Gingered Greens

Gingered Rainbow Chard

I am fortunate enough to live close to a few natural foods markets.  One of the natural foods markets that I frequent has an onsite vegan restaurant, and the food is amazing.  My best friend and I used to make it a Sunday routine to meet there for brunch and then shop for groceries together afterwards. This was prior to us both having children. It was the best of both worlds for both of us, we both have a love of food and food shopping, and of course spending time together.  One of my favorite dishes at this natural foods market restaurant was a dish called gingered greens.  It hit all the right notes for me, tangy and soul satisfying all at the same time! We always tried to get the waiters to tell us what was in this dish, because we wanted to remake it at home. But every time we asked we'd get different answers, or worse no answer at all. Needless to say I've tried this dish several times with less than stellar results. This week when I went to my local farmers market, they had rainbow chard, and I thought, this is my chance to get it right! Maybe it took me going into this with a bit of confidence, or maybe it was just a stroke of luck, I don't know, but I think I struck gold with this one!

Ingredients:
4 cups of rainbow chard, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of garlic, grated
1/2 teaspoon of ginger grated
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of olive oil or ghee
2 tablespoons of cilantro chopped roughly
Sea Salt to taste

Directions:  Heat the oil along with the ginger and garlic for 20-30 seconds:

 Add in the chard, saute until the greens wilt, then add the apple cider vinegar:

Cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the greens are tender, season with a little sea salt, add in cilantro, transfer to a bowl and enjoy!

Grilled Rib-eye with Spicy Dry-Rub

Grilled Rib-eye Steak with Spicy Dry-Rub

Now that it's warm again I can cutout a bit of my cooking by having my husband grill for us. He loves rib-eye steaks and it's fun for me to find different ways to spice them up. I love making marinades for steaks but sometimes it's fun just to mix a few dry spices together and see what happens. That is exactly what I did here. This do it yourself dry rub is definitely going into our menu line up again, it is so yummy.  The only problem with allowing my husband to grill the steak, was that he was not as gentle with the steak as I would have been, so I didn't get great pictures, but trust me when I say you will love this dry rub.



Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
 Note: this is enough seasoning for a 1 pound steak, double or triple the amounts if you are grilling more steaks.

Ingredients Dry-Rub:
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Sea salt to taste

Directions: Add the dry spices to a small bowl and mix them together until combined:

Season the both sides of the steak with sea salt, then rub both sides generously with the dry spice mixture.

Place on the grill and let cook  for 7-8 minutes on each side, remove from grill let sit for 5-7 minutes before enjoying.

 How easy was that?  I love it when my husband grills;-) Okay share your favorite dry rub seasoning?  I always buy one, this is the first time that I've made my own.

How to make Zucchini Noodles- How to make Squash Noodles

A video tutorial on how to make Zucchini or Squash noodles using a Spiral Vegetable Slicer (Paderno) also how to cook the noodles by blanching or baking them.

Southern Style Fried Catfish

Southern Style Fried Catfish

Last week I was watching a documentary called Soul Food Junkies, it was about the history, and resulting health consequences of eating too much soul food. It was a great  documentary, informative, and inspiring in all the right places. However, I left viewing it with a strong desire to eat collard greens and catfish. My grandmother fried fish, and cooked greens like no one else on this planet,I miss her cooking so much.  I guess one could say that my craving was more of an emotional comfort rather than hunger. Whatever, the reason for my craving, it was one that I had to fulfill. It worked out perfectly as things go, my Whole Foods had 4 catfish fillets on hand, they rarely if ever have catfish, so I took it as a sign that my grandmother was looking out for me and wanted me to have the comfort of the meal I set out to make. I rarely cook fried fish, but when I do I love to have it with collard greens. So I picked up a few bushels at my local farmers market and set out to make this meal. This is not my grandmothers recipe, but it's pretty great on its own. Her recipe involved much more detail than this one does, and that required more time than I had on that Sunday. If you want and have the time you can crack an egg and whisk it as a wash to dip the fish into before putting it into the corn meal. I skipped that option and the fish was still crispy and juicy.

Ingredients:
1 lb of cat fish fillets, quartered
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup of corn meal
1/2 cup of grapeseed oil, or safflower oil

Directions: Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet. season the cat fish fillets with sea salt and black pepper. Mix the paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder together in a small bowl, then sprinkle the mixture evenly over both sides of the fish.

Coat the fish with the corn meal then add it to the hot oil, and fry until golden brown, and cooked through...about 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, and enjoy!

How to Make Brazil Nut Milk

Sautéed Mushrooms

Perfectly Sauteed Mushrooms

One of my favorite side dishes in the world is sautéed mushrooms. I love mushrooms in general, but there is just something that happens to a mushroom when it's sautéed perfectly that sets off a flavor explosion in your mouth. Sautéing mushrooms is easy, but there is an art to it, not all sautés are created equally. The key to a good mushroom sauté is to let the mushrooms brown. Browning is where flavor lives.

