Who eats Brussels Sprouts?

For the most part, Brussels Sprouts have always been pretty low on my list of preferred veggies.  Maybe it's because I bought them once and by the time I used them they were mushy.  At any rate, using FRESH Brussels Sprouts in the amazing recipe below, you will learn to love them.  This recipe was in the article Ultimate Recipes for Vegetables by Diane Morgan in Bon Apetit Magazine, November 2010 issue.  This recipe is at http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/11/sauteed_shredded_brussels_sprouts_with_smoked_ham_and_toasted_pecans. For more recipes, go to www.bonappetit.com/recipes.

SAUTEED SHREDDED BRUSSELS SPROUTS with SMOKED HAM and TOASTED PECANS
Prep time 40 minutes - 10 servings

2 lbs. Brussels sprouts
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2  1/4-inch-thick slices smoked ham (about 6 oz.) coarsely chopped
1 lg. garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup low-salt chicken broth
Coarse kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup pecans, toasted, chopped

Trim root ends from Brussels sprouts.  Using sharp knife or processor fitted with coarse shredding disk, thinkly slice Brussels sprouts into shreds.  Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Melt butter with olive oil in large deep skillet over medium heat.  Add hamp; saute until golden, about 3 minutes.   Add garlic; stir 30 seconds.  Add Brussels sprouts and broth; saute until crisp-tender but still bright green, 3 to 5 minutes.  Season with coarse salt and black pepper.  Transfer to serving bowl.   Sprinkle with pecans.



Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin with Apples & Sage

(Clockwise from left)

Sauteed Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Ham and Toasted Pecans

Roasted Squash with Ginger

Baby Redskin Parsley Potatoes

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin with Apples & Sage

This past weekend we crossed the U.S./Canadian border to visit our dear friends, the Meyers, in Camlachie, Ontario.  We all share a love for cooking and eating, and as you can see by the feast above, this weekend was a gastronomic delight!  The pork loin recipe was featured on the cover of the Autumn 2010 Food & Drink Magazine published by the Canadian LCBO.  The fresh sage, garlic, bacon, apples and onions complimented the pork superbly.

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin with Apples & Sage

2 large pork tenderloins, about 2 lbs.
10 fresh sage leaves, very finely chopped (or 1 tsp. dried rubbed sage)
2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
9 - 10 slices thick-cut bacon
Kitchen twine
3-4 large apples, such as Cortland or Spy
1 large cooking onion
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock

1.  If any silver skin on loins is present,m cut away and discard.  Sprinkle sage, garlic, salt and pepper all over loins.  Place loins closely together lengthwise, with thick ends meeting thin ends, to even out roast thickness.

2.  Lay out slices of bacon snugly together on a cutting board, forming a rectangle.  Place loins across bacon so bacon ends emerge from each side.  Beginning at one end, lift a bacon end up over loins at a 45 degree angle.  Then, alternating sides, continue lifting bacon ends down the length of roast forming a chevron pattern of bacon on top.

3.  Cut five 12-inch lengths of twine and one 30-inch length.  Use the shorter lengths to tie up the roast along the width, spacing evenly.  Used the longer lenght twine to tie up the roast lengthwise.  Trim twine ends and discard.  At this point you can refrigerate meat up to half a day before cooking.  Allow 15 minutes extra cooking if refrigerated.

4.  When ready to roast, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.  Lightly brown roast on all sides, about 15 minutes total.  Transfer to a baking pan lined with a rack.  Place in oven, set time for 30 minutess.  Check and continue roasting until a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees F.  Remove from oven, transfer to cutting board.  Cover roats with foil, let rest 15 - 20 minutes.

5.  Meanwhile, peel, core and slice apples.  Thinly slice onion.

6.  Drain most of fat from frying pan, place back over medium heat.  Add onion; cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Stir in flour, cook 1 minute.  Stir in chicken broth; add apple slices.  Bring to a boil; simmer, covered 5 to 10 minutes or until apples are tender and sauce ius lightly thickened.  Add more broth if too thick; keep covered and ot.

