Four Bean Salad

Recently I went to a dinner at a friend’s house where everyone brought sides to go around the main course, and it was there I discovered this awesome bean salad. Now, I know some of you will say this is old news, but to me it’s not and I had to make one of my own and share. I love the flavors of the balsamic mixed with sugar. It’s not too sweet and not too bitter. Just perfect.

There are lots of things you could add into a salad like this, such as onion and bell pepper, but I just wanted to keep this simple so it’s strictly beans and dressing. And really, you could use any combination of beans you’d like.

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 can green beans, drained and rinsed

1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup EVOO

1/2 tsp salt

Combine the beans in a large bowl. Whisk vinegar, sugar, oil, and salt until sugar dissolves.

Pour vinegar-sugar mixture over beans and toss well to coat.

Cover and refrigerate over night. Stir several times.

Melt in Your Mouth Mondays @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, In & Out of the Kitchen @ Feeding Big, Tempt My Tummy @ Blessed with Grace, Simple Supper Tuesdays @ Hun, What’s for Dinner?, Tuesday’s Table @ Love in the Kitchen, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain, Wednesday Extravaganza @ Hungry Little Girl, What’s in Your Kitchen @ Kitchen Meets Girl,

Mushroom & Peas Pulao

A pulao is an Indian rice pilaf. Honestly, this dish could be a meal in itself. It’s hearty and delicious; a perfect vegetarian dish.

Mushroom and Peas Pulao

2 cups brown or basmati rice, cooked

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

8-10  oz. mushrooms, any kind (I used baby bella crimini)

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

small onion, diced

3-4 garlic cloves, sliced thin or minced

1 green chili, minced (I used jalapeno)1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cardamom (or 1/2 & 1/2 nutmeg-cinnamon)

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste

juice from 1/2 a lime (about 1 T)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook your rice according to package directions. I always prefer to cook rice with chicken broth over water. It adds flavor and a little protein.

2. While the rice is cooking you can get the onions, garlic and jalapeno going in the skillet in 1 T of EVOO over medium heat. While that’s happening you can wash and cut your mushrooms into quarters, or smaller pieces if you prefer.

3. Time to get those spices in the skillet (ginger, cardamom, cloves & chili pepper). Make sure the heat isn’t too high. You want to release all those flavors without burning up your skillet. What you end up with is like a paste so put it your broth now and whisk.

4. Add the mushrooms and peas (if frozen. If fresh, wait until mushrooms are almost done). You’ll see quite a bit of moisture come out of them. Cook it all down slowly and combine everything well. 

5. Combine with cooked rice and stir in lime juice, fresh cilantro, and salt & pepper.

Quinoa, Black Bean & Corn Burritos

I am stoked to share this recipe with you today. After a very loooong week of hardly any cooking and no posting, I am back in the saddle and kicking May off with this awesome vegetarian (and potentially gluten free) tex-mex  meal! These burritos can easily be made with a GF tortilla or even better in corn tortillas and eaten taco style. Enjoy!

1 cup cooked quinoa (1/2 cup quinoa to 1 cup water)

1 T EVOO

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilis, undrained*

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup frozen corn

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

flour or corn tortillas

If desired: avocado or guacamole, diced tomatoes, chopped lettuce, shredded cheese, taco or hot sauce

1. Heat EVOO in large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the onions, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook one more minute.

2. Pour in broth and tomatoes. *I used tomatoes that didn’t have chilis in them so I added a can of diced green chilis (4 oz can) but only used 2 oz. It’s up to you how much heat you like. Add in spices (chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt & pepper) and cooked quinoa; stir well to combine.

3. Bring to a boil then lower heat to simmer for about 20 minutes or until mixture thickens.

4. Stir in black beans, corn, lime juice and cilantro, and allow to simmer an additional 5-10 minutes, uncovered.

5. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings. If making burritos I suggest heating up a small pan with some cooking spray and setting the folded burritos in the pan for just a few minutes on each side. This will help keep your tortillas together and it gives it a nice added flavor and texture.

