November 22, 2024

At Home with GCH: Spring Salad Side Dishes

March 25, 2013 by

Here on our At Home with GCH blog, Mondays are always focused on healthy but oh-so-yummy! recipes.  This month we are spotlighting vegetarian dishes.  Each Monday will actually be a Meatless Monday!

So, I was talking with my dad about what to make for our family’s get-together on Easter Sunday.  Now, something you should know about us—every event is a food event. 😉  Is your family like that, too?  My contributions this year will be for dinnertime.  By request, I have been relegated the side dishes.  Two of them will be vegetarian salads: Broccoli-Craisin Salad and New Old-Fashioned Carrot Slaw.  Both fit into our healthy but-oh-so-yummy! category nicely!  Yes, there is a good amount of mayonnaise in the broccoli salad, but I think that you will find it balanced out by the rest of the healthy ingredients.  Plus this recipe provides 6-8 servings.  And in the carrot slaw, fat-free greek yogurt is substituted for the majority of the mayo that traditional ‘old-fashioned’ carrot slaw usually contains.  Enjoy!

Broccoli-Craisin SaladIMG_0196

dressing:
3/4 cup good mayonnaise
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (red wine vinegar also yummy)
freshly ground pepper, to taste

salad:
3 heads broccoli crowns, cut up into small florets – no stems
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup sunflower kernels/seeds
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Mix together ‘til emulsified;  set aside.

In a salad bowl, toss all salad ingredients ‘til well distributed. Pour dressing over and stir ‘til everything is nicely coated.  Put completed salad into a storage container or bag and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours to meld the flavors together (overnight is optimum).

Notes:
The smaller you chop the florets, the nicer this salad will be.  Takes a little time…but so worth it!  I use less mayo than most recipes call for; feel free to add more if you desire. ALSO, for your meat-loving family members, you can add 2-3 slices of crumbled, crispy, cooked bacon; makes for a nice addition!

New Old-Fashioned Carrot SlawIMG_0200

dressing:
1 container lemon greek yogurt
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

salad:
2 cups julienned carrots *
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, cut in 1/2″ cubes
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 cup golden raisins

Combine dressing ingredients together in a small bowl; set aside.

Mix all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl, and then pour on the dressing; mix together well.  Place in a storage container or bag; refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight so that the flavors can blend together.

Notes:
I buy bagged ‘matchstick’ carrots; usually available with the baby carrots in the produce section of your grocery store.

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God loves you! ♥ (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥ coleen

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If you would like to send a personal message to Coleen concerning this series, you may email her at: Coleen@girlfriendscoffeehour.com, or leave a comment below.

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At Home with GCH: Veggie Stuffed Peppers

March 4, 2013 by

Here on our At Home with GCH blog, Mondays are always focused on healthy but oh-so-yummy! recipes.  This month we are going to spotlight vegetarian dishes.  Each Monday will actually be a Meatless Monday!  Now that we are <finally!> out of the winter months and moving towards S-P-R-I-N-G, we will have many more seasonal veggies available to us.  I’m thinking asparagus, baby salad greens, oh and my onion-of-choice, the Vidalia, has it’s best offerings in the spring! IMG_0164

This week we are making Veggie Stuffed Peppers!  This dish allows you to use the veggies that you already have in your refrigerator and the ones that you know your family will enjoy (and eat!).  We have these rice-stuffed peppers regularly in our meal rotation because they are so adaptable, and the variety keeps them from being boring.

Consider using red and yellow and orange (or even purple, if you can find them) bell peppers rather than plain green ones as their taste is much milder than traditional green peppers.  If you are having the stuffed peppers as your main dish, plan on 2 halves per hungry adult; but if serving as a side dish, then half of a pepper will probably suffice.  The proportions in this recipe are for four whole peppers.

Veggie Stuffed Peppers (makes eight halves)

cooked rice  (see recipe below)

olive oil
5 big red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
1 green bell pepper
2 medium Vidalia onions, diced small
5-6 good-sized Baby Bella mushrooms, diced small
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (I use jarred)
2 cups (your choice) chopped veggies*
½ of a 10 ounce box frozen chopped spinach–or kale! (defrost)
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons herbs (thyme, basil, tarragon)
1 cup (or more) shredded cheese, plus 1/4 cup to finish
4 cups cooked rice (see below)
1 cup vegetable broth (or water)
1 cup seasoned tomato puree or sauce

Get the rice cooking…wash your veggies…preheat oven to 425.  Lightly coat a large baking sheet with a small amount of olive oil.  Take (4) of the brightly colored peppers and cut in half, down through the stem.  Important to keep the stem on so that the peppers hold their shape during cooking.  Remove seeds and any whitish parts of the insides.  Place the halved peppers, cut side down, on the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes…just ‘til they start to get a teeny bit browned.  Remove from oven to cool.  Reduce oven temperature to 350.

Cut the other two peppers (one brightly colored, one green) in half, remove seeds, and chop into ½” dice.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, then add onions and chopped peppers. Saute for 5 minutes; then add mushrooms, along with any veggies that need a little precooking (i.e., carrots, zucchini).  Cook for an additional 5 minutes or so.  Stir in other veggies of your choice along with the cooled rice; mix together well.  Season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Stir in shredded cheese.

Using your hands, scoop up rice/veggie/cheese mixture and stuff firmly into precooked pepper halves, mounding up slightly.  Distribute all mix among the pepper halves.  Place filled peppers into a 13X9 baking pan, filled side UP.  Pour broth inside the bottom of the baking pan.  Lastly, pour the tomato sauce over the tops of the filled peppers.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Remove foil and sprinkle with just a bit more shredded cheese.  Place back in oven for 5 minutes ‘til cheese is melted.  DONE!  Serve immediately.

*zucchini, carrots, cauliflower and/or broccoli florets, butternut squash, corn, baby peas, grape tomatoes, etc.IMG_0165

Cooked Rice
1 teaspoon butter or olive oil
1+1/2 cups rice (lots of choices out there!)
3 cups water or broth
salt, pepper

Easy-peasy!   In a medium saucepan, heat the butter or olive oil.  Add the rice and stir for one minute making sure all of the rice is coated.  Add 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper along with the water or broth.  Raise heat and stir well.  Bring to a quick boil, and immediately reduce heat to very low; cover pan.  Cook until water is completely incorporated into the rice.  Remove from heat, give a quick stir to fluff; set aside to cool.

 

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

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If you would like to send a personal message to Coleen concerning this series, you may email her at: Coleen@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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GCH: What’s on Your Plate? – Moroccan Vegetable Stew

November 8, 2012 by

Let me start off by saying, I have NO idea if this stew actually has anything to do with Morocco. That’s what my Mom called it, and since I never saw the recipe written down, I took her word on it and the name stuck. Apologies if you are of Moroccan descent and you don’t recognize this as something you would ever eat!

Whatever you end up calling this, the fact remains that a simple vegetable stew is always a welcome dinner at our house, especially in the fall. The combination of lentils and butternut squash gets all soft and earthy-sweet, while the green beans add texture. The only things besides veggies are chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if you are vegan) and Madras curry paste.

A quick note about curry (and next week I’ll get into more depth): curry comes from the Indian word “kari”, which simply means “sauce”. There is no one kind of curry – rather, there are hundreds of variations, and you can buy prepared curry in powder, paste, or sauce form. In this recipe, I use Madras curry paste, which is pretty mellow and has a good balance of tangy, spicy, and a little sour. Feel free to use any curry powder or paste you like, but not Thai curry, since most of that is coconut-based.

As far as the veggies you use, feel free to add, subtract, or substitute here. I think diced carrots or tiny cauliflower florets would be good, and you could double up on the tomatoes if you wanted to. If you don’t like lentils, try it with a can of chickpeas instead. Have fun with it!

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Moroccan Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 small butternut squash, or 1 pound fresh butternut squash chunks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup lentils, any kind (I used red, but brown or french green work well too)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 large potato, any kind, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 14-oz. can tomatoes (I like fire-roasted, but any diced tomatoes work)
  • 1 32-oz. carton chicken broth
  • 1 heaping tablespoon Madras curry paste (if using curry powder, use 2 tablespoons)
  • 12 oz. fresh green beans (or frozen) cut into 1-inch pieces
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Prepare the squash: cut off the peel, remove the seeds, and chop into bite-sized pieces. In a large pot with a lid, heat the vegetable oil, then sauté the squash, onion, and potato for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the lentils and stir to combine, then stir in the tomatoes. Cover with chicken broth – about 1 – 2 cups, just level with the top of the vegetables. Turn the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Stir in the curry paste and green beans. Make sure the curry gets broken up and doesn’t sink to the bottom of the pot! Add more broth if you need to. Cover and let cook until green beans are just done – you want them to be al dente – about 15 – 25 minutes. If you are using frozen green beans, stir them in frozen, but only cook for 5 or 10 minutes – they shouldn’t be mushy.
  4. Taste for salt and pepper. Add more curry if you like!

If you are a vegetarian, or are making this for Meatless Mondays, serve it with bread and some sliced fruit. You could also make it a side dish, with grilled chicken and a salad. And like most stews, this is even better the next day!

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— Dana Kim (also blogs as the Maven of Make-Do at http://frugalgirlmet.blogspot.com)

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