Brussels Sprouts and Lima Beans in Masaman Curry

It was cold and rainy tonight, and I wanted something really hearty and warm. I spotted some Brussels sprouts and Lima beans in the fridge. I LOVE both of these veggies and debated which one to eat, or whether I should combine them in a nice warm chicken soup. I really wasn't in the mood for soup, so I opened the cupboard and stared into it, looking for inspiration.
That's when I spotted this can of Masaman curry paste. I know it's a bit unorthodox to combine these veggies with Masaman curry paste, but I decided to give it a try. (I had a half hour to change my mind because the beans were still in their pods and I had to shuck them first.)
Everything is simmering away, filling the house with the wonderful curry aroma. I like to evaporate off most the liquid, but if you are serving with rice, you can leave the liquid in and serve once the veggies are tender. I really enjoyed the curry flavor with these veggies. It really hit the spot for this cold, rainy evening.

Approx. 200 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Lima beans (I used fresh, but you could easily use frozen)
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 1/2 Tbs Masaman curry paste (approx. 1/4 can)
• 2-3 cups water

Directions

1. Shuck Lima beans if they are still in their pods (or use frozen).
2. Cut ends and "ugly" leaves off the Brussels sprouts. Cut in half lengthwise.
3. Slice onion.
4. Add water and curry paste to a skillet. Bring to a boil.
5. Add onions, beans, and Brussels sprouts.
6. Simmer until Brussels sprouts are tender but not soggy.
7. Evaporate off as much water as you want.

Squash with goat cheese and dill

On Christmas eve, I made an appetizer of cherry tomatoes stuffed with goat cheese and dill (I forgot to take pictures). I had some of the cheese and dill mixture left over, so I decided that I would add it to some squash I had. I liked this better than the stuffed tomatoes!

While I ate this dish for lunch, it would also make a nice appetizer or side dish.

Approx. 240 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

Ingredients

• 1 small winter squash (3" across or approx. 1 cup mashed)
• 1.5 oz goat cheese
• 5 sprigs of dill

Directions

1. Cut squash in half and remove seeds.
2. Place squash cut side up on a paper plate, cover with a wet paper towel, and microwave on high for 7-10 minutes (turning midway).
3. Chop dill and mix with softened goat cheese.
4. Add cheese to cooked squash.
5. Scrape squash from skin, mixing with cheese mixture, being careful not to tear the skin on one half.
6. Place full mixture into one half, and serve using the skin as a bowl.

Quince and Blueberries

Approx. 70 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

After making my lamb dish, I still had 1/2 quince left over. I decided to eat it warm for dessert. My original plan was to mix it with pomegranate seeds (which I think would be a delicious combination) but I was too lazy to open a pomegranate and dig out the seeds. So, I decided blueberries would be the next best thing. I only had frozen, so I decided to use them.

The berries and quince were a flavorful combination. If I had any whipped cream, I would have tooped the warm fruit with a spoonful. I think that would have really made this dish.

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium quince
• 2/3 cup blueberries (I used frozen)

Directions

1. Peel, core, and slice quince.
2. Place in a bowl and cover with a wet paper towel.
3. Microwave for 5 minutes, or until tender.
4. Add blueberries (since mine were frozen, I microwaved another 2 minutes until they were thawed).
5. Optionally add a spoonful of whipped cream.

Slow Cooker Lamb with Quince, Carrots, and Sweet Potatoes

After trying the quince, I decided that it would taste amazing with lamb. I'm not sure why I immediately thought that, since I only eat lamb once every couple of years and I've never cooked lamb in my life. But, I decided that I must have lamb with my remaining quince.

I bought a small arm chop to cook along with some beautiful baby carrots, a sweet potato, my pineapple quince, and some garlic and rosemary.

Since I've never cooked lamb before, I decided that I couldn't go wrong if I threw it in the slow cooker/crock pot. My instinct was spot on. The quince was delicious with the lamb!

Approx. 340 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 7 oz lamb (arm chop)
• 1/2 medium pineapple quince
• 1 small sweet potato (approx. 1 cup cubed)
• 10 baby carrots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 stems rosemary
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Peel, core, and cube the quince.
2. Peel and cube the sweet potato.
3. Peel and slice the garlic.
4. Trim excess fat from the lamb.
5. Add sweet potato and quince cubes to the bottom of the crock pot.
6. Cover with slice of lamb.
7. Press garlic slices and rosemary onto the lamb.
8. Cover with baby carrots.
9. Add water.
10. Cover and cook on low for at least 8 hours.
    
    

Pineapple Quince and Butternut Squash

It's been a while since I updated this blog, mostly because I ran out of new ideas of things to cook and just made dishes that were already posted (or variations of them).

Then I discovered this "new" fruit - the pineapple quince. I had no idea what to do with it, so decided to buy 2. That way I could experiment a little bit.

After a very brief google search, I learned that you need to peel and cook the quince, otherwise it is woody and really sour. You also need to completely remove the core, otherwise it is really gritty tasting. These are important things to know!

Since I don't use my oven to bake things, I decided to "poach" the quince slices in a little bit of water and white wine. (The "ice cubes" are really frozen white wine - I make ice cubes with leftover wine and then use the cubes for cooking.)

Part way through cooking the quince, I decided to toss in some chunks of butternut squash, and sprinkle the whole mixture with some dried sage and freshly grated ginger. The final product was so tasty that I ate both servings! The best way I can describe the flavor of the quince is that it has a slightly tart cooked apple flavor, layered with the flavor of rose petals.

Approx. 100 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups butternut squash
• 1 medium pineapple quince
• 2 oz white wine
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• water

Directions

1. Peel, core, and slice the pineapple quince.
2. Peel and cube the butternut squash.
3. Add the quince to a skillet with just enough water to cover the bottom of the skillet.
4. Add white wine and bring to a boil.
5. Cook quince for about 3 minutes and then add squash cubes.
6. Cook until squash and quince is tender (approx. 6 minutes).
7. Add sage and ginger.

Summer squash sautee with beans and tomatoes

Approx. 60 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

I planned to grill a piece of chicken for dinner and wanted a quick and easy vegetable side dish to go with it. I basically had squash, tomatoes and beans in the house, so I just tossed them all into a pan with a little bit of balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes. Light, simple, and spicy: what more could you want from a side?

Ingredients

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (I used heirloom red and orange)
• 2 cups summer squash
• 1 cup snap beans
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• Red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

1. Slice/chop vegetables.
2. Add water to a skillet and bring to a boil.
3. Add beans and cook 1-2 minutes.
4. Add summer squash and cook approx. 2 minutes, or until almost tender.
5. Add cherry tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Cook until tomatoes are heated through.
6. Add balsamic vinegar and mix well.
7. Serve as a side dish.
   

Market Haul

I went a little bit crazy at the farmer's market this weekend. Everything looked so tasty - especially the fruit - so I really stocked up.

For fruit, I bought 2 honeydew melons, 1 cantaloupe, a huge bag of plums, 10 peaches, and a big bag of green apples. The veggies I bought included green beans; yellow, pattypan, and zucchini squash; regular and Armenian cucumbers; red and green bell peppers; red vine and yellow cherry tomatoes; Japanese eggplant; yellow and green onions; and garlic, carrots, spinach, and lettuce. I also bought 2 pieces of Alaskan fish: halibut and coho salmon.

Chicken Fajita Salad

Approx. 310 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 3 servings.

After a long day, I really craved chicken fajitas. The tortillas that I had were a little too old and unappetizing (realized that half way through cooking the dish), so I decided to turn the recipe into a salad and top with avocado. You could easily serve this in tortillas.

Ingredients

• 6 cups Romaine lettuce
• 1.5 avocados
• 4.5 oz chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
• 2.5 cups zucchini
• 1.5 cups yellow summer squash
• 1.5 medium tomatoes
• 2 cups red bell pepper
• 1 cup yellow bell pepper
• 0.5 cup onion
• 0.5 cup green onion
• 1 serrano chili pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 Tbs Worchestershire sauce (I used low sodium)

Directions

1. Slice/chop all vegetables (I left the seeds/membrane in the chili pepper; remove them if you want it less spicy)
2. Add oil, chicken, chili pepper, and yellow onion to a skillet.
3. Heat until chicken is cooked through and onion starts to get tender.
4. Add yellow and red bell pepper and cook until almost tender.
5. Add zucchini and summer squash. Cook until almost tender.
6. Add Worchestershire sauce, tomatoes, and green onion. Heat through.
7. Place lettuce on a plate and cover with 1/3 of the fajita mixture.
8. Top with 1/2 of an avocado (diced).

Summer squash sautee with teriyaki sauce

Approx. 55 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

I had some yellow pattypan squash and the last few garlic scrapes of the season that I wanted to use up. I added some green onions, red bell peppers, and spicy teriyaki sauce and had a tasty side dish to go with a piece of grilled chicken. You could use any summer squash for this recipe (or pretty much use any vegetable combination).

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup summer squash (I used yellow pattypan)
• 3/4 cup red bell pepper
• 2 garlic scrapes
• 1/2 cup green onion
• 1 Tbs spicy yeriyaki sauce (I used East-West brand, Spicy Ginger Teriyaki)
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Slice/chop all vegetables.
2. Add water and garlic scrapes to a skillet.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Add bell pepper and summer squash.
5. Cook until tender and the water has evaporated off.
6. Add teriyaki sauce and green onions. Heat through.
7. Serve as a side dish.

Shimp stir fry in orange sauce

Approx. 330 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 (huge) serving.

