Salads

I made this loaded potato salad for the first time on Thanksgiving; something different to go with our spare ribs. It's my own recipe just the usual ingredients for a loaded baked potato. I also made a spinach salad that I forgot to photograph, but was pretty tasty for our Thanksgiving feast. The recipes follow:

Loaded Potato Salad

Ingredients

6 red potatoes
1/2 cup mayo
3/4 sour cream
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cheddar cheese, shredded
5-6 stalks of green onion, sliced
1-2 strips of bacon, crisp and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In salted water boil the potatoes until fork tender. Poke a few holes in them before cooking so they absorb the salt. (I usually do this the night before, allow them to cool, and refrigerate.)

Chop the celery, green onion, and potatoes, add them to a bowl along with the cheese, mayo and sour cream; Salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.

Sprinkle with bacon and serve.

Simple Spinach Salad

Combine fresh spinach, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds or slivered almonds with your favorite vinaigrette. That's it! Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Hash

What you need:

Sweet potatoes, cubbed
Red potatoes, cubbed
Red onions, diced
Smoked paprika
Cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Salt
Egg (optional)
Kale or spinach (optional)

What to do with it:

Drizzle oil in a pan.
Toss in the potatoes and onions.
Liberally season the potatoes.
Cook until tender with a golden crust.
Serve with eggs (over easy is great) and wheat toast or an English muffin.

Vegetarian Loaded Potato Soup

For two weeks I tried an all vegetarian diet. I honestly had no idea what to eat, so  the firrst thing I tried was a recipe I already new and loved. This is vegetarian version of one of my favorite soups. Just leave out the bacon and use vegetable broth. Simply enjoy!

Ingredients

6 Large Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Large Onion, diced
1 Quart Vegetable Broth
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 carrots, shredded
1/4 Cup Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup Milk
16 oz Container Sour Cream
1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Aloo Gobi

This the most delicious way to prepare cauliflower. It's also a perfect compliment to tikka masala or tandoori. Once you try it you'll never go back to simply boiled or steamed cauliflower I guarantee it! This recipe comes from Food Network's Aarti Sequeira.

Aloo Gobi

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste, recipe follows, or 2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 large serrano pepper, split down the middle leaving halves attached
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (similar size to cauliflower)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly minced cilantro leaves, to garnish


Ginger-Garlic Paste

1/2 cup cloves garlic, whole
1/2 cup fresh ginger, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup canola oil

Ginger-Garlic Paste Prep

Throw the garlic, ginger, and canola oil in a mini-food processor and let it go until it forms a semi-smooth paste. There will still be tiny little pieces in there, but overall, it should resemble a paste.

Save what you don't use in a small glass jar. It should last in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks. It's a delicious addition to marinades, pasta sauces, stir fry sauces, slow-cooker recipes, gravy etc. 

Directions

Mix the Ginger-Garlic Paste, coriander, turmeric, and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl. This is a simple wet masala (spice mix). Set aside.

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the serrano pepper, wait 30 seconds, and then add the cumin seeds and wait until they're done spluttering.

Add the wet masala (careful, it will also splutter). Cook until the paste thickens, deepens in color slightly, and oil oozes out of the perimeter of the masala, about 2 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and potatoes, stirring to coat the vegetables with the masala. Season with salt and add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes. Then, remove the lid, stir, and cook until the cauliflower and potatoes are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Day Four: Restaurant Quality

My all time favorite restaurant soup is Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden. I order it every time I go. I've always wanted to make it at home but I also know that it's high in calories! Over 700 per serving to be exact; yikes! I found this recipe and modified it to cut the calories.

Ingredients:

Servings:
4-6

1 lb Italian chicken or turkey sausage
2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups kale chopped
2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup skim milk w/ cornstarch to thicken if desired

Directions:

1 Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces.
2 Brown sausage in your soup pot then remove.
3 Add onion and saute until tender.
4 Add garlic.
5 Add chicken broth and water to pot and stir.
6 Add potatoes
7 Cook on medium heat until potatoes are tender.
8 Return sausage to pot.
9 Simmer for another 10 minutes.
10 Turn to low heat.
11 Add kale and cream.
12 Heat through and serve.


