Month: August 2014

Shaved Broccoli-Apple Salad with Tarragon Dressing and Bacon
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Shaved Broccoli-Apple Salad with Tarragon Dressing and Bacon

Kathy inspired us with her broccoli salad so we searched for other recipes.

After checking out Moe’s Southwest Grill  for the first time this afternoon we were so full  that this was a perfect lite dinner. Moe’s was another thing Kathy inspired, she had their guacamole at the company BBQ and I thought it was pretty darn good.  We were on our way back from Wrentham Outlets and Lyn was hungry so she choose Moe’s. 

This turned out to be a really refreshing salad. The crisp apple was the perfect touch, everything was complimented by the tarragon and whole grain Dijon mustard dressing. While we were making it I said corn would be a great addition, Lyn said garbanzo beans. After tasting it I don’t think adding anything is necessary. You could skip the bacon if you don’t eat meat but there is something with a little hint of bacon. Now we have a giant bowl and I’m sure by midweek it will be quite enough if you know what I mean. Why we made for 9 is beyond me.

This is a refreshing new twist on the broccoli-and-bacon picnic standard that sometimes gets drenched in mayonnaise dressing.

Cooking Light SEPTEMBER 2014

Yield: Serves 9 (serving size: about 1 cup)

Hands-on:15 Minutes

Total:3 Hours, 15 Minutes

Ingredients

         Dressing

  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
  • IMG_20140817_075903099_HDR

  • Salad

  • 12 ounces broccoli florets
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Jazz or Gala apples, cored and cut into wedges
  • 2 Applewood-smoked bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

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How

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, and let stand for 10 minutes. Add yogurt, mayonnaise, and tarragon; stir with a whisk.

 

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With processor on, add broccoli through the food chute of a food processor fitted with the slicer attachment. Transfer broccoli to a bowl.

Add juice to bowl of food processor. Repeat procedure with apples; add apples to bowl with broccoli.

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Combine dressing and broccoli mixture; toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Stir in bacon just before serving.

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Serve

My Finished Dish

My Finished Dish not as pretty as their but mighty tasty

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Poached Salmon

We had never made Poached Salmon so as Lyn looked over some recipes, I texted My Brother Mike. He hates salmon but Nancy loves it and being a good partner he makes it for her all the time. he texted back ” Very Simple. I put a small amount of lemon juice and water in the pan. Put salmon  in pan. Sprinkle it with no salt pepper mix . Cover. Steam on low for about eight minutes or until done.” I relayed the info to Lyn but when it came time to do it we changed a few things and forgot to cover. Cam out great in fact made it again mid week.

 

This is a quick delicious meal.

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What we did was put some dry white wine, a little water, sliced lemon, fresh dill, chopped shallots then put salmon in. brought to a simmer and cooked about 10-12 minutes. I suppose it would have been faster with it covered. SO funny Lyn asked and my memory being what it is I said no.

We all liked it, I was not hungry but tried a piece which ended up being a whole serving. Mike was some and had some later he had his stamp of approval.

 

Savory Cauliflower Cake
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Savory Cauliflower Cake

We tried a lot of different things with cauliflower, mashed potatoes, roasted, sautéed with garlic, in salads,  I keep saying that I will try the cauliflower crust pizza one of these days pictures look good, but Lyn found this awhile back and we finally, well she finally made again the other day. This time instead of a bunt pan she used a parchment paper lined pie dish came out just as good and was easier to remove from pan and cut just didn’t settle as well.

This healthy, savory cauliflower cake recipe falls somewhere between a quiche and a meatless meatloaf. Garbanzo bean flour adds nutty flavor plus protein to make the cake a satisfying vegetarian main dish recipe. The flavor is best when the cake is warm or at room temperature, so it’s an ideal choice for a buffet.

From EatingWell:  January/February 2014

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/savory_cauliflower_cake.html

8 servings | Active Time: 50 minutes | Total Time: 1 3/4 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed and broken into small florets
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 3/4 teaspoon caraway seed, ground or crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 3/4 cup garbanzo bean flour (see Tip)
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 jarred roasted red pepper, rinsed and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided

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Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
  2. Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large pot fitted with a steamer basket. Add cauliflower and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add caraway seed, coriander, crushed red pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Gently stir in the steamed cauliflower, doing your best not to break up the florets, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to combine the flavors.
  4. Whisk garbanzo bean flour, all-purpose flour (or gluten-free blend), baking powder and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until mixed. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the eggs and whisk to combine and eliminate most of the lumps. Stir in roasted red pepper, feta and 2 tablespoons dill. Add the cauliflower mixture and gently stir to combine. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
  5. Bake until the top is golden and the cake is set, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool to warm; remove the pan sides and the parchment. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with the remaining 1 tablespoon dill.

