So far this summer, I have not cooked the same thing twice for dinner. It's become kind of a game for me to use up leftovers and random fridge items in unique ways. Such was the case for me last night; Lindsey, Dave and I grilled hamburgers after our 10K on Monday, and we had two leftover. Something about a re-heated cheeseburger was just not appealing to me, so I started looking for inspiration via Google blogs search about what to do with leftover ground beef. A taco pie thus was born. I felt somewhat semi-homemade making it, what with the crescent roll crust and crushed up tortilla chip topping, but it was dang tasty. Here's my version, that I'm certain could be gourmet-ified if needed.
Ground Beef Taco Pie
1 package reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls
1/2 lb ground beef, cooked and drained (I crumbled up my 2 leftover grilled hamburgers)
1/2 onion, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 can Rotel tomatoes (with juice)
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup corn kernels (frozen or canned)
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin
3 tsp taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, monterrey jack, pepper jack or combination)
7-10 large tortilla chips, crumbled
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9" pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the crescent rolls flat in the pie pan so that they cover the bottom and sides. Bake for 5 minutes, remove from oven. In the meantime, sautee diced onion, garlic and pepper for 7-8 minutes, until onions are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Add in the can of Rotel, beans, and corn; salt & pepper again, and add cumin. Add in ground beef and taco seasoning; heat through, about 5 minutes. Place one layer of beef mixture on top of crescent roll crust, then top it with cheese, then place the remaining beef mixture on top, and top with crumbled up tortilla chips and more cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, slice and enjoy. Serve with guacamole and sour cream on the side.
My homemade guacamole:
1 ripe avocado
juice of 1/2 lime
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 Tablespoon finely diced and seeded jalapeno pepper
Combine together in small bowl; cover directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
See! It's so semi-homemade, what with the taco seasoning and crescent rolls. It felt very 1950s to make; I felt like I needed to be on my way to a potluck or church supper. However, it was quite tasty, and Dave and I both loved it. That crescent roll crust makes a huge impact since it's buttery and crispy, and works wonderfully with the spiciness of the filling. We don't like things incredibly spicy, so I always remove the seeds and ribs from my peppers before cooking. If you like it hotter, then include the seeds in the sauteed onion mixture. You can also top each serving with more shredded cheese if you have cheese lovers in the family. This made about 5 servings, which means leftovers for lunch! Again, not a very original recipe, but it was tasty and resourceful. This one's going in rotation!
Showing posts with label dinner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dinner. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
California Salad with Avocado, Strawberries, and Ginger-Citrus Dressing
Well kids, welcome to the most exciting/depressing couple of weeks in the year: season finale week. It's exciting, because what equates to a whole semester, or year, of television watching gets summed up in breathtaking and adventurous and emotional finales. However, the day after your favorite show's finale is kind of like the day after Christmas. You feel all empty and sad, because you know there is no more happiness coming for a long time. What on earth am I going to do for an hour on Tuesday and Wednesday nights without American Idol? (My assessment of this season is evident in my decision not to buy tickets to see AI Live, even though they'll be at Rupp in August...)I know, Hell's Kitchen still has a few weeks left, and The Next Food Network Star picks back up sometime in June. But for the love of God, you're taking LOST away from me AGAIN for 7 straight months? I know, I should focus on the positive, like the fact that we get a 2 hour season finale next week. And that it'll be out on DVD (or Blu-Ray, thank you Dave) soon and I can sit and watch the season all over again along with the cool bonus material (I love hearing Naveen Andrews talk in his British accent and anything to do with Michael Emerson). Still. No more LOST? Til January 2009? It's like taking away my coffee. And facebook. And myspace. And kittens. All at the same time. For 7 months. The absence of LOST means more than just no more good television; it means no more official podcasts, and a slow-down of activity on lostpedia.com, two of my favorite distractions. I guess it will force me to focus more on writing a proposal, which is insanely frustrating to me at this very moment.
So, let's talk about food! This week is a healthy-eating week for Dave and me. Last night I made my favorite salad, what I like to call a "California Salad." I've only been to California once, but I'm guessing this dish would go over well there since it's light, refreshing, and uses avocados. And it can be vegetarian friendly!
Ginger-Citrus Dressing:
2 tsp ground ginger
2 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
1/4-1/2 cup orange juice
Combine ingredients together well with a whisk or fork. Taste; for sweeter dressing, add more honey. For a spicier dressing, add more ginger or mustard. For a creamier dressing, add more mayo. For a more thinned-out dressing, add more orange juice.
Drizzle on a salad assembled as follows:
greens of your choice (I prefer romaine hearts/cabbage blend in this salad)
sliced avocado
craisins
sliced fresh strawberries
orange supremes (sliced into juicy tidbits)
nuts (chopped pecans, almonds, or cashews work well)
chow-mein noodles (if you have some)
roasted chicken (optional, best for when eating as a dinner salad)
Trust me, you will crave this salad and want to make it over and over again. I based this recipe off a salad recipe I got from Food Network a long time ago, and can't even remember the original ingredients or proportions. I know it's very similar to what I have here, but this version is better than the original. The dressing makes about 4 servings, and keeps well in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. This is Rose's favorite meal, and it's one of my all-time favorite dishes. It's very "girly," so it's great to make and serve for a luncheon, brunch, or tea. You can go ahead and assemble all the ingredients ahead of time - except for the avocado, which tends to turn brown very quickly with or without a squirt of lemon juice - and prepare immediately before serving.
Wonder if avocados, strawberries, and oranges grow on the island, or just coconuts and mangoes?
So, let's talk about food! This week is a healthy-eating week for Dave and me. Last night I made my favorite salad, what I like to call a "California Salad." I've only been to California once, but I'm guessing this dish would go over well there since it's light, refreshing, and uses avocados. And it can be vegetarian friendly!
Ginger-Citrus Dressing:
2 tsp ground ginger
2 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
1/4-1/2 cup orange juice
Combine ingredients together well with a whisk or fork. Taste; for sweeter dressing, add more honey. For a spicier dressing, add more ginger or mustard. For a creamier dressing, add more mayo. For a more thinned-out dressing, add more orange juice.
Drizzle on a salad assembled as follows:
greens of your choice (I prefer romaine hearts/cabbage blend in this salad)
sliced avocado
craisins
sliced fresh strawberries
orange supremes (sliced into juicy tidbits)
nuts (chopped pecans, almonds, or cashews work well)
chow-mein noodles (if you have some)
roasted chicken (optional, best for when eating as a dinner salad)
Trust me, you will crave this salad and want to make it over and over again. I based this recipe off a salad recipe I got from Food Network a long time ago, and can't even remember the original ingredients or proportions. I know it's very similar to what I have here, but this version is better than the original. The dressing makes about 4 servings, and keeps well in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. This is Rose's favorite meal, and it's one of my all-time favorite dishes. It's very "girly," so it's great to make and serve for a luncheon, brunch, or tea. You can go ahead and assemble all the ingredients ahead of time - except for the avocado, which tends to turn brown very quickly with or without a squirt of lemon juice - and prepare immediately before serving.
Wonder if avocados, strawberries, and oranges grow on the island, or just coconuts and mangoes?
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Thai-ish Pork Stirfry
I mentioned I had a roast pork loin from dinner on Thursday (quite simple - sear off a pork loin on all sides in a pan with olive oil, then place in a roasting pan and in an oven at 325. Roast for 1 hour or until internal temp gets to 135. Tent with foil and let it rest out of the oven, and it will heat up to 145, which is where the experts say you should consume pork. Use a meat thermometer!). The roast was delicious, but I was scheming as to how I could transform it for dinner the next night (last night). I have been craving Asian-inspired foods lately for some reason, and after searching a few Thai pork stir fry recipes, I came up with this.
Thai-ish Pork Stirfry
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb roasted pork loin, julienned or diced
1 green bell pepper, thin sliced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup frozen broccoli, thawed slightly
4-5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
Sauce: (I didn't measure anything last night, so these are all really random guesses)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 Tablespoons honey
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tablespoons ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
In a small bowl (or, my preference for sauces is a large measuring cup with a pour-spout), whisk together sauce. Taste it, and adjust seasonings if needed (if you want it hotter, add more pepper flakes. If it's too peanut buttery, add soy sauce. If it's too sour, add honey. You get the picture). Set aside until ready to use.
Prepare vegetables and pork for stir fry. Heat up oil in saucepan, and sautee peppers and shallots until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add in broccoli and pork, and sauce. Coat everything with sauce and heat through, cooking over medium heat at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes, if you reduce the heat to low and allow to gently simmer. Immediately before serving, top with chopped peanuts and basil. Serve with white or brown rice, and enjoy!
The sauce was surprisingly good. I think it was my favorite invented teriyaki-style sauce ever. I thought about adding cornstarch to thicken it, but just left it saucy instead. I also wish I had used a red bell pepper for color's sake (all the veggies are green otherwise). If I had an onion, I would have used it instead of a shallot, but I like the milder flavor of shallots. Of course, substitute whatever meat or vegetables you have on hand - the sauce will stand up to just about anything.
I feel so... Robin Miller.
Thai-ish Pork Stirfry
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb roasted pork loin, julienned or diced
1 green bell pepper, thin sliced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup frozen broccoli, thawed slightly
4-5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
Sauce: (I didn't measure anything last night, so these are all really random guesses)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 Tablespoons honey
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tablespoons ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
In a small bowl (or, my preference for sauces is a large measuring cup with a pour-spout), whisk together sauce. Taste it, and adjust seasonings if needed (if you want it hotter, add more pepper flakes. If it's too peanut buttery, add soy sauce. If it's too sour, add honey. You get the picture). Set aside until ready to use.
Prepare vegetables and pork for stir fry. Heat up oil in saucepan, and sautee peppers and shallots until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add in broccoli and pork, and sauce. Coat everything with sauce and heat through, cooking over medium heat at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes, if you reduce the heat to low and allow to gently simmer. Immediately before serving, top with chopped peanuts and basil. Serve with white or brown rice, and enjoy!
The sauce was surprisingly good. I think it was my favorite invented teriyaki-style sauce ever. I thought about adding cornstarch to thicken it, but just left it saucy instead. I also wish I had used a red bell pepper for color's sake (all the veggies are green otherwise). If I had an onion, I would have used it instead of a shallot, but I like the milder flavor of shallots. Of course, substitute whatever meat or vegetables you have on hand - the sauce will stand up to just about anything.
I feel so... Robin Miller.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops, and a Lit Review
One of the first things you learn in grad school is how to write a "literature review." The process involves searching out as many articles, books, book chapters, paragraphs, unpublished theses/dissertations, conference papers and hand-scrawled notes on napkins that show up in microfilm, as one can find about the particular topic of interest. For example, when I studied TVA, my lit review consisted of official TVA documents that are hidden away in the National Archives, congressional acts that commissioned the TVA, TVA annual reports, and a plethora of books, articles, and propaganda that were published from the 1930s until today. The lit review is a painful process that tends to suck the life out of whatever project for which you once felt a great deal of enthusiasm. Something about reading what everybody else has already written about your at first seemingly original idea is exhausting, time-consuming, boring, no fun, and insanely necessary. "They" say that your lit review is done when your new sources have published in their bibliographies the sources that you have already found. Eventually, you find out that the trail you've been following doesn't lead you to a castle, a one-up, or bad guy you get to fight for the princess; the trail is a mobius strip that leads you right back where you started. Once you begin, it never really ends.
So here I am, studying for quals, wondering if I've reached my saturation point because I'm connecting dots between my feminist theory, media effects, and critical/cultural sources? How in the world has Lazarsfeld led to Morley led to McRobbie? How has Hall managed to find his way into my book on feminism & pop culture? Am I studying the same thing, with three different names? Qualifying exams, my friends, will make one crazy. So will sitting inside forcing yourself to study, like I'm doing on this gorgeous day.