Read more at: http://restaurant.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-copycat-zuppa-toscana-38298?oc=linkback

Day Two: Chowda

I've never tasted let alone made corn chowder, but as usual I had some extra cans of corn (regular and cream) that I bought on sale and wanted to use them. I looked up some recipes all over the internet but none of them seemed quite right so based on what I found I created my own. Here's what I came up with:

Ingredients

1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
2 cans creamed corn
2 small white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 large boneless skinless chicken breast
1 medium onion
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
Fresh cracked pepper
Two strips bacon, crisped for garnish

Prep

In a large pot, crisp bacon and remove. Leaving the bacon grease, sauté onions and celery. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add chicken. Poach chicken then remove, let cool enough to cube into bite sized pieces. While the chicken cools, add the potatoes and carrots. When tender add all the corn, milk, and the chicken; simmer until whole corn is done. Add cornstarch to thicken if desired and season with cracked pepper. Serve in a bowl topped with crumbled bacon or green onion.

Curry Comfort

I absolutely love curry! The aroma that fills the house when its cooked makes me feel so warm inside. Curry is comfort food for me. I make it like some people make spaghetti: all the time. Its a go-to meal when I have no idea what else to make. Its delicious, colorful, and like most simmer dishes, tastes better the next day! Enjoy!

Ingredients

4-5 Chicken Thighs
2 Medium Russet or White Potatoes, cubed
1 Large Red Onion, sliced
1 Large Green Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced
3-4 Carrots, sliced
3 Tbsp Curry Powder
1 Tsp Cumin
1/2 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Cayenne or Crushed Red Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Seasoned Salt
Pepper
2 Cups Chicken Stock or Water
2 Cups Basmati or Jasmine Rice

Preparation

1. Season the chicken thighs (just eyeball it) with seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and paprika. Pan sear until skin is crisp and golden brown.
2. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 tbsp of curry powder, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through and fork tender.
3. Add the remaining chicken stock, curry powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, carrots and potatoes. Simmer until veggies are tender.
4. Add peppers and onions. Cook until tender but still colorful.
5. Serve over rice with a side of sauteed cabbage.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Delicious as it sounds! And Simple!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

6 Large Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Large Onion, diced
1 Quart Chicken Broth
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 Cup Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup Milk
16 oz Container Sour Cream
1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Oven bake the potatoes and let cool enough to remove the skin. Crisp bacon in the bottom of a large pot and remove. Add onion and sauté in bacon drippings. Add garlic, don't not allow it to brown or burn. Stir in a couple tbsp of butter and a couple tbsp of flour to make a rue, stirring continuously. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Toss in potatoes and boil for 5 minutes. Remove a couple cups of potatoes and a little broth and pulse in a food processor or blender. Reduce heat and incorporate milk and sour cream. Pour the previously removed portion back into the pot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. Melt cheese into soup and season with salt inf pepper. Stir continuously for as long as you keep it on heat so the cheese wont stick and burn. Serve topped with sprinkle of the bacon bits you made and chives or green onions. 

Fish Friday!

I just finished my fish & chips dinner and I loved it so much I decided to blog about it immediately! This is definitely not the original English style fish and chips but incredibly delicious. I got the idea from random pictures on Pinterest (you know, the ones that are literally just pictures not recipes). So here's what I made: beer battered cod, garlic parmaesan fries, and lemon aioli.

Ingredients

Beer Batter Fish

1 can of beer (remember to only use something you'll drink)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp lemon pepper
2 lbs of Cod (Or a white fish of your choice)
Sea salt and cracked black pepper



Garlic Parmaesan Fries

5 small white or yukon gold potatoes
1 tbsp of extra virgin or vegetable oil
2 tbsp of garlic poweder
1 tsp of parsley
1 palmful of grated parmaesan

Sea salt or garlic salt

Lemon Aioli

3 tbsp mayo
1 half a lemon
A little lemon zest
Sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Prep

Prepare the fries first since they take the longest. Slice the potatoes and soak them in salted, cold water. (Someone told me it draws the water out to make crispier fries when baking). While the potatoes soak prepare the beer batter by simply wisking the flour, seasoning, and beer until smooth and the consistency of pancake batter. I'm a single girl so I only used 3/4 of a 12 oz can of Bud. Let the batter rest in the fridge. Drain the potatoes and pat drain. Sprinkle with oil, garlic powder, parsley and cheese. Toss until all the potatoes are covered, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake at 425 degrees for as long as needed depending on the amount of fries and the thickness of the cut. While the fries bake take out the fish, pat dry (if need be), cut into desired size, and lightly season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Remove the batter from the fridge, give it quick wisk and dip the fish. Fry in super hot oil until crispy, golden brown. While the fish is cooking stir up the mayo, lemon juice, and add the salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. The whole meal looks labor intensive (on paper, well screen, you know what I mean), but it didn't take long at all and tastes amazing. Let me know how yours turns out!