This one is a tasty summer treat that my family wolfs down any time I bring it. Never fails to get rave reviews :) It's incredibly refreshing on a hot summer day like we've been having recently.
Mats
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream.
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
8 oz Cool Whip
2 pre-made graham cracker crust.
Soften the ice cream and lemonade concentrate by letting them sit outside the freezer for about 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine ice cream, lemonade and Cool Whip
Mix thoroughly together. Electric mixers work well here.
Pour the filling into the crust
Freeze for at least 4 hours.
If you're feeling fancy, you can decorate the top with fresh mint leaves or fruit - Raspberries, sliced strawberries and blueberries go well. Just don't freeze the fruit with the pie.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
Moroccan Harira
This is a thick, savory soup flavored with cinnamon and cilantro - somehow my partner caught bronchitis in the middle of summer (I don't know how he managed that one) so I made this soup to help him feel better.
Mats:
1/2 c green lentils
1 Tb olive oil
1 large onion, diced (2 cups)
1/2 c chopped parsley
3/4 c chopped cilantro, divided into 1/2 and 1/4c
1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger (ground powdered will work fine too)
1 Tb ground cinnamon
1 15oz can chopped tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained
2c chicken stock
1/2 c vermicelli - it's a very thin spaghetti. Regular spaghetti will work fine too.
2 Tb flour
2 Tb lemon juice
1 Tb tomato paste
Process:
Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion, parsley, 1/2c cilantro, ginger and cinnamon; saute 5 minutes.
Stir in the drain tomatoes, saute for 5 more minutes.
Add chicken broth, reserved tomato liquid, chickpeas, lentils and 3 cups water.
Add 1/2 tsp salt and ground black pepper.
Stir, cover, and boil for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally
In a separate bowl, combine 1c water, flour, lemon juice and tomato paste. Mix with a whisk or fork until there are no more lumps.
Add the 1/4 c remaining cilantro to the flour mixture.
Once the 45 minutes are up on the main pot, stir in the flour-water mixture.
Snap the vermicelli pasta in half and add to the pot.
Boil uncovered for 4 minutes.
Serves 4.
This one went over very well. It's a nice, warming alternative to chicken soup (made that the previous day).
Mats:
1/2 c green lentils
1 Tb olive oil
1 large onion, diced (2 cups)
1/2 c chopped parsley
3/4 c chopped cilantro, divided into 1/2 and 1/4c
1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger (ground powdered will work fine too)
1 Tb ground cinnamon
1 15oz can chopped tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained
2c chicken stock
1/2 c vermicelli - it's a very thin spaghetti. Regular spaghetti will work fine too.
2 Tb flour
2 Tb lemon juice
1 Tb tomato paste
Process:
Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion, parsley, 1/2c cilantro, ginger and cinnamon; saute 5 minutes.
Stir in the drain tomatoes, saute for 5 more minutes.
Add chicken broth, reserved tomato liquid, chickpeas, lentils and 3 cups water.
Add 1/2 tsp salt and ground black pepper.
Stir, cover, and boil for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally
In a separate bowl, combine 1c water, flour, lemon juice and tomato paste. Mix with a whisk or fork until there are no more lumps.
Add the 1/4 c remaining cilantro to the flour mixture.
Once the 45 minutes are up on the main pot, stir in the flour-water mixture.
Snap the vermicelli pasta in half and add to the pot.
Boil uncovered for 4 minutes.
Serves 4.
This one went over very well. It's a nice, warming alternative to chicken soup (made that the previous day).
Turning over a new leaf
I've been a bad, bad, negligent blogger for.... pretty much the entire lifetime of this blog. That is going to have to change, along with the myriad other things I have to change about my lifestyle.
