Why you Should Make your Own Salad Dressing Recipe Honey-Cumin Salad Dressing

I fell in love with the house salad dressing at Checker's Bistro some time ago. I Could have drank shots of the stuff it was so darned good. Sadly, they took it off their menu (crazy). I went on an internet quest to find a recipe that mimics it this past Spring. I found one and have fine tuned it to my liking. I have been using this dressing on just about every salad I've eaten since Spring. You should probably try making your own salad dressing too, here are several reasons why:

• It will have a lot less sodium than store bought
• You'll save money 
• It has no preservatives yet most recipes you'll find won't need stored in the refrigerator
• You can cater the dressing to your liking
• You know exactly what's going into your dressing, omitting things like MSG.
• It saves on waste, those plastic/glass dressing bottles don't go into the trash/recycle bin.
• It will only take you 5 minutes. Shopping for a bottle in the store takes longer than making it yourself!

Here's my recipe: I adapted it from this recipe I found on Epicurious.

Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette

1 Tablespoon Cumin (I use McCormick I do believe this spice companies gives you great quality)
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Using a funnel and a glass bottle (I used a discarded Red Wine Vinegar bottle or soy sauce bottle)
Funnel Cumin into bottle, followed by honey, Vinegar & oil. shake until honey is dissolved. Store at Room Temperature for several weeks. (maybe months, I have always used mine up faster than that) Shake well before using.

Vegan Big Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I was ill-equipped for the countless (health nut) vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes I found online yesterday. Honestly, I had already been to the grocery store and Natural Food Store for ingredients for some Vegan Lemon Bars I had made for my daughter's Birthday party and was NOT about to head to either again.

I chose to use a regular Big Cookie recipe I found and adjusted the recipe to 'veganize' it myself. It turned out perfect, so, I thought I'd share. This is for the time when you are like, "I need to make a huge cookie, ah CRAP! I have no eggs!" I mean that happens all the time right? so, here it is my friends:

Vegan Big Chocolate Chip Cookie

• 1 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 12 oz bag Enjoy Life brand vegan Chocolate Chips
• cooking spray
• icing optional (I use Pillsbury classics they are vegan/allergen free)

• preheat oven 350 degrees. Spray 14" pizza pan with cooking spray
• in large bowl  mix sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and buttery sticks until fluffy. Add apple sauce 1/4 cup at a time beat well.
• in seperate bowl mix flours, salt and baking soda with a fork
• gradually add flour mixture to wet mixture until smooth. stir in chips.
• spread dough into pizza pan evenly. bake 20-25 min. cut away uneven edges. Cool. Decorate as desired.

Update: this should be enough dough for TWO 14" pizza pans...if you squeeze it into one it'll drip out over and make a big mess in your oven. Not sure why this didn't make a mess the time I made this cookie but since it's caused a smoky stinky kitchen so, now we know it's enough for two. (Thanks to my sister for trying that out btw)

Easy Turkey Gyros Recipe

 Do you have an abundance of Tomatoes? Here's a recipe you can use some in! Who doesn't love a Gyro? well, honestly I have never tried a true "Gyro" with the lamb, ewww. Here is another recipe we eat regulary in my house, as always, VERY EASY. It is from the Pampered Chef 29 min or less cookbook available here . This is also a lighter version of a normal Gyro.

Gyros

• 1/2 small onion 
• 2 Tbsp chopped FRESH Italian Parsley
• 1 Lb 93% lean Ground Turkey
• 1/2 tsp thyme (I omit)
• 1/2 tsp salt (I omit, don't tell the husband)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil (you may need more depending on your skillet)
• 4 flat pita bread rounds (without pockets)
• peeled & Sliced cucumber and sliced tomatoes

 

Yogurt Sauce

• 1/2 cup plain non fat yogurt (I use non fat, recipe does not call for that)
• 2 garlic cloves pressed (I use about 2tsp of the minced from a jar)
• 1/8 tsp salt (I DO use this salt;)
• 2 Tbsp chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh cucumber finely chopped

To start gyros preheat oven 350 degrees. Finely chop onion. chop all parsley. Set aside 2 Tbsp parsley for sauce. Press garlic into large mixing bowl; add onion 2T parsley, turkey, thyme and pepper. mix vigorously until well blended.

Add oil to Skillet ( you may need more than this calls for) Heat over med high heat or until shimmering. As oil heats form turkey mixture into four thin rectangular loaves about 1/4" thick (I think mine are close to 1/2" thick). Cook 3-5 min on each side til browned. Place Skillet into oven 13-15 min. Cook meat til it is no longer pink in center. Make sure your Skillet can go in the oven at this temp, if not move the Turkey loaves into a cassarole dish that has been sprayed with non stick spray.

in small mixing bowl combine yogurt, garlic, salt and reserved parsley. Chop cucumber and add.

To finish gyros place pita bread into microwave to warm. Slice tomatoes and the rest of cucumber.

Remove Turkey loaves from oven. thinly slice lengthwise. Arrange over pita top with sauce, cucumber and tomato.

Two EASY Curry Dish Recipes

I have shared these two recipes with a number of friends and they all love them. They are both vegan recipes.
The first is an Indian inspired Yellow Curry dish I have adapted from a Pampered Chef cookbook

Curried Tofu with Rice (or Cous Cous)

• two 14 oz packages (like pictured) Extra Firm Tofu, drained and squeezed gently in paper towels til most of liquid out. Slice horizontally half way through block for nice sized pieces. then cut criss cross til you have pieces about 1" by 1/2"

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 4 Medium Carrots, I stopped peeling them, just scrub them and slice them on an angle, so they are oval shaped.
• 1 medium onion-peeled and cut into thin wedges, basically slice in half and then longwise about 1/4" thick
• vegetable oil to cover the bottom of your largest two skillets
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 can light coconut milk. If you live in the Lancaster area, at Giant the ORGANIC coconut milk in the natural food section is cheaper than the non organic?!

