RSS

Category Archives: Salad

Another Great Summer Side Dish – Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad

We are just about getting into summer in the area after a really long winter and that means the opportunity to get some of the really great summer vegetables that are around. For my family, that means eating a lot of corn and in all different ways. Yes,corn on the cob is great and it is certainly a family favorite for us, but one of the things that is even better is to roast some corn on the cob, strip it off the cob and use it in some wonderful side dishes. One of my favorites is a black bean and corn salad, which gives you the opportunity to combine some great flavors to get really good freshness for a side dish that is perfect for the summer. I found this particular recipe at TidyMom and decided to give it a try myself with some modifications of my own.

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad

3 ears corn, cut off the cob
1 orange bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 avocado sliced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 cup olive oil
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped

Cook the corn, bell pepper and the red onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat until the vegetables are beginning to brown nicely all over, about 5 to 7 minutes. Toss in the black beans and cook until the beans are warmed through, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to low while you make the dressing.

For the dressing, smash the garlic clove and sprinkle the smashed clove with some kosher salt. With the flat side of your knife, mash and smear the garlic clove and salt until it forms a paste. Whisk the garlic paste, lime juice, salt and chili powder together in a bowl. Slowly and gradually whisk in the olive oil, starting with just a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream until the oil is incorporated into the dressing.

Add the dressing to the bean and corn mixture and toss the vegetables to coat them evenly. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the corn and beans to a large bowl. Gently fold in the avocado, grape tomatoes, the basil and the blue cheese, if using, and serve warm or at room temperature.

That;s all there is to it and you get a really tasty side dish within minutes. You can certainly grill the corn first if you prefer instead of pan roasting it and then cut it off the cob, but since I don’t have access to a grill to do it this was my best option. I love the dressing with the nice bite of the lemon juice mixing so nicely with the corn, beans, avocado and tomatoes. This side dish can go with anything, from chicken, ribs, burgers and steak to all kinds of other meals. You could even use this as filling for tacos or quesadillas if you wanted something that is more of a vegetarian meal. It is certainly one we will use throughout the summer.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on June 2, 2014 in Beans, Cooking, Dinner, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Tags: black bean and corn salad, black bean salad, black beans, roasted corn and black bean salad, roasted corn salad, side dish, summer vegetables, TidyMom

A Refreshing Summer Side Dish – Apple Coleslaw

31 May

A great side dish for the warm weather when you are having a barbecue, picnic, party, buffet or just want a lighter and refreshing side is coleslaw. There are so many different things that you can do and ingredients that you can use to make a coleslaw that your options seem almost endless. Even better, with the bags of coleslaw mix that are available in most grocery stores today you do not have to go through the effort of shredding cabbage and carrots on your own (unless you want to of course). Many times during the summer these bags of coleslaw are on sale at my store for a dollar a bag or less, which makes them a great deal to buy. I have tried a bunch of coleslaw recipes in the past and am always on the lookout not just for something new, but one that uses little or no mayonnaise at all. I found this recipe on Kitchen Daily for an apple coleslaw and made a few modifications to make it my own.

Apple Coleslaw

1 package of coleslaw mix or 1 cup shredded green cabbage, 3/4 cup shredded red cabbage and 1/2 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 apple, julienned

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, combine the green cabbage, red cabbage, julienned carrots, or the 1 bag of coleslaw mix (whichever you happen to be using) and the julienned apple.

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the mayonnaise, the olive oil, the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, the poppy seeds (if using) and the salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the dressing mixture over the cabbage mixture and stir everything together using a rubber spatula. Stir until everything is well combined. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour so that the flavors can meld. Serve the coleslaw cold.

