Condiments

Taco Pickles

Leah Short — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 13:34:00 +0000

I feel like I should get some kind of award for actually making so much stuff I’ve pinned on Pinterest. I wonder how many crafty or recipe pins really get made? Probably not a high percentage. I’m happy to slowly start increasing that number with these Taco Pickles. I pinned them, I made them, and they’re delicious! Success! Instead of cucumbers, its’ a jar filled with carrots, radishes, and jalapenos. So, where does the taco come in? It refers to how to use them. They are perfect for topping tacos, especially fish tacos. Remember the Slow Cooker Thai-Style Peanut Pork? Yep, I put these babies on top of that and wowza. It’s not just for tacos, but anything that could use some zing.

Read more on Taco Pickles

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Spiced Honey

Leah Short — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 14:09:42 +0000

I’ve had this Ball Blue Book of Preserving on my shelf for several years now. Have I ever canned anything? No. Does this post include something I’ve canned? No. I think you have to be in a “mood” to can, and I certainly wasn’t. I’ll tackle it eventually, but what I really like about this book are all the spreads and dips that are also included. Easy condiments you can whip up without having to deal with the canning process (unless you’re making huge batches). Spiced Honey caught my eye because it was easy, sounded really delicious, and could potentially be something to give as a gift for the holidays or just because.

Read more on Spiced Honey

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Sweet & Sour Onions and Bell Pepper Relish

Leah Short — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 12:45:00 +0000

I wasn’t kidding when I said these were fancy condiments in my Beer Bratwursts post. Sweet & Sour Onions and Bell Pepper Relish will make you forget about ketchup and that pickle stuff. Condiments aren’t usually what you’ll be talking about after a meal, but I guarantee you will with these two.

Read more on Sweet & Sour Onions and Bell Pepper Relish

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Arugula Pesto

Leah Short — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:02:22 +0000

Pestos are great. Yes, there’s the traditional one with basil and pine nuts, but you really can get quite creative. I’ve made a mint pesto and even a broccoli pesto. The possibilities are endless really. In all of those varieties, I’ve used olive oil. It never occurred to me to make it with anything else, until I discovered this Arugula Pesto. It’s made with vegetable broth and that cuts the calories way, way down, but doesn’t sacrifice any flavor. I didn’t even miss the cheese! (Yep, you read that right.)

So, how’s it taste?

It’s just as delicious as its olive oil cousins. Using arugula gives it a peppery bite that I really liked, even though I’m not a huge fan of a mouthful of the leaves. I think it plays nicely with the garlic and that’s why I enjoyed it so much more as a pesto. The vegetable broth really didn’t add much flavor and acted as the binder to bring it all together. I didn’t miss the olive oil at all. The lemon juice brightened up the dish and the walnuts added just a bit of texture. I was skeptical, but happy this recipe was a winner.

It does need a touch of salt though, so after you blend all the ingredients, I’d add a bit of salt and pepper to your liking. This recipe comes from a pretty strict diet cookbook where salt is pretty much banned, so add it at the end if you think it needs it. You could top your pasta with freshly grated Parmesan and that would add a touch of saltiness, too.

Arugula Pesto

Jumpstart to Skinny by Bob Harper
makes about 2 servings
per serving: 68 calories, 2g protein, 3g carbs, 6g fat, 1g fiber

Ingredients:

2 cups arugula
1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. walnuts
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Using a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Serve over pasta. If too thick, thin with a bit of pasta water to desired consistency.

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Tzatziki Sauce

Leah Short — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:33:37 +0000

I’m not sure I’ve ever discussed on this blog that I don’t like melon, and I mean anything melon. No watermelon, no canteloupe, and especially no honeydew. Even that Midori stuff gives me the heebie jeebies. I have no explanation for it and what makes it even more weird is that I ate watermelon and canteloupe as a kid. No clue what happened. Cucumbers also fall into this category. They are very melony, if you will. I want to like them, they look so good and fresh. What I’ve discovered about cucumbers is I may not like them by themselves or in huge chunks, but I will totally devour them sliced very thin on a sandwich (like this chicken salad or this Mediterranean sandwich) or diced very small in this Tzatziki Sauce! I had four cucumbers that I needed to use and a big tub of hummus that was about to expire. So you see how my mind went to homemade tzatziki sauce.

So, how’s it taste?

I wasn’t expecting much. I’d had tzatziki sauce many times before and liked it, but it’s just sauce, right? Wrong! Holy mother of freshness did this homemade version blow my mind. You probably already have all the ingredients on hand, which recipes like that make me do a happy dance. It’s fresh, tangy, and just a bit of bite from the garlic. You can grate your garlic if you prefer, but I liked it in this sauce minced. I diced the cucumber very fine, and it was perfect for a dipping sauce. And dip I did!

I polished off this entire batch in two separate stints of me standing in the kitchen, hovered over the bowl, shoveling it in on pita wedges as fast as I could. I have no shame. Eight servings, schmeight servings. You know what else is really freakin’ delicious? Take your pita wedge, first dip it in hummus, then dip that in the tzatziki! You can thank me later.

Tzatziki Sauce

by Liz DellaCroce of The Lemon Bowl
makes 8 (1/2 cup) servings
per serving: 42 calories, 0.1g fat, 4.1g carbs, 0.2g fiber, 6.3g protein

Ingredients:

2 cups plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
2 cups cucumber, very small dice
1/2 cup fresh dill, minced (or 2 tbsp. dried)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Taste for seasoning and add more of any ingredient to adjust to your liking. (I added a tad more salt to mine.)

2. Serve immediately with pita wedges or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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Cranberry & Citrus Sauce

Leah Short — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:46:39 +0000

It’s funny that I now have a homemade recipe for Cranberry & Citrus Sauce on my blog. You see I’m a huge fan of the canned stuff. Huge. I just love it. I smother everything on my Thanksgiving plate with it. So it never crossed my mind to make it myself. I have to confess though. I only made it to use in a cocktail!

So, how’s it taste?

Well, the fact I’m blogging about only the sauce should tell you that I really liked it. I may never go back to the canned stuff and that’s a pretty big statement coming from me. I couldn’t believe how easy it was, it practically made itself! All the ingredients, except the grapefruit segments, cook together in a saucepan until thick and delicious. It takes no time. The cranberries are perfectly tart, but I like how the orange juice and zest bring just a touch of sweet. I’m not a big fan of grapefruit as I find it a little bitter, but it works nicely in the sauce. However, the next time I make this I’ll use orange segments instead. I got a few bites of bitter and I think the orange segments would have been more palate-pleasing.

This sauce was fantastic and I didn’t miss the canned stuff. Have I changed my ways for good? We’ll see how it goes for Christmas dinner. Read how this incredible sauce gets turned into a tasty beverage!

Cranberry & Citrus Sauce

by Amy Wisniewski, Chow
makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz. bag) frozen or fresh cranberries (about 3 cups)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp. finely grated ruby red grapefruit zest
1/2 cup ruby red grapefruit segments, medium dice

Directions:

1. Combine cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and both zests in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

2. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until thickened and cranberries are beginning to fall apart, about 20 to 25 minutes. Spoon into a heatproof serving bowl.

3. Drain grapefruit segments, discarding any accumulated juices, and stir into cranberry sauce. Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve cold or at room temperature.

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White Balsamic Strawberry Freezer Jam

Leah Short — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:11:49 +0000

Hey look, another recipe with strawberries! I wasn’t kidding when I said I picked a lot of fresh strawberries this year. I’ve never made freezer jam before, but was excited to try White Balsamic Strawberry Freezer Jam. It seemed simple enough and none of that hardcore canning and boiling and sanitizing business. The end result didn’t quite turn out like I expected, but didn’t qualify for my Oops! category either, so I’m ok with it. Thank goodness, since I’ve got four jars of it!

So, how’s it taste?

It’s quite tasty with those juicy, ripe strawberries and the vinegar adds a sharp tang. It’s not the kind of jam you could spread on a piece of toast. The vinegar is way too potent for that. However, I did find it works awesomely on a turkey sandwich! I slathered my turkey sandwich with the jam and then dipped it in it. I couldn’t get enough of it! Sweet strawberry chunks with a sour twist.

As good as it tasted on a sandwich, I do want to try the recipe again. The consistency wasn’t as thick as I would have liked. The directions weren’t clear if I needed to add the juice from crushing the strawberries, so I did. Next time, I’ll strain out the extra juice. I also used a white balsamic vinegar infused with fig instead of regular balsamic vinegar. I thought the hint of fig would take this jam over the top. I couldn’t really taste the fig in the final product though. I definitely want to make this again, as freezer jam is incredibly easy. I’ll report on how it turns out in a future post.

White Balsamic Vinegar Strawberry Jam

by Ball
makes about 5 (8 oz.) half pints

Ingredients:

1 cup white balsamic vinegar (I used fig infused)
4 cups crushed strawberries
1/2 cup honey
5 tbsp. instant pectin (I used Ball RealFruit)
5 plastic (8oz.) freezer jars (I used Ball)

Directions:

1. Place vinegar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until reduced to 3/4 cup. Chill until cool.

2. Mix strawberries, honey, and cooled vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add pectin. Stir for 3 minutes.

