Dinnerwithdaleasha's Blog

Cucumber Salad & Grilled Tofu Skewers

dinnerwithdaleasha — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:19:48 +0000

This salad is a wonderful addition to Grilled Tofu Skewers with Peanut Sauce. The skewers are even good the next day served cold over the salad. My kids love dipping the tofu in peanut sauce using toothpicks.

For the tofu skewers

Ingredients

3/4 cup Vegetable oil

3 tbsp Fresh lemon juice

4 1/2 tbsp Soy sauce

1 Scallion, thinly sliced

3 Garlic cloves, pressed

1 tsp Ground ginger

16oz Firm Tofu, drained, pressed

And cut into 1″ cubes

12 Fresh mushrooms

10 Cherry tomatoes

1 Red pepper, cut into 1″ pieces

1 Red onion, cut into chunks and

separated

Preparation

Combine oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, scallion, garlic and ground ginger in bowl. Toss 1/3 of the marinade with the tofu to coat and marinate in refrigerator for 6 hours.

In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms, tomatoes, red pepper and onion. Pour remaining marinade over vegetables and toss.

Thread the tofu and vegetables, alternately on skewers.

Cook on the grill 10-15 minutes, brush with marinade and turn several times.

Cucumber Salad, Thai Style

Ingredients

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2 lbs cucumbers, seeded, and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup roasted peanuts

In large bowl, mix vinegar, sugar, pepper flakes, fish sauce and salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add cucumber, onion, cilantro and mint; toss until well covered. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour.
Before serving, add peanuts and toss.

Brown Rice Pesto Salad

dinnerwithdaleasha — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:08:00 +0000

This salad was a huge hit at our 4th of July picnic and then I re-created for a recent cross-country trip. It is easy to pull together with leftovers or make fresh and because of the vinegar in it, it keeps well for several days. My kids were even fond of the flavors and it uses the abundance of the garden.

3 Cups of Prepared short-grain brown rice. I like to make it fresh in the rice cooker with equal parts water and rice. The rice tastes much better if it is soaked for an hour before cooking.

1 Cup prepared basil pesto

1 cup halved cherry tomato

1/2 Cup Kalamata olives

1/2 Cup artichoke hearts cooked

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

The rice soaks up all the juices and takes on a lovely complex flavor. Grilled chicken slices served on top of this are also a nice treat.

See Below for my garden pesto recipe

Ingredients

1/2 -3/4 cup pine nuts or almonds
1/4 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 Tbsp unfiltered cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup water, reserved.

Directions

Add all the ingredients to the food-processor or blender. Pulse the mixture in food-processor or blender, adding 1 Tbsp of water at a time to help facilitate blending and in order to reach the desired consistency for the sauce.

Long Over Due

dinnerwithdaleasha — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:12:49 +0000

It has been a long time since I posted on this blog, as those of you who look it at it remind me weekly.

The past few months, have been very busy to say the least leaving me time to cook great food but not necassarily share it with the world.

Since mid-may I have challenged myself, and my family to embark on a new food journey. For several weeks, we ate mostly vegan…with the exception of a little yogurt. It was a challenge for this meat and dairy loving family but it was a great challenge.

While we have chosen to keep many of the habits of this new lifestyle we have added a meat and dairy back into the mix occasionally.

Many of the new recipies I will be sharing are things we have really enjoyed over the last several months.

Hope you enjoy!

Tofu Burger yield: 6 burgers (From John Russell Website)

Ingredients:

1 lb tofu

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp. vegetable bouillon powder

pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 cup (or more) sesame seeds

1 small scrubbed potato

1/4 tsp. (or more) garlic powder

onion powder to taste, or one small onion

Grind the tofu, potato and onion (if using) in a food processor. Don’t let it get too fine. Mix in remaining ingredients, shape into burgers and bake at around 350 degrees on a very lightly oiled cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes, turning once.

Mexican Mocha No Bake Mounds

dinnerwithdaleasha — Tue, 04 May 2010 23:43:48 +0000

In celebration of cinco de mayo I made these cookies I created awhile back. They are a lot like a no bake cookie I have posted before with a few variations and a different flavor.

Tomorrow we are having a potluck at work and the challenge is to bring something to celebrate the holiday that is portable as most of us work out of our cars and will need to take it with us in the morning.

