Category Archives: recipes

Cajun Corn and Crab Bisque

Posted on by

Cajun Corn and Crab Bisque
Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 large celery stalk, minced
1 pinch Cajun seasoning to taste
1 cup chicken broth
1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels
1 bay leaf
2 cups lowfat 2% milk
16 ounces heavy cream
1 teaspoon liquid shrimp and crab boil seasoning, or substitute 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning and 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
1 lb. fresh lump crabmeat
¼ cup chopped green onions
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
Additional chopped green onions

Method
1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; then gradually whisk in the flour. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, whisking constantly, until a golden roux forms; set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Combine the onion, garlic, and celery and cook 1 minute. Add the Cajun seasoning to taste. Stir in the broth, corn, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then pour in the milk, cream, and liquid crab boil. When the mixture begins to simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer 7 minutes. Stir in the roux, 1 tablespoon at a time, blending thoroughly. Continue to cook, on low heat, whisking until mixture thickens. Stir in crabmeat, green onions, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer 6 to 8 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Source: AllRecipes.com (8 servings)

Sorrel and Potato Soup

Posted on by

We had a lovely Spring batch of Red Veined Sorrel in our herb garden so I made Sorrel soup!

Bowl of Sorrel soup

Sorrel and Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter, or for non dairy use coconut oil
1 cup shallot, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
½ cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock, or vegetable stock
2 lbs. potatoes, diced-Yellow Finns are great in this soup
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
4 cups half & half, or for non dairy use coconut milk
3 cups fresh sorrel, chopped
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt
white pepper
chives

Method
1. In a Dutch oven melt butter. Add shallots to melted butter and sweat shallots until tender, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and stir well for a minute, pour in wine and reduce by half.
2. When mixture has been reduced pour in chicken stock, add potatoes,thyme and half & half.
3. Bring soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat.
4. Add fresh sorrel, puree the soup. Add nutmeg and season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
5. When ready to serve, garnish with fresh chives.

Source: Farmhouse Organics (7 servings | 1.5 cups per serving)

Smoked Sausage And White Bean Soup

Posted on by

Smoked Sausage And White Bean Soup

Ingredients
1 lb. dried navy beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. smoked pork sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups chopped onions
1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
8 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Loaf of crusty bread, for garnish

Method
1. Soak beans in cold water to cover, overnight (8 to12 hours). Drain beans and rinse well.
2. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and saute for 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned. Remove the sausage from the skillet and reserve. Add the onions and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, an additional minute.
3. Add the browned sausage back to the stockpot. Stir in the beans, bay leaves, and thyme. Add the chicken stock, water, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Skim off any fat, as necessary, if desired. (The cook time may vary depending on the beans, but they should be tender and falling apart when finished.)
4. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, if needed. Using a potato masher or the flat side of a spoon, gently mash the beans against the bottom and sides of the stockpot, leaving some of the beans whole and some mashed. Continue to simmer the soup for 30 minutes, uncovered, or until desired consistency.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve hot, with crusty bread slices.

Prep
• Prep: 15 Minutes
• Inactive: 8 Hours
• Cook: 3 Hours 10 Minutes

Source: FoodNetwork.com, Emeril (16 servings | approx 1 cup per serving)

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Posted on by

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

This baby spinach salad is dressed in raspberry vinaigrette and tossed with fresh strawberries, almonds and creamy goat cheese. What could be more simple and delightful?

Ingredients

½ shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ lb. baby spinach
1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced
⅓ cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Method
1. In a large bowl, whisk together shallot and vinegar. While whisking constantly, drizzle in oil to make a vinaigrette. Add spinach, strawberries, almonds and goat cheese and gently toss to combine.
2. Serve immediately.

Source: WholeFoodsMarket.com (4 servings)

Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce

Posted on by

Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless pork chops, about 3/4-inch thick
⅓ cup chicken broth
½ cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup chopped green onion
¼ cup sliced red bell pepper
¼ cup coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method
1. On a plate, combine the flour, cumin, cayenne pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir to distribute the spices. Coat the pork chops with the flour mixture, and shake off any excess.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the pork chops in the hot skillet, and fry for about 4 minutes per side, until cooked through.
3. While the pork chops cook, stir together the chicken broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, honey, ginger and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Remove the pork chops to a serving platter, and keep warm.
4. Pour the peanut sauce into the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Pour peanut sauce over the chops, and garnish with green onion, bell pepper, peanuts and cilantro.

Prep
• Prep: 7 Minutes
• Cook: 10 Minutes
• Total Time: 17 Minutes

Source: AllRecipes.com (4 servings)

Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Salad

Posted on by

Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

5 medium plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
¼ red onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1 Kirby cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
A generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
2 splashes red wine vinegar
Coarse salt and black pepper

Method
1. Dress the tomatoes, onions, and cucumber with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.
2. Let stand while you prepare dinner, about 20 minutes. Re-toss and serve salad with crusty bread for mopping up juices and oil.
Prep
• Total Time: 5 Minutes

Source: FoodNetwork.com, Rachel Ray (4 servings)

Baked Sockeye Salmon with Bell Peppers and Capers

Posted on by

Baked Sockeye Salmon with Bell Peppers and Capers

Fresh wild salmon, including the late-season ones from Alaska, would be the best choice for this preparation. What to do when the season ends? Well, there are always available steelhead trout and Arctic char and, of course, farmed Atlantic salmon.

Ingredients
2 medium red bell peppers
1 medium yellow bell pepper
2 lbs. wild sockeye salmon, preferably cut as a long fillet, not steaks
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed in cold water if packed in vinegar OR if packed in salt, rinsed, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, then rinsed again; if their size is much larger than nonpareils, cut them up a little bit
4 cloves garlic, peeled
Fine sea salt
Black pepper ground fresh from the mill

Method
1. Char the peppers, skin them, split them, and remove their core and seeds. Cut them into strips less than an inch wide and 1 1/2 -inch long. You can prepare the peppers early the same day that you are making the fish for dinner.
2. Turn on the oven to 375°.
3. Wash the fish in cold water and pat it dry with paper towels.
4. Coat a baking dish with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Lay the salmon down in the pan, skin side facing down if you have long fillets. Distribute all around the salmon the peppers, capers, and the whole peeled garlic cloves. Sprinkle with a liberal quantity of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the remaining olive oil over the fish. Put the dish in the preheated oven and cook for 16 minutes. Let it settle for a few minutes before serving.

Source: Epicurious.com (4 servings)

Buttermilk Cake with Blackberries

Posted on by

Yum! Karl helped me make this for dessert tonight!

Buttermilk Cake with Blackberries

Buttermilk Cake with Blackberries
Light and moist, with an irresistible crispy top, this blackberry-studded buttermilk cake takes just 20 minutes to prep.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups blackberries, plus more for serving
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Butter a 9-inch-round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat the butter with the 2/3 cup of sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. At low speed, beat in the buttermilk and dry ingredients in 3 alternating batches, ending with the dry ingredients; do not overbeat. Gently fold the batter just until blended, then scrape into the pan and smooth the top.
3. Scatter the 1 1/4 cups of blackberries over the batter; lightly press them in. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar over the cake. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Transfer the cake to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Turn out the cake and remove the paper. Turn the cake right side up and let cool completely. Serve with whipped cream and more blackberries.

Prep
• Active: 20 Minutes
• Total Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Source: FoodAndWine.com (8 servings | makes one 9-inch cake)

Barramundi and Lemon Butter

Posted on by

Michael did a great job cooking dinner tonight since my shoulder is still down and out. As if the past week wasn’t bad enough with a seroma (fluid sac) showing up under my scar, I fell on my shoulder yesterday!

Barramundi and Lemon Butter
Ingredients

24 ounces Barramundi fillets, approximately 4
2 teaspoons olive oil, or canola oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or bottled lemon juice
5 leaves fresh basil, minced, or 3/4 teaspoon dried
Salt to taste

Method
1. Gently saute the garlic in butter for about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in lemon juice and basil.
3. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat.
4. Coat fillets with olive or canola oil.
5. Pan fry one side on high heat for 3 minutes. Flip and cook other side 1-2 more minutes or until fish is cooked through.
6. Transfer to serving dish. Spoon sauce over fillets.
7. To plate, serve on a bed of mashed potatoes or greens, and add chopped fresh tomatoes for color.

Prep
• Prep: 10 Minutes
• Cook: 10 Minutes

(4 servings)

Baked Rigatoni with Beef

Posted on by

Baked Rigatoni with Beef

Rigatoni is a great family weeknight meal. Slightly undercook the pasta for this classic hamburger casserole because it cooks again in the oven.

Ingredients
4 cups your favorite pasta sauce, or Tomato Sauce recipe
1 lb. 90% lean ground beef, or ground round
2 ½ cups uncooked rigatoni
1 ½ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
¼ cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Method
1. Prepare Tomato Sauce recipe or use your favorite pasta sauce.
2. Preheat oven to 350°.
3. Cook beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned; stir to crumble. Drain well. Combine beef, rigatoni, Tomato Sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with 1/2 cup mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Source: adapted from MyRecipes.com (8 servings | 1 cup per serving)