Recipes

Whole Grain: Farro & Balsamic Farro Salad Recipe

February 12, 2011 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

I’m a sucker for trying different kinds of whole grains. So when I saw a bag of Farro when I was at Costco the other day even though I had never heard of it before I didn’t hesitate to pick it up. It turns out that Farro is an ancient type of wheat that is now regaining popularity in Italy and with health conscious cooks. It’s great in soups and salads and can be used in place of barley or rice. This was my first attempt at cooking Farro. I found that there was still quite a bit of water left in the pot when I cooked it according to the package directions (3 cups water to 1 cup Farro for 15 minutes), so I cooked it a little longer and ultimately drained it. After some internet research, I found out this is actually normal. Unlike rice all the water is not supposed to be absorbed when it’s finished cooking. It’s chewier than rice but it did soften a bit after the salad had sat in the fridge overnight. Trying a grain all by itself is kind of boring so I put together this salad which I think is pretty good.

Whole Grain: Farro & Balsamic Farro Salad Recipe

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

Dressing
2 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. dried thyme
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper
Salad
½ cup mild onion diced (red onions, shallots, chives, green onions)
1 yellow or orange pepper chopped finely
2 medium tomatoes chopped and seeded
1 diced avocado (coat in lemon or lime juice if you’re not using the salad all right away)
1 cups farro (Cooked barley or brown rice can also be substituted.)

Instructions

Cook Farro according to package directions (they should be al dente when done)
Chop onion, tomatoes and peppers.
Add all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
In a small bowl mix dressing ingredients.
Add dressing ingredients to the salad ingredients and mix well.

Tomato and Ground Beef Slumgullion

February 11, 2011 by danawyyc 7 Comments

Slumgullion is a name for a cheap stew made by boiling. In this recipe, only the pasta is boiled, but cheap (and easy!) it is. I’m almost embarrassed to call this a recipe because it’s so simple. But it is one of my go to dishes when I need something fast and healthy that everyone will enjoy. I’d be lost without it, so I thought I’d pass it along. My mom made almost this exact dish while I was growing up so it’s a comfort food for me too. One of the best things about it, is that if you cook and freeze some ground beef (I like grabbing a giant pack of lean ground beef from Costco) you can have all the ingredients on hand. Then, when you don’t really have time to cook, or haven’t managed to get to the grocery store, you don’t have to get take out. And it’s a lot less messy than spaghetti!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Tomato and Ground Beef Slumgullion

Recipe type: Easy Meal

Ingredients

200g lean ground beef cooked (more or less is fine)
1 package whole wheat macaroni (I’ve tried other pasta, macaroni is best)
1 large can of diced tomatoes
salt and pepper

Instructions

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions.
It's best if the ground beef is warm when you add it to the pot so, cook, defrost or warm the ground beef as necessary.
Drain the macaroni in a strainer and put it back in the pot. Add the warm ground beef and the can of tomatoes (with the juice).
Mix well and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can also just add the salt and pepper to the individual servings instead.

This recipe makes about 6 servings, so you could halve the recipe if you don’t need that much. We usually keep the leftovers for lunches. I prefer it fresh, but Gordie and my special needs brother are quite happy to have it the day after. I often fill up some ziplock containers and stick them in the freezer so Geoff has lunches ready for the whole week.

Baby Smashed Potatoes

February 6, 2011 by danawyyc 3 Comments

I’m starting to think that just about every vegetable should be roasted at 400F for 30-60 minutes with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. This is now my third recipe in a row that follows this logic. You’d have to really hate potatoes to not like these. I liked these so much I made them for Christmas dinner last year – there wasn’t a single one left over!. They also provide a lot more nutrients than a lot of potato dishes because you leave the skins on. They take a little bit more time than some methods, because they are boiled and then baked but the result is amazing. If you want, you can boil and smash the potatoes ahead of time just refrigerate until you are ready to use them.

Baby Smashed Potatoes

Recipe type: Side Dish

Ingredients

2-2.5 lbs baby potatoes
2 TBSP oilve oil
salt, pepper and rosemary (I use dried but I’m sure fresh would be lovely)
2 garlic cloves minced (shortcut – buy pre-minced, look in the refrigerated section by the salads as they are much better than the shelf stable variety you get by the spices)
ore it hits the heat. Squishing the potatoes is also pretty fun.
The kids can:
put the potatoes in the pot
squash the cooled potatoes
.paint the potatoes with olive oil
flip the potatoes
sprinkle the salt, pepper and rosemary
Directions

Instructions

Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
When the potatoes are tender, drain the pot and let the potatoes cool (if you are in a hurry you can grab the potatoes with a tea towel and smash them while they are still hot).
Preheat the oven to 400F
Get a (clean!) tea towel and put it on the counter. Place the potato on top. Fold the tea towel over and press down on the potato with your palm.
Place the smashed potatoes on a baking tray.
Brush each potato with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Flip the potatoes and repeat on the other side.
Add a couple pieces of minced garlic to each potato and sprinkle with rosemary.
Put the tray in the over and flip the potatoes after 15 minutes. Continue to bake for 15-20 minutes more. When they are done the skins of the potatoes will be brown and crispy but the centre will be soft.

Leftovers can be eaten cold straight from the fridge or reheated in the oven or toaster oven.

Roasted Butternut Squash

February 5, 2011 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

I took another crack at the butternut squash today. It turned out quite a bit better than the last time. I think the problem before was that the squash wasn’t as fresh as it needed to be. Not that it was bad, it just didn’t have the right consistency anymore – it was a little too mushy around the edges. So if you (like I usually do) buy pre-cut cubes (Costco’s are great) make sure you get the furthest away best before date and check to make sure they are nice and firm when you go to cook them. If they’re not, maybe make soup instead.

This isn’t the lowest calorie vegetable dish you can make but it’s a crowd pleaser and makes a nice side dish for special occasion dinners (or just for snacking!) Unless your kids are going through a really picky stage, they’ll like this dish. And you will like making it! The prep work is minimal and once it’s in the oven you don’t have to do a thing.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Recipe type: Side Dish

Ingredients

2 lbs butternut squash cubes (shortcut – buy pre-cubed)
2 TBSP oilve oil
¼ cup shredded Parmesan Cheese (or white cheese blend)
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves minced and 2 Tbsp parsley chopped (both optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F.
Put all ingredients into a large resealable plastic bag and combine (you can also mix in a bowl).
Spread evenly on a single layer on a shallow baking dish. I've found that lining a cookie tray with parchment paper works really well. The cubes pop right off. Whatever you do, don't put them directly on the cookie tray – trust me it will never be the same.
Cook for 40-50 minutes. The edges should be carmelized and golden. You can flip one of the cubes over to check the bottom, but otherwise leave them alone.

Notes

Based on <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Garlicky-Baked-Butternut-Squash/Detail.aspx">Garlicky Baked Butternut Sqush</a>

I completely forgot the garlic, but they were still great. Adding the parsley makes for a nicer presentation, but I was all out.

If you have leftovers, you can mash up the cooked squash with some pasta water to thin it out and use it as a pasta sauce.

Making Icky Food Good: Roasted Brussels Sprouts

February 4, 2011 by danawyyc 2 Comments

My mother-in-law is a big fan of Brussels sprouts and they are chalk full of vitamins but she wasn’t making any converts at home. I figure that just about anything can be appealing if you cook it the right way, so I set out to find something that everyone would enjoy. This is what I came up with.

Making Icky Food Good: Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Recipe type: Side Dish

Ingredients

1.5 pounds Brussels sprouts (shortcut - buy prewashed and bagged)
1.5 tablespoons oilve oil
1 teaspoon salt (do not skip the salt, you need it to counteract the bitterness of the sprouts)
0.5 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F (you can do 400 if you are in a hurry but you'll need to watch it near the end)
Wash and trim the Brussels Sprouts if necessary. Cut each Brussels sprout in half.
Place the Brussels Sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Seal it up and mix well. (Obviously you could also use a bowl if you'd rather).
Put the Brussels spouts on a baking tray and bake for 40-50 minutes. Turn them every 7-10 minutes so they cook evenly and don't char.
When they are finished they should have a nice brown color but still have some green visible. The loose leaves may be blackened but nothing else should be.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts - talkinginallcaps.com

If you have leftovers you can put them in a container in the fridge and eat then reheated in the oven/toaster oven or I actually like the leftovers cold, straight from the fridge. They store best if you let them cool down to room temperature first.

You could lighten the recipe up by using a cooking spray or olive oil mister to coat the Brussels Sprouts instead of the olive oil.

Hard Boiled/Devilled Eggs

February 1, 2011 by danawyyc 1 Comment

I used to be able to cook a hard boiled egg properly. Then one day I couldn’t. I’m not sure what happened. I was using the same recipe I have used since I was 12.

Whatever the reason, after much frustration I finally figured out how to prevent them from being a disgusting ooey mess. The key was just turning up the heat a little when it was simmering.

How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

1. Fill a pot with cold water to just cover the eggs. Bring to a boil. If you manage to remember that you are cooking and notice when they first start to boil you can avoid getting that grey skunge around the yolk by turning the heat down right away (make sure it is just above low).
2. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on and then run cold water over the eggs. Its best to peel them while they are still a little warm and if you roll them in your hands before you start to peel, it’s even easier to get the peel off nicely.

Since we’re talking about Hard Boiled Eggs I might as well share my Devilled Egg Recipe too. My family loves them. I’m pretty sure if I showed up to a family function without them I would be asked how long it was going to take me to go pick up the eggs that I obviously forgot at home.

Devilled Eggs

Recipe type: Appetizer

Ingredients

Devilled Eggs
12 Hard Boiled Eggs, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tsp mustard
2 tsp vinegar
paprika

Instructions

Scoop the yolk out of each egg and put into a bowl. Mash up with a fork.
Add the mayo, mustard and vinegar and mix well.
Put a big scoop of the egg mixture into each egg half and sprinkle with paprika.

In case you were wondering, no I do not own a deviled egg tray. I own four. Seriously. I typically have to bring 3 or 4 full trays to a family party – they are that good.

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