I had a jar of orange sauce in the fridge that was getting a little old. I decided to make a quick stir fry to use up the sauce (and a bunch of the summer squash I bought). This recipe was big enough to easily serve 2 people if you double the shrimp.

Ingredients

• 6 large shrimp (approx. 1/8 lb - I used precooked)
• 3 cups summer squash (various types)
• 1 1/2 cup mushrooms
• 1 cup bell pepper (red and yellow)
• 1/4 cup onion
• 1 serrano chili pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 Tbs orange sauce (I used Panda Express, Orange chicken sauce)

Directions

1. Slice/chop all vegetables.
2. Add oil to a skillet and heat.
3. Add onions, chili peppers, and bell peppers, and cook until almost tender.
4. Add mushrooms and squash; cook until tender, but not soft.
5. Add shrimp (I removed the tail shells) and heat until warm.
6. Add sauce and toss together before serving.
   

Curried summer squash and halibut

Approx. 375 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

While this dish has a savory taste, the zucchini and halibut provided a lightness to it, making it the perfect spicy summer dish.

Ingredients

• 4 oz halibut or other firm white fish
• 4 cups zucchini
• 1 cup onion
• 1 cup red bell pepper
• 2 Tbs curry powder
• 1 Tbs grated ginger
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 3 Tbs cocounut milk
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Dice/chop all vegetables.
2. Add oil, ginger, and curry powder to a skillet and heat.
3. Add onions and cook until almost tender.
4. Add bell pepper, zucchini, water, and coconut milk.
5. Cook for approx. 2 minutes.
6. Add fish and cover.
7. Cook until fish flakes and all vegetables are tender (but not soft) - approx. 4 minutes.

Golden beet and feta salad

Approx. 140 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

In April, I made a beet, feta, and cucumber salad. While it tasted good, it was very unappetizing because I used red beets, which stained all the other ingredients. I decided to make the same dish using golden beets. While it tasted about the same (actually a little sweeter and less earthy), it was much more visually attractive.

Ingredients

• 8 small golden beets (approx. 3 cups chopped)
• 1 medium cucumber (approx. 2 cups chopped)
• 3 Tbs feta cheese (I used fat free)
• 3 Tbs red wine vinegar
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Peel beets, cut into slices, and steam them (approx. 3 minutes in the microwave).
2. Toss with vinegar and let cool.
3. Add diced cucumber (I left the skin on).
4. Add cheese.
5. Mix well and season with black pepper.
6. Serve as side dish or on top of larger salad (as shown below).
   
   
   I ate one serving of this beet salad as a side dish with a piece of grilled chicken. For the second serving, I steamed a couple of red beets (let them cool) and then placed them on a bed of romain lettuce and topped it with the second serving of this beet salad. YUM!!
   

Halibut with Apricot Salsa

Appox. 300 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

A while ago, I made halibut with mango salsa. I didn't have any mangoes, but I bought some delicious apricots at the farmer's market, so I decided to adapt this recipe for the apricots. It was pretty good, but I liked the mango salsa better.

Ingredients

• 4 oz halibut or other firm white fish
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 small apricots
• 1 small chili peppers (<>
• 4 sprigs cilantro (approx. 2 Tbs)
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/8 cup red onion
• 2 Tbs coconut milk
• black pepper, to taste
  

Directions

1. Remove pit and chop apricots into a fine dice.
2. Cut chili peppers into thin rings (leaving in seeds).
3. Finely chop cilantro and red onion.
4. Mix together the apricot, cilantro, chili peppers, and red onion.
5. Add oil and fish to a skillet. Cover and heat on medium for approx. 4 minutes.
6. Season fish with pepper and flip.
7. Add coconut milk to the pan, cover, and cook until fish flakes (approx. 3 minutes).
8. Remove fish. Add apricot salsa to pan and toss with warm coconut milk.
9. When salsa is just warmed, serve over the top of the fish.
   

Halibut with balsamic blackberry sauce

Approx. 220 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

Blackberries have been on sale for 99 cents per 6 oz container, so I have bought as many as I could carry and store. I've mostly been eating them raw or on salads, but tonight I thought they might taste quite nice on the last piece of halibut that I had. And they did! :-)

I served this with a nice salad of zucchini, yellow summer squash, and tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 4 oz halibut or other firm white fish
• 1/4 cup blackberries
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 Tbs olive oil
• 2 oz water
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Add oil to a skillet and heat.
2. Season fish with black pepper and add to the skillet.
3. Cover and cook approx. 3 minutes before flipping.
4. Cover again and cook approx. 2 minutes or until it flakes.
5. Set fish aside to rest.
6. Add water, blackberries, and balsamic vinegar to the same skillet.
7. Heat until blackberries are warm and liquid is reduced 60-80% (approx. 2 minutes).
8. Pour blackberries and sauce over fish.

