Quick Pickled Onions

          There are some simple things that can add so much flavor to simple foods. One of my favorites is roasted tomatoes but this weekend I made a simple condiment that was just wonderful!!!  In a few minutes and a wait time of a couple hours, I created quick pickled onions and goodness, are they tasty! Such a simple recipe that does incredible things to the flavor and texture of raw onions making a crunchy, sweet and sour concoction that goes great on burgers and sandwiches and in various recipes. I have a confession to make, these taste so great I am eating a few out of a bowl even as I write this J

Now a word about this picture—see the pickle face? I did not plan that and did not even see it till I turned the dish for a different angle. Believe it or not, this was pure serendipity! But it is pretty cute, isn’t it?

         Perhaps you might wonder what made me want to try this recipe. We were having some of our dear friends and one of my favorite people to cook with over for a very laid back dinner of grilled hamburgers, sausages and a few sides on Sunday. Well, just before midnight on Saturday I decided to make potato salad for dinner the next day.  I tasted the potato salad and it needed a bit more oomph. Just because the meal is casual and laid back does not mean I want to serve a potato salad lacking in oomph!  I had already added a bit of vinegar and was contemplating adding onions.  The flavor I was thinking of was something like a pickled cucumber and onion salad I make but I did not want to cucumbers in the potato salad. However, I wondered if there was a quick and easy pickled onion recipe I could make for it. I looked online and saw a few recipes, including one I really liked on David Lebovitz site   

           I didn’t really have to follow a particular recipe because basically pickling is pickling and mostly you need some vinegar, a bit of sugar and a tiny bit of salt and possibly some spices. The thing I love about David Lebovitz’s  recipe is that he heats the vinegar and sugar and then adds the onions to simmer for a few seconds.It is simple and basically one step to quick pickles.  Lebovitz and most other recipes call for red onions. It looks prettier and I would like to try them. But I only had sweet onions and their white color looked better in the potato salad anyway. I think you could use any onion in this recipe as well as any of the spices or not spices at all!

Quick Pickled Onions

2 red, white or sweet onions—any onion you have on hand can work

1 cup white vinegar or white wine vinegar

1/3 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar or even just more white vinegar, May use red wine vinegar for red onions

½ cup white sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

Optional spice- 3-4 allspice berries, 1 Bay leaf, 4 peppercorns, 1-2 small red chilies or pinch of  red pepper flakes—use any of these or none!

Slice onions into rings, thin or up to medium thick

In a non- reactive pan (stainless, enamel) heat up vinegar,  sugar, salt, spice stirring often to dissolve sugar. Bring to a good boil then lower heat and add onions.

Stir and simmer onions for about 45 seconds. Remove from heat and let onion cool completely. Put onions and all the liquid into large jar or plastic container and refrigerate.

Use onions within a week or two but they are best the first week.

These onions are great on burgers, sausages, sandwiches, hot dogs or tacos. They are wonderful in potato salad, cabbage dishes, rice, vegetables, Potato recipes, salsa, pulled pork or beef (BBQ, smoked, or Mexican style).

Here is our little "family" dinner with the midnight potato salad, roasted sweet adn spicy yams, hamburgers and sausages, roasted potato and onion and salads.

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Pasta with Sausage

I made a pasta dish a few weeks ago and forgot to post it. So here it is: Pasta with a roasted tomato and roasted red pepper sauce with spicy sausage.

        I sure love pasta! Well, what I really love is the sauce. This is a pretty simple sauce with flavors intensified by roasting and caramelizing. I like to add flavor where I can and roasting, toasting or sautéing can deepen and sweeten flavors of veggies. I think the key to a great sauce is lots of flavor—not overpowering the intrinsic flavor of the ingredients by too much heat or spice but building layers of flavor that complement the sauce.  Another key way to intensify flavor is by reducing sauce, such as in our balsamic reduction sauce but that is for another day J

I know we don’t always have an hour to make dinner. One way to enjoy this on a weeknight after work, is to make the sauce the night before. You can roast the tomatoes ahead of time or make the whole sauce and refrigerate it. One other time saving hint, if you are in a hurry you can use a can of fire roasted tomatoes in place of the roasted tomatoes.

To increase nutrition, you could use a whole grain pasta! Of course, for vegetarian version you can skip the sausage—this sauce is quite flavorful without the sausage!

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Pasta with Sausage

6-8 roma tomatoes ( or 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes *)

3 TBSp olive oil

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup roasted red peppers from a jar, drained

1/3 cup pesto, jarred or fresh

Olive oil

1 onion

12-16 oz Spicy or hot Italian Sausage

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp. Italian herb blend

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup whipping cream, optional

Cavatappi, cellentani or elbow pasta

1/3 cup fresh grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

* You can skip the whole roasting tomatoes if you want and just use 1-2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes, drained, if you are in a hurry.

Wash and quarter the roma tomatoes, removing most of the seeds . For easy clean up, put foil over large rectangular baking sheet with a rim. Then place 1 TBSP olive oil on pan.

Preheat oven to 350. Place in rectangular baking pan and drizzle with 2 TBSP olive oil and about a couple of teaspoons balsamic vinegar. Place in oven and roast for 40 minutes until tomatoes are nice and soft. Raise temperature to 400 and continue roasting for another 1o minutes to caramelize (brown) the tomatoes a bit.

While tomatoes are roasting, cut onion in half, removing ends and then cut in thin, vertical slices ( not rings). In a very large skillet on low heat, add oil and lightly caramelize onions by cooking on low for about 15  minutes. Once onions are soft, raise heat to med high for 3minutes or so to give them a little color. Once they are done, remove them to a bowl and cover.

 In the same pan, add sausage, breaking it up in larger bite sized pieces as it browns. When sausage is almost cooked, add garlic and spices. Cook till completely browned through and drain off extra grease. Return onions to pan.

Using a food processor,  pulse roasted tomatoes for a minute or so until mostly pureed. Add roasted red peppers, drained, and pesto and pulse until sauce is smooth and creamy. Pour this into the pan with sausage and onion and heat together for about 5 minutes on medium low. Add salt and pepper to taste.

All of this  can be made ahead of time and reheated for dinner.

About 15 minutes before time to serve, heat a large pot of salted water and once it is rigorously boiling, slowly add the pasta. Heat to boiling again and keep an eye out for boil overs.

Drain the pasta in a colander and add the sausage onions and pureed peppers/tomatoes sauce to the big pan. If desired add ½ cup of cream for extra creaminess. Blend and heat up sauce till nice and hot but not boiling.  Add the pasta in and stir in half of the parm cheese.  Plate the pasta and garnish with cheese, if desired. Serve

Sangria to Celebrate One Year of Blogging

       I can’t believe I have been blogging for One Year!  It is kind of a milestone.  I am glad I started and pretty sure I will continue another year. It has been fun and hopefully you have enjoyed some of the recipes and maybe tried a few out for dinner at your house.  I do wish my photos had improved more and that I had time to post more often. .  Still, I started this blog to share the recipes I had developed or tried with friends and it has been great for that!  I know there are lots of great ways to stage food in natural light or lighting tricks after dark but honestly, I am just sharing what I cook for dinner and I usually have a table full of hungry diners waiting for to eat. I don’t want to take the time to set up photos better, I want to cook and feed people and then share the recipe. So I suppose for what I aim to do, this blog is just fine. I wish I was reaching more people but I am always thrilled when someone comes up to me and says’ “I tried the recipe on your blog and we loved it!” or when I see another comment or like!

A huge thank you to everyone who reads my humble little blog and extra appreciation for those who have commented or follow it or like it on fb!! You all are the greatest!!!   I would love to hear from you if you have suggestions for improving my blog and recipes. Are the easy to read and follow? Are they the recipes you are interested in?   I know I have a long way to go and I have appreciated all I have learned from fellow bloggers and the encouragement from those who read my blog. Thank you!

I was hoping to cook something wonderful  this week end to post for my one year Blogiversary, but  I have not done any cooking this  week. Instead, I have been sick the whole week with the flu and have not done much beyond sleep, cough and sip on water. It has been long week but I am finally feeling a bit better. It has been extra difficult to be stuck in bed since the weather has been ridiculously nice- in the high 60’s and 70’s under sunny blue skies.  Happily, the nice weather lasted longer than my flu and I was able to enjoy some slow strolls in the sun over the weekend.  I know we could have more heavy snows at any time but it was delightful to enjoy spring-like weather.

