Dinner Tonight

Dinner Tonight

Healthy Cooking for a Healthy Texas

Strawberry Pecan Salad

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Bored with your normal salad routine? Throw some color into this mix this week with this recipe from Logan B! 


Strawberry Pecan Salad
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Servings
6 1 cup
Servings
6 1 cup
Strawberry Pecan Salad
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Servings
6 1 cup
Servings
6 1 cup
Ingredients
Salad
Candied Pecans - Optional
Raspberry Vinaigrette
Servings: 1 cup
Units:
Instructions
Salad
  1. Wash and dry spinach leaves and spring mixed greens. In a large bowl layer 1/2 the spinach, greens, red onion, strawberries, grapes, and pecans and repeat to create the top layer. Finish salad by playing the oranges on top. Drizzle Dressing over top of salad before serving.
Candied Pecans
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine brown sugar and orange juice. Add pecan halves, stirring to coat. Spread in a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until nuts are browned and syrup is bubbly, stirring once. Pour out onto a lightly greased baking sheet, separating into single nuts. Cool on a wire rack. *Addition of candied pecans will change nutrition information
Raspberry Vinaigrette
  1. In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until well combined. Pour in a jar and refrigerate until chilled. *yields 6 - 1/2 cup servings.
Recipe Notes

*Nutrition label includes salad and 1 (1/2) cup serving of raspberry vinaigrette recipe. Addition of more dressing or candied pecans will change nutrition information.

Tacos

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Make your Taco Tuesday (or Wednesday, or Thursday, or Friday….whenever!) the best it can be with these tips.

Tips for Taco night:

1. Start with the Seasoning

Who doesn’t love the convenience of a packaged seasoning mix? But take 10 minutes to put together a custom batch of the chili-based stuff and be prepared to be blown away by the difference. Bonus: DIY mixes are almost always lower in salt, so the brilliant pop of the spices shine more brightly.

2. Fine-Tuning The Tortillas

If you’re feeling ambitious, you could make your own corn or flour tortillas. Even if you go the store-bought route, there’s a simple way to make those soft tortillas even better. Most people warm them up, wrapped in foil, in the oven. That’s cool, but next time, try tossing them in a hot skillet and sprinkling a few drops of water in the pan. Turn a couple of times and keep the tortillas warm under a tea towel.

3. Prepping Pays Off Big Time

Get out ahead of your Taco Tuesday party by making the fillings the morning of, or the day before. That works especially well when you use that kitchen MVP, the slow cooker.

4. Bring on the Veggies

Tortillas make for the most amazing blank canvas. So many clever cooks have contributed plant-based taco fillings that taste incredible and work so well if you’re trying to eat less meat. That doesn’t mean you have to skip the pork, chicken or beef. Just pile on the veggies and use the meat almost like a condiment.

5. Try These Better-Than-Salsa Toppings

OK, there’s nothing better than salsa, right? Or a zesty slaw? Pico de gallo treads the fine line between salsa and salad, while landing smack in the middle of tasty town. Since Taco Tuesday rolls around every week, mix it up and try something new.

Original article can be found here.

Tortilla Breakdown

If you’re looking for the healthier option, corn tortillas outshine their flour alternative. Whichever you select, be sure to top your tortilla with plenty of veggies and beans to make it a truly nutritious meal.

 

Which Fish for Fish Tacos?

Most types of fish can be thrown into a taco, but each kind works best with a different set of toppings.

1. White-fleshed, mild, saltwater fish. Whether snapper, mahi mahi, grouper, flounder, halibut or cod, wild, local fish are the tastiest choice for Baja-style tacos. Since these fillets tend to be expensive, keep the toppings simple (think raw shredded cabbage and guacamole) so the mild flavor of these fish can really shine through.

2. Salmon. Salmon isn’t necessarily traditional, but there’s no reason you can’t wrap it in tortillas. Because the fish’s flavor is stronger, it can stand up to spicy rubs as well as the charring heat of the grill.

3. Farmed freshwater fish. At US taco shops and trucks, you’ll often find fish tacos made with tilapia or maybe even catfish. These can be a sustainable choice, for sure, but the fillets can have a murky, muddy flavor that’s best covered up with lots of vibrant toppings.

original article can be found here.

Artichoke

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If you find yourself wondering how do I eat this vegetable, well, you are not alone.  Let’s get to know more about artichokes.

An artichoke is a large flower bud that is a member of the thistle family (thistle is a name given to flowering plants that have leaves with sharp prickles or thorns.)  The tough leaves or outer petals along with the thorns are a protection from the inner tender heart.  Beware of artichokes that are thornless, they have smaller hearts and less flavor.

The choke is actually the bloom of the bud, and the hardest obstacle that stands between you and the artichoke heart.  The choke is stringy and fuzzy, and very unpleasant!  The fibrous choke is not harmful if eaten, however should be discarded.

