Sister has come and gone! I didn't cook anything new while she was here. We finished off the vegetable lasagna and beef stew I made last week, so the rest of the time we did sushi, dim sum and burgers. We ordered pizza for her last night here and I made a salad while we all watched Dinner for Schmucks on Netflix. Movie stinks and I ate too much pizza. Bleh.
This week i'm back in the swing of things making some old favorites. These recipes are all tried and true and we practically live off of most of them!
Before we get into them, there are a couple "base" things you need to do before you tackle the chicken strips and parm mayo. You need to make your own croutons (to use for the breading of the chicken) and you need to make your own Mayonnaise (to turn into a parmesan mayo concoction). Yes, we make both from scratch!
Whole Wheat Croutons
Heat the oven to 200
1. Cut whole wheat bread or rolls into 1/2 inch cubes and throw onto a dry or foil-covered baking pan.
2. Stick in the oven until they are crunchy and not soft (about 30 minutes)
Voila, you have croutons that can be used for salads, breading or stuffing.
Homemade Mayonnaise
This is a recipe that Taylor is responsible for making. Taken from a book called "Sauces" by Sonja Lee.
Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I'd recommend 1/4 teaspoon since I think 1/2 is too spicy)
2/3 cup grapeseed oil (do NOT use olive oil... it turns out gross)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1. Place the yolks in a bowl together with the mustard, salt and cayenne pepper. Whisk well.
2. Add the oil in a thin stream while whisking constantly. When 3/4 of the oil has been added and the mayo begins to thicken, add the vinegar in a thin stream while continuing to whisk. The vinegar will make the consistency thinner.
3. Add the rest of the oil, little by little, so the mayo thickens again. continue to shick the mayo until it reaches a thick, spreadable consistency.
Now you have the basics for this week, onward to our recipes!!!
Parmesan Mayo
Taken from same book as the regular mayo.
Ingredients
1 batch of the mayo recipe above (makes 3/4 cup)
1 cup grated parmesan
2 crushed garlic cloves (I would use 1, using 2 made our batch really spicy)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons water (I would use 3 if you're using it for a salad dressing. Use 1 or 2 if you want to keep it thick)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I told Taylor not to use any because the original mayo is so spicy!)
Mix the mayonnaise with all of the other ingredients. Then it's ready to serve!
Whole Wheat Chicken Strips
My own recipe... Yeeehaww!
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips or tenders, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 eggs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups croutons from recipe above
Preheat oven to 350
1. Grind your croutons to make breadcrumbs in a food processor until a little chunky (not completely fine).
2. Line a shallow baking pan with foil and brush with olive oil.
3. Make yourself a dredging station with 1 bowl for the beaten eggs and 1 bowl for the breadcrumbs. Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper to the breadcrumbs and combine.
4. Take chicken tender/nugget, dunk it in egg, roll it in the breadcrumbs and then place on the baking sheet. Repeat for all of the chicken.
5. (optional) brush the tops of chicken with remaining egg wash or dot with a little butter.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. (then dip them in your mayo!!!)
Baked Spiced Tilapia
My own recipe!
Ingredients
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin
4 (4 ounce) tilapia fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat oven to 350
1. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl or ramekin.
2. Sprinkle and pat on both sides of the tilapia fillets.
3. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush with olive oil.
4. Bake tilapia for 20min or until done.
We serve this over the following quinoa and will use a dollop of the parmesan mayo on top of the fish. Yum!
Vegetable Quinoa
A family favorite! My own recipe
2 cups broth (chicken, veggie or straight up water)
1 cup quinoa
1/2 diced onion
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1/4 cup diced broccoli florets
1/2 rib diced celery
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1. In saucepan, heat oil on medium heat. Add all veggies, salt and pepper, and sautee until soft, about 8 minutes.
2. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add quinoa, stir, bring to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. (You'll know it's done when you see some white stringy stuff start to appear outside the quinoa).
Beef and Vegetable Shish Kebabs
My own recipe using metal skewers! I usually do ground lamb, but we'll save that for another time!
1 16 oz Ribeye cut into 1 inch cubes (you can use any beef, really)
1 red onion, cut into 2 inch strips (think of what they'll look like on a skewer)
1 zuchinni cut into 1 inch rounds
1-2 large tomatoes cut into large chunks
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, cumin, coriander, paprika and garlic in a bowl. Marinate the meat in the mixture overnight for dinner the next night.
2. Skewer the meat and vegetables in any combo you want. (If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about 30min prior to skewering.)
3. Preheat oven to 400. Heat skillet on med-high and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Sear skewers on all sides quickly and place on a shallow baking pan that's brushed with oil. Finish searing all the skewers and place the baking pan in the oven for about 10-15 minutes to cook the meat to your liking.
Hummus
My tried and true recipe! No frills or weird flavors.
Ingredients
1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans)
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup tehina (sesame paste)
1-2 Tbs water 1-2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Whirl garlic clove in food processor. Scrape down.
2. Drain and rinse beans and add to food processor. Process as much as possible; scrape down and repeat.
3. Add tehina and lemon juice and process a few times scraping down the sides as well. Add water, salt and oil. Scrape down and process again, for a few minutes. If too thick, add more water or lemon juice.
The important thing is to get the beans very well processed so that the paste is completely smooth without any dry pieces. Nom Nom Nom!!!
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