May Menu ~ 2013

You may have noticed that I took a little sabbatical from blogging. I didn’t know I was going to take a break but it was obvious that I needed one. It’s also pretty obvious that I didn’t cook nearly as much of my April menu as I intended and I usually try to make those recipes up the next month, but alas, I probably won’t get to those any time soon. But I do have a whole menu of new and exciting recipes to share, and I appreciate all you wonderful readers and fellow bloggers for coming back to see what I’m cooking

Recipes I’m cooking that I’ve shared before:

Zucchini Noodles,  Cilantro Lime Rice,  Spinach Tomato Feta Frittata,  Cheeseburger Salad,  Black Bean & Steak Taquitos

Recipes I’m working on this month:

Quinoa, Black Bean & Corn Burritos

Fish Cakes with Cilantro-Lime Dip

Mushroom & Peas Pulao

Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake

Skinny Cheeseburger Casserole

Southwest Chicken & Corn Chowder

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

White Bean Turkey Chili

Marinated London Broil

Cajun Chicken Fritters with Cajun Aioli

Bourbon BBQ Sliders with Garlic Aioli

Southwest Chicken Wraps

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

Chipotle Steak Burritos

Crispy GF Sweet & Sour Chicken

Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup

Crock Pot Short Rib Tacos with Queso

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

 Sides & Other:

Thai Dragon Noodles

Turkey Bacon & Cheddar Potato Cakes

Four Bean Salad

Breakfast Enchiladas

Slow Cooker Macaroni & Cheese

Desserts:

Gooey Butter Bars with Fresh Strawberries

Mini Apple Tarte Tatin

Strawberry Tart with Basil Cream

Vanilla-Coconut Rice Pudding

Lemon Cake with Raspberries and Yogurt Frosting

Asparagus Feta Tart

This was a yummy side dish for my Poached Salmon with Sour Cream Dill Dressing and a fun way to get the kids to eat their veggies. We are all feta fans here, me especially, but you could use just about any strong-flavored cheese you like. Feta doesn’t melt well, so if you think you might have a problem with your asparagus rolling off the tart, you may want to use Gruyere or Jarslberg or something else equally yummy.

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled fine

1 bunch asparagus*

EVOO

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400*. Unfold the pastry sheet and roll out to about a square foot in size. I roll it out over parchment paper so that I can easily transfer it to a baking sheet. Just flip it over and slowly peel the paper off.

Fork the dough all over so it won’t rise during baking. Bake for about 10 minutes or until very light brown.

While it’s baking prepare your asparagus. *I used rather fat ones because that’s what was available, which were fine, but thin ones crisp up so nicely in the oven. That would be my preference and recommendation. Cut off the ends and try to get all the stalks as even in size as possible. Toss with EVOO and salt & pepper. You could even throw a little minced garlic or garlic powder in there if you’re feeling frisky.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and sprinkle the feta pieces evenly. Then top with the asparagus spears, arranging them by alternating tips and ends.

Bake for about 20 more minutes.

Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini with Ragu

I’ve noticed a few Facebook and Pinterest re-posts going around for something very similar to this. It seems to happen occasionally that I’ll put something on my menu plan and several weeks later when I’m finally getting to it it’s already hit the blog circuit. Does this mean I have awesome food instincts??

Yeah…unlikely, I know.

Well, whatever it is, I can’t be too far off the foodie path, I just wish sometimes that I had something with a little “wow” factor. Hopefully this will make someone happy, as it did me. I found this recipe through TLC’s Take Home Chef, but I had to adapt it quite a bit as I’ve noticed that chef Curtis Stone likes to really stretch his culinary skills and I’m just a bit of an underachiever most days

1 T EVOO

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

2 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

1 tsp basil

salt & pepper

extra zucchini, chopped*

3 zucchini

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

3/4 cup grated or shredded mozzarella

1/2 grated Parmesan cheese

pepper

1. To get the ragu started it’s best if you have about an hour. First saute the onions in the EVOO, then add it to the diced tomatoes, extra zucchini, and the wine, with 1 tsp thyme and the bay leaf, over medium-high heat and reduce it by a third. Sauce will be thickened. (20-30 minutes)

2. Meanwhile, cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and spoon out the seeds. If the zucchini are still a bit hard inside just run a sharp knife down each side and score it a little. This will help when scooping out the seeds. *Also, if your zucchini are different lengths, you can cut them all the same and chop up the excess for the ragu, other wise I highly recommend you chopping up a fourth, smaller, zucchini to add to the sauce. It’s just a tomato sauce without it, and while it’s still good, the zucchini really adds something to it.

3. Combine the tomato sauce to your ragu along with the remaining tsp of thyme and the basil. Salt and pepper to taste and allow to simmer, stirring often, for another 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350*. Combine the three cheeses together in a small bowl using a fork. Season  with pepper, and mound the cut-side of the zucchini with the cheese mixture.

5. Lightly spray a 7 x 11 baking dish. Spoon the ragu into the bottom of the dish and place the stuffed zucchini on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Then broil for an additional 10 minutes. Zucchini will be tender but if you prefer them more cooked through try pre-cooking them a bit before assembly or leaving it in the oven at 250* for an extra 15-20 minutes.

I served this over Parmesan Couscous and it was amazing. A very satisfying vegetarian and, if you serve it with rice, a gluten-free meal.

Spinach Squares & the Liebster Award

I love these spinach squares. This is such a great way to serve spinach and it makes a great side dish to just about anything. Also, if you are trying not to do a lot of the “bread thing” like me, this has just a hint of Bisquick in it so you get that feeling you’ve eaten a bit of bread.

Spinach Squares

1 (10 oz) pkg chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic, minced

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp thyme

1/3 cup Bisquick

1/3 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350* and grease an 8×8 pan.

2. Whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and Bisquick.

3. Stir in spinach and cheeses.

4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 -30 minutes, or until edges are browned and a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

5. Let cool before cutting. Makes 9 squares.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very special thank you to Shikoomkoom @ welcomebackbelly  for nominating me for the Liebster Award, which is intended to recognize up-and-coming blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

If you haven’t seen her blog yet please click the link and check it out.

Rules to follow when you are nominated…

1. Upload a picture of the Liebster Award badge onto your blog post.
2. Post 11 facts about yourself.
3. Answer the questions posted by the person who nominated you.

Eleven facts about myself:

1. I have CD’s I like to listen to occasionally in the privacy of my car by artists I will not admit to
2. I rarely bother shaving my legs in the winter.
3. I love Yorkshire Pudding.
4. I still have my childhood stuffed Winnie-the-pooh and will probably be buried with it.
5. Scratch that- I want to be cremated, so I guess that means Pooh will be coming into the incinerator with me.
6. I’m an avid hair twirler. Have been my whole life. You can even see me twirling my hair as I’m driving in my car.
7. I memorized the majority of Steel Magnolias over 20 years ago, and even to this day that movie makes me bawl.
8. I take my coffee black, 2 cups every morning.
9. I love Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes. It’s a really good thing those are only seasonal.
10. My keyboard is a mess because I’m always eating at the computer.  (I know…eww)
11. At different times in my life I have gone by these nicknames: Casey, Chatang, Chanise, Lips, Cappie, Peaches, Cranberry, and Capricious.  (And one rather dirty nickname via Nicole I won’t share here – you’re welcome. Also I don’t acknowledge car related nicknames.)

11 Questions for me from Shikoomkoom:

1. If you won ridiculous amounts on the lottery, what would you do with it? I would buy our retirement home (mine and Hubby’s) and set up funds for my kids. 
2. What are your guilty pleasures? Wine and chocolate, and The Sims
3. What are your 3 favourite traits in a person? Honestly, loyalty, humor
4. What kind of things make you happy? Wine and chocolate. Oh, and hearing my kids play and laugh together. And good food. 
5. If you had to pick one cause to champion for the rest of your life, what would it be? I would start a non-profit organization that goes into schools and educates teachers and parents about ADHD.
6. Food heaven and food hell? Food Heaven: Filet Mignon & Tiramisu. Food Hell: Snails.
7. If you had children, what would you call them? If you do have children, what are their names and why did you choose them? Number One’s name is Brandon, which is Hubby’s middle name. Number Two is Jadon, who was a man in the book of Jeremiah. He helped rebuild the walls of Jericho. It means “God hears”.
8. If you were granted one wish, the effects of which would last for the rest of your life, what would you choose? To reverse my back injury.
9. Your favourite book? Sell it to me! Pride & Prejudice. Seriously. And I don’t have to sell it because everyone loves it, only I’ve loved this book since 1995 before it was fad.
10. The best dessert you have ever had? Hmm…tough one. I can think of a few. The best tiramisu (vs. the worst), a chocolate torte with raspberry puree, or my Pot au Chocolate de Creme  (<– shameless plug, but that one made me very happy). What do you know? All chocolate
11. Where in the world would you most like to visit? Greece and London

April Menu ~ 2013

Spring has officially arrived and with it comes some great eating. It’s almost time to pull out the grill and make some awesome Balsamic Grilled Chicken (I’ve been craving that!) or make a Caprese Pasta Salad or some Black Bean Taquitos.