3. Ladle jam into clean jars to fill line. Twist on lids. Let stand until thickened, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year.

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Strawberry Curd

Leah Short — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:20:57 +0000

I’ve gone strawberry crazy in my kitchen, and I’m quite happy about it. I’ve now made two trips to Bradley Kountry Acres and have heaps of fresh strawberries. Unbelievably sweet, juicy, local strawberries. Completely different from anything you can buy in the grocery store. After having a successful attempt at making lemon curd last year, I wanted to try Strawberry Curd. Curd is such an unfortunate name for such a decadent sauce. It’s excellent over any kind of pastry, especially scones, or try eating it right off the spoon!

So, how’s it taste?

Strawberry-licious! The sweetness of the strawberries really comes through in this sauce. It’s not quite as rich and thick as the lemon curd, but I enjoyed it. It’s a fairly thin sauce, which is perfect for drizzling over scones or if you’re like me, drowning your scones in it! It’s not a perfectly smooth texture since I left the seeds in, but you could certainly strain the puree if you wanted. I love the pretty, pale pink color. While I think I would like it a bit thicker, I do like that it’s not sickeningly rich. It’s not full of egg yolks and a ton of butter, which surprised me compared to the lemon curd I made. It’s a simple strawberry sauce with a touch of luxury.

Coming up next on the blog, a recipe for strawberry scones that pair beautifully with this strawberry curd!

Strawberry Curd

by Hungry Cravings
makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

14 oz. fresh strawberries
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. Puree the strawberries in a food processor. In a small, heavy saucepan, bring the puree to a slight simmer.

2. In a double boiler, or in a glass bowl that fits over a saucepan, whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar. Slowly add the hot strawberry puree in a thin stream while whisking. Place the double boiler or the glass bowl with the egg mixture over a medium pan of simmering water and heat, whisking constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until thick.

3. Stir in the butter and lemon juice. Pour in a glass container and let come to room temperature then chill in the refrigerator.

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Creamy Apple Tarragon Dressing & OXO Giveaway!

Leah Short — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:34:58 +0000

If you’ve been following my blog, you know how lately I’ve been watching my calories and eating more healthy. I’m thrilled to be part of the OXO Blogger Outreach Program and help them spread the word about some of their healthy eating tools. The tool I got to try was their Salad Dressing Shaker. I was really excited about this one because the salad dressing container I own isn’t exactly going to win any awards for ease of use. I chose to make Creamy Apple Tarragon Dressing for two reasons. One, I wanted something with bulky ingredients to really test the new shaker and I wanted a low calorie dressing with lots of flavor. Read on to find out how it worked out!

You can see how my salad dressing shaker on the left is small and although the mouth is wide, it’s hard to stuff bulky ingredients like sour cream and yogurt into the container. The lid doesn’t stay very tight so shaking has to be done very gingerly. The OXO shaker on the right has a huge opening and a nice pouring spout.

I didn’t attempt to spoon the yogurt and the sour cream in my old shaker. Look how much the OXO shaker holds! I had no problem getting both ingredients in the OXO shaker.

Adding the rest of my ingredients was a cinch. I scraped the herbs right off my big chopping knife into the shaker and squeezed the mustard right in. Getting those herbs in my old container would have made a huge mess.

Now for the fun part! Shake! Shake! Shake! The top screws on tight and the nozzle on the top forms a nice seal. No worries about splashing dressing around the kitchen here.

Flip the nozzle and you’re ready to pour. My only complaint about the OXO shaker is that with thick dressings like this one, it comes out all around the nozzle. You can see in the picture where it’s coming out where it’s supposed to under the spout, but also coming out the top. I think with thinner dressings, this wouldn’t be a problem since you wouldn’t have to turn up the shaker so much. I will say, the way OXO has designed the nozzle, it makes for easy cleaning. I closed the nozzle and ran it under the sink really quick to wash off the dressing that had gotten out and ta da! It was clean and ready to go back in the fridge. Now on to the dressing!

So, how’s it taste?

Great flavor for such a low calorie dressing! The apple gives it a nice freshness and the tarragon is wonderful. I really fell in love with fresh tarragon back when I used it in a pasta dish. It’s got a slight licorice flavor and between the apple and spicy mustard, this is a winner. You’d never guess the yogurt and sour cream weren’t the full fat versions. It does make quite a thick dressing, so if you’d like it thinner, try adding a little milk or water.

Now it’s giveaway time! The nice folks over at OXO want you to have a Salad Dressing Shaker, too! I’m giving away one OXO Salad Dressing Shaker like you see in the pictures above to one lucky reader.

Mandatory to enter: All you need to do is comment on this post and tell me what you’re doing (or what you’d like to start doing) to eat more healthy!