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Nutrition

Per serving : 187 Calories; 9 g Fat; 4 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 152 mg Cholesterol; 15 g Carbohydrates; 11 g Protein; 2 g Fiber; 563 mg Sodium; 296 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 medium-fat meat, 1/2 fat

Tips & Notes

  • Garbanzo bean flour, made from ground dried garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), is a gluten-free flour used in many traditional Middle Eastern recipes. Look for it in natural-foods stores and/or in well-stocked supermarkets in the gluten-free section. Once opened, store airtight in the freezer.

 

cauliflower

WHFoods Recommendations

You’ll want to include cauliflower as one of the cruciferous vegetables you eat on a regular basis if you want to receive the fantastic health benefits provided by the cruciferous vegetable family. At a minimum, include cruciferous vegetables as part of your diet 2-3 times per week, and make the serving size at least 1-1/2 cups. Even better from a health standpoint, enjoy cauliflower and other vegetables from the cruciferous vegetable group 4-5 times per week, and increase your serving size to 2 cups.

As with all vegetables be sure not to overcook cauliflower. We suggest Healthy Sautéeing cauliflower rather than the more traditional methods of boiling or steaming, which makes them waterlogged, mushy and lose much of its flavor. Cut cauliflower florets into quarters and let sit for 5 minutes before cooking. For great tasting cauliflower add 1 tsp of turmeric when adding the cauliflower to the skillet. …..read more

 

Church from office Window

This is Church steeple from office window, I liked the clouds. Better in real life

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Kathy’s Broccoli Salad

Every year we all look forward to the company BBQ at Bruce’s  good food, drinks and company. Horseshoes was replaced by a similar game that you toss bean bags and instead of a pole it’s a hole. Stewart’s kids make a beeline for the pool while the rest of us watch and chat. I loved when Stewart’s youngest son tried the dark chocolate coated ice cream, “ DISGUSTING” as he handed it to his mother, his face must have resembled mine at that age the first time I tasted semisweet cooking chocolate, not what I expected. Anyway, Bruce’s wife Kathy made the best broccoli salad I have ever had, it disappeared very quickly.

Thanks Kathy’s this was great!!

She said that she does not follow the amounts exactly and to me that is what cooking is all about tweaking to your likes.

brocolli salad

Salad

  • 1 lb of bacon – cooked and broken into pieces
  • Broccoli maybe 1 to 2 heads
  • 12 oZ white cheddar cheese- shreddedDressing¾ cup sugar

Blend in blender

  • Add to all other ingredients ½ hour before serving
  • 4 TBSP Cider Vinegar
  • 2 cups Mayo

Blend in blender

Add to all other ingredients ½ hour before serving

 

Refrigerated Dill Slices
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Refrigerated Dill Slices

We made these last year and they came out great so when the pickling cukes looked good I sliced and made up a few jars and just 2 weeks later. I was going to bring a jar up to the annual Russo BBQ but I forgot,  poor them, lucky us. This year’s batch came out a little spicier but we thought, including everyone at work that the kick was nice.

What I like is that when empty I can add more slices to them and in 2 weeks start munching again.

Yield: About 5 pint jars or 2 quart jars.

Ingredients

  • 8 ¼ cups sliced trimmed pickling cucumbers – We like thick slices but suppose you could do as thin as you want or spears if that is how you like them.
  • 2 cups white vinegar
  • 2 cups water
  • 6 tablespoons pickling or canning salt (I used kosher salt)
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons pickling spice ( see recipe below if you want to make your own)
  • 7 ½ teaspoons dill seeds
  • 5 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 5 cloves garlic, halved (optional)

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How

Place cucumber slices in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Set aside.

Combine vinegar, water, pickling salt, sugar and pickling spice in a medium stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 10 minutes.

Pour pickling liquid over cucumber slices. Cover with waxed paper and set aside until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Place 1 ½ teaspoon dill seeds, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon peppercorns and two garlic clove halves in each of one five pint jars. Add cucumber slices to within a generous ½-inch headspace of top of jar. Ladle pickling liquid into jar to cover cucumbers, leaving ½-inch headspace. Apply lids. For best results, allow cucumbers to marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 weeks and use within 3 months.

From “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving:

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Home Made Pickling spice

  • 2 Tblsp mustard seed
  • 1 1/2 Tblsp whole allspice (you can use 1-2 Tblsp)
  • Optional – 2  tsp coriander (add it if you’d like, it’s in most mixes)
  • 1/2 tsp whole cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (up to 1 tsp)
  • 4 bay leaves, crumbled (I don’t think you can add too many of these, add more if you’d like)
  • 1 cinnamon stick, 2-2 1/2″, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp celery seed-optional
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns

Pickle spices

How

Break up cinnamon, tear bay leaves into bits, mix all, store in an airtight container.
This makes approx 4 Tblsp, enough for 2 quart jars of pickles. If there’s a little mix left over, just add it to your pickle jar and use it up.