Month: December 2016

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Sweet & Sour Potato and Green Bean Salad

Sweet & Sour Green Beans and Potato salad
Sweet & Sour Green Beans and Potato salad

This recipe is still in the refinement phase which means that I may come back and adjust the amounts slightly in order to “perfect” it. Please check back as I like to try things out multiple times before calling them done.

  • 2 lb. red skinned potatoes, cut into quarters lengthwise  and the cut across to make wedges. Don’t over cook, keep them al dente!
  • 2 lb. green beans, ends trimmed, steamed
  • 3 good sized shallots, minced fine
  • 1 lb. bacon (I just tried this new California bacon with no nitrites and was very happy with the flavor and quality)
  • 1/8 cup white vinegar
  • 3 tsp. sugar
  • 3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

I cook the bacon, potatoes and green beans ahead. I have them in a large shallow baking dish in the oven to keep them warm while I prepare the dressing. The shallots go in the pan with the olive oil. Once the shallots are cooked clear on a medium heat add the vinegar then sugar. Pull the pan out of the oven add the dressing and mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. Cut the bacon into good sized chunks so it retains its flavor next to the dressing and only add it just before serving, same with the parsley.

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Garlic Bread

Simple, fast, delicious. Goes great with soups, stews and Italian food.

  • Crusty sourdough bread
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp. heaping) fresh chopped parsley

Either let the butter sit out to soften or cut it up with a knife and cream it with a fork. Add the other ingredients and mix. Spread on crusty sourdough and toast in the toaster oven. Looks and tastes amazing. For a treat add some fresh garlic as well.

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Turkey Bone Broth Soup

turkey-both-broth-soup-2016_picmonkeyedThis batch of soup actually contains bones from chickens and turkeys that I collected over the recent months. I have about two freezer bags full of both bones and vegetable trimmings like celery and carrot ends, green onion ends and parsley stems. I try to squeeze the air out every time I reseal the bag to keep the ice buildup down as the air at the beach is moist.

I put them in a stock pot and cover them with water added very little salt and pepper and cook them for 24 hours. The next step is to pour off the broth through a colander and into a bowl so that all of the bone and vegetable mass is strained out. I do set aside the bone/vegetable leftovers taking out all of the large pieces and picking through the remaining meat to return to the stock.

I bring the stock back up to a boil and add the following chopped vegetables one and 1/2 onions, one bag of carrots, one entire head celery 1/3 of a bunch of parsley, choppped salt and pepper thyme and chicken bouillon to taste. On the side I cook four cups of brown jasmine rice separately and I only added 3 of the cups of cooked rice that at the very end before serving. Careful, the rice will soak up some liquid.

The turkey meat was very lean and there was not much fat so I added a small amount of olive oil. In addition I included 1/4 cup of malt vinegar to extend the flavor pallet. You always have to be careful with the amount of vinegar that you add to recipes, go slowly and taste frequently as you can’t take it back out once its added.

You had better be prepared to either store a large amount of soup , give it away to friends and family, or have a large party.

  • 1-1/2 large yellow onions chopped
  • 1 bag carrots, peeled and cut into coins
  • 1 head celery, sliced thin to cook quickly
  • 3 cups brown jasmine rice, fully cooked
  • 1 tbsp. dried thyme
  • 5 tbsp. (heaping) of Knorr chicken bouillon
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsely
  • 1/4 cup malt vinegar (could be apple cider vinegar as well)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
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Healthy Rice Krispies® Treats

Healthy Rice Krispies Treats (pictured with Fall Spices added)

This one was a chance discovery because we had a bag of marshmallows that stuck together because of the humidity in the air by the beach where I live. We tried roasting them, it was a messy joke, so this idea came to me. The recipe is really tasty.

  • 5 cups rice krispies
  • 1/4 cup (half stick) butter
  • 1 tbsp. coconut oil (heaping?!?)
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1/2 cup flax seed meal
  • 2/3 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds

What was already hard to stop eating just became IMPOSSIBLE… You might never go back to the original recipe.

The version pictured has additional ingredients added to the butter as it melts:

  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. all spice
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
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Sauteed Spinach

Sauteed spinach along side shrimp scampi
Sauteed spinach along side shrimp scampi

Simple, tasty recipe and a great way to prepare spinach or kale.

  • One bag frozen spinach
  • One yellow onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
  • pinch ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • if you have it – 1 tsp. bacon grease

Put half the olive oil in a sautee pan on medium low (and bacon grease if you have it) and cook the onions until clear, soft and sweet. Add the bag of frozen spinach and turn heat up to medium high to melt it. Once the spinach is no longer frozen add the remaining olive oil and turn heat down to just medium. Clear a place in the center of the pan, add the vinegar and then mix it all together along with the nutmeg and crushed red pepper. Salt and black pepper to taste.

Notes:

  1. Olive oil can be increased by using your judgement. What I go for is just a hint of a sheen and a rich, savory taste.
  2. Crushed red pepper: careful with this one, it can be over done, especially if you’re cooking for children.
  3. If you wanted to get really daring you could use more bacon grease, especially with kale.