Simple By Cindy

Salad Dressing

Sep. 28
2015

Store- bought salad dressings are my biggest pet peeve! Why make your own salad dressing when there are so many varieties sold in the supermarket? Well… because there is just nothing good about market bought dressings.

The dressings you find in stores use a lot of poor quality products that are cheap and unhealthy. They contain preservatives, artificial coloring and flavoring, gums and way too much sugar. The sugar translates into too many calories and bad fats. Way too scary for me!

It is easy to make salad dressing (and cheap!). The benefit of creating your own is that you will be using better quality ingredients that are fresh and good for your health. They taste much better too!

Every dressing should be made with a few basic ingredients:

An oil- such as olive, walnut, hazelnut, flaxseed, or avocado.
A vinegar- such as balsamic, white wine, champagne, apple cider or brown rice. Fresh lemon (you know that is my go to!) or lime juice can also be added in addition to your choice of vinegar, or used by itself.
A thickener – such as mayonnaise, dijon mustard, brown seed mustard (delicious!) avocado or tahini. This acts as an emulsifier to help the oil and vinegar combine properly.

The basic rule for making your own vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. This is just a guide. I never follow it. I find that too much oil results in an oily residue, which I do not like. You can use a ratio of 1-1. I usually use more of the acid than the oil.

Don’t forget the salt and pepper. The salt brings out the best flavors in the dressing.

The possibilities are endless. You can use minced garlic or shallots. Any favorite fresh herb or poppy seeds will add another delightful dimension.

There are no rules. Just pick your favorite ingredients, combine, taste, season and taste again.

You will never go back to store-bought salad dressing again!

Here are three different salad dressings I would like to share with you.

Ingredients for Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil

Mix all ingredients except for the olive oil into a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Ingredients for Champagne Wine Dressing

1/4 cup of champagne wine vinegar
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 shallot, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup of good olive oil

Mix all ingredients except for the olive oil into a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil.

Ingredients for Italian Dressing

1/4 cup champagne wine vinegar
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup of good olive oil

Mix all ingredients except for the olive oil into a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil.

I hope you will make your own dressing! Give it a try!

It’s that simple!

Dirty French

Sep. 25
2015

As soon as someone tells me about a great restaurant they have been to, I call and make a reservation. It is one of my passions. I love to explore new venues. Good food is everywhere, but some restaurants truly stand out. Part of the fun is reading the menus and seeing how the chef blends together different ingredients. As someone who loves to cook, I try to remember this, and incorporate these new ideas into my own recipes.

I take it all in. The name of the restaurant, the decor, the lighting, the table settings and the ambiance. When I have to entertain for my next holiday, I use this information to create new and beautiful memories for my guests.

Recently, we went to a restaurant in New York City called “Dirty French”. Everything about it was wonderful.

You begin with this sinfully marvelous bread with butter.

My husband and I shared the mussels and mushroom millefeuille. Yes, I asked the same question. What is a millefeuille? It is a french pastry consisting of 3 layers of pastry (like a napoleon). Dirty French uses mushrooms that they press down flat overnight so it looks like layers of pastry.

So creative and beautiful (not to mention delicious)!

For the main course, I had the Tuna Nicoise, which was perfectly cooked and served with a quail egg.

My husband had the duck breast, which was amazing!

Then of course, we had desert! When you go to a french restaurant, you expect fabulous deserts. We were not disappointed.

Everything about Dirty French exceeded our expectations!

Whether an anniversary, birthday or romantic dinner, this is a must try!

It’s that simple!

Red Snapper

Sep. 21
2015

I am excited to share with you another great recipe from my sister-in-law, Shelley. My brother had brought home some fresh red snapper he caught while fishing. Shelley got this recipe from a friend; she made some changes to it as did I.

Shelley was lucky enough to use this recipe with freshly caught fish! I was not so lucky and went to my grocery store and asked them to fillet the red snapper for me!

As it turns out, this is a recipe worth trying! The prep time is fast, and the fish cooks in just 15 minutes! It was delicious, and just as Shelley had told me, “blog worthy”.

Try this one, it is a “keeper”!

Ingredients for the Red Snapper

2 red snapper fish, fillet
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. lemon-pepper
1 tbsp. fresh dill
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk all the ingredients together. Place red snapper in a pan, flat, so all of the dressing can cover the fish.

Pour dressing over fish.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Any side dish would be a great accompaniment with this dish. I had some leftovers I served with it. What side dish did you use?

Let me know! I would love to hear from you!

It’s that simple!

Pasta Salad

Sep. 18
2015

There are very few pasta salads I enjoy. Perhaps it is because so many use a mayonnaise-based dressing that I find unappetizing.

I came across this pasta salad, courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis. I am a huge fan and find that her recipes are always good. I can depend on her recipes and browse through them often when I need a good one. This one did not disappoint me.

I chose it because all the ingredients seemed to blend so well. I loved the use of the Italian tuna. This is a wonderful tuna that has become a staple in my pantry! I promise you will never go back to “Bumble Bee” ever again! The campanile pasta can be very hard to find. There are so many other kinds of pasta you can substitute. In fact choose your favorite! It will come out just as well!

Today’s hint: Add a hearty palmful of salt to the water you are using to make your pasta! This is the only time you get to season the pasta, and it is crucial to the overall taste!

Ingredients for the Pasta

1 pound Campanella pasta (or any pasta of your choice)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup, set aside
1 small or 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic (I used 3), minced
1 (6-ounce) jar Italian tuna in oil, such as Flott, drained (I used 2 jars )
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
2 tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained (I used 3 tbsp.)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tbsp. dried)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, turn down heat to medium and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, occasionally mixing , about 8-10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, frequently stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the tuna to the skillet and, using a fork, break into chunks. Add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, capers, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 8 minutes.

Add the pasta, the remaining cup of olive oil and the parsley. Toss until all the ingredients are well coated, adding a little pasta water if needed to thicken the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.

It’s that Simple!

Noodle Kugel

Sep. 16
2015

I am not usually fond of anything sweet. Therefore, when I was searching for a non-dairy noodle kugel, this one initially did not appeal to me. However, since my holiday dinners often have 10+ people, I had the feeling that some of my guests might enjoy it so I gave it a try.

This kugel, adapted from The Hadassah Cookbook, was a pleasant (and “sweet”) surprise! It sounds like a recipe my grandmother would have made.

Maybe it was an old recipe, but it turned out to be a flavorful, delightful dish! I did not expect to like it, but after I tasted it, I was transformed! It was delicious! Give this one a try, you will not be able to stop taking many yummy bites! You can make this kugel for any holiday. Your guests will thank you for it!

Ingredients for the Kugel

1 pound medium egg noodles, cooked 3 minutes less than instructions
7 eggs, lightly beaten
2 sticks unsalted margarine or butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon