Black Beans and Corn

I wanted a side dish for my empanadas that had vegetables in it and thought of corn. I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website. It's easy and more exciting than just beans or just corn. My husband was a big fan.

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) black beans
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup canned green chiles, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup fresh corn kernels
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Splash of lime juice
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped parsley leaves for garnish (I used cilantro)

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and very soft, about 10 minutes.

Drain the black beans, and reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid. Add the beans, the reserved bean liquid, and the remaining ingredients, except the parsley, to saucepan; cover, raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a serving dish, and garnish with the parsley leaves. Serve immediately.

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Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I have to say that if I had a choice, I would pick the Kraft style of macaroni over baked macaroni. My favorite is Back To Nature. My husband really liked this recipe. I thought it was pretty good.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Source: Alton Brown

Napa Cabbage Salad

I hate cole slaw, potato salad, those vinegar pasta salads. This recipe is about the only "bring to a barbecue" salad that I like (other than the regular green variety). It's sweet so you don't taste that overpowering vinegar taste. This makes a pretty big batch so I only make half at a time. It really doesn't do well as a left-over.

Napa Cabbage Salad

1 head Napa cabbage--regular cabbage works just fine
1 bunch green onions
1 packet Chicken Ramen Noodles (crushed) and seasoning packet
1 cup sliced almonds
2 tbs sesame seeds
1/3 c butter
1/4 c vinegar
3/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 c white sugar
2 tbs soy sauce

Finely shred the head of cabbage. Combine chopped green onions and cabbage in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Crush noodles, place them in a medium skillet and brown in butter over medium heat. Add almonds and sesame seeds. Stir often to prevent burning. Add half of Ramen seasoning mix and cool.

Make the dressing: In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, oil, sugar, remaining half Ramen season packet and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, let boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat and let cool.

Combine dressing, crunchies, and cabbage immediately before serving. Serve right away or the crunchies will get soggy.

Source: wegottaeat.com

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese

This is only the second time I have cooked with Swiss chard. The last time it was creamed and amazing. This time I wanted something a little lighter. Overall, I am a fan of the chard. It is a substantial leafy green and holds up well to the "wilting process." It doesn't become what my husband calls "slimy." I wouldn't say that this dish is amazing, but I liked it. And I felt like I was eating some healthy greens.

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste (optional)

Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

Source: All Recipes

Fruit Salad

This is a recipe that came from my great grandmother. My grandma made it and it has become a family favorite. Even my vegan sister has made a vegan version of it. Some people might call it ambrosia, but I call it fruit salad. It is super yum and always reminds me of the holidays.

Fruit Salad

1 cup maraschino cherries
1 cup mandarin oranges
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup sweetened flake coconut
1 cup sour cream

Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Let it sit for at least several hours.

Asparagus with Sesame Citrus Sauce

I love asparagus. I ususally cook it on a baking sheet with olive oil and salt and pepper. Sometimes you need to shake things up a little. This was just as easy and pretty good--from Food Network's Paula Deen. It has a nice balance of sesame and citrus.

Asparagus with Sesame Citrus Sauce

1 bunch asparagus
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus a splash
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt
Prepare the asparagus. Snap off bases of spears and discard. Bring a small amount of salted water to boil in a saucepan, add a splash of lemon; add asparagus and cook until tender. Remove asparagus and shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking and to keep its bright green color.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and cook, stirring 2 to 3 minutes over moderate heat, until lightly browned. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons orange juice, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Whisk to make sure it's fully emulsified. Add salt, to taste. Add asparagus to sauce, and toss until coated. Serve hot and garnish with extra sesame seeds, if desired.

Bacon-Chipotle Twice Baked Potatoes

When you make twice baked potatoes, it's best not to be the middle of summer. Good thing it's winter. They are easy to make, but take a long time in the oven. Cheesy, bacony, a little spicy....how could this be bad. That's right they aren't. MMMM. Potatoes. These are very good. They remind me of something Bobby Flay would make.

Bacon-Chipotle Twice Baked Potatoes

6 medium baking potatoes (about 3 pounds)

1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon salt
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (drained)

Preheat oven to 450°.

Pierce potatoes with a fork. Bake potatoes at 450° for 50 minutes or until done; cool slightly. Cut each potato in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell. Combine potato pulp, milk, 3/4 cup cheese and remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Spoon potato mixture evenly into 10 shells; discarding remaining 2 shells. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over potatoes. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Roasted Parsnips

I can't say that I am familiar with parsnips. I may have eaten them once before. They look like white carrots and are a little sweet. Apparently, they do well with the roasting technique. They looked like french fries when we cooked them, but they taste more like sweet potato fries. So, not bad. If you like sweet potatoes, you'll like these. French fries are still much better.

Roasted Parsnips

2 parsnips

olive oil

salt

pepper

herbs (I used rosemary)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and cut parsnips into matchsticks pieces. Toss in olive oil on cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. Cook about 20-25 minutes or until browned.

