Believe it or not, the carrots above are cooked, not raw. This looks like a slaw, but it isn’t at all, although you can eat this hot, warm or cold.

My DH, as a diabetic, loves it whenever I serve him something that is sweet, but doesn’t contain sugar, or doesn’t appear to. In this case, the shredded carrots are cooked in orange juice. Carrots, of course, when they’re cooked, are sweet tasting anyway, but cook them in OJ (and a little bit of brown sugar) and they take on the sweetness of dessert, almost. I made these in the microwave. Actually I used frozen OJ concentrate, added some water to dilute it and put it in a large 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Then I added ground ginger. Be very careful and don’t add too much – it’s so easy to just guess – like I did – and use too much. Mine tasted fine, but it definitely was spicy ginger-hot. The carrots were tossed in there, and I stirred them around and cooked them for 1 minute on high. Stirred them, another minute on high, tasted them and they were done. Your own microwave might be different, so taste them each time and stop when they’re done to your liking.

The recipe came from a new cookbook called Cooking Caribe, although I found the recipe over at the Perfect Pantry blog. Supposedly the recipe serves 6, but I made it with 3 medium carrots and we ate it all, so I’ve adjusted it to serve 4. After cooking the carrots I allowed the mixture to cool for several minutes, then I drained off all the juice, added a bunch of fresh cilantro and salt. Salt wasn’t in the recipe, but I definitely felt it needed it. Not much, though.

What’s GOOD: These were just slightly cooked – not raw – but not soft or mushy at all, which is how you want it. The shreds of carrot were still distinct. the flavor was fresh – California fresh, I suppose with citrus in it. We didn’t have any left overs, so I don’t know how they would taste after a day or so. The cilantro would be over the hill, so if you make a lot, add the cilantro on top.

What’s NOT: nothing, really, as long as you like cooked carrots. We do.

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A quick and easy salad that would be perfect for a spring or summer barbecue, or any time of year, really. Ideally it needs to cozy-up in the dressing for a couple of hours, but if time doesn’t allow for that, you’ll still enjoy it.

What I was fixing for dinner was Nuremburg sausages (easy meal) and I had a part of a head of red and white cabbage that surely needed using.  And I did have a recipe from 2003 in my to-try file. The recipe from Cooking Light was quite simple, but I made a few changes: (1) I added julienned sugar snap peas; (2) also added parsley to the mixture; (3) I used seasoned rice wine vinegar, and therefore, (4) had to change the dressing some too, including adding just a bit more olive oil. It was very easy to make.

First I toasted the pecans in my toaster oven – that took about 5 minutes at most. Those were chopped up some and set aside. Meanwhile I thinly sliced the cabbage. If you use red cabbage as I did, put the dried cranberries in the bottom of the bowl (the one you’ll serve in), then add the red cabbage with white cabbage on top of that and drizzle the dressing on top. The recipe indicates to toss the cabbage – if you’ve used a mixture of cabbage you don’t want to toss it, as the red cabbage will bleed. Just drizzle the dressing on top and refrigerate for an hour or two. Then cut up the sugar snap peas, parsley and apples. THEN toss everything and garnish with the toasted pecans. That’s it. Serve!

What’s GOOD: all of it was good – the crunchy, the sweet (from the dried cranberries and sugar or Splenda), and just the overall fresh flavors of it all. Leftovers keep for a day or so, but the cabbage will be a little bit soggy. The pecans keep quite well. Any red cabbage will have bled into the mixture, but it sure tasted fine.
What’s NOT: not a thing!

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Wow. Was this easy baked salmon ever off the charts delicious! I almost can’t wait to make it again, it was that good. The salmon is flavored with red onions, garlic and green onions, then soaked in olive oil, agave nectar and lime juice. And an itty-bitty pinch of cinnamon.

This salmon dish could hardly be easier. Well, maybe a little, but we’re not talking much effort to make this, that’s all I’m saying. The recipe came from a fellow blogger, Karina Allrich, also known as the Gluten-Free Goddess. Karina eats GF (gluten free), but she has plenty of “regular” recipes as well (meaning they’re not alternative-flour-centric) on her very popular blog. This one was from some years ago. I used the essence of it and adapted it slightly to suit our family. Agave nectar, although it’s a low glycemic carb and slow absorbing into the body of a normal person, is still SUGAR to a any person, let alone for a diabetic, like drinking sugar syrup.

At left is a photo of the fish before I sealed it up in foil – onions, garlic, green onions and you can see the olive oil/agave mixture around the bottom.

