This salad is quick, easy and fresh. Everything in this salad except for the dressing comes from your garden. But the real beauty of this salad is that you don't have to use exac,tly what I used. You can substitute in vegetables you may grow that I don't or take away vegetables you don't care for. You'll also find that I don't put quantities. That's because you can make a single serving or a large batch. It all depends on how many you have to feed when you make this.
bell pepper (today I used red, green and purple, but any color bell pepper works)
cucumber (I used an Armenian cucumber, but any cucumber can go in this salad)
tomato (any type)
onion (I happened to have a red onion, but any variety can be used)
dressing (I have used Italian, balsamic vinegrette, Greek vinegrette and I've also mixed my own using rice vinegar and olive oil)
Cut all vegetables into bite size pieces. If you prefer to peel your cucumber, you can. If you use an Armenian cucumber you should peel and seed it. Once all of your vegetables are cut, pour your dressing over it all and stir. I always use enough dressing to cover the vegetables and then use a slotted spoon to serve. However, you can use as little or as much dressing as you want. This dish can be served immediately or chilled and served later. I also like to spoon this over lettuce or cooked chicken.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Margarita Chicken
This is such an easy recipe! I came up with this recipe because my son and I enjoy Cuban food. As a test, I made some up and took it to my Cuban friend. She was amazed. She said it was like eating her mother's cooking. I knew I hit the mark when my son's pickiest friend ate TWO servings and asks to come over whenever I make this meal!
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Margarita mix or lime juice
1 family size package yellow rice
2 large cans black beans or 1 lb dried black beans
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
Cilantro
Olive oil
1. Marinate chicken in margarita mix or lime juice. If you don't have time to marinate, you can simply pour the margarita mix or lime juice over the chicken and then cook. How much you use is up to you.
2. Preheat oven to 350. Cook chicken until done. Depending on the size of the breasts it could be anywhere from a half hour to 45 minutes. This also tastes great if you grill the chicken on a charcoal grill.
3. While chicken is cooking, prepare rice as package directs. If you are using dried beans, you will need to prepare the dried beans as package directs.
4. If you like to prepare food ahead, this step can be done the day before. Chop your tomatoes, 1 green bell pepper and half of the red onion. Combine in large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (less if you're not a garlic fan), lime juice (I usually use the juice from half a lime), and cilantro to taste. Mix well and store in refrigerator until you serve the meal.
5. Chop the remaining green bell pepper and onion and saute in a large skillet until softened. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add black beans and heat through, cooking until beans are of desired consistency.
6. To serve: Layer rice first on your plate. Then layer your beans on top of the rice. Next put your chicken on top of the beans. Sometimes I go ahead and slice the chicken, other times I don't. On top of that put the tomato relish created in step 4. Sometimes I sprinkle the dish with cilantro.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Margarita mix or lime juice
1 family size package yellow rice
2 large cans black beans or 1 lb dried black beans
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
Cilantro
Olive oil
1. Marinate chicken in margarita mix or lime juice. If you don't have time to marinate, you can simply pour the margarita mix or lime juice over the chicken and then cook. How much you use is up to you.
2. Preheat oven to 350. Cook chicken until done. Depending on the size of the breasts it could be anywhere from a half hour to 45 minutes. This also tastes great if you grill the chicken on a charcoal grill.
3. While chicken is cooking, prepare rice as package directs. If you are using dried beans, you will need to prepare the dried beans as package directs.
4. If you like to prepare food ahead, this step can be done the day before. Chop your tomatoes, 1 green bell pepper and half of the red onion. Combine in large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (less if you're not a garlic fan), lime juice (I usually use the juice from half a lime), and cilantro to taste. Mix well and store in refrigerator until you serve the meal.
5. Chop the remaining green bell pepper and onion and saute in a large skillet until softened. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add black beans and heat through, cooking until beans are of desired consistency.
6. To serve: Layer rice first on your plate. Then layer your beans on top of the rice. Next put your chicken on top of the beans. Sometimes I go ahead and slice the chicken, other times I don't. On top of that put the tomato relish created in step 4. Sometimes I sprinkle the dish with cilantro.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Greek Pasta Salad
This is the *best* pasta salad.....EVER! And it's so easy too!
1 box bowtie pasta
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 can black olives
1 red onion, thinly sliced (I omit this because my son is not real big on onions)
1 package crumbled feta cheese (I use the 5oz package)
1 bottle Kraft Greek Vinaigrette dressing
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Chop tomatoes, cucumber and red onion if using.
3. Combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, cucmber, olives, onions, feta cheese and dressing in large bowl and mix well.