Hot Hamburger Plate (Number One’s birthday) and Caramel Cake

Oven Baked Tacos with Crock Pot Pinto Beans and Pico de Gallo

Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Pesto Parmesan Green Beans and Oven Roasted Potatoes

Cheeseburger Salad

Black Bean Taquitos with Salad and Mexican Rice

Caprese Pasta Salad

Romano-Crusted Chicken with Skillet Veggies and Cheesy Pesto Bread

Pan-Seared Tuna Steaks with Lima Bean Butter 

 Homemade Mac ‘n Cheese

Taco Cornbread Pizza

Chicken and Rice Pilaf with Roasted Asparagus

~ Recipes I am working on this month ~

Chili Lime Chicken Fiesta Salad with Chili Lime Ranch

Poor Man’s Mongolian Beef

Wonton Taco Cups

Amazing Cashew Chicken

Poached Salmon with Sour Cream & Dill Dressing 

Beer Battered Fish & Chips

Chicken Asadero Chimichanga

Artichoke Crusted Chicken

Eggplant Pizza

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

Asian Chicken Pizza with Peanut Sauce

Crock Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos

~ Sides ~

Smoked Salmon & Creme Fraiche Bruschetta

Macaroni Salad

Spinach Squares

Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini with Ragu

Asparagus Feta Tart

Crispy Parmesan Baked Potaotes

Arancini w/ Marinara

Homemade French Bread

~ Desserts ~

A Little Bit of Everything Cookie Bars

Raspberry Coconut Squares

30 Minute Mini-Cini Buns

Margarita Cupcakes

Carrot Cake Roulade

Here’s a carrot cake for Easter that tastes great, doesn’t require a lot of work, and is just slightly different from the average carrot cake. I even decorated it with a few carrot gummies I found at the dollar store. But you don’t have to only use this recipe for Easter. Make it all Spring long and decorate it with anything you want.

3 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

2 T EVOO

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup flour

2 cups shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)

powdered sugar, for rolling the cake

For the Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

5 T butter, softened

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

powdered sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Line a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides) with parchment paper or foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray and then dust with powdered sugar.

2. Beat eggs at high-speed for 5 minutes, until frothy. Beat in sugar, oil, and vanilla.

3. In separate bowl, whisk together salt, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and flour. Stir into egg mixture just until blended. Add carrots.

4. Spread in prepared pan. Use a rubber scraper to smooth the batter into the corners.  Bake for 10 minutes.

5. Lay out a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, turn it over onto the towel.  Remove paper/foil gently.

6. Working at a short end, fold the edge of the towel over the cake and began to roll tightly. You can sprinkle some powdered sugar or flour on this side of the cake as well, if needed.

7. Leave cake rolled up in the towel at least one hour, until completely cooled.

8. While cake is cooling, make the filling. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add in sugar and vanilla until combined.

9. When cake is cool, careful unroll the towel. Spread about 50 -60% of the frosting over the cake evenly. Re-roll tightly. Use the rest of the frosting for the outside of the cake.

10. Chill another 30 – 60 minutes at least. Dust with powdered sugar and decorate as desired. *Cake can be wrapped in plastic and frozen up to a month.

Easter Blessings!

Recipes Food

Peasant Soup with Rosemary Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Number Two: “What’s for dinner?”

“Peasant Soup.” (Sounds better than cabbage and lentil soup, right?)

His response: “You mean like what they ate in the Middle Ages?!” (We had just watched Time Bandits a few days earlier.)

“Uh…yeah. Exactly.”

“Cool! Can we eat by candlelight, too?”

“Sure, kid.”

And he ate it. One point for mom for getting all the vegetables into the child- Yay!

Traditionally this soup would use a ham hock, but ya’ll know me….blech. So of course I had to tweak it a bit and make it my own recipe. It was also a lot faster my way, but if you fancy a ham hock then by all means go for it.

Peasant Soup

2 quarts chicken broth, divided

2 bay leaves

1 cup lentils, rinsed

salt & pepper to taste

2 T EVOO

1/2 onion, diced small

3 medium carrots, peeled and diced small

1 tsp thyme

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large celery stalk, diced small

1/2 head cabbage, shredded thin

1. Combine lentils with 2 cups broth and bring to a light boil. Simmer for 20 – 25 minutes or until lentils are soft.

2. Dice up the vegetables and heat up the EVOO in a large skillet. Saute the onions for 2 or 3 minutes before adding in the carrots. Cook for a few minutes longer. Add the garlic, thyme and celery. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the soup pot with the lentils.

3. Add the remaining 6 cups of broth and the bay leaves.

4. Put in the cabbage, reduce to a simmer, then cover and allow the cabbage to wilt into the soup. Salt & pepper to taste.

I served this soup with delicious little grilled cheese sandwiches on sliced French bread, grilled with rosemary butter.

Make sure you use a sharp cheddar (or even a cheddar-swiss blend) to get all the flavor from the melted cheese. Simply add some rosemary to your melted butter then using a small brush, paint the butter onto the bread slices. Place into hot, oiled skillet and place thick slices of cheese in between bread slices. Flip and brown on both sides, sprinkling a little extra rosemary on if needed.