Remoulade

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 Sri racha
2 tablespoons Coleman’s mustard
1 tablespoon Tabasco
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Garlic Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mix.  Love it on fish and veggies.  Also good on a tilapia sandwich.burger.

Sauteed Okra with Tomatoes

Adapted from Martha Stewart (here).

1 package frozen okra

1 onion chopped

1 tbs garlic salt

½ c red wine

1 can tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 tbs dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion on medium high heat for about 3 minutes.  Add garlic salt and wine.  Cook until reduced by half, 3-5 minutes.  Add thyme, bay, tomatoes, and okra.  Season with salt and pepper.  Turn to medium high and cook anout 6 minutes.

Not bad, but I never went back for any of the leftovers.  Not my thing.

Omelette

2 eggs

¼ c milk

Tarragon

Grated cheese

Dill

Creamy Caper Chicken

4 chicken breasts, sautéed

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbs dried dill

1 tbs garlic powder

1/2c sour cream

2 tbs capers

¼ c nonfat greek yogurt

Sautee chicken breasts in olive oil.  Remove chicken and add rest of ingredients.  Mix and heat through, then pour sauce over chicken.  Good with steamed spinach or asparagus.

Made 23 june, 2010 before going to the John Hiatt concert with mom.  This was fantastic. 

Green Goddess Dressing

1 c squished avocado

1/2  c mayo

½ c vinegar

1 tbs tarragon, chopped

3 tbs garlic chives, chopped

Tbs garlic salt

Puree in food processor.  Refrigerate overnight.  Made 23 june, 2010 with Brenna.  We hadn’t cooked all day and she asked to make something.  Well, she asked to make red velvet cake, but we still have ¾ of Liam’s birthday cake left, so we made dressing instead.  The kids even got to use their ‘snissors’ (snipper/scissors) to cut up the fresh chives and tarragon from our yard.  While it was fun to make, I didn't eat much of it.  Maybe more garlic?

Vinegar Onions

1 onion diced
1 tbs garlic
1/2 c vinegar (any kind, it’s fun to play with flavors)
1 can chicken broth
Salt, pepper and spices
Saute onions on medium to high heat, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. I’ll often put the lid on to speed up the process. Add the garlic towards the end. Once they’re very glassy, add the vinegar to deglaze the pan (this is fun!) Then add the chicken broth, turn up the heat, and reduce by half, about 15 minutes.

These are great with chicken and green beans, or cold on salads. If you use apple cider vinegar, they’re great with pork, too. They're also good in grain salads, or chicken salad.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

2 cups chocolate chips (my faves are Ghiradelli 60% cocoa)
1 tbs butter
1 package thick pretzel rods.

Melted the chocolate and butter in a big coffee mug in the microwave, stirring every minute. Dipped in the pretzel rods and a couple strawberries. Had a hard time getting the chocolate to stick in a thick layer. Messy but tasty, and really fun to do with the kids. Will ate most of them when he got home from work.

Basic Grilled Pork

4 Pork loins (We get the super thick kind from Costco and cut them in half)
Salt and pepper
Grill 10 minutes, flipping halfway through

Blueberry Mango Honey Swirl Jam

This is from the Ball website, which I have found to be the most reliable source of jam recipes.

This particular recipe has been a huge hit with the Little Dude, especially. It's visually interesting because the mangoes and blueberries stay separate in the har. It would make a great gift (if you don't eat it all yourself)!


1.5 cups sugar, divided
1.59-oz pkgs Ball® Simple Creations® Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin
1.25 cups crushed mango
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, divided
1/4 cup honey, divided
1.75 cups crushed blueberries
5 Plastic Ball Freezer Jars
Directions:
Stir half of the sugar and half of the pectin package in a bowl until well blended. Add mango, half of the lime juice and half of the honey. Stir 3 minutes.
Stir remaining sugar and pectin in a bowl until well blended. Add mixed berries, remaining lime juice and honey. Stir 3 minutes.
Tilt jar, one at a time, pouring about 1/2 full with one flavor freezer jam. Keeping jar tilted, spoon second flavor on other side of jar. Repeat for remaining jars.
Twist on lids. Let stand until thickened, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year.

Freakishly Easy Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

1 c Easy Tomato Sauce
3 tbs evaporated milk
1 heaping spoonful of pesto

Heat through. Puree with a stick blender. Skip a trip to Panera.

