Quick Dinners

I haven't had many blog updates for dinner lately as I've been on a salad kick. I thought I would share my two recent favorites. I can't say I had any planning in making these, I just threw them together based on what I had on hand. I should have photographed them, because they had very nice presentation!

Deviled Egg Salad-a perfect way to make a complete meal in a hurry. This is great for easy yet elegant entertaining at lunch time, especially in the summer. I use my vegetable steamer to steam my eggs. Takes 15 minutes and they come out perfect every time. My deviled egg recipe is simple, mix yolks with mayo and Dijon mustard. My special touch is smoked Spanish paprika. A must have ingredient for the pantry. Prepare the salad as usual and add deviled eggs to finish.

Baby Arugula
Cherry Tomatoes
Chopped Green Onion
Deviled Eggs
Annie's Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Chicken-I absolutely love strawberries in my salad. I could eat this salad every day. This is a great recipe to use up leftover grilled or roast chicken. I roasted an extra chicken breast while cooking this week so I used that. This salad couldn't get any simpler. Its so versatile. You could add goat cheese, blue cheese or whatever cheese you had on hand. Avocado would also be a nice addition.

Mixed Salad Greens with Herbs
Strawberries
Roast Chicken
Asiago Cheese
Honey Roasted Sunflower Seeds (These are the best addition to a salad. I picked these up at a Wild Flower Farm while on vacation in the Texas Hill Country. I'm hoping I can order more, because I'm almost out!)
Caesar Salad Dressing or my other favorite Annie's Papaya Poppy seed

Banana Flaxseed Bread

I was reading the newspaper yesterday and came across this banana bread recipe in the healthy living section of the paper. I had not planned on baking, but realized I had some bananas that needed to be used so I decided to give this recipe a shot. I've made several banana bread recipes over the years and thought they all pretty much tasted the same. No real stand outs among the bunch. I wasn't sure what to expect with this recipe but was very pleasantly surprised. The flax seed and whole wheat flour add a nice nutty flavor to the bread. This is not an overly sweet banana bread but we really liked it that way. I was really craving a chocolate dessert when I made this so I threw in a 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. The chocolate balanced the dish nicely. This is great for breakfast, an afternoon snack or dessert. The best part about this recipe is its whole grain and packs a nice punch of flax seed which is naturally high in omega-3 fatty acids and a good source of fiber. I only had ground flax seed so I didn't add the additional whole flax seeds to the top but I think they would be a nice addition if you have them. When buying flaxseed be sure to take care in storing it. It will go rancid rather quickly. Ground seeds can be refrigerated for up to 90 days or kept in the freezer. I like to keep mine in the freezer since it takes me a while to use a whole package. Another tip, whenever I have bananas that are past the point of eating, I mash them and freeze in a ziplock bag so I always have some ready for baking.

Banana Flaxseed Bread
Recipe as Adapted from the Dallas Morning News

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milled flaxseed
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup fat-free skim milk (I used whole milk)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 egg whites
1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I omitted)
4 tsp flaxseed (divided use) (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all purpose-flour, milled flaxseed, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together milk, oil, egg whites, egg and vanilla. Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and stir until blended. Stir in bananas, walnuts and 3 tsp flaxseed, blending until moistened.

Spoon into greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle top of bread with remaining 1 tsp flaxseed. Bake 55-60 minutes or until browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to stand in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on wire rack to cool. Makes 1 loaf. (9-12 servings)

Honorable Mention!

Thanks to Stacey at D Magazine for the mention of my blog on D's SideDish Blog. Here's a link to the post: SideDish

I have long been a subscriber to D Magazine and recently found the D blogging community. SideDish does a great job of reporting on area restaurant trends and items of interest to the local foodie community.

