De Ma Cuisine

main dishes Archive

Friday

25

October 2013

0

COMMENTS

Taco Soup – In the Kitchen with Rachel O – Video

Written by , Posted in Beans, Beef, Cheese, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, In the Kitchen with Rachel O, Legumes, Main Dishes, Meat, One Dish Dinners, Soups, Vegetables

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I love soup! I could probably eat soup every day. Summer weather is no excuse for no soup, in our home. We just can’t get enough.

Thankfully, it’s finally feeling like fall (jump, cheer, squeak of joy). So we will eat soup, will eat soup, will eat SOUP!

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We are kinda crazy about anything taco. We love Tacos tacos, we adore Taco Salad, and we could eat endless bowls of Taco Soup. 

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This soup is all kinds of hearty. It’s full of veggies (corn, tomatoes, zucchini, radishes, and onions), it has a bit of a kick, but not so much that it will make you sweat (but if you want it to, add another serrano or two, and keep the ribs and seeds), and you get to top it with cheese, corn chips, yogurt, salsa, and cilantro.

We liked it so much that I made it for one of my ifood.tv episodes and will probably make it again and again this fall and winter. We also thought it was good enough to bring to some friends who just had the most adorable baby girl. They agreed (even one of them who claims to dislike vegetables liked it)…

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Here’s to a cold fall night, hot Taco Soup, and lots of time with the ones you love.

Happy Eating!

Taco Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 4

Taco Soup

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 T olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 medium (about 1 1/2 C) zucchini (or other summer squash), chopped
  • 3 small radishes, chopped
  • 1 serrano chili pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced
  • to taste, salt
  • to taste, pepper
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1/4 t cumin
  • pinch all spice
  • pinch ginger
  • 1 C corn (frozen or fresh)
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 tomatoes (about 1 1/2 C), chopped
  • 1 T red wine vinegar
  • 2 T lemon juice, divided
  • 6-7 C stock (vegetable, chicken, or beef), or water
  • salsa, for topping
  • corn chips, for topping
  • Greek yogurt (or sour cream), for topping
  • cheddar cheese, grated, for topping
  • fresh cilantro, chopped, for topping

Instructions

  1. Place beef in a soup pot. Cook over medium heat until it's partially cooked. Add olive oil and next 10 ingredients (thru ginger). Cook over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, or until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally.
  2. Add corn and garlic, cook 1 minute.
  3. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, vinegar, and 1 T lemon juice; cook 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
  5. Add remaining lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  6. Serve topped with cheese, yogurt, salsa, chips, and cilantro.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/taco-soup-in-the-kitchen-with-rachel-o-video/

Friday

18

October 2013

6

COMMENTS

Quick and Easy Herbed Roasted Chicken Thighs with Cherry Tomatoes – In the Kitchen with Rachel O – Video

Written by , Posted in Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Herbs, In the Kitchen with Rachel O, Main Dishes, Meat, Poultry, Quick and Easy, Roasting, Vegetables

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If you’re hungry, put up your hand!!

It’s 10am as I type this, and I can not wait for dinner… It may be a long day. 😉

Here’s what inspired this dish: yumminess and ease. It’s gonna look like you slaved away. Seriously. But, the reality is that this meal takes minimal preparation, and most of the cooking time is inactive. Winner winner chicken dinner. Oh and then bonus, it taste amazing. How can it not with all those amazing herbs, roasted tomatoes and peppers, and juicy chicken thighs.

Sigh. Have I mentioned that I’m really hungry?

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I am going to serve this with a green salad, and some hearty bread to use to soak up the sauce and wipe the plate clean.

And when I’m done eating, I may just come back here and stare at the photos and imagine that I could eat this at every meal… Ok, maybe that’s exaggerating a little bit. I’ll leave breakfast alone.

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Although, with any leftovers, you could make some hot grits to go along with slices of cold chicken, and serve it with a fruit salad. If you’d rather leave chicken for lunch and dinner (totally cool), you might enjoy a chicken salad sandwich. Toss chopped chicken with some mayo, the tomatoes, and peppers, and a bit of the pan drippings, maybe a bit of dijon mustard.

Or maybe there won’t be any leftovers. I could see that happening.

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Happy Eating!