Personally, I left out the poppy seeds because I didn’t have any on hand and I didn’t think they would add that much to the dish. While they will look nice and add some texture, it just wasn’t for me this time. I loved the freshness that the apple added to the mix with the cabbage and carrots and since there was very little mayonnaise it didn’t get all watery as it chilled. I think you could probably eliminate that mayo all together if you wanted to go without it and just stick with the olive oil, but the mayo does help to bind everything together nicely. You could certainly try substituting yogurt or sour cream for the mayo as well. I used Gala apple for mine but I think you can use whatever apple you like the best for crispness and flavor. The original recipe called for Granny Smith, which I find to be very tart so I opted to change that out. in any case, I think it was a great coleslaw with excellent flavor that is a great side dish for burgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken, sandwiches or just about anything else you can think of for a summer meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on May 31, 2014 in Cooking, Picnic Fare, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Tags: apple coleslaw, apple coleslaw with poppy seed dressing, coleslaw recipes, Kitchen Daily, Kitchen Daily apple coleslaw

Summer’s Coming! Make This Simple Creamy Cucumber Salad

16 May

It seems like summer is never going to get here. after a particularly long, cold and snowy winter here in New York, Spring has been pretty dreary with lots of rain and clouds. This can all be pretty depressing, but summer is only a little more than a month away and I cannot wait for it to get here. Summer means warmer weather, sunshine and the chance to make some great summer dishes. While I don’t so a lot of cooking out myself since we can’t have a good grill here at the condo, I do make a lot of different types of salads all summer long. I try to make salads that don’t use a lot of lettuce since Michelle is not a big fan of most lettuce, or at least a lot of lettuce. I had bought some English cucumbers last week and they were quite large, so I needed to try to come up with something great to make with them besides just slicing some up with some lettuce. I saw Ina Garten make this recipe on the Food Network one day and knew it was one I had to try. It is simple, easy, uses only a few ingredients, and tastes very refreshing. This recipe makes a large quantity, so I actually cut it in half when I made it but I am posting the original recipe here.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

4 hothouse cucumbers, thinly sliced (about 3 to 4 pounds of cucumbers)

2 small red onions, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

4 cups (32 ounces) plain whole-milk yogurt

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

1/2 cup minced fresh dill

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Mix the sliced cucumbers, sliced red onions and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the kosher salt in a large bowl. pour the vegetables into a colander and suspend it over a bowl. Wrap the bowl and the colander with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator to drain. Leave in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Discard any of the liquid that accumulates in the bowl.

Pour the yogurt into a fine mesh sieve lined with a paper towel or with cheesecloth and suspend the sieve over another bowl. Wrap the bowl and the sieve in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 4 hours and up to overnight so the yogurt can drain and thicken. Discard the liquid that accumulates in the second bowl.

When the cucumbers are ready, roll them up in paper towels or a dry kitchen towel and press the towel lightly to remove most of the liquid from the vegetables. Place the cucumbers and the drained yogurt together in a large bowl with the sour cream, the vinegar, fresh dill, 2 teaspoons of salt and the black pepper. Toss the mixture well and refrigerate the salad for a few hours to allow all of the flavors to blend together. Sprinkle the salad with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and serve it chilled.

Granted, it may take up a lot of refrigerator space while everything drains (at least it did in my small refrigerator) but it is worth it. You will be surprised just how much moisture comes out of both the salted vegetables and the yogurt. The yogurt comes out nice and thick and creamy. Pressing the cucumbers in a towel removes even more liquid to help keep them from getting too soggy. The yogurt and cucumbers and red onions go so nicely together and it may even remind you a bit of tzatziki sauce from Greek food. It is a great salad that will be perfect for summer parties and barbecues to give you something different from the typical coleslaw or potato salad. This is a great side dish that goes really well with chicken, ribs, pork or beef so you can use it for all kinds of meals.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on May 16, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Lunch, Salad, Side Dishes

Tags: creamy cucumber salad, cucumber salad, food network, Ina Garten, Ina Garten creamy cucumber salad

Fiesta Week Part 3 – Cabbage Slaw and Refried Beans

08 May

Now that you have some good taco recipes from chorizo tacos and chicken tacos, you need to have some good ides to go along with the tacos. Of course guacamole and salsa are always good choices and are pretty easy to make on your own at home. There are also a number of quality store-bought salsas and guacamole if there are some that you like in particular and don’t have the time or energy to make them yourself. Personally, I always like the homemade better since you have more control over the ingredients and can make it just how you and your family like it the best. Anyway, I wanted to make a few different side dishes that could go well either right on the tacos themselves or right along side of them. Of course, I needed to have a classic refried beans recipe and I decided to use this one that I found on Food Network’s website from Ellie Krieger. It is very simple and can be done in minutes.

