Tomato Salad

I know its been a while...just gathering up lots of yummy real food recipes to share with you. This salad is courtesy of my super awesome sister-in-law, and its hugely delicious. Its great for tomato and mushroom enthusiasts, but Big D. is a tomato-hater, and he loves this salad. He believes the tomatoes are just a vehicle for the dressing, which makes an awesome dip. Whatever floats your boat, man! Its just really good, ok?

Tomato Salad

Dressing:

5 garlic cloves, diced

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

3 tablespoons vinegar

1teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon basil

1 bay leaf

Shake of black pepper

1 box cherry tomatoes, halved

1 box mushrooms, sliced

Combine all dressing ingredients together in container and shake well. Add the mushrooms, and let marinated for at least an hour. Add the tomatoes right before serving. 

Blizzards and Baguettes

I love it when we do something that sounds remotely like we have a social life. Which do not let me fool you for a second: we absolutely do NOT. (We being Big D. and  I.) No dinner parties, (although I think I made that pretty clear here), no Melave Malkas, and definitely no girls night out. Yep, its a pretty bleak and dreary existence filled with work, school, baking, studying, laundry and cookies. Not necessarily in that order. But last night I can sort of pretend we had a social life. My good friend, who shall be called Hyper D. (Yes, all the D's on this blog really have names that start with the letter D. You just can't make this stuff up.) was hanging out at our house over the weekend, when BAM- Northern Jersey was hit with a freaky whopper of a blizzard. It was so bizarre- we were all kind of in shock. There is a small window of beauty right in the middle of the snowstorm, when everyone is snug in their houses, and no one has had a chance to muddy up the snow. There are no slush puddles splashing everywhere, and no salt crunching in the streets. The world is so quiet, pristine and beautiful. Hyper D. and I just sat at the window sighing " It's so romantic. *sigh* It's so beautiful. *sigh* It's so peaceful. *sigh*" Meanwhile, Big D. is in the background snorting "Harumph, you guys, you realize I'm the one who has to go shovel eight inches of snow to get your car out." Gee thanks Big D. 
Great way to ruin the moment. Men.

Anyhow, when everything is so snug and cozy, it calls for some pretty specific food:

Soup- Definitely.

Hot Chocolate- Check.

Fresh Bread- Amen to that.

So here was our menu for last night:

Fresh French Onion Soup

Cinnamon Lattes

Crusty French Baquettes

These baguettes were incredibly easy to make. I have never attempted to make baguettes before in my life, but Hyper D. started waxing poetic about dipping crusty french baguettes into french onion soup, so I just couldn't resist. And I will definitely make them again. 

Crusty French Baguettes

2 cups lukewarm water

1 tablespoon instant yeast

2 tablespoons white sugar

5 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg white

(Approximately 2 cups water)

Combine water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Allow to sit for 5 minutes until the yeast begins to foam. Add flour, and salt. Using the kneading attachment, knead dough for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow to rise in warm place for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° ( I set the bowl on top of the oven and then turn it on to preheat. It seems to work well over there.) Divide dough in half. Roll out half of the dough into a large rectangle, about 18'' by 12''. Starting at the wide end, roll the dough up tightly, until it forms a log. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 3. Gently roll each baguette into a proper baguette shape, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover baguettes with a towel and allow to rise for another 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the baguettes with egg white. (I skipped that step in the one pictured above and it came out fine. The egg white adds more crispiness to the crust if that's what you are going for.) Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
 For extra crispy baguettes: Heat about 2 cups of water in a teakettle. Before placing the baguettes in the oven, put an empty cookie sheet on the bottom rack. Pour the heated water into the cookie sheet. Then put the baguettes in to bake, and immediately close the door. Keep the oven door closed for the duration of the baking time. 

My Tuna Melt Tossed Salad

Notice the "My" here. That was not a mistake. This entire bowl is meant for me. And me only. Its the least I can do for myself to fill my hunger after a nice long day of dieting....

Toasted Whole Wheat Croutons

Dice 4 slices of whole wheat bread into small cubes. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Spray generously with Pam/cooking spray. Sprinkle on salt and garlic powder. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes, until toasted through, but not burnt. 

Goes with Anything Salad Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup distilled vinegar

1 tbsp. yellow mustard

1/2 cup sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything together, and mix until thoroughly combined. Lasts up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. 

Pizza!

Should I start with my groveling apologies or my ode to pizza?

 Well, lets get the apologies out of the way. 

I am so sorry that Real Food Wednesday as been sporadic at best, non-existent at worst. I have a seasonal job. (Yes, I have the best job in the world. And not only because my boss reads my blog.) But now is the busiest time of the year. 

