This recipe is one of our favorite uses of leftover chicken, especially for lunch. It doesn’t necessarily sound like it would be as good as it is (nor does it photograph particularly well), but it’s a tangy and creative twist on the typical mayo-based chicken salad. And it has a chipotle pepper in it, which adds a nice smoky / spicy flavor. In addition to being delicious, it is really easy to make with just a few ingredients.
Continue reading “BBQ Chicken Salad (with leftover chicken)”
This is yet another recipe from our much-loved “Best 30-Minute Recipe” cookbook. We mention the cookbook often because we use it All. The. Time. In addition to all of its other wonderful cooking tips and taste offerings, the book has an entire chapter called “Mix and Match Stir-Fries” with several different stir-fry recipes and sauces to cook in various combinations — genius. As much as we enjoy ordering take-out from our favorite local Chinese restaurant, we also find it very satisfying (and probably a tad more healthy) to cook an authentic-tasting Asian meal at home.
Continue reading “Stir-Fried Chicken and Vegetables with Spicy Thai Basil Sauce”
I’ve mentioned before that I’m always on the hunt for good side dishes that are different than our usual rice, potatoes or pasta (not that there’s anything wrong with those.) When looking for something to go with a fish dish, I found a couple of recipes using quinoa, a whole grain that we had never previously cooked, eaten or even knew existed. If you’ve never had it before either, it’s actually pronounced “keen-wa,” not “kin-o-ah,” something I did not discover until I saw the helpful pronunciation on the package and had repeatedly mis-pronounced it. We combined elements from several recipes and ended up with a pretty interesting side dish (don’t you hate it when people describe food as “interesting” — what does that mean? Good? Terrible? “Interesting” could describe either one.)
As with most casserole dishes, there are many variations of King Ranch. No matter the recipe, the key components seem to be poultry, tortillas, cheese and a creamy sauce. All good things in our book. Looking at several different recipes, we put together this King Ranch with the following ingredients: leftover cooked turkey (most recipes use chicken, but we had previously grilled a turkey breast and had tons leftover), onion, red bell pepper, garlic, tortillas, chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, Rotel, green chiles, jalapeno and cheddar cheese seasoned with chili powder. Continue reading “King Ranch Casserole (with leftover turkey)”
On a busy weeknight, we love a dish that incorporates both the protein and the vegetable in the same recipe — as seen here and here. Such meals are usually really easy to prepare, but still have fresh and complex flavors. We found this recipe in an old cookbook by Cook’s Illustrated, “The Quick Recipe,” which we found at a Half Price Books store (used book stores are great places to find good quality cookbooks at inexpensive prices.) The ingredients for this dish include steak, arugula, a vinaigrette made with olive oil, lemon, garlic, fresh parsley, fresh oregano, salt & pepper, and freshly shaved parmesan for garnish. We added tomatoes for a little extra flavor and texture. We’re crazy like that.
Continue reading “Tuscan-Style Steak with Arugula and Parmesan”
Bobby Flay knows his way around a grill. We have several of his grilling cookbooks and I like to consult them when we’re in the mood for something a little different than the usual grill recipes. Bobby tends to use a lot of interesting rubs and sauces in his grilling, and this dish is no exception. We like how the rich and earthy mushroom flavor of the sauce complements the spicy (but not too spicy) rub on the pork. This mushroom vinaigrette would also be good served on other proteins – like a grilled chicken breast or a nice filet mignon.
Continue reading “Grilled Pork Chops with Mushroom-Soy Vinaigrette”
A fettuccine alfredo recipe that is low(er) in fat and calories than the traditional version? Yes, please! We found one in Cook’s Illustrated’s book, “The Best Light Recipe.” As with all their recipes, the folks at Cook’s Illustrated do all the hard work for you — testing out tons of different ingredients and techniques until they find the very best possible recipe (hence the name.) Another great feature in this particular cookbook is that the authors show the difference in nutritional stats between the light recipe and the traditional version, and they explain how they achieved the lighter result. For example, classic fettuccine alfredo has about 580 calories and 43 grams of fat, while the light recipe has only 300 calories and 11 grams of fat. The key to the light version is using half-and-half thickened with cornstarch instead of heavy cream, and they omitted all the butter. Even with less calories and fat, this recipe still has the rich and creamy taste of the traditional version.
Continue reading “Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (with leftover chicken)”
Sometimes I think that side dishes are the bane of my existence. Sometimes, I’m also a little overly dramatic. But I do find that we get bored with the same old side dishes, and I’m often looking for new and different recipes to accompany our protein main courses. This side is one of my most successful discoveries yet. The ingredients are really simple — grilled eggplant and bread, combined with tomatoes and basil — all dressed with a nice balsamic vinaigrette. The result tastes like something you would maybe have for lunch with a nice glass of vino bianco at a quaint trattoria off the square of a little town in Italy (except it would be better there because everything is Better In Italy.)
Continue reading “Panzanella (Eggplant, Tomato & Bread Salad)”
Way back when it was still winter here in Texas, we had a snow/ice storm. While we were “snowed in,” Dan wanted to cook some comfort food, but something a little different than the usual stew, chili or casserole. He found this recipe, which incorporates pork, jalapenos, tomatillos and other yummy Tex-Mex ingredients. The “verde” in this dish comes from the deliciously tart tomatillos, perfectly balanced against the spice of the jalepeno peppers.
Lamb is not something we eat very often, and this is the first time we’ve ever cooked it at home. But Dan has a very good, and very persuasive, friend who has been requesting a lamb recipe, so we were happy to oblige. We decided to do rack of lamb because that is what was available in our grocery store. Dan researched several recipes and combined certain components from each to come up with this particular dish. It turned out great, and we enjoyed experimenting with a new (to us) protein. This one’s for you, Dr. Z!