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Archive for June, 2010

Sunday Tuna Salad

Posted in Lunch, Salad, Seafood, Side dish, tagged , , , , on June 29, 2010| 5 Comments »

Sunday Tuna Salad

Joe and I often have Tuna Salad for lunch on Sundays and this is my favorite tuna version. I find that the lemon juice and capers compliment the tuna so well and the russian dressing gives a little extra “zing”. It can be a little difficult to locate a russian dressing but Ken’s Steakhouse Dressing has a really good one. This makes approximately 2-3 servings depending on your appetite. 

Ingredients:

6.4 oz package of Albacore Tuna in water

1/2 medium lemon, juiced

2 tbsp mayo

1 tbsp russian dressing

2 tsp capers

kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Drain water from tuna and place in small bowl. Add juice of 1/2 lemon, mayonnaise, russian dressing, capers. Add salt to taste starting with a pinch of salt. Mix well with a fork and serve immediately or place in refrigerator to chill.

Sunday Tuna Salad

Source: Gitte at My Danish Kitchen

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Koldskål

Posted in Breakfast, Danish, Dessert, Quick and Easy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on June 25, 2010| 21 Comments »

Danish Koldskål

Danish Koldskål

This is a traditional Danish dish served in the summertime. I recall having this either as a dessert, breakfast or even as a light dinner on a warm summer evening. I don’t think my husband and son would easily accept this as a dinner dish…. what, where is the meat 🙂 ….but I actually think this makes a perfect dinner because it’s so refreshing and light, especially in 90 degree weather. Some make this with eggs but I prefer to leave them out. You can also add vanilla sugar and lemon for added flavor. Buttermilk has a tangy flavor which is offset by the sugar. It has high levels of lactic acid which makes it’s easily digested and increases the absorption of calcium. Serve this refreshing dish cold with your choice of topping.

Koldskål ingredients

Koldskål ingredients

Koldskål – 3 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

3 – 4 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Whip buttermilk, yogurt and sugar together. Serve very cold with a topping of your choice.

Toppings:

Kammerjunker – sweet cookies typically served with Koldskål

fresh fruit (sliced strawberries, raspberries, peaches)

biscotti

toasted oatmeal (toast on pan; 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1-2 tbsp butter, sliced almonds or hazelnuts, careful not to burn)

tvebakker – twice baked cookies popular during WWII

Koldskål

Koldskål

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Honeydew-Kiwi Smoothie

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Lunch, Smoothie, tagged , , , on June 21, 2010| 8 Comments »

Honeydew-Kiwi Smoothie

This smoothie is a little tart and acidic but very refreshing. Kiwi is one of my favorite fruits. It tastes a little like a cross between banana and pineapple. If you don’t do well with the seeds from the kiwi, run smoothie through a fine mesh sieve before enjoying. The original recipe called for mint but since I am not really a mint lover it was an easy decision to leave it out. I hope you enjoy this.

Lets blend

Ingredients:

2 cups honeydew melon, seeded (cut into 1-inch cubes)

1 1/4 cups kiwi, peeled (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

2 cups ice cubes

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Serve cold.

Honeydew-Kiwi

Source: adapted from Bon Appetit

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Restaurant Style Salsa

Posted in Appetizers, Condiments, Mexican, tagged , , on June 18, 2010| 2 Comments »

    

Restaurant Style Salsa

I finally decided to make a homemade Salsa, like the one you get at a restaurant. The one that there’s no stopping once you get started, the mouth-watering one, the spicy one, the one they bring you refills on which you gladly accept. Yep, that’s the one ! This is Ree Drummond’s recipe and she hit it right on. I was a little afraid of how spicy it would turn out so I did not include the jalapeno seeds and that made it “mild”. The next time  I was more adventures and included all the seeds and that gave it a little heat. This salsa is fresh and simply put “delicioso”.  

Salsa Ingredients

Ingredients:   

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes (San Marzano)   

2 cans (10 oz) Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)    

1/4 cup chopped onion   

1 clove garlic, minced   

1 whole jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin   

1/4 tsp sugar   

1/4 tsp salt   

1/4 tsp ground cumin   

1/2 cup cilantro   

juice from 1/2 Lime   

Directions:   

Combine tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get desired consistency. Test seasoning with some Tortilla chips and adjust as needed. Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with your favorite Tortilla chips.   