Seriously, I make busy bees look lazy. 

Anyways, there's my lame excuse for not posting as 

consistently as a food blogger should.

 ( How often is that you ask? I do not know.) 

And now...on to 

PIZZA!!

Hands down, a universally favorite food. If it happens to not be your favorite food, run along now. I've been eating a lot of pizza lately, and I couldn't be happier. Since Big D has started his year long journey through night school, I have been making a lot of single portion suppers. ( Little Monkeys like to eat noodles and fish sticks every night, and that goes against the very grain of SparkPeople.)

Pizza as it so happens, works out very well with this arrangement. 

About once a month, I make one recipe of  pizza dough, and divide it into five.

 I freeze each ball of dough in a ziploc bag, and defrost as needed.
Voila- instant pizza!

 Here is my favorite dough recipe. It has amazing elasticity- even after its frozen. It does need to rise for an hour, but I find that by the time I eat supper, when the Little Monkeys are put away for the night, it has risen more than enough. 

Pizza Dough

1 tsp yeast

3 cups flour

2 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp sugar

Pour water and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add yeast and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Knead dough with the dough hook for about 10 minutes. Cover dough with a damp towel and let rise 1 hour. When you are ready to make the pizzas, divide dough into 5. Let rest for five minutes to make it easier to roll out dough. Roll the dough into a 8 inch circle. Spread pizza or marinara sauce on top. Top with pizza cheese and toppings. Bake at 450° for 15-20 minutes. 

Chunky Potato Soup

When we got married, my husband lost many nights of sleep worrying that I would try to poison him with brown sugar or ketchup. Little did he know that my theory is: 

If you can't beat 'em, join em.

Some of my favorite recipes are recipes from my mother in law! Here is her delicious recipe for potato soup:

Chunky Potato Soup

4-5 potatoes, peeled and cubed small

2 stalks celery, diced small

2 carrots, diced small

3 onions- 1 diced, 2 whole

3-4 tablespoons flour

salt and pepper to taste

paprika

oil

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a 6 quart pot. Add the diced onion, and saute until clear. Stir in flour, and mix well. Add in potatoes, celery, carrots and spices. Fill to the top with water. Bring everything to a boil. Add the remaining 2 onions, lower the pot to a simmer, and let cook for 3-4 hours. 

Sweet and Tangy Tilapia

I think there should be a rule of  "food physics" that if something tastes good, it tastes good with anything. It could be like a litmus test of sorts for good food. Obviously this couldn't be possible, because who would want to eat chocolate cream pie with pickles, (don't answer that please) but it's a nice theory... Anyways, if there was such a thing, this sweet and tangy sauce would definitely ace that test. Maybe you wouldn't eat the sauce with chocolate chip cookies, but it definitely kicks any steak, fish or chicken up to awesome. 

Here it is:

Sweet and Tangy Sauce

1/4 cup duck sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2-1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2  yellow teaspoon mustard

Stir everything together, and baste onto fish/chicken/meat before grilling,broiling or baking. 

Zucchini Medley

This is one of my favorite side dishes.  Its healthy, and delicious, and in my  book, thats a keeper!

Zucchini Medley

4 large green zucchini, scrubbed  and cubed ( unpeeled)

4 large yellow summer squash, scrubbed and cubed (unpeeled)

1 can whole mushrooms, or 2 pints fresh mushrooms

4 tablespoons olive oil

approximately 1/2 tablespoon salt, or to taste ( it needs a lot)

1 teaspoon sugar

generous sprinkling of onion powder and garlic powder

Arrange the zucchini,squash and mushrooms in a large cookie sheet. Drizzle with oil. Add remaining ingredients and toss until completely coated. Bake in a preheated oven at 375°, uncovered for 2 hours. Stir half way through. Enjoy! 

Anatomy of a Perfect Egg Sandwich

Take that, peanut butter and jelly!

*A sandwich by definition contains ketchup. Without ketchup, it is not a sandwich.

And yes,  if you were wondering, we DO have egg sandwiches for supper. Sometimes. Maybe. Possibly. So there!

One Dish Dinner : Spiced Chicken and Rice

Spiced Chicken and Rice

1 whole chicken, cut into quarters or eighths ( its better with the skin on,but you can take the skin off if you like.)

1 1/2 cups rice; brown or white

3 1/2 cups water

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Paprika

salt

Pour rice and water into a large roasting pan. ( You can use an aluminum pan instead, but it will take at least another hour to bake.) Arrange chicken pieces on top of rice. Sprinkle with seasonings. Cover and bake at 375° for 1 hour. 

