Filed under: Appetizers, sauces and condiments | Tags: beet samosas, beets, budget friendly, root vegetables, Vegan
Beets! Yes, you read it correctly. They have to be the most beautiful of the root vegetables and I just adore them. These samosas have a nice flaky crisp when you bite into them. The beets are so naturally sweet that is almost could be served as a dessert. Then you put some mint sauce with it and you have fresh taste with a big kick. Being a member of the spinach family its loaded with tons of nutrients, fiber and low in calories and fat. Without even trying, I made a wonderful vegan dish. It is always good to have a few of those up your selves.
I had my youngest son’s two best buddies and their families over for Sunday dinner and I served these. The samosas were a hit with the kids because they were sweet and then with the addition of the mint sauce… it makes it far more sophisticated for the adults. One of keys to successful entertaining is to have your most of your meal prepared ahead of time. These take a little time to prepare, but hold wonderfully while you are pulling together your meal.
We gobbled down the leftover samosas the next morning with lots of strong tea and it was a fabulous breakfast.
Makes 12
Beet Samosas:
2 beets, medium size
3 cloves garlic
3-5 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
8 sheets of filo
1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
1 lime, juice of
1. Peel beets and quarter them, placing in foil.
2. Add garlic, salt & pepper, then cover beets with oil. Secure foil around beets.
3. Cook in foil at 400F for about 40 minutes. Make sure the beets are tender.
4. When beets cool, grate them and place in a bowl.
5. Add soft garlic from foil, grated ginger, and lime juice. Then salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
6. Place 1 filo sheet on work surface, brush with olive oil, place next filo sheet on top, brush with olive oil, repeat for a total of 4 sheets of filo.
7. Cut filo into 6 equal strips along the width.
8. Place a heaping tablespoon of beet mixture on one end of strip and fold like a flag, forming a triangle. Place on baking sheet.
Repeat with the next four sheets of filo.
9. Bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and flaky. Serve with mint sauce.
Mint Sauce:
1/2 cup mint, fresh
1/4 cup cilantro, fresh
1 jalapeno, deseeded & deveined
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoon white onion
1 1/2 tablespoon Water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
salt & pepper, to taste
1. Add mint through water in food processor and blend until finely chopped. Put in bowl.
2. Add sesame oil, salt and pepper. Serve with beet samosas.
This dish is inexpensive to make, but packs a bunch in presentation and flavor. It is a little labor intensive on the beginning end, but super easy to make in advance. I love how everyone was so appreciative of the effort I made for the meal. Everyone felt so taken care of. Now that is what makes entertaining fun for me.
Pull up a chair, Elizabeth
Filed under: Appetizers, side dish | Tags: budget friendly, fun food, rice cakes, spicy appetizer, spicy rice cakes
The neighbors have congregated on the back porch of our three flat while we chat and watch the kids run around the yard and alley… typical Saturday afternoon in Chicago. Beer and wine are a part of this meet up, but man, I could use a little bite of something and I have nothing. Wait, I always have something. Hmm, I have leftover rice. My mind started racing… I told the congregation to hold tight and I would be out with a quick bite in about ten minutes.
What I found in the fridge:
cooked rice
sofrito (blend of green pepper, garlic, onion, & cilantro)
fresh hot pepper
egg
baking soda
Mexican melting cheese
bread crumbs
canola/vegetable oil
The amount of ingredients depends on how much leftover rice you have.
1. Place rice in bowl. Separate with hand.
2. Chop up hot peppers and add to rice. I like mine spicy, so I put almost a whole one in.
3. Grab the sofrito. I am lucky that I live close to nice size latin grocery store. I buy a nice amount of super fresh sofrito for about $2. I use it in a lot of things. From soups to chicken dishes. It works perfect here, but you can easily make up your own a batch to use yourself. This is my idea of a convenience good. Totally fresh. I add enough to add some color to the rice.
4. Add beaten eggs. Add one at a time until your rice is covered like mayo covers tuna for a tuna salad. Mix well.
5. Mix in grated Mexican melting cheese or any nice melting cheese through out the rice mixture.
6. Add about a tablespoon of baking soda. You will see a little bubbles forming. That is great. It is working at making things puffy. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Scoop up a nice little patty of rice and then roll in bread crumbs.
