Category Archives: Sides

America’s Test Kitchen Twice Baked Potatoes *

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This is from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy book.  When you have some calories to burn, this is a very tasty recipe.  Follow the directions exactly.  I used Idaho potatoes.  Add some dried chives or chopped scallions for color, or even parsley, like I did, when I ran out of chives.  Be sure to scoop out everything but an 1/8″ of potato for the best flavor.  If you leave too much potato in the shell, you will miss some of that creamy incorporated flavor throughout.  

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 russet potatoes (about 8 oz each), scrubbed and patted dry
  • 1 tsp. canola oil
  • 1 T. unsalted butter
  • 1 onion, minced (I used powder, it was fine)**
  • 1 garlic clove, minced (I used powder, it was fine)
  • 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, (about 4 oz.)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature (can be lowfat)
  • 1/4 cup skim or 2% milk
  • 1/2 tsp. dry mustard (powdered)**
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 scallions, sliced thin**

**Known IC irritants, tread carefully!  Omit these and it will still be yummy.

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and middle positions.  Heat oven to 400° F/ 
  2. Rub potatoes with the oil, place on upper oven rack, and bake until the skins are crisp and deep brown, and a skewer easily pierces the flesh, about 1 hour – after flipping them over halfway through baking.
  3. While the potatoes bake, melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5-7 mins.
  4. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 secs.  Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm. (SINCE I DIDN’T USE RAW ONION AND GARLIC, I JUST MELTED THE BUTTER, ADDED THE GARLIC/ONION POWDER, AND ADDED IT TO THE NEXT STEP).
  5. Transfer the potatoes to a wire rack and let cook slightly, about 10 mins.  Increase the oven temp to 500° F.
  6. Cut each potato in half lengthwise through the narrow curved side.  Using an oven mitt to hold the hot potato, scoop the flesh from each potato half into a medium bowl, leaving 1/8″ thickness of flesh in each shell.  Transfer the shells back to the wire rack.
  7. Mash the potato flesh with a potato masher or fork until smooth. 
  8. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheddar, sour cream, milk, dry mustard, onion/garlic mixture, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper.
  9. Spoon the mixture into the potato shells, mounding it slightly at center.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup (or more) of cheddar.
  10. Bake potatoes on middle rack until shells are crisp and the cheese is melted and spotty brown, 10-15 mins.
  11. Sprinkle with scallions/parsley/chives and serve.

Chef John’s Crispy Onion Rings (That Stay Crispy!)

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This was one of those magical cooking moments.  Don’t ask me why a person, me, who can’t be around raw onion could eat cooked onion rings, but it was great, crispy, and better than a restaurant!  My husband cooked these while I was in another room.  They were extremely crispy and stayed that way hours later.  They were the best I’ve ever tasted.  We didn’t have club soda so we used chilled beer, it worked fine.  The panko really works here, don’t substitute it!  A+!

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons dry potato flakes
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 1 cup chilled club soda
  • 2 cups panko bread crumbs, or as needed
  • 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
  • 2 large onions, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices and separated into rings
  • fine salt to taste

Directions

  1. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, dry potato flakes, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in club soda to make a smooth batter.
  2. Place panko bread crumbs in a shallow bowl.
  3. Heat oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  4. Place a few onion rings at a time into the bowl of batter and turn to coat all sides with batter.
  5. Remove onion rings from batter and place into pan of panko bread crumbs; turn to coat completely with crumbs.
  6. Cook a few rings at a time in the hot oil until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  7. Transfer to a cooling rack set over paper towels to drain. Season with salt to taste and serve.