Bean and Corn Quesadillas

I thought I liked Mexican food. Until I tasted these Quesadillas. Now I love Mexican food. These are some serious Quesadillas. Plus they're fun to say:  Kay-sah-DEE-ya. They are surprisingly easy to make, and you can freeze the filling in individual ziploc bags, and defrost for an easy supper.                                                                         

Bean and Corn Quesadillas

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup canned black or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup canned corn, drained

1 onion, diced

1/2 cup medium salsa

1 tablespoon diced chili peppers (optional:for serious spicy food addicts)

8 wraps, or 4 pitas, or 8 tortillas

6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oil in a large sauce pan. Add onions and red peppers, saute until soft. Stir in the corn, beans and salsa. Cook until heated through. Spray a large skillet with pam. Place tortilla,1/2 pita or wrap in the skillet. Spoon a large amount of filling,and 2 ounces of cheese on top. Cover with other tortilla/wrap/pita. Cook until golden, and carefully flip. (I found it easier to slide it onto a plate, then place the pan upside down on top, and flip really fast) Cook until the other side is golden, and the cheese is melted. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 4 quartes. Makes 3 large quesadillas. 

Cornflake Crumb Chicken

Cornflake Crumb Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut into eighths, skin removed

1 cup cornflake crumbs

1 1/4 cup flour, divided

1/4 cup milk/soy milk

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Rinse chicken. Prepare three bowls for dipping: Combine the egg, 1/4 cup flour, milk and garlic powder in a medium sized bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour remaining flour into the second bowl, and the cornflake crumbs into the third. Dip each piece of chicken into the flour, then the egg mixture, then the cornflake crumbs. Arrange in a 9x13 pan. Bake, uncovered at 375° for 45 minutes. 

Barbecue Chicken Wraps

This is a really easy supper, that takes about 5 minutes to throw together, and but presents like you worked for hours.  Don't you just love those kind of recipes?

Barbecue Chicken Wraps

(Serves 2)

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 onion, cut into strips

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

red pepper flakes (Optional)

1 avocado, cut into slices

1 red pepper cut into slices

2 wraps,laffas or tortillas

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Saute onion in oil, about 2 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the chicken, and stir. Cook until no longer pink. Add the barbecue sauce and red pepper flakes. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Lay a wrap on a dinner plate. Arrange some avocado and red peppers on top. Spoon chicken mixture on top. Wrap tightly and secure with a toothpick, or wrap in foil. 

Pretzel Dogs

These are a really cute change from the usual boring hot dogs. The pretzel dough is a basic soft pretzel dough, and you can have lots of fun playing around with it: Cheese Pretzels, Pretzel Bites etc. You can freeze formed pretzels raw, and then dip them (frozen) into the baking soda solution when you are ready to bake them. 

• Prezel Dogs
• • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/8 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup bread flour*
  • 2 cups hot water 
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

(12 hot dogs)

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.
Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an 8 inch square pan. After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope and wrap around hot dog, tucking the end under. Dip into the baking soda solution and shake off excess water. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes.Brush with egg and sprinkle on salt. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. 

* I used all regular flour and it was fine.

Butter Garlic Tilapia

Anyone who knows the CantStopBaking family personally, knows that Big D hates fish. Like really, really hates fish. Its actually interesting, I think there is a fish hating gene in his family, but I digress. One time, we were at someone's house enjoying a lovely light meal, with bagels and a salad. The salad had these peculiar little black things in it, but since Big D and I are huge salad eaters, it didn't really matter. NOT.  Big D piled up the salad on his plate and took a huge bite. As you may have guessed, those mysterious black things were anchovies. I thought he was going to be sick at the table. It wasn't so pleasant at the time, but makes a great story. And of course the moral of the story (because ya know all my stories have morals) is to always taste something if there is an unknown substance inside, before piling it on your plate. Anyways, why the fish story? Well Big D just started night school ( GO BIG D!!) so that leaves me once a week all by my lonesome for supper. Well not really, Z-Monkey offered to eat supper with me so I won't be by myself, but I think he might have ulterior motives (as in a later bedtime). But you get my point. Some people may think that this is a bad thing, but I say quite the opposite. Big D and I grew up on two different continents when it comes to food tastes, so now I get to make whatever I like once a week. And I happen to love fish. So after that long introduction, here is Butter Garlic Tilapia. (The recipe is for 1 serving, but you can adjust it accordingly.)