7.  To slice pork roastm snip off lengthwise string.  Then slice about 3/4 inch thick, removing crosswise strings as they are encountered.  Place a few saucy apples on each warm serving plate, top with a couple of slices of rost and drizzle with more sauce.  Serve with mashed or roasted potatoes and vegetable.  Serves 6 to 8.

Herbed Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes can be made so interesting with the addition of fresh herbs and some kind of cheese.  One of my favorites is Redskin Mashed Potatoes with Basil and Asiago cheese.  Experiment!  Make mashed potatoes by boiling potatoes in salted water until a fork goes through easily.  Drain the water, add milk and butter, and your choice of herbs and cheese.

Redskin Mashed Potatoes
8-10 (approximately) redskin potatoes, scrubbed, any bad spots removed from outside, and cut in half ( you don't have to peel them, and use a few more potatoes if they're really small)
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (sliced thinly in ribbons)
1/4 - 1/2 cup freshly grated or shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese (add more to taste)
White pepper (to taste), additional salt if needed
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk

Boil potatoes in salted water, approximately 15-20 minutes until fork goes through easily. Drain water, add  butter and milk, then mash potatoes (including the peel).  Mix in basil, grated or shredded cheese, salt & pepper to taste.  Adjust milk to right consistency, seasonings to taste.  Serves 4

Chick Pea Salad

It's been a busy summer, but now that it's winding down I will share some of the recipes that incorporated some of the fresh herbs grown in my garden.  This one is a great change from lettuce salads, and full of veggies.  I did use canned chick peas (garbanzo beans), but you certainly can substitute fresh beans that you have cooked in its place.  The blending of flavors from the three vinegars and fresh lemon juice, combined with the fresh basil, is outstanding!

Chick Pea Salad

1 14 oz. can chick peas
1-2 stalks celery, chopped small
2-3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Juice from 1/2 - 1 whole lemon
3 lg. fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips (chiffonade)
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Combine all the ingredients except feta and mix well.  Stir in feta and allow flavors to blend, stirring occasionally.  Serve within a couple of hours at room temperature, or refrigerate to serve later.  Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Chives

Nothing is more fun than cooking in a kitchen with friends.  This past weekend found me in the great province of Ontario, in Camlachie on Lake Huron, visiting our friends Cary & Ned, making an asparagus side dish with heavenly lemon caper sauce, and yummy appetizers with prunes (yes, really), blue cheese and prosciutto.  They were both delicious, however I'm going to focus on the asparagus side dish because a whole new world opened up to me when I discovered the beauty of fresh chives. And I mean beauty.  The recipe called for 1 tsp. of chopped fresh chives - so Cary told me to open the back door and snip off a few stems.  I know, I'm such a neophyte.  But there they were - the prettiest plants with purple flowers - and simple to grow, I'm told.  The recipe calls for freshly picked CANADIAN asparagus, but giving the Canadians credit, I think we can safely substitute freshly picked American asparagus.  By the way, since I've returned to American soil, I have sought, with no luck, chive plants to grow in my garden.  Everyone is out of chives!  I think we all discovered at the same time that the plant has pretty purple flowers (which are also edible, I'm told).  Here is the recipe - pay strict attention to the grilling time.  Thin spears will need no more than 5 minutes, thicker spears might need a minute or two longer.

Grilled Asparagus Spears with Lemon Caper Mayonnaise

1 clove garlic,
1/3 cup  olive oil
Pinch each salt & pepper
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. asparagus

Crush garlic; mix with oil, salt & pepper in small bowl.  Set aside.  Wash and trim asparagus spears; pat dry.  Brush with garlic oil.  Grill, turning often, until just tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes  Transfer to serving platter.  Serve with Lemon Caper Mayonnaise for dipping or drizzled over top.

Lemon Caper Mayonnaise

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp. minced capers
2 tsp. to 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. each grated lemon zest, minced fresh parsley, and finely minced fresh chives
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, can be made ahead.  Not only delicious with Grilled Asparagus, but also with grilled chicken or fish!