Ingredients:
10 ounces of sliced mushrooms (I used crimini and oyster)
2 large cloves of garlic
1 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 tea spoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley finely minced
Sea salt to taste

Directions: add the olive oil and garlic to a sauté and and let cook for 10-20 seconds or until you can smell the garlic:

Add in the sliced mushrooms and season with sea salt:

The mushrooms will begin to release water, toss and allow them to cook for 5 minutes. The water should begin to evaporate. Add in the tab of butter and toss the mushrooms:

Cook for another 3-4 minutes without tossing, to allow the mushrooms to brown, add in soy sauce and toss, until the soy evaporates, about 1 minute:

Transfer the mushrooms to a dish, sprinkle the parsley on top and enjoy!

Crispy Smelt with a Parsley Lemon Viniagrette

Crispy Smelt with Parsley Lemon Vinaigrette

I LOVE Smelt, LOVE them. In fact I love them so much I wish that I could eat them year round.  If you've never tried smelt, then after you read this blog, stop by your grocery store, and get some! They are rich in omega-3 fatty acid, so not only are they delicious, but they're great for you. Smelt are small boned fish, like anchovies, so you can eat them whole, even the head. if you're so inclined. If you're really lucky, like I have been thus far, you'll find them fresh at your grocer.  I'm told that most grocers sell them frozen in bags.  Fresh is best, but these are so good that I would imagine they would still be good even after they've been frozen and defrosted. But if you have a choice, why not choose fresh?

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 pound of Smelt (cleaned)
1/2 cup of coconut flour
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup of coconut oil

Ingredients for Parsley Lemon Vinaigrette
1/4 cup of fresh organic flat leaf parsley finely chopped
5 tablespoons of Lemon juice
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic grated
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions: Melt the coconut oil in a cast iron skillet, and bring up to temperature. Season the smelt with sea salt and pepper:

Dredge through the coconut flour, coating all sides of the fish with the flour:

Carefully add the fish to the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides, about 5-7 minutes:

 Add the ingredients for the parsley lemon vinaigrette to a bowl and whisk until well combined, spoon over the fish and enjoy! These make a great appetizer at a party, just make sure that you buy enough, because no one can eat just one of these!

Like this recipe? Then you'll love my video recipes, subscribe to my Lazy Girl Dinners Youtube channel for quick do it yourself and how to cook videos.

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

This week I decided to switch things up a bit with a few sea food recipes.  My husband isn't a big fan of mussels unless they're drenched in cream, but I prefer them a little more on the light side---although I agree a great cream sauce never hurt a mussel. My daughter isn't a fan of eating sea food just yet, but she loved playing with the mussel shells. Mussels are  great for those of us who are budget minded, they cost just a few dollars a pound, and a pound is more than enough for 2 people. A few things worth noting about mussels, as with most seafood the fresher they are, the better tasting they are. Discard any mussels that are not closed and tightly sealed, remove the hairy beards before cooking, and clean them thoroughly by scrubbing each mussel shell and then soaking them, with 1-2 tablespoons of flour added to a large bowl of water, for 10-15 minutes before cooking in order to expell any remaining sand.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb of Mussels
1/4 cup of shallot minced
1/2 cup of white wine Sauvignon Blanc works amazingly
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon of bonito flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Directions: Heat olive oil, add garlic and shallot to a sauce pan, and sauté until shallots are translucent, add in the bonito flakes if you're using them and mix for 10-20 seconds. Add in the wine, and bring to a simmer, add in the mussels and cover the pot, cook for 8-10 minutes then turn off the fire. Remove the cover, the mussels should be open, and cooked fully, sprinkle with lemon juice, and parsley transfer to a bowl and enjoy!

D.I.Y. Herbed Feta Spread

Herbed Feta Spread

If you don't know I've expanded my blog to include video blogging. I just started it so you haven't missed much besides subscribing to my awesome channel Subscribe here:-) I love feta cheese, it's one of the few cheeses that I can eat without getting a tummy ache. However, besides that, it's delicious, and extremely versatile, it goes well on salads, pizza, and as an accompaniment to Lamb burgers. The next time you have a dinner part break this spread out with an olive tray and some good crackers, and your dinner guests will be raving about it for days!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: none
total time 10 minutes

Ingredients:
6 ounce package of feta cheese
1/2 cup of fresh mint finely chopped
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves removed from the stems
1/4 cup of water

Directions: add the feta cheese to a blender or food processor, and pulse to break it up. Slowly add in water, add by 2 tablespoons at a time, until your spread reaches desired consistency. I was happy at around 3 tablespoons of water. Transfer the creamed cheese to a bowl and add in herbs, mixing well until combined. Serve with pita bread, chips, or crackers, you really can't go wrong with this spread. Enjoy!

