Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
I had the family over for Sunday supper this week. We had grilled chicken and a variety of salads along with some garlic bread sticks and roasted asparagus. My sister brought a sugar free apple pie for dessert. It was just nice to get together here at my place as a family. Usually we go to my sister's!
Like always, however, I did cook too much and found myself with some leftovers that I needed to use up. Today I thought I would make myself a delicious Dinner salad! Salad for dinner is a good thing, and this is the start of salad season after all!
WHAT IS A DINNER SALAD
The simple answer is a main dish salad that is hearty and filling. A salad that won't leave you hungry and wanting more!
Dinner salads are usually composed of a delicious mix of salad greens, a variety of crisp vegetables, as well as a protein of some sort. You can make them all vegetarian, or you can add proteins such as cheese, meat, fish or poultry.
They usually also include a delicious dressing that is drizzled over top, and some croutons always go well sprinkled on top.
I had some chicken leftover from yesterday and I also made good use of the soft bread sticks that were leftover to make some croutons. I also was able to use the last of the Boursin cheese that I had in the refrigerator.
I combined that with a few other bits and pieces and some crisp lettuce and I had a salad that was incredibly delicious and substantial.
A touch of Dijon mustard, olive oil, some seasonings, a bit of honey . . . garlic. It was lush and delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A DINNER SALAD
There is nothing written in stone. Here is what I used and what worked well together.
- 2 cups coarsely chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce
- 2 pieces of boneless, skinless grilled chicken (about 1 cup, cubed)
- 1 3-inch piece of English cucumber, peeled and cubed
- 6 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 small ripe avocado, cubed
- 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1/4 of a red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (60g) cubed cheese of some sort, pick your favorite
- crisp croutons to sprinkle
Of course any salad is only as good as its dressing and this is what you will need for this one. Its fabulous.
For the dressing:
- 3 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or one small clove, peeled and minced)
- 1 tsp good Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp liquid honey
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
You don't need to use chicken. Steak or roast pork, leftover ham, lamb, or turkey. You can even use leftover cooked fish. Salmon is particularly good.
If you don't have leftovers, then use cubed deli-meats. Tinned salmon and tuna broken into bite sized chunks are also very nice.
Any cheese goes! You want something nice and creamy and rich in flavor. Today I used Boursin, but goats cheese is lovely as is a nice creamy cheddar. Blue cheese goes especially nice with beef.
Boiled egg is a lovely addition. The yolk from the egg almost emulsifies with the dressing as you are eating it. Loads of crunch from the vegetables. Cucumber is nice, as is celery, hearts of palm, radishes, etc.
I added some halved cherry tomatoes, but any diced tomato would do, and chopped peppers are also nice, raw or even roasted.
Just use what you have! Just make sure all of your vegetables are lovely and fresh and crisp. You might be surprised at the delicious combinations you can come up with!
HOW TO MAKE A DINNER SALAD
It might seem silly to some for me to explain this, but there are some people who do need a bit of direction and there is nothing wrong with that! I'm always here to help!!
First make the dressing. Measure the mustard into a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, one tablespoonful at a time. Whisk in the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley flakes. Set aside.
Divide the chopped lettuce between two pasta bowls.
Top each bowl of lettuce with the egg, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, chicken, and cheese, placing each ingredient on top in an enticing manner, and dividing them equally. Sprinkle the chopped onion and croutons on top of each.
Give your dressing a final whisk and drizzle half over each salad. Serve immediately.
This made for a really hearty and filling supper. I was quite happy with it and felt good that I was eating something healthy as well as using up my leftovers!
We won't talk about the piece of apple pie I finished off with. 😁 It was also very good, and sugar free, so I don't feel too awfully bad about it.
Some other salads here in my English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:
SALAD COMPOSE - Very French with crisp salad leaves, boiled egg, sweet plum tomatoes, crisp salty bacon and buttery crisp garlic baguette croutons. Finished off with a beautiful sherry vinegar vinaigrette dressing!
STEAK MUSHROOM AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD - Perfectly cooked grilled medium rare pieces of steak, combined with tasty rich sauteed mushrooms, capers, creamy tangy blue cheese all tossed together with a rich sherry and honey vinaigrette dressing. Delicious!
LOW FAT CHICKEN TACO SALAD - A mix of salad greens, black beans, corn, peppers, black olives, along with crispy chicken strips combined with a low fat creamy spicy dressing and some baked tortilla crisps on top. Fabulously tasty!
Dinner Salad
Yield: 2
Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min
With the warmer temperatures some nights we enjoy a delicious salad for our dinner. This is one really fabulous version, with plenty of crunch, protein and a killer honey mustard vinaigrette dressing. Sized perfectly for two. Its also a great way to use up any bits and bobs you might have in the refrigerator that need using up!
