Tag Archives: easy

Sep 23 2011

Mushroom Risotto

Add hot broth and stir until absorbed. And repeat. And repeat.

I bought a box of arborio rice a few years ago at a specialty food shop. I wanted to try making risotto, but never got around to it. Until last night. To begin, I selected a recipe from Food Network. I looked over a few and decided to go with one from Emeril.  It seemed easy enough (and was rated as such) so I gave it a shot. It turned out great!

Instead of writing out the long recipe I carried my laptop to the kitchen and placed it on the counter.  What an easy way to cook! I could refer to the recipe without printing it out or writing it onto an index card – who wants to waste all that time if it doesn’t work?

Finished Risotto with shaved parmasean cheese on top.

The recipe called for a few things that I didn’t have on hand, but I improvised.  I used dried thyme instead of fresh, and skipped the fresh parsley entirely. Emeril also suggested using some proccuito as a garnish.  I didn’t have any on hand so I cut some very thin julienne strips of ham to sprinkle on top.  I served some steamed broccoli on the side to complete the meal.

I am pleased with how well it turned out. Risotto seems to be a dish a lot of cooks have trouble with, but if you follow the directions it is really easy to make.  If you’ve never made risotto before, try it, you will like it!

Related posts:

Sep 12 2011

Homemade Granola Bars

Last night I realized that we were out of eggs and I would not be able to make any of my usual breakfast foods in the morning.  I decided to give a recipe I saw on Barefoot Contessa a try – Granola Bars.

They were very easy to make! I had to substitute some things with what I had on hand.  I used chopped salted almonds and macadamia and a mix of regular and golden raisins for the fruit.  They still turned out great and I had an easy breakfast to wrap up for Paul this morning. I like the flavor of the honey and vanilla together. Very tasty!

 

Related posts:

Jul 25 2011
Pat out the dough to an 8-10" circle.

Super Easy Scones

I love scones with coffee in the morning. I used to use a mix that was very good, but kind of expensive at $5 per bag.  I tried a basic scone recipe a few days ago and it was just as good as the mix I used to buy.  Problem solved!

You can add whatever you like to this basic recipe – I recommend dried fruit.  I like to use Craisins or dried blueberries (the blueberries from Costco are the best!).  You can also add nuts if you like.  Mix in the bits after cutting in the butter, before adding the wet ingredients.

Divide into 8 sections with a knife.

  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 TBSP sugar
  • 1 TBSP baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 TBSP butter, chilled
  • 2/3 cup dried fruit
  • 1/2 cup half & half
  • 1 egg, beaten
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. 
  2.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in the six tablespoons of butter until well blended.  
  3. Mix in any fruit or nuts, then add the half & half and the beaten egg.  Mix until a soft dough forms.  
  4. On a floured surface, knead the dough a few times until it stays together.  Pat it out into a disk shape, 8-10 inches in diameter.  
  5. Cut into eight triangles – first cut into a cross (four pieces) and then split each of those in half. See photo above.  
  6.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving space between each piece. Bake for 15 minutes.  Scones should be lightly browned at the edges, but not dark.

This is a super simple recipe that only takes a few minutes to prepare.  If you don’t have half & half, substitute with whole or 2% milk.  I like to serve the scones warm, cut open with a little butter spread on them.  yum!

Related posts:

Jul 7 2011

High Flavor, Low Carb Dinner

Article first published as Recipe Review: South Beach Diet Mustard Crusted Steak on Blogcritics.

I decided to try out a few new recipes from my South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook for dinner. The first was a mustard crusted steak. As the book promised, it was simple to put the coating together and cook. The steak looked tasty and had good flavor. I had to broil it a bit longer than the 4 minutes per side that the recipe advised. The London broil I picked to use in the recipe was thicker than the 3/4″ they suggested so it took longer to get to medium-rare. It was an easy adjustment to make and the dish was still done very quickly.

Flavorful Steak Dinner

“Mustard-Crusted Steak”, page 219

Prep time 15 minutes, Cook time: 15 minutes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBSP coarse-grain Dijon mustard

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. ground mustard

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ pounds boneless top round steak, 3/4 inch thick

  1. Heat oven to broil.
  2. Whisk together garlic, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, ground mustard, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl.
  3. Line a broiler pan with foil and place steak on top. Coat evenly with mustard mixture and let stand 10 minutes.
  4. Broil steak to desired doneness, 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
  5. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

While the steak was marinating with the mustard coating I started the next recipe, a side dish of “Stuffed Baked Tomatoes”(p.272). Again, the recipe was simple, didn’t include too many ingredients and was very fast to assemble. This was a nice side dish that had a great flavor from the basil, garlic and parmesan cheese. A lot like eating bruschetta without the bread. I will definitely make this one again.

Also pictured is a side dish not from the cookbook. I like to take some baby spinach and saute it in olive oil, soy sauce and garlic. The flavor is intense and stands up well to the natural strong flavor of spinach. I use about a tablespoon of olive oil, two tablespoons of soy sauce, and one teaspoon of minced garlic. I saute heat that in a large skillet and add several cups of fresh baby spinach leaves. It only takes a few minutes to cook down.

Together these recipes created a very flavorful and easy South Beach Diet dinner.

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/tastes/article/recipe-review-south-beach-diet-mustard/#ixzz1RIpyNzOL

Related posts:

Mar 22 2011

Easy Breakfast Quiche Cups

breakfast quiche cupsIt is the “Blue” table’s turn to bring breakfast foods for the MOPS meeting tomorrow.  We had  enough breads and such so I was asked to bring an egg dish.  I decided to make quiche cups!

This recipe is based on one in the original South Beach Diet book, but I’ve changed it a bit and increased the quantities for a total of three dozen mini quiches.

  • 2 bags (16 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 lb. diced ham
  • 2 1/2 cups Mexican Blend shredded cheese
  • 1 carton (32 oz.) egg substitute
  • foil cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350°. Fill muffin tins with foil cupcake liners and spray them with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients and divide evenly amount 36 muffin tins.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until eggs are set.  A butter knife inserted into the center should come out clean. 

Variations:

Use low-fat shredded cheese to make it a South Beach “legal” breakfast for Phase 1 or Phase 2.  Non-South Beachers can substitute crumbled bacon or sausage for the ham, if desired.

Related posts: