Zesty Cook » balsamic vinegar

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates

zesty — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:00:05 +0000

Happy Friday! It is hard to believe it is the middle of July already. The weather here to say the least has been subpar. We have had one nice week so far and today we are slated for 16 degrees Celsius or 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Needless to say that makes me cranky. So to balance the cranky, we need to find something that makes us happy. Bacon makes zesty happy. Whether it is for breakfast, on a sandwich for lunch or wrapped around something for dinner you can pretty much count on me loving bacon.

A while back I made cinnamon and cream cheese stuffed dates for a family gathering and I really liked them. The texture of the date is something you either love or learn to love. For me I love the texture despite the fact they kind of look like over-sized beetles. Let’s not go there…

So on to this version of stuff dates. I took the same cream cheese and cinnamon mixture, added a little diced apple and then wrapped them with some bacon. I served them over some spinach with a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Holy Yum.

Ingredients

12 Pitted dates
1/2 Cup cream cheese
1/4 Cup diced apple ( peeled)
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
4 -5 slices of bacon ( cooked)
2 Cups spinach
1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

Method

Prepare the dates. Mix the cream cheese, apple and cinnamon together and set aside.
Slice the down the center to create a pocket to stuff the cream cheese mixture inside.
Gently wrap the bacon around the dates and set aside on a plate.
Prepare a bed of spinach with a drizzle of balsamic.
Set the dates on top of the spinach
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Because the dates are serve chilled, you have to cook the bacon entirely. I like to have the bacon crunchy so you have to be careful wrapping the bacon around the date as it may break. If it breaks, it is still OK. Don’t sweat it.

We pack up and leave for camping tomorrow afternoon. We are looking forward to a week in the camper. I will keep you posted from the camper and I have a few new recipes up my sleeve for next week. If you are in the area and want to try some new dishes – drop over and say Hi. Have a super weekend and I will talk to you on Monday from the camper.

Take care

zesty

Honey Nut Brussel Sprouts

zesty — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:00:53 +0000

Well you know that I have somewhat of an addiction to honey…. right? It is OK though. It does make everything taste slightly better and is a great natural sweetener. For today’s recipe, it really could not get any easier. I start by taking a very healthy vegetable which really needs some flavor help if you ask me and that is what we do.

These simple ingredients and the power of the oven translate these bland boring brussel sprouts into the star of the meal.

Wanna hear how?

Ingredients

2 Cups Brussels Sprouts ( left whole)
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tsp. Crushed Garlic
1/2 Cup Vegetable stock
2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Pine nuts
Salt
Pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.
In a bowl, add Brussels sprouts and coat with olive oil and salt and pepper.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread Brussels sprouts out evenly to prepare for roasting.
Roast until almost done, about 20-25 minutes. With 5 minutes left to roast add the pine nuts on the pan as well to brown
In a small sauce pan, add vegetable stock, garlic, balsamic and bring to a gentle boil. Then turn to simmer and let reduce. Add honey and continue to let it reduce for 10-15 minutes.
Once the Brussels sprouts are fully roasted, remove the pan from the oven and pour the honey balsamic mixture on top. Toss to coat evenly and serve.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The use of vegetable stock is a great way to infuse flavor as well as create the balancing liquid for the sauce. If you do not have vegetable stock you could simply use water or even apple juice. Apple juice would add another layer of flavor to the sprouts but still should work.

So Monday is here and another week set to begin. It is very cold here this morning -19 in fact with the windchill which I am not so pleased about. I will have to cover up the lid and keep warm. Have a super start to your week and I will see you Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

Asparagus Bacon Walnut Salad

zesty — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:00:44 +0000

When I need a brain break, I just think about eating and cooking.

This asparagus bacon walnut salad really follows the zesty motto…. quick and easy yet packed with flavor. This asparagus dish will easily work as either a side dish or a salad depending on both your mood and your dinner plans.

It literally takes no time to make and requires very little preparation. In this particular case I used turkey bacon as it was on sale. Even though I have never tried it before, I enjoyed it immensely. I noticed a number of similar qualities to real bacon minus the grease.

As a little treat to compliment the salad is homemade rosemary focaccia bread that I picked up at the bakery…. yum. This stuff was amazing.

I don’t eat asparagus very often but every time I do I always wonder why I don’t buy it more often. Perhaps it’s because it can be fairly pricey at the local grocery store.

See below for the brief instructions on how to make this dish.

Ingredients

Asparagus (about 12-15 pieces)
4-5 slices cooked turkey bacon (chopped)
1/4 Cup walnuts
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar

Method

Preheat pan to medium-high heat.
Add Olive Oil to warm pan then add bacon, asparagus and heat together for 5-7 minutes.
Once Asparagus is tender toss in the walnuts.
Cook through for 2 minutes and finish with a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When cooking with asparagus do not over cook them. I like to shock them with high heat for only 5-7 minutes to allow them to heat through but also keep the crunch.