4. Chill and serve.
**You can serve right away, but I like this salad best when chilled.
1 box bowtie pasta
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 can black olives
1 red onion, thinly sliced (I omit this because my son is not real big on onions)
1 package crumbled feta cheese (I use the 5oz package)
1 bottle Kraft Greek Vinaigrette dressing
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Chop tomatoes, cucumber and red onion if using.
3. Combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, cucmber, olives, onions, feta cheese and dressing in large bowl and mix well.
4. Chill and serve.
**You can serve right away, but I like this salad best when chilled.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Harvest Leg of Lamb
Autumn is here! Well, not so much in Florida, but my calendar says it should be autumn and I'm craving autumn food. Here is one of our favorite autumn meals. I love to serve this on the weekends when I have people over for football. Especially if it's a cold, wet day.
1 5 to7 lb whole lamb leg roast (bone in)
6 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices (about half a bulb)
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon pepper
1. Trim fat from meat. With the tip of a knife, cut ½” wide slits into roast at 1” intervals (approximately 36 holes) inserting a thin slice of garlic in each. Brush meat surface with lemon juice. Stir together parsley, oil, Italian seasoning or oregano, and pepper. Pat parsley mixture into meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.
2. Place meat, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into center of meat, without touching bone. Roast in 325 oven until thermometer registers 140 for medium rare (1 ¾ to 2 ¼ hours) or 155 for medium (2 to 2 ½ hours). Transfer meat to serving platter. Cover meat with foil and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.
Serves 12 to 16
Calories: 187
Fat: 8 grams
Saturated fat: 3 grams
Sodium: 68 mg
Carbs: 2 grams
1 5 to7 lb whole lamb leg roast (bone in)
6 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices (about half a bulb)
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon pepper
1. Trim fat from meat. With the tip of a knife, cut ½” wide slits into roast at 1” intervals (approximately 36 holes) inserting a thin slice of garlic in each. Brush meat surface with lemon juice. Stir together parsley, oil, Italian seasoning or oregano, and pepper. Pat parsley mixture into meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.
2. Place meat, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into center of meat, without touching bone. Roast in 325 oven until thermometer registers 140 for medium rare (1 ¾ to 2 ¼ hours) or 155 for medium (2 to 2 ½ hours). Transfer meat to serving platter. Cover meat with foil and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.
Serves 12 to 16
Calories: 187
Fat: 8 grams
Saturated fat: 3 grams
Sodium: 68 mg
Carbs: 2 grams
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Chicken and Pasta Primavera
This is a recipe from the back of a Campbell's soup lable. It isn't fancy or ground breaking, but it's fast and it gets the job done when you need dinner on the table ten minutes ago!
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bag (16 oz) frozen vegetable combination (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots mix is a good one)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 of a 1-pound package spaghetti, cooked without salt and drained (you can also use whatever other pasta you may have on hand)
1. Heat soup, milk, cheese, garlic powder and vegetables in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.
2. Stir chicken in saucepan and cook until mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve over pasta.
Serves 4
Calories: 473
Total fat: 10 grams
Saturated fat: 3 grams
Cholesterol 72 mg
Sodium: 449 mg
Total Carbs: 59 grams
Dietary Fiber: 6 grams
Protein: 35 grams
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bag (16 oz) frozen vegetable combination (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots mix is a good one)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 of a 1-pound package spaghetti, cooked without salt and drained (you can also use whatever other pasta you may have on hand)
1. Heat soup, milk, cheese, garlic powder and vegetables in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.
2. Stir chicken in saucepan and cook until mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve over pasta.
Serves 4
Calories: 473
Total fat: 10 grams
Saturated fat: 3 grams
Cholesterol 72 mg
Sodium: 449 mg
Total Carbs: 59 grams
Dietary Fiber: 6 grams
Protein: 35 grams
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year Recipes
January 1, 2009…
I didn’t think I’d ever see this date. It’s amazing to me really. But you can read all about that in my personal blog, Hunting Mosquitoes and Other Flights of Fancy. (Link at left.)
In honor of the New Year, I’d thought I’d share a menu for our typical New Year’s Day dinner. Throughout this blog, please bear in mind that dinner and supper are not interchangeable. Dinner is a more substantial meal than supper. In my house we eat breakfast then supper and then dinner. Sometimes the order changes as I’d rather eat my larger meal in the afternoon, but American lifestyles simply don’t allow for such on a regular basis.
Of course I’ve made a goal for this year in regard to food. We eat organic a good part of the time, but I allow poor food into our diet as well. I’ve decided to become a little more strict on that. No worries though, I’m not giving up my Starbucks! I’m like a junkie on a fix with Starbucks. No way am I getting rid of that!
I hope you enjoy these New Year Recipes; comments are always welcome! I’d love to hear how they turned out for you.