Cheesy Artichoke Bread

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This is another Chef Kate recipe.  It is really wonderful and a perfect, enticing cheesy appetizer that has a flavor you can’t pin down – artichoke!  I suggest using wider loaves of bread like a wide French bread or an extra wide Italian loaf.  ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 large loaf of French bread
  • 12 oz. sour cream
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (You could use less here to be more calorie & fat conscious).
  • 1 T. sesame seeds
  • 8 oz. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (I used Colby Jack and it was fine)
  • 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 6.5 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic (I used garlic powder and it was fine)
  • 2 T. minced fresh parsley (You can add more parsley to the top like I did for presentation)

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Cut the bread in half, lengthwise.  Hollow out the middle, leaving about 1/4″ on each side.  Set the shells aside.
  2. Place the removed bread in a food processor, cover and process until you get crumbs.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, sour cream, butter, and sesame seeds.
  4. Spread the mixture on a cooking sheet (or baking dish) and place under the broiler for about 4 minutes until lightly toasted.  (About 4″ from broiler).
  5. In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread crumb mixture, cheeses, artichokes, garlic, and parsley.  Mix well.
  6. Spoon this mixture into the bread shells from step one. 
  7. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 25 minutes.  Let sit for a few minutes before cutting into pieces. 

 

 

Easy Dill “Hands-Free” Fridge Pickles * (Not IC Safe)

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We love this REAL SIMPLE recipe.  It’s super easy and produces “Claussen”-like pickles at a fraction of the cost, and what’s better than making it yourself?  I actually have taken out the onion and garlic and it was still good.  The next time I added onion and garlic powder and it was still good!  It’s an adaptable recipe.  For best results, refrigerate at least 2 days before eating one, or more.  I need to buy a waterproof jar, this stand in was okay but it easily leaks.  I put a note down to double the liquid in this recipe to cover the pickles, but try whatever you want.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 Kirby cucumbers (about 1 lb), quartered lengthwise*      (*We use the 5″ small cucumbers as we couldn’t find Kirby)
  • 3/4 cup white wine vinegar**
  • 1/4 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, thinly sliced**
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dill seed (I’ve even used 1 tsp. dill weed and it was fine, fresh dill is great too)
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns**
  • 1 bay leaf
  • kosher salt

**Known IC irritants, tread carefully!

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place the cucumbers in a 1-qt. jar or some other container with a tight-fitting lid.
  2. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, onion, garlic, sugar, dill seed, peppercorns, bay leaf, 2 tsp. salt, and 3/4 cup hot tap water.
  3. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
  4. Pour the vinegar mixture into the jar with the cucumbers, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 day before serving.  The pickles will last 1 week. 

 

 

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

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I finally found a good recipe for baked sweet potato fries and I will not lose it!  We halved this recipe and it was a perfect amount for two people.  Go by weight versus number of potatoes as they vary greatly in their sizes!

INGREDIENTS:

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled if desired.
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • Snipped fresh parsley (optional, I did not use)
  • Coarse salt (optional)
  • OPTIONAL: You can add 2 cloves garlic, minced or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder with the oil.  I added a few dashes of garlic powder

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F.  If desired, line two baking sheets with foil.  Lightly coat foil with nonstick spray, set aside.
  2. Cut sweet potatoes lengthwise into 1/2″ thick strips.
  3. Place potatoes in large bowl. 
  4. In a small bowl combine oil, salt, and pepper.
  5. Drizzle oil mixture over potatoes, tossing to coat. 
  6. Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer on prepared baking sheets.
  7. Bake for 15 mins, turn potatoes over, bake for 10-15 more minutes or until golden brown. 
  8. If desired, sprinkle with parsley or coarse salt. 

 

Wild Rice Gratin In Cast Iron Skillet

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20131125_175258_resized  Wild Rice Gratin 11-2013

This is another Chef Kate recipe and it was very good!  We had just purchased a cast iron skillet and seasoned it and gave this recipe a try.  I will post the original recipe and the changes we made in purple.  I usually don’t make so many changes to a recipe, but we had our personal taste preferences and dietary issues.  This is a solid recipe that you can easily change to suit your needs.  For the wild rice preparation, we cooked it according to the bag’s directions, which was less water than stated below.  We bought the cheese in a chunk at the deli and shredded it ourselves.  Wild rice blends are fine too.  Enjoy! 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup raw wild rice (cooked in 2.5 cups water or vegetable stock)
  • 2 large sweet onions, sliced thin (We used 1/2 medium sweet onion)
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 large Portabello mushroom caps, diced (We used orange and red bell peppers, about 3/4 of each pepper)
  • 4 large Swiss chard leaves, ribboned (We used 10 pieces spinach, ribboned)
  • 4 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded
  • 1 Tablespoon dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock (We used vegetable)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Cook the rice.  Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. In a large (10″ or larger) cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Saute the onions for about 15 minutes, or until they start to caramelize. 
  3. Stir in the mushrooms (or peppers) and let cook another 5-7 minutes.  Turn off the burner.
  4. Carefully stir in the cooked rice, Swiss chard (or spinach), Swiss cheese, thyme, salt and pepper.  Stir all together.
  5. Add in the last 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. 
  6. Top with bread crumbs.
  7. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

