A new look at cooking and home decorating...with an attempt to add more greens to the plate, more vegetarian options & hopefully lots of new ideas to explore

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Golden Beets

I am honestly not a fan of cooking beets in my kitchen, they are just WAY too messy- and they tend to stain EVERYTHING. Some members of my family do love them though. So, the compromise is the Golden Beet.
They are easy to make....


























2 Bunches golden organic Beets, remove top leafy greens and save if you like, scrub clean

Preheat oven to 450
Place a sheet of tin foil on a baking tray, place the beets on top (drizzle with oils dash of salt and pepper if you like but remember you will still need to peel the beets later)

Wrap the beets if foil and cook in oven for 45-60 minuted depending on size of beets -




When beets are finished cooking (tender) allow to cool. When ready to use the beets peel and plate them - I suggest stacking them with avocado, radish and goat cheese like below, but they can be tossed into salads also.. enjoy!




Sunday, April 20, 2014

Easter

A few years back I planted many beautiful daffodil bulbs at our home. They are beautiful and come up every year without replanting. The great news is that they also make for a very nice springtime/Easter table arrangement which is from the yard (which means its FREE). Simply find a nice vase or pitcher and arrange them as you see fit. The money you save on the arrangement can be used to splurge on special cakes and cookies at the bakery as I have done here.






Monday, April 14, 2014

New York Botanical Garden

First I would like to say That the weather has finally turned an bit nicer hear - so welcome springtime! This past week I was lucky enough to take a trip to the New York Botanical Garden. The pictures here are to inspire your own garden. I will add extra photos also on the Garden page.










Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Easy Slaw

Here is a super easy recipe for coleslaw. Its light, refreshing and not bad even if you are trying to diet.





1 bag shredded coleslaw mix or
4-6 cups shredded cabbage of your choice - you may want to shred a carrot also for color - I am using a bag mix because they are on sale this week in my area for 25 cents a bag! Now that is an inexpensive salad!
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup dried cranberries or cherries

Combine all three ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl combine
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbs sesame oil
and optional but nice if your are not dieting 2-3 Tablespoons of honey
stir to combine then toss with the slaw mixture

So easy, inexpensive, and tasty! You can also throw in some cooked shredded turkey, chicken or even cooked soy based meatless product for protein. Follow Me on Pinterest Print Friendly and PDF

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Rainbow Chard (and what to do with it)

Rainbow Chard is beautiful. If you cant find it you can use Swiss Chard. After the recipe I have listed a few ideas of ways to use the chard once it is cooked...


1 Bunch Rainbow or Swiss Chard, rinsed
2 TBS olive oil
3 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced thin
(3 or so TBS toasted nuts of your choice I am using Hazelnuts but you can skip the nuts if you wish)
2 TBS water
pinch of salt and pepper

First you will want to remove the stalk just below the leaf part. (** Please note the stalks can be chopped up into bite size pieces and simmered in water until tender this takes some extra time - others choose to just throw it out)

So after the stalk is removed place the leaves, the olive oil and the garlic in a deep saute pan, ideally a pan with a lid, turn your heat to medium and cook covered for 6-10 minutes. I turned the leaves several times to make sure the garlic was not burning. You can add a splash of water if the pan seems too dry. After cooking add nuts (optional)and salt and pepper to taste.

Serving suggestions:
1.Simply serve with crumbled cheese or cherry tomatoes
2.Stuff chopped mixture into baked potatoes
3.Stuff into calzones or serve on top of flatbread
4. Serve with cooked couscous, pasta or rice







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Monday, March 17, 2014

Green Cauliflower for St. Patrick's day (or any day)


This is a healthy option for a side dish to go with my Slow Cooker corned beef (March 18 2008)

All of the colored varieties of Cauliflower can be cooked in the same manner - some unusual colors are a golden color, a beautiful shade of purple, and great for today green... Steaming helps retain the beautiful colors


1 Head of Green cauliflower ( if you can find it in you store by all means use regular white)
you must trim the leaves and cut it into florets.

1 cup water

2-3 tablespoons toasted nuts- pine nuts are great also hazelnuts and almonds would work well, just be sure to roughly chop the larger nuts to the size of pine nuts
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
pinch of salt
cheese to crumble on top optional such as Parm or goat cheese

Place the florets and water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on High for 8-10 minutes or until tender- I stopped the oven once during cooking and mixed the veg around.
Remove from oven and drain. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over the top and sprinkle with salt nuts and cheese- serve- it cant get any easier than that right?


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I just wanted to mention that if you search up at the top in the search box you will find my recipe from Tuesday March 18 2008 for Slow Cooker Corned Beef.

As a vegetarian option today I am also making cheese stuffed baked potatoes.
Hope you enjoy the day!