Garlic Salad Dressing

Garlic is by far one of my favorite flavors and because of it, I'm always on the lookout for garlic flavored salad dressings.  But, my searches have come up short and I've had to resort to making my own garlic salad dressing.

Which, by the way, is perfectly fine by me.  Because the beauty of this recipe is that I always have the ingredients on hand and making it is a cinch!

You don't have to get fussy with the ingredients.  Plain ol' mustard works just fine, as does Dijon mustard.  Same goes for the hot sauce.  I keep the chili garlic sauce on hand, so that is what I use.  You could easily use Tabasco or Louisiana Hot Sauce.


Here's my recipe for Garlic Salad Dressing.

Erica's House Garlic Salad Dressing

• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/3 White Wine Vinegar
• 3-4 (or more) fresh peeled garlic cloves
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp coarse (or sea) salt
• 1 tsp cracked pepper

Combine garlic, mustard, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt and pepper in a mini food processor.  Chop until garlic is minced.  Add vinegar and give it another spin.

If possible, while processing your mixture, slowly add your oils.  Mix until smooth.  (If not, just shake it up in a jar and call it a day.)

Pour into a mason jar, salad dressing bottle, etc.  I use the recycled white wine vinegar bottle for my dressing because it has a shaker spout which helps in portion control... and little girls who try to put salad dressing on their salads by themselves.

Serve with your favorite garden salad and NEVER buy store bought again!

I {heart} Chipotle Peppers

I am a lover of the chipotle pepper.

I love the smokiness of chipotle peppers, but lately I’ve noticed the flavor tends to be overused, especially in restaurants. The flavor is great, but do we really need chipotle flavored chocolate cake?

I tend to reserve this intense flavor for fresh dips and sauces/dressings. And since I don’t overuse this flavor too much, it always packs a nice little punch when I do use it.

You can buy whole or crushed chipotle peppers in the can with adobo sauce in the Mexican food aisle. This style is great for sauces or salad dressings. But, I use ground chipotle powder for fresh dips like guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo and corn relish.

Check out this recipe for corn relish! I made it as a topping for our “fajita bowls” which is simply rice, black beans, fajita meat, salad toppings, cheese and salsa layered and piled high in a bowl.

Southwestern Corn Relish

• 1-2 ears of roasted corn (or 1 medium sized can of corn – drain and rinse)
• 1-2 slice(s) of red onion (diced)
• 1 tomato (diced)
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper (seeded and diced)
• Handful of fresh cilantro (stems removed; chopped)
• 1 tsp of ground chipotle powder (add more, depending on “heat” factor)
• Coarse ground pepper and kosher salt to taste
• Optional Ingredients: Diced avocado

Directions: Toss ingredients in bowl and serve.

Sunday Breakfast

Sunday morning breakfast at the Haphazard house means Sausage Kolaches (or Pigs in a Blanket for the unsophisticated.)

I use a package of Eckrich Smok-y Breakfast links and cut them in 1/3's. (The links are 75 calories each, but cut in 1/3's, they are only 25 calories.)

The biscuits are canned Pillsbury Grands Jrs. Golden Layers "Buttermilk" biscuits. I cut the biscuits in 1/2, then slice down the middle to make 1/4's. (The biscuits are 100 calories each, but cut into 1/4's, they are.... yep, you do the math... 25 calories.)

I wrap each sausage 'third' with a biscuit 'fourth'. (Are you keeping track? Each assembled Kolache is now 50 calories each.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and cook for about 15 mins, or until golden brown.

Using this recipe, you are looking at making 40 Kolaches. These are great the next day too and you can also freeze them. My girls love to help make these. We often have leftovers and they will eat them for breakfast on Monday morning.

Simple. Easy. Yummy.

Haphazard Food

I made this recipe last week. It was really yummy and really easy! I added bok choy and snow peas to my recipe. The original recipe does not call for it. Oh, and it needed a dash of salt at the end... but that was for my taste. You may like it without salt.


MOO GOO GAI PAN

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 7 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• Marinade:
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
• a few drops sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• Vegetables:
• 1 cup fresh button mushrooms (I used fresh shiitake)
  
• 1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots
• 1/2 cup canned water chestnuts
• 2 slices ginger
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 stalks of bok choy (julienne cut) (Erica's addition)
  
• 1/2 cup of fresh snow peas - (Erica's addition)

• Sauce:
• 1/2 cup chicken stock*
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• Other:
• 3 tablespoons oil for stir frying, or as needed

Preparation:

Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips. Add the marinade in the order given, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the chicken for about 15 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the vegetables. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth and cut into thin slices. Rinse the canned bamboo shoots and water chestnuts to remove any "tinny" taste and drain thoroughly. Slice and chop the ginger, and peel and mince the garlic clove.

Prepare sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat wok and then add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it changes color and is nearly cooked through. Remove and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry briefly. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for several seconds, then add bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. Stir-fry briefly. Give the sauce a quick restir, then make a well in the middle of the wok and add sauce. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened.

Return chicken to wok. Mix together and serve hot. Salt and Pepper to taste.

*You can also use chicken broth. Just bring it to a boil, add a bit of rice wine for flavor, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Another variation is to boil the mushrooms in the chicken broth before stir-frying.

Nutritional Breakdown based on 4 servings,
Calories 216, 9 g Carbohydrates, 17 g Protein, 12 g Total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 8 g Monounsaturated Fat, 3 g Polyunsaturated Fat, 39 mg Cholesterol, 1 g Dietary Fibre, 676 mg Sodium, 297 mg Potassium.

What's Cooking?

Y'all know I love to cook! But, I don't love to cook anything for lunch. I like quick and easy and filling.

Since I've been watching what I eat these days, I've grown tired of the usual turkey on whole wheat w/mustard sandwich. So, I've been on the hunt for some better lunch fare.

I tried the frozen meals, but honestly, I could eat two of them at one sitting. There is just not enough food in those meals! Especially after a mid-morning workout.

Then I found this at the grocery store! I realize Progresso Soup has been around for a long time, but what I didn't realize is that they have a new variety out that is (as my friend Cyndi would put it...) FIGURE FRIENDLY! I tried the Southwestern Style Vegetable and it was excellent! (I mean, if I am blogging about soup in a can, you know it must be good, right?!)

The website for Progresso Soup lists the many varieties available in their "light" line. The Southwestern Style Vegetable entire can had 120 calories, 0 fat grams, 24 grams of carbs and 8 grams of dietary fiber. For those counting Weight Watcher points - that's 0 (zero, zip, nada!) points!

It sure beats the plain 'ol sandwich. I can't wait to try the other varieties!

What's Cooking!

Last week, I was doing a search on Food Network for a yummy, fresh tomato pasta sauce. And, guess what? I found THE recipe for the best fresh tomato pasta sauce! Look no further!

Plus, the beauty of this recipe is that you don't cook the sauce. It's light and easy for Summer.



Angle Hair With Fresh Tomato Sauce
Recipes adapted from Gourmet Magazine

2 cups seeded, and coarsely chopped Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, minced
1 cup firmly packed fresh parsley leaves, minced
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
3 garlic cloves, or to taste, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound angel hair
Fresh parsley to garnish
**Optional: 1 tblsp small capers

Make tomato sauce:
In a bowl combine well all the sauce ingredients and let the sauce stand at room temperature, covered, for at least 1 hour. Toss with hot cooked pasta.

** I added the capers to my rendition and it was yummy!
**I also sauteed some shrimp and served along with the pasta. A definite must!