My partner got the dreaded "o-word" from the doctor: obese. Hence the complete and total overhaul of our diets that I'm now on the crusade for. Combined with exercise, we're both looking at dropping some pounds to get us back on track for a healthy lifestyle. Our new bathroom scale arrived the other day, for accurate, day-to-day measurements. I picked up a kitchen scale, to accurately weigh my foods and count calories per serving so we can eat well together. I renewed my subscription to Vegetarian Times magazine; though neither of us are actually going full-on vegetarian, I still love many of the recipes in there and we're working on cutting back the meat in our diets to about twice a week. My floor mat is set up with a new set of dumbbells for a light work-out each morning. And because my partner is slightly number-crazy, we've put together a spreadsheet to tabulate daily calorie intake and graph our weight loss progress. I think I stopped listening when he started going on about fitting exponential regression lines... but it's still there :)
Let the cooking fun and games begin!
My partner got the dreaded "o-word" from the doctor: obese. Hence the complete and total overhaul of our diets that I'm now on the crusade for. Combined with exercise, we're both looking at dropping some pounds to get us back on track for a healthy lifestyle. Our new bathroom scale arrived the other day, for accurate, day-to-day measurements. I picked up a kitchen scale, to accurately weigh my foods and count calories per serving so we can eat well together. I renewed my subscription to Vegetarian Times magazine; though neither of us are actually going full-on vegetarian, I still love many of the recipes in there and we're working on cutting back the meat in our diets to about twice a week. My floor mat is set up with a new set of dumbbells for a light work-out each morning. And because my partner is slightly number-crazy, we've put together a spreadsheet to tabulate daily calorie intake and graph our weight loss progress. I think I stopped listening when he started going on about fitting exponential regression lines... but it's still there :)
Let the cooking fun and games begin!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Fall Soup
Really should come up with a better name for this, as "Fall Soup" is a bit odd and boring. But if I call it by its ingredients, I doubt anyone other than my mum would eat it with me...
Mats:
1 Butternut Squash
2 Turnips
1 Parsnip
2 "Horse Carrots" - the bigger, the sweeter
4 Red skin potatoes
6oz frozen corn
2c Chicken stock (from bouillon or ready-made)
4c water
1/4 milk or heavy cream
Pepper
Prep:
Cover your broiling pan with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up), and preheat the oven to 450
Slice the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, making sure to get all the stringy stuff out. Place the halves cut-side down on the broiler.
Peel the turnips, cut in half and place cut-side down on the broiler.
Peel the parsnip, cut in half lengthwise, and place cut-side down on the broiler.
Try to arrange all the veggies evenly on the broiler, you don't want one half really heavy and the other with just a bit of parsnip on it. Brush the topside of the veggies with a little bit of olive oil, then put the broiler in the oven.
Roast the vegetables at 450 for 35-40 minutes, or until you can *easily* pierce the veggies with a knife. The skin of the squash should have black bubbles on it and be about as tough as wet tissue paper.
Let them cool for about 20-30 minutes on the counter, burned fingers are not worth it.
Scrape the flesh of the butternut squash into a blender or food processor. Chuck the turnips and parsnip in the blender as well.
*NOTE* if your blender isn't big enough, do half the squash, one turnip and half the parsnip as one batch, then repeat.
Add 1c of water to the veggies and blend thoroughly (about 1 minute on high). Odds are your blender will seize up and complain because the soup is so thick; if that happens, stop the blender, stir the mixture around (add a bit more water if you think it needs it), and give it another go. Keep adding water until you can run the blender for a full minute on high without the blender complaining or only mixing the bottom third of the soup.
Once you've gotten the soup to a consistency resembling baby food, pour the soup into a large saucepan. Set the heat to medium-high.
Add the chicken stock. If you're using bouillon, reconstitute it according to package directions FIRST, then add it.
Chop the potatoes into cubes about 1/2 inch thick, add to the soup.
Chop the carrots into rounds about 1/2 inch thick, add to the soup.
Add the corn
Salt/Pepper to taste.
Cover with a lid and bring to a low boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.
Swirl the milk/heavy cream in, stir a little and serve.