Quinoa Muffins

Today I used quinoa for the first time. I have seen several recipes using quinoa lately and have been intrigued. Quinoa, pronounced "Keen-wah" is being referred to as "the supergrain of the future." According to our local newspaper, quinoa packs a powerful punch of vitamins, minerals, calcium, protein and fiber. Just a 1/4 cup serving of quinoa has 6.5 grams of dietary fiber. Quinoa is now becoming mainstream and appearing in more grocery stores. I saw this muffin recipe in the February 2008 issue of Everyday Food. I was intrigued by the use of quinoa in a muffin. These were easy to make and I must say delicious. I've really had good luck on my muffin of the week quest! These are surprisingly sweet. The vanilla flavor is very prominent. Adding the quinoa to the batter produces a very light and fluffy muffin. This recipe is also gluten-free. Definitely one to make again. Per some of the suggestions on Martha Stewart's site I may try this recipe with chocolate chips instead of raisins. I also liked the idea of substituting apple juice for part of the water when boiling the quinoa. Look for the pre-rinsed quinoa to save a step in rinsing. I recently clipped a recipe for a quinoa vegetable salad that I'm hoping to make very soon.

Quinoa Muffins
Source: Everyday Food Feb. 2008

Makes 12

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower, plus more for pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, brush a standard 12-cup muffin pan with oil; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, and 2 cups cooked quinoa; reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined; divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
4. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.

WS Technique Classes

I received an email from Williams Sonoma regarding their monthly class schedule. Apparently, they have technique classes that are free. My Mom and I attended a class this weekend on Pasta Making using the Kitchen Aid mixer attachments. The class was free and more of a demo than a class. The instructor was a Kitchen Aid rep. We found the class to be really informative. I've only used my pasta attachment once and I had quite a few issues. Now that I have been to the class, I know precisely where my errors were. I can't wait to get into the kitchen and try making pasta again. I've been craving homemade pasta since the class! So, if you get a chance, I highly recommend checking out the Williams Sonoma classes. Great learning opportunity and better yet, free!

Tuna Patties

I originally intended these to be salmon patties, but unfortunately I accidentally bought the canned salmon with the skin, cartilage, and bones. I'm embarrassed to say it repulsed me so much I threw the can away. Luckily, I had some tuna in the pantry so all was not lost. I don't really have an exact recipe, I just throw them together and eyeball the ingredients. Here is what I put in mine tonight:

Tuna
Corn Flake Crumbs
Egg
Fresh Parsley
Simply Organic All Season Salt
Ground Flax seed
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper

Mix to combine. Mixture should be just wet enough to hold patties together but not too moist. Heat olive oil in skillet and brown on both sides.

Broccoli Mac and Cheese Au Gratin

I clipped this recipe from the July 2007 issue of Cooking Light. It takes a bit of time to prepare this recipe since the cheese sauce is made from scratch. This recipe turned out really well. I would compare it to a pasta Alfredo versus an actual macaroni and cheese. We liked the addition of the broccoli. You could add chicken and easily have a complete meal. The garlic bread crumbs on top add a nice flavor. Usually when I am going to make a Cooking Light recipe, I check the reviews for the recipe ahead of time. I had some difficulty locating this recipe on their site. I ended up finding it after I had finished preparing the dish. I was surprised to see the recipe only got three stars with several reviewers stating it was bland. We disagreed with those reviews. It would be bland if you were expecting a tangy macaroni and cheese, but like I said this was more like an Alfredo. I would make this again. I served this with some homemade tuna patties.

Broccoli Mac and Cheese Au Gratin

4 cups uncooked medium seashell pasta (about 12 ounces)
6 cups broccoli florets (about 1 pound)-I used organic frozen broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
Cooking spray
2 (1-ounce) slices white bread

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cook pasta in boiling water 8 minutes; add broccoli. Since I used frozen, I added the broccoli and put a lid on the pot of boiling water and allowed it to steam. Cook 3 minutes or until pasta is done. Drain.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 45 seconds. Transfer garlic mixture to a small bowl; set aside.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; stir in onion. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3 cups milk. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine the remaining 3/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to onion mixture. Return pan to medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; stir in the cheeses, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and nutmeg. Add pasta mixture to milk mixture, tossing gently to coat. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine garlic mixture and bread in a food processor; pulse 15 times or until fine crumbs measure 1 cup. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until the top is brown.

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups pasta)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 360(26% from fat); FAT 10.4g (sat 5.2g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 19g; CHOLESTEROL 27mg; CALCIUM 341mg; SODIUM 708mg; FIBER 3.2g; IRON 2.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.7g

Maureen Callahan , Cooking Light, JULY 2007