Salsa Verde for Every Day and Every Food!!!!

During our first week's foray into low carb eating, I came across this delicious and easy dressing/dip/sauce!! It's amazing! The flavors lend themselves to just about anything you could think of! I first made it as an accompaniement to some grilled pork tenderloin. Then, the next day, on a whim, I brought some to work in a little dish to have with my raw veggies. We've also spooned it over scrambled eggs, used it as a salad dressing, and mixed it with egg yolk for devilled eggs!! Can you think of anything this versatile!??? Give it a try, and let me know how you liked it!

Salsa Verde

1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems
1/2 cu flat-loeaf parsley leaves and stems
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped onion (I like to use shallots)
1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice (1 lime)
1-2 cloves finely choped garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Throw everything into the food processor, and pulse until creamy. Keeps forever in the fridge, but I guarantee it won't last!!

Salmon with a low Carb Twist!

So, Thom & I are embarking on an "Atkins" style eating plan, where carbohydrates are restricted, (pretty severely for the 'induction' or beginning phase). I want to try to lower my blood sugar levels more through diet, and, quite honestly, I have gained a few pounds this summer, that I'm finding hard to lose. Thom has been working hard in the gym, and wanted to kick his shape up program into a higher gear, so we decided to try the program. So far we have learned a couple of lessons: #1, I CANNOT eat a salad for lunch and a salad for dinner, I don't care how much protein is in there! One salad a day. No problem, there are a ton of great choices for dinner. #2, I liked carbs A LOT! Both Thom & I were a little surprised at how we missed just reaching for a piece of bread, or crackers, or having a potato or pasta or rice with our meals!! That's been an eye-opener, but so far we are doing well, and making good use of the extra snacks that are part of this eating plan. So, one of the first meals we made was this salmon dish. The salsa topping was *really* good, but what makes the meal outstanding, is the side dish of Cauliflower, Broccoli simply steamed and served with some EVOO, and 1/4 cup sliced calamata olives and a bare shake of dried red peppers.

For 4 servings:

1 pound salmon fillet, cut into 4 portions
2 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. Salt & 1/2 tsp. Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 475.

Once the oven is at temp, place the butter and oil in a heavy oven proof skillet (large enough to hold the fish in one layer) or casserole, in the oven for 4 minutes.

Season the fish with the salt and pepper. Place skin-side UP in the skillet. Bake for 10 minutes, turning carefully once, halfway through the cooking time. Use two egg lifters, as you don't want to lose the nice brown crust that will have formed on the fish. Once cooked, remove from the oven, out of skillet onto platter, tent with foil.

Meanwhile, cut up 2 cups cauliflower and 2 cups of broccoli into flowerets, and cook in boiling water until tender crisp. Drain.

Add the cauliflower and broccoli to the skillet, drizzle the olive oil and add the olives. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through.


To Serve: Divide the veggies onto the plates equally, place the fish on top, and dollop the puree on top of the fish. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

For the Topping:
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup Roasted red pepper

Pulse in a food processor until pureed.

Zuchinni Fritters for Breakfast! YUM!

Last entry, I posted a recipe for those gigantic zucchini and summer squashes that "hide" under the leaves in your garden until they are the size of little league baseball bats! This weekend, I really wanted to make pancakes, but because Thom & I have begun an "Atkins"-style diet, carbs are not on the menu plan! (More on the diet in the next post!)

Anyway, I had a brainstorm! Use the zucchini fritter recipe, but "tweak" it a little. This is how it turned out!

Quick Zuchinni Fritters

1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized or one honking big one!), coarsely grated
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. Splenda
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grape seed oil or olive oil (I used vegetable oil)

Grate the zucchini and place in a clean tea towel, wring/squeeze to get as much water out as possible. Set aside

In a large bowl, beat the egg, with the vanilla extract and the sugar. Add the zucchini, and the flour. Stir well.

Heat the oil in a skillet to approx 375-400degrees. Place a generous heaping tablespoonful of the zucchini in the pan, and flatten it out with the back of the spoon to look like a pancake. Continue with rest of zuccini mix... cook the fritters 3-4 minutes per side, letting them get crispy and golden/brown.

Serve with your fave topping, cinnamon, syrup, butter, etc.
About 44 carbs for the entire recipe.. Recipe serves 4. Sooooo Yummmy!!

Garden Bounty

It seems a perennial summer 'problem'! What to do with those pesky zuchinnis!! You know, not the cute little baby ones you can sautee, or steam.. no, I'm talking about the MONDO-HUMONGOUS-GIGANTIC ones that hide under the leaves, and then when you *do* notice them, you wonder if they were on steroids!!! Well, here is a wonderful, easy recipe for Zuchinni Fritters. I found it at Simply Recipes.com They are like potato pancakes. I think they would freeze well too, and then re-heat just fine in a hot oven. Enjoy!

Quick Zuchinni Fritters

1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized or one honking big one!), coarsely grated
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 generous teaspoon "Mrs. Dash" or your fave seasoning
1 large egg
2 scallions, finely chopped (I omitted this, as I didn't have any)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grape seed oil or olive oil (I used vegetable oil)
Sour cream or plain yoghurt

1 Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Try to remove the excess moisture from the zucchini by squeezing with paper towels. (The original recipe calls for putting the zucchini in a colander set in the sink to let it drain for 10 minutes after salting it. I actually used a clean dish towel, worked great.)

2 Whisk egg in a large bowl; add the zucchini, flour, scallions, seasoning, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix to combine well.

3 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters in two batches. Drop six mounds of batter (2 Tbsp each) into the skillet. Flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned, 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve immediately, with sour cream or plain yoghurt on the side.

Casual Sunday BBQ w/ Family

We capped off a great weekend with a casual get-together with my sister and her partner this weekend. She has 'gifted' us with lot's of yummy veggies from her garden, so we decided to return the 'gifting' by providing the main course for dinner, namely some delicious steak tips from a local farmer who provides the best in organic, grass-fed cattle, from his small farm in Wilton NH. We usually just do a simple marinade, and then throw them on the grill. For starters, we combined my sister's raw veggies, hummus dip and smoked oysters with our offering of kalamata olives with fresh feta cheese, which is drizzled with EVOO, a sprinkling of fresh oregano, and then baked (Or microwaved)just until the olives are warm and the cheese is melted. We also brought an artichoke "marinade" recipe that I got from my mum that is ADDICTIVE. It's so easy, and we end up using it for just about anything, from salad dressing, to a topping for grilled veggies, fish, etc, but it's best served in a little dish to eat spooned on crackers or crusty toasted bread! Best of all, it keeps a long time in the fridge, which makes it the perfect little snack to serve with drinks for drop-in company!

Mum's Artichoke Marinade

1 large jar (16 oz) of artichoke hearts (in oil)save oil/marinade from jar
2 small tins (8 oz each) mushroom bits/stems, drained
20 pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 tsp ginger, finely chopped (must be fresh, do not substitute dried ginger)
2-3 TBSP good extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar.

Chop artichoke hearts add to a glass bowl, adding the marinade from the jar.
Add the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving. Keeps weeks in a jar in the fridge. Good as an accompaniment for crackers, bread etc, as well as in salads, and on grilled fish, chicken. Try it in hot pasta. Enjoy!!!

We're Havin' A Heatwave!

Wow, we are in the midst of a major heat wave.. all the more reason to love the salads, and other quick and easy meals Thom & I have been making this week. Tonight, we made "Mini-Mushroom Cheeseburger Sliders". It's a variation of a recipe I found in magazine, and tore out.. but for the life of me I cannot remember which magazine! I think it might have been Canadian Living. Anyway, I changed it up a little by adding some extra spice, and swapping out the ground beef for ground turkey, which is pretty much all I use for ground meat these days... (P.S. T says Mini-Sliders is a redundant title... but I don't care! LOL)

Mushroom-Cheeseburger Mini-Sliders

8 cremini mushrooms (I used regular white ones)
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 lb extra lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp each black pepper and cayenne pepper (or chipotle chili powder!)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (I used a scant 1/2 tsp dried)

For the toppings:

2 cups baby arugula
12 small slices extra strong cheddar (about 1.5x1.5 inches.. if you buy the block it's a perfect size)
12 small slices tomato
12 mini multi grain flat breads, or pitas.

In a Food Processer, finely chop the mushrooms and onions; scrape into a bowl
Add the ground meat, and seasonings.

Divide the meat into quarters. Make 3 patties from each quarter. They should be roughly the diameter of the mini flat breads. Press your thumb into the center of each patty. This will keep the patty flat, and prevent it from 'bulging'. (cool trick, eh? It works for regular sized patties too.)
Cook on the grill, or in a grill pan on med high heat, turning once. Thom says 3 minutes per side ought to do it!