Butter Garlic Tilapia

1-2 boneless tilapia fillets

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

garlic powder

salt

dried parsley

Heat up a large frying pan and melt the butter inside. On a seperate plate, drizzle the tilapia with the lemon juice, garlic powder and salt. Add the tilapia to the pan and sear on high for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the fish flakes easily. Garnish with parsley.

Masagna

That would be pronounced Mu-ZON-ya. Meat+Lasagna=Masagna. 
Ah, the beauty of four year old logic.

Meat Lasagna Rolls

12 whole lasagna noodles

2 pounds ground meat- any variety or combination (turkey,chicken, beef etc.)

1 29 ounce can tomato sauce

1 large onion,diced

1 green pepper,diced

2 cloves garlic,sliced

2 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder

Fill a 9x13 disposable pan with about 3 inches of water. Place directly on the stove and bring to a low boil. Add the noodles and cook for less than five minutes- just until the noodles are pliable. Drain. In a large saucepan, saute the onion, pepper and garlic in oil, until soft. Add the tomato sauce, sugar, lemon juice and garlic powder. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Spread a lasagna noodle on a large plate. Pat down some of the ground meat. I found it easier to roll some of the meat into a sausage shape, and then pat it flat onto the noodle. Gently roll up the noodle, and place seam side down in the 9x13 pan. Repeat with all the noodles, until the meat is finished. Pour sauce over the rolls, and cover with foil. Bake at 375° for about an hour. 

Hash Browns

 Z-Monkey generally comes home from school like a grizzly bear. Literally. Until there is some yummy food settled in his growling tummy, its not very pretty. So on a day that I was planning on making baked chicken, and baked hash browns, I had a cake in the oven, and a half hour till Z-Monkey was due home. Aaaah! I only have one oven, so I had to think of a solution fast - in 30 minutes basically. Being that necessity is the mother of all invention, I quickly switched dinner to fried chicken and fried hash browns. Its a good thing I did, since otherwise I would have never discovered the goodness of fried hash browns! I used the leftover oil from frying the chicken, so I am sure that added some flavor, but either way, they were amazing. And yes, Z-Monkey agreed, and reverted back to his usual puppy dog self. All's well, ends well!

Hash Browns

8 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 tablespoons oil

1 large onion, diced

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon sugar

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the potatoes. Cook for about 8 minutes, until you can poke them with a fork, but not too soft. ( Can you use the word al dente for potatoes?) Drain the water, and add the spices. Note: The measurements that I put down are estimates. Usually I give a few shakes, taste, and shake some more. Stir the potatoes gently. Heat the oil in a large skillet,and saute the onions until translucent. Add the potatoes, and stir gently, until the potatoes are heated through. 

( For a lower fat version, use 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, and after combining the potatoes, onions and spices, pour into a 9x13 pan. Cover and bake at 400° for about an hour. 

Angel Hair Pasta Salad

Colorful vegetables are really cool. Really. Purple and green? Love it.

Angel Hair Pasta Salad
1 pound angel hair pasta, or extra thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 bag shredded red cabbage
1 bunch scallions, sliced


Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tsp salt
2/3 cup oil or less
slivered almonds and/or sesame seeds (optional)


In a large bowl, combine the pasta, cabbage and scallions. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and toss with the pasta and cabbage. Cover and refrigerate. Sprinkle with almonds and sesame before serving.

Sweet and Spicy Philly Meatball Subs

This was definitely a change of pace around our house, but all the same it was delicious. 

Sweet and Spicy Philly Meatball Subs

                                                                                                             Makes approximately 4 servings

Meatballs:

2 lb. ground meat

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp ginger (optional)

2 tsp. dried parsley

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano*

pinch of kosher salt

pinch of black pepper

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

3 tbsp. teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp. mustard

1/4 cup breadcrumbs or matzoh meal

Sauce:

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 large tomatoes, diced

2 large onions, sliced into strips

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

sub sandwich roll

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the meatball ingredients and mix well. Shape golf ball sized meatballs and place them onto your prepared cookie sheet. Place in oven and bake for 17-20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet. Saute the tomatoes and onions on medium-high heat for about five minutes. Add the BBQ sauce and let the onions and tomatoes cook down in sauce for another 4-5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. When the meatballs are done, assemble the sub sandwiches. Place a few spoonfuls of the sauce on each side of the sandwich. Place 4-5 meatballs in the center, cover and enjoy!

* If all the spices scare you, you can skip them, except for the garlic powder, salt and pepper. But keep in mind that the spices balance out the sweetness of the barbecue sauce very well. 

Adapted from the Binah Weekly Magazine