Krustez baking mix (you'll find it in the pancake section) is so good. I'm like one of Pavlov's dogs. I drool whenever I hear the name. I always see on the back a recipe for Strawberry shortcake and I finally tried it out. Turns out it's really good.
I made the Krusteaz shortcakes, make sure you combine all the dry ingredients first, and then add the liquid to the dry. Use parchment paper so the bottoms won't burn and so they won't stick to your baking sheet.
For the topping, cut strawberries into pieces and coat with sugar.
Top everything with whipped cream, either whip your own until it forms soft peaks but not until stiff, or buy the stuff in the can. (I made it with sweetened yoghurt, which was ok... but it's definitely better with whipped cream)
Yum!!!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
From the Box Falafals
Thank you Cost Plus World Market! I bought a box of Al Fez "Lebanese style falafel chickpea onion, & herb snack" there. All you do is follow the directions, which is basically pour the mix in a bowl with some water. Then, the hard part is the frying, but that's not even that hard. I ate them in a sandwich with some pita bread, tomatoes, lettuce, and Al Fez Tahini dressing. Yum!!! This is a really easy way to make an impressive and healthy meal. (If you serve it with salad and whole wheat pita)
Lentil Dal
Again, I made this awhile ago, so the recipe will be unfortunately even more vague than usual. This is a Deirdre-ized version of the Eastern food Dal, which is, according to my friend Danny, "any type of legume dish" at least I think that's what he said...
I couldn't find much clear information on how to cook lentils, pretty much all I got from the web was, "cover them with water" which is about as vague as you can get. So, I covered them with water, but ended up having to add much more water as I went along. I would say maybe a 3-1 ratio is about right, especially if you want it a little soupy.
1 cup lentils
3 cups water
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
6 slices salami
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 bay leaf
yoghurt
1 cup rice
salt, pepper
Add the lentils and rice to a pot, simmer on low heat, covered. Add a bay leaf while it is cooking, and cut the salami into 1/2 inch squares and add that as well. Once the lentils have absorbed most of the water, test them and see if they are soft enough. Make sure they don't absorb all the water or they will burn. Once they are soft add the cherry tomatoes and the spices and cook until the tomatoes have softened. Serve over the cooked rice, and drizzle the yoghurt on top. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Velveted chicken with goat cheese, served over salad
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been really busy. Hopefully I'll remember at least sort of how I made this, it was a while ago. Things have been really hectic with a new job (which I am not going to stay at... could not stand the hours) and my cat getting hit by a car. I hope he is going to be ok. The vet bill was crazy, and he is walking kind of funny. The vet was trying to determine if he had suffered any mental damage... It's not really that funny, but I wasn't sure what to say when he asked if Jack was completely normal mentally before the accident.
Chicken Salad:
1 Tbs Cornstarch
1 tbs water
1 chicken breast
olive oil
1/3 generous cup goat cheese
1/2 tsp thyme
Salt, pepper
Dissolve the cornstarch in the water so it makes a thin paste. cut the chicken breast into chunks and marinade it in the paste for 10 -15 min. This will help make the chicken be a soft texture. Stir fry the chicken in olive oil for 10 min or until it is cooked through but not dry. Remove the chicken from the pan and put it immediately into a bowl containing the crumbled goat cheese and thyme, with salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese is melted and coats the chicken.
Serving suggestion: prepare a green salad with tomatoes and potatoes, and top in the center with the chicken.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Jessica Biel's Gourmet Whole Wheat Pizza
Ingredients:
Toppings:
Shredded skim Mozarella (enough to cover pizza)
8-9 slices Dry Italian Salame (lite)
Goat cheese crumbles
Fresh Campari tomatoes
Thinly Sliced sweet onion (optional)
4-5 button mushrooms (sliced)
Olives (of course)
Preparation:
Follow instructions on dough package (needs to be out of fridge for at least 20 min). While dough is chilling (as in "I'm just chillin' here for 20 min" ) on your counter, you can start preparing the sauce. Empty the contents of the crushed tomatoes can into a small saucepan. Add the olive oil and the white wine (easy there) and bring to a boil. Let it simmer on medium heat, while stirring occasionally. It should take around 20-30 minutes to achieve the right consistency - somewhat thick and creamy (you can always add water or cook it for longer if it doesn't look quite right). Make sure you are prepared for how messy this sauce will make your stove...try using a lid, but don't cover the pan completely or it will slow down the cooking time).
Back to the dough. Roll it on a slightly flowered surface into a shape, size and thickness of your liking (I make it very thin and rectangular, but maybe you want something else...like a heart-shape for example if you are in a lovey-dovey mood). Place the rolled dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet and start applying the sauce (which u hopefully have mastered by now) evenly.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
TOPPINGS! This is the fun part. Figuring out your own way to arrange this may take awhile, so I suggest this: 1. layer mozarella cheese all-over 2. sprinkle onions lightly (if you're using them) 3. Place Salami slices strategically (not overlapping with each other) 4. put some some goat cheese crumbles ON EACH piece of Salami 4. put mushrooms, olives and slices of campari tomatoes wherever you find room! The trick is to avoid covering the toppings with each other too much so that everything can get its chance in life to get nicely baked!
If your oven is ready, put your beautiful pizza inside and cook until perfection (that is a subjective state, by the way). It took me roughly 12-15 minutes because I like it well-done.
ENJOY! Serve with white wine, or if you don't drink, with some Ginger Ale :)
Love,
Jessica
1 package "almost whole wheat" dough from Trader Joe's
For the sauce:
1 can crushed tomatoes (works best with fire-roasted variety)
1-2 Tbsp Olive oilA tad of white wine if you have it
Toppings:
Shredded skim Mozarella (enough to cover pizza)
8-9 slices Dry Italian Salame (lite)
Goat cheese crumbles
Fresh Campari tomatoes
Thinly Sliced sweet onion (optional)
4-5 button mushrooms (sliced)
Olives (of course)
Preparation:
Follow instructions on dough package (needs to be out of fridge for at least 20 min). While dough is chilling (as in "I'm just chillin' here for 20 min" ) on your counter, you can start preparing the sauce. Empty the contents of the crushed tomatoes can into a small saucepan. Add the olive oil and the white wine (easy there) and bring to a boil. Let it simmer on medium heat, while stirring occasionally. It should take around 20-30 minutes to achieve the right consistency - somewhat thick and creamy (you can always add water or cook it for longer if it doesn't look quite right). Make sure you are prepared for how messy this sauce will make your stove...try using a lid, but don't cover the pan completely or it will slow down the cooking time).
Back to the dough. Roll it on a slightly flowered surface into a shape, size and thickness of your liking (I make it very thin and rectangular, but maybe you want something else...like a heart-shape for example if you are in a lovey-dovey mood). Place the rolled dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet and start applying the sauce (which u hopefully have mastered by now) evenly.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
TOPPINGS! This is the fun part. Figuring out your own way to arrange this may take awhile, so I suggest this: 1. layer mozarella cheese all-over 2. sprinkle onions lightly (if you're using them) 3. Place Salami slices strategically (not overlapping with each other) 4. put some some goat cheese crumbles ON EACH piece of Salami 4. put mushrooms, olives and slices of campari tomatoes wherever you find room! The trick is to avoid covering the toppings with each other too much so that everything can get its chance in life to get nicely baked!
If your oven is ready, put your beautiful pizza inside and cook until perfection (that is a subjective state, by the way). It took me roughly 12-15 minutes because I like it well-done.
ENJOY! Serve with white wine, or if you don't drink, with some Ginger Ale :)
Love,
Jessica
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