Basic with a Twist...

 Growing up, the most basic meal consisted of mashed

potatoes and chicken cutlets.  You can’t get any more Russian than that.  It’s simple, so good and very quick to make. When I cook, I love giving the old classics a twist.  That’s exactly what I did tonight; I added an Asian inspired rainbow slaw to the classic and instantly took it to a new level.  I found this package of salad in the supermarket last weekend and decided to give it a try.  It’s made up of shredded broccoli stems and cauliflower stems, as well as red cabbage and carrots.  The combination is refreshing with a great crunch.  I knew that this salad mix needed just a bit of cooking, so for the Asian inspired slaw I pan fried about a cup and a half it in a little olive oil then added about 2 tablespoons of my favorite Asian sesame sauce, topped it with some toasted slivered almonds, about 2 minutes total cooking time.  Mixed in with the mashed potatoes, this really gave my dish a kick.

For the chicken Cutlets:
1 lb of ground chicken
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix all together, shape into a cutlet, and pan fry.

Enjoy!!!



chicken cutlets





almonds toasting



Food on Demand: Hummus

I realize there’s nothing easier than buying a container of hummus at a supermarket, but for me, besides the pleasure I get from making my own food, I love the idea of food on demand, I can make whatever I want, whenever I want it..... 
I really like Hummus, it’s such a simple flavor, straight forward and delicious and also pretty healthy.  Basically it’s just mashed up chickpeas.  I’m very aware that middle eastern people take pride in their hummus and even talk bad about each other’s hummus as if it’s a competition on which is better,  I on the other hand am not an expert on hummus and usually go by the Sabra hummus taste in the supermarket, and occasionally at Greek or Middle eastern restaurants.  I’ve wanted to make my own hummus for a long time, just never bothered to stock Tahini in my pantry since I couldn’t think of any other use for it.  Finally a few weeks ago I got a can of Tahini and my hummus was just waiting to be made.
I got this recipe from a food blog but cant remmeber which one so I cant give it credit.  Try for yourself!!

Hummus ( I used canned chickpeas and forgot to add garlic and it still tasted great)
1-1/2 cups freshly cooked chickpeas (or a 15-ounce can)
3 to 4 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini (well-stirred)
1 medium clove garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
optional: toasted sesame seeds and smoked paprika for dusting on top
If using canned chickpeas, drain them under cold water and shake dry.  Put chickpeas, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, tahini, garlic, 2 tablespoons water, cumin and salt in a food processor and process several minutes until very smooth.  Add more lemon juice if desired and a little more water to make a smooth consistency, if necessary.  Pack into a shallow dish or spread the hummus on a large plate.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds and smoked paprika, if using.  Makes 1-1/2 cups

Cheese Tortellini with Chicken and Corn

I love recreating dishes.  Sometimes I switch out or add just one ingredient, at times its 2 or 3, the end result is always the same, I end up with something new and delicious.  That's exactly what happened tonight.  I went into the kitchen not really knowing what I was going to make, it kinda just happened. I had some corn on the cob and some Boursin cheese, perfect, I thought, I will make a delicious side dish I learned from a friend.  It involves boiling and grilling the corn and then cutting it off the cobb and mixing it in with the cheese.  The warm corn melts the cheese, a little chopped greens, parsley or dill, and you've got yourself a pretty great side dish.  So that was my starting point, only problem, there was no way I was going outside to grill corn in 20 degree weather, tonight it will have to just be boiled.  I also felt like a little cauliflower would add crunch and flavor to an already perfect salad so I added some chopped cauliflower to the boiling water at the very end.  The salad came out good, but was really missing that grill flavor, so I decided the dish will just need to be recreated. I wanted to somehow incorporate cheese tortellini and chicken into tonight's dinner, so a thought popped into my head, why not combine everything together and finish it off with some more of the cheese.  That's how I came up with tonight's spin off.  It was perfection, all the flavors married together and the cheese gave it that creaminess.  I boiled the cheese tortellini in salted water and drained it, 2 small Chicken breasts were cubed and sauteed in olive oil with salt, pepper and paprika.  Then in a new skillet I combined everything together starting with the corn, then tortellini and chicken, adding about 2 tablespoons of the cheese.  Once everything was warmed up, it was ready to serve.  Try for yourself.

corn/cauliflower and parsley with cheese



the cheese, make sure to get the garlic and herb

cheese tortellini

cubed chicken



The Perfect Sandwich...

Sadly, I must admit, this creation is not my own because I am pretty simple minded when it comes to sandwiches, but this sandwich is truly a masterpiece.  Created by my husband a few years ago, it comes from a bagel/deli place called Gaby's Gourmet in Syosset by our house.  They do such a perfect job creating this sandwich that as much as I love recreating masterpieces, this is one I don't even want to attempt.
Contents:
Everything Flat Bagel
Honey Maple Turkey- alot of it
Swiss Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
Russian Dressing
comes with coleslaw and pickle on the side
I'm not a huge fan of everything bagels/flagels, but for some reason it really works on this sandwich, perhaps its all the toppings of the flagel mixed with the turkey and Russian dressing, that make it so good.  The flagel adds the perfect crunch to this sandwich while bread would usually get soggy from the Russian dressing.  This is the ultimate sandwich and definitely worth a try!!!