Optional entries: For up to two additional entries, do one or both of the following and leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

1. Follow @sohowsittaste and @OXO on Twitter and tweet the following: “I just entered to win an @OXO Salad Dressing Shaker from @sohowsittaste! You can too! Enter here: http://bit.ly/appletarragon”

2. Like So, Howâ€s It Taste? and OXO on Facebook.

Iâ€ll randomly select the winner on Wednesday, May 9th at noon Central. Please make sure you enter a valid email address as an alternate winner will be chosen if I donâ€t hear from you within 48 hours. Good luck!

Congratulations to comment #37 from Kelly!
I hope you enjoy your new OXO Salad Dressing Shaker!
Winner chosen using Random.org

Disclosure: OXO sent me a free Salad Dressing Shaker, but I was not compensated for this post.
All opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Creamy Apple Tarragon Dressing

by TLC Cooking
makes about 1 cup
per 2 tbsp: 25 calories, 0.8g fat, 2.9g carbs, 0g fiber, 1.4g protein

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain, fat-free yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp. fresh tarragon, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a salad dressing shaker. Shake to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The post Creamy Apple Tarragon Dressing & OXO Giveaway! appeared first on Leah Claire.

Fish Sandwich with Ginger Apricot Mayonnaise

Leah Short — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:43:26 +0000

This is not your ordinary fish sandwich. While we’re on the subject, let me tell you how much I despise fast food fish sandwiches. I think they should be banned…all fast food fish should be illegal. I don’t know why, but it grosses me out. I know a certain chain restaurant has its legion of fans for that nasty fish sandwich…and they eat it with a slice of cheese! I’ll never understand it. Not to be left out of the fish sandwich love, I offer up this Fish Sandwich with Ginger Apricot Mayonnaise. Believe it or not, it’s incredibly tasty and under 250 calories per serving!

So, how’s it taste?

I was first drawn to making this sandwich because of the flavored mayonnaise. Ginger and apricot? Yes, please! I know plenty of folks that don’t like mayo, but it just goes with fish…like tartar sauce. I happen to love mayo, so jazzing it up with flavor is a bonus for me. Fish cooks so quickly, so this meal is a very easy weeknight meal. There’s ginger and cayenne in the breading for the fish which makes for a pretty flavorful sandwich. You might want to amp up the cayenne if you like a little spice as I couldn’t taste it very much with the measurements below. I used tilapia for the fish as it’s very mild and goes well with just about any flavor combination. The ginger apricot mayo is such a refreshing match for the delicate fish. I like to add an extra dollop of the preserves for more sweetness. You could certainly substitute orange marmalade or peach preserves as well.

Fish Sandwich with Ginger Apricot Mayonnaise

New Dieter's Cookbook
4 servings
per serving: 248 calories, 3g fat, 38g carbs, 20g protein, 4g fiber

Ingredients:

Ginger Apricot Mayonnaise
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp. apricot preserves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Sandwiches
4 fresh tilapia fillets
margarine spray
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
4 hamburger buns (I prefer Healthy Life)
lettuce
4 tbsp. apricot preserves

Directions:

1. For the mayonnaise, in a small bowl mix mayonnaise, ginger, and preserves.

2. For the sandwiches, lightly coat a shallow baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, ginger, salt, pepper, and cayenne; set aside. Place fish fillets on the baking pan, spray with margarine spray. Coat sides and tops with crumb mixture.

3. Bake, uncovered, in a 450F oven for 4 to 6 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

4. To serve, toast buns and add lettuce and fish fillets to bottom buns. Top each sandwich with 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of the preserves. Add bun tops.

The post Fish Sandwich with Ginger Apricot Mayonnaise appeared first on Leah Claire.

Condiments

Taco Pickles

Spiced Honey

Sweet & Sour Onions and Bell Pepper Relish

Arugula Pesto

Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:

Directions:

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

Directions:

Cranberry & Citrus Sauce

Cranberry & Citrus Sauce

Ingredients:

Directions:

White Balsamic Strawberry Freezer Jam

White Balsamic Vinegar Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

Directions:

Strawberry Curd

Strawberry Curd

Ingredients:

Directions:

Creamy Apple Tarragon Dressing & OXO Giveaway!

Disclosure: OXO sent me a free Salad Dressing Shaker, but I was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Creamy Apple Tarragon Dressing

Ingredients:

Directions:

Fish Sandwich with Ginger Apricot Mayonnaise

Fish Sandwich with Ginger Apricot Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

Directions:

Disclosure: OXO sent me a free Salad Dressing Shaker, but I was not compensated for this post.
All opinions expressed here are solely my own.