Taco Style Lentils and Rice

I’m trying to eat healthier again so I decided to make another vegetarian meal. I’ve actually made this one before, and I forgot to take a picture – AGAIN! Awww man. It’s not exactly what you’d call pretty so you’re not missing much. Anyway, I found the recipe through www.sparkrecipes.com and it appealed to me because it’s easy and inexpensive. Lentils are great! The spices add a ton of flavour. The only thing I would do next time is use fresh onion and garlic instead of the powders and use low sodium chicken broth instead of cubes.

Here’s a photo from the original site.

Taco Style Lentils & Rice

Submitted by: BUDGETMOM

Minutes to Prepare: 10 Minutes to Cook: 50 Number of Servings: 4

3/4 cup dry lentils
3/4 cup dry brown rice
4 cups water
4 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tbsp olive oil

In a 2-quart saucepan bring the water to a boil. As the water is heating, add the oil, lentils, rice, bouillon, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring the whole thing to a nice fat boil. Reduce the heat to low. Place a lid on the lentils and allow the mixture to simmer for about 45 to 50 minutes. The water should be mostly absorbed. You may serve this as is, or topped with a little cheddar cheese if desired.

* If you are having a busy day and don’t have time to cook this on the stove, it can cook in the crock pot on low for about 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 hours instead.

Sausage and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Since I’ve discovered homemade pizza dough I’m unstoppable! I made some a couple of weeks ago, portioned it out to make personal pizzas and froze it, then thawed one in the fridge overnight. Sausage was on sale at Farm Boy so I wanted to make something with it. I was inspired by this recipe for Caramelized Onion Gruyere and Sausage Panini from Fine Cooking Magazine. The panini is the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten – seriously! So I figured making it into a pizza would have to be pretty darn good too. I didn’t have gruyere so I used havarti and the sausage was smoked pork sausage not chicken sausage but it was still really good. I slathered the dough with barbeque sauce, topped with the sausage, onions, and havarti then popped it in the oven for 15 minutes. Yum!

I’ve tried making caramelized onions before but I never seemed to get it right. This time I was patient and let it cook for the recommended 45 minutes and it was worth it. Here’s a recipe you can use again and again for other dishes.

Caramelized Onions

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp light brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 lbs onions, cut into 1/4 inch thick strips

1 Tsp water

Heat butter and oil in a 12 inch skillet over high heat and stir in sugar and salt. Add onions and stir to coat. Cook until onions begin to soften – about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently until onions are deeply brown and slightly sticky – about another 40 minutes. Remove from heat and add water. Add pepper to taste. They can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Source: Cook’s Illustrated

 

Sausage and Pepper Pasta Supper

I had some sausage leftover from when I made pizza and I wanted to use it for something but didn’t know what. This is where iPhone apps come in handy. I punched in “sausage” and “pasta” into the www.epicurious.com app and scrolled down to find a recipe that over 90% of readers would make again. This recipe came up. It’s super fast and easy which makes it the perfect weeknight meal. It calls for Italian sausage but all I had was smoked but I used it anyway and it still turned out pretty good. I also substituted shells for the penne and omitted the green pepper. Next time I’ll try it with the sweet Italian sausage and tell you how it goes.

Bon Appétit | March 1990
by Suzanne Solberg: Los Angeles, California

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds hot or sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large green or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 large onion, sliced
1 14 1/2-ounce can tomatoes, diced, juices reserved
1 tablespoon dried basil, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
Salt and pepper
1 pound penne pasta, freshly cooked
Grated Parmesan

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Mix in sausage and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Add peppers and onion and cook until almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomatoes with juices, basil and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 8 minutes. Uncover and cook 2 minutes. Pour over pasta and toss. Serve, passing Parmesan separately.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sausage-and-Pepper-Pasta-Supper-1413#ixzz2VZIlHZCv

 

Daphne Oz’s Sweet and Spicy Baked Wings

Last week the weather really warmed up here and my backyard is starting to shape up. I bought a dining tent so that we can lounge out there without my irrational fear of being stalked and killed by wasps or some other flying bugs! I have some patio furniture out there so I decided to invite my buddy Mr. M over for an early summer dinner, al fresco style but Ottawa weather would not cooperate. The temperatures are soaring to 37 degrees celcius which is 98-99 fahrenheit but…thunderstorms . I really wanted to make chicken wings so I said, what the heck, I’ll make everything anyway. Unfortunately, I don’t have a barbeque yet so I thought I’d try out a recipe I saw on The Chew. Daphne Oz, who’s role on the show is to introduce us to healthier ways of cooking, had a wing cook-off with Michael Symon and she made these wings. My grocery store was out of wings so I actually made this with boneless, skinless thighs and it was yummy. I forgot to put the garlic in the marinade so I added it before cooking. I think it would have been even better if I had added it at the beginning.  The sauce did get sweet and sticky and I only put half the chili powder in so it wasn’t hot at all so next time I’ll add the whole amount. I didn’t have hot sauce because I don’t like super spicy food, so for the dip I just added hot pepper flakes. I found the dip recipe had a lot of ginger, but if you like ginger then you’re in luck. I will probably make the wings again and skip the dipping sauce.

Again I apologize for the crappy photo. So often I forget to get things set up to take photos of main dishes and then I end up partially eating my dinner before remembering to take a pic.

