January 20th, 2015
My tiny bag of pearled barley is part of my decor….does not fit in any cabinet. Barley has a low glycemic index. It is also the highest in fiber of all the whole grains.
Check this recipe out!! It is a Stolen Recipe…not my own, even though I usually try to make recipes my own…in this particular recipe the lettuce used was not the one suggested. It worked out just fine.
BARLEY WALDORF SALAD
3/4 cup pearled barley
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used non-fat yogurt, instead) Anything to help the battle of the bulge.
3 tablespoons light mayo
1/4 teaspoon of finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest (This was an extra addition, it gave it a better lemony taste.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar (I used Stevia.)
1/4 teaspoon of Sea Salt
1 1/2 cups seedless gred graves, halved (I bought the smaller seedless ones.)
2/3 cup corsely chopped red apple
1/2 cup finely sliced celery
lettuce….Any leaf lettuce will do. The recipe called for 8 leaves of butterhead, Boston or Bibb lettuce. I tore my lettuce leaves.
1/4 cup walnuts and walnut pieces….toasted
In a large saucepan toast pearled barley over medium to low heat for about 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring. Add 4 cups of water. You can also cook it in unsalted chicken broth, like I did. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for about 40 minutes until tender. Drain and rinse. Set aside to let it cool off.
The rest of the ingredients are just an easy assembly.
In a large bowl combine yogurt, mayo, lemmon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Stir in cooked barley, grapes, apple and celery.
Toast the walnuts in a medium heat over the stove, in a frying pan.
To serve, spoon barley mixture over your choice of lettuce. Sprinkle with walnuts and garnish with the shredded lemon peel.
I thought it was great….one of my sons thought it was okay!! You decide.
Have a good one!! Quiet day on Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach.
October 23rd, 2014
I love the title my Mother in Law gave to a family cookbook of recipes: Begged, Borrow, & Stolen. That’s how I feel when I use recipes. The good thing is that I usually change them with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I make the recipes my own.
So, being that it is cooler, rainy, windy…and Fall, I think that the Curried & Apple Soup could be a keeper. Served with a side dish of tostones or fried plantains and Mojito….it is even better. The word Mojito has been around for such a long time. In Puertorican cooking it means a sauce made for dipping certain local delicacies.
Carrots are so healthy and the saying of “an apple a day, keep the doctors away”, is probably so true, as well. Hope you like it.
CURRIED CARROT & APPLE SOUP
2 tablespoons margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, cored and chopped
salt and pepper
1 pound carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
3/4 pounds celery root, chopped (regular celery will do)
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
4 gingersnaps cookies
1/2 tablespoon yellow curry powder (more if you like curry)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon of finely grated fresh ginger
2 thyme sprigs (1/4 tsp. ground thyme will do)
3 cups chicken stock (I used unsalted chicken stock)
1 cup Apple Cider
1/2 cup sour cream (I used non-fat)
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Garnish: Toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped mint, fresh cilantro or cilantro paste, and favorite hot sauce; optional. The pumpkin seeds were toasted on the stove in a frying pan. Make sure they do not burn. So good!!
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add onion, leek, fennel, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook stirring here or there until softened and veggies are browning.
Add carrots, celery, apple, gingersnaps, curry powder, garlic, ginger, and thyme. Cook until the carrots and celery soften somewhat.
Add chicken stock and apple cider. Bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat for about 15 minutes until the veggies are very soft. If using thyme sprigs, remove, otherwise, continue with the next step.
Working in small batches, depending on the size of your blender, puree the soup with the sour cream and vinegar until smooth. What I did was mixed the sour cream with the vinegar and added a tablespoon with each batch. This is a creamy soup so, make sure there are no lumps.
You can reheat the soup and seasoned it with salt and pepper, if necessary. Laddle the soup into bowls and top it with the garnish above mentioned. ENJOY!
I decided that Tostones or Fried Plantains would be great with this soup. A meatless meal, no less! Plantains are a starch. If you let them ripen, then, they are sweet and if green you can make Fried Plantains. For the longest time I used to mashed them with a plate, but now I have my Tostonera from Puerto Rico. The Tostonera and the Pilon are a necessity when cooking Puertorican food. The Pilon is very versatile…use it to mash garlic, make mojito, and other PR dishes.
 
The plantain was peeled, cut, and ready for the next step of frying.
Fry the chunks of plantain in oil until lightly browned. Then, place on the tostonera, or between wax paper.
 
The tostonera is going to make it so much easier to mash. Otherwise, while between the wax paper, mash with a plate. 2 plantains were used on that evening. Finish mashing them and keep on paper towels until the next step.
 
