mobileCategory: food
12/18/06 07:32 - ID#25024
Kara's Ridiculously Easy Rainbow Salad
For various reasons, I need to increase the amount of healthy veggies in my diet. This weekend we had deli-style broccoli salad from a grocery store, and I did my best to recreate it tonight. I don't even like broccoli that much, and I ate a ton of this salad.
Ingredients
2 heads of broccoli, chopped (green!)
1/2 red onion, finely diced (purple!)
1 large carrot, shredded or finely chopped (or, do what I did and use a veggie peeler to make short, small strips) (orange!)
handful of baco bits (can also use a few strips of real bacon, cooked crispy, dried and crumbled) (red!)
handful of raisins, I used golden raisins because they're prettier (and yellow)
3/4 cup of vegannaise (or mayo) - you may need more depending on how many veggies you've used
splash of apple cider vinegar - 2-3 tbsp.
2-3 tbsp brown sugar
Whisk together mayo, vinegar and sugar. It should be thick, but thin enough to pour easily.
Assemble veggies/raisins/bits in large bowl, pour mayo mixture over and mix together very well
Chill in fridge for an hour before serving.
My better half doesn't like baco bits; otherwise, I think this would have been a major success at dinner tonight.
Rainbow Salad sounds a lot better than Broccoli Salad.
I had a request for vegan recipes awhile ago - (e:matthew), this one's for you!
Ingredients
2 heads of broccoli, chopped (green!)
1/2 red onion, finely diced (purple!)
1 large carrot, shredded or finely chopped (or, do what I did and use a veggie peeler to make short, small strips) (orange!)
handful of baco bits (can also use a few strips of real bacon, cooked crispy, dried and crumbled) (red!)
handful of raisins, I used golden raisins because they're prettier (and yellow)
3/4 cup of vegannaise (or mayo) - you may need more depending on how many veggies you've used
splash of apple cider vinegar - 2-3 tbsp.
2-3 tbsp brown sugar
Whisk together mayo, vinegar and sugar. It should be thick, but thin enough to pour easily.
Assemble veggies/raisins/bits in large bowl, pour mayo mixture over and mix together very well
Chill in fridge for an hour before serving.
My better half doesn't like baco bits; otherwise, I think this would have been a major success at dinner tonight.
Rainbow Salad sounds a lot better than Broccoli Salad.
I had a request for vegan recipes awhile ago - (e:matthew), this one's for you!
that reminds me- did you ever try those dog biscuits? Did they work?Permalink: Kara_s_Ridiculously_Easy_Rainbow_Salad.html
Words: 228
Category: food
12/06/06 09:12 - ID#25023
Dog Treats
(e:jenks) says she'll find a dog treat recipe that uses canned pumpkin, and until then I'm posting this other (relatively simple) one that I found somewhere online:
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup skim milk powder
1 tablespoon (or 1 package) dry yeast
3 1/2 cups lukewarm chicken or meat broth
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm chicken or meat broth. The richer this broth is, the better your dog will like the biscuits. Let yeast broth mixture set 10 min. Then stir in flour mixture. Roll resulting dough out 1/4" thick. Cut dog biscuit shapes from dough. Brush biscuits with egg wash. Bake on greased cookie sheets at 300* for 45 min. Then turn off oven and leave in overnight to finish hardening. Makes 60 medium-sized biscuits.
I have a dog biscuit shaped cookie cutter all ready to go.
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup skim milk powder
1 tablespoon (or 1 package) dry yeast
3 1/2 cups lukewarm chicken or meat broth
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm chicken or meat broth. The richer this broth is, the better your dog will like the biscuits. Let yeast broth mixture set 10 min. Then stir in flour mixture. Roll resulting dough out 1/4" thick. Cut dog biscuit shapes from dough. Brush biscuits with egg wash. Bake on greased cookie sheets at 300* for 45 min. Then turn off oven and leave in overnight to finish hardening. Makes 60 medium-sized biscuits.
I have a dog biscuit shaped cookie cutter all ready to go.
Permalink: Dog_Treats.html
Words: 137
Category: food
08/14/06 07:14 - ID#25011
Kara's Perfect Pasta Salad
A yummy way to use up veggies from your 'fridge.
Ingredients
1/2 box rotini pasta (corkscrew)
1/3-1/2 cup chiavettas italian dressing (or an italian version of your choice - for me, only the 'vettas will do)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
(assorted veggies as you see fit - julienned carrots, peas, and ripped spinach would be good additions. I just did our grocery shopping tonight, and as such had very few true leftovers available.)
Steps
Cook pasta until almost done - DO NOT OVERCOOK. See my Southwestern Pasta Bake for what happens when pasta goes horribly, irretrievably wrong.
Drain and rinse with cold water.
Dump into a large bowl or a casserole dish - whichever will fit in your fridge the best.
Drizzle the dressing over the pasta.
Toss in the veggies.
Chill. Or eat. Or chill then eat.
Ingredients
1/2 box rotini pasta (corkscrew)
1/3-1/2 cup chiavettas italian dressing (or an italian version of your choice - for me, only the 'vettas will do)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
(assorted veggies as you see fit - julienned carrots, peas, and ripped spinach would be good additions. I just did our grocery shopping tonight, and as such had very few true leftovers available.)
Steps
Cook pasta until almost done - DO NOT OVERCOOK. See my Southwestern Pasta Bake for what happens when pasta goes horribly, irretrievably wrong.
Drain and rinse with cold water.
Dump into a large bowl or a casserole dish - whichever will fit in your fridge the best.
Drizzle the dressing over the pasta.
Toss in the veggies.
Chill. Or eat. Or chill then eat.
Permalink: Kara_s_Perfect_Pasta_Salad.html
Words: 145
Category: food
08/05/06 10:03 - ID#25008
Purple food
It's a rare weekend that I'm actually in town with a day to myself. With J at at golf tournament this morning, and no other pressing commitments for me, I hopped down to the Elmwood Bidwell Market for some treats 
I worked at a family-owned (not my family) market/garden center for several summers, and after countless 12 hour days of dealing with produce, produce, and nothing but produce, seeing a dozen tables of vendors hawking veggies and fruits in the summer sun doesn't really excite me.
Still, I wanted some fresh stuff, and I was pleasantly surprised by their selection. I ended up with a bunch of zucchini (for shredding/freezing for muffins), tomatoes (for salads), and purple peppers. Yes, one of the vendors had purple peppers and I think I should have bought more than the 6 I did buy. Look for my recipe for purple slaw later today.
I worked at a family-owned (not my family) market/garden center for several summers, and after countless 12 hour days of dealing with produce, produce, and nothing but produce, seeing a dozen tables of vendors hawking veggies and fruits in the summer sun doesn't really excite me.
Still, I wanted some fresh stuff, and I was pleasantly surprised by their selection. I ended up with a bunch of zucchini (for shredding/freezing for muffins), tomatoes (for salads), and purple peppers. Yes, one of the vendors had purple peppers and I think I should have bought more than the 6 I did buy. Look for my recipe for purple slaw later today.
Permalink: Purple_food.html
Words: 153
Category: food
07/31/06 08:14 - ID#25005
The Magic that is Weggies
I have long been a fan of Wegmans' magazine, Menu, and today when I visited their web site I was again impressed.
Not only do they have a way to create your own set of personal shopping lists, you can customize them by store, which gives you a neatly ordered listing of which aisles have each item.
I generally group my grocery lists by produce, dairy, and types of food, but Weggies makes it that much more precise.
Not only do they have a way to create your own set of personal shopping lists, you can customize them by store, which gives you a neatly ordered listing of which aisles have each item.
I generally group my grocery lists by produce, dairy, and types of food, but Weggies makes it that much more precise.
