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Category Archives: side dishes

Roasted Tomatoes

Posted on April 23, 2012 by chronicinthekitchen

 

Adapted from “The Girl Can Cook”

So simple, so good.

¼ c. olive oil

1 tsp. garlic powder

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ c. finely ground breadcrumbs

12 – 18 small to medium tomatoes

 

Heat oil in pan over medium heat and cook breadcrumbs and stir around for a minute or two to toast.  Remove from heat and cool.  Preheat oven to 400.  Stir the grated cheese into the crumbs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cut the tomatoes in half and remove any large, obvious cores with a paring knife.  Set the tomato halves in a shallow baking dish and season with salt and pepper.  Spread some of the crumbs over each half.  Bake until crumbs are golden, about 5 – 10 minutes.  Serves about 6.

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Pomegranate and Feta Salad

Posted on January 15, 2012 by chronicinthekitchen

1 head romaine lettuce

1 bunch spinach

Seeds of one pomegranate

1/4 c. toasted pine nuts or pecans

1/2 c. crumbled feta

Dressing
1/3 c. olive oil

1 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. maple syrup

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp oregano

salt and pepper

Rinse and spin dry the lettuce and spinach. Rip or chop and place into a large bowl. Toast nuts in a non-stick pan on medium low until they brown. Add to the bowl of greens along with the feta and pomegranate seeds. Combine dressing ingredients in covered jar or container, shake well.  Serve dressing on the side or pour onto the salad.

Serves about 10

Tips and Notes:  Buy a package of the pomegranate arils (the little seeds). Getting the arils out of the pomegranate is a major pain in the butt.  I’ve used packaged baby spinach and romaine in place of the head of romaine and bunch of spinach. I’ve also walnuts in place of the pecans or pine nuts.

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Summer Corn and Tomato Salad

Posted on June 30, 2011 by chronicinthekitchen

2 cups frozen corn, defrosted (or the equivalent canned or fresh)
1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.

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Japanese Quinoa Salad

Posted on June 30, 2011 by chronicinthekitchen

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 pkg (340)g firm tofu, drained and diced [or 1 cup cooked chicken breasts, diced, or 1 can salmon or tuna, drained], optional
2 cups coleslaw mix
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 small package sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 can (8 oz /227ml ) sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 tbsp toasted sunflower seeds
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, optional
1 tbsp dried parsley
Dressing:
½ c. Asian Sesame Salad Dressing or Renee’s Gourmet Japanese Ginger Dressing

Rinse quinoa in colander thoroughly with cold, running water. In medium saucepan, combine quinoa and water; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Cool slightly. In large bowl, combine quinoa with remaining salad ingredients and dressing. Makes 6 large servings.

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Meatless Monday: Golden Rice Pilaf with Cashews and Raisins

Posted on May 30, 2011 by chronicinthekitchen

From the Calgary Herald

2 T. oil or margarine

½ c. unsalted cashews

½ c. raisins

½ onion, finely chopped

1 c. long grain rice, rinsed

1 ½ c. chicken stock, heated

½ tsp salt or to taste

1 T. finely chopped fresh parsley or dill

In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil over medium high heat, stir in the cashews and stir until they turn golden.  Stir in the raisins and continue to stir constantly for another minute until they puff up.  Remove raisins and cashews and reserve.  Add the onion and rice to the pan and sauté, stirring until they are golden brown, 5 or 6 minutes.  Stir in the hot stock and salt, if needed, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat, lift the lid and fluff with a fork.  Add the raisins and nuts and cover for 5 or 6 minutes.  To serve, garnish with herbs.  Makes 4 – 6 servings.

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Spotlight on Dill

Posted on April 20, 2011 by chronicinthekitchen

We’ve been enjoying Earthbound Farms Fresh Herb Salad which includes the following:

Organic baby lettuces (red and green romaine, red and green oak leaf, lollo rosa, tango), organic red and green chard, organic mizuna, organic arugula, organic frisée, organic radicchio, organic parsley, organic dill, organic cilantro.

The fresh dill in this salad is very nice.  An annual plant, it grows about 30” high.  A member of the parsley family, it may help to relieve indigestion, bloating, gas and cramping.

This very familiar and popular herb works well in potato salad, pasta salad, scrambled eggs, dips, salad dressings and sauces and leek and potato soup.  It also pairs nicely with salmon or any white fish.

Here is a recipe that is easy to pull together:

Randy’s Cucumber Pasta Salad

3 cups cooked pasta such as penne

½ c. thinly sliced carrots

½ c. thinly sliced celery

1 c. parboiled broccoli florets

1 green onion, thinly sliced

¼ c. chopped onion

½ to ¾ c. creamy cucumber salad dressing

1 tsp. dillweed

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  4- 6 servings.

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Black Coffee!