Herbed Roasted Chicken Thighs with Cherry Tomatoes
Recipe Type: Main, One dish dinner, meat, chicken, poultry, stove top, oven, roasting, herbs, tomatoes, vegetables
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-3
Quick and easy and so delicious. Chicken is browned on the stove in savory infused butter and olive oil, then roasted with veggies. Winner.
Ingredients
  • 2 T olive oil, divided
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 1 sprig fresh savory
  • pinch salt
  • pinch pepper
  • 2-3 chicken thighs, bone-in
  • 1 C (heaping) cherry tomatoes (about 24-26)
  • 2 sweet peppers, sliced (bell peppers would work too, use 1-2)
  • 1/4 t dried thyme
  • 1 T fresh savory, chopped
  • 1/4 t dried oregano
  • 1/4 t dried parsley
  • 1/4 t dried rosemary
  • to taste, salt
  • to taste, pepper
  • 1/4 C red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 C balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 425F.
  2. Heat ovenproof skillet over medium heat. When hot, add butter and 1 T olive oil. When hot, add sprig of savory and swirl around (infusing the butter and oil) for 2 minutes. Discard savory.
  3. Add a tiny bit of salt and pepper to oil. Add chicken, skin side down, and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes, flip, and cook 3-5 minutes more.
  4. Remove from heat. Add tomatoes and peppers. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with herbs, salt, and pepper. Pour vinegars into the bottom of the pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 180F.
  5. Serve with tomatoes and peppers, topped with pan drippings and a slice of crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.

Wednesday

16

October 2013

5

COMMENTS

It’s a Tuna Mac!

Written by , Posted in Cheese, Dinner, Fish, Main Dishes, Meat, Pasta, Quick and Easy, Vegetables

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I love to make something fancy-ish for dinner. It’s fun for me. Buuut, there are some days when I need something simple.

Those are the nothing’s working, I’ve been up since 5am, woe to me days.

Thank goodness for Mac and Cheese… with tuna… and peas.

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Husband and I are both big fans of this meal. Yet, it’s another one that I didn’t think I liked. What’s wrong with Shepherd’s Pie and Tuna Mac, younger self? I think we need to have a talk (and yes, then we can have a conversation about time travel and whether or not it’s possible… I’m of the school that it’s not, although I don’t mind shows and movies where they think it is… Tuna Mac to time travel… cool).

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This dish is also affectionately known as Tuna Casserole. I’ve been avoiding those words. They have negative connotations. Right?

Push those aside and give it a try.

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And hope tomorrow is a much better day.

Happy Eating!

Tuna Mac
Recipe Type: Main, Dinner, Pasta, Fish, Cheese, Stove Top, Vegetables
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • pasta, enough for 2-4 people
  • 1/2 T olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 medium zucchini, diced
  • 1/2 t salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 C peas (frozen are fine)
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T all purpose flour
  • 1 C (or more) milk
  • 1/4 C pasta water
  • 1 to 1 1/2 C cheese, grated
  • 1 – 0.5oz. can tuna, drained
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta.
  2. Heat pot. Add 1/2 T oil. Add onion, zucchini, and salt. Cook over medium-low for 5-7 minutes, or until veggies are soft.
  3. Add peas. Cook 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add 2 T olive oil and flour to pot. Whisk together and cook for 30 seconds. Slowly add milk, a little bit at a time, whisking and letting it thicken between additions. Add pasta water and tuna. Heat until steam rises from the pot, but do not boil.
  5. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, a bit at a time.
  6. Taste and adjust seasoning.

 

Friday

4

October 2013

4

COMMENTS

For a Simple Supper – Argentine Sausage with Zucchini and Bulgur Wheat

Written by , Posted in Cheese, Dinner, Grains, Main Dishes, Meat, Pork, Thoughts, Vegetables

ArgentineSausageBulgurWheatI really love to menu plan. But that doesn’t mean that things always go the way I have intended. Sometimes it means grilled cheese or some sort of re-heated leftovers from the freezer. But, occasionally inspiration hits and a new meal is concocted.

This is such a meal.

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We tried this Argentine sausage a while ago. I absolutely love it. It may be my new favorite. I don’t know why I had never tried it before. I didn’t know what I was missing. Now I do. We had a lot of zucchini in the fridge. It needed to be eaten. Perfect, because I wanted to eat it. And then we had bulgur wheat in the pantry. I bought it aaaaaages ago, thinking I would do something with it and never did. I was going to use rice in this meal, but why not switch it up?!

It comes together in a snap. Yeah, the bulgur wheat takes a while to cook, just like rice. But it’s not really that long. Pop it on the stove and then work on the rest. They’ll probably be done closer to the same time than you may have expected.

If you have other veggies that you want to use, I think that’s a good idea. If you have Italian sausage instead of Argentine, please use it! The basics of this dish are that it’s a grain, with some veggies, nuts, a bit of cheese, some fresh herbs, and some excellent olive oil.

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If you don’t have something in this recipe on hand – here are some other ideas that could work well:
Italian sausage, red pepper flakes, chopped rosemary, lemon zest, broccoli, and bulgur wheat or rice.
German sausage, onions, dijon mustard, parsley, dill, and bulgur wheat or rice.
Italian sausage, kale, onions, bell peppers, red pepper flakes, thyme, bulgur wheat or rice, with a drizzle of cream when you serve.
So many ways you could transform this simple dish.

