Tag Archives: vinegar

Appetizers, Dinner, Italian, Sides, Snacks, Vegetables

Eggplant Caponata

August 15, 2011 admin 1 Comment

This makes a great side dish or a perfect appetizer served with Crostini bread or crackers. Every caponata you find is a little different – there are so many components that it is easy to get different versions. This one uses very little oil and is my absolute favorite. By pre-cooking the eggplant in the oven, you use much less oil and you won’t even miss it ! It has all my favorite things and has a great depth of flavor.

6 servings
149 calories per serving

1 large eggplant, trimmed, but not peeled and then cut into 1 inch cubes
½ t salt
2 t oil
2 c chopped celery
¼ c celery leaves, chopped
1 c chopped onions
½ c water
2 t minced garlic
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (including the juice)
2 T tomato paste
20 small black olives, chopped (you can use green if you prefer)
2 T white wine vinegar
1 t unsweetened cocoa
½ t black pepper
Kosher salt to taste
¼ c chopped basil
¼ c toasted pine nuts
2 t oil
Pam

To toast pine nuts, sauté in a hot, dry skillet for a few moments – until golden and aromatic. Place eggplant cubes in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with ½ t salt. Mix well so that all eggplant is salted. Then place a small plate or bowl on top of the eggplant and weight it by placed a canned product or some other heavy object. The salt and the weight will draw some of the bitter liquid from the eggplant and you will end up with a much sweeter tasting caponata. Let sit for an hour then rinse eggplant and pat dry. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with Pam, and place eggplant on sheet in a single layer. Cook for 20 minutes then remove from oven and set aside.

Heat a skillet and add 2 t of oil. Also spray with a bit of pan and then sauté onions and celery on medium high heat until partially softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté a minute longer. Add ½ c water and continue cooking another 10 minutes. If the mix gets dry, add up to ¼ c more water to keep it moist. Add tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste and olives and cook on medium for 10 minutes until sauce thickens a bit. Add eggplant, vinegar, salt, pepper and cocoa and cook on low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in toasted nuts and 2 t oil. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Dinner, Sides

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

July 31, 2011 admin Leave a comment

So different from your typical stuffed pepper – this is a great vegetarian recipe. These make a great dinner with a side salad. Or serve half a portion (1/2 a pepper) as a side.

4 servings
324 calories per serving

4 yellow bell peppers
1/2 c orzo
15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Pam
1 large shallot, chopped
6 oz. baby spinach, chopped coarsely
1 t oregano flakes
1 t garlic powder
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
½ c shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes, (dehydrated, not the ones in oil), chopped
1 T sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the peppers and cut them in half lengthwise. Leave the stems on. Clean out the insides (seeds and membranes) and set aside. Cook orzo according to package instructions. Heat a skillet and spray with Pam. Saute shallot for 3 minutes adding a tablespoon or 2 of water if they start to dry out. Take ¾’s of the chickpeas and roughly mash them. Add spinach to shallots and cook another minute. Add orzo, chickpeas, oregano, garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper and heat through. Add cheese and vinegar and stir well. Spoon mix into the pepper shells. Spray a baking dish with Pam and place peppers in pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella, cover and bake 30 minutes.

Appetizers, Dinner, Italian, Vegetables

Grilled Antipasto

July 17, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is a super savory, super healthy dish and a perfect summer dinner. The platter is just stunning to look at and this makes a great dish for entertaining. Serve as a full dinner or as an appetizer.

4 servings
291 calories per serving

6 T lemon juice
3 T white balsamic vinegar
2 t oil
¼ t kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 plum tomatoes
2 red peppers, quartered
2 yellow peppers, quartered
2 zucchini cut lengthwise into thick slices
1 red onion cut into thick slices
1 large eggplant cut into thick slices
Pam
4 oz. prosciutto slices
1 oz. peppered ham
2 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Basil as a garnish
6 green olives
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the first 5 ingredients as a marinade and dressing for the veggies. Take ¼ c of the dressing and brush it over the veggies. Spray a grill rack with Pam and grill veggies 5 minutes a side or until they have a bit of char on them. Place veggies on a platter and brush with the rest of the dressing and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the items to the platter and serve immediately.

Asian, Chicken, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Summer

Grilled Asian Drumsticks

May 18, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Sometimes when you marinate or cook with a glaze on, all the best flavor is worn off before you get to eat. But by slathering on the glaze at the very end, you end up with TONS of flavor. And this is a great one – vinegar, soy, honey and garlic – yummy !

4 servings
210 calories per serving

8 chicken drumsticks, skinned
Pam
3 T balsamic vinegar
3 T soy sauce
3 T honey
1 t garlic chili sauce (available in the Asian section of your market)

Preheat your grill and spray the rack with high heat Pam. Coat chicken with spray and grill 10 minutes then turn and cook another 10 or until done. Mix vinegar, soy, honey and chili sauce in a pan and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and cook until reduced to 1/3 c of glaze. Put chicken on a large baking sheet and pour the glaze over the legs.