In the interest of preserving my mental health, let me tell you what I made for dinner last night. One of Dave's favorite things to order out in restaurants is bacon-wrapped scallops. I have never tried to cook the little mollusks before, and last night's attempt was a success! It was so easy, elegant and delicious. Here is what I did:
8 jumbo scallops
8 slices of applewood smoked bacon
salt & pepper
cooking spray
Preheat broiler. In a nonstick pan, give the bacon a head start on cooking, by cooking for about 2 minutes, flipping once. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Salt & pepper each side of each scallop. Wrap the scallops in a piece of bacon, securing with a toothpick through the center. Place on a baking sheet/roasting pan/whatever fits under your broiler sprayed with cooking spray, and go ahead and pour all that bacon grease leftover in the other pan, just for good measure. Arrange scallops on the pan, and place under the broiler for 5 minutes. Flip them over, and broil for another 5 minutes. Eat immediately.
Let me tell you, however, 8 jumbo scallops were way too many for me and Dave. These guys were huge! I could only eat 2. Dave ate 3. And at Harry's yesterday, they were quite expensive. Next time, I'm only getting 4-6 jumbo scallops, which will be plenty for average eaters. 10 minutes was perfect for these guys, but if your scallops are smaller, you may need to adjust the cooking time. I served them with my leftover red-wine risotto from the night before, and a small salad. And, we had our drunk strawberry shortcake again for dessert. This meal will impress just about anyone, and the house smells amazing, thanks to the use of bacon and fresh seafood.
So here I am, studying for quals, wondering if I've reached my saturation point because I'm connecting dots between my feminist theory, media effects, and critical/cultural sources? How in the world has Lazarsfeld led to Morley led to McRobbie? How has Hall managed to find his way into my book on feminism & pop culture? Am I studying the same thing, with three different names? Qualifying exams, my friends, will make one crazy. So will sitting inside forcing yourself to study, like I'm doing on this gorgeous day.
In the interest of preserving my mental health, let me tell you what I made for dinner last night. One of Dave's favorite things to order out in restaurants is bacon-wrapped scallops. I have never tried to cook the little mollusks before, and last night's attempt was a success! It was so easy, elegant and delicious. Here is what I did:
8 jumbo scallops
8 slices of applewood smoked bacon
salt & pepper
cooking spray
Preheat broiler. In a nonstick pan, give the bacon a head start on cooking, by cooking for about 2 minutes, flipping once. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Salt & pepper each side of each scallop. Wrap the scallops in a piece of bacon, securing with a toothpick through the center. Place on a baking sheet/roasting pan/whatever fits under your broiler sprayed with cooking spray, and go ahead and pour all that bacon grease leftover in the other pan, just for good measure. Arrange scallops on the pan, and place under the broiler for 5 minutes. Flip them over, and broil for another 5 minutes. Eat immediately.
Let me tell you, however, 8 jumbo scallops were way too many for me and Dave. These guys were huge! I could only eat 2. Dave ate 3. And at Harry's yesterday, they were quite expensive. Next time, I'm only getting 4-6 jumbo scallops, which will be plenty for average eaters. 10 minutes was perfect for these guys, but if your scallops are smaller, you may need to adjust the cooking time. I served them with my leftover red-wine risotto from the night before, and a small salad. And, we had our drunk strawberry shortcake again for dessert. This meal will impress just about anyone, and the house smells amazing, thanks to the use of bacon and fresh seafood.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Rosalie's Lasagna
Rosalie is getting married in July. As you might expect, in preparation for the "big day," our eating habits in A50 are, well, healthy. Very healthy. Our diet is best described as low fat (except when I have a bad day and end up topping whatever it is I just made extremely low fat with 2 TB butter - which I have done on several occasions this semester). We are not about to give up, completely, the foods we love, so I've invented low fat versions of almost everything I make. Still pretty inspired to cook thanks to the weekend in Miami, here is my newly invented low-fat lasagna. In honor of my betrothed roommate, I call it:
Rosalie's Lasagna
12-16 whole wheat lasagna noodles
3 links Italian turkey sausage
3 cups nonfat cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 jars Barilla tomato & basil marinara sauce
2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 400.
Cook lasagna noodles in large pot of boiling, salted water, 10 minutes. Do not overcook. When noodles are done, remove from water, place on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, and allow to cool slightly.
In the meantime, brown sausage in nonstick pan, about 10 minutes on medium heat.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper.
Layer ingredients in a 9 x 13 pan in the following order: 1/2 cup marinara, 3 lasagna noodles (may need 3 1/2 depending on size of pan), 1/2 cottage cheese mixture, 3/4 cup mozzarella, 1/2 sausage, 1 cup marinara, 3 more lasagna noodles, remaining cottage cheese mix, 3/4 cup mozzarella, remaining sausage, 1 cup marinara, 3 more noodles, 1/2-3/4 cup marinara, remaining mozzarella. Bake for 1 hour or until bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
This makes enough to serve at least 6(or 2 hungry grad students for an entire weekend), and if you only get 6 servings out of it (which you should get way more than that), it turns out to be somewhere around 14 grams of fat per serving. If you are on extremely low-fat diets, this lasagna is the one for you. It's lower-fat than the competition because of the cottage cheese. While I can find low-fat ricotta, I can find fat free cottage cheese. I have shunned using cottage cheese in my lasagna for a long time, but I really didn't mind it here. I also cut fat grams by swapping my usual pork sausage/ground beef combo for a small amount of turkey sausage. While pork sausage has about 18 fat grams per serving, turkey sausage only has 9. What a nutritional bargain, as my new friend Ellie Krieger would say! It's also a very "saucy" lasagna, which is another reason I named it after my roomie. She's a saucy lady! And she likes her pasta loaded with sauce. It's definitely appropriate. I think spinach would be a nice addition (or substitute for the turkey), as long as it's very thoroughly drained. Otherwise, you'd get a watery lasagna, and who wants that?
Whoever said fat free eating isn't yummy clearly never lived with us for a semester before a wedding.
Rosalie's Lasagna
12-16 whole wheat lasagna noodles
3 links Italian turkey sausage
3 cups nonfat cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 jars Barilla tomato & basil marinara sauce
2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 400.
Cook lasagna noodles in large pot of boiling, salted water, 10 minutes. Do not overcook. When noodles are done, remove from water, place on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, and allow to cool slightly.
In the meantime, brown sausage in nonstick pan, about 10 minutes on medium heat.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper.
Layer ingredients in a 9 x 13 pan in the following order: 1/2 cup marinara, 3 lasagna noodles (may need 3 1/2 depending on size of pan), 1/2 cottage cheese mixture, 3/4 cup mozzarella, 1/2 sausage, 1 cup marinara, 3 more lasagna noodles, remaining cottage cheese mix, 3/4 cup mozzarella, remaining sausage, 1 cup marinara, 3 more noodles, 1/2-3/4 cup marinara, remaining mozzarella. Bake for 1 hour or until bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
This makes enough to serve at least 6(or 2 hungry grad students for an entire weekend), and if you only get 6 servings out of it (which you should get way more than that), it turns out to be somewhere around 14 grams of fat per serving. If you are on extremely low-fat diets, this lasagna is the one for you. It's lower-fat than the competition because of the cottage cheese. While I can find low-fat ricotta, I can find fat free cottage cheese. I have shunned using cottage cheese in my lasagna for a long time, but I really didn't mind it here. I also cut fat grams by swapping my usual pork sausage/ground beef combo for a small amount of turkey sausage. While pork sausage has about 18 fat grams per serving, turkey sausage only has 9. What a nutritional bargain, as my new friend Ellie Krieger would say! It's also a very "saucy" lasagna, which is another reason I named it after my roomie. She's a saucy lady! And she likes her pasta loaded with sauce. It's definitely appropriate. I think spinach would be a nice addition (or substitute for the turkey), as long as it's very thoroughly drained. Otherwise, you'd get a watery lasagna, and who wants that?
Whoever said fat free eating isn't yummy clearly never lived with us for a semester before a wedding.
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