Ingredients
- 2 cups coarsely chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce
- 2 pieces of boneless, skinless grilled chicken (about 1 cup, cubed)
- 1 3-inch piece of English cucumber, peeled and cubed
- 6 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 small ripe avocado, cubed
- 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1/4 of a red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (60g) cubed cheese of some sort, pick your favorite
- crisp croutons to sprinkle
For the dressing:
- 3 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or one small clove, peeled and minced)
- 1 tsp good Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp liquid honey
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
Instructions
- First make the dressing. Measure the mustard into a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, one tablespoonful at a time. Whisk in the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley flakes. Set aside.
- Divide the chopped lettuce between two pasta bowls.
- Top each bowl of lettuce with the egg, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, chicken, and cheese, placing each ingredient on top in an enticing manner, and dividing them equally. Sprinkle the chopped onion and croutons on top of each.
- Give your dressing a final whisk and drizzle half over each salad. Serve immediately.
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HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CROUTONS
I found myself with some leftover garlic bread sticks after the weekend. I think it was a bit of a stretch for the maker to call them bread sticks, as they were more like hot dog buns brushed with a bit of garlic butter. Anyways, I had some leftover and I used about six of them to make homemade croutons.
Making your own homemade croutons for salads and soups is really easy, and (you will discover) much more delicious than any ready-made variety!
All you need is a quantity of somewhat stale bread or rolls. Cut them into 1/2 inch cubes with a serrated knife and place them onto a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6.
Spread the bread cubes out into a single layer on a lipped baking sheet. Give them a good spritz with some olive oil spray. I find the spray the best thing to use because it allows you to evenly coat the bread pieces, whereas if you use just oil, it soaks into some and misses others.
Toss together with your hands along with some of your favorite seasonings. I used 1 tsp of garlic Italian seasoning today. But you can use any combination of herbs or seasonings you enjoy.
Toast them in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring them every 5 minutes or so, until crisp and golden brown.
Store in an airtight container. They will keep for a few weeks or even longer depending on how crisp you get them. Great sprinkled over salads or soups!
Thank you so much for visiting! Do come again!
It is not often when we think of Pot Roasting that we think of pot roasting a whole chicken. Usually, we will pot roast a joint of beef or pork, or even lamb, but not chicken, and I wonder why that is.
We are not averse to stewing chicken pieces, or fricasseeing them, but it hardly ever seems that we will do a whole chicken. Its a shame really because the end result is always tender moist and delicious.
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
True, we will not get the crisp skin which is usually associated with a roast chicken, but we aren't really supposed to be eating the skin anyways. What you sacrifice in flavor from a sticky crisp skin, you more than make up for in flavor with a perfectly cooked moist and delicious chicken!
This also smells delicious while it is cooking and the gravy you end up with is more than to die for! This has to be one of my favorite ways of preparing a whole chicken. I guarantee you will fall in love with it also!
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE POT ROASTED CHICKEN
You may think that some the ingredients are a bit unusual but trust me when I say they totally work!
- 1 TBS sunflower oil
- 1 medium sized roasting chicken (about 4 pounds in weight)
- 6 ounces (175g) bacon lardons or chopped thick sliced bacon
- 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 8 small cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 fresh sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
- 1 cup (240ml) of good quality apple cider
- 2/3 cup (180ml) of good quality chicken stock
- 4 small eating apples
- 3 1/2 TBS butter, softened, divided
- 2 tsp sugar
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 1/2 TBS plain all-purpose flour
- 2 TBS heavy cream
- 1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
You will want to use the best chicken that you can afford to buy. I often stock up on air chilled organic chickens when they are on offer. I will buy several and freeze them. I like the "free from" chickens which have not been fed antibiotics.
Having said that however, just buy the best that you can afford to purchase.
By eating apples, I mean an apple that is one which you enjoy eating out of hand. Not a cooking apple. I like Pink Ladies myself, but a golden or red delicious apple also works very well. You really just want a sweet eating apple that you would really enjoy eating on its own.
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
By apple cider you can use either hard cider or apple cider that has not turned. A sparkling apple juice, or a cloudy apple juice. All work well.
I don't drink alcohol so never have it in the house really, so I just use a good cloudy refrigerated stye of apple juice, or fresh apple juice as it is also called. Don't worry it won't make the dish too sweet and actually works very well with all of the remaining ingredients to make a really delicious gravy!
The recipe calls for bacon lardons which is just cubed thick slice streaky bacon. If you cannot get that, just use regular streaky bacon, thick cut, if possible, chopped.
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
It may sound complicated, but it's really a very simple dish. If anyone knows me, they know I don't do complicated if I can possibly help it.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Place the oil into a small flameproof casserole or roaster (with a lid) which is large enough to fit the chicken snugly.