If you want, a few crumbles of bacon as a last minute topping on this would be divine.
Mats:
1 Butternut Squash
2 Turnips
1 Parsnip
2 "Horse Carrots" - the bigger, the sweeter
4 Red skin potatoes
6oz frozen corn
2c Chicken stock (from bouillon or ready-made)
4c water
1/4 milk or heavy cream
Pepper
Prep:
Cover your broiling pan with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up), and preheat the oven to 450
Slice the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, making sure to get all the stringy stuff out. Place the halves cut-side down on the broiler.
Peel the turnips, cut in half and place cut-side down on the broiler.
Peel the parsnip, cut in half lengthwise, and place cut-side down on the broiler.
Try to arrange all the veggies evenly on the broiler, you don't want one half really heavy and the other with just a bit of parsnip on it. Brush the topside of the veggies with a little bit of olive oil, then put the broiler in the oven.
Roast the vegetables at 450 for 35-40 minutes, or until you can *easily* pierce the veggies with a knife. The skin of the squash should have black bubbles on it and be about as tough as wet tissue paper.
Let them cool for about 20-30 minutes on the counter, burned fingers are not worth it.
Scrape the flesh of the butternut squash into a blender or food processor. Chuck the turnips and parsnip in the blender as well.
*NOTE* if your blender isn't big enough, do half the squash, one turnip and half the parsnip as one batch, then repeat.
Add 1c of water to the veggies and blend thoroughly (about 1 minute on high). Odds are your blender will seize up and complain because the soup is so thick; if that happens, stop the blender, stir the mixture around (add a bit more water if you think it needs it), and give it another go. Keep adding water until you can run the blender for a full minute on high without the blender complaining or only mixing the bottom third of the soup.
Once you've gotten the soup to a consistency resembling baby food, pour the soup into a large saucepan. Set the heat to medium-high.
Add the chicken stock. If you're using bouillon, reconstitute it according to package directions FIRST, then add it.
Chop the potatoes into cubes about 1/2 inch thick, add to the soup.
Chop the carrots into rounds about 1/2 inch thick, add to the soup.
Add the corn
Salt/Pepper to taste.
Cover with a lid and bring to a low boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.
Swirl the milk/heavy cream in, stir a little and serve.
If you want, a few crumbles of bacon as a last minute topping on this would be divine.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Summer Pasta Salad
Great for bringing to picnics or just for a light summer dinner, this pasta salad is a simple one-pot meal.
Mats:
1 lb shrimp - the smaller the better
4 carrots
4 stalks celery
3 tomatoes
2c leafy green. So far, I've used baby spinach, kale and bok choy. Mustard greens, swiss chard, or beet leaves would all be fine as well.
1 box elbow macaroni. Or something similarly-sized, like small shells or tiny penne or wheels.
1 bottle Ranch dressing.
Put a pot of water on to boil. When it reaches a full boil, dump in your pasta of choice and cook to 'al dente' (Italian for 'with tooth', you don't want to overcook the pasta at all or it won't hold up), usually about 10 minutes.
Drain your pasta and put it in a large bowl.
Fill the pot back up with about 3c of water and put it back on to boil.
Peel the carrots and cut into 1/4 in rounds. Add to the water (it's ok if the water hasn't fully come to a boil yet).
Cut the celery into 1/4 in slices, add to the water.
Peel and de-vein the shrimp (or just buy it pre-shelled) and add that to the pot of water too.
Cut your leafy green into bite sized pieces, about 1/2 inch, and add to the water.
Cover with a lid and steam for 5 minutes or so, just enough to cook the shrimp and leafy green.
Drain the veggie mixture.
Put the pasta and the veggie mixture into a large bowl. Add the entire bottle of ranch dressing, 1 tsp salt and pepper (to taste. I like to used a cracked black pepper as it gives it a nice texture).
Mix thoroughly and stick in the fridge to cool.