Refried Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2/3 cup chicken broth, plus more if needed

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onions are tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the chili powder and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the beans and the chicken broth and cook until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Mash the beans coarsely with the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher, adding more chicken broth to moisten the beans if necessary. Season the beans with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the cilantro leaves and serve.

The beans are very tasty and take no time at all to make. You could really do this with any type of beans that you like the best. I think black beans would be great for this well. The beans added great texture to the tacos overall and make a good side dish not just for tacos or other Mexican meals, but for things like chicken or pork entrees as well.

I also wanted to make a quick slaw to go along with the tacos, but I did not want a typical creamy coleslaw that I often make. I needed something lighter and simpler that people could put on their tacos or right on the side of their meals. This simple vegetable slaw from Bon Appetit fit the bill perfectly and only took a few minutes to make for the meal.

Black Bean and Cabbage Slaw

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 cups coleslaw mix

2 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place the black beans and the cumin in a small bowl and partially mash the beans. Mix the olive oil and the lime juice together in a medium bowl. Add the coleslaw mix, green onions and cilantro to the oil mixture and toss them well to coat them evenly. Add the beans to the coleslaw and toss to coat. Season the slaw with salt and pepper to taste.

Again, it is a very simple recipe that has a great fresh taste and flavor. This slaw could even be used as a taco filling all on its own if you wanted to go with something as more of a vegetarian option for tacos. All you need to do is heat dome tortillas, spoon the mixture onto the tortillas, add a little cheese and any other toppings you like, and you are good to go. I have actually been eating the slaw with my lunch the rest of the week and have added it into some salad that I made for lunch yesterday for an even better variation on regular salad.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on May 8, 2014 in Cooking, Holidays, Salad, Side Dishes

Tags: black bean and cabbage slaw, black beans, bon appetit, chicken tacos, Cinco de Mayo recipes, Ellie Krieger, food network, pinto beans, refried beans, refried beans recipe, vegetable slaw, vegetarian tacos

Use Up Those Easter Eggs in a Classic Cobb Salad

23 Apr

If you are like our home you ended up with at least a dozen brightly colored hard-boiled eggs after Sunday and needed to try to find a way to use them all this week. Sure, you can make the standard egg salad for lunches or even just enjoy a hard-boiled egg for breakfast or as a snack during the day, but you can also make good use of them in an easy meal. Cobb salad has always been one of my favorite and I have ordered it out a number of times for a meal when I want something a little different. It is the perfect combination of vegetables, protein and some nice additions like avocado, egg and blue cheese. First made at the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles by the owner, Robert Cobb, I got this recipe from Saveur magazine. While this recipe has the traditional dressing recipe along with it, I actually made my own dressing, which I will share following the recipe for the salad.

Classic Cobb Salad

FOR THE DRESSING:

¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE SALAD:

½ head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
½ head romaine lettuce, chopped
½ bunch watercress, some of the stems trimmed, chopped
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
6 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½ inch cubes
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into ½ inch cubes
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into ½ inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons minced chives

To make the dressing: Combine the vegetable or canola oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and garlic in a blender. Purée the ingredients to make a smooth dressing and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set the dressing aside (or refrigerate, covered, for up to 1 week).

To make the salad: On a large platter, combine the iceberg and romaine lettuces along with the watercress. Arrange the blue cheese, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, chicken, and avocado on top of the greens in neat rows. To serve, drizzle the salad with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and top with the chives. Alternatively, toss everything together in a bowl.

