‘Main Dishes’
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Serves 8
Oven 400 F
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2 cups cooked rice
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Prepare the rice, using 2 Tbsp less water than usual to keep the rice firm. Start the rice first and it will be ready when you need it.
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4 large red bell peppers
3 Tbsp olive oil
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Cut the peppers in half, cut through the stem, leaving the stem intact. Remove the seeds and membrane. Wash and drain on paper towels. Arrange the halves in a 9×13 baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Roll the peppers over in the oil to coat. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 425 F. Cool slightly.
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1 large onion
4 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic
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Dice the onion and celery fine to ¼” bits. Mince or chop the garlic. Set aside.
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½ cup pine nuts
1 Tbsp Olive oil
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Pour olive oil into a large sauté pan or wok. Heat to medium high. Quickly fry the pine nuts, stirring constantly until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Set aside.
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1 Tbsp dried herbs – Provence mix or Italian mix
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Return the pan with oil to the stove. Add herbs, onions, celery and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent.
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2 cups fresh chopped spinach or 1 small box frozen spinach, thawed
1 cup sliced water chestnuts
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Add additional oil if needed. Add spinach, water chestnuts, cooked rice, salt & pepper. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
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2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
Black pepper
If desired:
I-2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
or
1-2 cups raw shrimp, cleaned and deveined
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Add soy sauce, ginger, and a sprinkle of pepper.
Mix in meat or shrimp or both if desired. (This is a great way to use left-over turkey!)
Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture. Cover loosely with foil. Return to the oven and bake 30-40 minutes at 400 F. When they come out of the oven, sprinkle the stuffed red peppers with the pine nuts.
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This is another version of my Red Peppers.
Posted in Chicken, Chinese Style, Main Dishes, Sides | No Comments »
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Serves 2
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Water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
8 oz pasta, thin linguine or spaghetti
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Fill a large, heavy sauce pan or Dutch Oven 2/3 with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add oil and salt. Add pasta and stir to soften. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the vegetables.
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1 cup frozen spinach
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Place the spinach in a glass bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Set aside.
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4 oz goat cheese
¼ cup olives
2 Tbsp capers
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper
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Chop the soft goat cheese into ½ inch bits, Place in a small bowl and mix in the rest. Set aside.
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16 grape or cherry tomatoes
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Slice the tiny tomatoes in half and set aside.
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2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, finely diced
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Cook the pasta until tender. Drain into a sieve or colander in the sink. Quickly place the pan back on the hob over medium heat and add the butter and garlic. Stir continuously and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the pasta back into the pan. Once you have added the pasta back into the pan, add the spinach and stir. Add the goat cheese mixture and stir a few minutes until smooth and hot. Add the tomatoes last, and quickly serve onto the plates.
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This is my favorite “bachelorette” meal. The idea is to see what you have in the pantry or freezer and whip up a fabulous pan of pasta! If you have marinated olives in the fridge, use them and throw in a whole garlic clove from the jar. Substitute any cooked green vegetable for the spinach. The key ingredient is the goat cheese- don’t skimp on that!
Posted in Main Dishes, Vegetarian | No Comments »
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Oven 325 F
Serves 16
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1 (4-5 lb) Eye of Round beef roast
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One day before serving:
Place the roast in a shallow roasting pan, fat side up. Cover generously with coarsely ground pepper. Insert a meat thermometer. Roast at 375 F to your preference. (I suggest 1 ½ hours for medium to medium well, 160 F to 165 F on meat thermometer.) Remove the roast from the oven and set aside to cool. Wrap the beef in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Be sure to reserve the pan drippings for the BBQ sauce.
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Pan drippings from roast beef
1 can beef broth
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 bottle (36 oz) ketchup
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
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Pour the broth into the roasting pan and scrape the drippings. Transfer to a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Boil over medium heat for about 30 minutes to reduce the liquid to half. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer on low for one hour. If the sauce is too strong, add additional brown sugar and ketchup to suit your taste. Refrigerate the sauce overnight.
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A few hours before serving, remove the roast from the fridge. It is easier to slice thin if kept very cold. Trim any fat and slice crosswise into very thin medallions (1/8” thick). Grease the bottom and sides of a large casserole dish or crock pot. Cover the bottom of the dish with BBQ sauce. Layer the meat and sauce. Bake covered for 1 ½ hours at 325 F or 4 hours on high in the crock pot.
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Buns
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Serve on a bun. Leftover beef will freeze well.
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Posted in Beef, Main Dishes | No Comments »
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Oven 325 F
Serves 16
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1 (4-5 lb) Eye of Round beef roast
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One day before serving:
Place the roast in a shallow roasting pan, fat side up. Cover generously with coarsely ground pepper. Insert a meat thermometer. Roast at 375 F to your preference. (I suggest 1 ½ hours for medium to medium well, 160 F to 165 F on meat thermometer.) Remove the roast from the oven and set aside to cool. Wrap the beef in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Be sure to reserve the pan drippings for the au jus.
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Pan drippings from roast beef
1 can beef broth
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Salt to taste
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Pour the broth into the roasting pan and scrape the drippings. Transfer to a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Refrigerate the au jus overnight.
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A few hours before serving, remove the roast from the fridge. It is easier to slice thin if kept very cold. Trim any fat and slice crosswise into very thin medallions (1/8” thick). Grease the bottom and sides of a large casserole dish or crock pot. Cover the bottom of the dish with BBQ sauce. Layer the meat and sauce. Bake covered for 1 ½ hours at 325 F or 4 hours on high in the crock pot.
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Hoagie Buns
or
Kimmelwick Buns
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Serve on a bun. Leftover beef will freeze well.
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Posted in Beef, Main Dishes | No Comments »
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Preheat Grill
Serves 4
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1 lb frozen white fish (any kind such as mahi-mahi or halibut)
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Place the wrapped fish in the sink and cover with cool water for 15 minutes to partially thaw. Grind the half-frozen fish with a meat grinder.
Form the patties on a sheet of wax paper and carefully turn over onto a greased grill pan.
Grill the burgers over indirect heat with the grill cover closed.
Indirect Grilling Method: Turn one burner off and leave the other burners on high. Place the grill pan over the burner which is turned off. Cook with the grill cover closed.
Grill for 10-15 minutes until the fish turns opaque white. Carefully flip the burgers with a spatula and continue to grill for 10 minutes.
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Salt & pepper
Hamburger rolls
Dill pickles
Yogurt Tartar sauce
Cayenne pepper (optional)
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Salt and pepper the burgers. Serve with tartar sauce or your favorite hamburger garnishes.
If you want to spice it up, sprinkle on a little cayenne pepper!
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We fell in love with fish burgers with the first bite at the Malliouhana beach bistro in Anguilla. I asked the chef for the recipe and he said it was just fish. I did not believe him at all, so I tried several versions with adding egg and other things, but none of them compared to “just fish”!
Posted in Fish and Seafood, Main Dishes | No Comments »
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Preheat Grill
Serves 2
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Cedar grilling plank
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Place the board in the sink and cover with cool water to soak for an hour before grilling.
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1 lb frozen salmon fillet
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dillweed
Salt and pepper
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Leave the fish in it’s plastic and thaw in the sink of cool water for 30 minutes. Remove the fish packaging and rinse with cold water. Place on the board, skin side down (if there is skin). Drizzle the fish with olive oil. Sprinkle with dillweed, salt and pepper. Cover loosely with foil. Grill over medium heat with the grill cover closed for 20-25 minutes.
To test for doneness, stick a fork in the center and give a twist. The fish is done when it flakes cleanly.
I suggest serving with grilled vegetables.
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This cooks great over a campfire too- my favorite kind of roughing it!
Posted in Fish and Seafood, Main Dishes | No Comments »
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Serves 4-6
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2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
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Pour the olive oil into a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Place the chicken breasts in the pot and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes, and turn the chicken. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Place the chicken and broth into a bowl, cover and set aside.
