Cookhacker » Vegetables

Oven Baked Spicy Crispy French Fries

Tom — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:38:42 +0000

Everyone loves french fries, but deep frying at home is messy and the clean up sucks. These oven baked fries are just as tasty, a little bit healthier and way easier to make and clean up after than the deep-fried variety. The secret is the pre-soak that removes some of the starch and helps the fries to crisp up on the outside while staying tender and moist on the inside. Pair these with my Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings and you have a great finger-licking good, faux deep-fried, quasi-healthy meal that everyone will love.

Please click here for the printable recipe.

Crispy Baked Kale Chips – Another Simply Delicious Healthy Snack

Tom — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:00:24 +0000

Another simple, healthy snack that you’re guaranteed to love – a great alternative to potato chips (although they’re really good, too!)

Tear the kale leaves into approx. 2″ bite size pieces (discard any thick stems)
Wash and dry the pieces thoroughly (a salad spinner is best for this)
Toss the dried leaves with the ¼ cup olive oil and ¾ tsp of kosher salt, coating all pieces well
Place them on a baking sheet and bake in a 350˚ oven for about 10-13 minutes ’til crumbly and crisp
Let cool and serve…

If you like, when you remove them from the oven, you can also sprinkle the crispy kale chips with some lime zest, cayenne, lemon pepper, Parmesan, chile powder, garlic powder or just about any other flavor or mix of spices, to add a personal touch.

Crispy Roasted Garbanzo Beans – A Simply Delicious Healthy Snack

Tom — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:37:19 +0000

These are addictive…healthy, crunchy and deliciously addictive…and very easy to make. All you do is:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Drain one 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
Rinse with water and dry thoroughly with paper towels
Toss the dried garbanzos with 1½ Tbsps of olive oil
Roast on a sheet pan for 25-35 minutes until the beans are golden brown and crunchy (start checking at 20 minutes)
Sprinkle with salt and whatever spices you like (try a little cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder…Spicy!)
Let cool and serve…Simply delicious!

Vegetarian Kung Pao with Broccoli and Peanuts

Tom — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 02:49:49 +0000

This fantastic recipe is originally from A Spoonful of Ginger by Nina Simonds, a cookbook based on the Asian philosophy of food as a health-giving entity. According to the author, the secret is in the Chinese holistic approach to food and its balance: countering yin, or cooling, foods, with yang, or hot, foods and neutralizers like rice and noodles. But don’t just try this recipe because you buy into the Chinese philosophy (although a lot of it makes sense…I mean, they have been cooking for over 4,000 years. In 2005, the oldest intact noodles yet discovered were found in Lajia, China and were estimated to be over 4,000 years old…but I digress)… just make it because it is one of the most delicious, satisfying and authentic tasting recipes I’ve found for homemade Chinese food, while still being relatively easy to prepare…and, believe it or not, it even manages to make tofu taste great!

Please click here for the printable recipe.

Smashed Baby Red Potatoes

Tom — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:54:12 +0000

If your tired of the same old baked potatoes or french fries (although I don’t understand how anyone could get tired of french fries) here is a simple recipe for preparing baby red potatoes that not only taste incredible…moist and creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside…but also look really great on your plate. Try and get the smallest red potatoes you can find…that way you have a much larger crispy to creamy ratio in each bite! And although they’re delicious right out of the oven, definitely try them with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkling of green onions…it really rounds out the flavor.

Please click here for the printable recipe.

The Best Way to Peel a Potato

Tom — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 01:46:52 +0000

Leave it to Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island to show us the best way to peel a potato. Every Thanksgiving, we make a ton of mashed potatoes for 40 people and the only thing we don’t look forward to is peeling all those potatoes. Well thanks to this video from Mary Ann, it looks like next Thanksgiving that won’t be a problem. Now if we can just get the Professor to invent an easy way to deep fry a turkey without burning down the entire neighborhood.

BTW, if you really want to do it the authentic “Mary Ann” way, here are the Progressive International 12 Inch Silicone Gripper Tongs, Colors may VaryRed Silicon Gripper Tongs she uses in the video. They’re great for using with non-stick cookware and they’re heat resistant up to 600° and dishwasher safe.

Crustless Broccoli Quiche….Low Carb and Still Delicious

Tom — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:38:35 +0000

OK…I personally could care less whether this is high-carb, low-carb or no-carb…all I know is that it tastes (and looks) great, is really simple to prepare and you can just pop a slice in the microwave for a quick breakfast. If you happen to live with someone who cares about carbs (like I do), the best thing about this dish is that you can really enjoy it together (you don’t have to fake it)…it’s that good! If you want an even healthier version, just substitute Eggbeaters for the eggs. And for a great variation, replace the onions with a cup or two of caramelized onions…it really adds a ton of flavor to the quiche.

Please click here for a printable copy of the recipe.

Simply Sensational Caramelized Onions

Tom — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 06:21:30 +0000

Caramelized onions are terrific on everything… pizza, burgers, hotdogs, chops, steaks, brisket and are delicious in scrambled eggs, quiche or mashed potatoes….they even make an interesting (and delicious) dessert when served on sliced apples with a side of cheese. In fact, they’re great all by themselves…I guarantee you’ll find yourself eating them right out of the pan.

I think that I first read about this technique for caramelizing onions in Cook’s Illustrated Magazine years ago and have been using it ever since.

When onions are cooked low and slow for an extended period of time, the natural sugars in the onions caramelize, imparting an intense sweet flavor and a beautiful deep mahogany color.

Caramelized onions can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or they can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Please click here for the printable recipe.

Oxo Pop Up Vegetable (and Chicken Wing) Steamer

Tom — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:04:12 +0000

Although I did post a technique a while back for simply steaming a small quantity of vegetables, there are times when that method isn’t practical (like for prepping my Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings). For these times, I highly recommend the Oxo Good Grips Pop-Up SteamerOxo Good Grips Pop-Up Steamer.

All you have to do is press on the handle and it pops up to make it safe and easy to insert into and remove from a steaming pot. One of the best feature is that you can unscrew the handle and it’s then perfect for steaming larger items like fish fillets (or huge batches of chicken wings!). It has foldable feet to keep the basket above the boiling water and it also expands to fit just about any pot. It’s a really cool kitchen tool with multiple uses…a practical (and inexpensive) addition to any kitchen!

And, if you really want to steam a huge batch of wings this simple, Asian-style 14 inch 3-Tier Aluminum Steamer3 Tiered Aluminum steamer is great…it’s also perfect for steaming a couple of different vegetables (or a variety of seafood) all at the same time for a quick, healthy dinner.

Grandma Molly’s Legendary Cole Slaw

Tom — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 03:33:25 +0000

We all grew up loving this cole slaw that my grandmother made…of course, she never wrote anything down, so it was up to my mother to perfect it and record it for posterity. The recipe has been passed down and now it’s become an essential ingredient in the perfect Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Sandwich that I wrote about awhile back. Although the cole slaw tastes great as soon as it’s made, the flavor definitely improves over time, so the best thing to do is to make it a day before you want to eat it. The slaw makes a great addition to any meal, but it’s really incredible on a sandwich of that leftover Thanksgiving turkey (or even store bought turkey breast) on a couple of slices of good Jewish rye bread, or even better, on my Sourdough Whole Wheat No Knead Pumpkin Seed Bread.

Please click here for the printable recipe.