Creole is not something I eat often. Honestly I can't remember the last time I even had it. It's not that I don't like it, it's just not my normal cuisine. So I decided to mix it up today, and put together a quick Creole dish. It's not spicy, but it is savory and delicious.
Yellow Onion (2 medium)
Green Bell Pepper (2)
Rice (2cup uncooked)
Garlic (8 cloves)
Creole Seasoning (2 tbs)
Crushed Tomatoes (about 16 oz.)
First we need to get our rice cooking. Usually rice doubles or triples in size from it's dry form, and the normal ratio is 1 cup rice, 2 cups water (depending on what type of rice you use this may vary. Follow the package instructions). Put the 2 cups of water in a saucepan on the stove, and bring it to a boil. Add the rice, stir, and cover. Bring it down to a simmer, and cook 20-25 minutes (again, read your package of rice). Make sure not to uncover the rice while it's simmering!
Now, take a frypan, and hit it with some olive oil. Cut up the onion in small pieces, and toss it in. Cut up the green pepper in the same size pieces, and throw it in the fry pan as well. Once the onion turns translucent, add in the 4 gloves of finely (really fine!) diced garlic. Let the garlic cook for just a little while (with garlic this small it can burn really easy), and add in the crushed tomatoes. Add the Creole seasoning. Hit it with a little salt and pepper, Mix it all together, and let the tomatoes warm up a little bit.
Take the rice out of the pot, and put it in a bowl, add the tomato mixture, and mix well.
(to give it a little bit more of a mexican flavor, hit it with a little cheddar cheese as well)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Caprese Salad Sandwich
How good is a caprese salad? Man it is such a great dish. One of my favorite Italian salads. Little drizzle of a balsamic reduction.. Ah what a taste sensation.. This is a lunch-style sandwich that still incorporates the great flavors of a caprese salad, but makes it entire an entire lunch.
Fresh mozzarella (1/2 lbs)
Basil (about 10 leaves)
Roma Tomato (1 or 2, depending on how thick you like your tomato)
White Bread (6 slices)
Balsamic Vinegar (2 tbs)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 tbs)
First, cut the crusts off the bread. We just want the light fluffy insides. Then, cut it in half. Put the 12 slices in a a fry pan or on a griddle, with some melted butter, and toast them up. Once they get lightly browned, Take 6 of them off. Slice up the tomato and mozzarella, and put it on the pieces of bread on the griddle. Top it with a leaf of basil. Put the 6 slices back on top, and flip them. Melt the cheese. Mix the oil and vinegar in a bowl for a dipping sauce.
It's a light, flavorful, wonderful sandwich. Somewhat reminiscent of an extremely light grilled cheese sandwich. A great tasting lunch!
Fresh mozzarella (1/2 lbs)
Basil (about 10 leaves)
Roma Tomato (1 or 2, depending on how thick you like your tomato)
White Bread (6 slices)
Balsamic Vinegar (2 tbs)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 tbs)
First, cut the crusts off the bread. We just want the light fluffy insides. Then, cut it in half. Put the 12 slices in a a fry pan or on a griddle, with some melted butter, and toast them up. Once they get lightly browned, Take 6 of them off. Slice up the tomato and mozzarella, and put it on the pieces of bread on the griddle. Top it with a leaf of basil. Put the 6 slices back on top, and flip them. Melt the cheese. Mix the oil and vinegar in a bowl for a dipping sauce.
It's a light, flavorful, wonderful sandwich. Somewhat reminiscent of an extremely light grilled cheese sandwich. A great tasting lunch!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Mambo Rice
Jamaica.. What a vast array of flavors and food! Here's another knockout recipe from Guy Fieri.
Lime (1 lime, juiced)
Cilantro (about a 1/4 cup)
Parsley (about a 1/4 cup)
Rice (about 4 cups cooked)
Juice the lime, finely mince the cilantro and parsley (really fine!), mix all together. Can you get a simpler recipe than that?
Lime (1 lime, juiced)
Cilantro (about a 1/4 cup)
Parsley (about a 1/4 cup)
Rice (about 4 cups cooked)
Juice the lime, finely mince the cilantro and parsley (really fine!), mix all together. Can you get a simpler recipe than that?
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Trippin' Tuna
How many of us has gone out and had a tuna salad that tasted, well tasted like nothing? It really isn't hard to make a great tuna salad. This recipe is incredibly simple, few ingredients, and tastes great. It's also a fairly healthy meal with the high amount of protein found in tuna.
White Albacore Tuna, Water Packed (1 can)
Mayonnaise (2 tsp)
Relish (tsp. To taste)
It's hard to get a good texture for tuna. Over-process, it's like paste. Under-process, too chewy, and the flavors aren't melded together. I've found that using a food-processor carefully provides a killer texture, and the perfect blend of flavors. So put our tuna, mayonnaise and relish into our food-processor, and pulse it. make sure not to over-process. We're just getting it mixed together, and the tuna just slightly cut up.
This makes about two sandwiches. You may like a tad more mayonnaise on your bread, but I like my tuna only slightly moist. Serve plain, or with lettuce and tomato on bread. Fantastic, quick to make, and healthy too.
White Albacore Tuna, Water Packed (1 can)
Mayonnaise (2 tsp)
Relish (tsp. To taste)
It's hard to get a good texture for tuna. Over-process, it's like paste. Under-process, too chewy, and the flavors aren't melded together. I've found that using a food-processor carefully provides a killer texture, and the perfect blend of flavors. So put our tuna, mayonnaise and relish into our food-processor, and pulse it. make sure not to over-process. We're just getting it mixed together, and the tuna just slightly cut up.
This makes about two sandwiches. You may like a tad more mayonnaise on your bread, but I like my tuna only slightly moist. Serve plain, or with lettuce and tomato on bread. Fantastic, quick to make, and healthy too.
Chocolate Infused Brownies
A brownie. Who hasn't had one of these? A much-loved food across America. Its soft chewy center, warm crisp outside, and chocolaty goodness throughout. If I could have only one dessert, I think it would be a brownie.
Vegetable Oil (1/2 cup)
White Sugar (1 cup)
Vanilla Extract (1 tsp)
Eggs (2)
A.P. Flour (1/2 cup)
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (1/3 cup)
Baking Powder (1/4 tsp)
Chopped Walnuts (1/2-3/4 cups)
Semi-sweet chocolate Morsels (1/2 cup)
Preheat our oven to 350. Blend the oil, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Blend it smooth (don't overblend!), then add the walnuts and chocolate morels. Blend it for just a few seconds, just to mix it in (We don't want to mix it long. If we do, we'll start to break up the chocolate and walnuts). Grease a 9x9 baking pan, and pour the batter in (make sure it's smooth). Bake for 20-25 minutes. Until the edges start to pull away and a dipping stick comes out dry or almost dry. You'll flip over these!
(this recipe comes for Allrecipes.com , but with a couple twists for extra brownie goodness)
Vegetable Oil (1/2 cup)
White Sugar (1 cup)
Vanilla Extract (1 tsp)
Eggs (2)
A.P. Flour (1/2 cup)
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (1/3 cup)
Baking Powder (1/4 tsp)
Chopped Walnuts (1/2-3/4 cups)
Semi-sweet chocolate Morsels (1/2 cup)
Preheat our oven to 350. Blend the oil, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Blend it smooth (don't overblend!), then add the walnuts and chocolate morels. Blend it for just a few seconds, just to mix it in (We don't want to mix it long. If we do, we'll start to break up the chocolate and walnuts). Grease a 9x9 baking pan, and pour the batter in (make sure it's smooth). Bake for 20-25 minutes. Until the edges start to pull away and a dipping stick comes out dry or almost dry. You'll flip over these!
(this recipe comes for Allrecipes.com , but with a couple twists for extra brownie goodness)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Free-style Bloomin' Onion
Battered and deep fried. Is there anything more American? Crispy coating, warm soft inside, with some kind of killer dipping sauce. It just screams USA. You used to find bloomin' onions at a lot of places, but they really took a heavy beating in recent years. You can barely find them anywhere.
(The amounts aren't very exact. You may find you need more of the dry coating, or less)
Flour (1.5 cups)
Onion (1 large yellow(
Cumin (3/8 tsp)
Paprika (about a tsp)
Cayenne Pepper (1 tsp)
Garlic Powder (1/2 tsp)
Oregano (1/4 tsp)
Egg (1 large)
Thyme (1/4 tsp)
Whole Milk (1 cup)
How you cut up the onion is really up to you. It all depends how you like the pieces to be. I like mine to be similar to petals, so that's how I cut mine up. In half from blossom to root, then peeled, ends cut off, cut in (height-wise), then sliced for that nice petal shape.
Mix the flour, and all our dried herbs and spices together (don't forget some salt and pepper). In a separate bowl, beat an egg then add the milk. stir it all together. Now, we need to form our battering line. Onions on the left hand, then the liquid bowl, the dry bowl, and finally, the bowl to store them in. Make sure to keep your hands separated (otherwise they will get horribly pasted with flour). Left hand onions and liquid, right hand dry and storage. Dip the onions in the milk mixture. get them nicely coated, then hit them in the dry. Get it really coated, for that awesome crisp coating. Repeat the battering once more. Get all the onions battered, and stick 'em in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Now it's time to get frying! Heat your oil to about 340 (with the lower heat, the onion inside will get cooked better than if you oil was the normal 350). I use a deep fryer, but a pot filled with oil and a thermometer works just as well. Once our oils gets up to temperature, toss the onions in it. Be careful when you're putting them in, or they the oil with spatter (From everyone who has been burned by hot oil.. Definitely be careful!). Carefully slide them in, and watch the bubbles erupt in their magnificent splendor. Cook them about 5-7 minutes (you'll see the coating get golden brown), and serve them up with a killer dipping sauce. A nice thick buttermilk ranch, a spicy horseradish, or a creamy blue cheese. They all compliment it so well.
(The amounts aren't very exact. You may find you need more of the dry coating, or less)
Flour (1.5 cups)
Onion (1 large yellow(
Cumin (3/8 tsp)
Paprika (about a tsp)
Cayenne Pepper (1 tsp)
Garlic Powder (1/2 tsp)
Oregano (1/4 tsp)
Egg (1 large)
Thyme (1/4 tsp)
Whole Milk (1 cup)
How you cut up the onion is really up to you. It all depends how you like the pieces to be. I like mine to be similar to petals, so that's how I cut mine up. In half from blossom to root, then peeled, ends cut off, cut in (height-wise), then sliced for that nice petal shape.
Mix the flour, and all our dried herbs and spices together (don't forget some salt and pepper). In a separate bowl, beat an egg then add the milk. stir it all together. Now, we need to form our battering line. Onions on the left hand, then the liquid bowl, the dry bowl, and finally, the bowl to store them in. Make sure to keep your hands separated (otherwise they will get horribly pasted with flour). Left hand onions and liquid, right hand dry and storage. Dip the onions in the milk mixture. get them nicely coated, then hit them in the dry. Get it really coated, for that awesome crisp coating. Repeat the battering once more. Get all the onions battered, and stick 'em in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Now it's time to get frying! Heat your oil to about 340 (with the lower heat, the onion inside will get cooked better than if you oil was the normal 350). I use a deep fryer, but a pot filled with oil and a thermometer works just as well. Once our oils gets up to temperature, toss the onions in it. Be careful when you're putting them in, or they the oil with spatter (From everyone who has been burned by hot oil.. Definitely be careful!). Carefully slide them in, and watch the bubbles erupt in their magnificent splendor. Cook them about 5-7 minutes (you'll see the coating get golden brown), and serve them up with a killer dipping sauce. A nice thick buttermilk ranch, a spicy horseradish, or a creamy blue cheese. They all compliment it so well.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Pan-Fried Salmon
Salmon.. Man what a fish. Rich tender flavor, flaky, moist, to die for. Give it a perfect sear and you mouth will be watering while this baby is cooking up.
Salmon Fillets (1 1/2 lbs)
Lemon Pepper (1/4 tsp or less)
Garlic Powder (1/4 tsp or less)
Soy Sauce (1/3 cup)
Brown Sugar (1/3 cup)
Water (1/3 cup)
Vegetable oil (1/4 cup)
Season the fillets with the lemon pepper, garlic powder, and a little salt. Mix up the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and oil, and put in a plastic ziploc bag. Put the fillets in, and get it all nice and coated. Let it marinate for about 2 hours (we gotta have it soak up all that amazing flavor).
Preheat a skillet to medium heat. add a little oil (if using an electric skillet, about 275 F), and place the salmon in. Don't move it around (it'll stick in the beginning), just let it do its own thing. Cook it for about 8 minutes or so (you want it nice and browned), then flip it. I love my salmon with a perfect crisp, so let it get nice and browned. When it's ready, you'll be able to flake the flesh with a fork with almost no effort.
Pictured below is the salmon served with my garlic mashed potatoes and lemon asparagus (as featured in previous blog posts, and in my "Full Family Dinners" section) <-- ( COMING SOON )
Salmon Fillets (1 1/2 lbs)
Lemon Pepper (1/4 tsp or less)
Garlic Powder (1/4 tsp or less)
Soy Sauce (1/3 cup)
Brown Sugar (1/3 cup)
Water (1/3 cup)
Vegetable oil (1/4 cup)
Season the fillets with the lemon pepper, garlic powder, and a little salt. Mix up the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and oil, and put in a plastic ziploc bag. Put the fillets in, and get it all nice and coated. Let it marinate for about 2 hours (we gotta have it soak up all that amazing flavor).
Preheat a skillet to medium heat. add a little oil (if using an electric skillet, about 275 F), and place the salmon in. Don't move it around (it'll stick in the beginning), just let it do its own thing. Cook it for about 8 minutes or so (you want it nice and browned), then flip it. I love my salmon with a perfect crisp, so let it get nice and browned. When it's ready, you'll be able to flake the flesh with a fork with almost no effort.
Pictured below is the salmon served with my garlic mashed potatoes and lemon asparagus (as featured in previous blog posts, and in my "Full Family Dinners" section) <-- ( COMING SOON )
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