.Dee Lish

Thai Lettuce Cups w/ a Spicy Carrot Slaw

2011-04-07T19:19:00.001-07:00

Serves 6

2 packs of vegetarian chicken strips (from Trader Joes or Raleys natural foods section)
1T olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded & cut into strips
1/4 cup chili sauce
2T agave nectar (or honey)
1 head iceberg lettuce, leaves separated
Juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

Slaw:
1 bag of shredded carrots
1T toasted sesame oil (plus more to taste)
Juice of 1 lime
1T olive oil (plus more to taste)
1T agave nectar (or honey, plus more to taste)
A dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup toasted peanuts chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the soy chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chili sauce and honey and cook until slightly reduced. Mix in the lime juice.

Slaw:
Mix all ingredients together

Arrange the lettuce cups on a platter. Divide the soy chicken mixture among the cups and top with the carrot slaw. Sprinkle with basil.

***Tip: If you are going to be serving this to children, only add 1/2 the chili sauce to the soy chicken mixture & leave out the cayenne pepper in the slaw. When you serve the dinner, put the jar of chili sauce and the cayenne pepper on the table so people can add more if desired.

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Spring Rice Pilaf w/ Veggies, Arugula & Cheese

2011-04-06T20:38:00.001-07:00

Serves 4
(from Everyday w/ Rachael Ray)

2T butter
1/2 cup orzo pasta or broken spaghetti
1T olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed & chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 carrot, cut into short matchsticks
2 shallots, chopped *
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt & pepper
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth **
1 cup long-grain white rice
1T lemon zest, plus the juice of 1/2 lemon
1T chopped fresh thyme
1 bunch arugula, chopped ***
About 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the pasta & cook until nutty & deep golden brown. Remove from pan.

Add the olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, then the asparagus, carrot, shallots & garlic. Season w/ salt and pepper. Cover and cook to sweat the vegetables a bit, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, rice, lemon zest, thyme & browned pasta and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer until the rice is just tender, 16 to 18 minutes. Fold in the arugula, then stir in the lemon juice and cheese.

* I did not have shallots. I used one small red onion.

** I did not have broth. I used water.

*** I did not have arugula. I used spinach.

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Grocery Delivery!

2011-03-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

I tried having my groceries delivered for the first time today and let me tell you, it was awesome!! I went online & ordered all the food yesterday and then picked the delivery time I wanted. It came on time and the guy was super nice. So, not only did I not have to drag two toddlers out in this horrible weather, I also saved money because I always end up buying stuff spur-of-the-moment when I'm at the store, AND I saved a ton of time! The first time the delivery is free but then after that it is about $10.

Love it! Will definitely do it again.

Spicy Bean Soup

2011-03-17T16:14:00.001-07:00

Spicy Bean Soup

Serves:10
Time: 60 minutes

This is a flavorful soup that yields a ton! The ingredients list is long but it
a very easy recipe. Freeze some for quick dinners. Remember to start out
conservative with the chili powder, you can always add more.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper, optional
2 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with juices
1 11.5oz. can tomato juice
1 6oz. can tomato paste
4 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
8 cups vegetable broth
2 15oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 15oz. cans cannellini beans or white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup dried green lentils
3 cups broccoli florets
2 zucchini, chopped
2 yellow crookneck squash, chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1 package mini pasta shells, optional

Prepare pasta, if using, according to package directions.

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
Add onions, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic, and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, oregano, Italian seasoning and crushed
red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, tomato juice, tomato paste, and 4 teaspoons of salt.
Add the broth, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, and lentils.
Stir in the broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash.
Bring to a simmer over high heat.
Decrease the heat to medium.
Simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender and the mixture thickens
slightly, stirring often, about 20 minutes.
Season the soup to taste with more salt, chili powder and herbs, if desired.
Mix in desired amount of pasta, if using.

Fab Tish #3 - Hard Boiled Eggs

2011-03-16T18:35:00.001-07:00

When you are at the grocery store, buy an extra dozen eggs. (Free range, organic of course!) When you get home, immediately put them on the stove and make hard boiled eggs. (Instructions follow) We always have a container of hard boiled eggs in the fridge. My husband and daughter love to eat them as snacks & I often make some egg salad for my lunch. (Instructions also follow) It's a quick healthy alternative for snack time and a nice change from peanut butter and jelly!

