Tag: onion powder

Mixed Green Salad with an Italian Vinaigrette

by Pam on September 11, 2012

I wanted to serve a salad with the Italian Chili^[1] and the Parmesan-Corn Bread Muffins^[2] so I went in search of finding a good Italian vinaigrette to toss with a simple green salad. After being inspired by several different recipes I decided to create one myself. It was simple and delicious vinaigrette tossed with the mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons, and shaved Parmesan cheese and it paired perfectly with the chili and corn bread muffins.

Combine the canola oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, sugar, oregano, basil, dried mustard, onion powder, paprika, and sea salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste, together in a small bowl. Whisk until well combined. Set aside for flavors to mingle – at least 30 minutes.

Place a mixture of romaine and mixed greens together in a bowl then top with grape tomatoes, diced cucumbers, croutons, and shaved Parmesan cheese. Drizzle the top with the Italian vinaigrette then toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Print^[3]

Mixed Green Salad with an Italian Vinaigrette

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 min.

Total Time: 10 min + 30 minutes for the flavors to mingle

Ingredients:

Italian Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup of canola oil
2 tbsp of olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp of sugar (more if desired)
1/2 tsp of dried oregano
1/2 tsp of dried basil
1/4 tsp of dried mustard
1/4 tsp of onion powder
1/4 tsp of paprika
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Mixed Green Salad:

2 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups of mixed greens
Handful of grape tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup of croutons
Shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine the canola oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, sugar, oregano, basil, dried mustard, onion powder, paprika, and sea salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste, together in a small bowl. Whisk until well combined. Set aside for flavors to mingle – at least 30 minutes.

Place a mixture of romaine and mixed greens together in a bowl then top with grape tomatoes, diced cucumbers, croutons, and shaved Parmesan cheese. Drizzle the top with the Italian vinaigrette then toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

References

^{^} Italian Chili (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Parmesan-Corn Bread Muffins (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

Incoming search terms:

Aaron’s Mexican Dry Adobo Seasoning

A fusion of Mexican and American spices – a dry rub that combines the flavors of Mexico using dried pasilla and ancho chiles, with spices commonly used in dry rubs across the American South. Make a batch and it will keep for months if stores in an airtight container.

I don’t watch much TV, but one show I am pretty addicted to is Chopped on the Food Network. I love seeing what mystery ingredients the contestants will get, and love seeing what the chefs come up with under pressure. But what really gets me watching is the judges, at times they can be a bit harsh, which makes me thankful I’m not on that show. If you watch Chopped, then you probably recognize Aaron Sanchez, chef from Centrico in NYC. This adobo recipe is from his new cookbook, Simple Food, Big Flavor^[1]. I actually quartered the recipe and it still made a lot, and used it to make a delicious pork tenderloin from his book (recipe coming next), but thought this should live on a page of it’s own.

This can be used as a run, for seasoning chili, stews, black bean soup and more.

Aaron’s Mexican Dry Adobo Seasoning
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 24 • Size: 1 teaspoon • Old Points: 0 • Weight Watcher Points+: 0 pt
Calories: 8.5 • Fat: 0.5 g • Carb: 1 g • Fiber: 0.5 g • Protein: 0 g • Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 1 mg • Cholest: 0 mg

Ingredients:

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1/2 dried pasilla chile, stemmed, seeded, deveinied and torn into small pieces
1/2 dried ancho chile, stemmed, seeded, deveinied and torn into small pieces
2 tbsp dried whole Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp sweet Spanish paprika

Directions:

Heat a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Pour in the cumin, coriander, fennel and mustard seeds along with pieces of the pasilla and ancho chiles. Toast stirring consantly until aromatic and just begins to smoke, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool on a plate.

When room temperature, grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder. Put the powder in a large bowl and combine with remaining spices; stir well to combine.

Store in an airtight container, for up to one month.

Makes about 1/2 cup.

Source: Simple Food, Big Flavor^[2]

References

^{^} Simple Food, Big Flavor (www.amazon.com)
^{^} Simple Food, Big Flavor (www.amazon.com)

Incoming search terms:

Shrimp Etouffee – Desperate Times Call for Delicious Measures

I won’t go into the sordid details of how I came into possession of substandard shrimp, but it did afford me the opportunity to demo a few tips in this shrimp etouffee video, just in case you ever find yourself in the same boat.

I have absolutely no problem with frozen shrimp, which is a good thing, since that’s the only kind you can buy; but when making recipes like this, I prefer a larger size, and definitely with shells on.

Making a rich shrimp stock from the sautéed shells is one of the secrets to a great etouffee, but besides loss of flavor, I find smaller, already-peeled shrimp retain much more water, which leaks out when cooked; thinning and weakening every sauce in their wake.

A little sear can release a lot of this excess liquid, which can then be reduced in the sauce. This also makes the final moments of the dish pretty easy, as these small shrimp only take a few minutes to cook through.

Of course, if you do buy some nice 16-20’s (jumbo-sized), go ahead and make the stock (see technique here), and give the shrimp a nice pan-sear first before finishing the recipe as shown. With Mardi Gras coming up soon, you have the perfect excuse to give this delicious recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 4 large portions:

Spice Blend (everything is “to taste”):

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp paprika

Then:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 pounds peeled and deveined raw shrimp, seasoned with 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp of the spice blend

3 tbsp butter

1/3 cup diced onions

1/3 cup celery, sliced thin

1/3 cup diced green pepper, sweet or hot
remaining spice blend

2 generous tbsp flour

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock (including shrimp juices added in)

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

hot sauce to taste

salt to taste

1/4 cup sliced green onions

4 portions cooked white rice