Tag Archives: onions

Leftovers

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Happy Cinco de Mayo! Holidays are centered around food and drink. So let me share a Spanish inspired recipe with you that I threw together this weekend with a bunch of leftovers. Feel free to chow down with a fresh and strong margarita! Ole!

  • 4 large green bell peppers
  • 1.5 cups of rice (I used left over Spanish rice that I made from a store-bought package)
  • 1 cup of chopped yellow Spanish onion
  • 1 tbsp. of crushed garlic
  • 1 packet of taco seasoning (do not add your own salt & pepper, there is plenty in the store-bought taco mix)
  • 1 lb. of ground turkey* (I had some leftover from a taco salad)
  • 1 tbsp. of ketchup
  • 2 tsp. of sriracha
  • 1/2 cup (or 4 tbsp.) of shredded cheese (Anything works I did a Mexican blend, but plain cheddar is good too).

**Add frozen corn or canned beans (About 1/2 a cup should do the trick) to stretch the ground meat further in case you don’t have that much leftover. Although if making fresh do a 1lb. package of ground turkey. (chicken or beef would work just as well).

Brown the meat with a little vegetable oil, taco seasoning, the onions, & the garlic in a nonstick pan over medium heat. My secret tip is that when the meat is done, stir in the ketchup and sriracha. It adds a good tomato-ey flavor and keeps the meat moist. Plus the sriracha adds a yummy spice/kick. Once the meat is cooked, crumbled and cooled, mix it with the corn (or beans) & rice. Note that while the meat is cooking, prepare the peppers by slicing off the tops and cutting out the ribs & seeds. Rinse and dry before stuffing. Lastly, stuff the pepper and top with the shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min or until the cheese has melted & pepper has charred. Serves 4 people, 1 pepper per person.

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Happy Eating, XO.

 

Pear Salad

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So all my lamenting about it feeling more like fall & winter than Spring finally paid off! This was the first time we had nice weather and it lasted all weekend long! I mean we had to turn on the AC that’s how nice it was! Having said that, its time to eat lighter and more spring like now. So below is my quick and easy salad. I served it with the are you too chicken last night. Yum-o!

  • 2 Bartlett pears (fairly ripe)
  • 1/2 of a medium yellow onion (Vidalia works, but so does a Spanish onion)
  • 1 bag of the Sorrento Salad Mix from Trader Joes (it just has arugula, baby spinach, and lettuce in it. I also throw in a fist full of shredded raddicho just because I had some in the fridge and I like the purple color).
  • 1 cup of sesame sticks (photo below & also bought from Trader Joes-sorry that’s where I grocery shop, but I will say most stores will have them in nuts & snacks aisle, look near trail mixes)
  • 1/4 cup of champagne pear vinaigrette with gorgonzola from Trader Joe’s (I know homemade dressing is better, but I was hung over so I did a short cut, big deal, its yummy nonetheless).
  • Optional is to add some crumbled gorgonzola on the top but I was trying to keep it light so I left out, the vinaigrette is creamy and silky enough you shouldn’t miss the added cheese.

Slice the pears in long, Julienne strips. Do the same for the onions and toss with the sesame sticks, salad packet and dressing. Serve immediately and a good tip is to make sure the pears and onions are cold from the fridge when serving, I don’t know what it is about a cold salad on a warm afternoon! Oh and the peppery arugula coupled with the sweet pear and the sharp onion and crunchy sesame sticks is the perfect combo of different taste bud pleasers we try to achieve in all of our sultry salads 🙂

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Happy Eating, XO.

Fall Stew

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Guys, I miss football. I miss Fall. I mean if its going to be this cold I’d rather us be back in Fall than pretend to be in Spring. There aren’t any flowers, the showers are more like snow, and there just isn’t great spring food. I mean there is good Spring food, but not mouth watering great. Although I will say to stay tuned for an Easter Sunday themed blog post with yummy tea party sandwiches and snacks. (shameless blog plug) Anyway, point being I am going to eat like its still Fall and still can before summer comes around and I need sultry salads, fruits, and iced tea. Ok so back to this divine stew. I can’t even tell you how flipping good it is. There is this amaze balls Italian market near my work and not only do I get lunch from there AT LEAST 2x a week, but I always pick up tasty imported items from Italia whenever I can (aka last time I was there I picked up truffle butter AGAIN, whatever, Jess said we don’t judge here). Anyway, Tredici is the bomb.com for all the delish food they have on their regular menu, but they also have daily specials. This puppy was debuted in September and it made its way back once a month throughout the fall and I miss it so. I decided I must re-create it and have it available all year round. (or I’ll die, because I love it THAT much).  Ok melodramatics aside, I don’t think I can say I replicated the magical stew 100%, but this is pretty darn close, say 99.9% for all you math nerds. Anyway, it satiated my hankering for this delish stew and I hope it does the same for you! (ha “stew”, “you”, rhyming, happy camper, belly full).