We Interrupt The Discussion on Herbs to Talk About...CAULIFLOWER

It seems everyone these days is trying to cut out the starchy carbs that can pile on weight, or at least make it hard to lose weight.  We've heard how cauliflower is the "new mashed potato" dish of the year, but I don't know many people who are actually using it as a replacement.  I was curious to see how riced cauliflower would hold up against real rice in a recipe.  I made stuffed cabbage this evening, mixing half of the ground beef with brown rice to stuff half of the cabbage leaves, and the other half with riced cauliflower.  Aside from the cauliflower pieces not looking as even as rice, the appearance wasn't very different.  But, oh joy, the taste difference was barely noticeable!  Cauliflower has a slightly peppery taste, but mixed in with the other ingredients, you couldn't tell, plus it had the texture of rice, and only 1/7 the calories!  A cup of cooked cauliflower has 34 calories, a cup of cooked white rice has 205, and a cup of cooked brown rice has 218.  So if you're watching your weight, try this great substitution.

To "rice" cauliflower, break off florets and cook in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, until soft.  Grate the florets, discarding the stems, although if the cauliflower is soft enough, it will break into fine pieces as you press it against the grater.  Here is my version of stuffed cabbage.  A lot of recipe books will tell you to cook the cabbage rolls in layers in a Dutch oven, but I've always liked the way they turn out in a roaster in the regular oven.  That's the way Mom did it...

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 med. to lg. onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1 head cauliflower
1-2 eggs, beaten slightly
2 cans cream of tomato soup
1/2 can (6 oz. can) tomato paste
1 can or small bag sauerkraut

Remove core from cabbage, drop into a large pot of boiling, salted water, allowing the leaves to soften until they can be pulled away from the head, one at a time and placed in colander.  Continue until the cabbage head is small and leaves no longer pull off easily.  Set aside the remaining small head for use in another dish.  Put olive oil in a large skillet, saute until med. soft.  Add ground beef and cook, breaking up chunks and stirring until beef is no longer pink.  Drain off the fat.  Add salt and pepper, mix in approximately 1 cup of riced cauliflower (more or less as you like) and the beaten eggs.

Taking one cabbage leaf at a time, remove the tough center seam but cutting out with sharp knife or kitchen shears (just cut out an inverted v shape about halfway up the leaf). Use the largest leaves first, as they are greener and softer, so that any left over when you run out of the meat mixture will be the smaller, whiter leaves.  Put a large spoonful of the meat-cauliflower mixture in the center, fold in the sides, and roll up, securing with a toothpick.  Place each roll side by side in a roasting pan or baking dish until you have used up all of the meat mixture.

Combine the 2 cans of soup, tomato paste and water in a bowl, using a whisk to blend.  Pour over all of the cabbage rolls in the baking dish.  Put a large spoonful of sauerkraut on top of each cabbage roll, more or less as you like.  Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for approximately 1 1/2 hours, checking to make sure sauerkraut doesn't burn.  About halfway through the cooking time, you can spoon some of the soup mixture from the bottom of the pan over the sauerkraut on the top of the rolls.  Serves 6-8.

Parsley - Not Just a Pretty Thing!

Curly leaf parsley, with it's bright green color, is often used as a garnish.  There is also flat leaf, or Italian, parsley and a lesser known (in the U.S.) root parsley.  Many recipes containing garlic also call for parsley because it is commonly thought to offset the odor of garlic after eaten. Whether that's true or not, who knows?  Try a test on your friends - they'll tell you!  Parsley's fresh taste is mild, and goes well with potato and rice recipes, and in soups, stews and meat dishes.

Parsley is difficult to start from seed if you wish to grow it because germination takes from 3-6 weeks, then it needs at least 5 hours of sunlight per day.  I'm trying it for the first time this year, and while my chives, thyme and basil have already sprouted, I haven't seen anything from the parsley yet.  However, whether you start it from seed, or buy plants from a nursery, parsley is a wonderful addition to your garden.  It is attractive, can be planted with flowers, and is especially nice planted near tomato plants because the parsley nectar attracts wasps which kill damaging tomato hornworms. 

Parsley is the main ingredient in a popular Lebanese dish called Tabbouleh (Tabouli), often found prepared in the deli section of grocery stores near another popular dish, hummus.  Here is the link to a good tabouli recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/AUTHENTIC-LEBANESE-TABOULI-1219893

Below, I am posting a recipe for Stuffed Acorn Squash which is good any time of the year, but particularly in the fall and winter.  I would give credit to the originator if I knew who it was, but I don't.  It's delicious!