• White Rice cooked (3 cups dry) DO NOT USE MINUTE RICE that stuff is SO naaaaasty. Cous Cous can be substituted for rice. follow package directions to cook.

Heat oil in two skillets med high heat. place tofu into skillet in as close as you can get to a single layer. You may want to use a splash guard, this can get kinda messy. Fry tofu until it is lightly browned, flip and once each side is lightly browned remove from pans and set aside.

In your largest skillet add oil if most has been cooked out, heat on med high, add onion and carrot. saute til crisp tender. reduce heat to medium. shake your can of coconut milk WELL, dump it into the carrot/onion mixture. Add tofu, pepper, curry powder and raisins. Warm til hot turn heat down if it begins to boil.

Serve over rice or cous cous.

* most kids like this recipe the sweetness of the raisins is such a bonus for them:)

Thai Red Curry Tofu

• two 14 oz packages (like pictured) Extra Firm Tofu, drained and squeezed gently in paper towels til most of liquid out. Slice horizontally half way through block for nice sized pieces. then cut criss cross til you have pieces about 1" by 1/2"
• vegetable oil to cover the bottom of your largest two skillets
•  1 medium onion-peeled and cut into thin wedges, basically slice in half and then longwise about 1/4" thick
• 1 can light coconut milk. If you live in the Lancaster area, at Giant the ORGANIC coconut milk in the natural food section is cheaper than the non organic?! (see image above)
• 1 tsp red curry paste. This can prove to be a slight pain in the butt to find. Look in the asian section of your grocery store. For Giant Shoppers, some stores sell this in a jar I buy it in a paper packet, then refrigerate the leftover for a couple months.
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 tsp fish sauce (we get at the asian market, but they may sell at the grocery store.) *FOR a vegan alternative use soy sauce.
• 7 oz jar roasted red pepper drained, and chopped.
• about 1/2 a bag of frozen sugar snap peas (12 oz bag)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 
• White Rice cooked (3 cups dry) DO NOT USE MINUTE RICE that stuff is SO naaaaasty.

Heat oil in two skillets med high heat. place tofu into skillet in as close as you can get to a single layer. You may want to use a splash guard, this can get kinda messy. Fry tofu until it is lightly browned, flip and once each side is lightly browned remove from pans and set aside.

In your largest skillet add oil if most has been cooked out, heat on med high, add onion, saute til crisp tender. reduce heat to medium. shake can of coconut milk, dump it into the onions . Add curry paste, pepper, tofu, red pepper, fish sauce (soy sauce) and sugar snaps. Cover and cook on medium heat til peas are warmed through. Turn heat down if it begins to boil.

*in place of tofu shrimp or chicken would be excellent.

Serve over rice. 

Healthier Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

A couple weeks ago I was indulging on some delish homemade baked mac n cheese at a birthday party. I chatted with the chef of this cheesy dinner. She told me "It's just Cream, two blocks of Cheddar and Butter"

yum. but, yikes. I can't indulge that way at home!

Around the Hartman house we are far from health nuts. We do, however, eat light and try hard to be healthy. I honestly do not think I have purchased sticks of real butter in 10+ years? Ok, I admit I did have two dairy allergic kids for 5 or so years. I do acredit some of our healthier meals to the food allergies, but something has to push us places we may not want to drive to right?


By the By, This morning I made my Own "Cheesy Noodles" (as my little ladies like to call em'). It is a household favorite and is really darn Great tasting, creamy, yummy, comfort food. here is my recipe:

3 Cups Fiber-Rich Macaroni. (I use Barilla Plus which also has Omega-3s)

6T Margarine (I use Earth Balance, no hydrogenated oils)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt (I use Sea Salt)

3 1/2 cups Skim Milk
1lb White american Cheese (I always get a good brand, and I do NOT use preslicedto me the taste is fake with pre sliced


preheat oven 350 degrees. Follow instructions on package to boil macaroni & drain, place in a 3Qt cassarole dish, I think a 9x13 pan could work but have not tried it myself, you may need to reduce baking time a bit with that.
Mix together Flour, pepper & salt. Melt margarine in a large saucepan over med heat (nonstick works easiest). Do not brown, just melt slowly. Add flour mixture, stir until thick. Add milk and continue heating on med/med high heat being sure not to boil. Stir frequently with a whisk until mixture thickens, about 10-20 minutes. At the beginning you can walk away without stirring for a min or two (like, say, to drain those boiling noodles!) but as it heats up you do have to stir it often to avoid a boil. Once it reaches a thick consistency, slowly add cheese a few slices at a time It'll melt VERY quickly, so this part will not take long. Once all cheese is melted into your pan pour it over the macaroni. stir if needed (usually it disperses evenly itself).
Bake Uncovered 1 hour.

I wish I had nutritional info for this, I have not quite figured that out just yet. I can say that using skim milk will save a bundle in fat, and the whole grain pasta is a bonus health-wise too. I have tried making this recipe with light cheddar as opposed to the american. It did not melt smoothly and did not stick to the pasta how I like my mac and cheese to. More importantly Ruby was not fond of it, and this is her all time favorite meal. Light american cheese is also sort of fake and plastic tasting to me so, I suppose it could be lighter but this is still quite an improvement from cream/butter and white flour pasta.

For More Lighter, Healthier versions of kid (and grown up!) favorites check out The Meal Makeover Moms. This link will take you to another winner of a pumpkin pasta recipe that is super fast and delicious!