Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Hamburger Delight

Yummy goodness!  Seth Freedman, an Atlanta chef, shared this recipe.


Hamburger Delight

Yield: 4-6 servings or about 20 tastings
Ingredients:
3/4 lb ground beef (preferably lean grass-fed)
3 cloves garlic
½ lb onion
1 lb peppers
4 oz potatoes
½ lb tomatoes
To Taste oregano, thyme, and/or other herbs
1-2 cups water or broth
1-2 tbsp soy or Worcestershire sauce
2-4 oz sour cream or crème fraiche (optional)
To Taste salt & pepper
As needed oil
Directions
1. Chop the vegetables into small pieces, keeping them separate. You can do this with a knife, grater, grinder, or food processor.
2. Heat a large pan over med-high heat.
3. Add a small amount of oil, season beef and add in one layer to the pan. Brown thoroughly. Remove from the pan.
4. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add peppers cook for 2-3 minutes more. Add in potatoes and tomatoes. Add back the browned beef, and enough water or broth to fill the pan around the vegetables and beef, but not quite cover them.
5. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer add herbs and Worcestershire, and cook for 8-10 minutes or until veggies and beef are tender.
6. Turn off the heat, and stir in sour cream or crème fraiche. Season to taste.

Quinoa Salad with Pumpkin Seeds



This recipe came from "Whole Living."  I like dicing the tomatoes into the salad, and I often leave out the pumpkin seeds.  Avocado at the end makes this!

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups quinoa, thoroughly rinsed and drained (about 4 cups cooked)
  • 2 ears corn, kernels cut from cob
  • 1 medium red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
  • 1 large cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and diced
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 medium head red-leaf lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried, small inner leaves reserved for future use
  • 2 ripe medium tomatoes, cored and cut in thin wedges
  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted and thinly sliced
  • 1 lime, cut in wedges
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

Directions

  1. Bring 2 3/4 cups water to boil in a small saucepan and stir in the quinoa and some salt. Return to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat, place corn kernels on top of quinoa, cover pan, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir corn into quinoa, remove from pan, and spread out on baking sheet to cool for about 20 minutes.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic, oil, and salt to taste; set aside.
  3. Place cooled quinoa and corn, red pepper, cucumber, scallions, jalapeno, and cilantro in large bowl. Add 1/2 cup dressing (or more to taste) and salt to taste; mix until combined.
  4. Place large lettuce leaves side by side in a circle around a large serving platter so the curly tops extend just beyond the platter rim. Mound quinoa salad in center.
  5. Arrange tomato, avocado, and lime around quinoa on top of leaves. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds over salad. Serve immediately or hold briefly at room temperature.

Asian Quinoa Salad

This recipe is courtesy of "For the Love of Cooking" website.  Very tasty.  And good for you!

Salad:

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
Dash of salt
1/2 cup red cabbage, chopped
3/4 cup frozen cooked & shelled edamame, thawed
1 baby red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 cucumber, seeded and diced
Dressing:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1-2 tsp water
1 tbsp chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp ginger, grated
Dash of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Add water, quinoa, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
Place the quinoa in a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage, edamame, red pepper, carrots, and cucumber. Set aside.
Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, water, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, ginger, red pepper flakes, eas salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, together in a bowl. Whisk until well combined.
Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad, to taste, then toss until evenly coated with dressing. Taste and re-season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, if needed. Serve and enjoy.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Judy's Butterscotch Cookies

2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup butter
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
butterscotch chips

Cream butter and two sugars. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix all dry together, then add last. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Yummy yummy.

Elizabeth's Foccaccia Bread

This is very approximate, as my cousin Elizabeth is a master cook who can just "throw it in." Delicious recipe, we topped it with tomato, basil, and buffalo mozzarella for FRESH pizza!

About 1 cup lukewarm water
Dissolve 1 package quick-rise yeast in water
Add 1-2 spoonfuls sugar and dissolve.
Mix in 1-2 cups of flour, until a soupy consistency.
Add a spoonful or 2 of salt and/or garlic salt, mix.
Add another cup or 2 of flour and 1 spoon - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, mix.
Add more flour as needed until too thick to mix with spoon.
Knead for a few minutes, adding more flour if too sticky and more water if it's so dry it's cracking.
Knead until smooth and elastic.
Cover with a towel and let rise an hour or 2.
Grease cookie sheet, spread dough over cookie sheet with your fingers.
Let rise another 10 minutes.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and rosemary.
Bake at 500 degrees F about 10 minutes until golden brown.

SO GOOD.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Best Pot Roast in the World

It's Barefoot Contessa's. I've made it five times in the last month and a half. Time consuming, lots of chopping, long time cooking - but I mean phenomenal. And you can eat it for a week.

ngredients

  • 1 (4 to 5-pound) prime boneless beef chuckroast, tied
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • All-purpose flour
  • Good olive oil
  • 2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
  • 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
  • 2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
  • 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 to 4 leeks)
  • 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 2 cups good red wine, such as Burgundy
  • 2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree
  • 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 3 branches fresh thyme
  • 2 branches fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 to 5 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the wine and Cognac and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees F internally. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.

Remove the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processorfitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Place 2 tablespoons flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for seasonings. Remove the strings from the roast, and slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Roasted Sesame Pork Tenderloin with Asian Slaw

Another Southern Living winner!

3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup sesame-ginger dressing
1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin
1 head napa cabbage, shredded
4 green onions, sliced
2 large carrots, grated
1 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1/4 cup chopped wasabi and soy sauce flavored almonds

Preheat oven to 450 F. Whisk together soy sauce and 1/4 c dressing in a large shallow dish or zip top freezer bag; add pork, turning to coat. Cover or seal, and chill 10 minutes turning once.

Meanwhile, combine cabbage, next three ingredients, and remaining 1/4 cup dressing. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Place pork on a lightly greased aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
Bake at 450 F for 20-25 minutes or until done. Remove from oven, let stand five minutes before slicing.

Toss slaw with almonds; serve with pork.