It is very quick and easy and tastes great. I actually added some black olives to the one I made along with some sliced English cucumber and red onion to help round things out. I also used mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese instead of the blue cheese since we did not have any on hand and Michelle and Sean are not big fans. Instead of using the traditional dressing, I opted to make my own buttermilk ranch dressing using another recipe I got from Saveur magazine. It is a simple way to make your own dressing, tastes better than most of the things you can get in a bottle and costs less for you to make.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon onion salt
1⁄4 teaspoon dried chives
1⁄4 teaspoon dried parsley
1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Pinch ground dried oregano
1 cup buttermilk

Put the mayonnaise, onion salt, chives, parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and oregano into a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine. Beat the mayonnaise mixture with an electric mixer on low-speed for about 5 seconds, then increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is smooth, about 20 seconds. Scrape the dressing down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the buttermilk, beating constantly until all the buttermilk is incorporated and the dressing is very smooth, about 2 minutes more.

Cover the dressing and refrigerate the dressing for at least 12 hours. Stir the dressing well before serving. The dressing will keep, refrigerated in a cover container, for up to 2 weeks.

It has great flavor thanks to the spices and I thickened it up a little bit by adding some plain yogurt to it as well. You could easily use this as a dip as well if you wanted to or as a flavoring for other meals, like a topping for burgers.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on April 23, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Dressings, Leftovers, Lunch, Salad

Tags: buttermilk ranch dressing, classic Cobb salad, Cobb salad, Cobb salad recipe, hard-boiled eggs, ranch dressing, ranch dressing recipe, Saveur magazine

Simple Sides for Burgers and Sandwiches, Part 1 – Coleslaw with Bacon and Buttermilk Dressing

03 Mar

Since I had made burgers and sandwiches a few times last week as items for dinner, I also wanted to come up with some new side dish options to go along with them. in my house, french fries are pretty much a must when we have burgers in the house so I either go with store bough fries or I make my own oven fries, which are also great. I do like to try different coleslaw recipes as well to give us something new. There are many variations on coleslaw recipes, and some use mayonnaise while others do not. I have tried each and some with mayo tend to be a bit too much, so lately I have been leaning more towards other options, such as this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated for a coleslaw with bacon and buttermilk dressing. It is really more like a cabbage salad than a coleslaw and this one strives to be a little less watery than some other options by salting the vegetables first.

Coleslaw with Bacon and Buttermilk Dressing

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 pound green cabbage (about 1/2 a head), shredded fine

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

1/2 medium onion, sliced thin

Salt and ground black pepper

Toss the shredded cabbage, the grated carrot and the sliced onion and 1 teaspoon of salt together in a colander or fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Let the vegetables stand until the cabbage wilts, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Rinse the vegetables under cold running water or in a large bowl of ice water. Press, but do not squeeze, to drain the vegetables. Pat the vegetables dry with paper towels. you can store the vegetables in a zipper-lock plastic bag at this point and refrigerate them overnight if you wish.

Fry the bacon pieces in a medium skillet set over medium heat until it is crisp and brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Discard the fat from the skillet.

Stir together the buttermilk, cider vinegar, vegetable oil, caraway seeds, dry mustard and sugar in a medium bowl until blended. Toss in the cabbage, carrots, onion and bacon in the dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then cover and refrigerate the bowl until you are ready to serve.

It is a pretty simple recipe that imparts great flavor. I actually used two different cabbages, green and purple, and I used a red onion as well for some different flavor. Salting here certainly draws a lot of the water out of the vegetables so they will not be as crisp and crunchy as you may like. It ends up with a softer, more pickle-like texture instead which was good, but I have to admit I missed some of the crunch. However, the flavor from the buttermilk dressing and the bacon was really good and a nice change for the coleslaw. You could certainly use a bag of coleslaw mix if you did not want to shred the vegetables on your own and I think it would work just as well here.