There were 4 of us for dinner that night, and since this dish is made in individual foil packets (hooray for easy cleanup!), I was able to adapt my DH’s serving with less agave. The other 3 portions were as the recipe shows below. Here’s what I did differently from Karina’s recipe: (1) I sprayed the foil to make sure the salmon wouldn’t stick; (2) I reduced the amount of agave and olive oil, just because I thought 1/3 cup of each was more than needed for 4 servings – in any case, you don’t eat all of it anyway; and (3) I used ample of the dark green part of the green onions – flavor, I suppose, but also for color. The only thing I’ll do differently next time – and I’ve put this in the recipe below – is place the slices of garlic underneath the salmon. We found the garlic was still nearly raw when placed on top of the salmon. Perhaps if the garlic was placed in direct contact with the salmon flesh it would cook, but I’d put the onions on first, then the garlic and they were definitely raw. Anyway, I salted and peppered the salmon first, added the pinch of cinnamon, then thin slices of red onion are placed on the salmon fillets, a bunch of the green onions, then I mixed up the olive oil/agave mixture and used a spoon to drizzle it all over the top of the salmon. It puddled below in the packet, but all of the salmon was dampened with the mixture. Then, just before sealing it up I squeezed a half of a lime over the top – I drizzled it directly on the salmon. The packets were sealed up, then I placed them on a big rimmed baking sheet (4 just barely fit).

The 350° was just right – the salmon cooked in exactly 20 minutes. The fillets we had were about 1” at the thickest part, so 20 minutes was perfect. If you have thinner fillets, you’ll want to reduce the baking time by a few minutes.

What’s GOOD: every single, solitary morsel of this dish was fantastic. The fact that it’s relatively easy to make just made it even more fun to prepare. Worthy of a company meal for sure. The taste is on the sweet side – just know that going in.
What’s NOT: nothing. Absolutely nothing!

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Really tasty red pepper soup (there’s no cream IN the soup, just drizzled on top) that’s very easy to make, and it’s topped with fresh basil shreds, some fresh corn, and then the drizzle of crème fraîche.

Sometimes when I’ve made a red pepper soup, the pepper part was just too acidic, or on the bitter side. It’s not the capsaicin, since that’s the hot factor, and bell peppers have just about nil of that. I don’t know what it is. But THIS soup didn’t have that, which was a good thing! Maybe it was the peppers themselves – their source, the soil, the time of year? Anybody an expert on bell peppers?

Well, that got me to thinking about a book I have that is a wealth of information about fruit and veggies. I’ll do a write-up on Tuesday about peppers in general. Glancing at the chapter on peppers I see 4 recipes: roasted red peppers stuffed with tuna, salad of roasted peppers and ricotta salata, peperonata (a kind of bell pepper sauce), and chile and zucchini braised in cream. I’ll make one of those. The author recommends the first recipe.

Back to the soup. It was so easy, except for roasting the red peppers and jalapeno. If you want to make it easier, cut the peppers into flat-type pieces, lay on foil, oil them a bit and bake them at 400° for 20-30 minutes, turning them a couple of times. Let them cool so you can handle them, then peel off the skins and trim the ribs off, plus discarding the seeds if there are any remaining.

While the peppers are roasting start the soup: sauté the onions, adding the garlic toward the end, then add the seasonings. You can use fresh tomatoes if they’re really in season – otherwise use super-tasty canned tomatoes (I like San Marzano, Muir Glen or Cento from Italy). The soup is simmered for a short time (30 minutes) then pureed in the blender. Reheat it, taste for seasoning, then pour out into serving bowls. The best part about this soup is the garnish – fresh corn cut off the cobb, fresh basil shreds and a drizzle of crème fraîche.  This recipe came from a cooking class with Tarla Fallgatter.

What’s GOOD: the fresh taste from the red bells and the garnishes. Loved the corn. Also the little bit of heat from the jalapeno pepper. Altogether delicious.
What’s NOT: absolutely nothing.

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Love rhubarb, like I do? You’ll want to try this biscuit-style upside down cake that’s as easy as can be to make. You’ll just need fresh rhubarb and everything else is likely in your pantry.

My latest issue of Saveur Magazine arrived recently and I read it cover-to-cover. An article about rhubarb captured my interest, though, when I saw some of the photos. With rhubarb in season, I decided to make this recipe first. They explained that this method of making an upside down cake is more reminiscent of an apple tarte tatin since you cook the juicy rhubarb in a cast iron skillet as you would with a tarte tatin (photo at left), then add the biscuit batter on top (see photo at right below) and bake it. As soon as you take it out of the oven you place a plate on top of the iron skillet and very carefully and quickly turn it upside down and plot, it all comes out as you see above. I used hot pads and was very quick about turning it over. There wasn’t any liquid to spill out, fortunately, or it could burn you. It’s all absorbed by the biscuit batter.

