Memphis Style Coleslaw

1 cup Duke's mayonnaise
2 Tbsp stone ground mustard

2 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp finely grated onion or 1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tsp celery seeds
16 oz of shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix

Mix all ingredients except cabbage in a large bowl until well combined. Add cabbage and toss to coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to over night. Toss again before serving to redistribute dressing.

My favorite potato salad

A dilly, not sweet, mustard potato salad that I could eat everyday. If you like a more firm potato bite, use yellow potatoes as the russet makes more of a very chunky mashed potato (which is how I like it)

3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size cubes. Cover with water and boil for 10 min or until fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
Mix in a large bowl:
3-6 hard boiled eggs, chopped.
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4-1/2 cup dill relish
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
Add cooled potatoes and Dressing, mix well. Refrigerate overnight if possible for best flavor.

Dressing:
1 cup Duke's mayonnaise (Duke's is a must or it will probably have added sugar)
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup stone ground mustard
2 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp celery seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Homemade, not so instant Ramen

I have had a slight obsession with ramen lately. I love it, but don't really want the instant kind. Besides, when you make it yourself it goes from junk food to a nutritious meal.
So I have been on a quest to make my own with limited resources (I live in Mississippi and it is hard to find ingredients). I also wanted it to be relatively quick. I am fine making noodles for lunch, but I am not going to spend all day making the soup. If I have homemade stock on hand it is preferred, but readymade is also fine here. So this is what I have come up with. Pretty quick and easy, but takes a little practice. I can whip this up in half and hour. My family loves it, especially my husband. In our house, some like spicy and some don't, so I wait and let people put their own siracha in, but if your family all likes it, feel free to add the siracha to the broth before simmering. You can also play with toppings to your hearts content. This recipe makes enough for my husband, me, and my two kids who don't eat much.

Noodles:
3/4 cup bread flour
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp water

Combine dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and beat the egg and water inside. Then slowly combine the ingredients together. The dough is pretty dry. Once the dough is somewhat combined, dump it onto your clean counter and start kneading. The dough is ready when your hands become fairly clean and the dough does not stick much anymore.

I have a pasta maker, and run the dough through in about 4 batches to make spaghetti. Set aside.

Broth:
1 tbsp oil, sesame is preferred
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
4 cups chicken stock or broth
Soy sauce to taste
4 soft to medium boiled eggs, halved
green onion and shredded carrot for garnish
Siracha to taste

In a dutch oven, cook garlic and ginger for about 1 minute, add chicken stock and soy sauce, simmer until ready to use.

Bring to boil 2 quarts water and 1 tbsp baking soda. The baking soda makes the noodles chewier. Don't let the water evaporate too much or you will have too much baking soda in and you will get a bitter aftertaste. (If you are scared of the baking soda, skip it, your noodles won't be as rameny, but that is fine.) Boil the noodles for 4 minutes or until done.

Divide noodles between 4 bowls and top with broth mixture. Add eggs, green onion and carrot. Add siracha if desired.

Summer spaghetti with quick lemon ricotta

The recipe comes together in a snap and can easily use produce from the garden if available. This was my first attempt to make my own ricotta and I was astonished how easy and delicious it was! The
lemon in the ricotta was a little too grown up for my 5 year olds, but my husband and I loved it and let the kids just sprinkle parmesan on instead. Feel free to leave out the lemon rind if that suits your family better.

Ingredients

• 
  2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 small yellow squash, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup small fresh mint leaves

Preparation

1. 1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a microwave-safe 1-quart liquid measuring cup; microwave at HIGH for 4 minutes. Stir to form small curds. Strain through a sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth; let stand for 5 minutes. Discard liquid. Scrape cheese mixture into a small bowl; stir in rind and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
2. 2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat, and drain. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add squash and zucchini to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, tomatoes, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Add broth and pasta to pan, and cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, tossing to combine. Place 2 cups pasta mixture in each of 4 shallow bowls; sprinkle each serving evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese mixture and 1 tablespoon mint. Serve immediately.

100% whole wheat bakery style sandwich bread

I have been questing for a really good and super easy 100% whole wheat bread for about a

year now. I have finally found it! I have experimented with lots of stuff including recipes that include soaking, lots of time, and a variety of flours, but in the end the best recipe is often the simplest. This has the least ingredients of any recipe I have tried and requires little time commitment. It is vegan with no added oil too, but I think that is what makes it work. The best part is that it reminds of the whole wheat sandwich bread I would buy at a bakery, dense with an excellent crumb. It won't fall apart when you put your turkey and veggies on it. This recipe works best in a large loaf pan (1.5 lb). Enjoy!

1 1/2 Tbl. instant yeast

2 c. warm water

1/3 c. honey

3 - 5 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. any add-ins (oats, sunflower seeds, 

       ground flax seeds, etc.) I use instant oats

Combine yeast, water and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer; let sit for 5 minutes or until frothy and bubbly.  Add 1 1/2 cups of flour, any add-ins and salt and mix until combined.  Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until you get a soft dough.  The dough should barely pull away from the sides of the bowl and it will still be a little sticky.  Using the dough hook, knead for 4 minutes on low, cover and let rise until doubled, 60-90 min.  Punch down dough (spray hands with cooking spray) and put in a greased loaf pan.  Let rise again until doubled, about 30 min.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove loaf and cool completely.   

