Archives

All posts for the month March, 2012

Steak Sandwich Salad

Published March 27, 2012 by jenmatteson

Unless you don’t eat meat, I’m not sure I know anyone that doesn’t like a really good steak sandwich.  I took all the greatest elements out of the sandwich and added them to a salad.  While salads are usually pretty simple to make, this one is busy – a lot of elements, but trust me, it’s totally worth it.  For extra flavor, I marinated the steak in a black pepper sauce, but it isn’t necessary.  Salt and pepper would be just fine.  The crispy onions strings and homemade balsamic vinaigrette are an added bonus!  I don’t like to overload my salads with meat, so one 8 oz steak is plenty for Nate and me for dinner.  Of course you could add croutons and/or a good cheese if you feel it’s necessary.

Steak Sandwich Salad

Ingredients:

olive oil
1 8 oz steak (marinated if desired)
1 large onion, sliced thin
1/2 green pepper, sliced thin
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
4 cups salad lettuce
1/2 tomato, diced

Directions:
1. In a small pan, heat olive oil over low heat.  Add 1/2 of the sliced onions and cook over low heat to caramelize, about 15 minutes.  Add green peppers for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
2. Meanwhile, cook steak over medium heat (or grill) to desired doneness.  About 5 minutes on each side for medium. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
3. In another pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium high heat.
4. In a small bowl, add remaining sliced onions and buttermilk.  Toss to coat.  In a shallow dish, combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper.  Dredge onions in flour to coat.  Repeat dipping onions in buttermilk and then flour so they are double coated.  Add coated onions to hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Construct salad by adding lettuce and topping with chopped tomatoes,  camelized onions and peppers, sliced steak, and crispy onion strings.  Finish with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  Of course you could add your favorite cheese if you like, possibly a swiss or provolone.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Published March 27, 2012 by jenmatteson

This is super simple and great on salads, pasta, chicken, steaks, veggies – you name it.  It should last in an airtight container in your fridge for up to a month.  Be sure to use a good quality vinegar and olive oil, that’s the key to great flavor.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp water
1 tsp garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, add vinegar and slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking.  Add water, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.

Zucchini Chips

Published March 27, 2012 by jenmatteson

This is a good way to put a new spin on your zucchini (and maybe get those little ones to eat their veggies!).  I really enjoy them, but Nate doesn’t care for them.  Don’t let the name fool you; they aren’t super crispy, unless you wanted to bake the heck out of them and lose all zucchini flavor.  Normally, I’d dip them in egg beaters before dredging in bread crumbs, but instead, you guessed it, I used plain non-fat Greek yogurt as that is what I have in the fridge.  It actually gave them a little extra flavor and I thought they were delicious!

Zucchini Chips

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 tbsp plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1 cup bread crumbs (plain or seasoned)
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking pan with foil and spray lightly with olive oil.
2. In a small bowl, add zucchini chips and yogurt.  Toss to lightly coat.
3. In a shallow dish, mix bread crumbs, thyme, salt and pepper.  Dredge zucchini in bread crumbs, and place on baking sheet.  Try to make one layer and not stack them on top of each other.
4. Bake for 5 minutes on each side or until breadcrumbs begin to brown.

Pretzel Chicken

Published March 23, 2012 by jenmatteson

I’ve made pretzel chicken 100+ times (it seems like anyway).  It’s one of the easiest recipes in which you almost always have everything on hand to make in a cinch.  I usually use fat-free Old Dutch pretzels, but the “everything bagel” pretzels caught my eye at the store, plus they were on sale.  Bonus!  Normally, I use milk, but I was out and decided to try non-fat plain Greek yogurt in its place.  Nate said this was the best batch of pretzel chicken I’ve ever made!  We’ve had it several times, so it’s certainly a great compliment.

These are quick to throw together and in the oven. You can serve them as a finger food, appetizer, or a meal in itself.  Experiment with mustards and pretzels to find what combination you like best.

Pretzel Chicken

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 tbsp non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (I use horseradish Dijon)
salt and pepper
2 cups finely crushed pretzels, (the food processor is ideal)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil, and place a cooling rack on top.  Spray lightly with olive oil.
2. In a shallow dish, mix yogurt and mustard.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Dip chicken tenders in mustard mixture, shaking or wiping off any excess.  Dredge in pretzel crumbs, then place on baking sheet topped with cooling rack.  Spray tenders with olive oil.
3. Bake chicken tenders at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then flip.  Spray topside lightly with olive oil.  Return to oven and bake for another 15 minutes, or until crust begins to brown and chicken is cooked through. Serve with desired dipping sauce.

