Grandma Margie's Potato Salad

For pretty much every occasion, my Grandma Margie made potato salad -- A LOT of potato salad.
Her recipe was mostly of the "little bit of this" "not too much of that" variety, but I've gotten it into measured amounts, but kept her advice in the directions...for a large crowd.

In terms of mayonnaisey potato salads, Grandma Margie's is the only one I will eat. True story.

yield: A LOT OF POTATO SALAD

ingredients
5lbs potatoes
1 medium onion (or a bunch of green onions), diced
6 pieces celery, chopped
5 hard boiled eggs, cooled & chopped
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tbs vinegar
64oz mayonnaise (I use Duke's, Grandma used Hellman's)

directions

1. Boil potatoes in skins until done (but not falling apart).
2. Slice potatoes (but not too thin).
3. Add celery, onions, eggs, and parsley in a big bowl. Mix together.
4. Add half of the mayo and mix thoroughly.
5. Sprinkle in vinegar and add the other half of the mayo until evenly coated.
6. Mix until salad tastes right and isn't too dry.
7. Enjoy!

Drunken Noodles in Cashew-Shiitake Broth

I have a stack of recipes that I've ripped out of magazines over the years and I decided that starting this week I'd begin to make a dent in them.
This particular one is from page 110 in the April 2012 issue of Shape magazine.
I had never had drunken noodles before, and while the recipe called for jalapeño and cayenne pepper I subbed in some sriracha. This soup was great, a little hard to eat without chopsticks but I made due with a fork and drinking the broth after I was finished!

yield: 4 servings

ingredients
6oz udon noodles
1/4C cashews
2 tbs olive oil
5oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
1 tsp Sriracha
5C vegetable broth
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
sea salt
4 tsp chopped fresh cilantro

directions

1. Cook udon noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.
2. Toast cashews in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant.
3. Remove cashews from heat and chop roughly.
4. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
5. Add mushrooms and scallions, cook for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are soft.
6. Mix in garlic, ginger, Sriracha and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add broth to the mushroom mixture and bring to a boil.
8. Add noodles, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
9. Turn off heat and stir in vinegar and sesame oil.
10. Season to taste with salt.
11. Ladle into four bowls and garnish each with 1 tbs of cashews and 1 tbs of cilantro.
12. Enjoy!

Healthy Chicken Parm

I love chicken parm - chances are if I'm at an Italian restaurant, I'm ordering chicken parm.
On page 82 of the November 2010 issue of Women's Health magazine, their "Your Flat-Belly Day" menu had a "healthy chicken parmigiana with penne" dinner.  I modified it slightly, and it was delicious. Not quite as delicious as the breaded, cheesy version but definitely close.

yield: 2 servings

ingredients
2 thin sliced chicken breasts
2C baby spinach
1C marinara sauce (I used Mezetta roasted garlic pasta sauce)
2 tbs parmigiana reggiano cheese

directions

1. In a small covered sauce pan, heat sauce and spinach over medium heat until sauce is bubbling and spinach is wilted.
2. Mist a small pan with olive oil.
3. Mist both sides of the chicken breasts and place in pan.
4. Saute chickens breasts in pan over medium heat until cooked through - flip once to make sure you get both sides.
5. In a bowl (or on a plate) top each chicken breast with spinach marinara mixture.
6. Sprinkle with cheese.
7. Enjoy!

Potstickers

I. LOVE. POTSTICKERS.
This recipe was time consuming, but not difficult, and SO WORTH IT because they turned out delicious!
I ended up using Joy Chen's Potsticker Mild Dipping Sauce paired with them and it was awesome!

yield: 33 potstickers

ingredients

1 lb ground pork

1C shredded red cabbage

3oz shiitake mushrooms, chopped (I used a mushroom medley from Wegman's because I couldn't find just shiitake mushrooms)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tbs hoisin sauce

1 tbs freshly grated ginger

2 tsp sesame oil

¼ tsp white pepper

1 tsp Sriracha

won ton wrappers (found in the freezer section)

vegetable oil for cooking

directions

1. In a large bowl, combine pork, cabbage, mushrooms, garlic, green onions, hoisin, ginger, sesame oil, Sriracha, and white pepper.
2. Place won ton wrappers on a work surface.
3. Spoon 1 tbs of the pork mixture into the center of each wrapper.
4. Using your finger, rub the edges of the wrappers with water.
5. Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, pinching the edges to seal.
6. Heat 2 tbs of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
7. Add a single layer of potstickers to the skillet and cook until golden and crisp, about 4-5 minutes.
8. Add more vegetable oil as needed (I added about 2 tbs with every batch I cooked).
9. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Buffalo Chicken Casserole

I saw this recipe on Facebook and knew I had to try it -- delicious, healthy, & super easy.
The recipe said 4 servings, but we got 6 out of it and were still struggling to finish our meals.

yield: 6 servings

ingredients

2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

5 sweet potatoes, cubed

1 tbs paprika 

2 tbs garlic powder

6 tbsp hot sauce (I used Anchor Bar Mild Wing Sauce)

1/2C olive oil

5 strips bacon, cooked & crumbled

1 small bunch of green onions, sliced 

directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°.
2. In a large bowl, combine together the olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and hot sauce.
3. Add sweet potatoes and chicken, stir to coat.
4. Empty the bowl into a casserole dish with a lid (I used my Le Creuset Braiser).
5. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, sprinkle green onions and bacon on top.
7. Replace the lid and cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Enjoy!

