Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola, Pistachios and Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Red pepper jelly. What a weird thing.  Jelly is supposed to be sweet so why do you have this jelly that tastes a bit spicy?!  To make this salad of course!

I needed red pepper jelly for another recipe and for the life of me I cannot figure out which recipe it is.  Anyway I had this stashed in my fridge and so I figured let's give it a go. I was a little skeptical of this salad at first, I wasn't sure how the flavors would come together.  In the end this turned out to be a nice little salad.

To make this substantial enough for my lunch, I added two soft boiled eggs (not pictured).  The only other thing I changed in this recipe was to use blue cheese instead of gorgonzola.  I have issues some times navigating the Wegman's cheese department....But blue cheese and gorgonzola are essentially the same, so I don't think it made a big difference. 

The spiciness of the vinaigrette complements the blue cheese perfectly.  I'm not exactly sure what the pistachios add to this recipe but I enjoyed them nonetheless.  Maybe this salad would be better with a little sweet bite, like dried cherries.  Don't quote me on that though. :)

This salad would be a great compliment to any meal and sounds fancy when serving your guests.

As of today's post 11 people gave this an average rating of 5 out of 5.

Recipe by Laura Zapalowski, Cooking Light, November 2008

• YIELD: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup spinach mixture and 2 teaspoons nuts)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup red pepper jelly
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 cup dry-roasted pistachios 

Preparation

1. Place jelly in a 1-cup glass measure. Microwave at HIGH 30 seconds. Add cider vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cool to room temperature.
2. Combine spinach and cheese in a large bowl. Drizzle vinegar mixture over spinach mixture; toss well. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

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• Amount per serving
• Calories: 101
• Calories from fat: 54%
• Fat: 6.1g
• Saturated fat: 1.6g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.1g
• Protein: 2.9g
• Carbohydrate: 10.4g
• Fiber: 2.3g
• Cholesterol: 4mg
• Iron: 1.3mg
• Sodium: 187mg
• Calcium: 54mg

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Beef, Black Bean and Chorizo Chili

Here's part 2 of the beefy stew-y goodness.  Despite the brief glimpse of spring we had here in DC a week ago, winter has come back once again.  This weekend called for chili to keep us warm and to occupy us during a march madness that was so mad our pool is already over before the final four play.

They really should call this 'chunks of beefy goodness with that smoky tasty flavor in a stew'.    Chunks may not be a very appetizing word though. This to me is much more of a stew than a chili, not that I mind.  But there is no ground beef in this chili. The recipe calls for stew meat which ends up being chunks of delicious beef flavor.  And the chorizo and chipotle peppers in adobo really make this delicious.  The flavors in this stew were very different from the other chili we've made (Cincinnati style). 

We used the same wine from the previous recipe, Yellow Tail Shiraz/Cabernet blend and then my husband used it as a compliment to his chili. It really brought the spicy, peppery flavors out of the wine, which for me is not all that pleasing, but I get it.

This DEFINITELY will not fit in a slow cooker. Or at least mine. I think I have a 5 qt slow cooker and this was way too much.  So once again we used the incredibly awesome dutch oven.  Instead of cooking for 1 hour and then 30 minutes, we put the rest of the ingredients in (during the add lime and wine step), brought to a boil and then simmered for about 2 hours. Tasted good to me!  We also didn't add the masa harina OR the cornmeal suggested as a substitute. We just let a little bit more of the beef broth boil off to make the consistency thicker. Yea, it may have altered the serving size and calories, but I didn't want to mess with throwing cornmeal in this chili. It smelled way too good.

As of today's post, 23 people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5.  This is definitely going in the book. A lot of reviewers said that this was really spicy for them. I don't know if they have weak taste buds, but we didn't notice a lot of heat.  It's definitely got the chipotle smoky flavor, but we'd probably throw a habenero in next time to kick it up a notch.  We served it with cornbread muffins.

Give it a whirl....