Posted on December 21, 2010 by chronicinthekitchen

Now that's a coffee - taken at a Canmore, AB coffeehouse last summer

This is cross-posted from my other blog, FibroDAZE, http://www.bignoise-enterprises.com/blog/2010/03/07/abomination/and originally written March, 2010 and entitled “Black Coffee and Other Abominations.”

The Fat Nutritionist http://www.fatnutritionist.com/ is a blog I read. Her tag line is “eating normally is the new black.” I am so down with that. Death to Diets I say! Anyways, her post “Get Out of Jail Free Cards” http://www.fatnutritionist.com/index.php/get-out-of-jail-free-cards/ talks about “largely irrelevant” food labeling. It began with a treatise on coffee and “Canadian style wussy coffee”; that is coffee with cream and sugar. There was a brief introduction which contained a very funny line:

black coffee is an abomination unto the Lord and shall not defile this house

After I finished laughing, made an appropriate comment on her blog about how much we in this house agree with that statement, I started thinking. What other food and/or beverage items are, in our household, “an abomination unto the Lord and shall not defile this house?” I came up with the following list. Note: there’s a bit of a legend:

* = husband’s abominations

***  = my abominations
(no *’s at all means we both agree that these items shall never, ever defile our house.)

List of Foods – Not Exhaustive, although I’m a bit tired after typing now.

  • Offal
  • Head cheese
  • Coffee whitener
  • ***Processed cheese in a jar — my husband says it “adds personality.” I say it’s one step from being plastic.
  • Anything with the word “bean” attached to it [i.e. green beans, lima beans, kidney beans, et al.], with the exception of “coffee bean”
  • Brussel Sprouts
  • Octopus
  • Squid
  • Pork Sausage (possible exception: Mennonite Sausage. Good Mennonite Sausage that is)
  • *Chickpeas
  • *Sweet Potatoes
  • *Squash of any type
  • Fruitcake
  • Traditional Christmas Pudding – We do however enjoy this Christmas pudding:  http://www.cranberrycreek.com/ and stock up every year when they come out to our craft fair.
  • ***Raw tomatoes
  • *Porridge
  • *Cottage Cheese (exception: Lasagna)
  • Caviar/Tapioca – eerily similar, visually, don’t you think?
  • *Asparagus
  • Anything with the word “blood” in it i.e. blood pudding, blood sausage.
  • *Pumpkin Pie — Last year my sister in law generously made had the nerve to serve apple and cherry pies at her Christmas dinner.  It’s one of the very few times of the year I can eat pumpkin pie so I was a tad miffed.  (I know, I know, there are people starving in Africa, this is hardly a blip on the radar.)

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Holiday Eating Tips

Posted on December 20, 2010 by chronicinthekitchen

Decorated evergreen outside our home

This was sent to me in an email:

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It’s rare… You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand and wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”

Merry Christmas!

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Spicy Couscous and Peas

Posted on December 9, 2010 by chronicinthekitchen

Image from commons.wikimedia.org / E. Michael Smith chiefio, used with permission

Whole wheat couscous is low in calories, and high in the minerals potassium, magnesium and selenium as well as Vitamin E and folate.  Little cooking time means you can have a side dish, salad or even a main dish ready pronto.  {Nutrition facts from http://www.lesliebeck.com/ingredient_index.php?featured_food=96}

Here is a recipe from Patti, a friend of mine, who’s given her permission for me to post it.

1 c prepared chicken broth (low sodium if possible)
1/2 c (125 ml) Chunky salsa
1/2 c frozen peas
1/2 tsp chili powder
optional: cayenne pepper and / or red pepper flakes or hot sauce (to taste)
1 c Couscous

grated cheese

1. Combine the broth, salsa, peas, chili powder, and optional spices and bring to a boil. Note: If using a powdered broth, boil water and add broth powder as per ratio provided with broth powder. The time required to bring the remaining ingredients to a boil is much less. Can also microwave these ingredients for approx. 2 min. to bring to a boil.

2. Add Couscous. Stir. Cover with lid. Turn off element and wait for ~ 5 min until couscous is tender and liquid is soaked up. Stir with fork.

3. Grate cheese and sprinkle on top of couscous mixture or stir the cheese into the mixture. Cover with lid and wait for the cheese to melt.

Makes approx. 4 cups.

Non-vegetarian option: When adding the couscous, stir in precooked diced chicken breast to the mixture.

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Apple Nut Stuffing

Posted on December 3, 2010 by chronicinthekitchen

This stuffing recipe, adapted from The New Chatelaine Cookbook, avoids the use of sausage and organ meats in it, neither of which are favorites in this household.  It can be cooked inside or outside the bird, depending on your personal preferences.

Apple Nut Stuffing

Melt 1/4 c. margarine in a large saucepan.  Stir in 1 chopped onion and saute until soft.  Add 1 chopped celery stalk, 2 peeled, cored and chopped apples, 1/2 c. chopped nuts, 3 cups bread crumbs, 1 tsp. poultry seasoning and 1 cup apple juice.  Place in a greased 6 cup casserole dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Makes 4 cups of stuffing.

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