These are a perfect treat with flavors of Mexico…

2 c. sugar
□   1/2 c. espresso
1/2. c. butter
□   3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa, 1 tbsp of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne or more if you want them spicy
□   3 c. oatmeal
□   1/2 c. coconut
□   1/2 c. peanut butter
□   1 tbsp. vanilla and 1 tbsp. of Kahula

In a large saucepan combine first 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil, cooking until sugar is dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop by the tablespoon on wax paper, chill. Enjoy!

Catfish, Red Beans and Rice

dinnerwithdaleasha — Tue, 04 May 2010 03:59:40 +0000

It was a Cajun night tonight at the Hall’s!

We had tasty catfish made in the oven after in a marinade all day and mildly spicy red beans and rice…with lots of hot sauce of course.

Here are the recipes.

Catfish (Came from TLC cooking)

6 skinless catfish fillets (6 ounces each)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

6 sheets (15X12 inches) heavy-duty foil, lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray

Preparation:

Place catfish (I used frozen fillets) in resealable food storage bag. Combine oil, thyme, oregano, garlic, salt, black pepper and red pepper in small bowl. Add to bag. Seal bag; turn bag to coat fish. Marinade all day until thawed.

Remove fish and shrimp from marinade; discard remaining marinade. Place one fish fillet in center of 1 foil sheet.

Double fold sides and ends of foil to seal packet, leaving head space for heat circulation. Repeat with remaining fish and foil sheets to make 5 more packets. Place packets on baking sheet.

Bake 25 minutes at 450 degrees. Let stand 5 minutes. Open packet and transfer contents to serving plates.

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon of oil 1 teaspoon of butter
2 cups herb and wine flavored chicken broth
1 cup uncooked rice
1 (16 ounce) package turkey kielbasa, cut diagonally into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 onion, chopped in a small dice
1 clove chopped garlic
1 6oz can of veggie juice
1 (15 ounce) cans canned kidney beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon of soul seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of paprika
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a saucepan, heat oil and butter. Add onion and cook until soft add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add rice and stir. Cook until slightly tan in color. Add spices and stir to coat rice. Add juice and scrape of bits in pan. Add broth, meat, and beans. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender and most liquid is absorbed.

Dinner To Go

dinnerwithdaleasha — Sat, 01 May 2010 15:33:20 +0000

It seems that our life gets busier this time of the year with each kid playing a different sport, and activity and all the school events. Tonight we found ourselves needing to be in 4 places at once. MMM. That was a challenge and they happened to be all near dinner time.

I am a big proponent that if you plan ahead…you won’t make the drive thru mistake. Here is how we counteracted our dilemma.

Cool Ques-A-Dillas

Yeah they are Mexican but tonight they were Italian or Mediterranean or something…made up goodness!!!!

I Grilled a large whole wheat tortilla flat, added a small amount of prepared pasta sauce…just enough to spread a thin layer on the tortilla and then sprinkled with grated swiss and gruyere cheese, sliced luncheon ham, sliced fresh tomatoes and a little more cheese and another tortilla. Grilled it on both sides and then took it off the pan to cool completely. Cut into wedges and packed them up to go. They taste like a pizza sandwich, were easy to eat on the run and a HUGE hit with the family. ANd best of all…they only took about 10 minutes to pull together for a family of 5. I think that might have been faster than the drive thru too.

Smoked Chops & Moroccan Couscous

dinnerwithdaleasha — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:15:22 +0000

OH I found a FIND! One of the supermarkets that I frequent was having a great special on fresh, organic, all natural smoked pork chops. They were beautiful…all the same size and thickness and went perfect with our Moroccan couscous.

The pork was rich and only needed a bit of salt and pepper. I also had some store-bought garam masala seasoning that I sprinkled on the meat just before putting on the gas grill. I used a really hot grill, pulled the pork off just before it was done and let it finish cooking on the plate while it rested. It was perfect!

While the pork cooked I prepared the couscous which is also fairly quick and easy.

Moroccan Couscous

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon of allspice
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/4 cup dried apricots chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup currants

Directions

Melt the butter in a large saute pan, add the onion and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the chicken stock, spices, raise the heat to high and bring the stock to a boil. Off the heat and add the couscous, apricots and currants. Cover the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Add the pine nuts to the couscous, stir and serve.

Cheese & Turkey Roll-Ups

dinnerwithdaleasha — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:01:39 +0000

Tonight we all pitched in a made a really fun meal.

