serves 3
sandwich day: cranberry bread, salmon, brie
1 loaf cranberry-walnut bread
brie (leftover from a dinner with friends)
salmon (leftover from a dinner with friends)
spinach
avocado, sliced
red onion, thinly sliced
crimini mushrooms, sliced
mustard
Put all ingredients out on a large plate. Everyone makes their own sandwich.
(serves 3, no leftovers)
chicken with cumin, okra, and red onions
1 chopped red onion
8 baby okra (a little larger than a finger's length)
1/4 tsp cumin on the okra and red onions
olive oil
salt
pepper
3 chicken thighs, no skin
1/4 tsp cumin
olive oil
salt
pepper
Mix the chopped onion and the okra in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. 
Meanwhile, sprinkle the cumin, salt, and pepper on the chicken thighs. Heat a pan on medium heat with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Cook the chicken on the stove for ten minutes or so, until done, but still tender.
Serve with mashed potatoes and salad.
serves 2, with leftovers
chocolatey chicken mole
1 oz baker's chocolate
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp ancho chili
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of nutmeg
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp peanut butter (optional)
2 chicken thighs, browned and cooked in 1 tsp peanut oil
Heat a skillet over medium heat, with 1 tsp peanut oil. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until the onions are brown (~10-15 minutes). Mix in the chocolate and the rest of the ingredients until the chocolate is melted.
While the chocolate melts, start the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked, add it to the pan with mole. Serve with salad and white rice.
spinach and pear salad
1 bowl of spinach
3/4 pear
handful of walnuts
sherry vinegar
olive oil
Mix, season, and enjoy!
(serves 2)
quick senegalese rice with parsley-covered halibut
for the rice:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp peanut oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
10 small fresh okra, sliced
2 tsp salt
3 handfuls spinach
1 potato, cubed
1 tsp cayenne
1 cup long-grain rice (I used short grain, since that's what I had in my pantry)
for the fish:
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
2 fillets halibut
salt
pepper
Add all the first ingredients into a large pot over medium heat. Cook for 45 minutes, until the rice is cooked through.
While the rice is cooking, cover the halibut with parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. When the rice is cooked, leave it on low heat. Heat a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, and cook the halibut for 5-8 minutes on each side.
(serves 3, no leftovers)
spicy, slurpy spinach noodles
3 bunches spinach noodles
1/4 cauliflower, sliced
1/2 can coconut milk
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small squares
1 cup chicken stock
1 small thai chili pepper, slice (add more if you like your food really spicy)
1/8 tsp ground chinese red chili pepper (or cayenne pepper)
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
3 handfuls spinach (add more as desired)
red chili flakes (to sprinkle)
Start by preparing the ingredients (slicing and dicing). Heat water for boiling in a large saucepan.
Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, mix the cauliflower, coconut milk, red bell pepper, chicken stock, the thai and chinese chili pepper, salt, and pepper.
When the water boils, add the noodles in, and cook according to package instructions.
When the noodles are almost ready, add the spinach to the saucepan with the coconut milk mixture. Serve the noodles into bowls and pour the coconut milk mixture over it. Sprinkle with red chili flakes. Enjoy!
(serves 3. note that this takes three hours or so to prepare and cook)
brown rice jambalaya of death
We had some crawfish leftover from yesterday's meal out.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large red pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
8 baby okra (each was a little longer than a finger)
3 tbsp fresh italian parsley, minced
3/4 cup brown rice
2 bay leaves
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
8 very small thai chili peppers, sliced thinly
2 skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can of water
1 lb crawfish, cooked*
* You can substitute 1 lb shrimp for the crawfish. This is also good with 4 andouille sausages, sliced into 1/2 inch slices.
Start by preparing all the ingredients.
Heat a large saucepan to medium heat, adding the olive oil in. Saute the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and okra, until the onion is translucent. Add everything else in (for the can of water, basically refill the empty can of diced tomatoes with water and pour into the pot).
Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered. Check on it every half hour or so, adding water if it looks dry and uncooked. From this point, it takes around an hour (to an hour and a half) to cook.
Beware, this is extremely spicy.
This jambalaya is loosely based on the Jambalaya recipe in Epicurious.
serves 6, or three with leftovers for another day
persimmon chocolate bread pudding
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 - 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (to taste)
1 cup soy milk
1 cup whole milk (or two cups soy milk)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 loaf whole wheat bread, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
3/4 cup chocolate chips
2 fuyu persimmons
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix the first six ingredients (sugar, milk, cocoa powder, eggs, and vanilla). Add the bread to the bowl, toss, and set aside to soak for 15 minutes.
Layer bread with chocolate chips and persimmons (I made two layers of each), leaving some persimmon and chocolate chips to sprinkle at the top. (I used an 8x8 pyrex pan).
Place the dish in a large roasting pan, adding hot water until it reaches an inch up the sides of the dish. Bake for 45 minutes, let cool.
If you have it, serve with vanilla ice-cream.
This recipe was loosely based on one from Whole Foods.
(serves five)
vegetarian paella
3 tbsp olive oil
2 hard boiled eggs, cut into fourths
2 cups rice
3/4 cauliflower
2/3 cup peas
2/3 corn
2 cups vegetable stock (up to 4 cups)
1 can tomatoes
a pinch of saffron threads
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lemon, cut into eighths
Add the olive oil to the paella pan, on the stove, over medium heat. Once hot, add the cauliflower, and brown. Mix in the rice, and cook until slightly golden and translucent. Add the vegetable stock and the can of diced tomatoes, and dissolve the spices into the stock. Add the remaining vegetables. Cook, adding more liquid when necessary (I've had to add up to 4 cups).
Make the hard boiled eggs and set aside to cool.
The rice should take around 45 minutes to cook. Garnish with eggs and lemon. Serve with salad and a good red wine.
(serves 3, with leftovers)
halibut fish cakes with black bean, tomato, and corn sauce
12 oz halibut
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika (plus a little more for sprinkling)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can black beans
1/2 can tomatoes
3/4 cup corn
salt
pepper
white rice
Start the rice.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, with a teaspoon or two of olive oil. When hot, add the halibut, as well as two cups of water. Cook the halibut for ten minutes or so, until it's no longer translucent.
Meanwhile the halibut cooks, start chopping the onion. Break the egg into a large bowl. Whisk quickly with a fork. Add the onions and breadcrumbs. Once the halibut is no longer translucent, remove it from the heat and rinse in cold water to cool it quickly (or, if you have more time, just pour the water out and let the halibut cool naturally).
Add the halibut to the bowl with the egg, and mix in the bread crumbs and onion. Add the spices, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands, shredding the halibut into small flakes, and form round patties, 2 inch patties.
Sprinkle each side with paprika. Set the patties to the side. Start heating a skillet with olive oil, on medium heat.
In a saucepan, combine the black beans, tomatoes, and corn. (If you wish, you can add 1/2 tsp cornstarch to make the sauce thicker). Add salt and pepper to taste.
Start cooking the patties, a couple minutes on each side. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper.
Serve with white rice.
(serves 2, no leftovers)
rotini with spicy tomato salmon sauce and fried egg
1/2 box of rotini
1 can of diced tomatoes (no corn syrup!)
1 can of salmon
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper
salt
pepper
2 eggs, fried
Cook the pasta according to instructions on the box.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate skillet, mix the diced tomatoes, salmon, cayenne, and chipotle chili pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
Start frying the eggs a couple minutes before the pasta is ready.
Serve the pasta mixed with the sauce, and top with the fried egg.
(serves 3, leftovers depend on how hungry you are)
roast pork with a spiced chili-cocoa rub
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp + 1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ancho chili pepper
1 1/2 lb pork loin
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Mix the salt, pepper, cocoa, and spices together in a bowl.
Rub the spices all over the pork, coating it heavily. Set the pork on a rack in a roasting pan. Cook for 40-60 minutes, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 160 F.
Serve with mashed potatoes (boil potatoes, mash them, and season with olive oil, salt, and pepper).
Note: This recipe is inspired by the "Cocoa and Spice Slow-roasted Pork with Onions" recipe from Epicurious. However, it doesn't use pork shoulder, it only takes an hour to make (instead of six), and it serves 3 (instead of 10). Also, it's not overly salty.
(serves 4)
barbecue ribs
1 rack of baby back ribs
1 bottle of bbq sauce (no corn syrup!)
Preheat the oven to 280 F. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil (with enough extra to cover the ribs).
Slather both sides of the ribs with 3/4 of the bottle of barbecue sauce. Cover the ribs with aluminum foil, and place them in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
After half an hour, slather on the remaining barbecue sauce. Uncover the ribs, peeling back the aluminum foil (but still keeping the sides high, so that the sauce doesn't pour into the pan, making cleanup easier). Return it to the oven, raising the heat to 300 F.
Remove from the oven after 30 minutes or when the ribs are fully cooked.
mashed potatoes, two ways
6 medium potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cream
1 tsp butter
Boil the potatoes in a pot of water until soft. Mash three potatoes in two separate bowls.
For the first one, mix in the olive oil, parsley and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste.
For the second bowl, mix in the cream and butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.
(serves 2, no leftovers)
pasta with butternut squash and sage
3/4 box of spaghetti
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cups roasted butternut squash
3 sage leaves
salt
pepper
Make the noodles according to the instructions on the box.
Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a skillet, and stir in the sage and roasted butternut squash.
Serve on top of the spaghetti once the noodles are cooked.
Note: The butternut squash was left over from Ben's birthday dinner.
(makes 3 servings, or six pancakes)
walnut banana raisin oatmeal pancake with honey
1/2 cup thick rolled oats
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 - 2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
In a bowl, add the dry ingredients (everything up to the yogurt). Mix well. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients (up to the bananas). With a fork, start mixing the wet ingredients (until the egg is well whisked), and quickly incorporate the dry ingredients just until blended. Fold in the butter, bananas, raisins, and walnuts.
On a non-stick pan, heat over medium heat. Add batter (maybe 1/3 cup at a time) onto the pan. It takes around 3 minutes on each side. If you want to make them even healthier, sprinkle some wheat germ on the pancakes while cooking.
Serve with honey.
© Blogger template Brooklyn by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