Menu: Pineapple-Orange Ham Slice, black-eyed peas, collard greens.
Ham Slice with Pineapple Orange Sauce
If your family is anything like mine, we’ve done nothing but eat since November. By the time the New Year rolls around I can’t stand the thought of another whole ham. So to get the requisite ham for New Year’s, I use either leftover ham or buy a ham slice, which some call a ham steak.
Ingredients:
1 (2 pound) fully cooked ham steak (about 1 inch thick)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 (8 ounce) can unsweetened sliced pineapple
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cider or white wine vinegar
Dash ground ginger
Directions:
In a skillet, brown ham in butter. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set juice aside. Place pineapple over ham; set aside. In a saucepan, combine orange juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, ginger and reserved pineapple juice; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over ham and pineapple. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until ham is heated through.
Serves 4
Black-Eyed Peas with Fennel
There are so many variations for black-eyed peas. This one just happens to be a real hit at my house.
Ingredients:
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 pound finely chopped fennel
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Put the black-eyed peas in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a hearty simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Drain.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté fennel and onion until limp. Stir in tomatoes or tomato paste and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the beans, salt, pepper and water to cover. Simmer until the water is absorbed and the sauce thickens.
Serves 6 to 8
Southern Collard Greens
Now this recipe is about as Southern as they come. Some Northern households will add about 20 oz. of chicken broth, but that’s nigh onto sacrilege in this house.
Ingredients:
1 bunch collard greens - rinsed, trimmed and chopped
2 smoked ham hocks
Water to cover
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place the collard greens and ham hocks in a large pot. Cover with water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour.
Serves: In a Northern household 8; in a Southern household 4
I didn’t think I’d ever see this date. It’s amazing to me really. But you can read all about that in my personal blog, Hunting Mosquitoes and Other Flights of Fancy. (Link at left.)
In honor of the New Year, I’d thought I’d share a menu for our typical New Year’s Day dinner. Throughout this blog, please bear in mind that dinner and supper are not interchangeable. Dinner is a more substantial meal than supper. In my house we eat breakfast then supper and then dinner. Sometimes the order changes as I’d rather eat my larger meal in the afternoon, but American lifestyles simply don’t allow for such on a regular basis.
Of course I’ve made a goal for this year in regard to food. We eat organic a good part of the time, but I allow poor food into our diet as well. I’ve decided to become a little more strict on that. No worries though, I’m not giving up my Starbucks! I’m like a junkie on a fix with Starbucks. No way am I getting rid of that!
I hope you enjoy these New Year Recipes; comments are always welcome! I’d love to hear how they turned out for you.
Menu: Pineapple-Orange Ham Slice, black-eyed peas, collard greens.
Ham Slice with Pineapple Orange Sauce
If your family is anything like mine, we’ve done nothing but eat since November. By the time the New Year rolls around I can’t stand the thought of another whole ham. So to get the requisite ham for New Year’s, I use either leftover ham or buy a ham slice, which some call a ham steak.
Ingredients:
1 (2 pound) fully cooked ham steak (about 1 inch thick)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 (8 ounce) can unsweetened sliced pineapple
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cider or white wine vinegar
Dash ground ginger
Directions:
In a skillet, brown ham in butter. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set juice aside. Place pineapple over ham; set aside. In a saucepan, combine orange juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, ginger and reserved pineapple juice; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over ham and pineapple. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until ham is heated through.
Serves 4
Black-Eyed Peas with Fennel
There are so many variations for black-eyed peas. This one just happens to be a real hit at my house.
Ingredients:
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 pound finely chopped fennel
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Put the black-eyed peas in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a hearty simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Drain.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté fennel and onion until limp. Stir in tomatoes or tomato paste and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the beans, salt, pepper and water to cover. Simmer until the water is absorbed and the sauce thickens.
Serves 6 to 8
Southern Collard Greens
Now this recipe is about as Southern as they come. Some Northern households will add about 20 oz. of chicken broth, but that’s nigh onto sacrilege in this house.
Ingredients:
1 bunch collard greens - rinsed, trimmed and chopped
2 smoked ham hocks
Water to cover
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Place the collard greens and ham hocks in a large pot. Cover with water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour.
Serves: In a Northern household 8; in a Southern household 4
Monday, December 29, 2008
Welcome
Welcome to the Epicurean Gourmand! Despite the fancy name, it won't always be gourmet food. In fact, a lot of what you will find here will be comfort food and quick and easy -- but healthy -- weeknight food ideas. I love to cook and enjoy trying new things, but during the school year I'm just plain lucky to get dinner on the table, forget the fancy stuff! I hope you enjoy the recipes you find here. Check back often as I'll be adding new recipes as I try them.
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