Four Common Ingredient Substitutes

It's happened to all of us. We get home from the grocery store and realize a couple of key ingredients for our fabulous dinner party were forgotten at the store. I'm here to help. I sometimes use these easy breezy ingredient substitutes instead of going back to the store, and they work great!

1. For 1 tsp lemon juice:  use 1 tsp lime juice or 1/2 tsp vinegar or 1 tsp white wine
2. For 1/3 cup soy sauce:  use 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce mixed with 1 tbsp water
3. For 1 tsp vinegar:  use 1 tsp lemon or lime juice or 2 tsp white wine
4. For 1 cup of wine:  use 1 cup water or 1 cup chicken broth or 1 cup fruit juice mixed with 2 tsp vinegar 

• tsp=teaspoon
• tbsp=tablespoon

Lower Fat Dairy

I think these are great tips and easy to implement into your daily cooking and baking routine.  Both fat free and low fat sour cream, yogurt, and milk are used on a regular basis in the lizzycooks kitchen.

In baking, use plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt or fat-free or low-fat sour cream.  Another way to decrease the amount of fat and calories in your recipes is to use fat-free milk or 1% milk instead of whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk. For extra richness, try fat-free half-and-half or evaporated skim milk.
-American Heart Association

Paella with Shrimp & Scallops

Pi-A-Yuh. Main course rice dish. Spanish in origin. Never had it? Then go get your paella on; you'll wonder how you've made it this far without it.  While you're at it, pop open a bottle of white wine and pour.

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb sea scallops (the big ones)

6 cups chicken broth

¼ teaspoon saffron

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

½ cup dry white wine (from the bottle you opened--only cook with what you'd drink)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 red peppers, chopped

2 shallots, diced

1 cup leeks, chopped

3 cups arborio rice
salt

Salt the shrimp and scallops and set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat to a simmer the broth, saffron, paprika, wine, and lemon juice.

In a paella pan (or large pot or Dutch oven), heat the oil and sauté the red pepper until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the shallots and leeks and sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Add the rice to the vegetables and stir to coat.

Add the heated broth mixture to the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to thicken, about 12-15 minutes.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Add the shrimp and scallops to the pot.  Pour the mixture into a paella pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil.  Place the pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes, uncovered.

Remove the pan and cover with foil for 5-10 minutes.  Makes about 6 servings.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

What's even better than baked stuffed green peppers? This soup! Perfect for those of you who like a thick, hearty, soup involving no onions or garlic--like my friend Mike who generously shared this recipe and photo. I'll be shaking a lot of Tabasco over my bowl.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
4 cups water
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2-2 cups cooked long grain rice
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/8 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules

In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until peppers are tender. 

Margaritas!

This is my GO TO margarita recipe--cheers!  

In blender, put 4 shots tequila and 1 shot triple sec. Add one can of frozen limeade and then fill the empty can with water and add the water to the blender, too. Fill the blender with ice and go to town until you get to your desired consistency. Pour into your favorite glasses--some people like salted glass rims and some don't. And some people like their margaritas on the rocks, so you can shake these up if you don't have a blender.

PS You simply must be listening to Jimmy Buffett while drinking these!

Mom's Chicken Soup

After a brief hiatus due to being crazy busy at work, lizzycooks is back. And, I'm happy to open 2013 by showcasing my Mom's chicken soup recipe!  There's not much better than Mom's chicken soup, am I right?

I prefer to use chicken breasts as opposed to a whole chicken, and prefer the crock pot for this easy recipe.  When the soup cools a bit, you can pour it into smaller lunch-size containers and freeze them individually.  Grab one out of the freezer on the way to work in the morning and you've got a quick, warm, and nourishing lunch.

1 whole chicken or 2 chicken breasts, raw
1 container of chicken broth
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
2 raw potatoes, cubed
1 cup raw carrots or any other veggies such as cabbage, mushrooms, etc.
1 cup celery including leaf tips, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped or more according to your taste
1 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Add about 5 peppercorns, if desired.

Put all ingredients into a crock pot or pot on stove, adding meat first. Let come to boil and then simmer for about two hours if on stove. If in crock pot, cook on high for about 3 hours. Add parsley, thyme, and marjoram about 15 minutes before soup is done. Use fresh parsley if you have it. You can add cooked leftover rice, spaghetti, couscous, barley, etc. at the end too. Season to your taste, and throw a sprig of fresh rosemary on the bowl to be cool.

Pancakes-Dairy & Gluten Free

Food is part of the workplace. People lunch together, bring homemade goodies, eat meals, talk about food, and swap recipes. I got this recipe from coworker who brought these really yummy pancakes to a recent breakfast meeting. Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
3 tablespoons non-butter spread, melted
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Melt the butter in a small bowl, and add the coconut milk, egg, and vanilla. Mix together before adding to the dry ingredients.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown (golden brown is a beautiful color) on both sides and serve hot.

Boeuf Bourguignon-First Attempt

Boeuf bourguignon. A delectable, glossy, rich, meat-wine-vegetable creation, full of umami. All of this magic happens after a long cooking process. This is one of Julia Child's classic creations and her recipe. I consider it high brow comfort food. It was a fun foodie experience to make this dish and I enjoyed every minute of it. I also watched the movie Julie & Julia twice while making it. After you create this dish your kitchen will smell like it should when Sunday dinner is served. 

 

Here's the recipe: https://lizzycooksblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/julia-childs-classic-boeuf-bourguignon.html

When I made it I made slight modifications. I used white onion chunks instead of the small onions, regular (non-chunk) bacon, and Burgundy wine. 

Write me anytime with comments. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I did. Bon Appetit!

Boeuf Bourguignon: A Julia Child Classic

With thoughts of Julia on her birthday...

"As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated".

Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish but you can also serve it with buttered noodles or steamed rice. Serve with Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.

                                                                                                   
9-10 inch, fireproof casserole dish, 3 inches deep

Slotted spoon

6 ounces bacon

1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil

3 pounds lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes

1 sliced carrot

1 sliced onion

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. flour

3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti

2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/2 tsp. thyme

Crumbled bay leaf

Blanched bacon rind

18-24 small white onions , brown-braised in stock

1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms, sautéed in butter

Parsley sprigs

Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

For later serving: when cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15-20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Copyright © 1961, 1983, 2001 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted by arrangement with the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

-Oprah.com

Kick-Ass Summer Sangria

Sangria, the ultimate summer cocktail. It originated in Spain and Portugal. I love sangria but have never made it at home. The great thing about sangria is that you can add just about any type of fruit you want. A friend and fellow foodie gave me this recipe recently so I decided to try homemade sangria. This pretty liquid is refreshing, delicious, and has a kiiiiick! You can add club soda or ginger ale if you like a bit of bubbly in your sangria.

1 bottle of dry red wine, chilled
1-2 cups brandy (depending on the week you've had)
1/2 cup sugar
Ice
2 limes, sliced into rounds
2 oranges, sliced into rounds

Put the wine, brandy, and sugar into a large glass pitcher. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Slide in the ice, add the fruit, and stir again. Serve in tall glasses with non-plastic straws. Cheers!