 

 

Martha’s Sweet Potato Casserole *

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This is a really neat recipe.  You get that mashed sweet potato flavor with spices, added sweetness (optional), and beautiful golden marshmallows.  Next time I will half it for my family of three because it makes a lot (I forgot); it serves about 8 people.  The cinnamon and brown sugar are ingredients I added because I thought it’d be better with them.  I used about 3 large sweet potatoes, but weigh them please!  If you need a great masher that’s easy to clean, look here:  OXO Masher.  ENJOY!!!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in. chunks
  • coarse salt
  • 1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg**
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon (optional)**
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (optional)

**Known IC irritants, tread carefully! To make this IC safe, omit the cinnamon and be careful with all spices.

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Place sweet potatoes in large saucepan or pot, and cover with cold water by 1 inch.  Salt generously.
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15-20 minutes.
  4. Drain, and return to pan.
  5. Heat over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers the bottom of pain – about 2 mintues.
  6. Remove pan from heat, add milk, butter, nutmeg, and optional cinnamon and sugar.
  7. Mash until smooth, season with salt.
  8. Transfer mixture to a 2-qt. baking dish. (To make ahead, refrigerate up to 1 day).
  9. Top casserole with marshmallows, bake until center is warmed through and marshmallows are lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.

Homemade Red Pasta Sauce *

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This recipe involves the blender and simple simmering and reduction.  You can change up the spices as you like.  I used fresh oregano and basil from the garden.  I added garlic and onion powder and some generic Italian type seasoning.  For not having any preservatives or chemicals, this is a WIN!  Mix with some whole wheat pasta and you have a healthy side to your meal.    

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4-5 medium tomatoes**
  • salt & pepper**
  • fresh or dried spices, as desired (such as oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, garlic/onion powder, etc)**

**Known IC irritants, tread carefully!

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Begin by cutting out a tiny amount of the tomato: cut out the top woody party of the tomato and a thin layer including the stem.
  2. Roughly chop remaining tomatoes and put in blender.
  3. Add salt/pepper and basic spices that you chose. 
  4. Pulverize in blender until smooth.
  5. Transfer to skillet and reduce this pink, liquidy mixture until it turns into a pasta sauce consistency, watching not to let it burn, about 20-30 minutes.

 

 

Crispy Rosemary Potatoes

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This is a very tasty recipe for baked rosemary potatoes.  My husband and I loved this recipe and will make it again.  It’s from the cookbook “Cook This!  Not That!”.  Fresh rosemary is best here.  Makes 4 servings. 

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into 3/4″ chunks
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Toss the potatoes with the oil, rosemary, and a generous amount of salt and pepper.
  3. Spread out evenly on a baking sheet.
  4. Roast until brown and crispy on the outside and tender inside, about 30 minutes. 

Zucchini Parmesan Chips *

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This is a great, healthy recipe off of Foodnetwork.com.  You simply slice up your zucchini, toss it in olive oil, and then cover it in your mixture of Parmesan/bread crumbs/salt/pepper.  Only at the last minute did I realize that it said freshly grated Parmesan like from a Parmesan brick of cheese.  Since I didn’t have that,  used the Parmesan in the container and mixed in some shredded mozzarella cheese; it still was tasty!  I will try it again with the preferred ingredient.  The near burnt cheese flavor was divine.  I used a metal baking pan with aluminum foil coated generously with cooking spray, nothing stuck!  I had to lessen the time slightly.  I had to make more Parmesan mixture as it wasn’t enough and/or I put too much mixture on, but it was worth it.

Ingredients:

  • Cooking spray
  • 2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)
  • 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs, like Panko or plain bread crumbs
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, and salt. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
  4. Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.