8. Heat up a saute’ pan over medium high heat, then add oil. Let that get hot, then place patty in oil.
9. Brown both sides. Should not take long and you may have to turn your burner down to medium. Salt when you take them off the heat.
10. Serve immediately. I served mine with salsa verde. They would taste great wrapped in a little lettuce and cilantro as well. Yum.
This literally took ten minutes. I came back outside and was huge hit. Oh, I mean my spicy rice cakes were a huge hit. An ice-cold beer and good conversation were the perfect accompaniment to this amuse bouche on a Chicago Saturday afternoon.
Pull up a chair, Elizabeth
Filed under: sauces and condiments | Tags: budget friendly, condiments, family tradition, hot mustard, mustard
If you want your clear out your sinuses next time you make a panini or have some spiral ham, this is your mustard. This mustard is sweet when you first taste it, then it has a big hit of heat after that. It is so addicting.
This has been a family favorite for years, but my sister-in-law, Molly, faithfully made it often and would even gave it as gifts. Her father was crazy for it and she would always make sure that he got a jar of it. Here’s the deal, Molly was not a big cook, but now I can not make this mustard without thinking about Molly and how often she made it. So I have taken it upon myself and renamed the family “hot mustard” after Molly. Our family lost Molly 4 1/2 years ago to cancer. I know that we will never stop missing her, but I know that she would get such a kick out of me renaming the recipe after her. Here’s to you, “Miss Molly”…
Makes 2 1/2 cups
1 cup malt vinegar
1 cup dry mustard
3 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1. Soak the vinegar and dry mustard together in a glass or stainless steel bowl overnight.
2. Place mustard mixture in double boiler and start heating over medium-low heat.
3. Whisk in egg yolks and sugar.
4. Whisking constantly, until thick, about 10 minutes.
5. Store in refrigerator or freezer.
Just a note: When I was young this was my spicy thing I ate, now that my palate is quite accustom to heat, it isn’t as OMG spicy as it used to be for me. Maybe too much thai food as desensitized my palate. Who knows, but if you are a spicy heat monger, this will be super delicious for you and give you some punch, but it won’t blow your socks off. If you are a light weight when it comes to heat, still venture here. It has so many complex flavors to it.
Pull up a chair, Elizabeth
Filed under: side dish, Vegan | Tags: easy sid, hierloom tomato, peas, sidedish, tomatoes, vegetables
This is recipe is about having the freshest, highest quality ingredients at hand and letting them do the talking. I love this dish. Super simple, but can only be had at this time of year. It is such a treat. I can still get fresh peas in the midwest and tomatoes are starting to reach perfection. I use the best butter that I can buy, a beautiful Chardonnay, and sea salt to make this perfect. I am putting down that this feeds 2 people, but I could eat the entire plate and a glass of Chardonnay and feel completely satisfied.
Serves 2
3 pads of sweet butter
1 cup fresh peas
1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
1 splash Chardonnay
sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste.
1. In my favorite 10 inch skillet, I melt the butter over med-low heat.
2. Add peas, tomatoes, & chives. Cook, tossing occasionally for about 5 minutes.
3. Add splash of wine, s&p and cook until tomatoes start to crack open and peas are tender. About 5 minutes more.
4.Serve warm. So simple and good.
Super delicious does not mean complicated. Hope that you enjoy.
Pull up a chair, Elizabeth
Filed under: Appetizers, side dish, Vegan | Tags: easy side dish., radish, roasted vegetables
When I was in France, fresh radishes came with salt and butter to dip into. When I was in Mexico, almost every meal had radishes accompanying them. I love their sharp fresh taste, but I would never dream of roasting them until I read this article in The New York Times. Roasting radishes mellows them out in a really cool way. It takes the sharp bite out and leaves it quite luscious. Esthetically, the color and texture were another surprise. Beautiful. Some cool facts about radish is that it has as much potassium as bananas and is a member of both the mustard and broccoli family.