Pulse away

   

Source: Pioneer Woman Cooks   

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Lettuce Wraps

Posted in Appetizers, Asian, Chicken, Side dish, tagged , , , , on June 15, 2010| 6 Comments »

Lettuce Wrap

Lettuce Wrap

Lettuce Wraps are so popular these days and I can see why. These Wraps are not exactly like the ones that you get at that famous China Bistro everyone is flocking to (me included, if I can persuade my husband), but they are pretty darn close. Once you get all the specialty ingredients together they are a breeze to make. A couple of  things though, next time I would double the sauce portion. I would have liked the filling to be a little more moist. Also I used Iceberg lettuce simply because I couldn’t find Boston lettuce, I use ground chicken and I choose to use red bell pepper and peas which gave the filling a nice splash of color. I served the Lettuce Wraps with the leftover Chinese Dumplings I made earlier (which froze really well).

Lettuce Wraps Ingredients

Ingredients:

For the Sauce: (for a more moist filling you may want to double the sauce portion)

1 1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce

2 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce

freshly ground black pepper

For the Filling:

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 stalks scallions (green onions)

1 pound ground turkey or chicken

2 cups mixed vegetables (frozen pea/carrots, finely diced bell peppers, etc.)

1/2 green apple, finely diced

Wrap:

1 head Boston  lettuce, leaves washed and separated

Directions:

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

To make the filling, heat wok or large frying pan on high heat with cooking oil. When oil is hot, add scallions, ginger and garlic and fry a few seconds until fragrant. Add ground turkey or chicken and fry until almost cooked through. Add the vegetables and cook 1 minute. Add sauce ingredients. Let simmer for 1 minute to thicken slightly.

Add the apples. Toss to coat. immediately remove from heat. You don’t want to “cook” the apples, keep them nice and crunchy. Serve in lettuce leaves.

Lettuce Wraps

Source: adapted from Steamy Kitchen

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Mango-Banana Smoothie

Posted in Smoothie, tagged , , , on June 11, 2010| 5 Comments »

  

Mango Banana Smoothie

Smoothies, so versatile. Cool, filling, fruity, healthy….impossible to resist. You can have whatever flavor your heart desires, granted that you’re able to locate the desired fruit at your local grocery store.  Mango’s are loaded with vitamin C and A as well as Potassium. It is aromatic, juicy and has a fibrous flesh.  A Mango can be a little tricky to cut up because of the large flat stone in the middle and so if you need a little advice on how to cut up a mango here  is a link with 3 different ways to slice and dice it.   

Ingredients:   

1/2 banana  

2 cups freshly chopped mango (approx 2 mango’s)  

1 cup orange juice  

3 tablespoon vanilla yogurt  

Optional: 1/4 cup uncooked oats (not instant)  

   

Mango Ingredients

Directions:   

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high-speed until smooth. If you choose to use the optional uncooked oats it may come out a little on the thick side, if you wish to thin it out just add some more orange juice.  

Source: adapted from Savory Sweet Life  

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Gulerodsalat – Carrot Salad

Posted in Danish, Salad, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 7, 2010| 6 Comments »

Danish Gulerodsalat

Danish Gulerodsalat

Danish Gulerodsalat (Carrot Salad) is very popular in Denmark and it’s so easy to make, it only has four ingredients. It’s a refreshing, crunchy, sweet and sour….and as an added bonus, guess what, it’s good for you. If you’re not keen on lemon you can use an orange instead, but I like the little bite that lemon gives you. Enjoy this as a side dish, for lunch or as a snack. Serve cold.

Gulerodsalat (Carrot Salad)

Ingredients:

5 carrots

1 lemon

1 to 2 tsp sugar

1/4 to 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Peel and grate carrots using a box grater or food processor. Place in a small bowl and add the juice of 1 medium lemon. Add sugar to taste. Start with 1 tsp sugar and add more if you prefer the salad a little sweeter. Finally add the raisins, I used Golden raisins but regular raisins would actually add a little more contrast against the orange carrot color. Place in refrigerator to chill for at least 1/2 hour.

Source: Adapted from maduniverset.dk

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Irish Soda Bread

Posted in Bread, tagged , , , , on June 3, 2010| 5 Comments »

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

Sometimes my local grocery store have samples of Irish Soda Bread and I may be making a couple of passes by the baked goods section for a taste. So I have been eyeballing this Irish Soda Bread recipe for quite some time and I finally decided “this is it, today is the day” to make THE BREAD. The bread is delicious and so easy to make. It does feel a little odd that the dough is so wet but it cooked up perfectly. To me this bread is a little more like a cake. It is slightly sweet with a hint of orange flavor. I couldn’t find currants so I used dried cherries instead and that worked out great. Try it, you’ll like it.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp grated orange zest

1 cup dried currants or dried cherries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electrical mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low-speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low-speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour. Combine the currants (or cherries) with 1 tbsp flour and mix into the dough. The dough will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it a few times into a loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. When you tap on the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

Source: Barefoot Contessa at Home

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