Recipes Discovered – Recipes

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 cups of cooked chicken meat, skin on, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup of chopped red onion or scallion
• 1/2 to a whole apple, cored and chopped
• 5 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp plum preserves, or any sweet berry preserve (or a lesser amount of honey)
• 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare all of the salad ingredients and combine them in a large bowl. Combine the mayonnaise, preserves, and lemon juice in a separate bowl. Taste for proper balance. The dressing should not be too sweet nor too sour. Adjust the ingredients until you have achieved the balance you want. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix the dressing in with the salad ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves four.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

I used orange marmalade for the preserves.

Recipe courtesy of Simple Recipes.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salad:

• 2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup golden raisins or brown raisins

Directions:

For dressing:
Whisk all ingredients to blend in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

For salad:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roast sweet potatoes 30 to 40 minutes until they are just tender. Alternatively, steam sweet potatoes in batches until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer sweet potatoes to large bowl. Cool to room temperature. Add green onions, red pepper, pecans, and raisins. Pour dressing over; toss gently to blend. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.

Serves 4.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Recipe courtesy of epicurious.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• Flour, for coating
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 8-ounce log plain goat cheese, well-chilled
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 heart romaine, chopped
• 2 cups beet greens, coarsely chopped or baby arugula

Directions:

Set up three dishes on the counter: Fill the first with flour, the second with the egg and the third with a combination of the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, lemon zest, parsley and sesame seeds.

Slice the goat cheese into four equal-sized sections then slice each of those sections into four discs, giving you 16 pieces total. Coat each piece in flour, then in egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture. Once they’re all coated, set them aside while your pan heats up.

Place a nonstick skillet over medium heat with about 2 tablespoons of the oil. Once the oil is hot, place the coated discs of goat cheese into the pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side (be very careful when you’re turning them over so that you don’t puncture the breading or all of your cheese will spill out). Remove the discs from the pan onto a paper towel-lined plate and let them drain while you make your salad.

In the bottom of a large salad bowl, combine the lemon juice with the Dijon mustard and whisk in 3 tablespoons oil. Season the dressing with salt and ground black pepper. Add the greens to the bowl and give everything a good toss. Top the salad with the fried goat cheese and serve.

Serves 4.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Excellent served with Sweet Red Drunken Pasta.

Placing the cheese in the freezer for half hour or an hour makes it a lot easier to slice evenly. Also, the cheese can be coated and placed in the freezer until you are ready for them.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 10 large ears corn, husked
• 8 vine-ripened tomatoes, about 1 pound total
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup diced red onion, diced
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more to taste
• 1/2 to 1 cup julienne fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Grill Instructions:

Brush the corn liberally with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Grill, turning every few minutes, until light gold all over and cooked, about 12 minutes. Let cool and cut off the kernels. Discard the cobs. Core the tomatoes and cut a small X on the bottom of each. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on the grill, X side down, away from direct heat. Cover the grill and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften but are not cooked all the way through (or they will melt through the grate!), about 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel.  Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze out the juice. Chop the flesh and place in a bowl with the corn kernels.

Put the onions in the non-reactive medium bowl and toss with the vinegar. Let marinate until the color changes, about 10 minutes.

Add onions and basil to the corn and tomatoes. Toss well. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper.

Roasting Instructions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the corn liberally with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Core the tomatoes and cut a small X on the bottom of each. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Place corn and tomatoes (X side down) on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool enough to handle. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then cut the corn kernels from the cobs and remove the peel from the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze out the juice. Chop the flesh and place in a bowl with the corn kernels.

Put the onions in the non-reactive medium bowl and toss with the vinegar. Let marinate until the color changes, about 10 minutes.

Add onions and basil to the corn and tomatoes. Toss well. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper.

Serve on it’s own, as a topping for tacos, or with tortilla chips. This is best eaten the same day but will keep, covered and refrigerated, a day or so.

Serves 8.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Recipe adapted from Michael Chiarello.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 head napa or savoy cabbage, shredded
• 4 carrots, shredded
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine the cabbage, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the mustard, sugar, mayonnaise, and lemon juice until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss well to coat. Taste again for seasoning. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Great served along with Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 chicken bullion cube
• 6 sun-dried tomato halves, chopped
• 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn, thawed if frozen
• 1 small red pepper, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat a saucepan over medium heat, and add the shallot. Saute for 1 minute before adding the bulgur, water, chicken bullion, and sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a boil, and then cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat and add black beans, corn, and peppers. Season with cumin, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, and adjust seasonings to taste. Can be serves warm or at room temperature.

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

My own concoction.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole peeled hazelnuts
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided (eyeball it)
• 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 4 large cups baby spinach, arugula or a different green of your choice
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumble

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and put them in the oven to toast them up, about 10-12 minutes — your nose will know when they are done. Remove them from the oven and cool. Run your knife through them once, chopping them coarsely.
While the nuts are toasting up, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onions, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar and a big splash of water. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan and cook for about 1 minute.

Remove the onions from the skillet and transfer to a bowl. Add remaining vinegar and mustard to the bowl and whisk in remaining oil in a slow steady steam.

In a salad bowl, combine tomatoes, greens, cooled hazelnuts, and the blue cheese crumble. Pour the caramelized onion dressing over

Serves 2.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Serve this salad along with Cognac-Sauces Pepper Steaks and, for dessert, Chocolate Mousse.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 3 ounces Cashel Blue cheese
• 2 – 3 tablespoons light cream
• 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• 6 ripe pears
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 10 cups mixed salad greens
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Walnut halves, to garnish
• Juice and zest from 1 lemon
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Mash the cream cheese and Cashel Blue cheese together in a mixing bowl with a pinch of black pepper, then blend in the cream to make a smooth mixture. Add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and mix to distribute evenly. Cover and chill until required. Peel and halve the pears and scoop out the core. Put them in a bowl of water with 1 tablespoons lemon juice to prevent them from browning. To make the dressing, whisk the juice and zest from 1 lemon with sugar and olive oil and season to taste.

Arrange a bed of salad greens on 6 plates. Add a tomato to each and sprinkle over the remaining walnuts. Drain the pears well and pat dry. Turn the pears in the prepared salad dressing and arrange, hallow side up, on the salad greens. Divide Cashel blue mixture between the 6 halved pears, and spoon the dressing over top. Garnish each pear with a walnut half before serving.

Serves 6.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

I substituted Maytag Blue Cheese for the Cashel Blue, which I defeats the purpose of the recipe, but I couldn’t find Cashel Blue.

Recipe courtesy of Irish Food & Cooking.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound triple-washed spinach, de-stemmed
• 1 small Golden Delicious apple, quartered, cored, and sliced
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Coarse salt and black pepper

Directions:

Place spinach, apple, and onion in a salad bowl. Place oil, vinegar, mustard and honey in a small plastic container and fit lid on container. Shake dressing to combine, 1 minute. Pour dressing over salad, toss, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serves 4.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

I cut down the olive oil to about 2 tablespoons. Excellent served with Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces baby spinach, rinsed and drained
• 1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced or quartered
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries. Sprinkle the almonds on top.

To make the dressing, combine the sugar, vinegar, and paprika in a blender and blend for 30 seconds. With the blender still blending, slowly stream in the oil. Continue to blend for 1 minute. Pour the mixture into a small bowl and then stir in the sesame seeds and poppy seeds.

Serves 4-6 people.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

My own concoction.