Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Darlin...I love you Breakfast !

Convection Oven  Baking time 25 minutes
Preparation time 10 minutes
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Serves 2-4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
·                  Parchment paper lined Baking dish, I use the one that came with the Convection Oven
·                  One mixing bowl, medium
·                  One small bowl
·                  Measuring spoons
·                  Small sauce pan, fill with water to 2 inches from the top
·                  Wooden or bamboo mixing spoon
·                  Wire Whisk
·                  Metal spatula for serving

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.               ½ Sweet Onion, diced into 1 to ½ inch pieces
2.               6 small red potatoes, diced into ½ inch pieces
3.               1 each small orange and yellow Sweet Bell Pepper, diced into 1 to ½ inch pieces
4.               1 Package Applegate Turkey Bacon, slice into 2 inch pieces
5.               2 Tablespoons per portion of Pecorino cheese, grated for garnish
6.               1 Tablespoon, Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar
7.               4 Large Eggs, carefully cracked into a small bowl
8.               1 teaspoon each of thyme, dill, paprika, white pepper
9.               1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Begin by starting your oven to preheat at 425 degrees.

Place into your medium bowl the sweet onion, red potatoes and orange and yellow sweet bell peppers together and mix well with mixing spoon. Add herbs and extra virgin olive oil and mix very well coating all together. Tip onto parchment lined baking dish, spreading evenly from edge to edge. Place the turkey bacon pieces covering it all, it should make a nice single layer over the entire pan.

Place in preheated 425 degree oven and set timer for 25 minutes.

Take your Pecorino cheese and using the small size on your grater so you have enough for each person and set aside.



Crack the eggs carefully into the small bowl.



Now take the small pan with water and add the vinegar and turn on to high heat. When it comes to a rolling boil use your whisk to stir the hot water into a whirlpool. Remove your whisk and as the bubbles and hot water continue to swirl pour in the eggs from the bowl and set your timer to 4 minutes and turn the heat immediately lower to medium heat.






Check your oven, the turkey bacon should be crispy on one side and if you take a fork and pierce a piece of red potato, it should be tender yet firm.



I use a wide metal spatula to lift from the just ready piping hot oven veggies and turkey bacon into bowls. Sprinkle generously with the cheese.

When the eggs are done, lift one egg out at a time with the wire whisk, holding it over the pan to drain all the remaining cooking water from the egg. Place so it is on top of the veggies. Do this with each egg.


Pinch of thyme, dill, white pepper and paprika.

~ ~ ~ ~ Good start to a beautiful day....Darlin! ~ ~ ~ ~


Saturday, May 14, 2011

...excite your taste buds...

So many excellent cooks have contributed to this tasty dish. Thank you Kate and Mac!! The size of asparagus varies by season and location. This works well with green and white ones and you cannot miss the flavor this brings out from these delicate spears.


1 Hand full bunch of asparagus, thin or thick, your preference


This part can be any combination of your choice and degree of flavor as it is very flexible.


Extra virgin olive oil
Himalayan Pink Salt
White pepper, course ground
juice of one Lemon
Garlic powder, course chop fresh or pressed
Mix and brush on asparagus. Set aside for 10 min or longer is fine.




These look very large, but I am using my counter top convection oven for just the two of us. I always parchment line the pan my oven came with as it easily can be tossed when done and reduces cleanup. Some BBQ at this point, but with all the fire restrictions with this drought in Texas I am using this method. If you are lucky, BBQ them by all means!!


Set in a preheated broil setting for about 5 minutes, rolling them after 2. If thick ones are used you may have to add up to 2 minutes. I noticed in my oven and these thick ones I added the 2 minutes and still had a nice crisp outside and delicious inside.


We served this with basmati rice and small chicken in garlic pan fried.


Cut up three pieces of thigh boneless, skinless chicken. Drench with remaining asparagus marinade. Heat skillet set on medium high with a little olive oil. When hot, toss in chicken, allow to brown a bit before turning. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes depending upon your heat and allow for browning.
Serve hot, to do this start with the rice and when that is done then do the chicken and lastly the asparagus. Spring treat for the hungry two of you.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Bison 30 Minute Meal

Stove Top Cooking time 30 minutes
Preparation time 10 minutes
Serves 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
·                  Cast Iron Skillet
·                  Two small pans with lids
·                  1/3 Cup dry measurer
·                  Wooden or bamboo cooking spatula



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.                2/3 Cup Organic White Rice, Long Grain
2.                1-1/3 Cup Water, to cook rice in
3.                2 Tablespoons Better Than Bullion Mushroom Base
4.                1 block, Ground Bison, 1 Pound
5.                2 teaspoons each of Thyme, Nutmeg, Coriander, Cumin
6.                1/3 Cup water
7.                2 Cups Organic Mixed Vegetables, frozen

It quick, easy… and did I mention that it’s quick.

Measure rice and water into pan without lid on stove, on high heat to come to a boil.



When it comes to a boil, turn to lowest heat and place lid on pan only after the boil subsides to almost no bubbles. Place lid on rice pan and set timer to 30 minutes. Meanwhile…


In cast iron skillet, set heat to medium high. 


Place the mushroom base in pan to melt. Place bison in pan and break up with bamboo cooking spatula. 



Cook while breaking up bison into small pieces. 