I am on the road tonight so stay tuned or a Virginia post on Friday. Have a great day.

Take care

zesty

Holy Balsamic Rosemary Chili Crusted Pork Roast!

zesty — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:00:04 +0000

Now I know that is a long title and a lot of description into this pork roast… but really – you cannot just say that this is any old pork roast. Now as you know from the past I tend to be a meatatarian at times and today may be no exception. When it comes to meat – I adore pork!! One of my fav ways to cook pork with the bone-in is a method I like to call HIGH-LO.

It is a method where I crank the heat up in the oven as high as it goes and sear the outside of the meat to lock in the flavors and then I cover the meat and lower it to about 200 degrees and let it break down and become super tender. This is the method I chose with this piece of meat and I can’t really stress enough… it was delicious. I cooked this as part of my rockin’ Sunday cook off and used it in stir fry’s, sandwiches and salads throughout the week – dishes in which you will get to see in the future.

Ingredients

1 Pork Roast ( about 3-5 lbs)
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Rosemary
1 Tbsp. Chili Paste
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
Squirt of mustard
Salt and Pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 500 Degrees ( Do note if you want to Pan sear it in a pan before roasting that is perfectly fine )

Prep roast by patting it dry and seasoning with salt, pepper and rosemary.

Roast on high heat for 15 minutes and remove from heat

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix together

Pour over top of roast and cover with foil

Turn oven down to 200 degrees and roast for another 90 minutes… depending on the size of your roast and the way you like your meat cooked. I usually like to check to see if the meat is pulling away from the bone. With this method there should be no worry of you drying the meat out or it being tough.

Remove from heat, cover with tin foil and let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. This will allow the juices to go back through the meat instead of coming out of the meat if you slice it right away.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Be sure to cover it after you lock in the juices. This will ensure the meat stays protected and keeps all the flavor and pushes it inside the meat and help keep it moist.

I hope you have an amazing Friday. I found this week flew by like a race car in the Daytona 500. Life is busy so time flies. Wish me luck for my meeting at lunch which could lead to zesty approaching a new medium. Have a fantastic weekend and make sure to eat lots and have fun.

Take care

zesty

Gluten Free Crepes with Duck and Honey Balsamic Sauce

zesty — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:00:27 +0000

Happy Thursday! Well it is late on Wednesday night and I am craving Old Fashion Barbecue chips. I told Janet (my wife) that if I can get this post done in time for another episode of Criminal Minds then we are good to have some chips. I have been craving them all week but really never had time to sit down and eat them. So tonight is the night. I feel like we have been running around for the last 4 months but fortunately it’s coming to a close. I can see the finish line. We heard from the builders today that they will likely be completed of all their work by Friday of this week!!! I know crazy eh?

After that we have a few outstanding items to clean up:

Kitchen counter tops
Plumbing fixtures etc
Electrical fixtures
Final coat of paint
Paint the fireplace mantel
Closet doctor
Clean Clean Clean!

On to the Food

So I have yet another special treat for you today food wise. Another dish from our football celebration. This is a gluten free crepe stuffed with a killer duck mixture and topped with an amazing tangy sauce. This really is a must try. I took one bite and I almost wanted to go hug my zesty-in-law. It was amazing and when you got to a crunchy bite of skin it felt like you stepped into a different world.

Ingredients

Duck

4 Duck legs
1 Onion
2 Tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tsp. sea salt
1 Tsp. herbs De Provence

Sauce

2 Tbsp minced Onion.
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 Tsp white pepper
1/2 Tsp. sea salt
1/2 Tsp clove garlic minced
1/4 Cup white balsamic vinegar.
1/4 Cup honey

Crepe

1 Cup Gluten Free Flour
2 Large eggs 1 Yolk
1/3 Cup Melted butter
2 Tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 Cup milk
3/4 Cup water

Method

For the Duck, line large pan, or dutch oven with onions. Coat the duck legs well with the salt, pepper and herb mix

Place in a preheated over ant 475 degrees, and after 10 minutes decrease the heat to 275 F oven and cover.

Continue to cook for about 3 hours until meat is falling off the bones. Cool completely, then separate the meat and the skin, wrap and reserve.
Reserve fat for another use.
Prior to serving crisp the skin under a broiler and mix with gently reheated meat.

For the Sauce cook the onion, garlic and spices until soft, using a low heat to avoid any browning of the garlic and the onions.

Add the vinegar and the honey and heat until mixed.

For the Crepe, mix the first five ingredients well in a large bowl.
Add milk and water to blend to a heavy cream 18% consistency.