For Emily, with Love

Published March 23, 2012 by jenmatteson

The first time I made these, it was a few of my girlfriends making dinner for our men.  These were the appetizer.  We set them out for the boys while we finished making the main dish, and I swear they were gone within 5 minutes.  They actually stopped playing video games to devour these delicious bites.  The second time I made them was for my best friend’s wedding shower.  I was afraid I made too much, but they were the first thing to be absolutely gonzo.  If you haven’t gotten the point yet, they are super yummy!

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

A girlfriend of mine asked me for the recipe for these gems yesterday, which made me think, we should have them for dinner because it’s been far too long.  These are great as a party appetizer, for a crowd, or even just for a low-key dinner.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps


Ingredients:

16 boston bibb or butter lettuce leaves, washed and dried
1 lb ground chicken
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce (usually found with Asian food in grocery stores)
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp chile pepper sauce
1 8 oz can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 tsp dark sesame oil

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground chicken in 1 tbsp oil.  Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

2. In the same pan, cook the onion, stirring frequently.  Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions and stir.    Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and cook until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.

3. Add chicken to pan and stir until well combined and heated through.

4. Serve chicken mixture in lettuce leaves.  Top with sesame noodles and/or extra chile sauce if desired.

Why go out when you can make your own?

Published March 23, 2012 by jenmatteson

I wouldn’t at all consider Olive Garden an authentic Italian restaurant, but for some reason, the rare times I do go there, I have to get the chicken Marsala.  I don’t know what it is, but I absolutely love it (okay, I do know, it’s the mushrooms).  Well, instead of going to the Olive Garden and filling up on bread sticks and salad before I even get my meal, I’d much rather make my own chicken Marsala.

This is a quick classic chicken dish that I can easily get my mushroom fix from.  I like a bit thicker sauce, so I added a tablespoon of flour.  If you like it thinner, omit the flour.  And yes, those are frozen carrots on my picture with fresh broccoli.  I didn’t have a lot of broccoli and needed to add more veggies.  Don’t judge!

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 tbsp
salt and pepper
4 shallots, sliced thinly
2 cups porcini mushrooms (or whatever you have on hand), sliced
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp butter

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Place chicken breasts under plastic wrap or in a plastic bag and pound to 1/4-inch thickness.
2. In a shallow dish, mix 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper.  Dredge chicken breasts in flour mixture, and tap off excess.  Place in skillet and cook about 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is cooked through and browned on both sides.  Remove from pan and cover with foil.
3. In the same pan,  cook shallots until soft over medium heat, about 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for 2-4 minutes.  Add wine and let the alcohol cook out, about 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth and sprinkle in remaining flour.  Simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Finish with butter.
3. Once butter is melted, add chicken breasts back to the sauce until heated through.  Serve chicken breasts with mushroom sauce over the top.

Guest Chef for Breakfast

Published March 19, 2012 by jenmatteson

Nate is a pretty good cook, and sometimes I’m happy to take a little break from the kitchen.  He decided he wanted to make Scotch Eggs, which neither of us had ever had before.  What could be bad about a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage (except for the non-healthy part)?  He refused to write the blog entry himself, but I had to add it because they were pretty good and even look cool, too!  Thanks for breakfast, sweetie!

Scotch Eggs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
6 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
1 lb tube sausage (we used Jimmy Dean hot)
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
salt and pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs

Directions:
1. Heat oil to medium heat in large deep pot (you could also use a deep-fryer).
2. Divide tube sausage into 6 equal parts.  Make into large, flat patties, about 1/8-inch thick.  Place an egg on each patty, and wrap sausage around.  Roll around between your palms until the sausage is evenly thick around the egg and there is no seam.
3. Break eggs into small bowl and add water.  Beat until frothy and season with salt and pepper.
4. Dip eggs in the egg wash, then roll in breadcrumbs to coat.  Repeat process for the other 5 eggs.  Once finished, dip each breadcrumb coated egg in the egg wash and roll in breadcrumbs again so each egg has two layer of breadcrumbs.
5. Fry each egg in oil about 8 minutes on each side, or until sausage is cooked through.  Transfer eggs from oil to place lined with paper towels.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Serve with spicy mustard.

Irish Soda Bread

Published March 19, 2012 by jenmatteson

Irish soda bread is a quick bread that uses baking soda as the rising agent rather than yeast.  I’ve read rave reviews about this delicious bread, so I had to try it for St. Patrick’s Day.  There are several versions with additional ingredients, such as raisins, egg, or various nuts.  I decided to start with the simple version.  The bread was more dense that I anticipated, but it was so good.  It almost tasted like a biscuit with the crunchy outside yet soft inside.  Serve warm with a little butter or jam and you’ll be in heaven.  I may have had a few drinks by the time the bread was finished, so I didn’t get a photo until the next day.  It still looks yummy!  I barely adapted this recipe from Food and Wine; I omitted the rolled oats as I didn’t have any on hand.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda.  Add buttermilk and melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead 10 times, shape dough into a 9-inch round loaf and transfer to a baking sheet.  Slash and X on the top of the loaf about 1/4-inch deep.   Bake for 1 hour and place on wire rack to cool.  Serve warm with butter, jam, or spread.

Everyone knows what a Rachel is, or do they?

Published March 19, 2012 by jenmatteson

A few years back while I was in Denver for a week-long work trip, it was brought to my attention that not everyone knows what a Rachel is.  Thinking maybe it was a Minnesota thing, I asked my co-workers for back up.  They had no idea what I was talking about.  After returning home, I had to prove to myself that I wasn’t crazy, and to my newly made friends that the Rachel exists (and that I wasn’t crazy).  My best girlfriend had my back, so I knew I was right!

There seem to be a few variations of the Rachel; some are made with pastrami, and some with turkey (the right way in my opinion!).  In case you are one of the uninformed people who have no idea what I am talking about, a Rachel is basically a Reuben sandwich made with turkey (or as previously mentioned, pastrami).

I decided to make one of each for St. Patrick’s day.  The best part about this sandwich was the Russian dressing.  Instead of using the classic ketchup and mayo combination, I spiced it up with chili sauce and Miracle Whip along with a few other ingredients.  I found my inspiration for the sauce here.

Reuben/Rachel

Ingredients:

4 slices marble rye bread
1/2 lb corned beef or turkey
1/4 cup Russian dressing (recipe follows)
1/2 cup sauerkraut
4 slices swiss cheese

Directions:
1. Heat panini grill or press to medium heat.  You could also use a frying pan.
2. Spread each slice of bread with Russian Dressing.  Pile 1/2 of the meat on two slices of the bread.  Top each with sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and the bread.
3.  Grill the sandwiches 3-5 minutes over medium heat on each side.  Serve with extra Russian dressing if desired.

Russian Dressing

Ingredients:

1 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp cilantro
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dill pickle, finely chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp grated horseradish
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine Miracle Whip, chili sauce, yogurt, cilantro, onion, dill pickle, lemon juice, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce.

Spicy Guacamole

Published March 17, 2012 by jenmatteson

A request from my big brother for my blog was my guacamole.  Guacamole can be so easy, yet everyone likes it a little different.  Don’t be afraid to experiment with what you like and omit what you don’t like.  Get creative!  A couple friend of ours once used sun-dried tomatoes because that’s all they had on hand.  I was a bit skeptical at first, but it was actually really good!  Consistency preference often differs; I prefer a little more chunky guacamole, but some like it very smooth and creamy.  If you are the later, try using your food processor for mixing.

The key to whatever kind of guacamole you like is using perfect avocados.  I’ve made some bad guacamole in the past, and it can all be traced back to the avocados.  My best advice is to buy your avocados sooner rather than later.  I’ve had the problem in the past where none of the avocados at the store were ripe, and I had to make the guacamole that day.   At that point, I should have diverted to Plan B; it was too late.  But I went ahead with it anyway.  The result is a really chunky guacamole, with large pieces of under-ripe avocado and raw flavors as they don’t have a vehicle to marry them.

Instead, if you can buy your avocados at least a day in advance, you have a chance!  If they are not quite ripe, put them in a brown paper bag and they should be much better the next day.  If they are already ripe, put them in your crisper in the fridge until you are ready to use them.  This will prevent them from becoming over-ripe and mushy.  You can tell your avocado is ripe if you can gently press on the skin and leave a finger imprint.  If you pick up the avocado and it feels more like a beanbag with an alligator skin, put it back – you can’t save this one!

This recipe is enough for a small party and a little on the spicy side.  Omit one jalapeno if you don’t care so much for the heat.  It’ll last in the fridge for about 3-4 days, but start turning brown after about a day.  Don’t worry, it’ll still taste good even though it’s a little off-color.  It’s just the oxidation of the avocado.  Enjoy and please invite me to the party you’ll be serving this at; I’d love to try your own version!

Guacamole

Ingredients:

4 ripe avocados
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped (I frequently use yellow onion because that’s what I have on hand)
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 medium tomato, cored and chopped

Directions:
1. Slice avocados in half, remove pit.  Score inside of avocado lengthwise, then across.  In a large bowl, scoop out inside of avocados.  Using the back side of a fork, mash avocados to just shy of desired consistency.
2. Mix in onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and salt.  Mix all ingredients together until it forms desired consistency.  Add tomatoes and serve.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 273 other followers