Pat your chicken dry and season inside and out with some salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in the casserole and then brown the chicken in the heated oil on all sides. Once it is browned all over, remove to a plate and set aside.
Add the bacon to the casserole and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until golden brown. Toss in the onions. Cook and stir for a few minutes longer until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, for several minutes longer. Add the cider.
Cook over high heat at a vigorous boil until the liquid has reduced by two thirds. Place the chicken back into the casserole. Pour in the stock. Cover with a layer of aluminum foil and then place the lid snugly on top. Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour. (The juices should run clear.)
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
While the chicken is cooking, peel, core and quarter the apples.
Melt half of the butter in a skillet. Add the apples and fry them for a few minutes until they start to brown. Turn the slices over and sprinkle with the sugar and nutmeg. Continue to cook for several minutes longer until they are nicely golden and tender. Remove from the heat and set aside. Keep warm
When the chicken is cooked through and tender, lift it out onto a large platter. Cover tightly with foil and leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
Put the flameproof casserole over medium heat and simmer until the cooking juices are reduced and full of lovely flavors.
Rub the remaining butter and the flour together. Drop this into the reduced chicken juices, whisking constantly, simmering until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken. Whisk in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with additional salt and black pepper. Stir in the parsley and the apple.
Carve the chicken and serve on heated plates with some of that delicious sauce spooned over top.
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
Just look at that gorgeous sauce and tender chicken . . . with its chunks of sweet apple, bits of bacon. This is a creamy and unctuously wonderful combination that is incredibly pleasing.
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
Pot roasting chicken not your thing? Perhaps you would enjoy these other roast chicken dishes:
BUNDT PAN ROAST CHICKEN - A whole chicken is roasted upturned on the stem of a Bundt pan, over some vegetables. The chicken bastes itself while it is roasting along with the vegetables, The end result being tender juicy chicken along with some incredibly delicious sticky roasted vegetables.
GRANDMOTHER'S ROAST CHICKEN & GRAVY - This roast chicken recipe is really a good one. It differs only slightly from my usual one. I do normally use lemon and thyme for my roast chickens, and plenty of butter, but I have also used garlic in the past. This recipe uses chopped lemon thyme. If you can't get that, then add a bit of finely grated lemon zest to the chopped thyme. A whole lemon is quartered and put into the cavity which helps to create even more flavor and moistness. Crisp skin. Tender meat. Delicious gravy, just what you would expect from Grandma!
Yield: 4
Pot Roasted Chicken
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 MTotal time: 1 H & 30 M
Ingredients
- 1 TBS sunflower oil
- 1 medium sized roasting chicken (about 4 pounds in weight)
- 6 ounces (175g) bacon lardons or chopped thick sliced bacon
- 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 8 small cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 fresh sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
- 1 cup (240ml) of good quality apple cider
- 2/3 cup (180ml) of good quality chicken stock
- 4 small eating apples
- 3 1/2 TBS butter, softened, divided
- 2 tsp sugar
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 1/2 TBS plain all-purpose flour
- 2 TBS heavy cream
- 1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Place the oil into a small flameproof casserole or roaster (with a lid) which is large enough to fit the chicken snugly.
- Pat your chicken dry and season inside and out with some salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in the casserole and then brown the chicken in the heated oil on all sides. Once it is browned all over, remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add the bacon to the casserole and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until golden brown. Toss in the onions. Cook and stir for a few minutes longer until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, for several minutes longer. Add the cider.
- Cook over high heat at a vigorous boil until the liquid has reduced by two thirds. Place the chicken back into the casserole. Pour in the stock. Cover with a layer of aluminum foil and then place the lid snugly on top. Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
- While the chicken is cooking, peel, core and quarter the apples.
- Melt half of the butter in a skillet. Add the apples and fry them for a few minutes until they start to brown. Turn the slices over and sprinkle with the sugar and nutmeg. Continue to cook for several minutes longer until they are nicely golden and tender. Remove from the heat and set aside. Keep warm
- When the chicken is cooked through and tender, lift it out onto a large platter. Cover tightly with foil and leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
- Put the flameproof casserole over medium heat and simmer until the cooking juices are reduced and full of lovely flavors.
- Rub the remaining butter and the flour together. Drop this into the reduced chicken juices, whisking constantly, simmering until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken. Whisk in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with additional salt and black pepper. Stir in the parsley and the apple.
- Carve the chicken and serve on heated plates with some of that delicious sauce spooned over top.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Colemans, the mustard people, recently launched an innovative Instant Gravy Paste range consisting of Beef, Chicken and Onion flavours. I was sent a few tubes to try out.
Colman’s Instant Gravy Paste comes in a new tube paste format which has been designed to be both quick and easy to use, allowing customers to make homemade gravy in an instant.
Having used Gravy Powders in the past it was an opportunity for me to try something new. The Toddster is a real gravy man and there is nothing he likes more with his spuds and meat pies than a tasty gravy.