Argentine Sausage with Zucchini and Bulgur Wheat
Recipe Type: Main, Easy, Dinner, Meat, Vegetables
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • 1 C bulgur wheat
  • 2 C vegetable stock (water or chicken stock are fine too)
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 Argentine sausages, cut into rounds
  • 1 medium zucchini, cut into chunks
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1/2 t red pepper flakes
  • salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • 1 T fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 T fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 tomato, chopped, for topping
  • parmesan cheese, grated, for topping
  • 1/4 C walnuts, chopped, for topping
  • olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
  1. Cook wheat (similar to cooking rice): Add stock and wheat to a medium pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 30-45 minutes.
  2. Heat skillet, add oil. When oil is hot, add sausage and zucchini (if using fully cooked sausage – if not, cook sausage until it’s almost done and then add zucchini). Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
  3. Add seasonings, lemon juice, and garlic to skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add wheat and herbs. Stir and cook 1-2 minutes.
  5. Serve topped with tomato, walnuts, parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of excellent olive oil.

Happy Eating!

Friday

27

September 2013

2

COMMENTS

Sweet and Spicy Lemongrass Stir Fry

Written by , Posted in Dinner, Herbs, Lunch, Main Dishes, Pasta, Quick and Easy, Vegetables, Vegetarian

SweetSpicyLemongrassStirFry5We ate this for lunch today. Husband is home sick, so he’s been laying around while I work. Today’s work included making a stir fry so I could take pictures of it. After a few bites he exclaimed, “THIS IS LITERALLY PERFECT”. I had to agree.

I’m not sure what I like the most about this stir fry. I don’t know if it’s the hint of spicy that’s behind the sweet gingery sauce. It could be the tender-crisp veggies that are so hot but still bright green. Or maybe it’s the time it takes to prepare this dish from start to finish.

Or… it might be the excitement about finally finding a way to use lemongrass. Even after all these years of getting a weekly box from Abundant Harvest Organics, there are still vegetables that I don’t know what to do with. I was going to make a stir fry anyways, and when I opened the box and saw those lemony sticks sitting in there, it just made sense.

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So, I did a little research and figured out how to use it. There are some parts that you don’t want to eat, those could be saved for soups or a creative cocktail. Personally, I think I could just keep a split stalk around me all the time so I could smell it whenever I wanted to. Wow. With all the synthetic fragrances out there, I’m not sure that there’s anything that I’d rather smell than things like lemongrass, basil, or garlic. I’ll take those over an eau de something fake any day. Smell your food, friends. It’s too good to just eat… I think I will use the top portion for soup (which might be what we’re having for dinner – sickness just seems to need soup). I think it would be lovely in a vegetable broth with some zucchini, peas, carrots, ginger, and noodles. I also have plans to make up some sort of cocktail with it. There will be ginger involved. Ginger and lemongrass seem to be good friends. Or maybe I’ll just keep making this stir fry over and over and over again.

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I hope you make this stir fry. We really enjoyed it. And however you use the rest of the stalk of lemongrass, remember to smell it first. For real.

Happy Eating!

Sweet and Spicy Lemongrass Stir Fry

Yield: 2

Sweet and Spicy Lemongrass Stir Fry

Ingredients

  • Soba noodles
  • 1 T coconut oil
  • 1 head broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 medium summer squash, julienned
  • 1 serrano pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced
  • 1-2 T prepared lemongrass
  • 2 lg cloves garlic, sliced
  • Sauce: 1 T cornstarch
  • 1/2 C cold water
  • 1/2 T red wine vinegar
  • 2 T white vinegar
  • 1 T honey
  • 1/2 t ginger, dried
  • to taste, salt

Instructions

  1. Boil salted water.
  2. Whisk together sauce ingredients. Set aside.
  3. Add pasta to boiling water. When cooked (takes about 4 minutes), drain, toss with a bit of coconut oil, and keep warm.
  4. Prepare lemongrass: Chop off top and bottom of stalk (use only bottom 3-4 inches of stalk). Peel and discard tough outer layers. Mince tender inner layers.
  5. Heat skillet and add oil. When hot add broccoli, squash, chili pepper, and lemongrass. Cook over medium to high heat, using tongs to turn veggies often. After 3 min add garlic and cook 1 min more (or until veggies are tender crisp).
  6. Pour sauce into skillet. Toss with veggies and let it thicken, about 1 minute.
  7. Serve veggies over pasta.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/sweet-and-spicy-lemongrass-stir-fry/