Mats:
1 lb shrimp - the smaller the better
4 carrots
4 stalks celery
3 tomatoes
2c leafy green. So far, I've used baby spinach, kale and bok choy. Mustard greens, swiss chard, or beet leaves would all be fine as well.
1 box elbow macaroni. Or something similarly-sized, like small shells or tiny penne or wheels.
1 bottle Ranch dressing.
Put a pot of water on to boil. When it reaches a full boil, dump in your pasta of choice and cook to 'al dente' (Italian for 'with tooth', you don't want to overcook the pasta at all or it won't hold up), usually about 10 minutes.
Drain your pasta and put it in a large bowl.
Fill the pot back up with about 3c of water and put it back on to boil.
Peel the carrots and cut into 1/4 in rounds. Add to the water (it's ok if the water hasn't fully come to a boil yet).
Cut the celery into 1/4 in slices, add to the water.
Peel and de-vein the shrimp (or just buy it pre-shelled) and add that to the pot of water too.
Cut your leafy green into bite sized pieces, about 1/2 inch, and add to the water.
Cover with a lid and steam for 5 minutes or so, just enough to cook the shrimp and leafy green.
Drain the veggie mixture.
Put the pasta and the veggie mixture into a large bowl. Add the entire bottle of ranch dressing, 1 tsp salt and pepper (to taste. I like to used a cracked black pepper as it gives it a nice texture).
Mix thoroughly and stick in the fridge to cool.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Sausage and Rigatoni
Mmmm, Italian Classic:
Mats:
6 links sweet Italian sausage
1 box Rigatoni pasta
1/4 c Lemon Juice
1/2 c Water
2 cloves garlic
1 can red kidney beans (or cannelloni beans)
1 c Kale
Parmesan cheese
Steps:
Put a pot of water on to boil, add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp olive oil. When it boils, add rigatoni, cook for 14 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet on med-high heat, cook the sausage links. They go in the pan 'dry' (don't add butter or oil). Cook for about 10-12 minutes, rolling them so they get nicely browned on all sides.
Pull out the sausages and set aside to cool.
Pour the lemon juice and water into the sausage pan, reducing the heat to med-low. We're looking for a very low simmer, just enough that you see tiny bubbles on the bottom of the pan. Stir the juice around to scrape up any sausagey bits that stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Chop the garlic very fine (use a garlic press if you have one) and add it to the pan.
When the sausage is cool enough that you don't scald your fingers, slice it into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. Throw the sausage back into the pan with the juices, and try to get as much of the juice off your cutting board and back into the pan.
Add the beans.
Chop the kale into 1/2 inch sized pieces (the stems on kale are notoriously tough, so you can throw them out if you like. If you don't like waste, just cook the dish for an extra 4 or 5 minutes) and add to the pan.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Add 2 or 3 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese to the pan and stir so it gets dissolved in the juice. This will thicken the sauce a bit.
Dish out a bowl of rigatoni pasta, top with the sausage/greens and pour the sauce over! Top with extra cheese if you'd like.
Mats:
6 links sweet Italian sausage
1 box Rigatoni pasta
1/4 c Lemon Juice
1/2 c Water
2 cloves garlic
1 can red kidney beans (or cannelloni beans)
1 c Kale
Parmesan cheese
Steps:
Put a pot of water on to boil, add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp olive oil. When it boils, add rigatoni, cook for 14 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet on med-high heat, cook the sausage links. They go in the pan 'dry' (don't add butter or oil). Cook for about 10-12 minutes, rolling them so they get nicely browned on all sides.
Pull out the sausages and set aside to cool.
Pour the lemon juice and water into the sausage pan, reducing the heat to med-low. We're looking for a very low simmer, just enough that you see tiny bubbles on the bottom of the pan. Stir the juice around to scrape up any sausagey bits that stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Chop the garlic very fine (use a garlic press if you have one) and add it to the pan.