Pour into a medium to high heat skillet (amount of mixture depends on the size of your pan and the thickness of the crepe)

Once the crepe is complete remove from heat, let cool. Add some duck to the center and then place a few pieces of crispy skin on top. Roll the crepe up and then spoon some sauce over the top

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Because of no gluten in the flour make sure to place your mixture in the middle of the pan and then do a swirl technique as opposed to starting on the side of the pan.

Alright – I have 9 minutes to prep my snack and get on the couch. Talk to you tomorrow. Have an awesome Thursday.

Take care

zesty

Dazzled Carrots with Pears and Balsamic

zesty — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:42 +0000

Did yesterday feel like Monday to anyone else? I think for me because of the holiday I was in slow motion and dragging my heels the whole day. But all in all I survived. I was excited when I got home because my Mom had one of my favorite turkey left over meal – Turkey Pot Pie. I love it!

As for the house progress, it is coming along quite well. We had a couple of hiccups yesterday and it looks like the insulation will be one day behind which will impact the drywall. We had the rough grading done and as you will see from the pictures below – I think it turned out well. The guys got a start on the front porch after we finally made up our minds on which product to use.

On to the Food

Today’s recipe is part of the fabulous Thanksgiving Saturday at the inlaws. I will call it Pan Fried Carrots in a Pear Balsamic reduction. Is your mouth watering yet? These little sticks of heaven were delicious! It really is easy to take a plain old carrot and turn it into something so eye catching and delicious. I was sure to take lots of pictures as the colors were really nice.

As far as the prep goes, it is a little time consuming with the slicing unless you have a trusty Mandoline but outside of that a really straight forward recipe.

Ingredients

4 Cups Carrots ( Sliced lengthwise – see picture)
1 Fresh Pear ( Diced)
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Chicken Stock
1/4 Cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper

Method

Slice carrots according to the picture below. Soak in cold water until ready to go.

Warm Saute pan over medium heat and add butter. Once beginning to melt, add carrots and let brown. ( about 10 minutes)

Once brown add the chicken stock, and let reduce to half.

Add balsamic, diced pear, salt and pepper and let reduce again.
Once cooked until desired doneness, add chopped parsley and serve

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Ever have too many carrots – blanch them in boiling water and then freeze them.

House Update

Below are the latest shots of the house. Someday I am going to be giving you a final tour of the house …. maybe some zesty videos from the new kitchen.

Have a great day and be sure to let me know if you have any questions about the recipe, blogging in general or the house.

Take care

zesty

No Sweat Balsamic Glazed Salmon

zesty — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:00:46 +0000

Do you like salmon? I happen to love salmon, so I’m going to share with you a super easy way to whip up some balsamic glazed salmon.

Pick up some salmon on the way home and you can be eating in no time. Salmon also offers a great source of protein as well as “good” fats. I have to be careful when I get all nutritional as I am by no means an expert in that category. However, I do know a bit as I usually try to eat healthy and stay fit.

Back to the salmon. For this dish, I like to pair it with basmati rice and a simple green vegetable such as spinach or kale.

Ingredients

2 Salmon fillets
1 Tsp. olive oil
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh dill
Cracked black pepper

Method

Preheat saute pan to medium high heat.

Pat salmon dry with paper towel.
Season with cracked black pepper.
Sear salmon on both sides (3 minutes per side).
Add balsamic vinegar and dill, continue cooking until translucent (should flake with a fork).
Drizzle sauce over salmon.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Using just a bit of olive oil and making sure to preheat the pan are the two tips for a perfectly sauteed piece of fish. Also remember to let the fish cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes (depending on the thickness) to develop a nice crust. Be sure not to crowd the fish; cook it in batches rather than overcrowd the pan.

Question of the day: What is your favorite type of fish?

So there you have it… a simple salmon dish that can be enjoyed by all. This is a great switch up if you are a meat eater. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Take care

zesty

Balsamic Chicken with a Flare

zesty — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:00:15 +0000

Chicken Anyone? Yeah I thought you would say yes. Chicken is a very popular food choice, however you want to avoid chicken boredom. If you feel your getting in the chicken rut - give this balsamic number a try.

Ingredients

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lb/750 g)
2 tbsp (25 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) crumbled dried sage or rosemary
1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock
2 tbsp (25 mL) balsamic vinegar
2 tsp (10 mL) liquid honey
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Method

In shallow dish or plastic bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken and turn or shake to coat.

In large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium heat; fry chicken, turning once, until no longer pink inside, 12 minutes. Remove to plate and keep warm.

Add remaining oil to pan; cook garlic and sage just until golden, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with any remaining flour; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in stock, vinegar and honey; cook until thickened enough to coat back of spoon.

Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan, turning to coat; cook until chicken is glazed, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with parsley.