Wild Rice Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash, cut in half, seeds removed by scooping out
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 oz. mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp. ground dill seed
4-5 green onions
3 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup toasted walnuts or almonds, chopped coarsely
2 tbsp. fresh parsley
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg, beaten lightly

Place acorn squash on lightly greased baking dish, cut side down.  Bake at 350 degrees F. until tender, about 25 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop mushrooms, onion and parsley.  Mince garlic.  Heat oil in skillet, add mushrooms, garlic and dill seed.  Stir in green onions, rice, parsley, and 1/3 cup of the nuts.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in beaten egg.  Spoon stuffing into baked squash, divided evenly.  Arrange squash in baking pan and sprinkle with remainder of nuts.  Bake at 350 degrees F. until squash is steaming and nuts are lightly toasted.  Arrange on platter and serve.  Makes 2 servings as entree, or 4 servings as side dish (cut each half in half).

Herb Bread

I admit it - I have not yet advanced to making bread the old-fashioned way - letting it rise, punching it down.  No, I still use a bread machine.  For the time being, I'm allowing myself this concession because let's face it - it saves time.  I took a recipe that came with my bread machine, then added a few ingredients, changed a couple of others, and voila!  A loaf of herb bread that was so delicious it was gone in one meal.  Here it is, and you can probably make a few changes of your own to suit your tastes.

Herb & Asiago Bread (for a bread machine)

1 3/4 cup bread flour
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. dry milk
1 1/4 cup water (lukewarm)
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, leaves cut into tiny pieces
1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, stripped from stem and chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stem
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
1 packet active dry yeast

Put all of the ingredients except yeast into the bowl of your bread machine.  Close the lid and add the yeast to the top dispenser.  Use the regular Bake mode - 4 hour setting.  Makes one average sized loaf.

Oh, Rosemary!

How fitting to give an herb a name that is pretty and feminine.  Rosemary!  It does flower in the spring and the leaves look like soft pine needles. The good smell and taste is also like pine. Rosemary is a versatile herb, used in savory and sweet dishes, and also found in many oils and lotions for the skin.  I hear it grows wild out west, is often found growing near the ocean, and is even grown as decorative shrubs when the climate is suitable.  It likes sun.  I didn't have any luck growing rosemary in Michigan last year, BUT where I planted it, it only had partial sun.  Unlike basil, that grew in the partially shaded spot despite it also liking full sun, my poor baby rosemary never took root.  Besides learning about the sun issue, I have also discovered that for climates that aren't mild year round, the best bet is to grow rosemary (from cuttings) in pots so that it can be taken indoors when the temperatures dip down to the 30s.  It will still require sunlight, however, so you will have to have a sunny window for the pot.

There are many wonderful recipes with rosemary, but let's go for the simple options first. 

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
2 lbs. new potatoes, or small russet, scrubbed and quartered
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh snipped rosemary, leaves stripped from stems
2 tsp. fresh snipped thyme, leaves stripped from stems

Arrange potatoes in 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.  Mix remaining ingredients in small bowl, then pour over potatoes.  Cover with foil and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Remove foil.  Stir potatoes, then bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

More Basil...

Pesto is one of the common recipes which calls for fresh basil.  Once the pesto is made, you can spread in on baguettes, mix it in with pasta, over baked potatoes, on an Italian-style sub sandwich and more.  Let me know how you use pesto!

Classic Fresh Basil Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed 
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/4 - 1/3 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste, approx. 1 tsp. of each

In food processor, add the basil leaves and pine nuts or chopped walnuts, pulse a few times.  Add garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and pulse again until well blended.  Add the cheese last and pulse again for about 10 seconds.  Pesto may be stored in refrigerator in an airtight container (put a thin layer of olive oil on the top of the pesto before sealing the bowl, or freeze.  Yields 1 - 1 1/2 cups of pesto sauce.

Gardening tip when growing fresh basil
Basil thrives in sunshine, so plant it where you plant your tomatoes, or mix it in with your flowering plants that require sun.  It is a pretty plant, with rich green leaves and looks great in your flower bed!