That’s all I have for today. Check back tomorrow for another side dish recipe. This time it will be some easy cornmeal crusted onion rings. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on March 3, 2014 in Cooking, Dressings, Salad, Side Dishes

Tags: buttermilk dressing, buttermilk recipe, coleslaw recipes, coleslaw with bacon and buttermilk dressing, coleslaw with bacon and buttermilk dressing Cook's Illustrated, coleslaw with bacon recipe, cook's illustrated

Romance in the Air and On the Plate, Part 1 – Roasted Beet Salad

15 Feb

Even though the weather around here has been absolutely atrocious this week, I had planned Valentine’s Day dinner late last week, of the ingredients I needed last week or early in the week and I was completely prepared to make everything. I even put extra hours of work in so I could be sure I had enough time to cook everything and spent the better part of the afternoon preparing everything. We had a nice, elegant meal for the three of us, something we do not do too often and it tasted great and was fun. I’ll be sharing the recipes I made over the next several days, so we may as well start off with the salad. The original thought for the recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma, but I actually ended up changing quite a bit of it because Michelle is not a big fan of a couple of the ingredients, so I did switch some things around for this roasted beet salad. I’ll give you the original recipe and then let you know what I did to change it around.

Roasted Beet Salad

3 golden beets, trimmed and washed

6 red beets, trimmed and washed

1/2 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

5 tablespoons creme fraiche

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

2 teaspoons minced shallots

4 cups baby watercress

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the golden and red beets on a baking sheet. Coat the beets with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season them well with the kosher salt and black pepper. Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil and roast until the beets are fork tender, about 1 hour. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel the beets and cut them into 1-inch wedges.

Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice, creme fraiche, the remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil, the dill and the shallots in the blended or food processor. Blend or emulsify the ingredients until they are well mixed and season the vinaigrette with kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange the beet wedges in a layer on a platter and top them with the watercress. Garnish with the goat cheese and toasted walnuts. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and serve.

Okay, looking back at this I made quite a few changes to the recipe. First, I could only find red beets in my area so that is what I used. I would have loved to have the golden ones too, but it just wasn’t happening this time. Next, I omitted the goat cheese and the toasted walnuts. Michelle doesn’t like either one of them so they both went out. I also couldn’t locate any creme fraiche in the area so I had to make my own using equal parts of sour cream and heavy cream and mixing them together. It turned out just fine and was perfect to use. Finally, I hated to waste the beet greens so I decided to use them in the salad with the watercress. One thing to not about beet greens – they are very dirty and need extensive washing and spinning in the salad spinner if you have one. Also, they can be quite bitter when they are raw so if you don’t like the bitter flavor you can try blanching them or even wilting them a little in a saute pan for a few minutes. They are too tasty to waste though and make a nice addition to the meal if you can use them. We all loved the beets and always forget how great roasted beets can taste. I really need to buy them more often to make them. I really enjoyed the dressing as well with the shallots and dill adding some great flavor and I can see how the goat cheese and walnuts would add a lot to this salad. It was good as we had it, but the additions would make it even better. The picture I took does not have the dressing on it yet and you can really only see the beets and beet greens so it doesn’t do it justice.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for the next part of the dinner menu. I’ll be going over the two sides we had with the meal – sautéed spinach with garlic and garlic-thyme smashed potatoes. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on February 15, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, Dressings, Holidays, Salad

Tags: creme fraiche, creme fraiche vinaigrette, roasted beet salad, roasted beets, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day meal, Valentine's Day menu, williams-sonoma

Sidle Up for Side Dishes – Dominican-Style Yellow Rice and Creamy Buttermilk Coleslaw

04 Feb

With all of the different main dishes that I have made lately, I have been making some news sides to go along with some of them. Two in particular really stood out for me anyway. The first was one that I made to go along with the pork tacos we had for dinner. It is a recipe from Bon Appetit for Dominican-style yellow rice. it is a very simple rice dish with some vegetables and spices that are great unique flavor to it.

Dominican-Style Yellow Rice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 red or yellow pepper, seeded and chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 scallions, white and light green parts only, sliced 1/2-inch thick

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup long-grain rice

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and scallions and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, cumin seeds, turmeric and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the rice, then add the chicken broth and the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir it once, and the cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 to eighteen minutes. Allow the ride to stand in the pot for 10 minutes, covered. Uncover the pot and fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the cilantro and parsley and serve.