When pink is only 50%, add herbs 




and continue cooking till bison is no longer pink, turn off heat.



 If using cast iron skillet the remaining heat in the pan will keep the meat warm. 



Bison doesn’t take as long to cook as beef, so watch for over cooking. Meanwhile…



In small pan, place about 1/3 cup of water to boil. Place frozen vegetables in pan and reduce heat to low.


 Place lid on pan. This should only cook for 5 minutes. When done, turn off heat, only a little liquid should remain, do not drain and return lid to pan.  Meanwhile…



Set the table, ice in water glasses, cheerful placemats, pleasant napkins, every day utensils and a nice candle or flower on the table. It is all about presentation, no matter what your occasion or simple meal, no matter if it is just for yourself or family.  Respect the fact you took care and time to feed a healthy meal. Breath in the aroma of the ingredients filling your home. Be aware of your senses. Check to see if you are calm or excited about the meal, guests or ready to listen to what your family did that day. Plan uplifting those on the dinner table with good news, good thoughts and be happy you are all together…thankfulness.


DING! Timer goes off, turn off all the heat elements on stove. Place rice in bowls, ladle bison in center of rice, place vegetables and any remaining liquid along outside of rice. 



Garnish with chili pepper sauce or leave plain.  Begin a little bit of joyful time nourishing your body…you deserve it! <3 <3 <3


Sunday, April 17, 2011

Ratatouille

Oven temperature 350
Baking time 30 minutes
Preparation time 30 minutes
Serves 6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  • sharp knife
  • cast iron dutch oven
  • Hint: Use small vegetables as the flavor will be better. If you do use the medium or large vegetables it will double the amount that I used here and you will need to add 15-20 minutes to the cooking time...and quite possibly need a second pot to cook it all in!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  2. 1 Sweet Onion, diced
  3. 2 Cans drained, diced organic tomatoes
  4. 1 each red, yellow and orange sweet bell pepper, sliced 1/4" thin
  5. 1 eggplant, sliced 1/4" thin (you may easily replace with a turnip, sliced 1/4" thin, works equally well)
  6. 1 zucchini, sliced 1/4" thin
  7. 1 yellow squash, sliced 1/4" thin
  8. 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  9. 1/2 teaspoon each of dill, thyme, parsley and crushed rosemary
  10. Sea Salt
  11. Black or white pepper

It is more about assembly, the beauty of alternating rounds of each of the vegetables.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in dutch oven pan. 

Toss tomatoes and garlic together and place in bottom.

Place the diced sweet onion next, spreading evenly on top.

Start placing alternate remaining vegetable rounds on top.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil, herbs, salt and pepper all over and between groups of the vegetables. Sprinkle a little more over all the tops.

I like to group and bunch up some of the vegetables for the donut hole center of the ring of vegetables.

Place lid on dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve along with your choice rice, potatoes and savory meat.

We like it served on garlic mashed potatoes and some grilled Texas Mesquite sausage.


Saturday, April 16, 2011

Texas NASCAR RACE Dinner in less than 30 minutes

  • Cast Iron Dutch Oven
  • Large Ceramic Bowl
  • Pasta Pot
  • Small Bowl
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  1. 1 cauliflower, trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces
  2. 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange bell pepper, trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces
  3. ½ large sweet onion, trimmed, chopped into ½ inch pieces
  4. 1 large lemon, seeded, squeezed, should yield about ¼ cup juice or more
  5. ½ teaspoon each dill and thyme
  6. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  7. 2 cups orzo
  8. 1 skinless chicken breast, sliced against the grain, then diced into 1 inch pieces
  9. 1 cup diced ripe tomatoes, roma or heirloom is nice, canned works too!
  10. 1 cup mushrooms, button is nice or your favorite, sliced
  11. 1 cup olives, black, rinsed and drained
  12. 1 cup cheese, pecorino Romano, grated on small grate
  13. Extra virgin olive oil
  14. Unsalted butter



You will need two pans, large stock pan for pasta, cast iron dutch oven and lid and a large and a medium size ceramic bowls for mixing during prep.

In large bowl, toss in cauliflower, bell peppers, sweet onion. Drizzle in a little extra virgin olive oil, add dill and thyme, ½ the lemon juice and toss very well and set aside.

In small bowl, toss in diced chicken and ½ the lemon juice, toss very well and set aside.

Start to boil a large pot of water for the pasta on high heat. Meanwhile…

Using another burner, set the dutch oven heat to med to high with a little olive oil, stir fry the cauliflower, bell peppers, sweet onion for 5 min. Final stir add garlic and set lid on pot and turn heat to low. Meanwhile…

Back to the large pasta pot which should be boiling hot and stir in the orzo, cook stirring occasionally for 11 minutes. Meanwhile…

Remove the vegetables from the dutch oven back to the large ceramic bowl and place the lid on the bowl to keep this warm. Meanwhile…

Toss the chicken into the dutch oven and return the heat to medium high. Stir fry for 5 minutes till just turning pink, add the tomatoes, mushroom and olives. Return the lid to the dutch oven pan and set to low. Meanwhile…

Pasta should be done, place in colander to drain but don’t rinse. Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter to the still hot pasta pot. Stir till butter melted and stir in the cheese.

Ladle the pasta into large bowls, align veggies and chicken first and then pasta, garnish with a little more cheese over all. 

♥♥♥