So what is edible? The base of the large outer petals (leaves), the tender meaty flavorful heart, and the center of the stem.

Enjoy your artichoke hearts on pizza, in casseroles, sautéed for sauces and in dips, or indulge on the base of the petals by dipping in olive oil or sauces.  You can prepare your own artichokes in your kitchen or look for ready to use canned artichokes and frozen artichokes at your local grocery store.

 

How to Select & Prep your Artichoke – this is a short lesson in getting your artichoke ready for your recipes!

Step 1: Start Fresh

Look for artichokes with firm and compact heads and fresh-cut stems. Fresh artichokes should have tight green and purple petals that form a hole in the center of the vegetable.  Stems should not be dried.

Once you pick your artichoke, rise under cool running water and use a soft kitchen or vegetable brush to remove any residue. Rinse slowly to avoid pricking hands and fingers with thorns.

Note:  unwashed artichokes stay fresh for 3-4 days when stored in the refrigerator vegetable drawer, and up to 1 week if stored in an airtight container.

 

Step 2: Stem Work

Depending how you want to cook your artichoke, will depend how much stem to cut off before preparing.  If you plan to steam, discard the whole stem so that the artichoke can sit when steaming and serving.  If grilling or roasting remove only the brown edge and peel stem.

 

Step 3: Trim Thorns

Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut off the thorns and tips of the leaves/outer petals. Work your way all around making the artichoke look smooth.

 

 

 

Step 4: Top off the Crown

Carefully cut off the top tip, or the crown, of the artichoke. This step saves some time when steaming whole artichokes, and makes for great presentation.  When steaming, place artichoke upside down so petals steam evenly.

 

Step 5:  Ready to Cook!

You have selected, cleaned, and prepared your artichoke for good measure.  Now it is time to enjoy the delicious vegetable!  Artichoke is flavorful roasted, grilled stewed, steamed, sautéed, and even baked.  For less time preparing and more time enjoying, try steaming in the microwave or pressure cooker.

Italian Artichoke Chicken

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Savor the flavorful Italian Artichoke Chicken and that home-cooked feel! Easy to prepare and large enough for leftovers, I am happy to share one of my family favorites for a Sunday dinner. Serve with pasta or over spinach and customize your meal!


Italian Artichoke Chicken
Votes: 7
Rating: 4.29
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Servings
6
Servings
6
Italian Artichoke Chicken
Votes: 7
Rating: 4.29
You:
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Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Arrange raw chicken breasts in a 9X11 casserole dish. Season with Italian seasoning, set aside.
  2. In a large bowl mix together, tomatoes, garlic and drained artichoke hearts. Add extra virgin olive oil, sugar, and flour. Mix well.
  3. Pour the tomato and artichoke mixture over the chicken. Cover with foil and place in preheated oven, bake for 35-40 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and uncover. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top and place the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is golden brown and the vegetables are caramelized.
  5. Remove from oven and top with chopped basil over the hot dish.
  6. *Serve over your favorite pasta or pair chicken with a fresh spinach salad….or do both!
Recipe Notes

Bacon

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Cured or Uncured Bacon… Which is right for me and my family?

Let’s dive into what cured and uncured bacon means on the commercial food labels and packaging. In reality all bacon has some type of curing to preserve the meat to keep it fresh and appetizing. The food packaging indicates what type of ingredients were used to preserve the meat.

  • Cured (as labeled on packaging) – Uses chemical compounds like nitrates and nitrites to preserve the meat and give it a pink color.
  • Uncured (as labeled on packaging) – Uses natural ingredients like celery powder and sea salt to preserve the meat. The USDA requires uncured bacon to be labeled as such.

Here are some other things to consider when shopping for cured or uncured bacon.

  • Taste – Cured and uncured bacon usually taste the same, unless the brine includes additional flavorings. 
  • Salt content – Uncured bacon can be saltier than cured bacon because it sits in brine longer during curing. Low sodium bacon is more common these days, if you’re looking to reduce sodium intake, look for low sodium bacon. 
  • Health – While nitrates occur naturally in the body and plants, too many can be harmful.

Because bacon has been cured, some of us might forget that bacon is still raw meat!! Handle it like you would any other raw meat, clean, chill, separate, and cook.

  • Clean – all hands & surfaces that touch raw bacon.
  • Separate – keep fresh fruits, vegetables, and other meat away from raw bacon so you don’t cross contaminate.
  • Chill – Keep bacon stored at 40 Degrees F or below.
  • Cook – It’s very difficult to determine the temperature of a thin piece of meat such as bacon, but if cooked crisp, it should have reached a safe temperature.

Find the full article from the USDA FSIS here.

 

Additional Sources:

The Washington Post

Coleman Meats

Simply Recipes

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