The rice had great color from the turmeric and other spices and the flavor was very good. The combination of the peppers and onion with the rice was just perfect for me. I can see using this side dish with any chicken meal that you make or with pork and I think it would be great.

On the night where I made the fried chicken biscuits, I also tried a new recipe for some coleslaw. I have a bunch of different coleslaw recipes and I am always trying something a little different. This time, since I had some buttermilk on hand I thought I would try out this buttermilk coleslaw recipe from Cook’s Country. it uses a couple of ingredients to make it really creamy without being too watery.

Creamy Buttermilk Coleslaw

1 medium head green cabbage, cored and chopped fine

2 carrots, peeled and shredded with a box grater

Salt

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

8 scallions, chopped fine

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Toss the shredded cabbage and the carrots with 1 teaspoon of salt in a colander set over a medium bowl. Allow the vegetables to stand until they are wilted, about 1 hour. Rinse the cabbage and carrots under cold water, drain, dry well with paper towels and transfer the vegetables to a large bowl.

Stir in the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, scallions, sugar, mustard and pepper plus some salt to taste. Refrigerate the coleslaw until it is chilled, about 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and serve.

I liked this coleslaw because salting the cabbage helps to draw a lot of the moisture out of it so there is not too much water or moisture. Then the buttermilk adds some great tangy flavor to the mix and the sour cream, mayonnaise and mustard each help to add flavor and body to the mix so you get a nice, thick, creamy sauce. If I am going to make a recipe using mayonnaise, I think this is the best one I have tried so far. Of course it is great with any sandwich or along side of burgers, ribs, hot dogs or really just about anything else.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on February 4, 2014 in Cooking, Rice, Salad, Side Dishes

Tags: bon appetit, coleslaw, Cook's Country, Cook's Country creamy buttermilk coleslaw, creamy buttermilk coleslaw, Dominican-style yellow rice, yellow rice

Another Oktoberfest Recipe: Balsamic-Braised Sausages with Grapes and Watercress

11 Oct

I had seen this Oktoberfest recipe when I got the others from Williams-Sonoma and just recently got around to making this one. I did alter the idea slightly as the original recipe that I will post has this as something of a salad with a nice shallot vinaigrette. I didn’t have any watercress, or any lettuce at all as a matter of fact, in the house when I made this so I simply made the dish and served it over rice instead. I think it came out just as well and makes good use of the slow cooker for this meal.

Balsamic-Braised Sausages with Grapes and Watercress

1 1/2 pounds fresh sweet or hot Italian pork sausages

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1/2 fennel bulb, cored and finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, smashed

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2/3 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons white wine

2 1/2 cups seedless red or green grapes, halved

1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed

For the Shallot Vinaigrette:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 small shallot, minced

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat a broiler. Arrange the sausages on a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning as needed, until the sausages are a golden brown all over, about 8 to 9 minutes total. Transfer the sausages to a plate.

In a slow cooker, stir together the shallot, fennel, celery, garlic, salt and several grinds of pepper. Top with the broiled sausages and add the chicken stock, balsamic vinegar and white wine. Cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours on the high setting or 5 1/2 hours on the low setting, turning the sausages halfway through if possible. The sausages should be tender and cooked through.

To make the vinaigrette, in a bowl, combine the grapes and watercress. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, shallot, red wine vinegar, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified; you will need about 1/3 cup of vinaigrette for this recipe; reserve the rest for another use. Drizzle the grapes and watercress with enough of the vinaigrette to coat lightly and toss to coat everything evenly.

Divide the sausages among warm individual plates, spoon some of the braising liquid around the sausages, and top with the grapes and watercress. Serve.

