Foodie Friday -- Herbed Veg Medley

Quick and easy recipe today! This is the time of year when everyone has too many zucchini and yellow squash, so try this recipe, or some variation using different herbs.

I have about 6 months worth of cooking magazines to go through, plus some oldie, but goody Weight Watchers recipes that I'd like to share. School starts next week and I hope to be really back into the swing of things and back on a good writing/blogging schedule after I clean up my blog, linking my posts to their appropriate spots, and organizing my crazy documents folder.

I have three projects that I'd like to do, but the question is whether or not I can do them simultaneously!

Herbed Veg Medley

2 zucchini

2 yellow squash

2 carrots

thyme

lemon pepper

salt

Julienne the vegetables. Julienne? What the heck is that??

If you have a mandolin, use it to julienne, but watch your fingers. Grating the vegetables will also work, but I like the texture of the julienne better.

For years, I had to manually prepare the vegetables. Cut the vegetables into 2-inch lengths. Trim one side flat so the darn things don't roll on you, and slice them lengthwise into 1/8-inch widths. Lay flat and cut them into 1/8-inch again. You should have a pile of matchstick veg. Repeat with all the vegetables.

Toss with lemon pepper, thyme and salt in microwave safe bowl and cover. Nuke it for a minute or two until soft, but not mushy and serve.

Or add lemon thyme, lemon juice, salt, and a touch of white pepper.

Or any combination of  herbs you have in your cabinet.

Or toss with herbs, place in foil packet and put on top shelf of grill to steam while cooking chicken/steaks/etc.

See? Easy-peasy! 



FOODIE FRIDAY -- Edamame Succotash

I don’t know about you, but I was never a big fan of succotash. For those of you lucky slobs who have never had the pleasure of eating it, succotash is usually a mixture of lima beans and corn. Corn, I like. Lima beans, not so much. They taste like I would imagine a teenager’s gym locker would smell like. The texture isn’t much more pleasant with the slimy little kidney-shaped beans that have a gnarly grainy texture with zero flavor.

This explains why I don’t eat succotash . . . until I found this recipe.

I don’t know where I found this recipe, but since I feel like it’s a winner then it must be a Bon Appetit recipe. But then again, when you add bacon to anything--it’s a winner of a recipe.

The only difficult part of this recipe is shelling the edamame. In the long run, this recipe is worth the soggy fingers.

Edamame Succotash

2 Tbls. toasted sesame oil

½ cup finely diced red onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 thick strips applewood-smoked bacon, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
½ cup fresh corn kernals (frozen works well)
¼ cup small diced red bell pepper (I don’t use)
Kosher salt and white pepper

In large skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the bacon and cook until it has rendered its fat and begins to crisp, about 5 minutes.

Add the edamame, corn and bell pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Season with ½ tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp white pepper. Remove from heat and serve hot.

 Enjoy, Peeps!

FOODIE FRIDAY-- Chicken Noodle Soup

Last week, I picked up a rotisserie chicken. Most of them are pretty inexpensive, costing around five-six dollars. This is an awesome way to save time on those busy school nights.  Pop the chicken into the microwave, make a salad and a veg, and there’s dinner.

This time, I stripped the meat from the bones, placing the bones in a pan with water, a couple sprigs of rosemary, a small bunch of thyme, a bay leaf, about 2 tsp. peppercorns, one quartered onion, one coarsely chopped carrot and two coarsely chopped stalks of celery.  I cooked this down for about 30 minutes. I added a little salt AFTER it cooked down. Many times the rub on the chicken contains salt, and I didn’t want to over salt the broth. I strained out the solid stuff and adjusted the flavor with herbs and a little salt. Then the broth went into a container and into the fridge. The next day, I spooned off the fat and used the broth in this soup.

Sorry, most of this I didn’t measure. Just adjust according to your family’s tastes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced lengthwise and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
Olive oil
Chopped chicken @ 2 cups
Chicken broth @ 8-10 cups
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
1 pkg. Reames frozen noodles, 16 oz.
Salt and pepper if desired

Add 1-2 Tbls. oil to hot pan. Saute celery, carrots and onion until slightly softened. Add chicken. Add broth and heat until boiling. Check seasonings, adjust as needed. Lower heat to a simmer. Add frozen noodles and cook until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

This is just the comfort food for those cold nights.

Later, Peeps!