Flank steak with some mushrooms that had been sauteed with onions, garlic, fresh tarragon and a little cream was a perfect entree to have the roasted radishes with.
I had a couple of parsnips that I sliced in half and stuck on a baking sheet with radishes cut in half. No peeling necessary. Coated them with olive oil, a little salt, pepper, and thyme, then stuck them in a 375F oven for about 30-40 minutes. My meal took hardly anytime or effort, but was fresh and really hit the flavor sensation highway.
My offical taste tester, my six year old, loved the radishes roasted, but does not like them raw. I will definitely make them again. Try them out yourself. Let me know what you think? I envision lots of different ways to use this colorful healthy veggie.
Pull up a chair, Elizabeth
Filed under: sauces and condiments | Tags: chutney, easy condiment, ginger, rhubarb, ususal entertainment condiment.
As much as I love rhubarb pie, sometimes I look at my bunch of rhubarb and want to do something different with it. I came up with this chutney to accompany pork tenderloin I had made. I have ended up using the chutney to compliment several different foods since.
It is a sweet, but with the obvious tart from the rhubarb. The ginger gives it a bit and the sriracha hits the back of the throat. I have served it with homemade biscuits, along side more traditional jams, and have had rave reviews.
In this picture, I served the chutney with a berkshire porkchop that I seasoned with coriander and cumin. I made some mint pesto to enhance my israeli couscous plus adding a cooling note to the spice of the porkchop. Adding steamed baby bok choy gave it another texture element and clean taste note. All in all, a well balanced meal in taste and texture.
Makes approximently 3 cups
3 cups rhubarb, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple cidar vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon ginger, fresh, finely chopped
1 tablespoon crystalized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1. Put all ingredients above in a sauce pan over medium-low heat.
2. Cook down for about 20 minutes.
3. Add water, if you like it thinner. Adjust seasonings. Served immediately or chill.
Good for about two weeks.
Let me know how you serve it. The possibilities are endless.
Pull up a chair, Elizabeth
Filed under: side dish | Tags: go-to side dish, kalamata olive recipe, spinach, vegetables
This go-to side dish has saved me on more than one occasion. It is fast, but the flavors are complex. The bitter earthiness of the spinach compliments the saltiness of the olives and the sweetness of the raisins. Adding the pine nuts, give it yet another layer of texture and depth.
It takes about ten minutes to prep and make. No fooling. You will also be surprised how many things that it goes with. I have made it as a side dish at Thanksgiving. It goes well with other poultry, fish, pork and beef. It is really a life savor.
Make the recipe and let me know what you paired it with. It really is a taste explosion. You will have your guests pulling up a chair for more.
Filed under: sauces and condiments, side dish, Vegan | Tags: easy prep, fries, fry sauce, sriracha
I keep hearing about fry sauce lately. Have you? I bet I am the only one that doesn’t know about it. So I heard that it is ketchup and mayo mixed. So I decided to try it out. I mixed my ketchup and mayo, then tasted… thousand island dressing without the relish. I had no idea how you made that as well. I have not had thousand island dressing since I was a child and I would order a wedge of iceberg lettece with it smothered on top. That was the salad of my childhood.
Now the experiementing continued… enter the present day ingredient of the moment… Sriracha sauce. Love it! I mixed equal parts ketchup and mayo, then started squeezing in Sriracha sauce a little at a time, tasting as I go. When I found just the right heat, I stopped adding. Now that is going to taste good with my fries.
Then I tried mixing up a batch with vegan mayo instead of Hellman’s brand. My son, Gabriel, is allergic to dairy and eggs and thought he might like it. Okay, as far as vegan mayo goes. Yike. It tastes too much like Miracle Whip to me. Not a fan, but I thought Sriracha can cure a lot of ills. It still tasted like dodo to me. Maybe you Miracle Whip eaters would like it. I really did want it to taste great because the calories are so much lower in the Vegan mayo.
Just on a side note: Does anyone else find it a little ironic that there is a picture of a meat sandwich on the vegan mayo jar?
Now for the fries. These are good. Big taste and a much healthier version then most. Super simple. I also do this with sweet potatoes.
For 2 people:
Preheat oven 400F
Cut three small baking potatoes into strips. No need to peel.
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
Toss together and lay out on baking sheet. Place in oven and toss every ten minutes until done. About 30 minutes. Salt lightly when taking out of oven. Bravo.
Gabriel is a big part of this blog and told me that he thought the blog needed a lot more pictures of him. “I am the one that eats most of the food that you write about, Mom.” Gabriel loves burgers served on a thick cut baguette. Ketchup, no fry sauce. What a goof.
UPDATE: I tried the fry sauce with non-fat greek style yogurt, less ketchup and it was great. The best recipe yet. I made it with sweet potato fries this time. I get the great fry taste and I feel so decadent, but have relieved some of the guilt.
What makes a side dish the best on the planet? It needs to be easy to prepare, compliments my main dish, and most of all, the taste is so memorable that I can not wait to have it again.
Carrot casserole is a family favorite and it now doesn’t seem like Thanksgiving without it, but it is one of those recipes that I pull out all year round. It goes with beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, and so many more. So I have just renamed it… the best side dish on the planet.
Recipe:
2 cups cooked mashed carrots
1 cup saltine crumbs (28 squares)
1 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (Vermont sharp white cheddar is my fav!)
1/2 cup soft butter
1/4 cup grated white onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 eggs, slightly beaten
Preheat oven 350F
Combine all of the ingredients and place in greased casserole dish, ramekins, or Bundt pan. Bake dish until the sides are firm and the top is slightly browned.
I double the recipe if I use a 13×9 casserole dish. Bake about 40 minutes.
Sometimes I increase all the ingredients by half for a smaller casserole dish. Bundt pan and ramekins, approximently 20-30 minutes cooking time. The carrot ring when released from the Bundt is such a nice presentation on a buffet. I like to butter peas in the middle.
Now for one of the best parts of this recipe. You can make it ahead of time, up to two days, store it in the refrigerator. It is all ready to just pop in the oven and serve your guests. I have often made it a week ahead of time and put it in the freezer and then pulled it out a couple of hours before my party plans.
I am sure that if you make this recipe it will become your family’s favorite as well.
Filed under: Appetizers, sauces and condiments | Tags: condiments, creamy dressings, goat cheese
I love the tang of goat cheese and I love creamy dressing, but usually the creamy dressings have a lot of fat or are the low fat options are so full of fake fat ingredients that the taste is horrible. This recipe is the exception and I am so happy. Tangy, low in fat, all natural ingredients, and super creamy.
I found this recipe on a food blog and I am sorry I can not remember which one or I would give it credit. I tweeked it a little and found that there are a lot of variations that are super tasty. Not only do I put goat cheese dressing on salads, I put in on burgers, sandwiches, and even use it as a dip.
1 oz. goat cheese
2 T. buttermilk (Note: a lot of people do not know that buttermilk is low in fat and calorie. Use it in a lot of different things.)
3T. Greek style yogurt (Note: You can purchase your fat content according to your preference. They come in full fat to 0% fat.)
1/2 t. white vinegar
1t. lemon juice
lots of pepper
salt to taste
couple dribbles of sesame oil (Note: love to have this always on hand in my fridge.)
Mix all together and save in fridge for a variety of things. Thin out with lemon if you want it runner and use less if you want it super thick.
Variation 1: Use only lemon juice (Omit vinegar) and add chopped dill for poached salmon or baked potato.
Variation 2: Use lime in place of lemon and vinegar. Add some chopped cilantro and chili powder. ( I used a adobo chili powder I had in the pantry.) This is delicious with sweet potato fries
Variation 3: Use balsamic vinegar instead of lemon and vinegar and add some sugar. Teaspoon at a time and make a delicious dipping sauce for strawberries.
Variation 4: Replace blue cheese for the goat cheese and you have low fat blue cheese dressing.
Just have fun with this recipe and indulge. It won’t hurt. Now I have to go have the bacon, lettece, and tomato sandwich I have been dreaming about. Sour dough bread toasted with my goat cheese dressing instead of mayo. Hey, I am cutting some calories!
