Tabouleh

Tabouleh, where have you been all my life?  Perhaps I led such a sheltered life or my home town which was primarily Italian or of Slavic descent, did not import from Tabouleh's country of origin.  Mostly from Lebanon and Syria this grain is loaded with high fiber, magnesium and Vitamin C.  It boasts no cholesterol and is low in saturated fat!  

Tabouleh is the name for a salad dish made from bulgur.  Nowadays,  you can readily find it in any store.  I like it because it seems to curb cravings while filling me up.  I cheated a bit and bought the brand Near East Tabouleh which already has a spice pack inside.  Next time it'll be from scratch!  Try it....you may like it!

Tabouleh Salad

1 box "Near East" Tabouleh

6-7 cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1 roasted red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 heaping tsp of fresh parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

handful of pine nuts for garnish

In a large bowl put tabouleh and packet provided with box.  Add 1 cup of boiling water, stir and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients mixing well.  Chill for at least an hour or better yet, overnight as the flavors blend.  Serve with more pine nuts (optional).  Soooo good!

Pasta of the Month - A for Artichokes

This pasta has everything you need.  A little crunch from the walnuts, an earthy goodness you get from the garlic, cheese and sun dried tomatoes and the main ingredient, artichokes.  Originally from California, I grew up on artichokes.   My mom used to stuff the leaves with a combination of raisin bread and Roquefort cheese.  So good.

When my husband and I moved to Colorado, (we lasted only 13 months) finding fresh artichokes were difficult.  I remember, at the checkout, the checker asked what they were and how did I cook and eat them.  I assumed everyone knew what an artichoke was.

Living in Nevada, artichokes are "like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get"!  It seems that sometimes they're flavorful and other times they're dry and tasteless!  So, to still get my dose of artichokes without the guessing games, I resort to canned or frozen when they aren't in season.  This is one of those "keeper" recipes that I'll make over and over.

Ingredients: (4-6 servings)

1/2 box or 1/2 lb pasta (I used bow ties or farfalle)

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

 12 oz bag of frozen artichokes, cut up.

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted or not, coarsely chopped

2 T fresh basil, chopped

a dash of red chili pepper flakes

2 ladles of pasta water

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Boil water for the pasta in a large pot.  In a large skillet, saute the garlic, sun dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and artichokes in 1/2 of the oil.  Continue to cook on medium heat until the artichokes are cooked through.    When the pasta is cooked, reserve 2 ladles of water and drain.  Add the pasta and pasta water to the skillet.  Add the basil, cheese and the remainder of the oil.  Stir well and serve with the walnut garnish. (you can mix a few of them in, too)  Optional:  a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil before serving is good, also!  Enjoy...this is an easy one.

Ole Fiesta Salad

Somewhere in the world there is a fiesta going on. It's sure not in this neck of the woods. Fall has settled in. Most of the colorful leaves of a few weeks ago have flown away. I love those wind storms we get only because they save me from doing any raking. The leaves are usually nicely blown into neat piles around the yard. The weather is noticeably cooler with storm clouds hovering over the mountaintops.

So why am I putting this recipe on my blog? It seems so inappropriate for the weather. Everyone is busy making Halloween costumes or making concoctions where pumpkin plays the starring role.

One reason is that it has been on my featured recipes list long enough and it's also super easy to throw together. Healthy too! You can always offset it with a few snickers bars, tonight! So if you're in a bind for time make this any time of the year.

Ingredients:

1 cup black beans

1/2 c red pepper, chopped

2 T onions, cut up

1 T chipotle hot sauce

1 T fresh lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

1 c roasted corn, or cooked frozen will do.

1/2 c chopped cherry tomatoes

1 handful chopped parsley

1 handful chopped cilantro

Mix all the above in a bowl, refrigerate for an hour or longer. Ole!

Frittata - A Healthy Twist

The first time I ever tried a frittata I thought, "well this is just some veggies and eggs!" My mother-in-law made it for us many years ago. I liked it then and I like it now. The nice thing about frittatas is that you can serve it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack. You can also choose your veggies like an omelet! It's good warm or cold. As a matter of fact many Italians will pack a wedge of frittata in their lunches. I can buy into that! Also, if you ever have any leftovers, you can make a sandwich out of it. Maybe you can trick your kids into eating their veggies!

I normally prepare my frittatas with a little more cheese and some half and half for a richer taste and a fluffier consistency. But in keeping with healthier eating I made some substitutions. It still turned out nicely.