Lemon Cilantro Shrimp

This recipe is super easy, super fast, & pretty darn healthy!

yield: 4 servings

ingredients
⅓C hoisin sauce
¼C honey
½C lemon juice
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
1½ lb medium shrimp, peeled & deveined
2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or a silpat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
4. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine shrimp and sauce mixture.
5. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight), turning the bag occasionally.
6. Place shrimp onto the prepared baking sheet.
7. Discard marinade.
8. Place baking sheer into the oven and roast until just pink, firm, & cooked through - about 6-8 minutes.
9. Sprinkle cilantro on top of the shrimp.
10. Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

In my journey to eat better, I have been on the hunt for options that will keep me full at work so that I munch less.
This apple cinnamon quinoa recipe was a filling alternative to oatmeal, and while it is tasty the flavors are more subtle than powerful.

yield: 1 serving

ingredients
1 small-medium apple (I used Pink Lady)
½ tbsp lemon juice
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼C water
¼C uncooked quinoa

directions

1. Core and cut the apple (leaving the skin on) into chunks.
2. Place them in a blender with the lemon juice, cinnamon, and water.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Place the apple mixture and quinoa into a small pan over medium-high heat.
5. Stir continuously until it begins to boil.
6. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
7. Enjoy!

Ginger Chicken Rice Noodle Soup

I've been trying to eat better and it has also been icebox cold outside in Maryland for far too long now. Enter this chicken soup recipe. I used it to make 2 large servings of soup because the calories were pretty minimal - it was pretty filling and delicious.

yield: 2 servings

ingredients
for stock
chicken bones from one chicken (I used the bones from a rotisserie chicken, as well as the meat)
4C cold water
1 3-4" piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 bunch of green onions
handful of cilantro

for soup
4oz thin rice noodles
2C shredded chicken
2C baby spinach
2C mushrooms (I used a mushroom medley from Wegmans)
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

directions

1. for stock: Put chicken bones in a pot and cover (just barely) with water.
2. Bring to a boil and it at high heat for 5 minutes to boil out any yuck.
3. Rinse off the bones and give the pot a good rinse.
4. Fill the pot with cold water.
5. Add rinsed off bones, ginger, green onions, and cilantro.
6. Bring to a boil and reduce to a bubbly simmer.
7. Let stock simmer for up to 2 hours.
8. for soup: Strain out the solids.
9. Return stock to pot, salt and pepper stock to taste.
10. Add spinach, mushrooms, chicken, and rice noodles to pot.
11. Cover and let steam for 5 minutes.
12. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cider Bread

I got invited to lunch at a friend's house and wanted to bring something to share. This particular friend is of the gluten-free variety, so I wanted to make something delicious that she could enjoy.
I found a beer bread recipe that sounded phenomenal, and made it GF by subbing in Angry Orchard cider for beer and Namaste Food's GF Perfect Flour Blend for the regular flour.
This bread turned out delicious, and very very dense.

yield: 1 loaf of bread

ingredients
for caramel sauce
¾C sugar
2 tbs water
2 tbs butter, cut into cubes

for bread
3C all-purpose flour (I used Namaste Food's GF Perfect Flour Blend)
3 tbs sugar
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼C sliced almonds
½ tsp cinnamon
1 large pink lady apple, cored and chopped into small pieces
12oz Angry Orchard Apple Cider
4 tbs butter, melted

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease a 1.5qt loaf pan.
3. In a small pot over high heat, add sugar, water, and butter.
4. Stir until the butter is melted.
5. Allow mixture to boil without stirring, for 5-6 minutes or until the sugar has turned an amber color.
6. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, almonds, cinnamon, and apple pieces.
7. Pour the beer and melted butter into the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined (you might have to use your hands because its a pretty thick dough).
8. Press dough into the loaf pan.
9. Pour caramel over the top of the loaf.
10. Place loaf pan on a baking sheet (this is just a precaution, I had a little bit of leak over and I didn't want to risk having to clean caramel off the bottom of the oven).
11. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Enjoy!

Eggnog Coffee Cake Muffins

I had never had eggnog prior to this past holiday season. I'm still not sure that I like it, but after buying eggnog for my Gingerbread Eggnong Cupcakes, I had to find something else to do with my eggnog. This recipe from Pinterest sounded like a delicious breakfast idea. These muffins were sweet, but not too sweet and definitely felt festive.

yield: 10 muffins or 30 mini muffins

ingredients
for streusel
½C all-purpose flour
½C brown sugar
¾ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
5 tbs butter, cut into small pieces

for muffins
2C all-pupose flour
½C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1C eggnog
1 egg, room temperature
5 tbs butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract

for eggnog glaze
1C powdered sugar
3 tbs eggnog
pinch of nutmeg

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
3. for streusel: In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Add butter and mix together with your (clean!) fingers until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Set aside.
5. for muffins: In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggnog, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
7. On low speed, slowly add liquid mixture to flour mixture.
8. Mix until just combined.
9. Fill muffin cups ⅔ full.
10. Top batter with streusel.
11. Bake muffins for 12 minutes (mini) or 20 minutes (regular), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Remove from oven and let cool.
13. for eggnog glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, eggnog, and nutmeg.
14. Whisk until smooth.
15. Drizzle glaze over muffins.
16. Enjoy!