Author Archives for popcorngirl12

Salmon in Scallion and Ginger Sauce

This recipe I originally got from the South Beach Diet book, though the recipe called for Orange Roughy. Orange Roughy is not always easy to get so I swapped the salmon for it. You can also use cod, sole or flounder as well. It’s quick, simple and full of all those good Omega fats. I serve it with any of my favorite veggies or a stir-fry or asian side dish. The recipe calls for fresh grated ginger but if you don’t have any use ground ginger. It also calls for sesame oil but I never have that in the house so I use olive oil. The sauce that the salmon cooks in is also a great topping for the veggies or side.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup dry sherry or vermouth

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

¼ cup finely chopped green onion (green and white parts)

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

2 salmon fillets (4-8 oz. each)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Mix the sherry or vermouth, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl.

2. Place the fish fillets in an ovenproof casserole dish. Drizzle the marinade over the fish and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

Serves 2

Mom’s Old Style Lasagna

I was looking through all of my recipes trying to find one for today’s post and came across this recipe that was in my mother’s handwriting. It’s for an old style lasagna which is a little different from how I usually make it. I am adding it exactly as written by Mom. I’m hungry just reading it over! I love lasagna and I don’t get to eat it too often, too many calories! My sister makes an awesome one also, which I was able to have not that long ago. Too bad I’m on a diet now! Lasagna is one of those recipes that I’m sure everyone has had at least once in their life. It’s also one of those recipes that when it’s not made correctly it can be so disappointing! Ever had soupy lasagna? Dried out?  Over cooked? We all have! And no self-respecting Italian will buy frozen lasagna! It’s just wrong! There is nothing like home-made so give it a try soon. It’s not difficult, really! The hardest part is getting the cooked noodles out of the pan! And if that is going to be a problem for you cut them in half to handle easier. Food should be fun to prepare as well as eat so enjoy trying this recipe out! Remember I copied it exactly as she had written it so if you need to change it slightly please do.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound Ronzoni lasagna (#123)

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

1 medium onion, minced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon minced parsley

1 ½ cans tomato paste (9 oz)

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

5 quarts water

3 teaspoons salt

1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

¾ pound ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese


DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown beef and pork in large saucepan with oil, onion, garlic and parsley.

2. Add tomato paste, 2 cups water, salt and pepper. Simmer 1½ hours.

3. Bring 5 quarts water to boil, add salt and lasagna and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender, stirring almost constantly to prevent sticking.

4. Drain. Arrange lasagna in casserole dish in layers, alternating with layers of sauce, mozzarella and ricotta, until lasagna is all used and  ending in like sequence, ricotta last.

5. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in 375º oven about 20 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted. Serve.


Makes 6 large servings or 8 medium servings.


Andrea’s Delicious Chicken Salad

I have made this recipe for many years now. I have adjusted things here and there and have finally settled on what works best for us. In this recipe I prefer to use leftover cooked chicken instead of canned chicken. We love getting those huge Perdue rotisserie chickens at BJ’s Wholesale Club for only $4.99! And these chickens are huge. I believe they are about 3 pounds! Definitely more than the scrawny ones you get at the supermarket for twice the price! And with just two of us we always have leftover chicken. So I pick the bones clean of any meat and chop it up with the rest of the leftovers. If I’m in the mood I can make it right away but I usually wait till the next morning to make the salad. It’s best if it can sit for a few hours for all the flavors to blend.  I got the name “Delicious Chicken Salad” from our friend Beverly who is a former co-worker of John’s. He used to share his lunch and everyone loved the chicken salad. I did make it from time to time with canned chicken breast only because I didn’t always have leftover chicken handy. It is so much better with fresh chicken though. If you only have a little bit of chicken leftover adjust the mayonnaise and other ingredients to fit.

Andrea's Famous Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:
Leftover cooked chicken breast/dark meat (About 2 cups or so)
1 stalk of celery finely chopped
1 scallion, green and white parts, finely chopped
¾ cup Hellmann’s light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish sauce (not plain horseradish)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
1. Chop up the chicken into small chunks. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. If you need more mayonnaise add a little at a time.
2. Let chill for an hour or more.