One of the special treats was this beautiful little crocus right outside my front door! It is the first flower I have seen this spring and just like last year, it is in my own front yard.

You know, living here in Colorado I have come to really appreciate spring and all the seasons with their changes. We live in a flowerless winter expanse that makes me long for the first flowers of spring.  Back in California, we had flowers year round and that was one reason I loved SoCal. But here, the first flower is as welcomed as Christmas morning because there is such flowerless anticipation. I love living in four distinct seasons and that is one thing I love about Colorado!

  

The warm almost-spring weather inspired me with a celebratory recipe for my blogiversary: Sangria!  We love the fruity, refreshing taste of sangria, especially when we cook out on the grill.  Sangria is our friend's sam favorite drink to order so we have tried it at several different restaurants. We have asked servers for the recipe plus I asked numerous friends who served it what they liked in their sangria. It seems pretty simple and most are some variation of this basix recipe. Feel free to play with this as everybody seems to come up with their own twists :-)

Fort Collins is known for its micro-breweries and beer enthusiasts but I think everyone can enjoy dry red wine infused with citrus and berries that can be turned up a notch with some brandy or triple sec or mellowed with ginger ale and fruit juice. If there are those who do not drink wine, I like to make a well-marked non-alcoholic version of this by substituting some tart red juice (cranberry-grape, perhaps)for the wine/brandy  and omitting extra sugar. Tonight, we skipped Brandy since we were all tired and one visitor had a long drive home later.

By the way, there is an excellent syrup you can use to flavor sangria- Monin Red Sangria Mix Syrup. When we have some of this on hand, we like to use it instead of other sweeteners.

Red Wine Sangria

1 Cup Orange juice (or lemonade)

¼ cup sugar or honey ( more or less to taste)

3 ½  cups nice dry red wine- I prefer cabernet sauvignon , shiraz or a fuller bodied Zinfandel like Gnarly head Old Vine Zin, but I am not a wine expert!!

1/2 – ¾  cup Brandy (optional)

Juice of 1 lemon ( and perhaps a lime)

1 orange sliced

1 lemon sliced, Meyers are great!

Pinch of cinnamon

     Other Fruit options- Choose 2-3

1 small can of pineapple chunks with juice or fresh pineapple

1 cup strawberries halves or quarters, or raspberries

1 cup pitted sweet cherries

1 cup ripe peach slices

1 Cup sliced ripe pear

1 sliced lime

2-3 cups ginger ale (to be added at serving if desired)

ice

Earlier in the day or even night before serving

In a small saucepan, heat orange juice and sugar stirring until sugar is dissolved. You may skip this step if using honey. Set aside to cool.

In a large pitcher, add wine, brandy, juice of lemon, lime, cooled orange juice and fruit. Cover and refrigerate for 3 or more hours for optimum flavor.

To serve, you may add ice to the glasses, if desired and a splash of ginger ale and then fill with sangria and garnish with fresh fruit slices. Repeat as necessary J

This should make enough for 6 people.

Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Miso Sesame Dressing

Like many people, I am looking for ways to add more vegetables and whole grains to my daily diet. Today I would like to share a recipe for Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Miso Sesame dressing. It is full of whole grained brown and wild rice and vegetable goodness such as carrots, bok choy and cucumber with nutritious tofu, sesame seeds and miso.

Now I realize some of the ingredients, perhaps the miso or wild rice, here may be a bit unusual or something you don’t keep in your pantry. One of the nice things about this recipe is that you can skip any number of items and make substitutions of things that are more to your liking.

I found the recipe for WILD RICE SALAD WITH MISO DRESSING on the blog  SPROUTED KITCHEN which describes itself as a tastier take on whole foods. It is full of wonderfully delicious recipes of nutrient dense whole foods. The beautiful photos make me hungry for good things. Go check out all the wonderful recipes on Sprouted Kitchen!