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1 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp chopped garlic
Optional:
1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced superfine
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Add to the soup pot. Sauté and stir often for 3-5 minutes over med-high heat until the onions are softened.
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1 can (29 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
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Add and stir. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
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2 cans (4 oz) green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
3 cans (15 oz) black beans
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Tortilla chips
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Dice the chicken into ½” cubes. Add the chicken, broth, and the rest. Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Turn down to low for 15 minutes.
Serve with warm tortilla chips.
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Posted in Chicken, Main Dishes | No Comments »
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Serves 4-6
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Before preparing the vegetables, start the rice cooking. It will be done just in time.
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2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp ground pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp white wine
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Mix in a small dish or glass measuring cup. Set aside.
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1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
4 stalks celery
1 sweet yellow onion
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Wash and chop the vegetables to ½” pieces.
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Olive oil
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Assemble the vegetables and sauce near the stove. Set the wok on the stove with high heat, or use a sauté pan with med-high heat. Pour in olive oil to coat the sides of the wok to ¼” in the bottom of the pan. Use a splatter screen when stir frying to avoid burns.
Carefully add the vegetables to the hot oil, protecting yourself with the screen. Stir with a long wooden spoon or wooden spatula. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes until the onion is tender and translucent around the edges.
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2 cups shelled edamame, frozen
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup water
(Add more cayenne pepper if you like it spicy!)
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Add the edamame and stirfry for 2 minutes. Add the beans to the wok and stir.
Pour in the sauce and continue to stirfry. Add ¼ cup water to the sauce dish and pour into the pan. Stir and cook for a minute or two until the sauce thickens. Add more water if the sauce is too thick.
Serve with rice.
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Posted in Chinese Style, Main Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian | No Comments »
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Serves 4-5
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1 beef flank steak (about 2 lbs)
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Place the steak on a cutting board and pierce all over with a two-pronged meat fork. This will help the meat absorb the marinade:
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2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp anise seed
1/8 tsp pepper
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Add all ingredients to a plastic bag. Add the steak and turn to cover the meat with the marinade. Refrigerate the steak for 1-3 hours.
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Heat the grill to high. Clean the grate with a wire brush. Grease the grate with oil on a paper towel. Turn off one of the burners, leaving one on. Grill the meat over the OFF burner (indirect heat). I recommend cooking to about medium doneness. Brush with additional marinade during cooking.
Place the meat on a cutting board. Carve diagonally across the grain into ½” slices.
This is excellent with grilled mushrooms and wild rice.
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Posted in Beef, Main Dishes | No Comments »
This is my favorite way to turn one soup into three different meals.
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Serves 4-5 people for 3 days
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| Day 1: Chicken Soup |
Prepare the basic chicken soup recipe below. Don’t overcook- just until the potatoes are tender. I suggest serving it the first day without pasta. Refrigerate the left-over soup immediately in an airtight plastic or glass container.
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| Day 2: Minestrone
1 or more cans (4 oz) tomato paste
1 can (12 oz) V-8 or tomato juice
1 or more cans (15 oz) kidney or white beans
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Small pasta such as penne, bowties or spirals
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Reheat the chicken soup over low heat. Don’t overcook. Add 1 can of tomato paste, juice and 1 can of beans. Add additional tomato paste and beans depending on how much left over soup you are using.
Prepare the pasta separately. Serve the soup over the pasta. Refrigerate the left-over soup(without the pasta) immediately in an airtight plastic or glass container.
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| Day 3: Chicken Chili
1 or more cans (15 oz) pinto or black beans
1 or more cans (15 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cans (4 oz) diced green chilies
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp pepper
Or substitute 1 pkg Taco Seasoning for the spices
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Reheat the minestrone soup over low heat. Don’t overcook. Start with one can of beans, tomatoes, chilies and the spices. Add additional tomatoes and beans depending on how much left over soup you are using.
If the chili is too thin, add 2 Tbsp or more tomato paste. If it is too thick, add canned chicken broth.
If the chili is too wimpy, add additional chili powder or cayenne pepper as desired.
No more left-overs!
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Posted in Chicken, Main Dishes, Soup | No Comments »