La Cuisine Classique

September 1, 2008

Zucchini Bread

Filed under: Bread, Recipes, Vegetables — Tags: , , , — La Cuisine Classique @ 11:22 pm

Ingredients:

  • 3 Eggs
  • 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1/2 Cup Applesauce
  • 2 Cups White Sugar
  • 2 1/2 Cups Grated Zucchini
  • 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 3 Cups All-purpose Flour
  • 3 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt

How To Do It:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans.
2. After the zucchini has been grated, squeeze out the excess liquid.
3. Beat eggs until light and frothy in a large bowl. Add the oil, white sugar and applesauce. Stir in the zucchini and vanilla.
4. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir into the egg mixture. Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans.
5. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until done.

Optional:
Before baking, you can add a strudel-like topping if you wish.
Ingredients:

  • 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup All-purpose Flour
  • 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
  • 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg

How To Do It:
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a fork. When crumbly in texture, sprinkle the mixture over the tops of the loaves. Bake as normal.

July 18, 2008

Baked Marinated Vegetables

Filed under: Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetables — Tags: , , , , , , , — La Cuisine Classique @ 9:57 pm

Ingredients:

  • 2 yellow squash
  • 2 zucchini
  • 1 eggplant
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 pound cremini mushrooms
  • Marinade:

  • 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • How to do it:
    1. Quarter the squash, zucchini and eggplant lengthwise then cut in half. Slice the tomato and onions into thick slices. Quarter the bell peppers and add the mushrooms whole.

    2. Combine the ingredients for the marinade. Pour over the vegetables and refrigerate for 2.5 hours.

    3. Arrange the vegetables on a broiler pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

    Yogurt Cucumber Sauce

    Filed under: Recipes, Sauces and Dips, Vegetables — Tags: , , , — La Cuisine Classique @ 5:40 am

    Ingredients:

  • 16 fluid ounces plain yogurt
  • 1 lb cucumbers, peeled, seeded, small dice
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • Salt and ground pepper to taste
  • How to do it:
    1. Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined strainer or coffee filter. Set the strainer in a bowl and drain for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator.

    2. Combine the yogurt and cucumbers.

    3. Add the garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper.

    4. The sauce can be served chunky or pureed until smooth. It is ready to serve now, or it may be refrigerated for later use. Stir the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary before serving.

    Yield: 32 fluid ounces

    July 13, 2008

    Beef Chili

    Filed under: Recipes, Stews and Soups, Vegetables — Tags: , , — La Cuisine Classique @ 4:57 pm

    Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine, about 2 cups
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 pound ground sirloin
  • 1 pound stew meat
  • 2 15.5 ounce cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 1 28 ounce can tomato puree
  • Salt
  • 2 limes, cut into wedges (optional for garnish)
  • How to do it:
    1. Heat oil in large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic and spices. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables begin to brown, approximately 10 minutes. Increase heat slightly and add half the ground sirloin. Cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Add remaining beef and stew meat, cooking until brown.

    2. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for one hour. Remove lid and continue to simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally until beef is tender and chili has begun to thicken. If chili begins to stick to bottom of pan, stir in 1/2 cup of water. Adjust flavoring with additional salt.

    Serve with lime wedges and grated cheddar cheese, if desired.

    Makes 3 quarts, serves 8 to 10.

    BBQ Rosemary Potatoes

    Filed under: Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetables — Tags: , , — La Cuisine Classique @ 4:44 pm

    Ingredients:

  • 4 medium potatoes cut into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (no, don’t use the dried stuff)
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • How to do it:

    Fire up the BBQ. Pretty obvious, right? Parboil the potatoes in salted water until tender – about 10 minutes or so. Remove the potatoes and let them cool so you don’t burn your little fingers. After they’ve cooled a bit, thread them onto bamboo skewers. (Hint: soak the skewers for a bit in warm water first so they don’t catch fire when you put them on the BBQ.)

    In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the potatoes. After combined, brush the mixture onto the potatoes.

    Place the potatoes on the grill. Baste and turn the potatoes several times until they’re browned and cooked. Once done, enjoy.

    Cucumber Yogurt Dip

    Filed under: Recipes, Sauces and Dips, Side Dishes, Vegetables — Tags: , , , , — La Cuisine Classique @ 4:43 pm

    Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces of plain yogurt without gelatin
  • 1 large cucumber, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and white pepper to taste
  • How to do it:

    Line a colander or sieve with a large paper coffee filter. Plate the colander or sieve over a deep bowl. Put the yogurt into the filter, cover with waxed paper and place in the refrigerator. Leave it undisturbed for 24 hours or until no more liquid (whey) drains from the yogurt. Remove the yogurt from the filter and place it in a bowl.

    Cut the cucumber into quarters and remove the seeds. Finely chop the cucumber and place it on paper towels to drain some of the excess moisture. After allowing it to drain, combine the cucumber, olive oil, vinegar and garlic into the yogurt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the the refrigerator and allow it to rest for at least 1 hour before serving.

    It goes quite well with lamb.

    Green Beans with Lemon

    Filed under: Recipes, Vegetables — La Cuisine Classique @ 4:30 pm

    I suppose you can use frozen green beans, but fresh are so much better.

    Ingredients:

  • 1 pound green beans
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • Salt, white and black pepper to taste
  • Not much to this one:
    1. Trim the green beans.

    2. In a large sauce pan, cook beans until crisp-tender in boiling salted water and drain in a colander. It should only take 3 to 4 minutes.

    3. In a bowl, toss the beans with the melted butter, lemon juice, parsley and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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