2 cup of salad mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy!
by jphilo | Aug 1, 2012 | Recipes
Summer vegetables are stacking up in the refrigerator at an alarming rate thanks to our weekly CSA share. So I’m getting desperate creative at coming up with new ways to disguise serve veggies at mealtime.
The other night, I combined a zucchini, a couple red and yellow peppers, and a bag of yellow string beans (aka: the contents of the vegetable crisper) to create a stir fry Hiram and I loved. To top it all off, I was able to use fresh herbs from my new herb garden, the contents of which are growing like weeds despite the heat.
Here’s my recipe, but don’t be afraid to substitute with vegetables and herbs threatening to overtake your refrigerator and garden!
Summer Veggie Stir Fry Medley
1 zucchini or summer squash, peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
1 pound green or yellow string beans, snapped and cut into 1 inch slices
1 red or yellow sweet pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Heat oil in wok or skillet on high, then turn down to medium-high. Stir fry beans for 2 minutes. Add squash. Stir fry until the outside of the squash starts to soften and then add peppers. Stir fry for 2 minutes longer and then add garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Mix well and sprinkle salt over the top. Stir fry 1 more minute and serve hot.
by jphilo | Feb 8, 2012 | Recipes
In last Wednesday’s recipe post, I shared a sweet version of an eggy, fluffy pancake called a Dutch Baby. It was my adaptation of the Dutch Baby featured in Pam Anderson’s CookSmart column in USA Weekend Magazine‘s December 23-25 issue. Today, you get my rendition of the savory version also featured in the column.
I substituted onions for the leeks in Pam’s recipe and turned it vegetarian by leaving out the ham. Believe it or not, despite my sweet tooth I preferred this savory variation over last week’s sweeter one. If you try them both, leave a comment about which one is your favorite. Or, share your adaptations for this way easy breakfast treat.
Dutch Baby with Onion and Sharp Cheddar
1 cup skim milk (original recipe calls for whole milk)
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 cup grated, extra-sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk milk, eggs and salt in a medium bowl; vigorously whisk in flour until mostly smooth with a few small lumps; let stand for a few minutes and whisk again. Or use a blender for instantly smooth batter. (I used the blender method – super easy.)
Meanwhile heat butter in a heavy-bottom 10 inch skillet (cast iron works well) over medium heat. Add onions and saute until transparent. Add tarragon; cook a minute or so longer. Pour milk mixture into skillet. Transfer to oven and bake until puffed and golden brown, 15-17 minutes.
Without removing Dutch Baby from oven, sprinkle with cheese and turn oven to broil. Broil until very puffy and golden brown, a couple minutes longer. (Careful on this step. As the picture shows, it goes from golden brown to that’s-not-burned-it’s-nicely-browned-now-shut-up-and-eat-it in a flash.) Serve immediately from the skillet.