Basil Chicken

Basil Chicken Recipe

So everyone has that one friend whom they idolize, you know the one who is super intelligent, charismatic, gorgeous, and the kind of mother to her children you only wish you could be. Well that person for me is my friend Jennifer. She has the energy of the energizer bunny--actually I think she could out last that bunny 3 times over, She's a great friend, reliable without fault, and on top of all that, she is a great cook. One of her signature dishes is basil Chicken.  It's beyond delicious, the sweet notes of basil mixed with the Unami flavors imparted by the soy sauce in this dish make it heaven on a plate.  She makes hers with the whole parts of chicken, usually legs, or drummetts. I decided to try it using ground chicken, because who couldn't use another way to use ground meat?  I'm so glad I did, it is equally as delicious as using chicken with bones, but much less time consuming, because there aren't any bones.

Prep time: 5-7 minutes
Cook time : 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground chicken
3/4 cups of fresh basil chopped
1 small brown onion or shallot chopped
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of olive oil/ghee
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Sea salt to taste

Directions: heat oil in skillet, add garlic, sauté for 30 seconds, then add the onion, and cook until translucent. Add the ground chicken and brown. Add in the soy sauce, basil and red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes then turn off the fire. Serve over brown rice, or in lettuce cups.

Lamb Burgers with Yogurt Cucumber Mint Sauce

Lamb Burgers With Yogurt Cucumber Sauce

Sometimes you just need a burger! Considering the fact that Americans consume nearly 50 billion burgers a year, I am assuming most people need more than one! Although beef burgers are great, it's nice every once in awhile to switch meats up a bit.  This lamb burger provides the perfect switch.

Prep time: 7-10 minutes
Cook time: 7-10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1lb of ground lamb
1/2 cup of mint, chopped finely
1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley chopped finely
Sea Salt & Black pepper to taste

Ingredients for Yogurt Cucumber Sauce
1/2 cup of yogurt
1 large clove of garlic grated
1/4 cup of organic Persian cucumber cubed
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 Tablespoon of finely minced shallot
1 tablespoon of mint finely chopped
Sea salt to taste

Directions:  add all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce to a medium sized bowl, mix well and set aside.

In a large bowl add the ingredients for the burger, mix with your hands to incorporate all of the ingredients,  and then form patties.

Heat a cast iron skillet, then add the burgers. Cook each burger without turning them, for 4-6 minutes on each side.

Serve these on buns with the cucumber sauce or go to my YouTube channel and get my recipe for Creamy herb feta cheese spread.

Creamy Herbed Feta Cheese Spread

Or skip the bun and use lettuce as a low carb option.

Asparagus and Mushrooms

Asparagus and Mushrooms

I don't know what it is about the Vernal equinox and the ushering in of spring, but it floods me with inspiration, and the need to get things done. It's like my body gets a signal on March 20th every single year to create, and I just feel so inspired. Maybe it's because I'm a spring baby, my birthday falls just 2 days after the first day of spring. Maybe my need to create is attached to that as a reminder that I'm getting old and need to get things done! For the last few weeks I've lived in my kitchen, creating recipes for this blog and my book. I have so many in my cue.  Just yesterday I created four new dishes, in under 2 hours, and I'm still going to test out more recipes today. Yesterday I shared an avocado Pepita salad dressing, today I'm sharing another green recipe for asparagus and mushrooms. The season for asparagus is so short, so when it rolls around I always try to eat as much as I can.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
2.5 cups of crimini mushrooms sliced
2 cups of asparagus sliced on a bias
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
sea salt & black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of soy sauce (optional)
Directions: Heat oil in a skillet with garlic. Add the mushrooms and season them with salt. The mushrooms will begin to release water, cook them until the water evaporates, about 7 minutes, then add the butter. Cook until mushrooms brown, then add in the asparagus and soy sauce if you're using it. Cook until asparagus is tender, about 4 minutes, serve and enjoy!

Creamy Avocado Pepita Salad Dressing

Creamy Avocado Pumpkin Seed Salad Dressing

One of my daughters first foods was avocado.  Aside from it being an easy go to for me, because it didn't involve cooking or complicated prep, it was the perfect food for her nutritionally. For a year of her life she ate smashed avocado gleefully without complaint. I was sort of heart broken when she suddenly decided that she'd had enough of it and started to refuse to eat it.  As you all know from reading this blog, nothing makes me happier than when my daughter eats her veggies. This week when I was at the farmers market, I picked up a few avocados from my avocado guy, just so I could make this salad dressing for her. Recently she has taken to eating salad, but only if the salad is well dressed, preferably with a salad dressing that she loves.  This particular dressing is awesome! There isn't one bad thing in it, not one! If you love the mayo based Pepita salad dressing served at El Torito, then you'll love this even more!  I prefer it thick and undiluted, but you can make it thinner by adding either water, or oil, until your desired thinness has been achieved. You can use raw pumpkin seeds, but I prefer the nutty flavor of pumpkin seeds when roasted for this dressing.

Prep Time: 5-7 minutes
cook Time: none
Total time: 5-7 minutes

Ingredients:
1 Avocado
4 teaspoons of lemon juice
4 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds roasted
Sea salt black pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 tblsp of olive oil
Water (optional)
Directions: place all ingredients in a small blender and process until smooth. It you're using water add it 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency, drizzle over salad greens, toss well, then serve! My daughter loved this, and we did too! It is so good!!!!