When the sausage is cool enough that you don't scald your fingers, slice it into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. Throw the sausage back into the pan with the juices, and try to get as much of the juice off your cutting board and back into the pan.
Add the beans.
Chop the kale into 1/2 inch sized pieces (the stems on kale are notoriously tough, so you can throw them out if you like. If you don't like waste, just cook the dish for an extra 4 or 5 minutes) and add to the pan.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Add 2 or 3 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese to the pan and stir so it gets dissolved in the juice. This will thicken the sauce a bit.
Dish out a bowl of rigatoni pasta, top with the sausage/greens and pour the sauce over! Top with extra cheese if you'd like.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Carnitas
Very tasty Mexican-style recipe - takes a while to cook the pork shoulder but fairly low-maintenance.
Requires:
half pork shoulder (also called a 'picnic ham' in some places)
4 large burrito shells
1c white rice
1 can black beans
1 green bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
cheddar cheese
1 jar salsa
Procedure:
Cut the skin off the pork and place in a crock-pot. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4.
Take the pork out of the crock-pot and let it cool on a cutting board for 30-45 minutes. Trust me, you don't want to keep burning your fingers on hot pork fat.
Pull the pork off the bone and shred with your fingers. It'll separate into long strands - you're looking for a consistency like barbecue.
While shredding the pork, put 1c white rice into a small pot with 2c water and cook on low for 20 minutes.
Core and seed the bell pepper and put into a food processor with beans and garlic. Remember to take the paper off the garlic first!
Run the food processor for a minute or until the mixture is smooth. This mixture is known as 'sofrito' and is a staple in many Mexican foods.
Grease a large Pyrex dish (spraying it with some oil is fine) and set the oven to 350 F.
Take a burrito shell and place it in the Pyrex dish. Spoon in 1/4 of the rice, add some pork and cover with 6Tbsp or so of sofrito. Top with cheddar cheese.
Fold up the burrito, tucking the top and bottom in first, then rolling the sides.
GENTLY flip the burrito over so it's seam-side down.
Repeat until your Pyrex dish is full or your run out of fillings.
Pour the salsa over the burritos and place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes.
When the timer is up, pull the dish out and cover the burritos with more cheddar cheese. Stick back in the over for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melty and begins to brown.
Take out, separate burritos with a spatula and serve! Possibly with guacamole or sour cream, if that's to your taste.
Requires:
half pork shoulder (also called a 'picnic ham' in some places)
4 large burrito shells
1c white rice
1 can black beans
1 green bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
cheddar cheese
1 jar salsa
Procedure:
Cut the skin off the pork and place in a crock-pot. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4.
Take the pork out of the crock-pot and let it cool on a cutting board for 30-45 minutes. Trust me, you don't want to keep burning your fingers on hot pork fat.
Pull the pork off the bone and shred with your fingers. It'll separate into long strands - you're looking for a consistency like barbecue.
While shredding the pork, put 1c white rice into a small pot with 2c water and cook on low for 20 minutes.
Core and seed the bell pepper and put into a food processor with beans and garlic. Remember to take the paper off the garlic first!
Run the food processor for a minute or until the mixture is smooth. This mixture is known as 'sofrito' and is a staple in many Mexican foods.
Grease a large Pyrex dish (spraying it with some oil is fine) and set the oven to 350 F.
Take a burrito shell and place it in the Pyrex dish. Spoon in 1/4 of the rice, add some pork and cover with 6Tbsp or so of sofrito. Top with cheddar cheese.
Fold up the burrito, tucking the top and bottom in first, then rolling the sides.
GENTLY flip the burrito over so it's seam-side down.
Repeat until your Pyrex dish is full or your run out of fillings.
Pour the salsa over the burritos and place the dish in the oven for 15 minutes.
When the timer is up, pull the dish out and cover the burritos with more cheddar cheese. Stick back in the over for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melty and begins to brown.
Take out, separate burritos with a spatula and serve! Possibly with guacamole or sour cream, if that's to your taste.
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