Category Archives: vegetables

Greek Salad

Posted on July 19, 2020 | 1 comment

I originally posted this way back and figured what a perfect day to re-post. This has become my go to Greek Salad and Salad Dressing when I want to make it at home. I of course love anchovies and feel free to put in there. I didn’t have any whole garlic cloves so I used garlic powder and you know what? it worked out just right. If you’d prefer to use chopped fresh garlic go right ahead. I am going to give you ingredients from tonite’s dressing because it tasted just right. This is salad , so please feel free to substitute and leave out whatever you don’t like and add in whatever you like.   I like to chop up a grilled piece of chicken and add in or a piece of salmon if you’re looking to make this more of a meal. Last night I made Greek Chicken Patties from Jennifer Fisher  check them out @jenniferfisherjewelery.com

 

Ingredients:

1/2 head of iceberg and 1 whole head of romaine (you can use less lettuce and you’ll just have a little more dressing left over depending on how you like it) you can also use all iceberg or all romaine, I like the combo.

grape tomatoes cut in 1/2 ( about 1/2 the package that it comes in )

1 small cucumber diced up, I take the seeds out first and then slice it up with skin on, do it however you like

red onion diced, use as much or as little as you like

1/4 cup Kalamata Olives cut up without pits

3/4 cup of cubed Feta Cheese – I like it cubed for some wierd reason in this salad, again use whatever you prefer

Dressing:

In a small mixing bowl using a small whisk

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of oregano, I love oregano so I used a heaping amount, if you don’t use less

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix spices and red wine vinegar and then slowly whisk in the olive oil, when you’re ready to serve pour over salad and mix. Add as much as you’d like. This dressing should dress the whole salad depending on how light or heavy you like your salad dressed.

Enjoy! this is a perfect meal with fish or chicken or any protein you like.  I loved the Greek Chicken Patties on top !

1 Comment

Posted in Raw, Salad, salad dressing, vegetables, vegetarian

Tagged

Farmers Market to Table Gazpacho

Posted on July 15, 2020 | 1 comment

DSCN0375DSCN0378

Delicious fresh vegetables from the local farmers market went into this gazpacho. This time of year you must take advantage of the awesome selection of fruit and vegetables at your local farmers market. In Colorado there is so much local produce it would be a pity not to . I bought the tomatoes , cucumbers, peppers, garlic and red onion all from our local farmers market. Whole Foods also sells many local products which is so amazing.  It’s just quite wonderful to put food on your table from your own garden or at least from one within 100 miles of where you live. Farm to Table . Simply put it’s the best .

Ingredients:

1 cucumber or 2 – 3 Kirby size cukes, halved and seeded , but don’t peel . If not Kirby cukes you can use a hothouse cucumber. Go organic, because you are eating the peel.

2 yellow bell peppers, cored and seeded. Of course you can use red bell peppers, but not green.

4 tomatoes — Whole Foods and most grocery stores have beautiful produce this time of year so use the heirlooms if you can get them or any of the fresh tomatoes will do.

1 red onion

3 garlic cloves, minced or throw them into the food processor along with vegetables

3 cups Spicy V8 or use regular tomato juice

1/4 cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

*1/2 to 1 whole jalapeno depending on how spicy you like it, remove seeds from jalapeno

* cilantro, chopped is a nice touch for garnish

*avocado cut up is also nice garnish

*shrimp is also a nice garnish

Directions:

I cut up cukes, tomatoes, bell peppers and red onions into app. 1 inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor with steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not make baby food, don’t over process.

After each vegetable is chopped up combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic ( if you haven’t already) , juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. It’s a good idea to chill for a while, the longer it sits the more the taste develops.

The second night I added shrimp and avocado.

20130809-090155.jpg

20130809-090221.jpg

1 Comment

Posted in Raw, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Tagged , ,

Middle Eastern Salad

Posted on July 13, 2020 | 3 comments

This salad appeals to me on so many levels. Firstly I love Middle Eastern food , I love raw salads, I love the freshness that is going on in this salad and did I mention that it’s super easy with very obtainable ingredients.

