Tag: salt

Cabbage and Carrots

My husband loves cabbage… so I try to make it a different way each time I cook it, which is not too often as I am not a huge fan. I will eat it but I never seek it out in a grocery store. I should since it is so healthy to eat…

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
10 to 15 curry leaves, chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
½ cup peanuts, chopped
1 tablespoon channa dal
1 tablespoon white urad dal
3 cups green cabbage, shredded
1 cup carrots, shredded
2 teaspoons ground coriander
½ cup cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt

Heat a medium pan with the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Cook for a minute. Add the ginger, peanuts, channa dal and urad dal. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. Add the cabbage, carrots, ground coriander, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix well and sauté on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes. Take lid off and check for seasonings. Serve warm.

Roast Thyme Chicken Quarters with Gremolata

This is a traditional chicken dinner with a kick- I topped the roasted chicken quarters with a delicious mixture of lemon zest, cheese, parsley and olive oil…. so good and decadent. I served the chicken with roasted broccoli and potatoes!

4 chicken quarters
Salt
Pepper

Compound Butter

½ stick butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced

Mix the butter, thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Loosen the chicken skin with fingers and add half of the butter inside the skin of all four pieces and the other half on top. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top and sprinkle some salt and pepper. Marinate for 2 to 3 hours.

Heat a large frying pan. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down on medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Take out and place into a baking pan on top a layer of sliced onions. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the leg quarters. Take out and let them sit for 10 minutes. Keep the onions for later.

Gremolata

½ cup parsley, chopped
1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
Zest of one lemon
¼ to 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix all the ingredients together.

Serve chicken with a spoon of the gremolata on top and some onions on the side.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup

Sometimes simple is the way to go- actually that is my way when it comes to entertaining for any event- even when it is a casual dinner party.

When it comes to holiday entertaining I try to make things simple for myself and look for recipes that I can make in advance or at least prep in advance.

For Thanksgiving there is a lot to think about and so I make sure not every dish is complicated and time consuming.

This is one of the side dishes that is delicious yet very simple to make. All I did was to cut up a butternut squash, drizzle it with olive oil and good maple syrup- thats it. 40 minutes in the oven and I had a fabulous side dish. It is delicious with the sweet maple syrup and a bit of savory salt.

You can buy already cut up butternut squash to make things easier for yourself. Prep it in advance- the morning of and even roast it. You can reheat it right before the big feast is served… easy and yummy- that is the way to go.
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Buttered Haricot Vert

I made these beans with the roast chicken breast. As I was making the gravy, I took out some yummy chicken and potato bits from the bottom of the roast pan and added them to the beans. All the yummy flavor made the beans absolutely delicious.

1 pound haricot vert (I found green and yellow), trimmed and rinsed

Bring a medium saucepan with water to a boil. Blanch the beans for 2 minutes and shock in cold water to keep the color.

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Melt the butter and oil in a frying pan and add the beans. Coat and mix together and add the salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and serve.

Homemade Chocolate Granola- Perfect Holiday Gift

3 cups old fashioned oats
½ cup flaxseed meal
½ cup wheat germ
½ cup oat bran
¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
½ cup sliced raw almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1½ cups mixed dried blueberries, cranberries, cherries, etc
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

¾ cup extra light olive oil
1 cup honey
¼ cup maple syrup
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl add the oats, flaxseed meal, wheat germ, oat bran, coconut, almonds, walnuts and the dried fruit.

In a large measuring cup, add the olive oil, honey, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Heat in the microwave for a minute to liquefy the mixture and mix well.
Add the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.

On a large lined cookie sheet or two small cookie sheets, spread the granola mixture, smoothing the surface evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and separate with a fork while the mixture is still warm. Once the mixture cools off, add the chocolate chips. If you want the chocolate to melt all into the granola, add the chips while the mixture is still warm.
Eat with milk, coffee or on its own.

Pomegranate Margarita

This drink is courtesy of my dearest husband who is a great mixologist.

Whenever we have people over, I cook and he makes fabulous drinks- it is a great combination. He loves coming up with different, delicious concoctions.

Recently some friends went to Mexico city and got us a very nice tequila. My husband was super happy to get a great quality tequila and couldn’t wait to give it a test run.

The same friends invited us over for a cook out and my hubby decided to make a pomegranate margarita concoction and take it to their house to serve right before dinner.

The pomegranate margaritas were delicious- perfectly mixed with the right amount of alcohol, lime juice and sweetness.

This drink will be ideal to serve for Memorial Day.

For one drink:

2 ounces pomegranate liquor
1 ounce Reposado tequila
½ ounce Triple sec
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed limejuice
1 tablespoon simple syrup
½ cup crushed ice
Sea or kosher salt for the glass rim on a flat plate
Half a lime

Add the pomegranate liquor, tequila, triple sec, limejuice, simple syrup and ice in a shaker. Shake well. In the meantime, cover the glass rim with limejuice from the half lime. Dip the glass rim in the salt and pour the drink and serve.
If you want the drink frozen and blended- add all the ingredients into a blender including the ice. Blend till smooth and pour into a salted glass.

Meyer Lemon and Avocado Oil Dressing

One thing I always have in my fridge is homemade salad dressing. A lot of people are intimidated and don’t end up making their own concoction but I am here to tell you- it takes all of five minutes to make. You can make it super healthy with limited amounts of fat. Speaking of fat- I am using something a bit different in this one- avocado oil. It is considered one of the ‘good fats’- it kind of has an acquired taste but I have decided I like it. I paired it with meyer lemon juice. Meyer lemons are in season right now and are super aromatic and very floral- kind of a cross between a lemon and and an orange. This is a great dressing to have on hand- it complements all sorts of greens and vegetables…