Hard Boiled Eggs:

Place eggs in the bottom of a stock pot. Do not stack the eggs. Put only what fill fit in the bottom of the pot.

Pour cold water over the eggs. Pour just enough so that the water is just covering the eggs.

Place pot on stove on high heat. Uncovered.

Bring the water to a rolling boil and remove pot from heat.

Cover pot and let sit for 10-15 minutes. (I usually do 12)

Remove eggs and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process.

Refrigerate.

Egg Salad:

Chop up hard boiled eggs. I usually 2 eggs per person.

Add about 1/2 teaspoon of mustard per person, or to taste

Add about 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise per person, or to taste

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste

Mix well

Serve on toasted bread. I usually also put fresh spinach on the sandwich also.

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Thank goodness for frozens!!

2011-03-13T20:55:00.001-07:00

My DH & I got home tonite from being out of town since Friday. We were so excited to see the kids & were trying to unpack & take care of some business issues. By the time the dust settled the kids were hungry. It had been a LONG day. I really didn't want to make dinner. Luckily I stock our freezer w/ frozen options. I popped 2 pizzas in the oven & put together a salad from some bagged mixes in the fridge. Contrary to what you might have been led to believe, it IS okay to rely on frozen dinners every once and a while. It doesn't always have to be a gourmet, made-from-scratch meal. By the end of the night my family was happy and fed.

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Fab Tish #2

2011-03-11T16:25:00.001-08:00

Juicing a lemon? The easiest way to yield more juice out of the lemon is to roll the lemon with your palm on the counter while apply slight pressure.

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Fab Tish (.DeeLish Tip) #1

2011-03-11T16:21:00.001-08:00

When you drain your cooked pasta in a strainer, wash the strainer IMMEDIATELY. When you let the strainer sit in the sink, all of that starchy pasta residue becomes gummy and VERY hard to get off. If you rinse it right after you use it it only takes a swipe of the sponge to get it off. Much, much easier.

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LULUBelle Body Care debut!!!!

2011-03-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

Yay!! Here's my new body care line. Six fab scents - Apricot Chamomile, Coconut Mango, Grapefruit, Oatmeal Milk & Honey, Green Tea and Rosemary & Lime. It comes in Shea lotion, brown sugar scrub, hand & body lotion, soothing milkbath & shower cream. Exclusively sold at Oak Farm Vineyards and Vine & Branches (info & addresses below). It's natural ingredients and not tested on animals. Plus it's named after my dog! I am hooked & you will be too!!

Oak Farm Vineyards
23627 N DeVries Rd
Lodi, Ca 95242
209-365-6565
dayna@oakfarmvineyards.com

Vine & Branches
110 W Oak St
Lodi, Ca 95240
209-334-3111
dayna@vinebrancheslodi.com

OR call - 209-598-9006

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Ralph's Vegetarian Lasagna

2011-03-10T20:45:00.001-08:00

This recipe is a big variation of my mother-in-laws recipe. I converted it to vegetarian & added some things. It's my husband's favorite dish, that's why I named it after him.

1 package of lasagna noodles, cooked according to package instructions
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 package of 'Smart Ground' veggie protein crumbles (you will find it in the natural food section of most grocery stores)
1 can of marinara/tomato sauce
1 jar of high quality spaghetti sauce
1/2 block of Monterey Jack cheese, grated
2 small rounds or 1/2 block of Mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 - 1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

- Preheat oven to 375
- Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan on medium-high heat.
- Saute onion and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add veggie crumbles and salt and pepper to taste. Saute until crumbles are browned.
- Mix marinara sauce and spaghetti sauce in a large bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Add the rest of the mixture to the onions, garlic and crumbles.
- Mix the Monterey Jack and Mozzarella cheeses together in a separate bowl.
- Assembly:
    1. Spread a small amount of the filling on the bottom of a 9x13 lasagna pan.
    2. Lay out lasagna noodles, side by side, until the bottom of the pan is covered.
    3. Spoon about a cup of filling onto the noodles and spread evenly.
    4. Sprinkle a good amount of cheese evenly over the filling.
    5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you have used up all of the filling. you should have between 3 & 4 layers.
    6. Lay a final layer of noodles. Spread the reserved sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with cheese and Panko crumbs.
    7. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired, for a nice golden finish.
- Place in oven and cook for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

* Freezes very well. I recommend cutting the lasagna up into pieces and wrapping each piece, then freeze.
* You can add many other vegetables or herbs depending on the season. I have put in spinach, grated zucchini, basil, & spaghetti squash.