I served with toasted pita bread cut into small triangles.

Ingredients:

5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

2 pints of small grape /cherry tomatoes or any tomatoes that you want to use. You can use up to 1 lb. of fresh cut up tomatoes

1 hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise , seeded and 1/2 inch diced

1 can 12 to 16 oz. size of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

1/3 cup cut up fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice — you may need up to 4 small lemons or 2 very large ones. I use my juicer for this.

1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic — app. 3 cloves

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste– start with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1 tsp. pepper– you’ll taste for additional salt and pepper at the end.

1/2 cup good olive oil

8 oz. good feta cheese, buy a chunk and dice it up

Toasted Pita Bread for serving

Directions:

Place the scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, drained chickpeas, parsley , mint, and basil in a large salad bowl and toss to combine.

In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, garlic 2 tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream till it emulsifies. Pour the dressing over the salad tossing gently to coat all the vegetables. Add in the feta, sprinkle with salt and pepper *if necessary. Serve the salad alongside the toasted pita.

Yum!

3 Comments

Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, Raw, Salad, vegetables

Tagged , ,

Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce — no cook sauce

Posted on July 6, 2020 | 4 comments

This is a most delicious delightful easy way to make fresh tomato sauce. Very light served over angel hair pasta and summertime easy. No fuss no muss. I like to make tomato sauce and let it sit for about 4 hours so that’s all the planning you really have to do. Very little prep with very few ingredients and you have a delicious dinner. Summer in a bowl. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 pints small cherry or grape tomatoes — you can use different colors or all the same color–halved

1/2 cup Good Olive Oil

6 cloves garlic minced — app. 2 Tablespoons

Fresh Basil — I used a small package from grocery store but probably 15 Basil leaves — this is approximate — I use a kitchen scissor and snip it up into small pieces– you can roughly chop as well

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes — more or less depending on your own individual relationship with crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt — and more to taste if necessary

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound angel hair pasta

Grated Parmesan cheese — for serving

Directions:

 

In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, 1/2 cup Olive Oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit out at room temperature for about 4 hours. After 4 hours taste for Salt and Pepper.

When you’re ready to serve, cook up pasta according to box directions for al dente and be careful because angel hair cooks up very fast. Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the tomatoes. If you’d like you can add more basil and if you’d like you can add cheese to the bowl . I like to add cheese at the table individually. Use tongs to mix and get oil all over the pasta you’ll need a rather large bowl.

Enjoy! and this recipe can easily be cut in 1/2 but we like cold pasta for lunch so it makes for great leftovers.

 

4 Comments

Posted in pasta, vegetables

Tagged ,

Basic Corn Salad

Posted on June 22, 2020 | 1 comment

It’s Summer and the living is easy –and the corn is delicious.  There are times I buy fresh corn but don’t feel like serving it on the cob even though it is perfectly delicious this way. This corn salad is a suggestion for you as a side dish with very little ingredients and pretty much all corn. I like to serve as a side dish in the summer because it can be made ahead and served at room temperature. It’s a most perfect side dish. It doesn’t get more basic or easier than this recipe.  My absolute go-to summer side dish. Super Easy.

 

Enjoy the rest of the summer and keep on Cooking with Candi.

Ingredients:

5-6 ears of corn , shucked

1/2 cup small diced red onion

3 Tablespoons cider vinegar

3 Tablespoons good olive oil

1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt – you can always add more salt after you finish and taste for salt

1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper the same applies for the pepper as for the salt

app. 1/2 cup cut up fresh basil leaves–use as much or as little as you like –it adds wonderful flavor

*add a few small cut up grape tomatoes for another variety on this

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the corn for app. 3 minutes (just to let go of the starchiness) Drain and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. When the corn cools down , cut the kernels off the cob , cutting close to the cob to get the whole kernel. I use a bundt pan to catch all the kernels.

Toss the corn kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.

