De Ma Cuisine

Vegetables Archive

Friday

14

October 2011

2

COMMENTS

Honey Roasted Carrots

Written by , Posted in Roasting, Vegetables

Honey Roasted Carrots
Recipe Type: Vegetable, Side
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Serves: 2
Sweet, slightly crispy carrots. Yum.
Ingredients
  • 2 carrots, sliced on an angle
  • 2 T (or more) honey
  • olive oil
  • salt
Instructions
  1. Place carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with honey, olive oil and a bit of salt.
  2. Bake at 375F for 10-20 minutes until soft and slightly browned.

 

Sunday

9

October 2011

3

COMMENTS

Shepherd’s Pie

Written by , Posted in Beef, Cheese, Main Dishes, Meat, Potatoes, Vegetables

Fall is a time for hot meals, comfort foods, hearty dishes… it’s an excuse to not just have salad for dinner. And to not have to turn on the AC if we want to eat soup (of course we’ve never done that…). Shepherd’s Pie is one of those meals. We love it, and I want to share it.

Add it to your fall menu!

Happy Eating!

Shepherd’s Pie 

 
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
A hearty comfort food, perfect for fall and winter.
Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 lb. ground beef (or chicken, turkey, or pork)
  • 1 C leeks (or onion, I had leeks when I made this the first time), chopped
  • 1 C spinach (or kale), chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped or grated
  • 1 C broccoli, chopped
  • 1/2 C frozen peas
  • 1-2 C mashed potatoes (can use leftovers)
  • 1 C cooked polenta (opt. or use an extra cup mashed potatoes – I had leftover polenta I wanted to use up)
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1 t cumin
  • 1/2 t all spice
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T cornstarch
  • 1/4 C water
  • 1-2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 C sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. (If potatoes aren’t cooked yet, wash, cube and cook. Then mash with some milk, salt and olive oil.) Cook beef. Drain and set aside. Add olive oil, leeks/onions, garlic, broccoli, carrots, and seasonings; cook until tender. Add peas, cook 3 minutes or so. Add beef and spinach, cook 3 min, or until spinach is wilted.
  2. Mix cornstarch with water and balsamic vinegar. Pour over beef and veggies.
  3. If using a cast iron skillet, leave meat and veggies in there, spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. If not, transfer to an ovenproof dish. Cover meat and veggies with potatoes. Top with cheese.
  4. Bake until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned, 15 minutes or so.
 
Notes

This is a great way to use up leftover potatoes, polenta, even extra ground beef and veggies from a previous meal.
Leftovers can be frozen and are great re-heated in the toaster oven (or microwave, if you want).
If you don’t have broccoli, use more peas, and vice versa. If you don’t like carrots, or any of the veggies listed, use some that you do like. You could also substitute mashed cauliflower for the mashed potatoes.
Our rating: * * * It was so good we both had seconds!

 

Wednesday

28

September 2011

0

COMMENTS

Tater-Not Casserole

Written by , Posted in Dinner, Meat, Pork, Potatoes, Potlucks, Sides, Vegetables

We went to a wonderful potluck dinner Sunday night. I was introduced to our host’s daughter as “Rachel. She’s a food blogger.” Can I just say how cool that made me feel?!

I wonder, is it just me, or does food taste better at a potluck (especially if there’s fried or BBQ’s chicken)? At our meal, there was: BBQ’d chicken, 2 kinds of sausage, green bean casserole, my newly invented Tater-Not Casserole, and for dessert one of the best fruit crisps I’ve ever had (my husband agreed – he said he hoped I didn’t mind, but he liked it better than mine. I didn’t, because I did too.)

I don’t know if this was wise, but I decided to not try out a new recipe for this event, but to come up with a new dish and serve it to people we hardly knew (and hoped would be invited to hang out with again). I’d written down a few ideas, I’d researched what was in Tater-Tot Casserole, so knew in general the elements I needed (potato, creamy, vegetable, maybe meat), but I hadn’t really planned it out. Dinner was at 5, and at 3:40 I figured I should get started (um, 30 minutes ago, but it was a nice day, so we went for a walk with the dog). Fast forward through all 5 burners on at once, potato on every kitchen surface, piles of cheese, all pans dirty, husband taking photos, husband doing dishes (heart), bechamel not thickening, forgetting about the balsamic, not burning the bacon… to a completed dish, with zero minutes to spare before we had to be out the door.