We ate it warm, which is the best way, I think. And since the cake part is more biscuit than it is cake, it’s most likely best eaten the day it’s made. I ended up with left overs which I portioned out into 3” wedges, wrapped in plastic, then in foil. If I find out it’s not good defrosted I’ll add a note here later.

Do serve it with ice cream or whipped cream, as the mixture needs something to cut the sweet of the rhubarb and moisten the biscuit cake. It’s not overly dry – that isn’t what I mean – but left more than a day, I’d think it might. Biscuits don’t keep well.

What’s GOOD: the rhubarb, for sure. But then, I love rhubarb in most of its guises. The cake wasn’t my favorite part, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. It was. It was a light dessert, I thought, although the calorie count doesn’t indicate so. Very tasty and a lovely presentation.

What’s NOT: really nothing except that you probably should eat this up the day you bake it.

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Is it about this time of year when we get tired of the same-old veggies? We’ve done broccoli, onions, cabbage umpteen times. And potatoes in so many forms. Here’s a new combination – nothing new about the ingredients, but it’s the putting them together that makes the difference.

Actually, as you’ve probably read here many times, I don’t make potatoes (of any variety) much. I never keep them on hand because we do try to limit carbs. We do eat them, but not at every dinner meal for sure. Mostly I make 2 veggies or a veg and a salad rather than make a carb. Not that we don’t love them – oh, we do – but we think it’s better for us. When we go out to eat I usually order 2 vegetables and eliminate the carb. If I can. Of course, if it’s served to me, I do dive right in. That’s the problem!

But when Phillis Carey made this Yukon Gold and sweet potato mixture at a class some weeks ago, I was quite taken with the flavors. Not only did it taste good, but the color combination added a nice look to the plate. Usually these different types of potatoes cook at different times (sweet potatoes take less time to bake) but Phillis said it was just easier to do them all together. Indeed! The peeled and cubed veggies are tossed with some olive oil and salt, roasted for about 30-40 minutes along with fresh sage leaves and it’s done. How easy is that, as Ina would say?

What’s GOOD: the flavors, absolutely! The ease of making, for sure. And I loved how they look on the plate. If you like carbs and don’t mind the calories, try this!

What’s not: nothing. I can’t say this is a “wow” kind of dish, but it’s tasty and easy. What more could you want?

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Do you have a pressure cooker? I don’t use mine enough, but when I do, I’m so delighted with the results. Usually parsnips take a good long time to cook. Not this way!

It was last Sunday afternoon. I went to a concert at our church – to hear the Male Chorale from Cal Baptist (a college in Riverside, 40 miles or so east of where we live). What a performance it was, and I loved every minute of it. But when I got home it was later than I’d planned and I’d not done much preparation for dinner! My DH helped me some – he prepped the Brussels Sprouts with Maple Syrup. I had made a new salad dressing (I’ll post it soon). I’d marinated some steaks and just needed to make the sauce to go on them, chop the salad and pan roast the Brussels sprouts. I’d also wanted to use the parsnips too, that were growing feathery roots in my vegetable bin. I did a quick search on the internet and found something immediately that sounded good. I had oranges from our trees and I had the pressure cooker all ready!

First I peeled the parsnips, which took about a minute. I sliced them into smaller pieces, threw them in the pot, added a little bit of butter, zested the orange (and set that aside for later), then squeezed the juice. The recipe indicated some sugar, salt and that was it. They were pressure cooked for 5 minutes and I did a quick cool-down under the faucet and into a serving bowl they went with a sprinkle of Italian parsley and the orange zest. Delicious. It’s not really a “sauce,” like I think of sauce – to me sauce means something thickened – not a jus. This was just orange juice that permeated the parsnips like magic. It was very low calorie – 104 calories and 2 grams of fat per serving.

What’s good: how easy and quick it was to make. I may try this same recipe with carrots. You could make it with no butter (the original didn’t have any added fat), but I did use a little bit. Altogether delicious. My DH could hardly get enough of them.

What’s not: nothing! Just be careful and don’t over cook them.

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Oh gosh, was this cake ever good. And lick-your-lips tasty. And easy! And, and, and. All the superlatives you want to use. Chocolatey, yes. Light in texture, yes. Can I repeat the “easy” word?

At the cooking class a few weeks ago with Phillis Carey, she did 4 soups and a dessert. She always says that people (us, the students) complain if she doesn’t make dessert. Well, I’m so glad she did make dessert, because this recipe is a real winner. I think Phillis has shared this recipe before – probably before I started writing a blog, because it seemed very familiar when she made it and served it. It’s all mixed up in a bowl, baked a short period of time, really, and while it’s baking you make the frosting which needs to be poured onto the warm (not hot) cake and allowed to cool for at least 30 minutes. The frosting begins to set up almost immediately. Oh, it was SO good!