Spicy peanut "noodles"

Approx. 200 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 3 servings.

At the market this weekend, I bought 2 purple bell peppers. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. When I sliced them, I discovered that only the outer skin was purple, and the inner part of the pepper was green. I thought it would look good in this dish, so decided to add them. I should have taken a picture of them before adding them, because shortly after they were warmed, the purple color reverted back to green. So, if you buy purple bell peppers, plan to eat them raw if you want to show off the color. Otherwise, just get the green ones.

This recipe used the same ideas as Zucchini in Peanut Sauce and the Thai Peanut Noodles recipes that I previously made. However, I wanted something a little more substantial for dinner, so I added some chicken and a few more veggies to it. Because I was adding peanuts to this dish, I went pretty light on the amount of peanut sauce that I added. If you like a stronger peanut flavor (and want the dish to be saucier), you may want to double the amount of sauce.

Ingredients

• 7 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 jumbo zucchini (approx. 3 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium chili pepper (mine was yellow, approx. 1/3 cup)
• 2 bell peppers (approx. 1 1/4 cup)
• 1 large bulbed green onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 Tbs Thai peanut sauce
• 1/8 cup peanuts (I used unsalted)
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Julienne the zucchini to form "noodles", avoiding the seeds.
2. Slice the other vegetables.
3. Cut the chicken into cubes.
4. Heat the oil in a large skillet and then add the chicken.
5. Cook the chicken until nearly done and then add the bell pepper and chili peppers.
6. Cook until the pepper is tender and the chicken is done.
7. Add the water and the zucchini "noodles" and toss with the other ingredients.
8. Cook until the "noodles" are tender.
9. Add the peanut sauce, green onion, and peanuts.
10. Mix well and heat until everything is warm.

Green beans and halibut in Thai red curry sauce

Approx. 345 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

I craved Thai food, so this quick dish of halibut, green beans, and Thai red curry paste really hit the spot.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. halibut
• 1 2/3 cups green beans
• 2/3 cup yellow onion
• 1/8 cup green onion
• 2 Tbs cilantro
• 1 tsp Thai red curry paste
• 2 Tbs coconut milk
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Chop onions and snap green beans into short sections.
2. Add water to a large skillet and bring to a boil.
3. Add curry paste and mix well.
4. Add green beans and yellow onions; cook until almost tender and much of the water has evaporated off.
5. Add halibut and coconut milk.
6. Cover and cook approx. 4 minutes (or until fish is done).
7. Garnish with green onion and cilantro.

Fennel, squash, and garlic scrapes

Approx. 115 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

I bought some garlic scrapes at the farmer's market and decided to make this side dish that has some earthy wintery flavors combined with fresh springy flavors. It was quite tasty served with a nice piece of salmon.

Here is a picture of the garlic scrapes. They are the curly tops of the young garlic plants, and are a little bit tougher than green onions, but chock full of garlic flavored deliciousness!

Ingredients

• 1 medium fennel bulb (approx. 2 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups zucchini
• 2 cups summer squash
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 3 long garlic scrapes (approx. 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 2 Tbs worcestershire sauce (I used low sodium)

Directions

1. Slice and chop all vegetables and garlic scrapes.
2. Add water to a skillet and bring to a boil.
3. Add pepper flakes, garlic scrapes, and fennel; cook until almost tender.
4. Add mushrooms, zucchini, and and summer squash.
5. Cook until everything is tender, but not mushy.
6. Add worcestershire sauce and mix well.
7. Serve as a main dish or as a side.

**I almost tagged this as vegetarian, but then I remembered that worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. You could use balsamic vinegar instead of worcestershire sauce if you wanted to make this vegetarian.

Melange of veggies

Approx. 130 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Because I hate washing the big pot, I decided to steam the last 3 artichokes of the season at the same time. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat all 3 at once, so I made a strategic decision. I decided that I would scrape the leaves from all three and then leave the hearts for a future recipe. This recipe incorporates the leftover hearts, along with tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, summer squash, and an assortment of herbs. It tasted great served alongside grilled chicken.

Ingredients

• 3 artichoke hearts (already steamed; you could also use canned - about 1 cup)
• 1 medium tomato (approx. 1 cup)
• 1 cup summer squash
• 2 cups zucchini
• 1 cup bell pepper (I used a mix of red and yellow)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

1. Chop all of the vegetables.
2. Heat oil and add grated garlic and red pepper flakes.
3. Add bell pepper and cook until almost tender.
4. Add zucchini and summer squash, and cook until just tender.
5. Add tomatoes and artichoke hearts.
6. Cook until warm and tomatoes start to soften.
7. Serve as a side dish.

Market Haul

This morning at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market there was evidence that the seasons have changed. Most of the winter fruits and veggies were gone, and there were signs of the summer veggies (peppers, summer squash, etc.) starting to arrive. This made me very happy, since I was running out of creative ways to cook the winter veggies, and was making some of my favorite dishes over and over again.

This morning was the last week for artichokes (so I bought 3), and probably grapefruit (I bought 3 of those too). I bought a bag of peaches, but I don't think they will even last through the weekend (I ate two while just taking the pictures!!) I also picked up 1 bunch of golden beets, 1 bunch of mixed colored beets, red vine and heirloom cherry tomatoes, 2 red and 1 gold bell pepper, broccoli, 2 summer squash, a zucchini, 4 cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, a red onion, a yellow onion, a shallot, a bag of Nasturtium and sweet pea flowers, a leek, and a bulb of fennel. And the fish guy made sure to bring a small piece of halibut, just for me. Yeah! :-)

Steamed artichokes with balsamic mayo dipping sauce

Approx. 115 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

I bought artichokes at the market this weekend and decided to steam them and serve with just a simple dipping sauce. When I eat artichokes, I only dip every second or third leaf (otherwise all I taste is sauce) so this recipe provided me enough sauce for both artichokes. If you dip every leaf (or load it with sauce) you will need to increase the recipe. I served this with a nice piece of grilled steak (not included in the calories).

One note of caution: Be sure to check the water level in the pot from time to time. I didn't check it until the house stunk like burned vinegar and realized that all the water escaped as steam. Needless to say, I got a good workout scrubbing the bottom of that pot!

Ingredients

• 2 artichokes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbs mayonaise (I used fat free)
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• water

Directions

1. Clean artichokes and trim off any thorns.
2. Add water, red wine vinegar, bay leaf, and garlic to the bottom of a large pot and cover with a steamer basket.
3. Place artichokes in the steamer basket and cover the pot with a lid.
4. Steam for approx. 30 minutes or until leaves easily pull off the artichoke.

To make sauce:

1. Mix mayonaise and balsamic vinegar.
2. Remove garlic from the steamer pot and smash. Add to the sauce and mix well.

Market Haul

Here's what I picked up on Saturday morning at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market:
10 grapefruit, 1 bunch of golden beets, 1 bunch of baby carrots, red vine and heirloom cherry tomatoes, broccoli, acorn squash, 3 cucumbers, snap peas, green beans, 2 types of lettuce, 1 mature red onion and a bunch of young red onions, a yellow onion, garlic, a bag of Nasturtium flowers, and 2 artichokes.

Strawberry spinach salad

Approx. 85 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 8 servings.

This is one of my favorite simple summer salads and made a similar version of it previously (recipe here). Last weekend, I planned a quick day trip to visit some friends in San Francisco and hoped that this would travel well for the short flight, which it did. I added the vinegar after I arrived, just before serving.

Ingredients

• 3 cups strawberries
• 8 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped Nasturtium flowers (optional)
• 10 Tbs blue cheese
• 1 oz balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Dice onion, slice strawberries, and chop edible flowers.
2. Layer red onions, stawberries, flowers, and blue cheese on top of the spinach.
3. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Shrimp beet salad wraps

Approx. 210 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving (3 wraps)

After several days of eating beet greens, I decided it was time to eat some of the beets. I only used the lighter colored beets, since the red ones stain everything they touch. I originally was going to just cut lettuce and use it as a salad, but this head had such nice big leaves, that I decided to make lettuce wraps instead. There was enough for 3 generous wraps.

Ingredients

• 9 medium shrimp (3 oz) - I used pre-cooked.
• 1 1/2 cups beets
• 3 large lettuce leaves
• 1/2 cup red onion
• 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 3 sprigs cilantro

Directions

1. Peel and slice beets. Steam until tender and then let cool.
2. Dice the red onion and chip the cilantro.
3. Remove tails from the shrimp.
4. Toss all ingredients together and serve on lettuce leaves.

Beet greens with carrots

Approx. 70 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

The bunch of beets that I bought had mixed colors. Some of them were the normal red beets, and others were the colored beets (white, pink, golden). The previous recipe used the greens from the lighter colored beets. These greens were from the red beets, which meant that the stems also contained the red. As a result, this dish is much darker looking than the other.

Because it was so dark, I decided to make it even darker by adding the carrots with the purple/burgundy skin. This recipe makes enough for 2 pretty filling side dish servings. I still hadn't gone shopping for meat, and ended up eating both servings as my entire dinner. It was VERY filling.

Ingredients

• 6 cups beet greens
• 1 cup carrots
  
• 1/2 cup yellow onion
• 8 oz water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
  

Directions

1. Wash and chop beet greens (leaves and tender stems)
2. Dice the onion.
3. Cut the carrots into thin slices (I left the skin on).
4. Heat the water in a skillet and then add the onion, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder.
5. Heat until the onion gets tender.
6. Add the beet greens and carrots.
7. Cook until the beet greens and carrots are tender.

Grilled chicken with tropical mango salsa

This is essentially the same exact recipe as the halibut with tropical mango salsa I previously posted, except I put the salsa on grilled chicken instead of fish. I also didn't have any edible flowers, so I added a little bit of diced red onion instead. This recipe was good with chicken, but I liked it much better with the halibut.

Beet greens with tomatoes and chili peppers

Approx. 90 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

With the weather warming up, this might be the last week to get the tender beet greens at the Farmer's market. So, I stocked up on a HUGE bunch of greens (with the beets). Look for many recipes this week that feature beets. This recipe makes enough for 2 pretty filling side dish servings. I didn't feel like making any meat to go with this, and ended up eating both servings as my entire dinner. It was VERY filling.

Ingredients

• 8 cups beet greens
• 1 tomato
• 2 jalapeno chili peppers
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup yellow onion
• 4 oz water

Directions

1. Wash and chop beet greens (leaves and tender stems)
2. Dice the onion.
3. Cut the jalapenos into thin slices (I left the seeds in).
4. Heat the oil in a skillet and then add the onion and chili peppers.
5. Saute until the onion gets tender.
6. Add the beet greens and water.
7. Cook until the beet greens wilt and get tender.
8. Add the tomato and cook until it softens.

Curried squash soup

Approx. 200 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 4 servings.

I had a couple different types of winter squash in the kitchen that I wanted to use up. I decided to blend them together into this savory curried soup. This bowl was a little thicker than I anticipated. I added a bit more water to the remaining soup to thin it out a little bit more.

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash (about 3 cups)
• 1 medium acorn squash (about 2 cups)
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 4 Tbs coconut milk
• 4 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 5 cups water
• cilantro, for garnish

Directions

1. Peel and cube the squash. Grate the ginger.
2. Add olive oil, ginger, and curry powder to a pot.
3. Cook until the spices release their scent and the ginger softens.
4. Add water and the cubed squash.
5. Cook until the squash is soft.
6. Add the canned pumpkin and coconut milk.
7. Heat until everything is warm.
8. Remove from heat and blend (I used an immersion blender).
9. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

Grilled chicken with tomatoes and fennel

Approx. 375 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

I didn't get home until late last night and really didn't have much energy to cook anything complicated, so I decided to make this quick dish. Including the prep time, this dish took less than 10 minutes to make. I put the chicken on my George Foreman grill right after getting the fennel into the skillet, and the timing worked that they were both done at about the same time.

Ingredients

• 8 oz chicken breast
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 bulb fennel (approx. 2 cups)
• 4 oz water
• 1 oz white wine
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• edible flowers (Nasturtium) for garnish

Directions

1. Cut fennel into thin slices and dice tomato.
2. Add water, wine, and red pepper flakes to a skillet and bring to a boil.
3. Add fennel and cook until soft and most liquid has evaporated off.
4. Add tomato and cook until tender.
5. Serve with grilled chicken breast (I cooked it on my George Foreman grill).
6. Garnish with edible flowers.

Gingered shrimp with green onions

Approx. 300 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

My favorite Chinese restaurant, China Chili, has a tasty Sichuan prawns dish, that is made out of butterflied jumbo prawns, battered and deep fried, and coated with a sweet and spicy garlic sauce. It is served on a bed of sliced cucumbers and is sooooo tasty. They also have a pretty good Mongolian chicken dish (they have Mongolian beef too, but I usually don't order beef dishes).

When I opened the fridge, I saw shrimp and cucumbers and thought about making my version (not deep fried) of the Sichuan prawns. I had no idea how they make the sauce though. Then I saw the green onions and thought about making Mongolian shrimp. I have no idea how to make that sauce either, although I'm sure I could have found it on the Internet if I were so inclined to look it up (I wasn't!).

So, I decided since I didn't know how to make either sauce, I would combine the two dishes and make up my own sauce. As a whole, this dish was pretty good, but I used way too many green onions! The green onion flavor was overpowering!!! The recipe below contains only half the amount that I actually used, so your dish won't quite look like mine, but will hopefully taste better.

Ingredients

• 4 oz shrimp (I used pre-cooked)
• 2-3 green onions, cut into 1 inch segments -split the white bulbous part into quarters lengthwise (approx 2/3 cups)
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced (approx. 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• ginger root, grated (approx. 2 tsp)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1/2 Tbs soy sauce (low sodium)

Directions

1. Add oil, red pepper, grated garlic, and grated ginger to a skillet.
2. Heat until it sizzles.
3. Add green onion slices and cook until they are tender.
4. Add soy sauce, cucumber slices, and shrimp.
5. Cook until cucumber softens and shrimp is warm (or cooked if using raw) all the way through.
   

Halibut with tropical mango salsa

Approx. 410 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

I love champagne mangoes and have been looking forward to them being back in season. I decided to use the first ripe one of this season in a fresh mango salsa served over fish. I also bought some edible flowers (I believe they are Nasturtium) at the farmer's market this weekend and was looking for an interesting way to use them. These have a nice peppery flavor that I thought would be a nice addition to the sweet mango and the spicy chili peppers. Plus, they would add some color. So, I chopped up a few flowers and mixed them into the salsa.

The chilis were a bit spicier than I anticipated, so at the last minute I decided to add some coconut milk to the pan while heating the fish, and then toss the salsa in the warm coconut milk. Brilliant!!! It was so good. I actually had enough salsa for 2 servings (the picture only shows half the salsa). I thought about saving the leftover salsa for something else, but it was so good, after I took one bite, I dumped the rest of the salsa on top of the fish and ate it all!

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 oz halibut or other firm white fish
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium champagne mango (approx. 3/4 cup)
• 2 small chili peppers (approx. 1/8 cup)
• 4 sprigs cilantro (approx. 2 Tbs)
• 8 edible flowers (I think they were Nasturtium)
• 2 Tbs coconut milk
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Peel mango and chop into a fine dice.
2. Cut chili peppers into thin rings (leaving in seeds).
3. Finely chop cilantro and 5 edible flowers.
4. Mix together the mango, cilantro, chili peppers, and flowers.
5. Add oil and fish to a skillet. Cover and heat on medium for approx. 4 minutes.
6. Season fish with pepper and flip.
7. Add coconut milk to the pan, cover, and cook until fish flakes (approx. 3 minutes).
8. Remove fish. Add mango salsa to pan and toss with warm coconut milk.
9. When salsa is just warmed, serve over the top of the fish.
10. Garnish with remaining flowers.
    

Chicken broccolini stir fry

Approx. 200 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

I was having one of those nights where I really didn't know what I wanted to make for dinner. After staring in the fridge until I was freezing, I pulled out some chicken and a random assortment of veggies, and just started chopping things up. I ended up with this stir fry, which I kind of had to improvise on.

Normally, I would mix the broccolini in with everything else in the pan (so that's how the recipe will read). However, I started with a very small pan, and ran out of room. Basically, I added the broccolini to the top of the pan, and ended up steaming it while everything else cooked below. Since the pan was too small to mix everything without making a mess on the stove, I just pulled off the steamed broccolini, put it on the plate, then scooped the rest of the stir fry on top.

Ingredients

• 6 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
• 4 cups broccolini
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 Tbs stir fry sauce (I used East West Brand, spicy ginger teriyaki sauce)
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Add water to a skillet and bring to boil.
2. Add cubes of chicken and cook until white throughout.
3. Add mushrooms and stir fry sauce.
4. Mix and cook down.
5. Add tomatoes and broccolini.
6. Cook until all vegetables are tender.

Bloody Mess!!! Beet cucumber salad

Approx. 125 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

Along with all the beet green dishes, I've also been using the beets in separate dishes. I didn't take pictures of some of the dishes, because I haven't quite figured out how add beets to a dish without making it look like a bloody mess!

This salad is visually unappealing, but it was quite tasty. I liked the sweet earthiness of the beets, the salty tang of the cheese, and the crunchiness of the cucumber. It just looked like a murder scene!

Ingredients

• 4 small red beets (approx. 1 1/4 cup chopped)
• 1 small cucumber (approx. 1 cup chopped)
• 2 Tbs feta cheese (I used fat free, tomato and basil flavored)
• 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Wash beets and steam them whole.
2. Once tender, cool, then peel and cut into cubes.
3. Toss with vinegar.
4. Add diced cucumber (I left the skin on).
5. Add cheese.
6. Mix well and season with black pepper.
7. Serve immediately before everything turns beet red!

Shrimp with beet greens in Thai red curry

Approx. 180 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving

I wanted something spicy and savory and still had a big bunch of beet greens left. I really didn't want a garlic sautee again, so decided to cook them in a Thai red curry sauce. I had some frozen cocktail shrimp, so I quick thawed those and tossed them in too.

Ingredients

• 3 oz shrimp (I used pre-cooked)
• 4 cups beet greens
• 1 tsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 1/2 Tbs coconut milk
• 4 oz water

Directions

1. Wash and chop beet greens.
2. Remove tails from shrimp (so they are easier and less messy to eat).
3. Add water, curry paste, and coconut milk to a skillet.
4. Heat and then add beet greens.
5. Cook until greens are tender.
6. Add shrimp and heat until warm all the way through.

Salmon with sauteed beet greens

Approx. 400 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Salmon is a little too rich tasting for me, so I usually prefer a lighter white fish. However, a nice coho salmon steak was calling my name the other day, so I bought it.