It had broccoli on the bottom, which was covered with cheese sauce (or bechamel, if you want to pretend you know what you’re talking about like I do), topped with a combination of hash browns and mashed potatoes that had been mixed with the rest of the bechamel, which was topped with bacon, caramelized onions and garlic, that was topped with reduced balsamic vinegar (that thankfully didn’t burn in the frenzy). I had tasted most layers individually, but not the finished product. I just figured that almost anything is better with bacon, so if it was bad, maybe no one would know. Judging from the two scoops that were left in the 9×13 dish, it was surprisingly edible.

img_5274potato
img_5276hashbrowns
img_52755pots
img_5283busystove
img_5285cheesesauce
img_5289balsamic
img_5291broccolipotato
img_5296finished

This recipe is for Kristy W., who requested my version of Tater-Tot Casserole.

Tater-Not Casserole
 
Recipe Type: Dinner, Side Dish
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 50 mins
Serves: 8-10
Kristy asked for my version of a Tater-Tot Casserole. I’ve never made it before, so I did some research and came up with my own version, sans Tater-Tots.
Ingredients
  • 8 medium red potatoes, grated
  • 1 1/2 C mashed potatoes (I used leftovers that I had in the freezer)
  • 4 C broccoli, cut in chunks
  • 2 C sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • 2 C 1% milk
  • salt, pepper
  • 1 T chili powder
  • 1 t smoked paprika
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 T agave
  • 2 T flour
  • 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 T
  • 2 strips bacon, chopped
  • 1/4 to 1/2 C balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. Grate potatoes. Rinse and wring out water (using a clean tea towel – beware, this will leave potato all over the towel, use something else if you don’t want this to happen!). Heat 1/4 C oil in large pan. Add potato and cook covered, stirring occasionally and scraping crispy bits off the bottom, about 15 minutes. Add mashed potatoes and heat through.
  2. While potatoes cook: Cook bacon. When it’s almost done, add onion and agave. Cook 5 min, then add garlic.
  3. Also while potatoes cook: Steam broccoli (1 C water in bottom of pan, broccoli in steamer basket, cover and cook about 5-10 min – until broccoli is tender).
  4. Another thing to do while potatoes cook: heat 2 T oil, add 2 T flour; whisk and cook 30-60 seconds. Slowly add milk, whisking as you do. Add chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Once it’s thickened, add yogurt. Turn off heat and whisk in cheese.
  5. And the last thing to do while the potatoes cook: Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil. Do not let it burn! Just simmer until it’s thickened and syrupy.
  6. Taste the bechamel (cheese sauce) and add salt and pepper to taste if needed.
  7. Assemble: grease a 9×13 pan. Add broccoli and toss with 1 C bechamel, mix the remaining bechamel into potato mixture and spoon over broccoli layer. Top it with onion and bacon mixture and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
 
Notes

To make this simpler, leftovers can be used: broccoli, hashbrowns, mashed potatoes, even the bechamel can be made ahead of time and reheated. Balsamic can be made in large batches and stored in the fridge. Bacon can be cooked and crumbled and frozen. If you use leftovers, assemble like above and heat in the oven until it reaches at least 160F.
Oh, you could also use Tater-Tots if you wanted to make really simple. 🙂

 

Wednesday

14

September 2011

2

COMMENTS

Hello Meatloaf?!

Written by , Posted in Beef, Dinner, Leftovers, Main Dishes, Meat, Sandwiches, Sauces, Vegetables

img_5181meatloaf

Do you turn your nose at meatloaf? This dish has a stigma attached to it that it’s, I dunno, too simple?? My husband has been asking for meatloaf for years. Not like every day, but every once in a while will mention that he likes it and wouldn’t mind eating it. But I thought I didn’t like it, and didn’t want to make it.

My mom is a good cook. I remember her making meatloaf and I think I might have liked it. So it’s not like I had a terrible meatloaf eating experience as a child. I just had an opinion based on nothing.

Until I made it. It’s basically a burger sans bun, with amazing sides like mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, and green beans. And you get to make leftover meatloaf sandwiches with it the next day. Winning.

Since our oven is on week two of being broken, I’ve been creative with the toaster oven. I’ve made pizza in there, roasted broccoli, and last night it was meatloaf.

img_5180brandoandthemeatloaf

The dog is licking his lips in the pic. He thinks the plates are for him. He always thinks this. 

Want the recipes? OK, sure, I’ll share.

Meatloaf
 
Recipe Type: Dinner
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 4
Because we have two bottles of ketchup in the fridge I was inspired to make meatloaf.
Ingredients
  • 1 small zucchini, grated
  • 1/4 C onion, grated
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1/4 C ketchup
  • splash A1 sauce
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 2 slices bread, torn in small chunks
  • 2 T spicy brown mustard
  • 1 t chili powder
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 to 1 lb. ground beef
  • I’ve made this before, slightly differently, by adding homemade BBQ sauce instead of ketchup and 1 grated carrot in addition, not instead of anything)
Instructions
  1. Put it all in a bowl and mix it with your hands.
  2. Grease a 9×9 glass dish (what I used, because it would fit in the toaster, if you want to use a loaf pan, do it, and adjust the baking time accordingly – might take an extra 20 minutes or so). Put the meatloaf in the pan.
  3. Bake at 350F for about an hour or until internal temperature reaches 160F. (I baked it in the toaster oven, so cooking time could vary with a conventional oven.)
 
Notes

Our rating ****

 

Mushroom Gravy
 
Recipe Type: Sauce, Gravy
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 2 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 7 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 C mushrooms, quartered
  • 2 C beef stock or pan drippings (you could also use vegetable or chicken, but for a beef dinner, beef is best)
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 C water (or more, if you want, or just use all stock)
  • 4 T olive oil, divided
  • 2 T flour
  • salt (opt.)
Instructions
  1. Heat 2 T oil in a skillet. Add mushrooms. Cook 3-4 minutes.
  2. Move mushrooms over to the side of the pan. Add remaining oil. Heat. Add flour and whisk in. Cook about 30-60 seconds. Add beef stock, water and balsamic vinegar. Whisk.
  3. As it continues to thicken, whisk. Add more water if it’s too thick. It’s good if the mushrooms are incorporated at this point.
  4. Add salt to taste, if necessary.
  5. Serve over mashed potatoes, meatloaf, or any other dish that deserves a little something extra.
 
Notes

Our rating ****

 

Friday

9

September 2011

0

COMMENTS

Tomato-Basil Salad

Written by , Posted in Salads, Vegetables, Vegetarian

I know in most places, it’s starting to feel like fall. I hope we’re nearing that time too. Summer has been bearable, but the last few weeks have been really hot. I’m ready for soups and stews!

With that said, the basil in my apartment garden (more on apartment gardening another time) loves the heat. Of all the things I planted this year, it’s doing the best, by far! I’m OK with that. It’s one of my favorite tastes/smells, ever!

I have basil in abundance, and we have quite a few tomatoes from our Abundant Harvest Organics box, so I’ve been using them both a lot, in many creative ways.

img_5169basil
img_5160basil

My basil. I am in love.

img_5166basil

Summer’s not quite over, so we’ll have a few more salads, maybe sneak in a couple soups here and there, and enjoy the basil and tomatoes while they’re in season.

Here’s one way we’ve enjoy them both.

Tomato-Basil Salad
Recipe Type: Salad
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 4
A delightful taste of summer.
Ingredients
  • 1/4 C Red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 C Extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • 1 large yellow tomato
  • 1 large red tomato
  • 1/4 C fresh basil leaves
Instructions
  1. Chop tomatoes and basil.
  2. Vinegar and salt in a bowl. Slowly pour oil in, while whisking (creating an emulsion).
  3. Add tomatoes and basil to bowl. Mix.
Notes

Would also be good with any of the following added: bacon, feta, mozarella, peaches, corn, zucchini etc.
**** (Our rating)

 

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