Recipe Review from 6/29/2015

Chaos continues to manifest as I attempt to unpack a house I already live in!  I swear, I had no idea moving back into the house would be this difficult.  It's like a treasure hunt trying to find where I stashed an entire kitchen and living room.   I'm sure I'll be unearthing things for years to come, marveling at each hiding spot.

And in all this moving I had two days of Internal Auditor training in St. Louis, and four days of yoga training in Mpls.  Yeah...unpacking has been moving at a glacial pace.

The good news is I had a three day weekend over the Forth!  I made huge progress in getting the house put back together so I can move on to other things.  Like cycling.  In fact, the Husband and I got out (finally!) for our first ride of the year.  A nice 13 mile spin on the Munger Trail on the 4th. 

In the interm, meals have been super simple.  Grilled meats, salads, and sandwiches for lunch.  I did make a couple new recipes that were well received and quick.


Grilled Kielbasa, Pineapple, and Onion  (source friend Tess)  gluten free
A satisfying and simple meal doesn't get any easier than this.  Cut, grill, eat.  This can be served over rice, along side a Ceaser salad, with coleslaw, or a broccoli salad of some kind.  Quick and satisfying.  Love the taste of grilled kielbasa and pineapple!

1 lb kielbasa (regular or turkey)
1 can pineapple (chunks or rings), drained  {fresh also works great}
1/2 onion, cubed
1 green or red pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2" chunks

Either thread onto skewers, or combine in a grill pan.  Grill until done.  Serve.


Warm Potato Salad with Beer and Mustard Dressing (Ckng Lght Oct 2006)  vegetarian
We grilled a goose Forth of July weekend and this was my side along with a salad. While very easy to make ahead of time, this was not my favorite recipe.  There was way to much dressing - the Husband made an executive decision and didn't put all of it on.  I'm  very glad he didn't.  And we all found it bland, which was surprising given the onion, celery, parsley, beer, pickles and mustard.  We all added a splash of salt and pepper to our plates.  Perhaps a spicy mustard would work better than dijon. 

Salad:

3 pounds red potatoes

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped sweet pickles

2 tablespoons beer 

2 tablespoons cider vinegar 

 

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion 

3/4 cup beer 

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

 

To prepare salad, place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch slices. Combine potatoes, red onion, and next 6 ingredients (through 2 tablespoons vinegar); toss gently.

To prepare dressing, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cup yellow onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add 3/4 cup beer and next 4 ingredients (through pepper); bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 6 minutes). Place mixture in a food processor. Add mustard to food processor; process until smooth. With processor on, slowly pour remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil through food chute, processing until smooth. Pour dressing over potato mixture; toss gently. Serve immediately.