Not Great Pancakes

1 c walnuts, processesd
1 c Bob’s Red Mill 10 grain hot cereal
1 c oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1.5 c milk
0.5 c fat free greek yogurt
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla

Made 12 june, 2010 before Brenna’s 2nd dance recital. The cereal mix made it kind of crunchy and, all in all, I wasn’t wild about it. There’s a grain in the cereal that gave it a flavor that I didn’t love, but I’m not sure which one.

Roasted Parmesan Broccoli

1 package of broccoli florets
3 tbs olive oil
1 c Parmesan

Preheat oven to 450°F. Dump broccoli into roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast broccoli until crisp-tender and stalks begin to brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and toss with cheese. We had this with the parmesan chicken bites, but there wasn’t actually much left over because I ate about half of it while I was cooking.

This has become a favorite and we have it at least 2x a week! A bag of frozen broccoli works just as well and takes makes it even easier.

Parmesan Chicken Bites

4 chicken breasts, sliced
2 c parmesan
¼ c Montreal Chicken seasonings
2 eggs

Cover slices in eggs. Dredge in parmesan mixed with chicken seasoning. Fry in olive oil on medium high head. Made this with the kids 9 june, 2010 and Brenna loved dredging the chicken. Couldn’t get enough of it. And she said it tasted better than chicken nuggets.
I had meant to add breadcrumbs, but forgot and it turned out pretty well and much more South Beach Diet friendly

Easy Tomato Sauce

1 big can of crushed (or diced) tomatoes
2 cans (6 oz) of tomato paste
1 tbs garlic salt
3 tbs dried oregano, crushed
1/8 c balsamic vinegar
½ c parmesan cheese

Mix and heat through. Blend with stick blender if desired. We’ve made this dozens of times. It’s not as fancy as long simmered sauces, but it’s better than store bought!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c pecans, processed to a thick powder
½ c white whole wheat
2 c oats
1/8 tsp baking soda
½ c butter (1 stick)
½ c brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbs vanilla
¼ c vegetable oil
1 c chocolate chips

Bake on a greased or nonstick cookie sheet at 325 F for 12 mins. Made with the kids 8 june, 2010 at the beginning of summer break. They turned on the Kitchenaid (with help) for the first time!
The cookies were burned on the bottom and not cooked through. Not enough bite. Maybe walnuts and no oil next time? After the first batch was baked, I threw in a handful of unground oats into what was left. That worked much, better, though they were still a little light on flavor. More vanilla?

Slaw with Creamy Asian Dressing

¼ c mayo
2 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs mirin
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs dried red pepper flakes
1 package coleslaw mix (cabbage)

This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit, Y’All a great cookbook that, in part, inspired my project.

Made 8 june, 2010. I didn’t think it was flavorful enough, but Will liked it. Served it with soy poached chicken. The leftovers made a pretty good chicken salad, though.

Soy Poached Chicken

2 pounds chicken breasts
3 c water
1/3 c dark soy sauce(recipe called for ¾ c, but we were short)
1/3 c Chinese black vinegar
4 tbs chopped ginger
4 large garlic cloves
4 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp sesame oil
¼ tsp hot chile flakes

Simmer liquid ingredients. Add chicken breasts and simmer gently for 6-8 mins. Turn off heat and let stand for at least 30 mins. This chicken came out a bit dry and not as flavorful as I like. Might be worth trying again.

This was from John Ash's book.

Peanut Sauce

1 can light coconut milk
1 c peanut butter (crunchy is more authentic, but I always have creamy on hand)
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs red curry paste
1 tbs lime juice
¼ c soy sauce
1 tbs sesame oil
1 onion
2 tbs garlic
2 tbs rice wine vinegar
Sri racha sauce (Rooster Sauce) to taste

Saute onion in olive oil until tender. Add ingredients and heat through. Serve on pork or chicken and choice of veggie.

This is a basic I've been making since college. I think the first time I cobbled one together was in a tiny apartment in Oregon.

Crunchy Tomatillo Avocado Salsa

10 tomatillos, chopped
1 yellow onion chopped and sauteed
1 tbs garlic
1 c ‘guacamole’ (it’s basically squished avocado in packages from Costco)
10 jalapenos slices, diced
Dried oregano and salt, to taste
Set aside a handful of the tomatillos and mix the rest of the ingredients with a stick blender until desired texture. Add the tomatillos that were set aside to give a chunkier consistency. Had with chicken on tacos for dinner 7 june 2010. Tasty!

Sauteed Chicken

4 individually frozen chicken breasts, not thawed
3 tbs Montreal Chicken seasoning
1 tbs garlic salt

Slice and season with oil and seasoning. Sauté on medium high heat until cooked through.

(#3 of 2010-2011)