Ingredients
For the Wings:
2 dozen Chicken Drumettes
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper
1/2 cup Honey
2 tablespoons low sodium Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard 2 Garlic cloves (minced)
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Dipping Sauce:
1 tablespoon Sambal Chili
1/2 cup Honey
2 tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon grated Ginger

For the Wings:
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss the wings to coat. Place in the refrigerator and marinate a minimum of two hours and preferably over night.
Salt and Pepper to taste Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove drumettes from the marinade and season with salt and pepper.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the drumettes so they are not touching. Brush generously with the leftover marinade. Cook in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until deep golden brown, rotating the tray half way through.

For the Dipping Sauce: While the wings are baking, combine all the dipping ingredients and whisk together.
Serve the chicken drumettes with the dipping sauce.

Dulce de Leche Icing

One of the ladies at work retired last week so I brought in some of my signature chocolate cupcakes, but I felt like shaking things up a little and tried out this recipe for Dulce De Leche icing. It’s a basic buttercream with the addition of my favourite caramel sauce – dulce de leche. Oh man its good! One of the women at work asked for the recipe. I’ve posted a recipe for caramel swiss buttercream before but it takes a little work and it’s easier if you have a stand mixer, but this recipe is super simple and can even be made by hand. (It won’t be as silky smooth as the other icing though.) And you could probably substitute regular caramel sauce if you like.

I never know if I’ve pronouncing dulce de leche right so I did a google search and found this fun site where you can hear people from different countries pronouncing any word you punch into the search engine. Cool!  
http://www.forvo.com/word/dulce_de_leche/

 

Dulce de Leche Icing

Makes enough for 12 cupcake swirls

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dulce de leche

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat butter on high speed for three minutes, until light and fluffy.

Mix in powdered sugar and salt until fully combined.

Mix in dulce de leche.

Spread or pipe on cooled cupcakes.

Source: http://www.cupcakeproject.com

 

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I think I mentioned a while back that I have a new job. One of the perks is it’s proximity to Ottawa’s Byward Market. The market is stocked with fresh fruit and veggies all summer, and it’s shops, deli’s, restaurants, etc. are a foodie’s fantasy. One of my favourite places to get coffee and a sandwich is Plant Coffee, which is nestled within York Courtyard, Clarendon Lanes, just behind the Ottawa School of Art. I have probably raved about their grilled panini sandwiches and Oatmeal Peanut Butter Squares before so forgive me for repeating myself, but they really are that good.

I took a swing at recreating their squares last winter but it didn’t quite turn out, so I gave it another go with this recipe. It’s close. I think I may have creamed my butter and sugars too much because the cookie base rose a little too much and had air pockets throughout which caused it to crumble. I pressed the squares a little before I put them in the fridge and I think it helped. They were also missing something and I couldn’t put my finger on it at first, but then it hit me – salt! So I suggest you include 1/8- or 1/4 tsp of salt depending on your preference. I think anything with oatmeal in it really needs the enhancement. The chocolate and peanut butter topping is amazing! I used milk chocolate chips but you could use semi-sweet instead to up the chocolate flavour. I would make this again.

Adapted from Bakingblonde

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream the butter, sugars and vanilla in a bowl. Add in the egg and beat well.

Add in the oats and mix with a spatula until well blended.

Spread out evenly in an 8″ x 8″ baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until just golden. Let cool slightly before frosting.

Wipe out the oatmeal bowl and add the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave on short bursts, stirring until the chocolate just melts and the mix is smooth and creamy.

Spread over the partially cooled base.

Refrigerate until completely firm, several hours. Enjoy straight from the refrigerator.

Chicken Fried Pork Chops

Well, I found another use for my chicken coating mix. I think this cooking method is a southern US specialty? I found it on the American food network website and it looked amazing. I used this recipe mainly as a guide for preparation and added the 1/2 a cup of cornstarch to my mix to see if it added crunch. I also threw caution to the wind and used half vegetable shortening and half vegetable oil. I’m not sure if it made a difference, but the pork was pretty good – very juicy on the inside. Next time I have to remember to add some extra spice to the mix to make up for the addition of cornstarch. The recipe comes with a Chunky Pear Chutney recipe but I didn’t have all the ingredients so I skipped it this time. It has great reviews though so I encourage anyone to try it and let me know how it goes.

On the side I decided to try replicating Mary Brown’s taters but baking them instead of deep frying, but I wasn’t happy with the result. I’ll try again later and let you know how it goes.

 

 

Adapted from recipe by Sunny Anderson, Food Network  Serves:4 to 6

Vegetable shortening, for frying
8 pork chops, bone-in, 1/2-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning, plus 1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
Chunky Pear Chutney, recipe follows

Melt shortening in a deep skillet until it comes about 1-inch up the side of the pan. Heat to 360 degrees F.

While shortening is heating, season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides, set aside. In a shallow bowl beat eggs, 1 tablespoon water, cayenne pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. In a paper bag mix flour and cornstarch. Coat pork chops in egg mixture, transfer to a paper bag, and shake until coated. Fry pork chops until golden, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. (Keep pork chops in a warm oven if cooking all at once is not possible.)

Complete recipe which includes Chunky Pear Chutney:      
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_334860_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html?oc=linkback