Vegetables

Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze

| mrscheryllacy

Growing up in New England, we had a large garden. My parents used to plant, among many other vegetables, brussels sprouts. We’d pick them in the fall and eat them, but the most delicious sprouts were those we picked after the first frost. That frost was magic in helping the sprouts to be sweet and delicious. I no longer live there and don’t have the luxury of frost. I can only buy my sprouts from the grocery store. No matter, I still know the tricks of getting the most flavor and enjoyment out of eating brussels sprouts and am sharing those with you.

Ingredients20160206_185901

  • 1 lb of brussels sprouts
  • 4 oz of pancetta
  • 1/2 a medium onion, diced
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • balsamic glaze

Instructions

  • Add water to a medium stock pot and bring to a boil.20160206_185710
  • Rinse brussels sprouts and with a small knife, cut an “X” on the top.
  • Add to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from pot and rinse with cold water.
  • While brussels sprouts are boiling, in a large saute pan, add pancetta and cook until lightly brown.
  • Drain the pancetta as it’s quite greasy, but leave a little extra oil in the pan.
  • Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • While onions are cooking, cut the brussels sprouts in half or quarters (for larger sprouts).
  • Add brussels sprouts to frying pan, try to have cut side down.

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  • Add some salt and pepper and cook until sprouts start to brown.20160206_190240
  • Mix sprouts and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
  • Cook another 2 minutes and remove from heat.
  • Put sprouts in a serving dish and drizzle a little more balsamic glaze on them.
  • Serve.

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Ideas

  • If you are a vegetarian or do not eat pork, I have found this just as delicious with diced mushrooms and a little extra salt.

Soupy Corn Chowder

| mrscheryllacy

The winter time always makes me yearn for soups, but I get tired of making and eating the same ones again and again. After Christmas this year, I had some leftover ham and thought about this delicious corn chowder recipe I have. Most chowders are very thick, the true sign of a chowder and that’s great. For me, I prefer more broth. I’ve made some modifications to a hearty corn and potato soup I’ve made many times in the past so it would be simple, delicious and more soup than chowder. I hope you like it.

Ingredients20160102_190421

  • 2-1/2 cups of diced ham
  • 3 medium russet potatoes, chopped
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 dashes of hot sauce
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 3 cups cream-style corn
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1-1/2 cup milk
  • chives or green onion, chopped

Instructions

  • Prepare potatoes and onions.

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  • In a medium stock pot, add olive oil, potatoes, oregano, and hot sauce.
  • Cook over medium-low heat until onions are translucent.

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  • Pour in the chicken stock, corn and ham.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover pot.
  • Simmer 20 minutes. Stir frequently.

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  • When the potatoes are tender, add the cream and milk to the chowder.
  • Add chives or green onion. Mix well.

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  • Serve.

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Ideas

  • Ham – feel free to use turkey ham, but you may need to add some additional salt.
  • Milk – I prefer 2%, but you can use 1% or whole milk; Half-half is also an option, but then replace entire cream/milk quantity with it.
  • Potatoes – red potatoes also work well.
  • Soup versus chowder – if you want this to be thicker, replace more of the milk with heavy cream.
  • Serve with bread or crackers.

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Stuffed Mushrooms

| mrscheryllacy

For the mushroom lover, stuffed mushrooms can be the ideal appetizer just about any time. As for me, I love to get the cremini mushroom container from Costco at least once a month. Usually, I’m planning to make some pasta sauces, chicken fricasse or maybe a chicken marsala. Every so often though, I just want to have some stuffed mushrooms. For instance, today is Christmas and my mother was over. She loves mushrooms as much as I do. Our menu was light on vegetables so this was the perfect excuse (as if I really need one) for stuffed mushrooms. There is nothing difficult about making these tasty tidbits, but they are a little time consuming and do take some work. However, your taste buds will tell you that it’s worth it. Happy eating!

Ingredients 20151225_124052

  • 20-24 cremini mushrooms, scrubbed clean
  • 2 T butter
  • 2 T of minced red onion
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 T finely chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 T chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 T Italian breadcrumbs
  • 2 T cooking sherry or chicken stock
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Separate the stems from the onion caps and finely chop the stems.
  • Heat 1 T butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
  • Saute the chopped mushroom stems and the red onion about 4 minutes, stirring often.

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  • Add the remaining 1 T butter.
  • Add the garlic, walnuts, and salt. Stir  well and cook for about 2 additional minutes.
  • Turn off the heat.
  • Add the parsley, thyme and breadcrumbs.

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  • Stir well.
  • Add the sherry or chicken stock and mix well.

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  • In a ziplock bag, toss the mushroom caps with olive oil.

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  • Fill mushrooms with about 1/2 – 1 tsp of stuffing and place in a baking dish.
  • Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over each mushroom.

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  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese browns.
  • Cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

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Ideas

  • Mushrooms – cremini are my favorite, but you can use any button shaped mushroom you like.
  • Red onion – you can substitute shallots or sweet onions if you prefer.
  • Breadcrumbs – a flavored, finely ground breadcrumb is best, but feel free to experiment.
  • If the stuffing is not fine enough for you, place it in a blender before adding the sherry/chicken stock. Pulse it several times so it is almost a paste in consistency.

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Roasted Vegetable Tarts

| mrscheryllacy

I made these yummy tarts for the first time the other night when having some friends over for dinner. Now, all us women know that many of the guys in our lives would happily pass on the vegetables at dinner. This is a great way to get them to eat them and like it as it combines vegetables with a dinner roll or biscuit. You can use any combination of vegetables when making your tart, but my recommendation is below. Happy eating!

Ingredients20151219_124828

  • 1 packages of refrigerator rolls or biscuits
  • 1 yellow squash, cut into small pieces
  • 1 zucchini, cut into small pieces
  • 1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped
  • 3 medium-large sized mushrooms
  • 2 oz shredded cheese
  • 1/2 cusp cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3 tsp fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • Dice the vegetables and place into a bowl in the microwave. Cook on high heat for 30 seconds.
  • If cooking all at once, cook for 1 minute.
  • Remove from microwave and drain any water at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Add the thyme, some salt & pepper (to taste), olive oil and balsamic vinegar to the veggies and mix well.

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  • Using 2 full-size muffin tins, lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Unroll the refrigerator rolls/bisquits and separate. Bisquits generally have 10. You will cut the thicker bisquits in half to make 12.
  • Put into bottom of muffin tins and press down.
  • Add a heaping tablespoon of the vegetable mix to each muffin tin.
  • Sprinkle with a little extra salt and pepper.
  • Add a small amount of shredded cheese to the top of each.

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  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Cool about 5 minutes before removing from pan.
  • Can be served hot or at room temperature.

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Ideas

  • Other vegetables – this would be great with some diced red or yellow pepper as well.
  • Why cut bisquits down? Trust me. A thinner breading at the bottom of the tarts is so much better.
  • This also makes a great appetizer.
  • You can also prepare the vegetable filling up to one day before using. Dice all the vegetables, heat in microwave, drain excess liquid, refrigerate.

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Caprese Salad

| mrscheryllacy

OK, so it’s November and in most of the country you no longer have the luxury of fresh vegetables from your garden. I know, but… I woke up this morning to just a small amount of rain and was nostalgic for my Summer garden. While I live in Southern California and still have fresh basil and a few tomatoes in my garden, it’s not enough to make this dish without supplementing from the farmers market or the organic section of the grocery store, I still had to have some caprese salad. Sometimes we have to go out of our way to remind ourselves that Summer will be back and we will be wondering what to do with all of those tomatoes then anyway. And, of course, if you didn’t come across this post outside of fresh vegetable season where you live, then great. Ignore my earlier ramble.  Happy Eating!

Ingredients

  • 3-5 tomatoes20150728_185244
  • 1 small red onion
  • mozzarella cheese
  • 1.2 – 2/3 cup of fresh basil
  • balsamic vinegar
  • olive oil
  • orange juice
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions

  • Wash tomatoes, remove the greens/core, and slice into 1/4″ thick pieces.
  • Arrange slices in a layer on a large plate.
  • Slice mozzarella cheese into 1/4″ thick pieces and arrange on top of tomatoes.

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  • Cut red onion into small, bite size slices and place around tomatoes.
  • Wash and press dry (with a paper towel) the basil. Separate pieces and arrange around the tomatoes and onions.
  • In a separate bowl, make approximately 1/3 cup of dressing.
    • Fill glass measuring cup to a little below 1/3 cup line with about 1/2 of this height coming from olive oil and half from balsamic vinegar.
    • Add 3 T of orange juice.
    • Add salt and pepper amounts to your preference. About 1/2 tsp each minimum.
    • Mix well.
  • Pour dressing over plate with tomatoes, cheese, onions and basil.
  • Serve now or chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes

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And your final plate should look something like:

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Ideas

  • Orange juice – If you have fresh oranges, this is even tastier when you squeeze them for your juice. You could (and should) add some orange zest (up to 1 T) to the dressing mix.
  • Tomatoes – for an even more beautiful display and extra flavor, use different colored tomatoes like yellow and orange or heirloom tomatoes.
  • Salt and Pepper – if you have them, always grind fresh. I use at least 12 revolutions of ground pepper and salt in my dressing.
  • If you chill the plate before serving, the flavors are more pronounced and the tomatoes have had time to absorb more of the dressing… additional flavor. Yum!

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