 I modified a few things in the recipe here and I imagine you might make a couple of changes yourself.  I added a bit more of everything but miso since I wanted to lower sodium a bit. In addition I used more vegetables and added brown rice along with the wild rice. Next time, I may use only the wild and brown rice blend.  I cooked the veggies a bit and even added the rice and miso sesame dressing to meld the flavors together. I served it hot the first time, more like a stir fry than a salad. I switched around a few ingredients in the dressings, too.

While this salad is delicately beautiful, it packs a nutritious punch, with nearly every ingredient adding significantly to the nutritional benefits. What are the nutritional benefits?

To start brown rice, a great source of fiber, and B vitamins. Brown rice also contains very high levels of manganese along with selenium, a trace mineral which may help fight cancer. Brown rice also contains many nutrients which may lower cholesterol and benefit cardiovascular health.  There are phytonutrients found in brown rice which may be even better for you than those found in fruits and vegetables, according to website- the world’s healthiest foods. (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=128#healthbenefits )

Wild rice, which is a grass seed and not really rice, is high in fiber, protein, potassium, manganese, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and a good blend of B vitamins.

Even little sesame seeds are a very good source of copper and manganese and a good source of  magnesium,  calcium, iron, phosphorus and zinc.  Edamame, green soy beans, are high in fiber, iron, and protein and full of good things like vitamin A and C . Edamame seems to promote good heart health.  And do I need to tell you all the good things in carrots?? You can get nearly half of your vitamin A requirement in a small serving.

Okay, we are not done yet! This yummy salad also has tofu. Why should you eat tofu? Well, calorie for calorie, it has more protein than ground beef or cheese yet is considerably lower in fat and has NO cholesterol, making it an excellent source of protein not only for vegetarians but for anyone wanting to limit fat or cholesterol. Tofu also contains calcium and iron.

This recipe is just so adaptable. I love how it can be served warm as well as chilled.  It is nice to have it warm the first time and then save the rest to be served cold as a salad. It is full of wonderfully nutritious and great tasting things plus if you make a big enough batch it will last several lunches.

Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Miso Sesame Dressing

1 cup wild and brown rice blend, I use Lundberg, cooked with wild rice or according to package

½ cup of wild rice, cooked according to package or together with brown rice blend

12-14 oz Extra firm Tofu, silky or regular, drained, pat dry and cut into small cubes

2-3 tsp coconut oil

2 -3 tsp. soy sauce

2-3 tsp  olive or canola oil

 1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 cup+ thinly slice bok choy

1 cup cooked, shelled organic edamame

½ cucumber , quartered and  sliced

1-2 TBSP toasted  sesame seeds

      Sweet  Miso Sesame Dressing

2-3 TBSP white miso*

3 TBSP Rice Vinegar

3 TBSP honey

1 TBSP sesame oil

Juice of small Meyers lemon or orange

2 tsp ginger, crushed (bottled ginger paste is fine!)

1 tsp soy sauce, low sodium if watching sodium intake

3 TBSP canola Light olive or vegetable oil,

Garnish- All optional

3 green onions, sliced

¼ chopped cucumber

1 TBSP toasted sesame seed and 1 TBSP Black sesame seeds,

2 TBSP cilantro chopped

Cook the wild rice and the brown rice blend. You could cook each separately but I think it would be fine to cook the brown and wild rice blend with the extra wild rice added. I like to add just a little bit more water than called for and cook it a bit longer so wild rice is softer.

Next make the dressing.  *If you don’t have miso or prefer not to use it, that is fine. You could make this with just a sesame ginger dressing- Increase soy sauce And ginger to 1 TBSP add an extra tsp of sesame oil and an extra TBSP of veggie, olive or canola oil. Maybe throw in a tsp or two of toasted sesame seeds.

In a large shallow pan, add coconut oil and heat to medium high. Pat tofu dry with paper towel and then cut tofu  into small cubes. You could put light dusting of corn starch if you like. Add cut up tofu cubes. Cook till Brown, not turning too often. Add soy sauce. 

Remove tofu to bowl and add oil to pan. Stir fry carrots for a few minutes or two then add bok choy and cook for a few more minutes. Add rice and edamame. Stir fry for a minute or so.  Add as much of the dressing as you like. Let it cool a bit then put into bowl and mix with tofu, cucumber, 1 TBSP sesame seeds and blend gently. Add more or all of dressing to taste.

You may let it cool in fridge a bit or serve immediately. This salad makes awesome leftovers!

Chocolate and Coconut Granola Squares

Today I want to share with you a recipe for a snack that is tasty, healthful and easy to make. I saw a recipe for delicious looking chocolate granola bars on the wonderful blog-- Dinner, Dishes and Desserts I modified the recipe a bit to make them more tempting to my mom, adding coconut and almonds and toasting the oatmeal with them. 

This simple-to-make snack does not have heaps of sugar added, just a ¼ cup of honey and the sugar in the peanut butter, coconut and chocolate chips. Yet it tastes sweet and decadent.  Rather than oil or butter, these have coconut oil which is reported to be more healthful and perhaps even beneficial.  In addition, some coconut oils give a subtle hint of coconut flavor, which is enhanced by adding toasted shredded coconut.

The coconut, oatmeal, and almonds are all toasted with some coconut oil before everything is combined. Toasting brings out some more natural sweetness and a delicate crunch. Everything together creates a pleasing blend of flavors and textures that was a hit with the little boys I take care of and my mom, who is always in need of heathful, sweet snacks. Enjoy!

 And go check out the blog- Dinner, Dishes and Desserts.

Chocolate and Coconut Granola Squares

Adapted from granola bars by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

¼  cup coconut oil

1/3 cup peanut butter, natural, low sugar prefered

1/3 cup honey, try to get organic, local

2  Tbsp. coconut oil

1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

2  Tbsp. coconut oil

 2/3  cup shredded sweetened coconut

 ½ cup sliced almonds

1/2  cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Put 2 TBSP coconut oil in rectangular baking pan and place in oven as it preheats to melt. Mix oats, coconut and almonds and toast in 350 oven for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice until coconut is browned. Do keep an eye on it so that it does not burn. Remove around 2 TBSP to sprinkle on the top

Line a 8x 8 pan with aluminum foil.

Meanwhile, In a small sauce pan heat coconut oil, peanut butter, and honey over a medium heat. Once melted and fully combined, mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate chips are melted. Next add oats, coconut and almond slices and blend well. Spread into prepared 8×8 pan. Sprinkle the reserved 2 TBSP of oat mixture over the top.

 Put in fridge until completely set. Remove from pan to  cutting board and cut into squares. Store in fridge.

Potato and Chicken Korma

Potato and Chicken Korma

I felt like making Indian food last night and my daughter and I decided on Korma.  Funny thing:  although I have eaten Korma many times,  I was  not really sure what Korma was until I read up on it.   I have had korma from different countries and there seems to be some elements I have come to think of as belonging but I am still not sure the difference between korma and various kinds of curry! For our meal last night, our  “adopted” daughter from India was here and let me know her preferences for spices and what not and I have eaten korma often enough to know what I was looking for in this dish.

Now I know some people will read my recipe here and say “no, that is not right!” but I have come to understand that curries are like BBQ in the USA: everyone has their own regional or personal ideas of what ingredients are authentic in the sauce  and how it is to be cooked. People have strong opinions on what is correct although this opinion varies from person to person and place to place. So I apologize if my version offends, dear readers and you are more than welcome to share your recipes in the comments J

My limited understanding of korma is that it is kind of stew like- vegetables or meat braised with onions, tomatoes, chilies with spices like coriander, turmeric.  I used mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garam masala and a pinch of cinnamon and yogurt added to the sauce. It can vary in spiciness and main ingredients but  I used potato as the main item along with chicken. I was planning on making a vegetarian Korma only but ended up splitting the korma into two pots- one with chicken since my dinner guests like to have some meat.

For this recipe, I used both types of potatoes listed here- russet and red. Russets are more flakey and break apart. I like their flavor and texture and if you were only going to use one type I would opt for russet. Red potatoes have a nice flavor with a waxy, harder texture that keeps its shape better, keeping its form even if you cook and stir a long time. Using both means you will have smaller bits and chunks of potato in the finished dish.

You may also spice and season this according to your taste. Kormas can be mild or spicy so do whatever you like best.  I used mustard oil  (from Indian food store) and mustard seeds because our “daughter” likes it this way but if you don’t like mustard, skip it! Use mild chilies if you don’t like it hot and even skip them and some spice if you prefer.

You will need two pans for this- a large shallow skillet for browning and a nice, deep pot such as a dutch oven or 5 quart pot.

Potato and Chicken Korma

Vegetable oil  and/ or Mustard oil  

1 tsp. each whole mustard seed and whole cumin seed

4 small whole  red chilies, dried or 2 green chilies, minced

1 – 1 &  ½  large onions

3 Russet and 3 red potatoes or whatever potatoes you want to use, washed, peeled and diced

1 tsp coriander AND turmeric

1-2 Tsp. garam masala

1 tsp. Garlic powder

1 small pinch of cinnamon AND one of cloves

2-3  cups vegetable broth

Chicken thighs, about 5, boneless, skinless, diced

5-7 roma tomatoes , small diced

2 tsp. garlic paste

1 tsp. ginger paste

2 bay leaves

2-4curry leaves optional

1 cup or so Greek yogurt, 2% or regular yogurt (may substitute  coconut milk if avoiding dairy)

Prep potatoes, wash, peel and cut into bite size chunks. Make sure potato pieces are very dry.  Heat large, shallow skillet and add vegetable oil or a mix of veggie and mustard oil if you like. Once oil is hot add mustard and cumin seeds and heat till they pop and jump. Add potatoes and spices and cook on medium-high. Don’t overcrowd pan or turn pieces over too often until potatoes start to brown and crisp. Lightly Brown on at least a couple sides . Add onions and chilies and cook for 4 minutes.  Remove potatoes to a large pot- 5 qt. or so. Add vegetable or chicken broth to the large deep pot and begin to simmer on med-low.

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, season with salt and pepper and add to the shallow skillet with a bit of oil. Brown for a couple minutes and then add diced tomatoes, garlic, and ginger.  Cook for a minute and then add to the large pot of potatoes along with bay leaves, curry leaves and vegetable broth.   Heat on med-low for about 30 minutes or more until potatoes are nice and soft and chicken is cooked through.   Remove from heat and cool a bit. Remove bay, curry leaves and chilies.  Add yogurt, mix well and heat on low.

Serve over basmati rice or coconut-cashew rice, with naan or paratha and perhaps a dahl or vegetable dish .

Enjoying Dinner with Friends

Last week we had a delightful evening with friends at their house. We brought soup, pasta and chocolate cake while Bailey and Ryan provided the beautiful home along with salad and bread. Their house-mate, Shawn bought some lovely wine. I think sharing dinner together is such a great way to connect yet it can be difficult on busy work days if one person has to make everything. Sharing the load makes it easier and more fun. It was such a relaxing and enjoyable evening!

 Bailey wrote about our evening on her blog. She is a very talented photographer and writer as well as an incredible musician. She has one of the most beautiful voices-- think angel meets rock and roll. Her husband Ryan and Shawn are also very talented musicians and I am not sure how many bands they are in between them but I know I enjoy all of their music.  My son got a chance to chat some with fellow musicians, which he enjoyed. Bailey's blog is always fun and inspiring and you can read about our dinner here and see Bailey's great photos.

I will post the pasta recipe soon but if you would like to sample the soup we enjoyed you can check out the recipe from last year for Butternut squash soup . The chocolate cake is the one I posted a few weeks ago.

We enjoyed several fun dinners this week and each one was a group effort with lots of people sharing the load for each dinner. We had a couple of dinner clubs here and had Taco salad night with people bringing something to add to the salad or dessert.

We got a call from our Newly-wed friends, John and Natalie to come join them at their cute little old log cabin where they made delicious pizza and we brought salad. We got to see pictures from the honey-moon :-)

Four dinners in a row would be a lot of work if I was doing all the cooking but many hands make light work!   Dinner with friends doesn't have to be labor intensive to be fun!I hope you are inspired to get together with friends and family for dinner this week and share the work to make it fun for everyone!!