There’s only one really big “condition” about making this – you need a 10×15 sheet pan (jelly roll pan with a 1-inch height). It’s got to be a 10×15. You could make it in a 9×13 cake pan, but it will be a thicker cake and require longer baking. I suppose that would work. I actually ordered the cake pan Phillis used – a Parrish Magic Line 10 x 15 x 1 Inch Jelly Roll/Cookie Sheet. She brought the pan from home because most cooking schools don’t have this cake pan size! Don’t get confused with the pans – the company (and amazon, at the link above) also sells a 10×15 deeper 2-inch cake pan too (which probably would work), but this recipe just plain works perfectly in the 10×15. The pan has a flat side lip on the edges – a flat edge that makes for easy grabbing right out of the oven. NOTE: when you click to the actual pan through the link above, it SAYS it’s an 11×15 pan – and if you measure it edge to edge, it is 11×15, but the interior is 10 inches. And make sure you get the one with the 1-inch depth – they also have a cookie sheet (no edges). Read the description carefully.

So, now, back to the cake. You melt butter, coffee, cocoa powder and oil and add it to the dry ingredients with some buttermilk and eggs. Just whisk well and pour into the greased or sprayed cake pan. It bakes for about 18-20 minutes. During the last few minutes before the cake comes out of the oven make the frosting: cook milk, butter and cocoa, add powdered sugar and vanilla. It can sit for about 10 minutes, so in that interim the cake will be cooling and then you pour the frosting over the still-warm cake, spread and sprinkle on the pecans. Allow to cool. See, I said it was easy!

What’s good: gosh, the cake was so full of chocolate flavor. The coffee or espresso you add to it isn’t discernible, but the food scientists say coffee brings out the best in chocolate. And the frosting is delicious – not too thick and not too sweet. Just right.

What’s not: really, nothing. It’s so easy. Make it!

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When I glanced at this recipe, before Phillis Carey’s cooking class started, I can’t say that I was very intrigued. Dill pickles on top of a soup? And old-fashioned mustard? Oh, was I mistaken, big time! This soup is SO good. So interesting! So different! And believe it or not, it’s also EASY.

You might have to look hard at the photo – right in the center is a little squirt of regular (hot dog) mustard. And you can see the little chunks of dill pickle, along with the shredded Cheddar. I added the little bits of chopped tomato (not in the original recipe, but I thought they sounded like a fun addition).

When I tell you this soup is easy, just read how easy: sauté the ground turkey (dark and light meat for best flavor), add veggies (onion, celery and carrot) and cook. Add flour, broth, milk and some potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are done. Off heat add the cheese, ladle into bowls and sprinkle on the condiments for your delish “soup burger.” Tops, this takes about 30 minutes to make.

What else can I possibly say about it? It’s easy to make, it’s very tasty, it’s relatively healthy. If you want to make it more healthy, use olive oil in place of butter, and use 2% milk rather than whole. Don’t skimp on the Cheddar cheese – use the grate-it-yourself type (you know, the packages of shredded cheese have some kind of covering on the shreds so the cheese doesn’t stick together in the package). Use sharp (not extra sharp as it’s too dry, Phillis said, and won’t melt well).

What’s good: just everything about it – the ease of it, and the comfort food flavor.
What’s not: nothing whatsoever!

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Yet another (good) recipe for grilled chicken. Can’t ever have enough. This one is marinated with a variety of things (nothing difficult or odd) and a few tablespoons of Grand Marnier, then it’s grilled. Done. Easy.

Making this chicken was kind of an afterthought. I had decided I was going to make the Summer Grilled Panzanella Salad. But I knew we needed something else with it – some protein. So I opened up one of my favorite cookbooks, Hugh Carpenter’s Hot Barbecue. This recipe popped out at me. Although the orange flavoring didn’t exactly fit with the panzanella bread salad, I decided it was good enough. I had all of the ingredients on hand (goody!) so it was simple to combine the marinade and let it chill out for awhile before grilling.

It was altogether easy to make. The marinade ingredients are combined, divided in half (you marinate the chicken in half and glaze the grilling chicken with the other half and pour any left over marinade on the chicken when it’s served) and then you let the chicken chill for 1-8 hours. The chicken is grilled at a medium heat (350°) for 12 minutes per side, then you just keep grilling it until it reaches 160° on an instant read thermometer. I think it took about 30 minutes altogether. Serve it right away. I’d purchased drumsticks and thighs (you could do breasts, but it will take less time on the grill, and I think I’d turn down the heat a little after the initial grill-mark marking).

What I liked: the marinade gave the chicken a very nice, mellow orange flavor – I liked it. A lot. I’d make it again for sure with no changes to the recipe at all. It’s also EASY.

What I didn’t like: nothing at all.

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