MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - GARLIC-GINGER CHICKEN WITH SESAME GREEN BEANS AND CARROT-GINGER RICE

I found this meal over at For The Love Of Cooking hosted by Pam. You can see the original chicken recipe here, and the Carrot-Ginger Rice here and the Sesame-Green Beans here.

Garlic-Ginger Chicken

2 teaspoons olive oil

5 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any fat

1/4 cup red onion, sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (I used 2 oranges)

Zest of 1 orange

Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Combine the chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, orange juice and orange zest in a large Ziploc bag. Place in refrigerator for 1-24 hours.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat with the olive oil. Once the pan is hot add chicken thighs. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Set on a platter, let the meat rest for five minutes before serving. Enjoy.

Sesame Green Beans

1 lb. green beans, ends trimmed

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

2-3 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to the boil over a high heat. Add the green beans and cook 4-5 minutes or until just tender. Drain the water.

While the beans are cooking combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds together and mix until well combined. Add the mixture to the cooked and drained green beans and toss to coat evenly. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Carrot-Ginger Rice

1 cup of Basmati rice

2 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup sweet yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and grated

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Dash cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine the rice and chicken broth together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and steam for 20 minutes. Remove lid and let sit for five minutes before fluffing with a fork.

While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for five minutes, stirring often, until tender. Add the carrot, ginger and garlic to the onions. Cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add the rice to the mixture along with the cilantro, sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and dash of cayenne pepper. Stir gently so that all the ingredients are combined. Serve immediately.

Added note: I had to cook the chicken a little longer because the first time I checked it wasn't cooked all the way through. When I first marinated the chicken I had forgotten the fresh ginger on my last trip to the store, and used a teaspoon of ginger powder that I already had. The next day I picked up fresh ginger for the rice dish. I thought the rice was just about the best one I had ever tasted, and I also enjoyed the green beans. I usually use low-sodium soy sauce.

I marinated the chicken the day before, and the day I served up the meal I measured out all my ingredients and prepared the vegetables several hours earlier, covering everything and refrigerating what I needed to. Things go quickly and more smoothly when fixing this meal with everything all laid out beforehand.

We both gave this meal a big thumb's up and will be serving it again. We had enough rice left over for another meal and are having it with tomorrow's dinner. There is coconut shrimp in the freezer and I will probably toss a green salad together.

Thanks for looking and

have a great day!

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - CAULIFLOWR GRATIN WITH ALMONDt CRUST - MAKES 6

No link today as I have had this recipe for a long time before I made note of such things. It is also one from my old blog and I haven't made it in a long time. 

Cauliflower Gratin with Almond Crust - makes 6 servings

1/4 cup butter
1 head of cauliflower (about 2-1/4 lbs.) separated into florets
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whipping cream  (I used 2% milk)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese
2/3 cup Panko crumbs
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower, the chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté ten minutes or until golden and just tender. Sprinkle with flour, the salt and fresh thyme. Stir well. Remove from heat.

Spoon the cauliflower mixture into a 11 x 7-inch baking dish and drizzle with cream. Sprinkle with Gruyere cheese, Panko crumbs, sliced almonds and grated Parmesan.

Bake at 400 for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden.

The cauliflower mixture was delicious and the crunchiness was a great addition. Also, the taste of the cheeses wasn't overpowering but subtle.

You can use it as a side dish or eat it on its own for a light supper. It can be served any way you wish. We often go meatless and added a mixed veggie salad. It would make a tasty side to a protein if you prefer.

I often use whole milk for whenever I bake but I made this with 2% milk - cream and I don't like each other very much. 

Thanks for looking, have a great week and 

Bon Appetit.

A BLOG BREAK - MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - CREAMY CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN

Hello Dear Friends, it has been a while but I am taking a blog break. I hope to be back in a couple weeks.

My photos for this recipe didn’t turn out very well. At the end of the cooking time I decided to put it under the broiler to give it a nice golden brown color.  Unfortunately, I got distracted and forgot!  It wasn’t too long past what I intended but it got a bit burnt in parts, which I tried to rescue by scraping said burnt bits off the top. Fortunately it didn’t detract from the taste and was actually a delicious tasting recipe.  But!!! I must remember to ‘babysit’ next time, and not leave it to fend for itself. Even with all this being said, we gave it a 10 out of 10.

The recipe comes from Laughing Spatula hosted by Kathi and Rachel. It is an Ina Garten recipe and they increased the amount of cheese sauce and cauliflower for a bigger casserole.You can see theirs at this link. Their recipe index can be found here. Ina's recipe is at the Food Network website here. I always recommend going to the food blog where I find my recipes. Always fun to look through them for others and also to see the great photos for this one, plus the tips. Also suggestions as to what main course would go well as an accompaniment.

Creamy Cauliflower Au Gratin

Servings: 8

Calories:  268 per serving

8 cups cauliflower florets about 3 pounds

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup flour

3 cups milk 2 percent or whole

1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated Swiss is a great substitute

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For Topping:

1/2 cup panko crumbs regular bread crumbs would work too

1/3 cup Gruyere cheese, grated

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Separate cauliflower into florets and either steam for 5 minutes or boil in large pot of water for 5 minutes, until just barely tender. Drain and set aside.

In sauce pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add 1/3 cup of flour and whisk until smooth and mixture is bubbling.

Add milk and continue to stir until thickened. Add one cup of gruyere cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir until melted. Sauce should cover the back of a spoon.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce into an au gratin baking dish or baking dish about that same size.We used a 9 x 13 inch baking dish but a10 x 10 was suggested. If using the 9 x 13 the casserole will be a bit thinner.

Place partly cooked cauliflower on top. Sprinkle with salt.

Pour remaining sauce on top of second layer of cauliflower.

For Topping: combine melted butter, gruyere and bread crumbs in small bowl. Sprinkle on top of cauliflower.

Bake for 30 minutes or until top is crispy and cauliflower is tender.

Notes

Substitute swiss cheese or any other big flavored cheese in place of gruyere.

Do not use fat free milk. Whole milk is best.  2% in a pinch. (Denise: I always use 2% and it still tastes creamy enough for us.)

Par cook the cauliflower until just barely fork tender, careful not to over cook.

 

Some of the comments asked at the end of the recipe I found interesting. 

1) Can you use coconut milk.The answer was yes, it would thicken up just like regular milk.

2) Can you make the day before and reheat? Yes and for best results assemble, cover and refrigerate, then bake next day if possible.

3) Can you use frozen cauliflower or would that be too mushy? That answer was yes, it would be mushy, but still delicious, only with more of a mashed potato consistency.

4) One commenter's store didn't have Gruyère cheese, so they used a good quality sharp Cheddar cheese. Also they were only cooking for one so used 1/2 the measurements. She loved the recipe. (Denise’s note: the only cheese I ever used before Gruyère was Cheddar. Always delicious! I did enjoy the creamy taste of the Gruyère however.)

This is a recipe I remember making at school in my Domestic Science Class. I took it home afterwards for my family, and happy to say it was a big success. It became a regular one from then on and my dear mother was very happy as it was the start of me helping her with making dinners. She appreciated the extra hands.

Laughing Spatula's website for this recipe can be found here:

https://laughingspatula.com/creamy-cauliflower-au-gratin/

Ina Garten's recipe can be found at Food Network here:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cauliflower-gratin-recipe-1917463

Blog hostess note: Would pair great with a baked ham or a roast chicken!  

Denise’s note: My protein part of the meal was already cooked and frozen lobster cakes from Trader Joe. There were two in one package, one for each of us, and at first my dear other half wasn’t too keen. I wasn’t so sure either but wanted to try one time for something special, but easy, on Memorial Day. (It was just the two of us.) However, as they were small cakes, I persuaded him to try at least one time. I was very happy when he said he enjoyed them so much, that he would definitely have them again.

An already cooked rotisserie chicken from your favorite supermarket would be a wonderful and easy addition, not to mention a faster prep time in the kitchen. In fact, for the second night’s meal, we bought one from CostCo.  We always enjoy theirs.  

I added a mixed green salad.  

Instead of using store-bought panko crumbs, I had a large-ish heel of sourdough bread left, broke it into pieces and put into a blender. I whirled it long enough to make into breadcrumbs, and followed the recipe from there.

There were leftovers for two more meals. At dinner the next day it tasted even better. We still had leftovers after the second time, smaller portions this time for a light snack.

Blog host’s final note: You want the cauliflower just slightly fork tender. Careful not to over cook so you don’t have cauliflower mush casserole. Would still taste good…just mushy.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - STIR FRY WITH VEGGIES AND GROUND PORK

This was a very fast meal, and one of those times I forgot to make a note of a link. It was one I may have found on Instagram, a video, so not written down that I could find anyhow, and then it was gone and I was onto something else. Happy to say it was a delicious meal.