It's very important to start with a large non-stick skillet. Add 1-2 T of olive oil. Then add what ever type of veggies you like. You can't really mess this up. I chose:

2 c red bell peppers and green (Anaheim type) peppers combined

1/2 c chopped yellow onion

1 c pre-roasted Yukon potatoes, sliced

Saute these for about five minutes. Add spices:

1/2 tsp lemon thyme

1/4 tsp red chili flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 handful chopped Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Meanwhile I combined 2 large eggs and enough "egg beater" type product to total 1 cup. To this add 2 T milk or half and half, beat well. Add egg mixture to pan with veggies. If you've ever made an omelet the technique is the same. Work the egg underneath from the middle to the sides while lifting the edges until it is still a little runny in the middle. At this point you can add some cheese on top. I chose only 2 T grated parmesan. Put into the broiler on low and keep an eye on it. Cook until just browned on top making sure the egg is done. Remove and cool for about 10 minutes. After cooling time it should slide out of the pan onto a serving plate. (Miracles do happen) Cut into wedges and enjoy! A fancy presentation for basic eggs! Serves 2 but you can easily increase the amounts for a larger version.

Baby Bok Choy Lo Mein

Variety is the spice of life! The slim down plan I'm on discourages too much variety while planning your meals. Get yourself into a routine with the same meals over and over. Well, if you are a dog I guess that's okay, but it is not acceptable for me. I love to shake it up and try new concoctions. I usually survey the vegetable isles for something different to try. My son who is a great cook uses bok choy (a Chinese cabbage) so he was my inspiration for this recipe. Although I may have had bok choy at a Chinese restaurant, I 'm embarrassed to say I've never cooked it at home.

In an effort to avoid raw zucchini and carrots sticks for lunch one day, I created this. The trick is always to omit the oils and still have it taste good. I surprised myself with this recipe and it turned out to be a great substitute for pasta.

I roasted some traditional cabbage and bok choy beforehand.

9 oz package of Chinese style noodles (I used 1/2 package)

1 sliced baby bok choy

1 hand sized piece of cabbage, sliced

1 T soy sauce, low sodium

2 T water

2 T honey mustard dressing (mine was fat free)

3 slices onion

cilantro for flavor

1 tsp ginger, grated (optional)

Cook your noodles for 3 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside while mixing the remaining ingredients in a frying pan. Just saute long enough to blend the flavors. Put your noodles into the pan and mix until evenly coated. You can change the ingredients to include snow peas, broccoli, bean sprouts or carrots. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top for extra crunch if you wish. Serves 2.

Roasted Garden Potatoes and Onions

Roasted anything always comes out better tasting. By roasting your veggies the flavor is amazingly enhanced. Without sounding like the guy (Bubba)on Forrest Gump, I've roasted broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, potatoes, garlic, onions, eggplant, red bell pepper, mushrooms, fennel and the list goes on. You can even get more creative just by adding different spices or seasonings, whether fresh or dried.

These potatoes and onions were "special" because they came straight from my garden and I need to give credit to my dad who donated the onion bulbs and spuds early this Spring. I obediently put them into the ground as an experiment, I thought! Out of four spuds I reaped a harvest enough for 4 meals for four people! Next year as I mentioned in a previous blog those spuds will get top ranking. It only seemed fitting that I would invite my dad and mom over to enjoy the harvest dinner of Mojito Chicken with roasted potatoes and onions.

Cut up, depending on size, your potatoes and onions. Place on a cookie sheet pan, drizzle with about 2 T olive oil, a couple sprigs of rosemary and thyme, (removed from stalk) salt and pepper to taste. I also added some garlic cloves that weren't peeled until done to preserve their moisture. I don't feel the need to measure and you shouldn't either. Roasting time varies. You can roast slowly on 350 degrees for 30 mins or faster at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. You be the judge, there is no law and the roasting police will not come after you. Just cook it!

Veggie Couscous

This is the new and improved version of my veggie couscous. The grain, couscous, is a North African dish usually served with lamb or chicken. In the past I have served this dish with chicken, cut up ham, sausage , lamb, panchetta flavored but, most of the time with loads of vegetables, a drizzle of olive oil and plenty of Parmesan cheese.

Lately, the menus have been lightened up. I find couscous to be filling and extremely fast. I made it quite often when I was working because it took less than 30 minutes.

In a non-stick frying pan saute which ever veggies are your favorite. For us, this time, it was onion, tomatoes, zucchini, and mushrooms. Cut them all into bite size pieces. I don't measure so for this recipe you need to "wing it". That's the beauty of couscous. It will turn out great no matter what. I used to start out with 2T olive oil and saute the veggies in that but this time I used some chicken broth to keep it moist.

You can buy boxes of plain couscous or you can get it in the bulk bins. I recommend plain because the fancy flavored ones have too much sodium and, in my opinion, have that "processed" taste. For the couscous just follow the directions on the box, roughly 3/4 c couscous per 1 cup water or broth. Bring the water to a boil, pour in the couscous, stir, cover and remove from heat for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add to the veggie mixture. You may add seasoning such as torn basil or garlic powder. This is not rocket science.

For those of you who don't need to be healthy you can add butter, olive oil and cheese after serving.