Recipe by Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light, November 2007

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 1 cup chili)

Ingredients

• 2  links Spanish chorizo sausage (about 6 1/2 ounces), thinly sliced
• 1 1/2  pounds  beef stew meat
• 1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 3  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 2  teaspoons  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 2  teaspoons  unsweetened cocoa
• 1  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1  cup  dry red wine
• 1/4  cup  fresh lime juice
• 2  (14-ounce) cans less-sodium beef broth
• 1  (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 2  tablespoons  masa harina
• 2  (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chorizo to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until browned. Remove chorizo from pan. Add half of beef to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Remove beef from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining beef. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes.
Remove 4 chipotle chiles from can, and chop. Reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use. Add chorizo, beef, chopped chiles, tomato paste, and next 6 ingredients (through ground cumin) to pan, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in red wine, lime juice, beef broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Gradually stir in masa harina. Add pinto beans and black beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Kitchen Notes

Look for masa harina, the corn flour used to make tortillas, in the Latin foods aisle at the supermarket, or substitute fine-ground cornmeal. Use kitchen shears to cut up the tomatoes in the can.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 325 (30% from fat)

Fat: 11g (sat 3.8g,mono 4.7g,poly 1g)

Protein: 25g

Carbohydrate: 31.4g

Fiber: 8.4g

Cholesterol: 53mg

Iron: 4.7mg

Sodium: 898mg

Calcium: 104mg

Beef Daube Provencal

This is going to be part 1 of 2 in the delicious tender beefy stew recipes.  I received this recipe as a recommendation from one of my best friends. She said that she and her boyfriend make it and it's delicious. Slow roasting beef and 12, yes TWELVE garlic cloves sounded right up our alley.  This also gave us an opportunity to use one of our favorite kitchen tools, the dutch oven. 

Have I told you lately that I love you (dutch oven)?  Dutch ovens are the best. You can brown beef in them and then add liquid to make soups and stews.  Did I mention they are also oven safe?!  The dutch oven has changed my life, and not only because I get to make the soft pretzels I was super in love with (seen here). 

I will say that the portion sizes for this particular recipe were a bit small. We served this to guests for dinner and we barely made 6 servings. Luckily we threw together a salad to make this a more substantial meal.  Several reviewers said they used a hearty bread instead of egg noodles, so I went with the bread this time. My friend made horseradish mashed potatoes which sounded super tasty but I wasn't sure if the crowd we had would have been down with horseradish. Either you love it or hate it. But mashed potatoes (or as I call them mashy p's) would definitely be a good way to go. 

I used Wegman's Rosemary and sea salt loaf.  It was a great compliment to this stew.  We used Yellow Tail Shiraz/Cabernet blend.

We originally were planning to make this in our slow cooker but didn't think it would fit. In the end, I think we could have done it. I might brown the beef first just to get some of that same flavor.

As of today's post, 39 people rated it a 4 out of 5.  Come on people, 12 garlic cloves, that's all I have to say....

Recipe by Lia Mack Huber, Cooking Light, September 2007

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup stew and 1/2 cup noodles)

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 12  garlic cloves, crushed
• 1  (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  salt, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1  cup  red wine
• 2  cups  chopped carrot
• 1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  less-sodium beef broth
• 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1  bay leaf
• 3  cups  hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)
• Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°.
Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; bring to a boil.
Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme, if desired.
Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours.
Wine note: This satisfying beef stew deserves a rich, earthy, and soulful wine--one with a soft, thick texture. I love the complexity and juiciness of the Kuleto Estate Syrah 2004 from Napa Valley, California ($45), which elevates this stew into a princely dinner. --Karen MacNeil

Nutritional Information

Calories: 367 (31% from fat)

Fat: 12.8g (sat 4.3g,mono 5.8g,poly 0.9g)

Protein: 29.1g

Carbohydrate: 33.4g

Fiber: 3.9g

Cholesterol: 105mg

Iron: 4.3mg

Sodium: 776mg

Calcium: 76mg

Italian Beef Sandwiches

I have been to Chicago, land of the deep dish, but never ate their other claim to fame, the Italian Beef Sandwich.  Man vs. Food happened to do a show in Chi town where Adam Richmond spoke of the Italian Beef Sandwich. I was a little wary at first--what the hell is Giardiniera?! looks like cauliflower and carrots, wtf?!  Not to mention the fact that I had NO idea where to find it in the grocery so the first time we made these I skipped it.  In the end it is DELICIOUS.  Not as tasty as another beef sandwich claimed by a different mid-West wintry town (aka Beef on Weck in my hometown of Buffalo), but it is still good.    Plus it utilizes our favorite tool--the SLOW COOKER!

This time I forgot to marinate the meat the night before, so I threw in about 5 extra garlic cloves and added more spices.  This time I also found the Giardiniera--it's near the pickles.  I liked it, the optional topping gave the sandwich texture and tang.  It's so easy to throw together, you could definitely have this as a weeknight meal.

As of today's post, a lowly 4 people gave this a 3 out of 5.

Recipe by Cooking Light, October 2009

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich and about 1/3 cup cooking liquid)

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon  dried Italian seasoning
• 1  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 1  (2 1/2-pound) rump roast, trimmed
• 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1  cup  coarsely chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)
• 8  (2-ounce) Italian rolls
• Giardiniera (pickled vegetables), chopped (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top bag, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Place beef and marinade in an electric slow cooker; cook on LOW 8 hours or until beef is tender. Place beef on a cutting board (reserve cooking liquid); let stand 10 minutes. Thinly slice beef; place in a shallow dish. Pour cooking liquid over beef.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Slice rolls lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Hollow out top and bottom halves of rolls, leaving a 3/4-inch-thick shell; reserve the torn bread for another use. Arrange about 3 ounces beef and 2 tablespoons bell peppers on each roll. Drizzle 1 tablespoon cooking liquid over beef and peppers; top with giardiniera, if desired. Serve with remaining 2 1/2 cups cooking liquid for dipping.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 386

Fat: 11.3g (sat 3.4g,mono 4.8g,poly 1.2g)

Protein: 39.4g

Carbohydrate: 29.2g

Fiber: 1.8g

Cholesterol: 102mg

Iron: 5.4mg

Sodium: 479mg

Calcium: 52mg

Cincinnati Turkey Chili

Winter time = slow cooker time!! Nothin' like a homemade chili in the slow cooker to get you through that work day.  This recipe calls for spaghetti but we don't use it. I'm pretty sure this is tasty enough without adding a filler like spaghetti.  If I am going to eat pasta, you better believe I'm having alfredo or something that will make it worth eating those carbs!  This recipe is fantastic enough with out the spaghetti, so in my opinion, you should skip it.

The thing I love most about chili is beans!  We had double the ingredients for everything but the beans. Luckily, since I love beans, I had a can of cannelini beans in the pantry.  It got the job done.   We also made the cornbread with the original recipe, which is included below.

As of today's post, 32 people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5.

Recipe by Cooking Light, September 2009

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 34 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup spaghetti, 1 1/2 cups chili, 2 tablespoons onion, and 3 tablespoons cheese)

Ingredients

• 4  ounces  uncooked spaghetti
• Cooking spray
• 8  ounces  lean ground turkey
• 1 1/2  cups  prechopped onion, divided
• 1  cup  chopped green bell pepper
• 1  tablespoon  bottled minced garlic
• 1  tablespoon  chili powder
• 2  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground allspice
• 1/2  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 1/2  tablespoons  chopped semisweet chocolate
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add turkey; cook 3 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add 1 cup onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder and next 5 ingredients (through allspice); cook 1 minute. Add broth, beans, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate and salt. Serve chili over spaghetti; top with remaining 1/2 cup onion and cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 408

Fat: 13.8g (sat 6.6g,mono 4.3g,poly 1.7g)