1 lb. ground pork (you can use any favorite protein)

1 whole diced onion

4 finely chopped garlic cloves

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (you can use the powdered one - a teaspoon maybe, to your taste)

1 tablespoon chili paste (or any favorite seasoning that gives it a bit of a zip, or leave this out, entirely up to you)

1 14 oz. bag of coleslaw mix

3 extra carrots sliced into thin sticks (you can leave these out.  We just like carrots)

1 diced cooked potato (we had one leftover baked in its skin from the day before - it was a great addition - you can leave this out also but we enjoyed)

A handful of cilantro leaves, or you can use Thai basil, or baby spinach leaves (again, only if you like, not really a necessary addition. It wasn’t in the original recipe)

1/4 cup water

1/8 cup of soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of hoisin sauce

Get all your ingredients measured out and ready. 

Heat your pan on medium-high (we put ours on 6 - electric stovetop).

Start with putting your meat and onions into a large-ish frying pan, stir and cook until meat is no longer pink. We added the carrots at this time. It said to drain grease when done but there really wasn't any with the ground pork we had.  I think this is if you use ground beef as we have had to do this when we have used it.

Add in the chopped garlic and ginger, mix in.

Do the same with the chili paste (here is when you can use your favorite seasoning instead).

Next mix in the bag of coleslaw, along with the 1/4 cup of water. Let everything cook down for a few minutes.

Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and desired amount of hoisin sauce.

Add in the Cilantro, Thai Basil leaves or baby spinach leaves if using.

Simmer on low until the veggies are as tender as you like them to be.

Serve and garnish with sliced green onions at the table.

Thoroughly enjoyed this recipe.  We made four servings and we will have the rest for tomorrow's dinner.

We thought it would be nice to add a poached egg on the top.

That's about it.  If you think I have left anything out, or haven’t made it clear enough, let me know in the comment section.  This meal is a great one for making it yours, tailoring it to the ingredients you have in your own supplies.

Thanks for looking, have a great week and...

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - BOK CHOY AND MUSHROOM STIR FRY - SERVES 6

I chose a stir-fry for this week's recipe post, and it comes from the Southern Living Magazine. You can see the original at this link.

Pork and Bok Choy Stir-Fry Recipe

1-1/2 pounds pork tenderloin

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1-1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided

1/2 pound bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)

3 cups matchstick carrots

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

3/4 cup chicken broth, divided

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Hot cooked rice

Cut pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices; cut each slice into 3 to 4 (1-inch-long) pieces. Season with pepper and 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok over high. Add half of pork; cook, stirring, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from skillet. Repeat with 1 tablespoon of the oil and remaining pork.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in skillet. Add bok choy, carrots, onion, ginger, and garlic; cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.

Whisk together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of the broth in a bowl; set aside. Stir together orange juice, soy sauce, and remaining broth in a separate bowl. Pour orange juice mixture over vegetable mixture in skillet; bring to a simmer over medium-high. Add pork and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt; simmer until meat is just done, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cornstarch mixture; cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Serve stir-fry over hot cooked rice.

There was another bok choy and mushroom recipe I was going to try before I saw this one.  It looked very good also and you can find that at this website.

https://omnivorescookbook.com/bok-choy-and-mushroom-stir-fry/#wprm-recipe-container-32005

This was an excellent meal. The only addition made was a small box of mushrooms which were sliced and added to the veggies when cooking them, and I sprinkled sesame seeds on the top as a garnish at the table. Definitely looking forward to having this again sometime.

With my thanks to blogging friends who jog my memory in their comments, I have added the following.

If bok choy isn’t available in your local supermarket, you can substitute the same amount of sliced or chopped cabbage for the bok choy. Those bags of already sliced cabbage from the supermarket would work also, the kind we use for coleslaw, and it would certainly make the process a lot faster and easier.  We have used both before and they work out great.

This recipe is great for catering your own taste.  Add or delete choices of protein or veggies, whatever you have in supply.  

Happily there were leftovers and they taste even better the following day once those flavors have had a chance to develop. 

Thanks for looking and have a great week!

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - WALNUT AND BLUE CHEESE-STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Happy New Year Everyone!

May it be a joyous one for you all.

If you visit this link it will give you another wonderful version of Auld Lang Syne, which I mentioned yesterday.  

I am not one to make New Year's Resolutions, but these sound interesting.  

Which ones will you do? 

Are there any you would like to add?

1. Learn something new.

2. Tell people you love them.

3. Set healthy boundaries.

4. Get outside when you can.

5. Be truthful but not hurtful.

6. Read good books.

7. Sing in the shower.

8. Allow your feelings to breathe.

9. Be delighted by small things.

10. Take responsibility.

11. Practice seeing goodness.

12. Speak kindly to yourself.

13. Speak kindly to and of others, but know your worth.

14. Everyone works very hard so, let us give ourselves a little bit of the lazy.

15. Remember your dreams.

16. Take a walk in the woods, and enjoy the nature that surrounds us.

17. Swallow your pride.

18. Mend a few fences.

19. Stay compassionate and hopeful.

20. Have faith that there is always someone who loves you.

Here in the States it is traditional to fix Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day.  You can see a recipe I made here. 