'Cheesy' Scalloped Potatoes

I don't consider scalloped potatoes as a classic Thanksgiving potato dish, but that's okay. These are pretty good. They are vegan, but I imagine you could use real cream cheese as well. They don't get the nice brown top like you do in the oven, but it is convenient.

‘Cheesy’ Scalloped Potatoes


2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tbsp. minced parsley
1 tsp. salt
Black pepper, to taste
8 potatoes, sliced
8 oz. vegan cream cheese, cubed

Lightly grease a crock pot. In a small bowl, combine the onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
 Layer 1/4 of the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the crock pot. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the seasoning and top with 1/3 of the vegan cream cheese cubes. Repeat the layers, ending with the seasonings.

 Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender. During the last half hour of cooking, stir the potatoes.

vegcooking.com

Crock Pot Herbed Zucchini

This is one of the many dishes that we had a Vegan Thanksgiving-- or Thankful Veghead as my sister calls it. I liked it. It wasn't a traditional Thanksgiving dish, but it was easy (a crockpot dish) and good. It is pictured in the top left of this crowded plate.

Crock Pot Herbed Zucchini


2 lbs. zucchini (unpeeled), sliced
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 cup tomato juice

Mix all ingredients together carefully in crockpot. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 to 4 hours. If thicker sauce is desired, remove cover during last hour.

Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta

I don't really like stuffing. Something about wet bread that I just don't like. I did try this and it had some really good flavors. Just didn't like the texture. Of course, I never eat stuffing for Thanksgiving. I don't have any preconceived ideas about what stuffing should taste like. Some people are very particular. So if you are willing to try new recipes, this has a really good flavor. And I didn't get any pictures of Thanksgiving. I promise to do better :)

Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (7.4-ounce) jars roasted peeled whole chestnuts, coarsely broken
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 pound day-old ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten to blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a large bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the chestnuts and parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl with the pancetta. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.

Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer

Giada DeLaurentiis' Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta

Blazin' Baked Beans

Beans, beans, the musical fruit .. . .. So true, so true. Although I don't think it's really the beans that are musical. More like music-inspiring. So these are really spicy. Beware. Use less, more, or no chipotle chiles depending on your tolerance level. We followed the recipe and they were very warm for me. But not "grabbing my water" warm. They are really easy to make, but make sure you  have enough time to bake them.

Blazin' Baked Beans

1/4 pound finely diced bacon slices (raw)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
5 (16-ounce) cans navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 (18-ounce) jar low-sodium barbecue sauce
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan, and set bacon aside. Add onion to drippings in pan; sauté 3 minutes.

Combine bacon, onion, and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl; toss well. Spoon the bean mixture into a 13 x 9-inch or 2 1/2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Chili-Garlic Roasted Broccoli

Roasting vegetables is good. I keep discovering that it works for more and more vegetables. I never would have thought that broccoli would be good in the oven. This is a really simple and flavorful recipe. Sprinkle on some seasonings and oil and cook for 20 minutes in the oven. Voila!

Chili-Garlic Roasted Broccoli

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, eyeball it

5 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended:Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick Grill Mates)
1 large head broccoli, cut into thin, long spears


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, chili powder and grill seasoning in the bottom of a large bowl and add the broccoli spears. Toss to coat broccoli evenly then transfer to a large nonstick baking sheet. Roast the broccoli until ends are crisp and brown and stalks are tender, 17 to 20 minutes.

Source:
Rachel Ray

Skeptical Salad (Winter Version)

My sister dubbed this salad "Skeptical Salad" because she was skeptical about it tasting good. Now she makes it all the time. I can't remember what magazine I got it out of, but it is now a classic at my house. The original recipe uses sliced strawberries. I wanted an option for the winter when you can't get good strawberries. I chose pomegranates. They have the same sweet/tart balance as strawberries. I still prefer the original version, but the winter version is good too. For the glazed walnuts, Emerald makes really good ones. You can try the bulk bins (Sprouts has them) or even make them yourself. Make sure you use good lettuce-- Romaine or the fancy greens. Iceberg just doesn't work in this recipe. I often omit the green onions. They aren't bad. They add a bit of spice, but I think it is unecessary.

Skeptical Salad

Mixed greens

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced OR 1 pomgranate (avrils only)

11 ounce can of mandarin orange segments

2/3 cup green onions, sliced (I rarely add this)

1 cup glazed walnuts

Toss all ingredients

Dressing
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
2 T vegetable oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate until serving.

Persimmon Pomegranate Fruit Salad

I suppose it's not very often that most people are wondering what to do with their pomegranates and stumble across a recipe with persimmons and think "hey, I have those too!" Well, it could happen. Or maybe you think this sounds good and want to take advantage of the fall fruit. The one thing I did not have was apples, so I substituted some pears. While this is not a complicated recipe, it is good. I think it is the only recipe for fruit salad in which I have ever used mint. Mint, when used correctly, is a great punch of flavor. Just don't use too much. I found this recipe on simplyrecipes.com.

