Sides | Simple By Cindy

Cole Slaw

Jul. 15
2016

I have made so many cole slaw recipes over the years! Unfortunately, none of them were wonderful or even memorable.

This time, I looked through a few recipes, incorporated my favorite ingredients and created my own.

A good cole slaw is perfect for a summer meal. However, I did not want a cole slaw that was drenched in mayonnaise. I prefer the dressing to be light and airy with a touch of spice. This is where the whole grain mustard makes it’s debut.

This was a winner! The onion gave it a little “kick” and the dressing was perfect, if I do say so myself. The best part about it was when I went to reuse it the next day, there was no soaked, unappetizing cole slaw. It was still perfect and delicious.

Please give this recipe a try. It was the most light, yet flavorful cole slaw I have ever tried, without the calories and heaviness of a lot of mayonnaise.

Please contact me on Facebook or on my email account and let me know what you think.

You are going to love this one!

Ingredients for Cole Slaw

1/2 of a small red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 of a small green cabbage, thinly sliced
2 carrots, cut into slices
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp. whole grain mustard
Juice of 1/4 fresh lemon
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. very good olive oil

Slice red and green cabbage into thin slices making sure you slice around the core. You can also put them into the food processor with the shredding attachment.

Cut red onion into very thin slices.

Peel the carrot, and then use the peeler to “peel” carrot into small thin slices.

Toss the cabbage, onion and carrot into a large bowl.

Place the apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise, whole grain mustard, fresh lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil into a small mixing bowl. Whisk together ingredients.

Slowly pour dressing into cabbage mixture and as you pour, toss in the cabbage, onion and carrot mixture. When the cabbage mixture starts to glisten, stop, taste and decide if it needs more. Use this process until you have poured the desired amount of dressing in.

Remember an over-dressed salad is soggy and undesirable, so be very careful when you dress it.

I know you will enjoy this one!

It’s that simple!

Spring Pea Pasta with Ricotta and Herbs

Jul. 11
2016

This dish is outstanding in every way. It is light, with seasonal favorites of sugar snap peas and sweet peas.

The ricotta cheese combines with the pasta water to make a delicate, creamy sauce, which is enhanced by the addition of the herbs.

It is a simple, one-pot side dish that is perfect for any summer dinner. My family loved it and enjoyed the leftovers the next day.

Today’s hint: Reserve extra pasta water and keep it in the refrigerator to heat it up the next day. This will ensure the integrity of the pasta and keep it tasting freshly made.

This recipe is courtesy of Southern Living and says it will serve 4 people. Since I had enough for the next day, I would say it serves 4-6 people.

Make this dish now, you will love it!

Ingredients for the Spring Pea Pasta with Ricotta and Herbs

4 quarts water
1/4 cup kosher salt (for the pasta water)
8 ounces short pasta
2 (8-oz) pkgs. sugar snap peas
1 (13-oz) pkg. frozen sweet peas, thawed
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp. (1 oz.) salted butter
2 tbsp. thinly sliced fresh chives
2 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a stockpot over high heat.

Add 1/4 cup of salt; return to boil.

Add pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes (or 3 minutes less than than package directions).

Stir in sugar snap peas, and cook for 2 minutes.

Add in sweet peas and cook for 1 minute.

Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water,plus more if you are going to heat it up the next day.

Drain pasta mixture.

Return pasta to pot.

Add ricotta, parsley, butter, chives, tarragon, and reserved cooking water.

Stir to coat.

Serve immediately.

It’s that simple!

Simple Garlic Shrimp

Jul. 8
2016

This recipe is a simple way to get dinner on the table fast. The prep time is short and the outcome translates to a wonderfully prepared shrimp dish that your family will love.

You definitely have to be a garlic lover for this one!

You need to buy a bottle of capers and use the liquid in order to get the caper brine.

I did not add water; the sauce cooked up just fine without it. It was nicely thickened and had just the right amount of garlic and flavor. It was smooth and silky, with a touch of lemon and heat from the red pepper flakes.

Make this tonight! It is delightful and good to the last bite!

This recipe is courtesy of allrecipes.com and serves 3-4 people.

Today’s Hint: You may buy your shrimp deveined, but check the underside of the shrimp. You will see that there is a vein there as well. You should take the time to remove it. Who wants to eat that?

Enjoy!

Ingredients for Garlic Shrimp

1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt to taste
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 tbsp.lemon juice
1 tbsp. caper brine
1 1/2 tsp. cold butter
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, divided
1 1/2 tbsp. cold butter
water. as needed

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Place shrimp in a even layer on the bottom of the pan and cook for 1 minute without stirring.

Season the shrimp with salt; cook and stir until shrimp begin to turn pink, about 1 minute.

Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir 1 minute.

Stir in lemon juice, caper brine, 1 1/2 tsp. cold butter, and half the parsley.

Cook until the butter has melted, about 1 minute, then turn heat to low and stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cold butter. Stir until all butter has melted to form a thick sauce and shrimp are pink and opaque, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.

Continue to cook butter sauce, adding water 1 tsp. at a time, if too thick.

Season with salt to taste.

Serve shrimp topped with the pan sauce.

Garnish with remaining parsley.

It that simple!

Gruyere and Spinach Bakes

Jul. 6
2016

These wonderful gruyere and spinach bakes were a delightful surprise for dinner this week.

They are so easy to make and packed with flavor. Initially, I thought they would be difficult to remove from the ramekin (isn’t that always the case?) but these bakes slid right out with no problem!

You can serve them in or out of the ramekin; they make a beautiful presentation either way.

They are perfect for any occasion, from a small dinner party to a holiday festivity. This is a “must try”.

This recipe is courtesy of Giada De Laurentis. It serves 4 people who will think you are the world’s greatest cook!

Ingredients for Gruyere and Spinach Bakes

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta (optional)
2 shallots, chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Two 1/2-to-3/4-inch-thick slices country-style bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
6 large eggs, beaten, at room temperature
2 packed cups fresh chopped spinach
1 1/2 cups of grated gruyere (6 ounces)
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
4 (10 ounce) ramekins

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400.

Spray 4 (10 ounce) ramekins with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a medium skillet.

Add the pancetta (if using) and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Remove the pancetta using a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to soak up extra oil.

Add the shallots, salt and pepper in the same skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cooked pancetta, shallots, bread, eggs, spinach gruyere cheese and milk until all the ingredients are moistened.

spinach bake pancetta, spinach cheese and milk

Spoon the mixture into the ramekins.

Place the ramekins on a small baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Cool the ramekins for 20 minutes.

Using a paring knife, loosen the edges of the ramekins and unmold onto serving plates.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

It’s that simple!

Happy 4th of July!

Jul. 4
2016