We had some yummy mango salsa a friend had made for us and brought over to share…that inspired us to make some fresh flour tortillas to go with our leftover turkey which we decided in a small dice and warmed a little Monterey jack cheese on it in the microwave. To that Daisy opened some canned refried beans which we added black olives, green chilies, lime juice, and cheese to and then warmed those.

We all hung out around the stove rolling out tortillas and grabbing them as they came off the griddle filling them with the various ingredients. It was a great informal dinner…

Here is the recipe for the toritallas…we make them extra small and thin…so you can eat more!!!!

Tomorrow the kids have asked to take the leftovers in their lunch and make their own creations.

Flour tortillas

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup lukewarm milk

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add vegetable oil to the lukewarm milk and whisk briefly to incorporate. Gradually add the milk to the flour mixture, and using clean hands, work into a sticky dough.Turn dough out onto a surface dusted with flour and knead vigorously for about 2 minutes or until the dough is no longer sticky.

Return dough to bowl, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 10 -20 minutes so that it will be easier to roll out.

Divide dough into 8 balls of equal size, cover them, and let them rest again for about 20 minutes. Avoid letting them touch, if you don’t want them to stick together.

Dust a clean pastry board or working surface with flour.

One at a time, remove each piece of dough. Press it out into a 5-inch circle. Using a flour dusted rolling pin, roll out the tortilla from the center out until the tortilla measures a little less than 1/4 inch thick and is a 7 or 8 inch circle.Transfer the tortilla to a dry preheated skillet or griddle. When the tortilla begins to blister, allow it to cook for 30 seconds, flip it, and cook the other side the same way.

Boneless Turkey Breast & Rice Pilaf

dinnerwithdaleasha — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:47:16 +0000

This is one of those crazy one pan wonders. It goes into the oven all together and comes out perfect, smelling the house with comfort aromas. We served this with fresh green beans and a small side salad.

Because our turkey breast was large we were able to save half of it for the next night’s meal.

Here is the recipe

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic
2 cup long grain white rice
1/4 cup silvered almonds
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1tsp. dried thyme or basil leaves

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and butter and cook onion, stirring frequently, until translucent, . Add rice and garlic and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until some of the rice grains look translucent. Transfer everything to a 1-1/2 quart glass baking dish. Bring the stock and seasonings to a boil and pour over the rice. Sprinkle on the almonds. Place the turkey breast in the middle of the rice.Cover dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes, until rice is tender and turkey is done. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Fluff rice with fork and serve. Serves 8

Hazelnut Crusted Halibut & Parmesan Rosemary Biscuits

dinnerwithdaleasha — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:38:06 +0000

Dinner tonight was so good and inspired after a recent trip to Seattle. Here is a recipe I stole… with it we had asparagus and rosemary parmesan biscuits.

Source:: Ray’s Boathouse, Seattle, Washington

Serves/Makes:4

Ingredients

Fish:
4 6-oz skinless halibut fillets
1 egg white, lightly whipped
4 oz (112 grm) finely chopped hazelnuts
2 oz (56 grm) bread crumbs
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
salt and pepper
Orange Tarragon Butter Sauce:
2 oz (56 grm) finely chopped shallots
4 oz (112 grm) orange juice
2 oz (56 grm) Chardonnay
2 oz (56 grm) heavy cream
2 oz (56 grm) butter
1/4 oz (7 grm) fresh tarragon leaves
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil

Preparation

Fish:
Mix the hazelnuts and breadcrumbs thoroughly.
Season the fish with salt and pepper, dip in egg white and then into the breadcrumb mixture.
Sear in a hot skillet about 2 minutes on each side, then cook until golden brown on medium heat.
Top with Orange Tarragon Butter Sauce.
Orange Tarragon Butter Sauce:
Sweat the shallots in olive oil.
Add orange juice, reduce by 1/2.
Add Chardonnay, bring to a simmer.
Add heavy cream and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Whisk in soft butter and tarragon leaf.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Rosemary Parmesan Biscuits

2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen solid
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. With a fork, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Using the large holes on a grater, grate the butter into the bowl. Add the cheese and rosemary. Use your fingers to mix the ingredients. Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork or hands until just mixed. Add a bit additional buttermilk if needed.

I drop these on a cookie sheet with a small cookie scoop so the biscuits are bite sized and guilt free…

Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden.