March 8, 2010

Easy pizza sauce #2

Almost as easy as Quick and Easy Pizza Sauce, but tomato puree (if you pick the right one) has no added salt or ingredients, so adding a little extra salt and spice helps. And, this one has no olive oil added, which some people may prefer. Ingredients 8 Ounce can of Tomato Puree 2 tsp salt 2 tsp pepper 2 tsp oregano 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp rosemary 1 tsp sage 2 tsp powdered onion 1 tsp powdered garlic 3 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped or pressed Directions

March 1, 2010

Sloppy Joes (meat or vegetarian or vegan)

Based on a Recipe by Guy Fieri Servings: 4-6 I like sloppy joes served over potatoes. They hold up better to the moisture than buns do. Serve the sloppy joe mixture on anything you prefer. Rice is also a great option. Ingredients 1/4 cup canola oil 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and diced 1 red onion, diced Either: 1 pound ground beef 1 pound ground pork OR 1/2 package of extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 in cubes 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1/4 cup red wine 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 6-ounce can tomato paste 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 3 large or 6 small russet potatoes 1Tbsp butter 4Tbsp sour cream Directions In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, combine the canola oil, bell peppers, jalapeno and onion; cook for 5 minutes.

January 16, 2010

Chicken Stew

A great cold day stew. Chunky veggies, simple broth. Difficulty: Easy Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 90 minutes Ingredients: 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces 6 new potatoes, quartered (or other potatoes, cut bite-sized) 2 carrots, roughly chopped 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped 1 onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 2" piece of ginger (about 2 Tbsps), chopped 1/4 cup of mushrooms (I used portabella, but pick your favorite), sliced 1 cinnamon stick 1 tsp salt 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp basil 2 tsp black pepper 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/4 soy sauce Directions:

January 15, 2010

Hummus

Hummus is so easy to make, it almost feels like cheating to call it a recipe. But as the $5 containers of "gourmet" hummus in any specialty market show, maybe it’s not so obvious. There are a lot of variations, I’ll post a few different ones, and you should feel free to mix/match as you see fit! Given an inexpensive can of garbanzo beans, and some other inexpensive ingredients, you can make your own for way less than commercial varieties, and you’ll know exactly what’s in it.

January 13, 2010

Dutch oven pulled pork

I was a little dubious about this recipe, since I’ve been making pulled pork by coating with KayDub Rub overnight and then smoking the pork shoulder for 12 hours until it falls off the bone. This recipe didn’t have a dry rub step at all, and the pork shoulder both had the fat removed, which is what tenderizes it when you smoke it, and sits in broth for 5 hours to cook.

January 9, 2010

Dipping Oil and Vinegar

Years ago we grabbed a bottle of Dipping Oil at one of our favorite bakeries. It was delightful: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spices. We only went to the bakery 2-3 times a year, but when we went, we’d get a bottle if they had it. But, this bottle of oil cost about 2-3 times what a loaf of bread cost. $10-12. Eventually we decided it was a nice luxury, but too expensive to buy unless we had company.

January 6, 2010

Horseradish not-a-oili

Difficulty: Easy Prep time: 2 minutes This is not strictly an Aioli, since aioli is olive oil and garlic, often with egg added, whipped together. This is actually a garlic (and horseradish) mayonnaise, which has a very different taste and consistency than real aioli. OK, now that we’ve got that out of the way… Ingredients 3 Tbsp mayo 4 cloves garlic 1 tsp horseradish juice from 1/2 lemon pinch of salt Directions

January 6, 2010

Spicy not-a-ioli

Difficulty: Easy Prep time: 2 minutes This is not strictly an Aioli, since aioli is olive oil and garlic, often with egg added, whipped together. This is actually a garlic (and pepper) mayonnaise, which has a very different taste and consistency than real aioli. OK, now that we’ve got that out of the way… Ingredients 3 Tbsp mayo 1 Tbsp Dijon 4 cloves garlic 1 dry hot pepper 1 tsp cayanne Directions

January 6, 2010

Lemon eggoli

Difficulty: Easy Prep time: 2 minutes This is not strictly an Aioli, since aioli is olive oil and garlic, often with egg yolk added, whipped together. This is olive oil and egg white. Why? Well, I whipped the olive oil and egg yolk, and got a non-emulsified runny mess, so I had an egg white, and decided to experiment. It was actually a yummie dip, so I’m keeping it! Ingredients

January 6, 2010

Garlic/Mayo not-a-ioli

Difficulty: Easy Prep time: 2 minutes This is not strictly an Aioli, since aioli is olive oil and garlic, often with egg added, whipped together. This is actually a garlic mayonnaise, which has a very different taste and consistency than real aioli. OK, now that we’ve got that out of the way… Ingredients 3 Tbsp mayo 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 4 cloves garlic Directions Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend!