Tacos
Taco shells
Cuban black beans (mine were frozen from when my mom made them, but you can buy them canned)
1-2 tomatoes (diced)
1-2 avocados (made into guacamole)
3-4 leaves lettuce (sliced into "shreds")
1/4-1/2 pound shredded cheddar
1 package chick-un
1/2 onion
salsa
I cooked the onion and the chick-un in a pan together, but they weren't anything special and I would just leave them out in the future. Then you just pile each ingredient into your taco shell... so fast and easy and fresh!
Spiral Casserole
1 package whole wheat spiral noodles (cooked per directions and drained)
3/4 pound cheddar cheese
2 veggie sausages
2-3 roasted red peppers (mine were from a jar)
1 small package goat cheese
This dish was inspired my macaroni and cheese, but it has a western twist. I often make my mac and cheese as just that: macaroni and cheese. No other ingredients. This is unusual, as most recipes add a lot of cream, but I feel it is the heart and soul of the dish, and when served hot the cheese melts and you really don't miss the cream (when cold, it is much stiffer).
I decided to add a little kick to the dish. The sausages and peppers gave a little spice, while the goat cheese gave it some tang (and a little more creaminess).
It's pretty easy - just mix all the ingredients together in a very large bowl, then pour into a casserole dish. You can bake extra to get a crispy top, or you can just eat it as it is.
Noodle casserole is great - I froze 2 servings, had 2 servings for lunch this week.
Showing posts with label avocado. Show all posts
Showing posts with label avocado. Show all posts
25.4.10
5.4.10
Weekend: Camping Sandwiches
Sandwiches are always a great meal, especially when you are on the go. We went camping this weekend and made sandwiches two days. We used the same basic "recipe."
Bread (Whole wheat or Rosemary)
Meat (or fake meat, we used Tofurkey slices)
Cheese (havarti and cheddar)
Tomatoes
Mustard (in this case "Moosetard" Alaskan Smoked Lager Mustard)
Olive tapenade
Avocado
Everyone knows how to make a sandwich! You put all the ingredients between two slices of bread and eat. In this case, the sandwiches were a little bland. I think the bread:filling ratio was a little bread-heavy. Also, toasting the bread is always nice, and since we were camping we couldn't do that. This also made the sandwiches kind of "thick" and dry. A little mayonaise would have helped there.
The mustard was delicious, but too mild. On our last sandwich we slathered it on, and they were significantly improved. Also, we had kind of mild cheese and out tomatoes were bland. They looked good, but what can you expect - they were from the mainstream grocery store.
Overall, disappointing sandwiches, despite the ingredient list sounding good. It's all about the ratio, I suppose.
Bread (Whole wheat or Rosemary)
Meat (or fake meat, we used Tofurkey slices)
Cheese (havarti and cheddar)
Tomatoes
Mustard (in this case "Moosetard" Alaskan Smoked Lager Mustard)
Olive tapenade
Avocado
Everyone knows how to make a sandwich! You put all the ingredients between two slices of bread and eat. In this case, the sandwiches were a little bland. I think the bread:filling ratio was a little bread-heavy. Also, toasting the bread is always nice, and since we were camping we couldn't do that. This also made the sandwiches kind of "thick" and dry. A little mayonaise would have helped there.
The mustard was delicious, but too mild. On our last sandwich we slathered it on, and they were significantly improved. Also, we had kind of mild cheese and out tomatoes were bland. They looked good, but what can you expect - they were from the mainstream grocery store.
Overall, disappointing sandwiches, despite the ingredient list sounding good. It's all about the ratio, I suppose.
20.3.10
Saturday Potluck: Funny Sushi
I wanted to make something that would be popular at the potluck I was going to... but I also didn't want to make a trip to the grocery, nor did I want to make something that would be super expensive, because it is a very large potluck and I wanted to make a good volume. I happened to have rice and nori, so I thought I could make sushi. I didn't have any of the normal fillings, but I recalled some very weird sushi rolls I used to make in college, and thought I'd revisit some of those recipes.
The first thing to do is the cook the rice. White rice is pretty quick, maximum 20 minutes. I made a large recipe - leftovers are easy to use.
2.5 cups white rice
5 cups water
about 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
Put it all in a pot, bring it to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Cook another 10-15 minutes. Turn the heat off after all the water is gone and let it sit a while. Then add the seasoned rice vinegar and mix well. You are supposed to use short grain white rice - it's the stickiest. But I used long grain white this time, and I"ve used brown rice plenty of times in the past.
The next step was to gather some fresh greens from the garden. That is a euphemistic way of saying that I picked some of the dandelion greens that are running rampant. This was also a chance to do some weeding, as I'd promised Marshall I would do while he was gone.
1 colander full of dandelion greens (well washed)
1 package baked tofu (savory flavor)
1 large ripe avocado
1 package nori seaweed
Cut the tofu into thin strips. Slice the avocado thinly as well. I like to slice it in the skin, then remove it with a spoon. It works pretty well. Lay out a large piece of nori. Take a handful of rice and spread it out thinly over about 3/4 of the nori sheet. (You leave a little strip across the top without rice, and fill the rest.) Lay a thin row of tofu, avocado, and dandelion greens all in a strip in the middle of the rice. Roll it up tightly and then use a little water to seal the nori to itself.
Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Potluck says: It was gone in less than five minutes. That's a hit!
Time: 60+ (rice takes 20 minutes, rolling takes 20-30, picking greens takes 10-20)
Leftovers: I kept one roll uncut, wrapped in saran wrap. I can cut it and have it for lunch tomorrow or this week. I also have a few servings of rice and some chopped up tofu. And a whole basketful of greens, with boatloads to clips form the yard!
The first thing to do is the cook the rice. White rice is pretty quick, maximum 20 minutes. I made a large recipe - leftovers are easy to use.
2.5 cups white rice
5 cups water
about 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
Put it all in a pot, bring it to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Cook another 10-15 minutes. Turn the heat off after all the water is gone and let it sit a while. Then add the seasoned rice vinegar and mix well. You are supposed to use short grain white rice - it's the stickiest. But I used long grain white this time, and I"ve used brown rice plenty of times in the past.
The next step was to gather some fresh greens from the garden. That is a euphemistic way of saying that I picked some of the dandelion greens that are running rampant. This was also a chance to do some weeding, as I'd promised Marshall I would do while he was gone.
1 colander full of dandelion greens (well washed)
1 package baked tofu (savory flavor)
1 large ripe avocado
1 package nori seaweed
Cut the tofu into thin strips. Slice the avocado thinly as well. I like to slice it in the skin, then remove it with a spoon. It works pretty well. Lay out a large piece of nori. Take a handful of rice and spread it out thinly over about 3/4 of the nori sheet. (You leave a little strip across the top without rice, and fill the rest.) Lay a thin row of tofu, avocado, and dandelion greens all in a strip in the middle of the rice. Roll it up tightly and then use a little water to seal the nori to itself.
Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Potluck says: It was gone in less than five minutes. That's a hit!
Time: 60+ (rice takes 20 minutes, rolling takes 20-30, picking greens takes 10-20)
Leftovers: I kept one roll uncut, wrapped in saran wrap. I can cut it and have it for lunch tomorrow or this week. I also have a few servings of rice and some chopped up tofu. And a whole basketful of greens, with boatloads to clips form the yard!
13.3.10
Saturday Lunch: Mom's Huevos Rancheros
So, after a breakfast of tea and banana chips, I felt I needed something homemade and hearty for lunch. My mom ended up making Huevos Rancheros.
Can I count my mom's recipe on my own blog? Is that wrong? These are the kinds of things that keep me up at night, wondering if I have violated some kind of moral law of blogging. I think since I make my Huevos Rancheros really differently, I will include her recipe and then vow to make my own soon, and post that one as well. Plus it was really more of a group effort: my mom and I shopped together, I made guacamole, Marshall chopped something...
Mom's Huevos Rancheros
Oil or butter for cooking
1/2-1 onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can green chiles (Rotel)
Mexican spices (cumin, garlic, oregano, chile powder, paprika, etc)
eggs (1-2 per person)
First you cook the onion in oil or butter until it is soft. Then you add the canned goods, spices, garlic. Cook that up until it is hot and bubbling. Then bring it a gentle simmer. Add the eggs gently, so they are laying whole on top of the tomato sauce. Cover and cook them for about 5 minutes until the whites are cooked, but the yolks are still soft. This is hard to time; my mom does a great job, but my yolks are always cooked through.
corn tortillas
chopped cilantro
grated cheese (cheddar or similar)
In the mean time, warm some corn tortillas (in the microwave is fine). Once the eggs are cooked, serve on top of the tortilla on a large plate (sauce is runny). Add grated cheese and chopped cilantro on top if you like.
Fast Guacamole
Avocados
Salsa
There are many ways to make guacamole. My fast shortcut to great guacamole is just to take ripe avocados and cut or mash them up (I like mine chunky), and add my favorite salsa to taste. I used 4 small avocados and about 4-6 tablespoons of salsa.
Time: 20-30 minutes total
Serves: Three of us had 2 eggs each
Leftovers: none (not recommended, since egg whites get into tomato sauce, and guacamole turns brown)
Can I count my mom's recipe on my own blog? Is that wrong? These are the kinds of things that keep me up at night, wondering if I have violated some kind of moral law of blogging. I think since I make my Huevos Rancheros really differently, I will include her recipe and then vow to make my own soon, and post that one as well. Plus it was really more of a group effort: my mom and I shopped together, I made guacamole, Marshall chopped something...
Mom's Huevos Rancheros
Oil or butter for cooking
1/2-1 onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can green chiles (Rotel)
Mexican spices (cumin, garlic, oregano, chile powder, paprika, etc)
eggs (1-2 per person)
First you cook the onion in oil or butter until it is soft. Then you add the canned goods, spices, garlic. Cook that up until it is hot and bubbling. Then bring it a gentle simmer. Add the eggs gently, so they are laying whole on top of the tomato sauce. Cover and cook them for about 5 minutes until the whites are cooked, but the yolks are still soft. This is hard to time; my mom does a great job, but my yolks are always cooked through.
corn tortillas
chopped cilantro
grated cheese (cheddar or similar)
In the mean time, warm some corn tortillas (in the microwave is fine). Once the eggs are cooked, serve on top of the tortilla on a large plate (sauce is runny). Add grated cheese and chopped cilantro on top if you like.
Fast Guacamole
Avocados
Salsa
There are many ways to make guacamole. My fast shortcut to great guacamole is just to take ripe avocados and cut or mash them up (I like mine chunky), and add my favorite salsa to taste. I used 4 small avocados and about 4-6 tablespoons of salsa.
Time: 20-30 minutes total
Serves: Three of us had 2 eggs each
Leftovers: none (not recommended, since egg whites get into tomato sauce, and guacamole turns brown)
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