We had some today with plain old Bangers and Mash, the Toddster's favourite meal and I have to say I was very impressed with the ease of use. I just squirted two teaspoons of the paste into a measuring jub and then added boiling water, which I vigourously whisked in using my trusty little whisk. There was no messy powder, or bits that clung in the corners of the jug, and within 30 seconds or so I had a delicious thick and glossy gravy that went very well with our dinner.
I say . . . move over Bisto, there's a new Kid in town and he's out to impress! Coleman's Instant Gravy Paste comes in three delicious flavours, Beef, Chicken and Onion. Beef and chicken are made with real meat juices, and the onion flavour uses real roasted onions.
Just perfect to serve with a multitude of dishes . . . here's a few suggestions to get your tastebuds tingling!
Roast Chicken Pie
Brussel Sprouts and Mushroom Ragout with Herby Dumplings
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder
Roast Pork with Crispy Cracklin
Maybe a Pork and Roots Tray Bake with an Apple Relish.
Perfectly Cooked Roast Beef.
Mini Meatloaves and Mash.
Meatballs and Gravy
Sausage and Bacon Toad in the Hole
Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken
Pot Roasted Chicken
The Whole Christmas Feast (or even Thanksgiving!)
Hope this wets your whistle for some good eats and that you will give the Coleman's Gravy Paste a try. It is nice to make gravy from scratch of course, and nothing tastes better than homemade, but if you are looking for a delicious and quick, almost instant low fat and natural alternative, Coleman's Gravy Paste is just the ticket!
Many thanks to the people at Coleman's and Anya for having sent me some to try. (Psst! It also uses up next to no room in the kitchen cupboard, unlike those bulky jars and boxes. That's a real bonus for me and my tiddly kitchen!)
The new Coleman's Beef Gravy Paste Advert. Cute
And cooking in The Cottage today, a delicious French Canadian Tortiere.
So here we are at Boxing Day. Christmas . . . takes forever to arrive and then it is gone in a flash. Trusting you all have a Merry one, with lots of yummy goodies and family, friends and love the whole day through. My dinner pretty much tasted like cardboard, with this rotten cold I have had . . . but I can breathe this morning so things are definitely on the upturn!
Best part of yesterday was watching the grand-kiddos open their pressies on the ipad. What a marvelous invention that is. Just brilliant. I wish that I could do that with all my grand babies, but alas . . . only one son with kids has an ipad. C'est la vie!
To my way of thinking the best part of any roast dinner, Christmas or otherwise . . . is dealing with the inevitable leftovers. I like to come up with different things to do with them . . . of course there is turkey curry and turkey pie, turkey casserole and the like . . . there is no end to the deliciousness that you can achieve with the leftovers.
This is a delicious rice dish that you can either cook fresh rice for or use pre-cooked packaged rice for. You can serve it along side of your turkey curry or whatever . . . or you can add bits of your leftover roast turkey and ham to it and turn it into a main dish. Whatever you choose to do I think you will find that it's easy, delicious and . . . quite different.
Today we're having roast ham with all of the trimmings as the Missionaries are coming over. I do love to spoil them. Whatever you are having today . . . I hope you enjoy. Happy Boxing Day.
*Curried Cranberry and Pistachio Rice*
Serves 6 as a tasty side dish
Printable Recipe
This recipe is great to use with freshly cooked rice or leftover cooked rice. You can also add chopped leftover chicken, ham, pork, turkey or lamb for even more deliciousness.
5 cups of cooked basamati rice
2 TBS coconut oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp dried thyme
a knob of butter
2 TBS medium curry powder
2 tsp soy sauce
2 TBS chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan.over medium low heat. Add the pistachio nuts and cook, stirring until they begin to toast. Add the butter, thyme, garlic and curry powder. Cook until the mixture becomes very fragrant. Add the chicken broth, soy sauce and the rice. Stir well to combine, adding more broth if necessary to keep the rice moist. Cook over medium high heat until heated through and the rice is hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the cranberries. Remove from the heat and serve.
By the way, I've had a couple of comments lately that were quite negative. One complaining that my Boulangere Potatoes were horrible and another saying the same thing about my Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. This is my reply . . . Cooking is subjective and variable. I simply cook what I think are good recipes and sound recipes and I show you MY results. I invite you to try them out yourself. I am not responsible for what happens in your kitchen, with your equipment, your cooking methods, or for your own personal tastes. I simply show you my own experience and if it's a bad one, I will tell you . . . if it's a good one, likewise. I apologize if you haven't had the same experience, but that is life. We all see things from our own eyes. I take pictures and I am not the best photographer in the world. I just click and shoot. The things I make look tasty because they are tasty. I can't help it if you don't agree. Taste is subjective too. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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