Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Stew

We have made this recipe, but we did not actually get to try it. Alona's parents were watching the children for the weekend, and we wanted to make them something easy that they wouldn't have to worry about and it would be ready whenever they felt like it. Also, Alona thought her dad wanted barley as he inquired about it a few days prior, but apparently the inquiry was because he wanted to feed the fish barley. Oh well! Apparently, it turned out really and good and it was great to just throw together in the morning to be ready for the evening. The original recipe had mushrooms which we of course omitted. 




Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
2 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1" cubes
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. mushrooms, cut into thin slices
8 large carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into 1/2" pieces
6 large cloves garlic, minced
4 medium-large yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 c. low sodium beef broth
1 c. dry red wine
1/4 c. tomato paste
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 c. pearl barley
1 bay leaf
chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1, Combine all ingredients together and cook on high for 4-6 hours depending on your slow cooker.

What we liked:

EASY

What we didn't like:

We can't quite be experts on this recipe as we only made it but did not try it. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He dismissed it. However, Astrid loved all the fun things in the stew. 

Next time:

No change. 

Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad with Tomato and Black Bean Salsa

Salad with grilled chicken beans and tomatoes. This was part of our salad binge week... not sure what was up with that, but we did salads for like a week. It was fun. Now we've moved off of the salads for a while.
This recipe was just okay. The chicken was good, the dressing was good, but overall the dish just didn't work together incredibly well.  We did however, do some substitutions, we didn't have bibb lettuce, so we used spinach and we used some almond slices instead of the pine nuts. Additionally, we did not grill the chicken as it was not worth getting the grill fired up for such a small amount. Also, we would definitely suggest more chicken and less salad.
Here is the original recipe: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/southwestern-grilled-chicken-salad-tomato-black-bean-salsa.aspx
Plated

Ingredients:

1 boneless skinless chicken breast half trimmed
1/2 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. light or dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Kosher salt
6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more for the grill
2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
2 tsp. honey
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz. small cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered or halved (about 3/4 cup)
1 large scallion, thinly sliced
2 small heads Bibb lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 9 cups)
1 medium firm-ripe avocado
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or pepitas

Directions:

1. Cut chicken up into strips.
2.  Combine the chili powder, brown sugar, coriander, cumin, and 3/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Rub some of the spice mix over both sides of the butterflied chicken breast (you won’t need it all) and let sit for about 10-15 minutes.
3.Fry the chicken with olive oil or butter until cooked and sides are seared.
4.  In a glass jar with a tight lid, combine the olive oil, lime juice, 1 Tbs. of the cilantro, the honey, 1/2 tsp. salt, a few grinds of pepper. Shake well to combine
5. Combine the black beans, tomatoes, scallion, the remaining 2 tsp. cilantro, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Add 2 Tbs. of the dressing and toss gently.
6. Put the lettuce in a bowl, season with a little salt, and toss with just enough of the dressing to lightly coat. (Reserve a little to drizzle on the chicken.) Arrange the lettuce on a platter or four dinner plates. Slice the chicken breast very thinly. Pit and slice the avocado. Arrange the chicken, avocado, and salsa on the lettuce. Drizzle a little of the remaining dressing over the chicken and avocado. Garnish with the pine nuts or pepitas and the cilantro leaves.

What we liked:

mostly easy. it looked pretty. 

What we didn't like:

The flavors just did not go together that well. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He heeded it no notice. 

Next time:

Use a different recipe. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Shrimp with Lemony Potatoes

We found a lot of salad recipes for this week! That's exciting :)
This was a very different type of salad, oddly enough the arugula, which is often bitter went really well with the lemony potatoes.
This was fairly quick and easy to make. We did not grill, as we have a fairly large grill and didn't want to start it up for just a few potatoes and shrimp. We steamed the potatoes in a steamer, lining it with foil and still putting the olive oil, salt and pepper on them. We also just fried the shrimp, and that turned out quite well. The recipe could benefit from some bacon as it does really seem like it's missing something. Instead of fingerling potatoes, we just used red and yellow baby potatoes.

Here is the original recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/grilled-shrimp-lemony-potatoes



Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fingerling or baby potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
1 1/4 pounds jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped dill
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 ounces baby arugula (4 cups loosely packed)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Directions:

1. Half the baby potatoes, if they are on the bigger side. Combine potatoes with 2 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper in a bowl. Line the steamer basket with foil and place the potatoes to steam. Steam for 20-25 minutes
2. While they are cooking, prepare the herb oil by combining 1/2 cup of olive oil with the chopped dill and green onions and lemon zest. Add salt and pepper.
3. Toss shrimp with 2 tbsps olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fry until done, about 4-5 minutes. Drizzle half the lemon juice on the shrimp.
4. Cut cooked potatoes into smaller pieces and combine in a large bowl with arugula, remainder of the lemon juice, and the shrimp. Mix. 

What we liked:

Very good and different. 

What we didn't like:

Missing something. Maybe bacon? 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He isn't into salads

Next time:

Add bacon

Chipotle Lime Shish Kabobs and Wild Rice with Tzatziki Sauce

This is a quick dinner idea that requires marinating the meat in the morning. The evening time assembly is quick with just setting rice and grilling. The tzatziki sauce can be prepared a few hours in advance also.





Ingredients:

Shish Kabobs:
1.5 lbs of beef
juice of 5 limes
2 tbsps of olive oil
2 tbsps garlic
2 tbsps chiptole chiles
salt and pepper

Tzatziki Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
1 cucumber shredded
1 tbsp garlic

Red onion for side.
Cooked rice for side.

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients for meat in a ziplock bag and marinate for at least 6 hours in the fridge.
2. Combine all ingredients for tzatziki sauce and let sit for at least 20 minutes.
3. Grill shish kabobs on a grill at medium heat. 

What we liked:

So yummy! And served over rice makes for great leftovers!!!

What we didn't like:

nothing, it was great

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was more into mac and cheese

Next time:

No Changes needed