Protein: 24.5g

Carbohydrate: 47.4g

Fiber: 7.9g

Cholesterol: 67mg

Iron: 3.7mg

Sodium: 765mg

Calcium: 237mg

Chicken, Cashew, and Red Pepper Stir Fry

I guess I'll preface this recipe with the fact that 35 people gave this an average of 5 out of 5. It's that delicious.  This is another superfast weeknight meal that comes together quickly, especially with 90 second brown rice.  Most of the ingredients you can keep on hand.  The thinner you cut your chicken, the more quickly it will cook.  The cashews are a MUST. You cannot skip the cashews. They give this a perfect crunch. 

In the past, we've added water chestnuts and broccoli to add vegetables and texture to this dish.  But this time, we made it strictly by the recipe.  The recipe gives you enough sauce for the rice. 

We've made this a few times and honestly I had forgotten just how tasty it is. I can say we'll be making this more in the future. 

Add it to your rotation, you won't regret it.

Recipe by Barbara Lauterbach, Cooking Light, April 2009

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 3 3/4  teaspoons  cornstarch, divided
• 2  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 2  teaspoons  dry sherry
• 1  teaspoon  rice wine vinegar
• 3/4  teaspoon  sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
• 1  pound  chicken breast tenders, cut lengthwise into thin strips
• 1/2  cup  coarsely chopped unsalted cashews
• 2  tablespoons  canola oil
• 2  cups  julienne-cut red bell pepper (about 1 large)
• 1  teaspoon  minced garlic
• 1/2  teaspoon  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3  tablespoons  thinly sliced green onions

Preparation

1. Combine 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and next 4 ingredients (through hot pepper sauce) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
2. Combine remaining 2 3/4 teaspoons cornstarch, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and chicken in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cashews to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Remove from pan.
4. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan; place in a bowl. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger; cook 30 seconds. Add chicken and cornstarch mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick. Sprinkle with cashews and green onions.
Quick rice pilaf: Cook 1 (10-ounce) package frozen white rice (such as Birds Eye SteamFresh) according to package directions. Combine cooked rice, 2 tablespoons drained chopped water chestnuts, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 324

Fat: 16.6g (sat 2.5g,mono 9.2g,poly 3.8g)

Protein: 30g

Carbohydrate: 13.5g

Fiber: 2g

Cholesterol: 66mg

Iron: 2.4mg

Sodium: 350mg

Calcium: 33mg

Salmon with Spicy Cucumber and Peanuts

I try to incorporate fish in our diet at least once every two weeks.  Winter can be tough because all you want to do is sleep and eat white, starchy carbs.  But now spring is coming and when you want a light weeknight meal, this is a great option. 

Once again we had green beans with this meal (recipe found here).   I forgot to seed the cucumber, so it doesn't look perfect. I didn't notice a difference in taste either way.  But I love the combination of rice wine vinegar, red pepper flakes and sugar.  It gives you a totally unique taste of the spicy/sweet combination.

This is another great easy weeknight meal. Once you mix together the sauce and toss the cucumbers, all you have to do is cook the fish. I steamed the green beans while I made the sauce and finished the green beans while the fish cooked.

As of today's post only 3 people have rated this recipe from 2008.  They gave it an average rating of 3 out of 5. 


Recipe by Alyson Haynes, Cooking Light, August 2008

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4  cups  sliced seeded peeled cucumber (about 2 large)
• 1/4  cup  seasoned rice vinegar
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
• 2  teaspoons  sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 4  (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• 4  teaspoons  chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper over fish. Add fish to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place 1 fillet in each of 4 shallow bowls, and top each serving with 1/2 cup cucumber salad and 1 teaspoon peanuts.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 262 (38% from fat)

Fat: 11g (sat 1.7g,mono 3.8g,poly 4.2g)

Protein: 30.5g

Carbohydrate: 8.9g

Fiber: 1.3g

Cholesterol: 81mg

Iron: 1.7mg

Sodium: 666mg

Calcium: 41mg