*If you use freshly ground wheat flour, you might need to add more like 5- 5 1/2 cups of flour.

Restaurant style Greek flatbread or pita

I have been on a quest to find a really great flatbread/pita recipe ever since I moved to the south and found that there are none to be had in the stores. If I want really great pitas I have to pay through the nose for them at the local Greek restaurant and that just ain't gonna happen. I have finally found a recipe to suit my tastes: a little soft, a little chewy, and a little crispy. (I'm not demanding of a pita at all right?!) This is a 2 step process of baking the pitas first and then toasting them when you are ready to eat. These are not pita pockets and will not puff up like a pita pocket. If you are interested in a pita pocket recipe click here. Next batch will be much bigger because these were gobbled up by my family very quickly! These are terrific plain, with hummus, or wrapped around a chicken souvlaki.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1/2 cup of warm water
• 4 cups of bread flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preparation:

Dissolve in the yeast and honey in 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Dissolve salt in the remaining 1 cup of warm water.

In a large mixing bowl, add flour and make a well in the center. Add yeast mixure and salt water. Knead with hands for 10 minutes in the bowl. Add olive oil and continue to knead until all oil is absorbed. OR, in your electric mixer combine flour, yeast mixture and salt water, Mix for 5 minutes or low to medium speed. 

Shape into a ball in the bowl, cover, and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes more.

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), and lightly oil baking sheets.

Take pieces of dough slightly larger than an egg and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3/8 to 1/4 inch. (For larger or smaller pita bread pieces, take more or less dough). Prick the bread with a fork in several places.

Place on baking sheets and bake at 350°F (175°C) on the lowest oven rack for 2-3 minutes, then turn the pitas over and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a tray covered with a clean dishtowel, with another clean towel on top. When thoroughly cooled, pitas can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or frozen.

Before using, brown in a lightly oiled frying pan for a few minutes until browned on both sides.

Mediterranean Summer Squash

This is a perfect summer recipe to use with ingredients fresh from the garden.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano or 1/2 Tbsp fresh oregano
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the squash, zucchini and garlic; saute 6-8 minutes longer or until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients; heat through.

Cheesy Penne with Broccoli

• This recipe is great for kids. My kids and I like this for a easy and light lunch, my husband needs something extra like a chicken breast.

  

  Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked mini penne pasta
• 5 cups broccoli florets (about 1 medium head)
• 1 1/3 cups fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2.5 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2/3 cup)

Preparation

1. 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add broccoli to pan; drain. Place pasta and broccoli in a large bowl.
2. 2. Combine milk and flour in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened; remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add cheese mixture to pasta mixture; toss. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Ethiopian Cabbage and Potatoes

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup olive oil
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the carrots and onion in the hot oil about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and cabbage and cook another 15 to 20 minutes. Add the potatoes; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.

Cranberry Relish so easy my 4 year old made it

This is a great recipe for anyone who loves cranberry relish but doesn't like all the sugar. My father-in-law is diabetic and has difficulty with regular cranberry sauce so this is a great alternative. The best part is that you just make it in the blender and Viola! Cranberry Relish! Apart from coring and seeding, my 4 year old daughter really did make this. FYI: the picture is chunkier than I prefer, but do whatever suits your family.

Ingredients:
1 bag of fresh cranberries
1 apple, washed and cored (peel on)
1 orange, rind on, seeds removed
1/4 cup agave or honey. More to taste if desired.

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree. If your blender isn't very big, start out with two batches to grind up the big chunks then combined to finish the puree.

Creamy and Light Macaroni and Cheese

I adore this recipe. It is not super fast, but it is a great make ahead dish for a busy weeknight. I also love that this recipe uses butternut squash for texture and color, a perfect fall meal and a great way to sneak veggies into any diet. This recipe does use a few very pungent cheeses which allows the cheesy flavor to come through without using a ton of it. The best part of all, my 2 year olds loved it as well and Mom and Dad! Serve as a side or with green salad to complete the meal.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash)
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1 pound uncooked cavatappi
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
• 2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
• 3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.
• 4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• 5. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.
• 6. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

River Tacos



The pictures is not of actual river tacos,
but it gives you the idea of the shape

 My cousin Emily made these for a family get together yesterday and they were awesome! She made enough for 24 and our group of 15 devoured them all. They are meatless and you can prepare most of it the day before so it is a snap for feeding a big crowd. The "taco cone" also makes these great if your group is on the go. The best part is that they are extremely filling!