Pasta sauce

2011-03-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

I am VERY frugal in a lot of ways. One of them is grocery shopping. Every time I need to buy pasta sauce my heart literally races a bit when I see the prices! But, I have learned the 'don't buy cheap sauce' lesson way too many times. Cheap sauce is exactly that. Cheap sauce. My hubby is working late tonite & all 3 kids are not around so I made fusilli with pasta sauce and TVP (texturized vegetable protein). I used my favorite brand of sauce 'Rao's Homemade'. For something so simple (noodles & sauce), it tasted amazing! The problem, Rao's is $8.99 a bottle!! So, this is what I have done for a while now - Every time I'm at the grocery store I go to the pasta sauce isle and see what specials they have going on. I got the Rao's sauce the other day for around $5. Such a savings! Raleys always has at least one of the high quality sauces on major special so I'll pick up a jar or two. I'm married to a (very handsome) Italian so my pantry has to have a good supply of killer sauce!

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Must have item - George Foreman Grill!

2011-03-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

I have had several people baffled by my George Foreman grill when they see it on my counter. But, let me tell you how awesome the thing is. It is not just for grilling meat. We use it ALL THE TIME! we don't have a microwave so I use it to heat up frozen pancakes & garlic bread. But I also use it to make grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas & various other grilled pitas or sandwiches. I
Made my lunch today w/ it. I put some cheese in half a pita & grilled it. Then I added some salt & arugula greens. I dipped it in hot sauce as I was eating it. It was so good!

What I love about it is it:
1. Heats up SUPER fast
2. Is designed to remove any excess fat. (For example - I just grilled some frozen garlic bread & theres a ton of fat in the collection tray. If I had baked the bread, all that fat would get baked into the bread & then ingested by my family & I)
3. Is incredibly easy to clean.

They are affordable and easy. I HIGHLY recommend getting one. Heck, even Costco & Kohls has them now!

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Quick Fix Nite!

2011-03-02T18:44:00.001-08:00

I had a sick husband, 2 cranky kids & a looong day. I made my easy cop-out meal!

2 cups couscous, cooked according to package instructions
1 bag of frozen raleys brand 'Fiesta Blend' (broccoli, carrots, snow peas, kidney beans, white beans)
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Morningstar vegetarian Italian Sausage cooked according to package instructions & chopped
Spice of choice (I used cumin)
Olive oil
Veggie broth (optional)
Salt & pepper

- Heat a couple tablespoons of olive in a large saute pan on med-hi heat
- Add onion & garlic & saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add bag of Fiesta Blend & salt & pepper. Mix well.
- Add about 1/2 cup o veggie broth or water to pan stir and cover. Turn heat to high. Stir occasionally and leave covered until the veggie mix is no longer frozen.
- Take lid off of pan an turn heat down to med-low. Let cook until the veggie broth or water has cooked off. Add spice of choice to taste.
- I served it all buffet style with sunflower seeds & parmesan cheese

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Taco Nite

2011-02-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

Taco nite is about the easiest meal to make. I love it when it's taco nite because there's is minimal cooking. Here's what I do:

- Chop up some romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onion
- Grate cheese
- Prepare spanish rice boxed mix (I get it in the natural foods section of Raley's)
- Prepare one of the following (depends on what I have in the pantry or what the family feels like) -- Black beans, Smart Ground Mexican style soy ground 'meat', Taco filling boxed mix (also in the natural foods section)
- Prepare vegetarian refried beans.
- Warm tortillas or taco shells
- Set out each ingredient on the counter in an assembly line style along with salsa and let each member prepare their own dish.

Tower Cafe - Sacto

2011-02-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

If you are in Sacramento and are in the mood for a burger you MUST stop at the Tower Cafe. I had the best veggie burger I have ever had yesterday. It is called the 'East African Veggie Burger'. I asked for it 'Jerk style' but the waiter messed up and they brought it to me 'Borracho style' but it was actually a blessing in disguise because I had them bring me a side of jerk sauce. Sooo, basically I will now order the East African Veggie Burger, Borracho style, with a side of Jerk sauce! Here's the description -

East African Veggie Burger -
A vegan patty made of ground peas, sweet potato, garbanzo beans, and corn mixed with African spices and encrusted with sesame and sunflower seeds served with sliced portabella, lettuce, red onion, pickle, and roasted red pepper on a whole wheat bun
Borracho Style - Firestone Double Barrel Ale BBQ sauce, jack cheese, crispy onions, lettuce, & tomato
Jerk Sauce

Mexican!

2011-02-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

We ate at one of our fav places in Santa Cruz tonite. I, of course, had a buncha chips & salsa but I also ordered the Baby Greens Salad which was:

-mixed baby greens
-thin apple slices
-gorgonzola
-almonds
-dried cranberries
-chipotle chips
-vinaigrette

It was sooo good! I was stuffed. ... And it had nothing to do with the chips & salsa!

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Tex-Mex Barley Bake

2011-02-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

I'm planning on making this tonight. I found the recipe in this month's edition of Everyday w/ Rachael Ray. Barley is a very filling grain and high in protein.

Serves 6 to 8

2/3 cup pearled barley
                    (I get it in the bulk foods section at Raleys)
4    tablespoons butter
                    (I will probably use olive oil instead. Olive oil is much better for you!)
2    cups sugar snap peas
                    (They are next to the bagged salads. They come bagged and ready to go. You can also sometimes find them with the loose veggies.)
1    bunch scallions, thinly sliced
2    cups frozen corn, thawed
One 15-oz can black beans, rinsed
1    cup grape tomatoes, halved
2    tablespoons flour
2 1/4 cups milk, warmed
3    cups shredded pepper jack cheese (about 12-oz)
Salt and pepper
2   cups crushed tortilla chips
                     (I will use the bagged tortilla strip salad toppers. I get it in the salad dressing isle.)
[3   cups vegetable broth (this is my addition and is completely optional - you can use water)]

1. In a small saucepan, bring 3 cups water (or veg broth) to a boil; add the barley, lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Drain, transfer to a bowl and let cool. Reserve the saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425*. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat; add the sugar snap peas, scallions and 1/2 cup water. Boil to evaporate the water. Stir into the barley with the corn, black beans and tomatoes.
3. Using the same saucepan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute; slowly whisk in the warmed milk and bring to a simmer, then cook for 1 minute more. Stir in 2 cups cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir this into the barley mixture; transfer to a shallow 3-quart baking dish.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 18 minutes. Sprinkle the chips and remaining 1 cup cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the chips are toasted, 10 to 15 minutes.

Late Happy VDay dinner - Heart Pizzas

2011-02-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

Pizza! Who doesn't love pizza?!

1 tube of pillsbury pizza dough
1 jar of pizza sauce
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
6 pieces of vegetarian bacon, chopped
1 large handful spinach, chopped
1 bag of shredded Italian cheeses
2 tomatoes, sliced

- Take the dough out of the tube and flatten it out.
- Cut the dough diagonally from corner to corner to make two long triangles.
- 'Carve' the wide part of each triangle to make a heart.
- Load on the toppings on each of the two hearts.
- Bake according to instructions.
- Top with parmesan cheese (optional)

I served the pizzas with a Caesar salad.

Welcome! Lumela! Mahlohonolo!

2011-02-16T20:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the brand new 'DeeLishous' website! The main purpose of this site is to post the different recipes and foods I make on a daily basis. I can no longer teach my cooking classes so this has to be the next best thing. I will also be posting event updates for several different things and updates on the VERY exciting launch/debut of the new line of body lotions and washes - 'LULUBelle'! Stay tuned!