Dinner, Lunch, Sides

Couscous with Tomatoes and Cucumbers

May 7, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is just as great served fresh as it is chilled and served the next day. A great side salad for dinner or lunch !

6 servings
126 calories per serving

1 c uncooked couscous
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped (I like to use the virtually seedless English cucumber)
¼ t oil
¼ t vinegar
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil 1 c of water, add couscous and stir well, then cover and remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and stir in the tomatoes and cucumbers. Then stir in the oil, vinegar and spices.

Chicken, Dinner, Turkey

Chicken and Sausage

January 16, 2011 admin Leave a comment

The flavors in this dish remind me of a chicken and sausage casserole that my Mom used to make in the winters. This is a very filling meal – real comfort food ! 🙂

4 servings
360 calories per serving

2 t oil
½ pound turkey sausage, casing removed and crumbled up
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (10 oz. total)
Kosher salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 onion, diced
1 lb. potatoes, quartered
3 ribs celery cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c chicken broth
2 T red vinegar
1 T chopped parsley

In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat oil then add sausage and cook 5 minutes. Remove to plate. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan and cook until golden, about 6 minutes, flipping half way through. Move to plate. Add onion and celery and cook 5 minutes, then add potatoes and season with salt and pepper and cook 15 minutes. Add sausage back to pot and then chicken and broth. Bring to a boil them cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are done. Take off the lid and bring back to a boil and cook until liquid equals only ½ c. Place chicken on a platter and add vinegar and parsley to pot and stir. Then add the rest to the platter with a slotted spoon.

Lunch, Pasta, Product Reviews

Hawaiian Pasta Salad

December 2, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Looking for something a little different for lunch? Instead of regular old pasta salad, how about some Hawaiian pasta salad? Plentiful Pantry makes it so easy and it is such a refreshing change of pace.

8 servings
180 calories per serving

Their mix basically handles the noodles and the dressing spices – you just add some cooked chicken (I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it was great !), pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, onion and avocado. The mixture of noodles (colors and shapes) makes for such a fun salad! And their poppy seed dressing is so special – sweet without being too sweet and just a little tart with the mustard in the dressing and the vinegar bite. Just whisk up the dressing and pout over the fruits, meat and cooked pasta. Chill a bit and presto…LUNCH IS SERVED !

Plentiful Pantry does such a great job of getting you out of the kitchen fast providing mixes that are tasty and easy to put together. I have tried several of their products and I find them all to turn out very good food.

Check out our reviews of other Plentiful Pantry products:

Blondies and Maple Sauce
Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
Roasted Tomato Parmesan Bisque

Pumpkin Cobbler

Dinner, Fish

Sole with Tomato Salsa

October 17, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is a super fish recipe – very fresh and light. Serve with a pasta or rice, like Greek Orzo Salad.

4 servings
175 calories per serving

2 c grape tomatoes, halved
¾ c Kirby or English cucumber, finely chopped
1/3 c yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
3 T basil, sliced finely
1 ½ T shallots, finely chopped
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 t grated lemon zest
1 t salt
¼ t pepper
1 T oil
4 6 oz. sole fillets

Combine tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, basil, shallots, vinegar and lemon in a bowl along with ½ t salt and 1/8 t pepper. Sprinkle the rest of the salt and pepper directly on the fish. Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Cook fish 2 minutes each side or until it flakes and is done. Plate the fish and put the tomato salsa on top.

Chicken, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Summer

Caribbean Chicken

September 28, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This recipe makes a nice mellow flavored meal full of Caribbean richness and warmth. Try serving with a tossed green salad and some rice.

4 servings
187 calories per serving

¼ c minced onion
1 T sugar
1 T finely chopped jalapeno pepper (seeds removed)
2 t cider vinegar
2 t soy sauce
½ t salt
½ t ground allspice (or a mix of ground cloves and ground nutmeg)
½ t thyme
½ t pepper
¼ t red pepper flakes
1 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Pam

Combine all except chicken and Pam in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss well to coat. Heat a grill pan (or the BBQ grill in the backyard !) on medium high heat and spray with Pam. Cook 5 minutes per side or until done.

Lunch, Salads, Vegetables

Chopped Salad

September 17, 2010 admin Leave a comment

The idea of a chopped salad is to get all the ingredients chopped uniformly and small – otherwise, it is just not a chopped salad ! And to me, prepping things in this fashion DOES make a difference in the flavor of the salad. There is something about getting a bunch of the ingredients in your mouth at the same time – it just makes for a flavor explosion !

6 servings
200 calories per serving

1/2 c white balsamic vinegar
3 stalks celery, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 large peach, diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
2 c coarsely chopped arugula or spring mix or any other crisp greens
1 c thinly sliced napa cabbage
3 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 oz. crumbed low fat goat cheese
½ c slivered almonds or pine nuts, toasted
1 large hard boiled egg, sliced
Smoked paprika

Mix together all the veggies with oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and then add in cheese and almonds. Top with eggs and sprinkle with paprika.

To toast the almonds, simply place in a hot skillet and sauté until toasty and starting to brown.