I bought a big bunch of beets (with greens attached) and decided that some spicy garlicy greens would counter the rich taste of the salmon. I also had multi-colored carrots, so I sliced those and added them to the greens for a little more color and texture. Overall, this was a very satisfying dish.

Ingredients

• 11 oz coho salmon
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 4 cups beet greens
• 1/4 cup carrots

Directions

1. Add 2 tsp olive oil to a skillet.
2. Add salmon, skin side down and cover.
3. Cook on medium for approx. 6 minutes.
4. Add black pepper to top, then flip and cook approx. 3 more minutes until done (flakes easily).
5. In a second pan (while salmon is cooking), add 1 tsp olive oil.
6. Add grated garlic and red pepper flakes.
7. Heat and then add chopped beet greens and sliced carrots.
8. Cook until the greens and carrots are tender. If there isn't enough moisture, toss in a splash of water (or stock).
9. Serve the salmon on top of the greens.
   

Fish leek soup

Approx. 315 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

I've had a few recipe misses lately (that didn't make the blog) and decided to fall back on making trusted recipes for a while. Here is a quick soup I made that pretty much used up every member of the onion family, plus a few other assorted veggies. I basically added the carrots for some color and texture.

Ingredients

• 1 large leek (approx. 2 cups)
• 1 medium onion (approx. 1 cup)
• 1 shallot (approx. 1/4 cup)
• 2 green onions (approx. 1/3 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 small red potatoes (approx. 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium carrot (approx. 1 cup)
• 4 oz halibut or other firm white fish.
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 8 cups water

Directions

1. Wash and slice potatoes and carrots (I left the skin on both).
2. Add to a pot of water.
3. Add grated garlic and spices.
4. Cook for approx. 5 minutes.
5. Clean and chop all other vegetables and add to the pot (except green onion).
6. Cook until all vegetables are tender.
7. Cut halibut into cubes and add to pot.
8. Cook until fish is done and flakes.
9. Add green onions.
10. Mix well, and then serve.

Beet salad with orange halibut

Approx. 290 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

After making the beet salad, I decided that I wanted to make it a little bit more substantial for a complete dinner. I had a small piece of halibut in the fridge and decided to cook it again in the orange juice, since was so good the first time.

Directions

1. Make beet salad as described.
2. Cook halibut in orange juice as described (but leave out vinegar, since it is already on the beets).
3. Place halibut on top of beets and cover with the orange juice sauce.
   

Beet salad

Approx. 75 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

I had an assortment of multi-colored beets and decided to make a simple salad with them. I was worried about the colors bleeding together, so I sliced and steamed each color individually, and then combined them into the salad.

Ingredients

• 4 small different colored beets (approx. 1 1/4 cup sliced)
• 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Peel beets and cut into thin slices.
2. Steam beats (I steamed them 1 color at a time) for approx. 2-3 minutes.
3. Arrange on plate.
4. Drizzle with vinegar and add pepper to taste.
5. Serve hot or cold.
   

Halibut salad with orange dressing

Approx. 290 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

I had so many fresh colorful veggies from the farmer's market, that I wanted to start eating them right away. I decided to make a colorful salad for lunch using the multi-colored carrots. I was a bit disappointed when I cut into the purple carrots to discover that the purple color was just on the skin and the carrot inside was orange. Oh well. It was still delish!

As I was cooking the fish, I decided to add juice from one orange to give it some sweetness, and then to serve as the dressing for the salad. I was quite pleased with the results. The salad had a nice sweet and sour taste with the vinegar.

Ingredients

• 3 oz halibut (or other firm white fish)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cups lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots (I used white, orange, and purple carrots)
• 1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes (I used multi-colored heirloom tomatoes)
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 small orange (juice only)
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Add oil to a skillet and place fish fillet on top.
2. Cover and cook on medium heat for approx. 4 minutes.
3. Flip the fish and season with pepper.
4. Cut orange in half and squeeze the juice from both halves over the top of the fish.
5. Cover the pan and cook for approx. 2 more minutes, or until fish flakes and is done.
6. Place lettuce, sliced carrots, and quartered cherry tomatoes on a plate.
7. Place cooked fish on top of salad.
8. Add vinegar to the orange juice left in the pan and mix well.
9. Pour the liquid over the fish and salad.
10. Season with black pepper, if desired.

Market Haul

Spring has arrived on the farms around Phoenix. I'm sad that the apple season is over and there are no more to be found, but there were so many colorful veggies at the market this morning that it made up for it. I had a hard time deciding what to buy. I probably bought too much!

Here's what I picked up today at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market:
A HUGE bag of oranges, 4 grapefruit, 1 bunch of multi-colored beets, 1 bunch of multi-colored carrots, red vine and heirloom cherry tomatoes, purple cauliflower, golden cauliflower, acorn and butternut squash, 3 cucumbers, snap peas, 2 types of lettuce, red potatoes, green onions, and a yellow onion.