SANDRA’S MEYER LEMON STIR-FRY CHICKEN over STEAMED RICE

I created this recipe using Meyer Lemons
grown on my indoor dwarf citrus tree.

Servings: (4)

Prep: 10 Mins. |
Cook: 15 Mins.
(+ Time to steam rice)

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

1 meyer lemon, zested, and juiced

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1” strips

1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

1 cup diagonally sliced carrots, ¼” thick

1 cup diagonally sliced red bell pepper, ¼” thick

½ cup diagonally sliced onion, ¼” thick

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped, fresh parsley

--Prepared steamed brown rice

METHOD

(Prepare steamed rice, so it is ready when stir-fry is completed.)

Grate 1 teaspoon meyer lemon zest and set aside.

My Lovely Indoor-Grown
Meyer Lemons

Juice the meyer lemon and whisk 3 tablespoons of juice with broth, soy sauce, honey, and cornstarch in a small bowl. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate with tongs.

Add carrots to pan and saute for 1 minute.  Add mushrooms, and bell pepper, and onions to the pan and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, reserved lemon zest, pepper, and reserved chicken and accumulated juices; saute, until fragrant for about 1 minute.

Whisk the broth mixture, and add to pan; stirring, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.  Serve stir-fry over brown steamed rice, and sprinkle with parsley.  Enjoy!

SANDRA'S MINI-MARGARITA PIZZAS UNDER 10 MINUTES

These are fantastically easy 
and oh so flavorful!

Yields: (4 Mini-Pizzas) | Servings: (2)

Prep: 5 Mins. |
Bake: 3 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

2 english muffins, split in half

1 teaspoon olive oil

8 ripe tomato slices

Fine-grained sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Pinches of ground oregano

Pinches of dried basil

¼ cup shredded mozzarella

Pinches of dried parsley

METHOD

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil, and set aside.

In a toaster, toast the english muffin halves just until lightly brown.  Use a pastry brush and lightly brush them cut-side up with olive oil, and place the tomato slices on top of each.  Sprinkle the tomato slices with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste, including pinches of oregano, and basil.  Top all four mini-pizzas generously with mozzarella, and a light sprinkling of parsley.

Place all four mini-pizzas onto the lined baking sheet, and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the mozzarella is light golden and bubbly.  Serve immediately – Enjoy!

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Tip: Please feel free to use fresh herbs ~ I only had dried/ground on hand today when creating this recipe.  I served these mini-pizzas with a fresh garden salad tossed with light vinaigrette.

SANDRA’S PASTA with SHRIMP and BROCCOLI RABE INFUSED with LEMON GRASS



This recipe was inspired from spices 
I purchased from a local merchant called 
"Red Onion Organic Spice and Tea Company"
here in Juneau, Alaska...

Servings (6)
Prep/Cook: 30 Mins. | Steep: 2-4 hrs.
--(i.e., infused lemon grass broth)

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons organic dried lemon grass, re-hydrated (for infused broth)
1/2 cup hot water
½ lb. uncooked angel hair pasta
4 tablespoons light olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ onion, finely chopped
1 lb. broccoli rabe, trimmed, and cut into 2” pieces

Red Onion Organic Spice 
& Tea Company - Juneau, Alaska

1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup white wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pats, at room temp.
2 tablespoons organic dried parsley
1 lb. shrimp/prawns, peeled and deveined

--warm crusty bread slices for sopping up sauce

METHOD

Make the infused dried lemon grass by immersing it into 1/2-cup hot water; letting it steep for 2 to 4 hours. Pour through a strainer, and just reserve liquid broth; set aside. Toss lemon grass pieces.

Cook angel hair pasta according to package directions, about 7 minutes.

Ready to plate

Meanwhile, heat large skillet over medium-high heat, and saute garlic, and onion in light olive oil for 1 minute. Add the prepared broccoli rabe, sea salt, ground pepper, red pepper flakes, and 1/2-cup lemon grass broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add wine, and butter, and prepared shrimp, and parsley; let simmer; uncovered for 2 minutes (turning shrimp after 1 minute). Remove skillet from heat.

Drain angel hair pasta (reserving 1 cup of hot pasta-water, about 2 ladles); add pasta to the skillet. Add reserved pasta-water to moisten the angel hair pasta. Toss with tongs to combine, and pour the entire contents onto a serving platter, and place the warm crust bread slices along side – Enjoy!

SANDRA’S EXQUISITE CHEDDAR-CAULIFLOWER SOUP

A very delicious soup that pairs well
with most any side dish...

Servings: (4)
Prep: 5 Mins. |
Cook: 25 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets,  divided
1 large russet potato, peeled, and diced into small ¾” cubes, divided
2 ribs of celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated; plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
1-1/2 cups half and half (fat-free, if desired)
½ teaspoon worcestershire
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
Sea salt, and ground black pepper, to taste

Garnish/Serving
-- 2 tablespoons sharp cheddar cheese, grated
-- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
--Warm, toasted, and crusty loaf of bread, or BLTs as I did for serving

METHOD

In a small saucepan, steam half of the cauliflower florets, and half the potatoes in lightly salted water, just until tender, about 7 to 10 minutes, drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the rest of the florets with the potatoes, celery, garlic, onions, bay leaf, and chicken broth in a dutch oven (or heavy-bottom saucepan) to make the thickening base. Bring to boil, and lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until all vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove and toss bay leaf. Carefully purée the thickening base in a blender, food processor (or in the dutch oven with an immersion blender), and return to the stove. Add the reserved whole steamed florets to the puréed thickening base, along with the cheese, half and half, worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, thyme, turmeric, and sea salt and ground pepper, to taste. Heat gently over low heat (please do not boil). Serve hot soup, topped with a bit of shredded cheddar cheese and freshly chopped parsley, with crusty bread slices along side (or as I have with BLTs). – Enjoy!


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Tip:  This soup is just as tasty using broccoli, versus cauliflower!

SANDRA'S HEALTHY ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

A healthy and flavorful side dish 
addition to most any entree...

Servings: (4)
Prep: 10 mins. |
Cook: 30 to 40 mins.

Posted by Sandra

Please do not cut root vegetables any smaller than size noted, as they tend to shrink while roasting. Also, don’t skimp on the olive oil because you’ll end up with dried out root vegetables otherwise.

INGREDIENTS

2 carrots, peeled, and cut into 1-1/4” cubes
2 russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1-1/4” cubes
1 sweet potato, peeled, and cut into 1-1/4” cubes

Vegetables prepped for roasting

1 small butternut squash, peeled and seeded, and cut into 1-1/4” cubes
1 purple onion, peeled, and cut into 1-1/4” pieces
1/3 cup olive oil
1 small clove of garlic, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and set aside.

Toss the cut vegetables with the olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, and pepper in a large Ziploc bag, mixing to coat, and place on prepared baking sheet in a single layer (see photograph of prepped vegetables). Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until slightly caramelized and tender when poked with a paring knife – (be sure to turn vegetables midway through cooking process for even cooking).

Remove from oven, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley, and serve immediately – Enjoy!


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Tip: You can also grill these vegetables in a heatproof grilling basked (the type that has holes in it) for the same amount of cooking time.

SANDRA'S SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO FREEZE FRESH HERBS: The easy way and tips for using them later

I often find that I have an abundance of herbs at times,
and here is a quick method of freezing some of them
so you have use of your herbs year round...

Posted: by Sandra

This is so rewarding...

I often have to go to the market for just one herb while cooking a particular recipe. Further, I tend to never use all the herbs I purchase or grow, so this is the best method I found to preserve herbs is by freezing them.

Choose the best and healthiest, leaves, sprigs, or shoots of herbs: basil, parsley, thyme, chives, rosemary, etc., (See below).

Wash, and spin dry fresh herbs (or pat dry with paper towels).

Spread them out in one layer on a parchment paper (or wax paper) lined baking sheet. Flash freezing them flat and individually will prevent them from melding together later on.

Cover and place the cookie sheet of herbs into the freezer and freeze solid for a minimum of 24 hours.

Meanwhile, mark small Zip Lock bags with date/name of herb/amount/expiration date = up to 6 mos. When frozen, measure and place ¼ cup into individual bags, and to freezer.

If you freeze quite a few herbs, it may be easier to find them in your freezer if you store the individual packages of the same herb together in one large container.

[Be aware that when herbs are frozen, they become limp, lose their color and are best used in cooked foods, dressing, sauces, pesto, salsa, etc., although not as a garnish for instance.]

BASIL a natural snipped in with tomatoes; terrific in fresh pesto; other possibilities include pasta sauce, peas, zucchini, Italian toppings for brochettes

CHIVES dips, potatoes, tomatoes

CILANTRO Mexican, Asian and Caribbean cooking; salsas, tomatoes, salads, dips

DILL carrots, cottage cheese, fish, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, dips

MINT carrots, fruit salads, parsley, peas, tabouli, tea, parfaits, desserts, drinks, garnish

OREGANO peppers, tomatoes, sauces, stews

PARSLEY The curly leaf is the most common, but the flat leaf or Italian parsley is more strongly flavored and often preferred for cooking. Naturals for parsley include potato salad, tabouli, green salads, sauces, soups, and stews, to mention a few

ROSEMARY chicken, fish, lamb, pork, roasted potatoes, soups, stews, tomatoes

SAGE poultry seasoning, stuffings

TARRAGON chicken, eggs, fish, salad dressings

THYME eggs, lima beans, potatoes, poultry, summer squash, tomatoes

WINTER SAVORY dried bean dishes, stews