I prepped the mini "buns" while the meat was grilling. The baby arugula on the bottom slice, and the tomato and cheese on the top slice, with the cheese on top, so when the top is placed on the meat, the cheese will melt on contact. We had this with grilled sweet potato "fries", and salted crunchy cucumber slices. Pretty darned decent! :)

Mediterranean Sardine Salad Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

I think sardines get a bad rap. Maybe because a lot of folks don't care for anchovies, and they think of sardines as cousins to anchovies. Whatever it is, sardines are *not* at all like anchovies! And they're cheap! And they are very good for you! And... last but not least, if you try this salad, you will discover they are actually really good! At least give it a try, I think you will be surprised! This is a Rachel Ray recipe from the May 2011 issue. Just click on the link below to get the recipe!


Mediterranean Sardine Salad Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

What do *you* do with Swiss Chard?

We love swiss chard, it's often compared to spinach, but you can't eat it raw; it is a heartier green than spinach, although not as hearty as kale. Anyway, whenever I see an interesting recipe for this great veggie, I jump on it! This one is from the Canterbury Farmer's Market, via an article I read in our local paper, the Hippo. The original recipe included directions for a cornmeal pizza dough crust, but I'm lazy, and usually rely on Boboli or any good quality pre-baked crust...) For a vegetarian version, simply omit the bacon.

Swiss Chard and Ricotta Pizza

Pre-heat your oven (or in this weather, your grill!) to 450 degrees f.

1 bunch Swiss chard (about 12 ounces)
4 slices of bacon, cut into 3/4 squares
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
salt/pepper to taste
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup grated mozzarella (or use those cute little bocaccini(sp)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Boboli crusts. (or just one, and keep 1/2 of the toppings for another meal, like us... we will have it for lunch on 6" pita rounds tomorrow!)

1. Strip the swiss chard leaves from the stems. Chop stems, and tear leaves; set aside.
2. In a medium skillet on medium heat, cook bacon until just beginning to brown. Remove and drain. Pour off all but 2 TBSP of bacon fat from the skillet.
3. Add the garlic, cook and cook until golden, 2-3 minutes. Add the chard stems, and cook 8-10 minutes until softened (I added a few tablespoons of beer (the chef likes beer!) to deglaze the pan and help soften the stems. Then add the leaves, and cook another 5-8 minutes with the skillet covered, stirring occasionally.

To Make the Pizza.

Divide all the topping ingredients in half, using each half on top of the 2 crusts.
First, spread the chard evenly over the crusts
Next, "dollop" small amounts of the ricotta (use a teaspoon) evenly over the chard.
Next, sprinkle the parmesan, and then the mozzarella.
Finally, sprinkle the chopped bacon, and then sprinkle with hot pepper flakes to taste.

Bake 15 minutes in 450 oven (or wicked hot grill)

Let set for a couple of minutes before cutting.
Makes 8 slices total, 4 servings.

Bistro Steak-and-Egg Salad Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

I love salad. I love steak. But seriously, with all the steak salad recipes over the years, I have never really felt like they were a good match... I mean, why would you want to mess up with a perfectly good, cool, crisp salad with hot meat? and vice-versa, right? Until last night. I found a recipe, that for some reason appealed to me! Maybe it was the yummy Garlic Crostini Bread that was served with it... or just the odd appeal of a poached egg on the salad, along side the steak.. whatever. As usual, it's a Rachel Ray recipe, and I have to say, we *LOVED* it. And, it's freaking easy!! And, Valerie *also* loved it, with a nice grilled fillet of haddock (although she thinks it would *really* rock with a nice salmon filet instead!) So, here's to trying something completely different! (just click on the link)


Bistro Steak-and-Egg Salad Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

The "M&M" Version of Mushroom and Polenta Lasagna

I can't remember where I got the inspiration for this recipe, but Thom says it's the "M & M's" version! What does that mean? Well, I have this habit of substituting ingredients when I don't have the called-for ingredient on hand. Sometimes I make so many substitutions in a recipe, that the result doesn't bear much resemblance to the original! The first time I did this, Thom joked and said "Oh, I see.. you didn't have paprika so you used red M&M's!" (eye-roll.... *whatever*!)

Cathy's version of Mushroom, Artichoke, and Polenta Lasagna! :)

Serves 8 ~ Pre-heat oven to 375

1 med onion, halved and thinly sliced cross-wise

16 oz mushrooms (your choice as to variety/type), stems removed, caps thinly sliced. ( I used a 10oz pkg of mushrooms, and added 1 can of artichoke hearts (NOT the marinated kind) that I coarsely chopped.