How simple and easy is this?IMG_5739

1 Comment

Posted in corn, Salad, vegan, vegetables

Tagged , ,

Kung Pao Chicken

Posted on June 10, 2020 | Leave a comment

Kung Pao Chicken is one of my favorite Chinese food staples in the restaurant and takeout. I decided to make it myself and this is what I did.

It really came together rather quickly even though there are so very many ingredients.

Really delicious and served over brown rice or white rice or any rice or no rice.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the Marinade:

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Dry Sherry

2 Teaspoons Corn Starch

1- 1 1/2 Chicken Tenders or Breasts cut into app. 1 -2 ” chunks– boneless and skinless chicken breasts

For the Sauce:

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce

1 Tablespoon Asian Sesame Oil

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

1/2 Teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes — use less if you like it very mild–this did not make it spicy hot but use at your own discretion

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/3 cup water

For The Stir-Fry Chicken

3 – 3 1/2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

3 cloves garlic –minced

1 large red bell pepper , diced

2 stalks celery — I diced but you can slice thinly into small pieces do whatever you prefer with it

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

5 scallions, white and green parts — I diced but you can slice thinly here too

1/3 cup whole roasted unsalted cashews

 

Directions:

Marinate the chicken . In a medium size bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, dry sherry and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the cut up chicken and toss to coat. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. I did this step and then proceeded with the rest of the recipe.

Prepare the sauce: In another medium bowl whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until the cornstarch is dissolved.

Heat a large non-stick skillet or a regular skillet ( spray first with cooking spray) Heat till very hot then add 1 Tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat. Add the bell pepper, celery and salt . Cook and stir frequently until slightly softened and starting to brown, app. 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and set aside.

Add an additional 1 Tablespoon of the vegetable oil to the pan and set over high heat again. Add half of the chicken ( don’t crowd it) and brown on one side about 2 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces and continue cooking for another 2 minutes — just till chicken is cooked through. Transfer this chicken to bowl with vegetables. Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and add the remaining chicken and cook the same way as first batch. Add app. 1/2 Tablespoon more oil to the pan along with the garlic and scallions and cook stirring the chicken for another minute. ( if pan still has enough oil you can omit this 1/2 Tablespoon of Oil)

Add the rest of the chicken and vegetables to the pan along with the sauce. Reduce the heat to low and cook until chicken and vegetables are cooked through and the sauce is nice and thick about a minute or two depending on the size of your chicken chunks. Stir in the nuts — I keep them whole or you can chop up. Taste and adjust seasonings but I thought it was just perfect. The sauce will thicken as it sits so if necessary put a few tablespoons of water if too thick.

I served over rice and we ate it right away so sauce was just perfect. If you prepare early the sauce may thicken.

Loved this recipe and will definitely add to my rotation . It seems like a lot of work but honestly it came together rather quickly.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in chicken, vegetables, vegetarian

Tagged ,

Potatoes , Peppers and Onions

Posted on June 7, 2020 | Leave a comment

What a perfect side dish — goes with any meats , fish etc. I served it alongside humble turkey burgers and it was really delicious! I used whatever color peppers I had in the house and I used Yukon gold potatoes because that’s what I had on  hand. Perfect with some sausage as well. Did I mention super easy???? and all on one pan?

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

app. 2 lbs Potatoes — I happen to have on hand Yukon Gold Potatoes but Russet Potatoes work well as well– any potatoes will work out — cut potatoes into app. 1″ chunks

1 medium yellow onion– cut into 1″ chunks

2 peppers — any color you like — I had orange and yellow on hand– cut into 1 ” chunks

1/4 cup olive oil

Kosher Salt — app. 2 teaspoons

Freshly Ground Black Pepper– app. 1 teaspoon

Garlic Powder — 1 teaspoon — if you prefer fresh garlic — use 2 garlic cloves minced

Directions:

*important to cut chunks of vegetables fairly uniformly so they cook the same

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a large bowl toss potatoes, onion and peppers with oil, salt , pepper and garlic

 Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet — I spray my baking sheet with cooking spray for an easy cleanup

Roast for about 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown, I stirred halfway through cooking.

