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Pierogi and….who really cares what it is with…PIEROGI!

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As I have mentioned in a number of posts, my spouse has decided to go low carb for Lent. While I have occasionally served a side item (rice), I have really tried to make our main dishes low carb. The other day my wife told me she would not be home for dinner and it was going to be me and my two boys, so I jumped at the chance to carbo load!

I had been drooling for pierogi for weeks, so that is right where I went.

A meal fit for a carb loving spouse!

Ingredients are pierogi, turkey sausage, onions, peppers, granulated garlic, crushed red pepper, parsley, olive oil and liquid smoke.

Slice up the sausage and fry it up in a little olive oil. If the sausage is already cooked, just try to get a nice sear on it. For uncooked sausage, ensure it is cooked all the way through.

Remove and keep warm.

Cut up the peppers and onions into 1/2″ to 1″ pieces. Saute them up in a little oil until the onions get soft. Remove and keep warm.

Boil the pierogi according to directions (5-7 minutes if frozen, 3 if fresh). Drain the water and saute the pierogi in some oil. Once the pierogi get a little brown, add about 1/2 tsp of granulated garlic and 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper. Add the sausage, onions and peppers back in. Add several dashes of liquid smoke and toss the contents of the pan. Sprinkle with a little parsley and serve.

A satisfying meal!

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Cedar Planked March

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March in Cleveland is awfully cold. Wind blowing. Snow drifts up to your waist and the oven is used to cook and then to help heat the house. Until 2012. Global warming? End of the world as predicted by the Mayans? Quirks in the jet stream? El nino or la nina? I don’t care. It was over 70 degrees for 10 straight days here.

I did not believe it the first week. The patio furniture and, most importantly, the grill remained in the protection of the garage. I knew the weather gods were just tempting me to pull everything out just to cover it all in ice and snow for a month. As day six turned into seven, I became a believer. The grill came out and was fired up the first night. Nothing sounded better than some cedar planked salmon.

It falls apart at the touch of a fork.

I had some nice sockeye filets (with the skin on one side). I used dark chili and Guajillo chili powders.

The planks will try to float, so you will have to place something heavy on them to keep the planks submerged.

As I was only spicing one side of my salmon, I was really able to cover the filets.

Placed on the grill.

Cedar Planked Salmon with Spice Rub

Ingredients

Rub:

2 tsp hot or regular paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp Ancho chili powder

1/2 tsp brown sugar (use Splenda brown sugar for low carb)

1/2 tsp cumin

2 tsp kosher salt

Salmon:

2 salmon fillets

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp maple syrup (omit for low carb)

2 cedar planks

Soak planks in water for at least one hour. Ensure they are fully submerged.

Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl. Preheat grill to medium low heat.

Brush salmon with oil and cover with spice rub. (I covered one side and left the skin on the other)

Place planks on grill and close lid for approximately 3 minutes. Open grill, turn planks over and place salmon on planks. Grill with lid closed for 12-15 minutes. There is no need to flip the salmon (in fact best not to). Remove planks from grill, drizzle with syrup and serve. Remember: salmon will continue to cook after removing plank from grill.

Source: www.fireandflavor.com

What’s for dinner?

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What do you want to do for dinner for tonight? A question which is common to too many households. Let me tell you that if you are asking that question after a long day at work, you are just as likely to order in a pizza as you are to making anything good.

A number of years ago, I was at the end of a work week and my wife and I looked back at our meals: three nights with a frozen dinner, one dinner that ended with the word “Helper” and a delivery pizza. We decided we wanted to make a change and that is when we began to menu plan in earnest. Typically on a Friday evening (if not busy) or Saturday, I will sit down and plan a menu for the week. This includes dinners for all seven days and weekend lunches. The next critical step is I then go grocery shopping and buy all I need to make every menu item for the week.

While I don’t always stick to the menu, I typically do about 90-95% of the time. I may trade a menu item from one day to another as the week goes on, but it usually all gets made. Why? Because it is sooooooo easy. I never have to spend the mental energy at the end of the day to figure it out. I know that I will have everything I need and will not need to run out to the store to complete my ingredient list. Try it for several weeks and you’ll never go back.

This recipe for Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken is so quick and so delicious. I served it with Quick Blue Spinach.

I had everything in my kitchen already (except for the lime). I always keep boneless skinless chicken breasts in the freezer and the rest is just spices.

Pre-mix all the spices, so you get a nice even coverage of all the flavors on each piece.

A quick tip on getting the most juice out of your citrus. Before cutting it open, roll it with your hand, pressing hard with the base of your palm. This will break apart the tissue on the inside releasing the most juice. Only after rolling it (it should deform a bit), do you slice it and squeeze the fruit.

Fry it up and you are done.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Prep Time: 5 Min | Cook Time: 20 Min | Servings: 4 servings | Difficulty: easy

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

Nutritional Info:

Amount Per Serving Calories: 220 | Total Fat: 10.7g | Cholesterol: 84mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Garlic-Lime-Chicken/Detail.aspx?ms=1&prop25=77640069&prop26=DailyDish&prop27=2012-02-19&prop28=DailyRecipe&prop29=FullRecipePhoto&me=1

You Guys Rock 2: Liebster’s Walking on Sunshine

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Wow!

The response to The Rantings of an Amateur Chef continues to blow my mind. First some stats:

Since I started in late February, there have been over 18,000 page views, 1664 on a single day, 850 comments left, almost 900 email subscribers, 130 shares, a dozen or so reblogs and visitors from 116 different countries. (Anyone know someone in Greenland that wants to check the blog out??)

We have had several guest bloggers: Maggie (Cake of the Irish and more), Danny (PVC and chocolate), Naomi (mushroom dip), Pam (Irish stew) and Gabby (Vegan chocolate pancakes). If you have an interest in being featured on The Rantings of an Amateur Chef, drop me a line at rantingchef@yahoo.com.

Now on to the awards ceremony….

I have been blessed to be nominated for two additional blogger awards.

The first is the Liebster Award from Sarah at Memoirs of An Amateur Cook. The second is the Sunshine Award from Lisa at fLVE. THANK YOU BOTH!

As I wrote in my previous award acceptance,  I don’t always follow directions, so I won’t answer all the questions associated with the awards, but I do want to highlight several other blogs to nominate:

Sunshine: What to Cook - a great variety of recipes.   The Kitchen Bitch - Great stories and food.

Liebster: Humble Feast - Beautiful pics and wonderful food.  Marinating Online - Also great pics and good tips.

Thank you all for making The Rantings of an Amateur Chef one of the fastest growing blogs on the Net. You Guys Rock!!

Quick Blue Spinach

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There is nothing like looking in your kitchen and finding the ingredients to try something new. You may recognize the spinach from the Low Carb Beef Stroganoff and the blue cheese from the Bacon, Blue Cheese and Apple Omelette.

Four ingredients: fresh spinach, lemon juice, blue cheese crumbles and bacon bits.

Fill a large skillet with the spinach and sprinkle about 2 T of lemon juice over the leaves. The lemon juice will help enhance the flavor of the spinach. Cover and heat over medium heat. As the leaves begin to wilt, add in about 1/2 cup of blue cheese crumbles and 1/4 cup of bacon bits.

Stir until the blue cheese begins to melt and the bacon is stirred in.

Serve and smile!

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