Tuesday is Tasty

Sorry for the delay. Yesterday was Election Day! It was complete with an election watch party, where we had patriotic food and played games where only debating was allowed.

Quick and Easy Black Beans

My sister has been asking for a while to post this recipe. So here it is! The original is from Our Best Bites. Below is the recipe halved. I only had lemon, so limes were not used.

Ingredients:

1     can black beans, drained/rinsed
1     t olive oil
1/3  C diced onion
1-2  garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
1/3  C chicken broth (or water,)
1/8  t cumin
1/8  t coriander
1/8  t oregano
1/4  t salt
1/8  t pepper
1/2  lime

Instructions:
In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute abut 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula so smoosh (yes, that’s a technical culinary term) some of the beans. You don’t want to pulverize them, but you want to take a bunch of good smooshes so that some of the beans are smashed, which will thicken the sauce. I like mine on the thicker side so I smoosh quite a bit. They will thicken more upon standing.
If you want a more soupy consistency, just add a little more broth.

Tuesday is Tasty

Pasta Night

Last night was pasta night! This is where I usually get creative in the kitchen. It is basically dinner in a bowl. I see what is in the refrigerator, and throw it together to great some goodness, and usually some amazing goodness.

Elements of Pasta Night

1. Sauce. I choose from three bases: olive oil, tomato, or Alfredo. Last night, I make a pink Alfredo sauce by  mixing the tomato and Alfredo. Delicious! I generally the America Test Kitchen Basic Tomato Sauce recipe as a guide...have never followed it....it is always good. For Alfredo, I love Our Best Bites Guiltless Alfredo Sauce.

2. Pasta. The ingredients I use for Pasta Night generally weigh spaghetti down too much, and it turns to mush. I prefer to use Penne or Bowtie, bus spaghetti was what we had last night. It worked.

3. Everything else. Last night we had broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, garlic, and green onion. Bacon is always a great option. Always! Other meats include: grilled chicken, deli ham, Italian sausage, pepperoni, etc. Other veggies to use: artichoke, asparagus, zucchini, summer squash, onion, olive, etc.

Tips: Sometimes keeping it simple is best. I decided not to add bacon last night so we could focus more on the vegetables since they were steamed, then sauteed, and finished off with olive oil, garlic, and ground red pepper. Other things can be added to the meal such as a light salad or bread. The pasta is the focus and basically it is a skillet dinner. Who doesn't like that?? Yum!

Tuesday is Tastey

Sorry for delay. The internet wasn't cooperating, but we have a new provider so things should stay on schedule.

Salad - The Good Stuff

I'm not sure what to call this one. It is one of those delicious salads tossed in poppy seed dressing. Please view the goodness:

This little baby was divine! It was a shame we only had 5 minutes to eat it. We did our best to savour each bite as we scarfed it down. Thankfully, I was still able to get a picture before it was gone!

Recipe: You can wing this one. It was so fresh and delicious and photogenic, I couldn't resist sharing.

     Half head of romaine

     Half bunch of spinach

3   Green onion, sliced

1/2 recipe of Our Best Bites poppy seed dressing

1/2 cup candied walnuts

1/2 cup strawberries, sliced

1 chicken breast cooked, seasoned to taste

1. Wash and cut romaine, spinach, and green onion. Toss in poppy seed dressing and set aside.

2. Cook walnuts until candied to perfection. (I followed instructions on this, and it took a lot more time than I was planning. The basic recipe is to put the nuts and sugar in a pan over medium heat, constantly stirring, until the sugar liquefies, caramelises, and looks amazing. To speed up the process, add a little butter and the sugar dissolves a lot quicker.) Do not put the warm, candied nuts on a paper towel sheet. Lesson learned...

3. Cut the chicken into good eating sizes. Use your judgement, but I like to cut the chicken in half to make it thinner before I slice and dice. It just makes it go farther.

4. To assemble, layer everything on and put the strawberries toward the top so they don't get mangled.

 If we had more time, I would have served a small bread on the side like bread sticks or muffins. Adding chicken to this salad made it suitable for a meal, and it was very filling. Did I mention delicious??