Heat the oil back again and place the mashed plantains in batches once again. They will rise to the surface. Let them get nice and light brown. Take them out and place on paper towels again to drain the oil.
You can serve them on a platter with just butter and garlic salt. Or you can make the mojito by placing in the Pilon or Mortar 1 garlic clove, a pinch of salt. Then with the pestle, crush garlic and salt together. Add a bit of olive oil, a tablespoon or so, a small can of tomato sauce, tabasco and cilantro. Then squeeze half a lime and add it, as well. That’s it.
Note: This recipe is gluten free. Make sure you check the tomato sauce, the chicken stock, and apple cider. Have a good one!!
September 29th, 2014
Tried and true recipes are always found on church cookbooks, school cookbooks, and other organizations. Anyone that likes to cook is a collector of these cookbooks. Having worked on a cookbook myself, it does take time to compile recipes. And, if you forget someone’s favorite recipe, forget it….chaos, and apologies will have to follow.
The Baked Eggplant Casserole recipe that will follow is from the recipe book of The Galleys of Nantucket. This cookbook was published in 1998 and it is now in its 17th edition. I bought Volume II. The Ladies’ Union Circle of The First Congregational Church in Nantucket, MA, are responsible for getting all these wonderful recipes. Many are given by the residents of Nantucket. The ones that don’t have any names are recipes used by the islanders; they just don’t know where the recipes came from.
I was reading the book and it does have great recipes. One, that was so simple, caught my attention and I think is perfect for Meatless Monday; a day of the week when maybe you might just want to leave meat aside. Really, it can be done any day, you know what I mean.
The recipe could be made gluten free by using gluten free barbecue sauce, and bread crumbs. These ingredients are easily found in any grocery store.
BAKED EGGPANT CASSEROLE
1 (1 1/2 lb.) eggplant
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce (your choice)
1 tablespoon instant minced onions
2 large tomatoes ( I used smaller tomatoes, therefore, I needed more than 2.)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
Peel eggplant and dice into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
Cook 10 minutes in boiling, and salted water. Drain.
Mix barbecue sauce and onion together. Let it stand 5 minutes. While waiting, slice the tomatoes.
Fold sauce mixture, eggplant, garlic and parsley. Looks messy, doesn’t it. It is pretty good. You’ll see.
Spoon 1/3 of the mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Top with a layer of half of the tomato slices. Repeat, ending with a layer of eggplant.
Mix butter, bread crumbs and cheese.
Sprinkle over eggplant.
Bake for about 45 minutes and until it browns a bit on top.
Serve and enjoy!!
Note: You can easily double this recipe. It can be used as a main dish with other veggies on the side. The recipe really surprised me. It tasted so good. If you like eggplant, this one is a winner. You might want to double it if you have hearty eaters in your household.
May 21st, 2014
“The table is a meeting place, a gathering ground, the source of sustenance and nourishment, festivity, safety, and satisfaction.” laurie colwin
So, can you believe it? The beginning of summer 2014. The crowds making the summer pilgrimage to the Delaware Beaches. It is a destination. You know you are going to have guests….that’s what happens when you live at the beach. You might as well get ready. Easy summer recipes are the best. Making them ahead of time, let them sit in the refrigerator…that’s even better.
This recipe came from a friend by the name of Mary Jo. It is one of those recipes that you can make it your own immediately. I have changed it through the years. At times I add a little bit of this or a little bit of that. It looks pretty. I love it because it is so refreshing and healthy. And for those who have to eat gluten free, then you will be so happy with it. Here it goes.
CHILI BEAN SALAD
1 15 ounce can kidney beans
1 15 ounce can pinto beans
1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans
1 15 ounce can whole-kernel corn (low sodium)
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies
Note: You can replace the beans with your favorite ones. I love black beans so at times I replace one of the beans and also replace parsley with cilantro. I am telling you….pretty easy.
Dressing: 4 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons leaf oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Drain and rinse the beans and corn.
Put all dressing ingredients in a jar; shake well to mix.
Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large serving bowl. Pour dressing over salad, mix well.
Cover and chill 6 hours or overnight, stirring frequently. How easy is that?
Note: It can easily be doubled.
May 28th, 2013
It should have been meatless Monday, but how could we have done that to Memorial Day? So, instead, meatless Tuesday it is. This recipe uses curry powder. If you are not a fan of curry, you might want to close this post now, or figure out a way to make it your own. I usually do. For example this recipe called for the addition of water, instead I added vegetable broth. It gave it more flavor and color.
The recipe is simple, takes no time to prepare and it is also good for you.
CURRIED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATOES & BASIL
1 cup white Basmati rice
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved (I only had one, and it was just fine,)
1 eggplant (1 lb.), cut into 1/2-inch pieces (Don’t worry about peeling them.)
1 1/2 tsps. curry powder (I used a bit more because I like it.)
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 15 1/2 ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (preferably Greek). It is optional.
Make the rice according to package directions.
While the rice is cooking, heat the oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, eggplant, curry powder, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add 2 cups vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until eggplant is tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
Stir in chickpeas and cook just until heated through, about 3 minutes.
Remove the vegetables from heat and stir in the basil. Fluff the rice with a fork.
Serve the vegetables over rice.
And, it will be totally up to you if you want to garnish it with yogurt. Yogurt and curry…they do go well together.
Enjoy!
Note: To make the recipe gluten free, please make sure to read the labels. Plenty of canned veggies are gluten free, and some companies do use more sodium than others. Same with the broth.
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