2 cloves garlic minced

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp evaporated milk

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup cheese (original recipe called for cream cheese, but I didn't have any, so I used oka.. but I bet even laughing cow would be good!)

1/4 c white wine

3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg.

2 tubes polenta, cut into 1/2" slices

1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese.

Cook onion in large non-stick skillet coated with vegetable spray, (I used a good-sized knob of butter) Cook over med-high heat, stirring often. Add all mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and garlic, continue to cook and stir until onions are wilted and mushrooms are soft. Add the milk, bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Mix the cornstarch with the remaining milk, and stir into mushroom mixture. Add cheese, and wine, cook stirring 1-3 minutes until smooth and blended. Remove from heat, add salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Coat 10x10" baking dish/casserole with cooking spray. Spread about 3 Tbsp of the mushroom sauce in the bottom of the dish. Layer 1/3 of the polenta slices over the sauce. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese over the polenta. Top with half of the remaining mushroom sauce, layer with 1/3 of the polenta slices, and remaining sauce, and a final layer of the polenta. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or so, until bubbly. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan, and run it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to lightly brown the cheese. Finally, remove it from the oven, cover loosely with some tin foil, and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yummmm!!!!

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Even Husbands Can Rock a Recipe! (Best-Ever Curry)

So, Thom was idly looking thru one of my Canadian Living Magazines (My mom has been gifting me with a subscription for the past 20 years, love it!) Lo and behold he came across an awesome curry recipe. By the way did I mention my man *Loves* curry? He'd eat curried ice cream I bet! Anyway, the original recipe calls for lean steak, which is pretty darned yummy. But, I've also discovered it goes very well with Shrimp and Chicken... and... because my daughter Valerie is vegetarian, and Thom and I are almostavegatarians... (LOL) I had to try it with cooked lentils.. and mmmmmm mmmmmm! So here it is, without any further ado:

All-purpose-Goes-With-Anything-Super-Yummy-Curry!

(P.S. I recommend making a huge batch and putting some in the freezer!)

Put into a food processer: 1 med chunked onion 4 chili peppers (ur choice, I use jalapeno) seeded and chunked (leave seeds if you like it super hot!) 1 handful of fresh cilantro 1 thumbsized piece of fresh ginger, chunked. 2-3 cloves of garlic.

Process until it reaches a paste consistency.

2 Tbsp. good curry powder

4 tomatoes chopped

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp garam masala powder

Drizzle about 2tbsp oil in a hot pan, add the paste, and the curry powder, and cook, as it thickens drizzle in 1/3 cup water a bit at a time. Once the water is in, and it's pasty, add your protein (1-1 1/2 lbs of steak, sliced, or raw chicken, cut up, or raw, peeled shrimp or fish, or for lentils about 3 cups cooked). Let that simmer a bit, and then add the tomatoes and yogurt, cook until they are soft. Add the garam masala, and maybe a few more sprigs of cilantro for garnish. I swear, I could make this every night and Thom would *never* get tired of it!!! :) I am going to make a double or triple batch of the paste and throw it in my freezer. Now *that* will be convenience food, eh?

Chili-Rubbed Pork Chops with Black Bean Salad Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

Chili-Rubbed Pork Chops with Black Bean Salad Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

I love Rachel Ray.. she's got some fabulous and quick meals that really rock! Take tonight's example, a really refreshing take on grilled pork chops. A simple chili pepper rub to wake 'em up, and to go with a simple black bean salad topped with grilled avacado (I'd *never* think of that and boy was it tasty!!!) Even on a not-so-nice day like today was (rainy, cool) the dish was simple to make indoors, using my fave cast-iron grill pan. BTW, in my opinion, you simply cannot beat cast iron cookware! (If only it wasn't so darned heavy!!) Bon Appetit!

How Long? How Now?

How busy could I get! Well, I guess about 9 months worth, as that is how long it's been since I've posted. That isn't to say I haven't been cooking (and sharing) some tasty stuff... but I'm hoping to be more regular in posting here!! If you like what you see here, or enjoy the recipes, please forward/pass along/share the link to my blog! :)

Here's a preview of what's to come: Our latest fave, a stir-fry curry that works with just about any protein you can think of, and what's even better, it can be FROZEN!!! :) Also, a great fast dessert that I have had great feedback as well, and lastly, a recipe from a very dear friend who goes back many many years!! So, stay tuned!