Space plants about 1 foot apart.  They will grow to a height of 1 to 2 feet.  Pinch off tips and blooms as they appear to extend the growing season.  Cut sprigs for use in recipes as needed.

Basil, Sweet Basil

One of my favorite herbs is basil. It is flavorful and fragrant, easy to grow for home gardeners, and is a popular herb in Italian dishes and other Mediterranean foods.  It also has many health benefits.

Basil is a good source of beta carotene which converts itself into Vitamin A that fights free radicals that do damage to our cells.  Vitamin A also helps keep cholesterol from building up in the bloodstream.  Basil is also a source of Vitamin C, which has many health benefits, such as fighting colds, helping to heal wounds and defending the body against cancer.

Essential oil of basil prevents the growth of different types of bacteria, and eugenol, found in the essential oil of basil, is an anti-inflammatory.  It works by blocking an enzyme called cyclooxygenase, working in the same way as aspirin and ibuprofen.

Nutrients found in basil include magnesium for the heart and blood vessels, iron for carrying oxygen to our blood cells, calcium for strong bones, and potassium to help regulate blood pressure and heart function.

Well, those are some of the many reasons basil is good for you, but even more than that, basil is such a wonderful herb to use in cooking.  If you grow it in your garden or inside on a windowsill, there's nothing like cutting off a sprig, then using it immediately in a recipe.  Since it's one of my favorite herbs, I am going to publish a recipe that became a summer favorite - simple, easy, and wonderful because of the fresh ingredients. It is absolutely the best when using fresh-picked tomatoes and cucumbers!

Fresh Tomato & Cucumber Salad

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 - 1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. black pepper
3-4 cloves garlic

10 fresh basil leaves
5 fresh oregano leaves
3 sm. fresh cucumbers (pickling or slicing)
15 baby Roma tomatoes, or 20 cherry tomatoes or
    30 grape tomatoes

Mince or press garlic, then mix in with balsamic and red wine vinegars, allowing to stand for 10 minutes.  Slice basil and oregano leaves into thin strips, then put into a small bowl with your extra virgin olive oil, allowing to stand while you prepare the tomatoes and cucumbers.  Wash tomatoes and cucumbers.  If using cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half, if using baby Roma tomatoes, slice into 3-4 round slices each.  Peel cucumbers, leaving a slight amount of peel on.  Slice into 1/4 in. round slices.  Place tomatoes and cucumbers in salad bowl, seasoning with kosher or sea salt and pepper.  Combine olive oil and vinegars, stirring well, then pour over salad.  Allow salad to marinate for about 1/2 hour, then serve at room temperature.  Any excess dressing can be refrigerated to use later as a marinade.  Serves 6 as a side dish.

Variations:  add green pepper and/or green onion when mixing, or slices of fresh mozzarella or dollops of chevre cheese when serving.

For a crowd:
1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
6 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2-3 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
6-8 cloves garlic
15 fresh basil leaves
8 fresh oregano leaves
18 sm. fresh cucumbers, pickling or thin slicing
Tomatoes - 80-90 baby Romas, or 100-120 cherry tomatoes, or
4-5 pts. grape tomatoes

Follow directions above except layer the tomatoes and cucumbers, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper.

Dill: Weeds & Seeds, It's All Good

Dill weed, which you can use fresh or dried, is a wonderful addition to many dishes.  The seeds are also used as a spice - similar to caraway seeds, they're strong and flavorful.


We've heard for years that fruits and vegetables contain anti-oxidants that fight free radicals which do damage to our bodies.  Coming into the limelight are the properties of herbs, and how they, too, contain antioxidants.  So what about dill?

Dill leaves and seeds contain many essential "volatile" oils that actively help neutralize carcinogens such as  smoke, which helps in protecting you against cancer.  Dill is an appetizer, and the oils are natural stimulants, which is why it is often used in recipes.  The stimulant properties can even activate the secretion of enzymes and hormones that have calming effects, helping you sleep.  The anti-oxidant properties help fight infection and fungus, and promote good digestion.  Fresh dill is an excellent source of vitamin-C, vitamin-A, beta carotene, folic acid, riboflavin and niacin.  Dill weed is also a good source of minerals like potassium (helps control heart rate and blood pressure), calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium.