That’s it — super easy and super delicious.

* Rosemary would also be good — use fresh or dry — if using dry app. 1 tsp if using fresh app. 2 teaspoons minced

*Oregano — I would use dry oregano as well app. 1 tsp. 

Leave a comment

Posted in Potatoes, potatoes, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Tagged

Potatoes , Peppers and Onions

Posted on June 7, 2020 | Leave a comment

What a perfect side dish — goes with any meats , fish etc. I served it alongside humble turkey burgers and it was really delicious! I used whatever color peppers I had in the house and I used Yukon gold potatoes because that’s what I had on  hand. Perfect with some sausage as well. Did I mention super easy???? and all on one pan?

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

app. 2 lbs Potatoes — I happen to have on hand Yukon Gold Potatoes but Russet Potatoes work well as well– any potatoes will work out — cut potatoes into app. 1″ chunks

1 medium yellow onion– cut into 1″ chunks

2 peppers — any color you like — I had orange and yellow on hand– cut into 1 ” chunks

1/4 cup olive oil

Kosher Salt — app. 2 teaspoons

Freshly Ground Black Pepper– app. 1 teaspoon

Garlic Powder — 1 teaspoon — if you prefer fresh garlic — use 2 garlic cloves minced

Directions:

*important to cut chunks of vegetables fairly uniformly so they cook the same

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a large bowl toss potatoes, onion and peppers with oil, salt , pepper and garlic

 Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet — I spray my baking sheet with cooking spray for an easy cleanup –spread out so peppers onions and potatoes have room to cook — don’t overcrowd as they will just stem not slow roast

Roast for about 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown, I stirred halfway through cooking.

That’s it — super easy and super delicious.

* Rosemary would also be good — use fresh or dry — if using dry app. 1 tsp if using fresh app. 2 teaspoons minced

*Oregano — I would use dry oregano as well app. 1 tsp. 

Leave a comment

Posted in Potatoes, potatoes, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Tagged

Cinco de Mayo Salad and Green Goddess Dressing

Posted on May 5, 2020 | Leave a comment

photo (2)photo (5)photo (2) photo Happy Cinco de Mayo!!! This salad is fresh and delicious and perfect for celebrating the day. If you’d like add a protein to it — chicken , shrimp or even tofu. May is here and it brings warm weather and beautiful flowers and springtime has finally arrived here .  This is a perfect way to bring a little Cinco de Mayo into your home in a pretty healthy way.

Any excuse to celebrate a holiday with a new recipe! Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone and here is a new salad and salad dressing to help celebrate with. While I am not a vegan and don’t always cook that way,  I tried this salad dressing which I found in Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook, “It’s All Good”, and I have to say it is all good! All good ingredients. I am not talking diet food–just good, healthy food, that when eaten in moderation, yields very good results. I used * Vegenaise in making this and highly recommend it in the place of mayonnaise. You can also use yogurt in its place. This is low salt and low sugar. Delicious, fresh ingredients. I made it with the delicious salad listed below. I love love cilantro, and I have to say that if you don’t love cilantro, this one’s not for you. I used half of a jalapeno and it was not hot at all, next time I will use a little more.  I scraped the seeds out. Be very careful handling jalapenos and their seeds–make sure to wash your hands well afterwards and maybe wear gloves to prevent any problems.

*This dressing will keep well in a jar for up to a week.

*a little story about Vegenaise, which is lighter than mayonnaise and contains no eggs, milk or animal products. No GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms). Mix it with Dijon for great flavor in the place of real mayo. Extra added bonus is a great jar to store future salad dressings in.

Stay Safe Guys and Enjoy the Day!

Be in control of your ingredients as much as possible.

Ingredients:

*this will be vegan if you use Vegenaise

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup of Vegenaise, yogurt, or mayonnaise

2 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)

1/2 green jalapeno, roughly chopped (you can use more or less, whatever level of heat you like)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon honey

DRESSING DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients in a blender except for olive oil (I open the top and pour oil in after all other ingredients are combined.) It is a beautiful light green color with specks of dark green. Joel was definitely suspicious of the color but he really loved it! Gave it a big thumbs up!

