Pico de Gallo

by Irene Lindvall

I've had this recipe for almost eight years - yikes! I think this might be the oldest yet. I've only made pico a couple of times over the years and I've been thinking I need a good recipe to accompany my guacamole recipe. I liked this one, but it lacked something that I can't put my finger on it. I will have to see if I have any other pico recipes to be able to compare. I did like the freshness and simplicity of this recipe and it's definitely worthy of chips, quesadillas or in this case, nachos.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I can now eye a lime and determine how many tablespoons of juice I will get from it with amazing accuracy. 

Do not skimp on the cilantro. 

Would I make this recipe again?:

For now. . .

The recipe

Green Beans w/Ginger (dinner side dish)

by Irene Lindvall

Oh how I love squeaky green beans. Today was a great day to have cold noodles so I decided to add one of my signature Asian side dishes with it (along with gyoza). My mom has been serving some sort of variation of this dish for as long as I can remember, and I tend to stick with three ingredients. Green beans, ginger and soy sauce. I think it would really compliment any Asian dish that was lacking a side or if you needed more vegetables. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

I often forgot to allow the beans to cool down sufficiently and end up serving them a little too warm. Today was perfect.

When grating ginger you end up using way more than you think to produce a little amount of grated (see photos 4 & 5). It can be time consuming if serving for more than two people or if you need a large amount. 

Watch your fingertips when using a grater. 

Would I make this dish again?:

Definitely

The recipe

Steam as many green beans as you can eat for 3 minutes. Drain, let sit for at least five minutes. Cut in half (or thirds), serve with minced ginger (1/8 - 1/4tsp per person) and a drizzle of soy sauce.

Cashew Chicken

by Irene Lindvall

Not sure why I keep torturing myself with cooking while it's 80 degrees in the house, but it keeps happening. The long journey, now in it's seventh month, has taught me some new ways of cooking, the loveliness of homegrown vegetables, how to embrace my wok, but most importantly, the power of prep-work. I have not always been consistent with prep work because I am so anxious (or ravenous) for the end result. For some reason, today I was reminded of how my mom preps. She always preps. All the prep is done even before the stove is turned on with a pot of water that needs to boil. You'd think I would've picked up on this long ago, but I am happy it has finally sunk in. It's no wonder she can manage five different pans at once and never sets a timer for anything.

As for this dish, I could not get the sauce to thicken with the cornstarch at the end. Everything was edible, and the dish was fine, but definitely not worth repeating.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Soy sauce can cure many things.

Would I make this recipe again?:

No

The recipe

Chicken Teriyaki w/Broccoli and Israeli Couscous w/Fresh Peas & Mint

by Irene Lindvall

I decided to combine two recipes today since stumbling upon a couscous recipe in my binder. The chicken teriyaki dish wanted it served with brown rice and I thought whole wheat couscous was a good replacement since I could not find Israeli couscous at Whole Foods. I also decided to use edamame instead of peas in the couscous and now writing this realize I forgot the mint. So all in all, I didn't follow a lot of the directions in either of these recipes!

Chicken Teriyaki with Broccoli

I cooked the chicken and broccoli according to direction. Not too much to note other than the sauce was tasty but it probably would've been better over white rice.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I'm getting a little tired of chicken breast and recalled I cooked a lot with chicken thigh in January and thought this type of dish might be best suited with thigh meat.

Would I make this recipe again?:

No

The recipe


Israeli Couscous w/Fresh Peas & Mint

After cooking couscous recently and reading the reviews of this recipe, I decided I wouldn't cook it the way the directions said. Several reviewers said it was way too soggy so I decided to cook it like the boxed version tells me too just with a combination of chicken broth and water. What I failed to realize was was how important the spices were in that little box and how tasteless this couscous would turnout. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

After prepping both dishes throughly I still forgot the mint. Very sad, but I don't believe it would've saved the dish.

Sticking to boxed couscous with spices.

Would I make this recipe again?:

No

The recipe

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower (dinner side dish)

by Irene Lindvall

I think the highlight of this dish was the crispy parmesan cheese. It didn't exactly stick to a lot of the cauliflower but it did come off of the baking sheet nicely and was definitely edible. I chose to mix all of the ingredients in a bowl instead of on the baking sheet prior to baking so the olive oil would mix better with the cauliflower. The red chili flakes were a nice compliment to the cheese and cauliflower. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

The cauliflower was a little dry coming out of the oven so an extra drizzle of olive oil is appropriate upon serving.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Sure

The recipe:

Again, the recipe comes from the Superfast Weight Watchers recipes and is not available online.