Thursday, January 21, 2010

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

You can use Italian pancetta instead of regular bacon.

I've also made this using Italian green beans instead of brussels sprouts.

1 lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped bacon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a baking sheet with Pam.

Cook the sprouts with the teaspoon of salt in boiling water 5-6 min. or until tender. Drain and plunge into ice water (to stop them from cooking more); drain well and put in a bowl.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove the bacon from the pan, reserving the drippings. Combine the drippings and the 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper with the cooked sprouts. Spread the sprouts in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 min. or until browned, stirring once. Combine the roasted sprouts with the vinegar and the cooked bacon , toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature (if you must refrigerate the sprouts, bring them to room temperature before serving).

5 servings

Place the sprouts in one layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Teriyaki Salmon

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
4 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 salmon fillets (about 4 ounces each)

Preheat your broiler.

Combine honey, teriyaki sauce, vinegar, scallions and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.

Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with Pam (do not skip these steps, or the caramelized sauce will make a mess of your baking pan).

Place salmon fillets on prepared baking pan & brush with half of the sauce mixture. Broil 6" from the heating element for about 8 minutes, until top is browned and internal temperature registers 120F on an instant-read thermometer.

Serve drizzled with the remaining sauce.

4 servings

Edamame Lo Mein

You can make this with cooked spaghetti squash instead of real spaghetti.

8 ounces spaghetti
2 cups frozen edamame (shelled soybeans)
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce (reduced sodium is OK)
2 teaspoons sugar or Splenda
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons canola oil
1-1/2 cups coleslaw mix or broccoli slaw mix

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and edamame and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain.

Combine scallions, oyster sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and red pepper in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the veggies and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, 3-4 min. Add the pasta & edamame. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the sauce and stir to combine.

4 servings

Cheesy Leek Bread Pudding

My husband loves bread pudding, and although soft bread often poses a challenge for my lap-band, I can usually manage a few bites of this yummy stuff. Bread pudding is a good choice for brunch because you can make the pudding the day before, refrigerate it, and bake it the next day.

1 cups of 1/2"-thick slices of white & light green parts of clean leeks (rinse well to get rid of the
dirt that gets trapped inbetween the leaves)
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups 1" cubes of bread (I like to use cheese bread from Wal-Mart)
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/2 cup egg beaters
1-1/2 cups milk (I use skim milk)
1-1/2 cups half & half (I use fat free)
pinch of ground nutmeg (optional if you don't like nutmeg, but the finished dish won't taste of nutmeg - it just heightens the flavor of the other ingredients)
1 cup shredded cheese (I use 2% cheddar, but Swiss cheese is also good)

Put the drained but damp leeks in a medium skillet over medium-high heat,sprinkle with salt, and cook until the leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in butter. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F. While the leeks are cooking, spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until dry and golden, 15-20 min., stirring the cubes halfway through. Transfer the cubes to a large bowl. Leave the oven on if you're going to bake the pudding today.

Add leeks, scallions and thyme to the bowl of bread, toss well.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, half & half, sprinkles of salt and pepper, and the nutmeg.

Spray a casserole dish with Pam. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese in the bottom of the casserole. Spread half of the bread mixture on top, then sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Spread the rest of the bread in the dish, sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Pour in just enough of the milk mixture to cover the bread and gently press on the bread so that the milk soaks in. Let rest 15 minutes.

Add the rest of the milk mixture (it's OK if the top of the bread shows through). Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake until the pudding is set and the top is brown and bubbling, about 1 hour. Serve hot.

6 servings

Chinese Eggs with Soy-Sesame Sauce

A few years ago when I was visiting a Chinese vendor's wicker factory in Fujian Province, our meeting ran late and my host served me an impromptu dinner cooked in his employee canteen kitchen (most Chinese factories provide housing, schools, and at least 2 hot meals a day for their employees). The cook, who shopped for fresh food daily, had only eggs, veggies, rice, and noodles on hand. I was delighted by how tasty the eggs were.

1 tablespoon soy sauce (reduced sodium is OK)
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1-1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced scallions
4 teaspoons canola oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (black or white)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, vinegar and scallions in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat canola oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat and swirl to coat the pan. Crack 2 eggs into a small bowl. Crack the other 2 eggs into another bowl.

Working quickly, pour 2 eggs on one side of the pan and the other 2 on the other side. The egg whites will flow together, forming one large piece.

Sprinkle sesame seeds, basil and pepper over the eggs. Cook until the egg whites are crispy and brown on the bottom and the yolks are firmly set, about 3 minutes. Doing your best to keep the eggs in one piece, flip them over using a wide spatula and cook until the whites turn crispy and brown on the other side, 1-2 minutes more.

Pour the soy sauce mixture over the eggs. Simmer 30 seconds, turning the eggs once to coat both sides with sauce. Cut and serve in wedges, drizzled with the warm sauce, over rice or noodles.

4 servings

Nutty Cranberry Veggy Salad

This combination of ingredients may sound strange, but it's very good. You can substitute unsalted nuts if you're worried about sodium, but I think the salty nuts go well with the sweet cranberries.

1 16-oz package frozen California style vegetable mix (or other mix containing cauliflower),
cooked according to package directions, drained & cooled
1/2 cup salted nuts (your choice - I like peanuts or pecans)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use olive oil mayo)
1 tsp Splenda or sugar

Mix all ingredients well, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

4-6 servings

Friday, January 1, 2010

Bacon Apple Slaw

I realize it's been ages since I've posted a recipe...I've been working a retail job that was so busy before Christmas that I actually resorted to eating frozen entrees (and no, I haven't found any that I liked, despite much experimentation).

BACON APPLE SLAW
4 cups shredded cabbage or pre-shredded broccoli slaw (I prefer the broccoli slaw, though I have to roughly chop it in order to get it past my band)
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup mayo (I use olive oil mayo)
1/4 cup sour cream (I used the lite version)
2 tablespoons honey mustard (or mix 1-1/2 tbl Dijon mustard with 1-2 tsp honey)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled or chopped (I use a reduced-fat version when I can find it)

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, mustard, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add the veggies & apple and mix well.

Serve with bacon scattered on top. If you have leftovers, store the bacon separately from the coleslaw - mixing the two together will make the bacon soggy.