New Ingredient Time!

Its about that time again! Another new ingredient went into this dinner. Can you guess that it is? Here is a picture:

Its a Japanese Sweet Potato. This is not to be confused with the ever popular and brightly colored Purple Potato that is also common in Japan. This sweet potato is purple on the outside, but not so on the inside, it is like a regular potato. It was a little softer than most potatoes that I am used to cooking, but it tastes pretty much like a regular potato, or whatever you happen to season it with.

For this meal I just cubed the potato and baked it with seasonings. I paired it with a glazed-beef recipe that I saw on another blog and thought Hubby and I would like.

~Beef w/ Brown Sugar Glaze~

(adapted from The Wannabe Chef)

1/2 lb. stir-fry beef strips

2 tbsp. sesame oil (or olive oil)

5 tbsp. cornstarch (or flour)

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 c. water

1/2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

In a lg. skillet or wok heat the sesame oil over med. high heat. Coat the beef with the cornstarch or flour and set aside. In a small bowl, add the brown sugar, soy sauce, water, vinegar, salt, chili powder, and garlic powder. Mix until sugar is dissolved.

Add the beef to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until all off the beef is browned. Slowly pour in the brown sugar-soy sauce liquid. Continue to cook as the water evaporates. It will eventually form a thick glaze, coating the beef. Once the beef is coated remove from heat. Add a drizzle of sesame oil, toss, and serve.

For the potatoes I just winged it: I cubed them up, tossed them in olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, rosemary...maybe some other herbs. I then baked them at 375 for about 30 min. Just keep an eye on them so they don't burn. The potatoes are done when they can be cut easily with a fork (aka fork tender). Remove and serve with the beef.

Hubby really liked the beef. He said he could taste the difference with the sesame oil. To him it tasted more "nutty"....what a complement! I liked the sweet and savory aspect the brown sugar gave it. The potatoes were alright, nothing to special, they just tasted like plain old herbed potatoes...

The beef is highly recommended...Hubby asked for it to be served again. Stay tuned for the next installment of another new local ingredient!

ENJOY!

Late-Night Dinner Post

Here was the menu for Tuesday of this past week:

BBQ Chicken (w/ BBQ sauce bought in Napa Valley  :-)
Garlicky Broccoli
Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Easy, good, and healthy comfort food! Here are the recipes....

For the Chicken, I basically just put a few breasts in a pan, seasoned them with salt and pepper, covered them in some BBQ sauce and baked them at 375 for about 45 min.

~Roasted Rosemary Potatoes~

9-10 New Potatoes, washed

2-3 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp crushed rosemary

2 tsp. garlic salt

2 tsp. onion powder

Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut the the potatoes into uniform cubes and place in a med. bowl. Pour olive oil over potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with rosemary, garlic salt, onion powder, and a pinch or so of pepper. Toss to combine. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 15-20 min. or until potatoes are golden brown around edges and are fork tender. Serve warm. 

~Garlicky Broccoli~

(recipe from Men's Health Magazine)

1 tbsp. minced baby carrot

1 tbsp. minced red onion

2 tsp. canola oil

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger*

1 8 oz. bag broccoli florets, cut into bite sized chunks

1-2 tbsp. hot water

In a skillet, combine carrot, onion, oil, garlic, ginger, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring, over low heat 3 min. Add broccoli and stir to coat with seasonings. Add water and cover pan. Cook, stirring occasionally for 1-2 min. or until broccoli are done. Add more water if necessary. Serve warm.

*I did not have any ginger on hand, so I omitted it here.

The broccoli recipe was good. I have come to like additions to cook broccoli. So far my favorites have been carrots and mushrooms. I wish this recipe was a tad bit more garlicky though...maybe more garlic next time? I think so!

Just an FYI I did not cook at all the rest of the week. Thursday we had a potential "hurricane" pass close to our area. We decided to have a little impromptu hurricane party. Needless to say, drinks were had and dinner was just a "get what you want" ordeal. Then on Friday, the Hubby got off work early and we went downtown to a restaurant called Sahara's Pita's & Subs. I was bummed that I forgot my camera because I wanted to do a review! Oh well, maybe next time!

HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND!!


ENJOY!

I Really Did Cook....

...And now I am catching up! Here is what I made last Thursday night for the Hubbs and I!

First I made some chicken breasts. These were just simply seasoned with salt and pepper, then put into the pan. After the first flip I seasoned them with some seasoning salt. Flipped one more time to season the other side of the chicken. Wait until they are cooked through, and viola! Easy, tasty chicken!

Now onto the side dish:

~Baked Sweet Potato Fries~

(adapted recipe from Paula Deen)

House Seasoning:

1 c. salt

1/4 c. black pepper

1/4 c. garlic powder

Olive oil

2-3 sweet potatoes, cut into uniform fry-length shapes (about 1/4 in. thick)

1/2 tsp. paprika

Combine the first 3 ingredients for the House Seasoning, store in an airtight container for up to 6 mo. Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray. In a large bowl toss sweet potatoes with enough oil to coat (too much will make them too soft). Sprinkle with about 1 tbsp. of House Seasoning and the paprika. Toss to coat. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are tender and golden brown, turing occasionally, about 20 min. Let cool 5-10 min. before serving. 

I served the chicken with some mustard and ranch to dip it in. The sweet potatoes got ketchup. I would, in the future, like to experiment with a sweet ketchup to dip the sweet potatoes in. I will keep you posted!

I loves me some sweet potatoes! When I go to a restaurant and they are offered as a side, I always get them! (unless I know if they are good or not) I have had a bad sweet potato fry and it is just tragic! Hahah! I hope you enjoy these ones as much as I/we did!

ENJOY!

Salmon on Wednesday

I had bought some smoked salmon at the grocery store over the weekend with the idea of making some "salmon toasts" or something equivalent. Well, I decided to make them tonight as an appitizer of sorts. Along with the Salmon Crackers, as I am now calling them, I served curried potatoes, and a large spinach salad. There was no real recipe used for any of the dished served for this dinner, just kind of tasted and seasoned as I saw fit.

Here are the "recipes" 

~Curried Potatoes~

8-10 small fingerling potatoes

1/3 c. olive oil

1-2 tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic salt

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a baking sheet with not stick spray. Combine the olive oil and spices into a med bowl and mix to incorporate. Wash the potatoes and cut them into med uniform pieces. Mix with the olive oil and spice mixture until well coated. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30-40 min. or until fork tender and cooked through. 

~Salmon Toasts~

1 pkg. cream cheese, room temp

1-2 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. salt 

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 pkg. smoked salmon

Ritz Crackers

In a med. bowl combine the cream cheese, onions, salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread a tsp. amount of cream cheese mixture onto a Ritz crackers. Top with small slice of salmon. Serve!

The salad that I made was pretty basic. Just spinach, feta cheese, red onion, celery, sunflower seeds, sweet peppers, leftover turkey burger, and dressing. 

I liked the potatoes! The flavor was good, but they were a bit oily, maybe less olive oil next time, but I do like the curry spice. The Salmon Crackers were okay. I thought the salmon would taste a little different. I found myself liking the cream cheese mixture better. Oh well, maybe salmon is better paired with something else. Its an experimentation! 

ENJOY!!!