Persimmon Pomegranate Fruit Salad

3 fuyu persimmons, peeled, chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces), seeds (if any) discarded

3/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1 Granny Smith or Fuji apple, peeled, cored, chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces)
7-10 leaves fresh mint, thinly sliced crosswise (stack then, then roll them up like a cigar and take slices from the end)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey

Gently toss all of the ingredients together.
Keeps for at least a couple of days in the refrigerator, but best eaten same day it is made.

Green Beans with Toasted Hazelnut Lemon Butter

Who doesn't like green beans? This recipe is simple, quick and really brings them to a whole new level. The best part? You can make the butter ahead of time and even use it on other vegetables. I make this for holidays, dinners, or just because. If you can't find any fresh green beans, you could even use frozen.

Green Beans with Toasted Hazelnut Lemon Butter

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

3 tablespoons finely chopped hazelnuts, toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
8 cups water
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed

Combine butter, hazelnuts, rind, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; stir with a fork until well blended.
Bring 8 cups water and remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add green beans; cook 3 minutes. Drain. Return pan to medium heat. Add beans and butter mixture; cook 3 minutes or until the butter mixture melts. Toss gently to coat.

Vegetarian Hash

Skillet dishes are a good way to use up some vegetables that you have. They're easy and flexible-- as long as you know which vegetables take longer to cook. I used onion instead of shallots, replaced the red bell peppers with  more green, and used my white potatoes and just cut them a little smaller. Vegetable goodness.

Vegetarian Hash

3/4 lb new potatoes, unpeeled
1 small acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped, divided
olive oil cooking  spray
4 tsp olive oil
2 shallots, minced
2 cups broccoli, shredded
1/3 cup each or red and green bell pepper
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, lightly toss potatoes and squash with 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 2 tsp oil. Place on baking sheet misted with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes until tender, toss every 10 minutes.

Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute' shallots, broccoli and bell peppers for 1 minute. Add potato-squash mixture and cook for 5 minutes or until heated. Sprinkle with lemon juice, remaining 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and heat through.

Cheryl's Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Lemon

I never had Brussels sprouts as a kid. So I don't have any childhood prejudices towards them. After having Brussels sprouts a few times, I have decided that they need to be made with a little flavor help but are decent. Little mini cabbages. I found this recipe in the newspaper and decided to try it. It's pretty good.

Cheryl's Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Lemon

1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pints Brussels sprouts, shredded or sliced very thin
1 large lemon, juice and zest
4 T butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Chop onion. Mince garlic. Shred sprouts by finely slicing with knife. Grate 1 tsp zest from lemon and squeeze 3 T of juice. In large frying pan or wok, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add sprouts, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 15 minutes. Add lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Fried Corn

Corn is good. Unless it's canned creamed corn. Then, not so much. Last night, we grilled our corn. That is probably my favorite way to eat corn. Rub some olive oil on it and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Then just throw them on the grill until they are fire-kissed. Super-yum. This recipe from Sandra Lee is yum too. I did lighten it a little  bit. I used a smidge of butter and them olive oil instead of all butter. I used honey, a little less than called for. And finally, I used skim milk instead of cream. I really liked the taste of the honey on the corn. I didn't miss the extra fat either.

Fried Corn

4 tablespoons butter

1 (16-ounce) bag frozen corn, defrosted (I used fresh off the cob)
3 tablespoons white sugar or honey  (I used 1 T honey)
1/3 cup heavy cream (I used skim milk)
Salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter. When butter is foamy add the corn stirring to coat with the butter. Cook stirring frequently for 1 minute. Add sugar or honey and cook for 2 minutes more. Increase heat to high and add heavy cream-continue to stir so corn won't stick to pan. Add salt and pepper. Cook corn until most all of the cream has absorbed about 5 minutes more. Remove add serve hot

Smoked Chile Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Not a fan of sweet potatoes. Don't hate them, but don't really care for them. This recipe of Bobby Flay's was decent. There is enough spice to punch it up so that it isn't all sweet potatoes. I think this would be a really good recipe for someone who likes sweet potatoes and spicy food. You can adjust the spiciness by the amount of chipotle you use.  I used skim milk and only 1&1/2 cups to lighten it up.

Smoked Chile Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

2 cups heavy cream
1 heaping tablespoon chipotle pepper puree (I used chipotles in adobo and pureed them)
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together cream and chipotle puree until smooth.
In a 9 by 9-inch casserole dish, arrange the potatoes in even layers. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the cream mixture and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cream, and salt and pepper to form 10 layers.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the cream has been absorbed and the potatoes are cooked through and the top is browned