WHAT’S ON THE MENU WEDNESDAY – Edamame Salad

Thanks for joining me for this week’s edition of What’s On the Menu Wednesday.  Many, many thanks as well for the get well wishes so many of you sent my way.  I’m happy to report that after four weeks of coughing, hacking and feeling generally miserable, I think I’m on the mend.

The recipe for this edamame salad was one I found on the back of a package of Melissa’s fully-cooked edamame (soybeans).  Over the years, I have adapted it but it still has wide variations each time that it is made.  It’s one of those light, filling dishes that I like to keep on hand.  It’s great in the summer with grilled chicken and fish.  I like it all year round as a light lunch. 

I will give you the original recipe because it is not available on their web site.  My suggestions for adaptations will be in parenthesis.

Edamame with Yellow and White Hominy Salad

1 10-ounce package Melissa’s  Edamame
   Soybeans Shelled (You can use any brand 
   that is readily available to you.)

1 15-ounce can yellow hominy, drained **
   (and rinsed)

1 15-ounce can white hominy, drained
   (and rinsed)

1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small (red) onion, diced*
1 fresh jalapeno, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped*
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil (EVOO or grapeseed
   oil – I use less oil.)

1/2 teaspoon Don Enrique Pico de Gallo
    seasoning (either Emeril’s Bayou Blast
    or ground chipotle chile pepper)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons chipotle sauce (omit)

Place edamame, hominy, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno and cilantro in a bowl.  Toss to combine.  In a separate bowl combine vinegar, lime juice, oil, chile powder, cumin and chipotle sauce.  Whisk to combine.  Pour over salad.  Chill at least 4 hours.

Serves 4 –6.

Notes:  * I often use purchased pico de gallo in place of the onions and cilantro.  Plus, it has tomatoes which I always add in anyway.
**I seldom use two cans of hominy.  Sometimes, I don’t use it at all.  It just depends on what I have on hand.
  Other ingredients that I often add:  cherry tomatoes cut in half, black beans (always drain and rinse), frozen yellow corn kernels that have been rinsed with warm water and drained, garbanzo beans…just play around with it to suit your taste.
I don’t think that you necessarily have to chill it for four hours, but the flavor does improve as it sits.  Be sure to stir it well each time before you dish it up. It will keep for days.  I never have any to be thrown away:)
The soybean is nature’s most complete protein food, providing essential amino acids that the human body must have to survive but cannot synthesize.

Delicious and good for you!  What’s not to love?

Linked to:  Decidedly Healthy or Horridly Decadent   (repost on Feb. 5, 2011)

WHAT’S ON the MENU WEDNESDAY

First off, I need to apologize for this week’s WOtMW.  I have been battling “seasonal allergies” for three weeks now, and I’m losing the battle.  Hopefully, round 3 of treatment will be the cure!  Not only that, I think I picked up a bit of the stomach bug that seems to be going around our school.  Not fun.
I’m on the clear liquid “diet” for a few days until everything settles down.  I’m sure you understand.
Mister Linky is up and ready for you to offer up your suggestions.   I’m sure to get around to trying them very soon.  Thanks so much.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU WEDNESDAY – Rainbow Trout

Stock Photo

Okay.  So I’ve never caught a rainbow trout this big, but I would love to!  Hubby and I love to trout fish on both the White and Little Red Rivers in Arkansas.  Both are excellent trout fishing rivers that are well maintained by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

The water is always crystal clear and COLD which at this time of the year is super appealing.  It’s almost as much fun for me to watch the trout in the water as it is to reel them in.  But if I don’t reel them in, I don’t get to eat them:)

I have a couple of trout recipes from The Arkansas Classic Country Cookbook that we really enjoy.  Both are simple to prepare and are delicious.

Rainbow Trout Amandine

6 trout fillets
Salt and pepper
Flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Juice of  one lemon

Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper; dredge in flour.  Saute in olive oil until delicately browned on each side.  Arrange in a shallow baking dish.

Melt butter in a saucepan; stir in almonds and lemon juice.  Pour over fillets.  Bake in a 400 degree over for 5 – 10 minutes, or until almonds are browned and fish flakes.

Serves 6

Sautéed Trout with Watercress Butter

6 trout
Milk
Flour
Salt and pepper
Cooking oil
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped watercress (can substitute arugula)
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

Clean trout and remove fins; leave heads and tails on.  Dip trout in milk and roll in seasoned flour.  Heat oil in a skillet and brown trout on both sides.  When fish flakes with a fork, drain on absorbent paper.

Melt butter in a small saucepan; stir in watercress and Tabasco.  Serve over trout.  Garnish with lemon wedges.

Serves 6.

Thanks for joining me for What’s On the Menu Wednesday.  I’m looking forward to what you have to say.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU WEDNESDAY – Summer Corn Salad

In my quest to prepare healthier meals – and I’ve always tried to be conscious of that – I’m incorporating more and more of the foods from the Ten Best Foods For Our Hearts list and trying to avoid those on the Ten Worst Foods List that I posted on Monday.

I even started feeling so guilty on Monday evening that I actually did bake my okra rather than fry it and decided to save the fried green tomatoes for another day.  Now…I will tell you that I do like my okra better when it’s fried, but it was tasty nonetheless. 

TEN BEST FOODS FOR OUR HEARTS

1.  Salmon- a good source of protein, lots of Omega 3 and relatively low in calories (tuna, mackerel, halibut are also good choices)

2.  Olive Oil – excellent alternative to butter, helps lower LDL, use in moderation.  Do not use olive oil for frying as it has a low smoke point.