Permalink: The_Magic_that_is_Weggies.html
Words: 82
Category: food
07/19/06 09:52 - ID#25003
The S.S. Muffin
As I try to come up with clever names for recipes, like the Ro-Ro-Rollup, here's one that pays homage to my love of boats: the S.S. Muffin. Sounds like a good name for a ship, doesn't it?
Baking when it's 90 degrees in our apartment isn't the worst idea I've ever had, but in the history of bad ideas, it's among the top 20.
The S.S. stands for sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. The recipe is adapted from one on allrecipes.com for five spice muffins.
Tools
One big bowl
One small bowl
Spoons
Muffin tins (I used one tin w/ 6 muffin molds - supermuffins. This recipe would make 12 regular size muffins.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (I had some frozen - in the summer, when it's local and fresh, I always shred a few and freeze them in bags of 1-2 cups.)
4 tbsp boiling water
1 3/4 cup of AP flour
1 cup sugar, any kind but powdered
2 handfuls sunflower seeds
1 handful sesame seeds
3/4 tsp each of: baking powder, salt, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cloves. I used several liberal dashes of cinnamon, and a giant tablespoon of my four spice mix (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and something else that escapes me).
2 eggs, beaten
3 tsbp veggie oil
a splash of vanilla extract
Steps
Preheat oven to 350 F and grease your muffin tins.
Add boiling water to shredded zucchini, mix.
In another bowl, mix all dry ingredients.
Add the eggs, vanilla and oil to the zucchini mix. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Add milk by 1/4 cups until it's a muffin consistency. I can't be more specific than that.
Spoon into your muffin pans.
Bake in the oven for 25+ minutes - mine took 28, but I constantly peek in to see its progress. I need an oven with a window.
Gosh they were yummy.
Baking when it's 90 degrees in our apartment isn't the worst idea I've ever had, but in the history of bad ideas, it's among the top 20.
The S.S. stands for sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. The recipe is adapted from one on allrecipes.com for five spice muffins.
Tools
One big bowl
One small bowl
Spoons
Muffin tins (I used one tin w/ 6 muffin molds - supermuffins. This recipe would make 12 regular size muffins.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (I had some frozen - in the summer, when it's local and fresh, I always shred a few and freeze them in bags of 1-2 cups.)
4 tbsp boiling water
1 3/4 cup of AP flour
1 cup sugar, any kind but powdered
2 handfuls sunflower seeds
1 handful sesame seeds
3/4 tsp each of: baking powder, salt, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cloves. I used several liberal dashes of cinnamon, and a giant tablespoon of my four spice mix (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and something else that escapes me).
2 eggs, beaten
3 tsbp veggie oil
a splash of vanilla extract
Steps
Preheat oven to 350 F and grease your muffin tins.
Add boiling water to shredded zucchini, mix.
In another bowl, mix all dry ingredients.
Add the eggs, vanilla and oil to the zucchini mix. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Add milk by 1/4 cups until it's a muffin consistency. I can't be more specific than that.
Spoon into your muffin pans.
Bake in the oven for 25+ minutes - mine took 28, but I constantly peek in to see its progress. I need an oven with a window.
Gosh they were yummy.
Permalink: The_S_S_Muffin.html
Words: 296
Category: food
06/19/06 06:26 - ID#24996
Pasta, Spritzer
I was going to post my awesome recipe for a simple pasta cassarole, but the pasta is too sticky and the flavor is good, but weird. I attempted the Rachael Ray Southwestern Pasta Bake but didn't feel like making the cheese sauce and instead tried to - well, it doesn't matter. It's edible, but as a choice between this and a nice bowl of cereal . . . I'd probably take the cereal. The chicken came out good though:
- 2-3 chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces;
- season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, italian seasoning (this is where I lost the "southwest" part of it);
- put EVOO in the saute pan, twice around the pan;
- heat, toss in chicky;
- stir until cooked, splashing a bunch (a tablespoon?) of lemon juice halfway through;
- add to something that is not my horrific pasta disaster. Maybe a quesadilla? Or with some rice.
(e:matthew), did I tell you about Gluten Free Girl? She's incredible.
