Tag: balsamic vinegar
Raspberry Smoked Paprika Barbecue Chicken
This is a great recipe for the summer- perfect for just the family or to entertain with…
Barbecue Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 6 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1 cup chopped fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Juice of half a large lemon
- Zest of a lemon
Heat a small saucepan with the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic cloves. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the raspberries, tomatoes, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Cool the mixture and blend in a blender till smooth. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Take one cup aside for basting the chicken.
Dry Rub
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- Mix the spices and keep aside.
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
Sprinkle the dry rub all over the chicken on both sides. Marinate over night or at least for 4 hours.
Grill the chicken while basting every few minutes with the barbecue sauce.
Serve the chicken with the remaining sauce on the side.
Apple & Kale Salad with Pancetta Dressing
I was watching the Cooking Channel and came across this recipe. Well, not exactly the same one but something similar. The original was made with pears and was served over lettuce greens. I decided to change it up a bit and use up some end of the summer nectarines instead. Since summer fruit is now gone, feel free to use apples or pears. Either way this salad is delicious!!
- 4 cups baby kale
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup pancetta, chopped
- 2 medium apples , sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1-2 teaspoons honey
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- Salt
- Pepper
Heat a medium frying pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Take the pancetta out with a slotted spoon. Add one tablespoon olive oil, apple slices, honey and balsamic vinegar. Cook on medium heat while stirring gently for 4 to 5 minutes. Take the apple slices out with a slotted spoon. Add the mustard, vinegar, remaining olive oil, honey and almonds. Using a whisk, stir vigorously to emulsify the dressing. Add salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings.
Add the greens to a salad bowl. Add the nectarines, rendered pancetta and the warm dressing. Toss and serve.
Grilled Baby Zucchini
As I mentioned yesterday, Sundays are our official grilling day… it is a must. As I marinated and assembled the delicious basil and garlic burgers, I started to think of the accompaniments. I wanted to keep the whole fare relatively healthy. I initially decided to eliminate potatoes out of the meal but then… after thinking about it, I decided to make some. I need to have some potatoes with my burgers. For a veggie, I decided to take out the baby zucchinis I had bought from Trader Joes. They were bright green and tender and best of all, they were tiny… I simply tossed them in some olive oil, garlic and balsamic vinegar. They sat around for a couple of hours until they looked really happy and ready to be grilled. It took less than five minutes to cook them.. since they were so tender, they only needed to be browned on both sides on a hot grill. They were delicious and beautiful with the burgers…
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Sole Filet with Balsamic Glaze and Tomatoes
If you are trying to incorporate more fish into your diet- this is a great dish to make. I usually buy my fish from a local store in our town. I love the freshness and variety they have. I sometimes buy the frozen variety from Trader Joes. It is cheaper and as long as I pick the wild caught kind, I am happy with my choice.
I bought a pack of frozen sole from there. I had never cooked with it before and thought it looked really good. My family prefers mild, white fish and this seemed to fit the bill.
I brought it home and decided to cook it in a very simple way. I wanted to make a balsamic glaze and pair it with tomatoes to top the fish. Balsamic glaze is super simple to make- all you have to do is cook down some balsamic vinegar with garlic, salt and pepper. The trick is to stay close to the stove while the vinegar is cooking down as it tends to get super thick almost instantly.
I paired the delicious fish with simple broccoli and roasted potatoes. To keep the carbs down, I had just a few of the potato pieces. Honestly, the fish was so yummy, I really didn’t miss the carbs…
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Orange and Beet Salad
I finish this week off with another delicious and beautiful looking salad. I love using beets in salads, especially the roasted variety. There are times when I am simply too lazy to roast the beets.. or I just don’t have the time. I buy the already cooked variety from Trader Joes. They are delicious as well.. but nothing like roasting your own.
For this salad I roasted a few plump beets. I wrapped each one in aluminum foil and placed them in the oven. Remember to place them on a cookies sheet first to avoid any leakage. Beet juice can be impossible to get off surfaces. I then segmented some oranges- which has been my ingredient of choice ever since they have come in season. I have been putting them in everything I can.
I placed the colorful beets and oranges on some mixed greens and made a delicious salad with orange juice and balsamic vinegar.
The salad was so beautiful looking that I didn’t want to disturb it and eat it. Once I did, I realized how delicious it was…
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Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Tomato Salad
I would make this dish if you want to impress someone. It looks beautiful with lots of vivid summer colors. It is an overall winner of a recipe. It is super easy to make and best of all it is very healthy, low in carbs.. but the important thing is that you don’t feel that it is low in carbs. My main goal as the cook in the house is to incorporate as many healthy and varied ingredients as I can in any meal I serve.
Tomatoes are in abundance right now and I love buying the grape variety. They are very sweet and burst in the mouth and best of all, delicious! I cut them up and added some salt, garlic, olive oil and basil. I let the juicy tomatoes sit for a while so they can get even juicier. I marinated chicken breasts that I pounded super thin with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. You can buy thin breast cutlets in the store but they are more expensive than the regular breast. I quickly grilled the chicken.. it literally took two minutes on one side on a very hot grill. I also put together an arugula salad with a delicious homemade apricot dressing.
The meal was simply delicious… perfect for a summer barbecue…
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Top Ten Vinegars To Have In Your Pantry
I love collecting vinegars. They are relatively inexpensive and last a long time. Well, I guess depends how often you use them. I do end up making salad dressing at home but also have a bunch of store bought salad dressings in my fridge. So, the point of this list is not to make you feel guilty if you don’t make your own dressing. Although it is the most easy thing you could do. It takes all of 5 minutes to whip up a yummy dressing. Especially if you have the necessary ingredients- hence the vinegar list.
I recently bought the muscat orange champagne vinegar from Trader Joes. It is delicious. I made a blood orange salad and used this vinegar and it was unbelievable. I paired it with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of honey. The vinegar is very soft and subtle, yet very flavorful.
I would love to know which vinegars you have in your pantry…
- All purpose white vinegar- it really is an all-purpose vinegar. It can be used for cooking and cleaning. If you ever run out of a particular vinegar- use this one.
- White wine vinegar- delicious in any salad dressing and/or a sauce.
- Balsamic vinegar- I use this for everything, mostly an everyday salad dressing. A bit of balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper – just drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and you are done…
- Rice vinegar- Great for stir fry sauces, etc.
- Red wine vinegar- I consider this an all-purpose vinegar as well. Good have.
- Sherry vinegar- Special vinegar- for spanish dishes and to give a kick to your usual salad dressings.
- Malt vinegar- I used it for some Indian recipes.
- Raspberry vinegar- Same as sherry vinegar. Great to have. This goes fabulously well with walnut oil and makes a great salad dressing.
- Champagne vinegar-Special occasion vinegar- love it.
- Apple Cider vinegar- Any time I add apples to a salad, I use this vinegar to make the salad dressing.