3.  Beans – great source of fiber and protein without the fat

4.  Oatmeal – helps to lower LDL, good source of fiber.  Use coarse or steel cut oats, not instant.  Instant oatmeal does not provide the same benefits.  I often grind up oatmeal and add it in to replace part of the flour whenever I am baking.

5.  Spinach – fiber, foliate with minimum calories.  (kale, arugula, collards, turnip greens – other dark green leafy vegetables – are good choices)  I love a good fresh spinach salad with strawberries and blueberries, feta cheese and red onions.  Yum!

6.  Blueberries – good fiber source, lots of antioxidants, low in calories.  Use as a snack food, in salads, pancakes, and with cereal. 

7.  Walnuts – good source of Omega 3, a monounsaturated fat.  Eat small serving each day as a snack.  Be aware that not all nuts are the same:(  Toss some toasted walnuts on the top of that fresh spinach salad.

8.  Soy – great lean protein source (tofu, soy milk, edamame, roasted soybeans as a snack)

9.  Quinoa – a complete protein with a nice, nutty flavor.  Use as a hot cereal, side dish, or salad.

Give this Summer Corn Salad a try.  I use it as a side dish and often as a meal for lunch.  It’s really full of good stuff:)

3 cups whole kernel corn (2 cans) – I prefer frozen or fresh
1 can rinsed black beans (kidney, cannellini, garbanzo, edamame or pinto work well also)
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped bell pepper (red or yellow add some extra nice color)
1/2 cup chopped red onion

Mix all of the vegetables together in a bowl and add the dressing after it is mixed.  Chill well before serving.  I sometimes add chopped cucumber and cherry tomatoes.  I’ve even been known to throw in a minced jalapeno for extra kick.  Dressing:
1 cup rice (or white) vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) 2 Tablespoons sugar (I usually omit this.)

Thanks for joining me for What’s On the Menu Wednesday.  One of these days I’m gonna’ get around to designing a badge…well, maybe.

I look forward to what you have to say:)

MENU PLAN MONDAY – August 9 Edition

It’s that time again.  Yep.  It’s here – school begins for me tomorrow with in-service workshops and meetings.  The students won’t actually begin until the 19th which is the earliest day that it can begin in Arkansas.  (Never mind that it has been 100+ degrees for days now.  ARE YOU LISTENING PEOPLE!)

Anyway, we are gearing up to return to a more stable routine just as many of you are.  Part of that routine is to plan my weekly menus so that I am not constantly running to the grocery or worrying about what to fix for dinner when I get home from work each day.  Menu planning also encourages me to choose healthier foods and to limit the number of meals eaten out.

I came across an article a few weeks ago that summarized what most of us already know but too often fail to enact: the ten best and worst foods for the heart.  Keeping these two lists on my frig serves as a reminder of what I need to be serving up on the dinner table.  Perhaps you will like having these lists as well.

The 10 Worst Foods For Our Heart

1.  Red meat – limit to 8 ounces or less per week.  It is packed with saturated fat and cholesterol.

2.  Soda (soft drinks) – lots of unhealthy calories

3.  French Fries – A single serving may contain up to half of our daily allowed fat grams.  Don’t even ask about super sizing!

4.  Ice Cream – lots of calories and fat

5.  Mayonnaise – loaded with calories and fat; made from eggs and oil

6.  Doughnuts/Commercial Pastries – fried fat covered in sugar.  (When you say it that way, it really doesn’t seem so appetizing, does it?)

7.  Cheese Dip/Nachos – try substituting fresh salsa with baked pita chips instead

8.  Fried Chicken/Catfish – can have more fat than a steak

9.  Fettuccini Alfredo – meat free but loaded with fat and calories.

10.  Sausage/Bacon – real artery cloggers.

I’m ashamed to admit to you that we had bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches with cheese for lunch today.  This was only the third time for the summer – never have those except with homegrown heirloom tomatoes – that’s my excuse anyway.

If this list sounds like your menu staples, and mine does at times, then we both have work to do to shape up our plan (and probably our bodies as well)!

I’ll be posting the 10 best foods on this week’s What’s On the Menu Wednesday.  Come back and check it out and post a family favorite while you are there.

Monday: purple hull peas, fresh tomatoes, fresh cantaloupe, fried green tomatoes and fried okra (I could bake these in the oven, but they just would not be the same. Anything in moderation, right?)

Tuesday:  grilled chicken breasts, grilled veggies: squash, zucchini, eggplant and green onions.

Wednesday:  Dance Lessons and Date Night

Thursday:  fish tacos or grilled salmon with mango salsa , summer corn salad

Friday: off to see the Perfect Babies

Linked to:

WHAT’S ON THE MENU WEDNESDAY – Guest Host from Nana Camp 2010

This week has been round two of Nana Camp 2010.  Perfect Boy has been here along with a full schedule of activities.  One of those includes today’s cookie making session which he shares with you.

Checking to be sure they are placed just right.

He takes his decorating seriously.

The best part is in the eating, of course.  Yum!

Joann’s Sugar Cookies
3/4 cup shortening or 1/2 cup margarine and 1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Mix until creamy.
Add:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Chill at least one hour.  Roll out and cut into desired shapes.  Bake 6-8 minutes at 375 degrees.  Cool.  Decorate until little hearts are content.  (Today’s batch got a little brown…we were busy!)

I used this recipe from my friend Joann with Perfect Boy’s momma.  It always brings back warm, tender memories.  I like to think that he will treasure these times as much as I do.

Thanks for joining me for this week’s edition of What’s On the Menu Wednesday.  I look forward to what you have to say.

I don't have a clue what happened to last week's Mister Linky.  Perfect Boy would say, "To infinity and beyond!"  Perhaps he's right.