So here's a recipe for a Saratoga Spritzer. I can't find a reference for it online, so I'll go with the recipe in my head (courtesy of my mama):
In a chilled glass (ALWAYS keep glasses chillin in the freezer), combine a tablespoon of lemon juice (more or less, to taste) and 2 sugar cubes.
Add Ginger Ale and some ice.
Add a few dashes of Angostura Bitters on top.
Swirl.
Enjoy.
You can use sprite or sierra mist or 7up too.
- 2-3 chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces;
- season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, italian seasoning (this is where I lost the "southwest" part of it);
- put EVOO in the saute pan, twice around the pan;
- heat, toss in chicky;
- stir until cooked, splashing a bunch (a tablespoon?) of lemon juice halfway through;
- add to something that is not my horrific pasta disaster. Maybe a quesadilla? Or with some rice.
(e:matthew), did I tell you about Gluten Free Girl?
She's incredible.So here's a recipe for a Saratoga Spritzer. I can't find a reference for it online, so I'll go with the recipe in my head (courtesy of my mama):
In a chilled glass (ALWAYS keep glasses chillin in the freezer), combine a tablespoon of lemon juice (more or less, to taste) and 2 sugar cubes.
Add Ginger Ale and some ice.
Add a few dashes of Angostura Bitters on top.
Swirl.
Enjoy.
You can use sprite or sierra mist or 7up too.
Permalink: Pasta_Spritzer.html
Words: 249
Category: food
06/01/06 08:55 - ID#24990
Dog food
I attacked my dog with scissors last night. The temperature in our apartment crept past 91, and to see the poor girl panting in front of our lone fan (the other air conditioners are still in the basement) was just too much. So, I chopped her locks and she now looks like an oversized puppy. I might have gone too far with my trimming, but as I tell myself whenever I get a bad haircut, it will always grow back.
Anyway, my father-in-law has subscribed me to Mother Earth News for a few years now, and this month's edition includes an article on organic pet foods. Considering that my dog has been known to eat sticks, grass, dead (?) creatures and her own vomit, worrying about the quality of her diet shouldn't be an issue. However, adding some "healthier" brands of food into her meals, along with all the exercise she gets, should insure that she'll be healthy and happy for a long time.
Here are links from the article to hippie dog foods.
Canidae
Natura Pet
Halo Pets
Nature's Variety
Newman's Own
Petguard
Pet Promise
Solid Gold
OMH Pet
And here's a recipe for a regular meal, also from the magazine:
3 cups cooked oatmeal or cream of wheat
2 cups cooked ground beef
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 small apple, chopped or sliced into small pieces. Mix and serve at room temp.
(I would cut this in half for my dog to see how she handles it; the vet recommended for her size, she should eat about 3-3/12 cups a day.)
And a link to my recipe for treats
And so my dog isn't the only thing I write about tonight, go Sabres.
Anyway, my father-in-law has subscribed me to Mother Earth News
for a few years now, and this month's edition includes an article on organic pet foods. Considering that my dog has been known to eat sticks, grass, dead (?) creatures and her own vomit, worrying about the quality of her diet shouldn't be an issue. However, adding some "healthier" brands of food into her meals, along with all the exercise she gets, should insure that she'll be healthy and happy for a long time.Here are links from the article to hippie dog foods.
Canidae
Natura Pet
Halo Pets
Nature's Variety
Newman's Own
Petguard
Pet Promise
Solid Gold
OMH Pet
And here's a recipe for a regular meal, also from the magazine:
3 cups cooked oatmeal or cream of wheat
2 cups cooked ground beef
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 small apple, chopped or sliced into small pieces. Mix and serve at room temp.
(I would cut this in half for my dog to see how she handles it; the vet recommended for her size, she should eat about 3-3/12 cups a day.)
And a link to my recipe for treats
And so my dog isn't the only thing I write about tonight, go Sabres.
Permalink: Dog_food.html
Words: 322
Category: food
05/09/06 07:36 - ID#24985
Kara's Ro Ro Rollups
This was inspired by the latest Wegman's Menu magazine. They showed a picture of their pre-made wraps alongside a delicious pasta salad. I recreated both, though I will only show the recipe for the wraps here.
Ingredients
1/4 jar roasted red peppers
deli-sliced roast beef
thin sliced provolone cheese
tortilla shells / wraps, go for a fun flavor like spinach or sun-dried tomato
spinach, chopped roughly
Tools
knife
toothpicks
Steps
Dice the roasted red peppers and allow them to drain on a paper towel.
Lay the tortilla shells flat on a plate. Layer the cheese, then the spinach (or other leafy green), then the roasted red peppers, then the roast beef.
Roll tightly from one end, leaving the seam side down.
Place 4-5 toothpicks in the roll.
Slice on an angle.
Trim the ends where no filling is present.
Bring the plate to the table.
That's it. If you think it would be too dry for your tastes, a thin layer of spiced up mayo (try paprika) or a small bowl of vinaigrette dressing for dipping would help.
Mostly I just love the name I came up with for this. ROast beef. ROasted Red Peppers. Outstanding.
Ingredients
1/4 jar roasted red peppers
deli-sliced roast beef
thin sliced provolone cheese
tortilla shells / wraps, go for a fun flavor like spinach or sun-dried tomato
spinach, chopped roughly
Tools
knife
toothpicks
Steps
Dice the roasted red peppers and allow them to drain on a paper towel.
Lay the tortilla shells flat on a plate. Layer the cheese, then the spinach (or other leafy green), then the roasted red peppers, then the roast beef.
Roll tightly from one end, leaving the seam side down.
Place 4-5 toothpicks in the roll.
Slice on an angle.
Trim the ends where no filling is present.
Bring the plate to the table.
That's it. If you think it would be too dry for your tastes, a thin layer of spiced up mayo (try paprika) or a small bowl of vinaigrette dressing for dipping would help.
Mostly I just love the name I came up with for this. ROast beef. ROasted Red Peppers. Outstanding.
Permalink: Kara_s_Ro_Ro_Rollups.html
Words: 194
Category: food
05/01/06 07:37 - ID#24981
Cheesecakey Goodness again?
trying this again . ..
Since the dishwasher is on the fritz, again, and I can't run water through my sink, this recipe will have to wait until I have my kitchen back.
Until then, here's a recipe that's incredibly easy and really really bad for you.
Ingredients
12-18 vanilla wafers (((e:matthew)) - to make this glutenfree, I think you could use an equivalent crust of crushed nuts and butter)
2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
the twist I want to try - 1/2 - 1 tsp of raspberry extract
topping (any fruit, any pie filling, chocolate, nuts, go wild)
Steps
Line muffin tins with foil liners. Put a wafer (or nut crust) at the bottom of each.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and eggs until creamy. Pour mix over wafer until cups are 3/4 full. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes.
Top with topping of your choice when cooled.
Makes 12-18 cakes.
I won't take credit for coming up with this recipe, but I will say that I could have eaten a dozen of them in one sitting.
Since the dishwasher is on the fritz, again, and I can't run water through my sink, this recipe will have to wait until I have my kitchen back.
Until then, here's a recipe that's incredibly easy and really really bad for you.
Ingredients
12-18 vanilla wafers (((e:matthew)) - to make this glutenfree, I think you could use an equivalent crust of crushed nuts and butter)
2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
the twist I want to try - 1/2 - 1 tsp of raspberry extract
topping (any fruit, any pie filling, chocolate, nuts, go wild)
Steps
Line muffin tins with foil liners. Put a wafer (or nut crust) at the bottom of each.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and eggs until creamy. Pour mix over wafer until cups are 3/4 full. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes.
Top with topping of your choice when cooled.
Makes 12-18 cakes.
I won't take credit for coming up with this recipe, but I will say that I could have eaten a dozen of them in one sitting.
Permalink: Cheesecakey_Goodness_again_.html
Words: 178
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