  • 2 tbsp. of olive oil
  • 12 oz. hot Italian sausage, cut into small chunks (I just did droppings of the sausage by cutting out the casing, that lets the stew grab on to all the spices of the sausage).
  • 12 cipollini onions peeled (pearl onions can be substituted)
  • 1 ½ cups crushed tomatoes (Cento is my fav canned brand)
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • ½-oz bundle of herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, sage or oregano (there is a trio packet that’s sold at my grocery store, saves time & money so I just used that. It was parsley, thyme, and oregano)
  • 1-  2 ½ pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks (again I buy the pre-prepared stuff from Trader Joe’s)
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces (I hate cooked carrots but I left them in and just fished them out so I could get the flavor but not have to eat them. I know I am a child).
  • 3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch long sticks
  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut in half
  • 12-15 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Fall Stew

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add sausage, stirring until the sausage breaks into small pieces and is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, set aside. Raise heat to medium high, add onions. Then cook, stirring until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. (At this point, I put the sausage and onions in the slow cooker and added the remaining ingredients. Stir to mx.)Add tomatoes, stock, and herbs. Simmer over medium heat until liquid starts to thicken, 20 to 25 minutes. Add sausage back and the squash, carrots, parsnips, and fennel. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add Brussels sprouts now and cook, covered about 5 minutes more. (or cook on high in the slow cooker for 4-5 hours if not doing it stove top). Remove cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid thickens, 10 to 15 minutes more. Adjust seasonings and serve warm. This will serve 4 – 6 people based on if you are making this a meal or a 1st course.

Happy Eating, XO

Chip Chop

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Anyone wonder why when something is needed quickly, people say “chip chop”? Regardless, this pork chop recipe cooks in a jiffy! (Again don’t know where the word jiffy even came from?) Its a simple week night dinner that doesn’t require any prep work. I grabbed some pork chops on the way home from work and had dinner on the table in no time. No, you can’t sub for chicken or fish on this one. I hear the word on the street is that apple sauce only marries pork, so my apologies if you don’t eat the whitest red meat.

 

Also, let’s get interactive here, what are some good sides that go with pork chops? Give me suggestions on accompaniments for this dish! Email us: damndelish@gmail.com on what you would serve with this dinner. Pasta? Rice? Potatoes? No starch and just veggies? Would LOVE to hear from the readers. Jess and Sonia are lonely emailing just one another. Ok back to food, go make this one, its precious. (total prep & cook time is only 20 minutes!)
  • 2 1/2 cups of applesauce (The original calls for 4 cups and that is WAY excessive. Trust me even with 2 1/2 you will have plenty leftover, plus if you don’t want to take my word for it, know that 2 1/2 cups is pretty much an entire small jar anyway).
  • 2 onions (Original recipe calls for 1 onion so that should be fine, but I increased it since they cook down a lot).
  • 1 1/2 cups of white wine (I had some left over from the fancy pants chicken piccata recipe)
  • 4 (1-inch thick) pork chops
  • 3 tbsp. butter
Season pork chops with salt and pepper generously & place in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In the spaces between the chops, add the butter and onions. (you are going to need a pretty big pan by the way, I switched half way through because mine wasn’t big enough) Cook and stir the onions while the first side of the chops cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the chops and continue cooking until the no longer pink in the center, 5 to 7 minutes more. Pour white wine into the skillet; bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan (this is what Food Network calls de-glazing the pan. Go ahead, show off, use it in conversation some time to act like you are a culinary king). Stir applesauce through the onion and wine mixture. Simmer until the liquid thickens somewhat, about 5 minutes. Plate the pork chops and top with the apple and onion mixture to serve. Oh and sorry there is no picture, there may or may not have been excessive wine consumption stopping us from remembering to take a photo prior to inhaling our meal.
Editor’s note: I did enjoy how quick and easy this was, but I also felt as if something was missing. Try variations on this by adding a pinch of cayenne, cinnamon, & garlic powder to the apple sauce mixture. Remember not to season the chop itself much more since it will burn the outside when searing and leave the inside undercooked. Having said all that, not one person didn’t finish their plate. So maybe don’t mess with it-keep it a simple & clean dish. Just some food for thought. ha get it!?
Happy Eating, XO.

Thanksgivukkah Latkes, Oy!

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As we’ve all heard, this year we get a totally new holiday – Thanksgivukkah! Marrying in to a Jewish family, I’ve had my fair share of matzo ball soup, lox with cream cheese bagels and gefilte fish. So this year I thought I’d give the double duty holiday a go and create a traditional Jewish side dish to enjoy along side the turkey. No long spiel here, just a simple nod to the two part holiday!

  • 5 peeled potatoes
  • 2 onions
  • 3 eggs beaten
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 to 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • oil for frying (canola is recommended)

Place all of the peeled potatoes and onions in a food processor (sorry, I know not everyone has a food processor but I promise if you get one it will be sooo worth your while. Christmas is right around the corner!). Pulse until smooth. Drain mixture well and pour mixture into a large bowl. Add beaten eggs, salt, pepper, and enough flour so that the mixture holds together.

Pour about an inch of oil into a large, deep frying pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and carefully drop 1/4 cup of the potato mixture into the hot oil. Flatten the pancake slightly so the center will cook. Fry for several minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels and you’re ready to nosh!

Mazel Tov!