This should serve 4 nicely as a salad but adjust quantities based on how many people you are feeding.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

About two hearts of romaine Lettuce, shredded

1/2 can of yellow corn (or 2 fresh ears of corn, shucked)

1/2 can black beans (I use organic canned beans and rinse and drain them)

4 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks

approx. 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used delicious cherry tomatoes, halved)

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Green Goddess Dressing (see above)

If you’re using fresh corn, you’ll have to cook it first. I used the canned version this time. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and dress it with about 1/4 cup of the dressing, just so it’s nicely coated. I then added beans, tomatoes, scallions, avocado, cilantro and corn. Add a little more salad dressing, and serve immediately. Joel likes a lot more dressing on his salad so I served with dressing on the side. And no he didn’t eat all that stuff in the salad; he just ate lettuce and tomatoes…he really doesn’t know what he’s missing!

Leave a comment

Posted in Salad, salad dressing, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Tagged , ,

Cauliflower Chicken Parmesan

Posted on April 4, 2020 | 1 comment

Here it is with cheese baked on top --honestly delicious either waycheese on topI came across this recipe recently and thought wow that sounds so amazing I will have to give it a try. I pretty much followed Jennifer Fisher’s recipe on her site for this recipe. I made a few changes but basically that was it. It’s pretty easy and I had all the ingredients in my house which has been my criteria for my cooking these crazy days.

Thanks to @jenniferfisher.com for this delicious recipe.

Stay Safe and Keep Cooking at Home.

This is what I did and I think it’s the kind of recipe you may play around with yourself.

Ingredients:

1 bag Cauliflower Rice– 16 oz.

1 small onion -finely diced

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil for onions

1 cup Tomato Sauce — I actually made my own because I had so much free time but you can use Raos which is my preferred brand if using jarred sauce or any sauce you’d like

1 lb. Chicken Tenders — I happen to have them in my freezer but you can use any chicken you’d like here. I cooked up and cut up into small pieces. *see note below on the chicken

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese –plus more if you would like to sprinkle on top before baking — I didn’t add on top but by all means feel free to add more

Kosher Salt

Directions:

Heat the olive oil – Add the onion and cook for a few minutes till onions start to look translucent. ( app. 5 minutes) Add cauliflower rice and some kosher salt ( app. 1 teaspoon ) and cook stirring often to get this going. I sauteed for approximately 10 minutes until rice was tender (al dente), add cooked cut up chicken and 1/2 cup sauce and continue allowing to cook down. Continue stirring and cooking for a few more minutes. Taste for salt and tenderness of the rice– as I said I like rice to have a little bite not mushy. Add remaining 1/2 cup sauce and cook down a few more minutes. Toss in mozzarella and parmesan and mix well to combine.

I sprayed a small rectangular baking dish with cooking spray ( this is important) you can use an 8×8 or I think mine was 11 x 7 actually.

I transferred mixture to baking dish and if you’d like you can sprinkle with even more cheese (both parm and mozzarella) I didn’t and I have to say we loved it as is.

Bake at 350 degrees until it starts to bubble around edges if you added extra mozzarella when the top gets brown and the edges get crunchy . I cooked for app. 20 minutes. All ovens vary and if you added cheese it may need to come out faster just keep an eye on it.

It was more than enough for the two of us and I actually think this was good for 3 people. Maybe 4 if you have a substantial salad .

*pics on top show it both ways with cheese on top and without– obviously if you’re looking for a lower calorie route go without –it’s delicious either way

We had a small simple green salad alongside and it was perfection.

*a little note on what I did with chicken tenders. I put in a bowl and added a little olive oil ( just to give a light glaze to chicken) and kosher salt and freshly ground pepper–mixed around and heated up on a grill pan. If no grill pan any pan will do. I cooked chicken till just done because it’s going back in pan and into oven for more cooking. (but it was fully cooked)

1 Comment

Posted in cauliflower, one pot meals

Tagged ,