All three of us loved the flavor of the sausages and the braising liquid. This is one of the few meals where we actually didn’t have any leftovers as the sausages went quite quickly. Browning the sausages before putting them in the slow cooker makes them nice and meaty and the slow cooking makes them very tender, so it is a great combination. I really liked the flavor of the braising liquid with the shallot and fennel and the balsamic vinegar really adds a lot to the dish as well. I think this would go very nicely with the grapes and watercress, and I did make the shallot vinaigrette anyway to have as a salad dressing for another day and even put a bit on my rice with this meal for some added flavor. Sean has already asked me to make this one again, so I think it’s going to be a favorite.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe that I have tried recently. I still have a bunch that I want to try out in the coming weeks, so there is still lots of good stuff to come, including some Halloween ideas and somethings to think about as possible Thanksgiving dishes. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

Leave a comment

Posted by MikeG on October 11, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Pork, Salad, Sauce, Slow Cooker Meals

Tags: balsamic braised sausages in the slow cooker, balsamic braised sausages with grapes and watercress, braised pork sausages, Oktoberfest recipes, shallot vinaigrette, williams-sonoma

It’s Never Too Hot for Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

17 Jul

With the ungodly heat we have been experiencing here in the northeast part of the country, I have had to find some alternatives to using the oven. I had bought a large pork butt last week to make pulled pork, but there was no way I was turning the oven on if I could avoid it. Thankfully, I was able to pull out the trusty slow cooker and use this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen so I was able to make some tasty pulled pork sliders for dinner instead.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders

Salt and pepper

6 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons liquid smoke

1 (5-pound) boneless pork butt roast

1/4 cup yellow mustard

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 cups barbecue sauce

Cider vinegar

Hot sauce

Hamburger buns

Bread and butter pickles

For the pork: Dissolve 1/4 cup of salt, 1/4 cup sugar, and 3 tablespoons of liquid smoke in 2 quarts of cold water in a large container. Submerge the pork in the brine, cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

While the pork brines, combine the mustard and remaining 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke in a bowl and set it aside. Combine 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of pepper, the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, paprika, and cayenne in a second bowl and set aside.

Remove the pork from the brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Rub the mustard mixture over the entire surface of the pork. Sprinkle the pork with the spice mixture to coat well.Place the pork in the slow cooker and pour the barbecue sauce over the pork, cover, and cook, on either low or high, until the pork is fork tender and falling apart, 10 to 11 hours on low or 7 to 8 hours on high.

Transfer the meat to a large bow and let cool. Let the cooking liquid settle for 5 minutes, then use a wide spoon to skin the fat off the surface. Season the sauce with the cider vinegar, hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred it using your fingers or two forks., discarding any extra fat or gristle.

Toss the shredded meat with 1 cup of the cooking sauce, adding more as needed to keep it moist. Serve, passing the remaining sauce separately, with hamburger buns and pickles to make the sliders.

You can use any store-bought barbecue sauce you like for this recipe, or you can quickly use this recipe below and triple it to make enough sauce for this pulled pork.

Barbecue Sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup ketchup

5 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool to room temperature before serving, about 1 hour. The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up yo 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.Bring it to room temperature before serving.

Of course, no pulled pork sandwich is complete without some coleslaw. I am always on the lookout for new coleslaw recipes that do not use mayonnaise so they are better for the summer. I found this one from Food Network and it tasted great.

Gourmet Cole Slaw

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

3 ounces granulated sugar

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon chopped shallots

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 head green cabbage, julienned

1/4 head red cabbage, julienned

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 green bell pepper, julienned

1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned

1 carrot, peeled and julienned

1 green onion, green part only cut into 1-inch lengths

1 teaspoon dry oregano

Salt and pepper

Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients into a bowl. Mix all the vegetables together in a large bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables, toss and chill for 1 hour or until you are ready to serve.

It is simple and refreshing. You can always use a bag of coleslaw mix instead of handling all the vegetables yourself. I usually have a bag on hand during the summer so that is what I used this time and this recipe has a nice, light flavor to it that will go well with all types of sandwiches and dishes.

That’s all I have for today. Check back again next time to see what recipes come along. I have tried a few things out recently to post, such as a new roasted chicken recipe, french bread pizzas, a new burger recipe, and more. Check back and see what comes up next. until then, enjoy the rest of your day, try to stay cool and enjoy your meal!