Fresh is best, just like with everything else, however dill doesn't last long once it's picked.  It's easy to grow if you have very warm summers, so grow it and cut those lovely, wispy sprigs when you need them.  You can buy it in grocery stores almost year round now, too, although that can get expensive because it only lasts a few days in the refrigerator.

Try it in these foods:

Bread - add a little to your bread machine recipe for white or wheat bread
Butter - mix in some dill, then use the butter on bread, vegetables, or meat
Ranch dressing or dip - usually we buy ranch dip or dill dip, but try combining the dill with ranch - it's a great flavor
Vegetables - dress up plain cooked veggies with a little dill to add a slightly tangy taste
Fish - great mixed with butter or mayonnaise then brushed on the fish before baking 
Shrimp salad - add a little dill to the traditional mixture of shrimp, mayonnaise, green onion, and celery.  
Tuna salad - also add a little cilantro, and substitute a little ranch dressing for the mayo - yum
New potatoes with butter
Potato salad
Deviled eggs
Pasta salad


Now for a recipe that calls for fresh dill - yum!


Grilled Chicken Salad with Dill Ranch 


(Marinade)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil 
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or minced
3-4 (1 1/4 - 1  1/2 lbs) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded or butterflied to 1/2 in. thickness


1 cup prepared ranch veggie dip
1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 lg. Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries
Salt and pepper to taste


Make marinade by mixing apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic in medium bowl.  Add chicken breast and marinate for 30 minutes.  Grill on lightly oiled, preheated outdoor grill on medium-high heat, about 4-5 minutes per side until meat is firm and juices are clear (no pink inside).  Allow to cool, then chop.  Mix remaining ingredients in bowl, add chopped chicken.  Check seasonings, add a little salt and pepper if needed.  Depending on the ranch dressing you use, you might not need to add any.  Tastes best if allowed to chill 2 hours before serving.  Serve on a bed of greens or on pita as a wrap.


Tip:  if you have leftover cooked chicken from another recipe or prefer the taste of poached chicken, this recipe can be made eliminating the marinade and grilling, substituting about 3 cups of chopped chicken.

Herbs, Wonderful Herbs

Every eating plan these days seems to point to the same thing - eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, eat more fish and less beef, avoid white, refined starches and sugars, and use olive or canola oil moderately.  In order to do that and not get bored, we need flavor.  It just makes sense to experiment with fresh and dried herbs, and sometimes you can hit on combinations that make you wonder why you never tried it before.  Plus, it's great fun experimenting!

Let's take dill weed.  I once read that dill was good in a variety of things, including eggs.  Eggs?  Yuck.  Or so I thought.  But here is how I found out how good it really is.  I was making an easy fish dinner (more on that later) that contained dill.  Then, as I often do, I grabbed all of the fresh vegetables out of my refrigerator that I could find - some zucchini, broccoli, celery, cauliflower and carrots.  Usually green pepper (or red, or yellow) is good too.  I chopped up some onion, sauteed it with some fresh garlic in a little olive oil, and added the chopped vegetables for a stir-fry.  I seasoned it with Nature's Seasons (Morton's had better never stop making that), and then since I was using dill on my fish, I added some dried dill weed to the vegetables.  It was GREAT and really complemented the fish.  A couple of days later I was making eggs for breakfast, so, trying to be healthy I decided to scramble them with some of the leftover vegetables.  I heated the veggies in a tiny bit of butter, added two scrambled eggs and a diced piece of American cheese, and cooked until the eggs were set.  No kidding, the dilled vegetables in the eggs were DELICIOUS!

In my next blog I will tell you about the health benefits of dill, but here's the easy recipe for the fish with dill, given to me by Susan, whose friend, Jan, makes her cod this way.

Baked Cod with Dill (Edited version)

1 lb. fresh cod fillets
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. dried dill weed

Preheat oven to 350⁰. Combine olive oil, mustard and lime juice into a thin paste.  Place the fish fillets on a lightly oiled baking pan, then sprinkle the dill over the fillets.  Bake in oven approximately 14 minutes, until fish is cooked through and flaky.  Serves 3.