Green Goddess Dip

I found this recipe on the Food Network site and of course I tweaked it a bit. I made it “Genua”. So here is my adapted version of their dip. I made one batch to start to see if we like it. Needless to say it’s just about gone, so yes, we liked it. I had it with veggie sticks but you can use chips if you want. It’s a low-calorie dip so you won’t feel guilty eating a lot of it! I am going to make it again tomorrow but I am going to double it this time! It was that good! The things I tweaked were: I added 2 garlic cloves (can you believe it didn’t have garlic!), I used dried tarragon (but I will use fresh next time) and I used white wine vinegar (instead of plain white vinegar because I didn’t have any!) Be my guest to leave out the garlic and use regular white vinegar or dried tarragon. Have fun with it! It good for you!!

Green Goddess Dip

INGREDIENTS:

1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and peeled

2 scallions, green and white parts, coarsely chopped

¼ cup fresh parsley

¼ cup fresh tarragon

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1-2 cloves garlic

¾ cup buttermilk

½ teaspoon salt

vegetable sticks for dipping


DIRECTIONS:

Place avocado, scallions, tarragon, parsley, vinegar, garlic, buttermilk and salt into a blender or food processor. Puree till smooth. Serve with vegetable sticks.

Per Serving: (¼ cup)

Calories: 70

Fat: 5 grams (Sat. 1g, Mono. 3.5g, Poly. 0.5g)

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 230 mg.

Carbs: 5 grams

Fiber: 2 grams

Protein: 2 grams

Weight Watchers Points: 1

Hawaiian Island Smoothie

Alright so I’m posting a beverage that doesn’t have alcohol in it! It’s still really good and healthy and refreshing! You can always add some rum to this if you want but I like it for a quick filling drink during the day. It’s great on a hot summer day which we are now into down here in Florida! (Even though it is only early May!) The ingredients are all in your supermarket and should be easy to get so don’t hesitate! And if you want to make this when you can’t find one of the fruits, like maybe a mango, just buy frozen fruit! It’s just as good! This reminds me of our trip to Hawaii in 2008. It was incredible and the pineapples were so fresh and juicy! Aaahhh…..

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup mango, fresh or frozen

½ cup cantaloupe, fresh or frozen

1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen

1 cup pineapple juice (or more to thin)


 DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 10 seconds or until smooth!

Makes 2 servings

Nutritional Info Per Serving: (These are approximate)

Calories:134

Fat: .6 grams

Sodium: 6.4 mg

Carbs: 33 grams

Fiber: 1.4 grams

Weight Watcher Points: 2

Andrea’s Tuscan Casserole

This is a recipe that I posted back on Facebook in October 2009. It was created because I couldn’t figure out what to make that night and just put together what I found in the refrigerator. It was so good and filling and the leftovers were just as good of course! The ingredients aren’t written in stone so please omit what you don’t want or add something you think fits better! So sit down with a nice glass of wine and relax and pretend you are in Tuscany.

Andrea's Tuscan Casserole


Ingredients:
1- 10-12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced thin into strips or bite size pieces
6-8 oz. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined, and cut into pieces
8 oz. approx. frozen, thawed spinach (doesn’t have to be drained)
1 medium sweet onion chopped
6-8 cloves garlic chopped (I like garlic so if it’s too much for you add less)
2 large scallions, chopped (green and white parts)
1 small tomato, chopped
1- 8oz. package Shirataki Tofu Noodles (follow prep instructions on package/found in Produce organic section) or you can use your own cooked noodles.
2 TBS or so light or regular sour cream
1 wedge Italian Herb Laughing Cow Cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
– Heat oven to 350 degrees.
– In a large saucepan heat oil and sauté onions till translucent, maybe about 5 minutes or so. Add garlic and scallions and sauté about 2 minutes.
– Add chicken and cook till no longer pink.
– Add spinach and mix thoroughly.
– Add shrimp and tomato, stirring till all mixed.
– Add Laughing Cow cheese and sour cream, mix well. Let cook a couple more minutes.
– Add noodles, mixing well. Let cook about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
– Add half of the mozzarella cheese till mixed in and starting to melt. Pour into casserole dish, round or whatever you have.
– Sprinkle rest of mozzarella cheese on top of mixture and place in oven till mixture starts to bubble and cheese melts and browns a bit. About 15 minutes.