Serves 6


1 can kidney beans
1/2 can black olives sliced
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
10 oz sour cream
10 oz salsa
2 diced tomatoes
1 diced avocado
diced green onion to taste

Mix all together.
Add broken corn tortilla chips just before serving (or they go soggy).
Serve in flour tortilla cones, made with 1/2 a burrito shell.
(When I make large amounts I like to mix in black and red beans not just pinto)

Greek Salad

Since the weather is finally getting warmer, I had a serious desire for a taste of summer and made this for dinner. I love this salad and since it has no lettuce it lasts forever in the fridge (though it doesn't need to because it is so good). I used grape tomatoes to cut down on the chopping and simply diced the cucumber and onions to make it easy. Next time I am going to double this so I can have more leftovers. I also love kalamata olives because they are fairly mild. If you want to use black olives instead, feel free but it won't be as authentic.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic—minced

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and extra for garnish

3 tomatoes—cut into wedges

¼ red onion—sliced into rings

½ cucumber—sliced into thick half-moons

½ green pepper (capsicum)—chopped

4 oz (120g) feta cheese—cut into small cubes

16 kalamata olives

PLACE the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a small jar with a screw-top lid and shake to combine. PLACE the salad ingredients in a large bowl. POUR the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine just before serving. GARNISH the Greek salad with a little freshly ground black pepper.

Christmas Dinner 2010: Rack of Lamb, Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes, and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

These recipes were the highlights from our Christmas dinner. These are all new recipes I tried for the first time and LOVED! This menu could also be used for Easter with the addition of a few spring vegetables. For dessert we had Russian Cream.

This first recipe was from the Today Show. I modified it a bit because my family likes their meat a little more on the well done side so I roasted the racks for 5 extra minutes then after cutting the racks seared each piece for 1 minute on each side in a cast iron skillet. Everyone loved it!

Rack of Lamb with Pimenton, Garlic and Olive Oil

Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 1 rack of lamb (about 2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (pimentón)
• 1 medium slice rye bread, broken into pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 450° F. Trim the lamb of excess fat, but leave a layer of fat over the meat. Cut about halfway down the bones between the chops; this allows the meat between them to become crisp.

2. Put the oil, garlic, paprika and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a food processor and purée; add the bread and pulse a few times to make rough crumbs. Rub this mixture over the meat side of the rack and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Put it in a roasting pan and put in the oven; roast for 18 to 20 minutes and insert an instant-read meat thermometer straight in from one end into the meatiest part. If it reads 125° F or more, remove the lamb immediately. If it reads less, put the lamb back for 5 minutes, no more. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve, separating the ribs by cutting down straight through them.

Tips

Always trim the excess fat and roast at extremely high heat.

If you get really good quality lamb, all you really need for flavoring is salt and pepper.

If you've only eaten rack of lamb in restaurants, you've probably been served a whole rack, six to eight ribs, but I find even a small rack will serve three or four people if you have sides to go with it.

If you're entertaining and cooking for more — cook two racks at a time; they will fit side by side in most roasting pans. (I cut each rack in half before roasting, which makes for slightly more uniform cooking and relieves the busy host from having to separate the individual servings at the last minute.)

I cut most of the way down between the ribs so that more meat is exposed to intense heat and therefore becomes crisp. (Frenching the ribs, or scraping the meat off the bones to make them look neater, is counterproductive; the crisp meat on the bones is one of the joys of rack of lamb).

Serving Size

Makes: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes

This recipe was from a local news cast that we changed a bit. The original recipe called for garlic and herb goat cheese but I used plain and thought that the garlic and herb cheese would have been too much for the recipe to handle. This complimented the lamb very nicely. 

Garlic Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

• 10 Yukon Gold or 5 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1½ cups sour cream
• 1 cup milk or cream
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 (3 ½ oz.) package of goat cheese
• Salt and Pepper, generous portion (1 1/2 tsp of salt and 3/4 tsp pepper)

In a large pot, cover the potatoes with cold water, add salt and boil until soft. Drain and place the potatoes back in the same pot. Add the next 6 ingredients (reserving 1/2 the milk or cream). Mix together with a hand mixer for 5 minutes or until it becomes a creamy texture and there are no lumps (or a hand masher). Add the remaining milk or cream while mixing. (Note: Add additional milk or cream, if needed to help puree.) Add the butter and cheese. Mix through until melted. Taste; add additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately.

These mushrooms were served as one of the appetizers. I loved them because instead of wasting the stems they are incorporated into the dish making it meatless. They don't taste as healthy as they are and were a big hit. I wish I would have made more because they went quick!

Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

• 24 Servings
• Prep: 25 min. Bake: 15 min.

Ingredients

• 24 medium fresh mushrooms
• Butter-flavored cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons chopped shallot
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine or Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Remove stems from mushrooms and finely chop. Place caps on a foil-lined baking sheet; spritz with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a small skillet, saute the shallots and chopped mushrooms in oil until tender. Stir in wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, milk, parsley, tarragon, salt and pepper. Spoon into reserved mushroom caps. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and spritz with cooking spray.
• Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and cheese is melted. Yield: 2 dozen.

Nutrition Facts: 1 stuffed mushroom equals 26 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 54 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein.