Tag Archive for 'cherry tomatoes'

South-Western Inspired Chicken & BLT Salad

Published by Hal on February 25, 2008 in Frugal Friday, recipes and rotisserie chicken. 1 Comment

Stacie and I really like food, and I really enjoy cooking (that’s part of how this blog came about). But, sometimes I just don’t want to cook, or I say “the kitchen is a disaster after last night and we need to clean it before we can prepare dinner tonight.”

This, my friends, is how Stacie and I managed to spend just over $400 on going out to eat last month. Now, to our credit, we also spent about as much money on grocery food. But, of course, we hosted a large party at the beginning of the month… And, then, we had a $130 grocery bill Sunday–but $40 was because of meat; almost enough to make me go vegetarian, really! (I should also note that $400 is really easy to hit–neither of us have been particularly diligent about not going out during lunch, though we really should be bringing or eating leftovers. We’ll be watching it a little better in March).

So, I’ve been looking at making some of the food that we enjoy when we go out to eat. There have been two amazing salads that are sort of the same thing, one from Chili’s, the other from a local pub here called “Yogi’s.” The Chili’s version is called a South Western Cobb salad; it’s not a true Cobb salad, since the cheese isn’t marbled. That’s fine with me, however, because I don’t really like marbled/moldy cheese. The Yogi’s version is called a Yucatan Salad. Basically, it’s a romaine based salad with black beans, corn, avocado, salsa, and cheese. Delicious.

So, knowing that Stacie and I spent a small fortune on food last month, tonight I decided to recreate this favorite from these two restaurants. But, not before I watched this:

Yes, that’s exactly right :) This “salad” is probably a loose interpretation of the word, but it was still pretty tasty. And, it’s definitely better than a taco salad. So, I’m okay with it. Again, this is probably an occasional treat (unless you leave out some of the bad stuff), but just as tasty and definitely cheaper than the restaurant version.Big Salad FrontIngredients

  • 1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
  • 1/2 cup of tomato salsa, pico de gallo, or 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 8 slices of bacon, crisped and crumbed
  • 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar, or blended, cheese
  • 1/2 cup of thawed, frozen corn kernels
  • 1/2 cup of drained and rinsed black beans
  • 1/2 cup of rotisserie chicken, shredded
  • 1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 3 medium eggs, hard-boiled

Procedure

Layer half the lettuce on a dinner plate. Then, in rows, layer half of the remaining ingredients. Repeat for the second serving. Toss and serve with your favorite dressing.

It won’t get me a mention in a Bud Light commercial, but darn it, it was a valiant try!

Cod with Leeks and Tomatoes

Published by Hal on February 15, 2008 in Fish Fry-day. 2 Comments

bakedcod03 As you read this, I’m probably on my way to a fish fry in our home town. You see, one of the things I love dearly about being Catholic during Lent is the wonderful thing that are fish fries. During an otherwise solemn time during the church year, this is an opportunity to develop community, eat some good food (staying within the abstention guidelines, of course), and raising money for a good cause. The particular fish fry we go to has an assortment of food, not just fried cod sandwiches–cheese pizza and grilled cheese for the kids, and baked/fried/broiled fish and crab cakes or bisque for the adults.

Which, all this talk, got me thinking about the next Fish Fry-day. I’ve pledged to share with you easy, inexpensive ways to prepare fish during Lent. Of course, you can use them whenever you feel the calling for seafood, but they are particularly timely now, if you practice this discipline. I wrote about Everyday Food earlier this week, and there is a delightful preparation for baked cod, right inside the book. I just had to try it out and share it with you.

Cod with Leeks and Tomatoes

From Everyday Food: Great Food Fast page 61

Ingredients

  • 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly slicked, rinsed well, and patted dry
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 sprigs thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (about 12 ounces)
  • 4 cod fillets, each 6 to 8 ounces and 3/4 to 1 inch thick

Procedure

  1. bakedcod02Preheat the oven to 450 F. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss together the leeks, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover with foil, and bake until the leeks just begin to soften, 8 to 10 minutes.
  2. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Add the tomatoes, and toss to combine. Season both sides of the cod fillets with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; place on top of the vegetables.
  3. Cover the dish and bake until the fish is opaque throughout, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Unfortunately, I live in the middle of south-central Indiana, and it’s the middle of winter. So, I didn’t have any leeks available (and I did try to find them!). Instead, I used a whole red onion, sliced into thin rings. Everything else was the same–delish! You could serve this with a nice salad; there are enough pan juices that you can whisk in some olive oil and have a dressing that matched your main dish. Yum!

bakedcod04

Spaghetti with Three-Tomato Sauce

Published by Hal on February 11, 2008 in recipe reviews and recipes. 0 Comments

After purchasing Everyday Food over the weekend, I was eager to try something from the book. I settled on this simple, rustic-style spaghetti dish and made plans to make it Sunday. Of course, life got in the way, and Stacie and opted for Fazoli’s instead (and, might never opt for it again, but that’s a different story for a different time).

We have been notoriously deficient at being able to keep our pantry and refrigerator stocked, but I had enough staples on hand that this recipe wasn’t a problem. The end result was a delicious and not so saucy take on a simple spaghetti with tomato sauce that will be sure to please. And, after thinking about it, this could be a perfect Valentine’s Day addition to your dinner table–it’s simple, delightful, and–most importantly–it’s red! Coincidence? I think not. 3tomspaghetti04

Spaghetti with Three-Tomato Sauce

From Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

Ingredients:

  • Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, oil reserved
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

Procedure

  1. In a large pot of boiled salted water, cook the spaghetti until al dente according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water; return the pasta to the pot.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the canned tomatoes (with juice) and sun dried tomatoes. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally and breaking up the canned tomatoes, until thick, about 15 minutes.
  3. Add the cherry tomatoes; simmer until soft, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add to the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Toss, adding pasta water as desired. Serve immediately.

The book says this makes 4 servings, but between my plates and the reheat-able containers, I got 7. The box of pasta says this should actually be 8. Your mileage may vary.

As you are aware, I have a tendency to look at a recipe once and think I’ve got it down. I never do, because I also want to do something the recipe doesn’t call for or I omit a step. So, what did I do differently here? Well, I thought I needed to roast the cherry tomatoes, so I did. Then I checked the recipe. Then I remembered that I forgot to pick up fresh garlic and I didn’t haven’t any pre-minced stuff*. So, I used about a teaspoon of garlic powder added once I added the tomatoes.

Beyond that, there wasn’t much else for me to screw up :) Even still, I think roasting the tomatoes added a nice smoky flavor to the dish–and there just wasn’t enough garlic flavor (we love garlic–it’s yummy-licious!). We served it up with a store-bought baguette, and it was good. Try it and let me know what you think!

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*As a matter of practice, I don’t buy the pre-minced garlic anymore. Sure, it’s, convenient, but you’re pay a large mark-up on something you can easily do yourself. Plus, fresh just tastes better.