Bloody Mary Chicken

This is another recipe courtesy of Anna at The Spice and Tea Exchange in Stuart, Florida. Anna has raved about this recipe ever since I met her and I am finally going to try it tonight.  I will post a picture of it as well as how it tastes either tonight or tomorrow. It seems like a very easy recipe and can be served with rice, pasta or a vegetable.

Bloody Mary Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

Bloody Mary Mix Seasoning Packet

Tomato Juice

4 large boneless chicken breasts (or any other chicken part you like)

olive oil


DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chicken pieces in a Ziploc bag. Pour tomato juice over the chicken to cover.

2. Sprinkle Bloody Mary mix into the bag with chicken and tomato juice until it looks like a Bloody Mary. Marinate 1 hour or longer, even all day.

3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Remove chicken pieces from the bag and sauté until brown.

4. Once the chicken pieces are browned on both sides, add the tomato juice mixture to the skillet. Lower heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes.

**If you cannot get a hold of a Bloody Mary Seasoning packet you can always substitute a pre-made bloody mary mix for the seasoning and tomato juice.

Bloody Mary Chicken w/Jasmine Brown Rice and Green Beans

9:45pm:

The verdict is in! We love the Bloody Mary Chicken! It was so moist and zesty and spicy, but not too spicy! I had jasmine brown rice and green beans as sides. John put a little sour cream on top of his which was good as well. BUT, of course I did change the recipe slightly. I had real bloody mary mix leftover from the weekend and I used that to marinate the chicken and topped it off with V-8. Still delicious! I will make it again. It was easy, quick and good for you!

Summer Fresh Cucumber Salad

This recipe I got from a wonderful little shop in downtown Stuart near where I live called The Spice and Tea Exchange. There are several of these great stores all over the U.S. and I am so happy to have one in my neck of the woods. It’s run by Anna who is a really neat lady. She has food samples quite a bit in her store and I am actually going to try this one tonight so I will wait to post a picture of the finished product till then! Cucumbers are a great refreshing and tasty vegetable to have anytime of the year. But summer time seems perfect for this recipe! I had the cucumber already and just bought all the ingredients for the dressing at her store. So I will report back either later tonight or tomorrow morning on the outcome of this!

INGREDIENTS:

1 English cucumber peeled and sliced thin

DRESSING:

½ teaspoon dried dill

1/8 teaspoon finely ground white pepper

1½ teaspoon sweet onion sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Mix dressing ingredients and toss with cucumbers.

For a variety you can substitute lemon sugar for the onion sugar.

FOLLOW UP:
The salad was delicious! Loved it! It is crunchy and refreshing and really tasty! Try it!

Summer Fresh Cucumber Salad

John’s Famous Spicy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This is John’s famous recipe. He won’t even let me make it! I can be the sous-chef though! It’s still a great recipe and is usually a big hit. You can serve it with tortilla chips or crackers. Just make sure they are strong enough to hold the dip!

John's Spicy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2- 10 ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained

1- 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1- 8 ounce package cream cheese

1- 8 ounce package sour cream

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

2 tablespoons TABASCO® brand pepper sauce

salt to taste

corn chips or crackers


DIRECTIONS:

1: Melt butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sour cream, ¾ cup Monterey Jack, ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, pepper sauce and salt. Stir until well blended and heated through.

3. Pour mixture into a ½ quart casserole dish and top with remaining Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese. Bake in 350º oven until cheese starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Serve with corn chips or crackers.


Makes about 4 cups

PAMA™ Martini

Pomegranate liqueur makes a delicious and intoxicating martini. You can use any kind of pomegranate liqueur with this but we like to use PAMA™. These can be strong  so you can add less of the ingredients if you like or add ice to your drink. Either way it’s a great unique martini!
Here’s Sluggo about to enjoy one!

PAMA Martini

INGREDIENTS:
1½ ounce PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
1½ ounce premium vodka
¼ ounce orange liqueur

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon peel or lemon slice.
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