I also decided to go ahead with sharing a Monday recipe.  Today's came from 'Inspired by Charm', hosted by Michael. You can find the original recipe here.

Walnut and Blue Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms:

Serves: 20

Calories per serving: approximately 55

24 large fresh mushrooms (other suggestions were white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms)

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup crumbled Blue Cheese (if you are not a fan of Blue Cheese you can use Feta or Goat Cheese)

1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1-2 tablespoons olive oil  

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

Clean the mushrooms and remove and discard the stems. Place the mushrooms stem side up on a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, sour cream, parsley, garlic, black pepper, blue cheese, and toasted walnuts. 

To toast walnuts (this can be done earlier before you start the recipe) spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they become fragrant.  It doesn't take long for them to start burning so we need to keep an eye on them.

Spoon this mixture into the mushroom caps. Lightly brush with olive oil.

Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until lightly brown on top and heated through. 

Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley.

We enjoyed this very much and didn't make any changes. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container and use in two days. Reheat in the oven for best results.

These can be made in advance. Prepare them the day before up to the point of putting them in the oven. Store them in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap. When you're ready to serve, bake as directed.

I have been adding the full web address link at the end of my recipe posts. This is in case you prefer to cut and paste rather than use the links above.

https://inspiredbycharm.com/walnut-and-blue-cheese-stuffed-mushrooms/

Thank you for stopping by, have a great week and have a great year!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - AVOCADO TOAST

No link this week, as this is very simple. I wanted something light for supper. I have seen avocado toast with various toppings for a while now. This is what I have been putting together lately. 

1/2 to 1 avocado

1 scant teaspoon olive oil

1 slice of wheat bread 

(or another favorite) 

1 small sliced tomato

Toasted Sesame Seeds

In a small bowl scoop out the avocado with a spoon and mash with a fork.  Meanwhile, toast your bread.  Spread the avocado over toast. Drizzle with olive oil.  Add the sliced tomato on the top. Sprinkle with desired amount of sesame seeds.  

Serve immediately and enjoy!

🥑 

I have only just started eating avocado toast.  We usually share an avocado, putting half in a small dish, removing the seed and adding a dash or two of Worcestershire Sauce to each avocado half in the well left by the seed.  

The other way we enjoy is to peel and cube the avocado and add to a salad.  

For the toast I used Dave's Killer Bread - 21 Whole Grain. My son suggested it.  I had a visceral reaction to the name, but he said I shouldn't let that put me off, that it was excellent bread.  There is an interesting story of how this company came to be, as I found out later.  You can read all about it at their website here. They are called a second-chance company and give jobs to people who have served time in prison.  As you read the info you will see how that came about too.

Toppings could be varied and I thought a sliced, hard-boiled egg, or a poached egg, would be nice on the top.

Maybe a drop or two of lemon juice mixed either into the avocado or on top.

A sprinkle of chili flakes would give them a bit of a zip.

If you have any other ideas, perhaps you can leave them in a comment.  

That's about it for this one.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - QUINOA BREAKFAST BOWL - VEGAN

I don't have a link for this one.  It's something I came up with for the things I had on hand.  Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it enough to want to keep it on my blog, to make again sometime.  It's not entirely my own idea as I have looked through many breakfast bowl blog recipes for some time now.  I just added what I wanted as I fetched things out of the fridge, vegetable bin or pantry.

1 cup of uncooked quinoa

2 cups of water (to cook the above)

1 carrot, finely diced

2 slices of yellow onion, finely diced

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

1 cup of peas

1 pkg. of Moroccan Tofu Cubes 

Avocado oil cooking spray, or any kind of cooking spray

Drizzle of low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon chili crisp

Prepare and measure all the ingredients.  

Cook quinoa according to package directions.  Mine said to bring 2 cups of water to the boil and add 1 cup of quinoa, stir.  Turn stove top down to a simmer, cover and cook for 12 minutes.  Take off the heat and fluff with a fork, cover again and wait 15 minutes.

Heat frying pan, coat with cooking spray, add carrots and onion.  I steamed my sweet potato separately, and added the peas a few minutes before taking off the heat.  To cut out this step you can probably add both of these to the same frying pan along with the carrots and onions, sautéing until they are all tender, stirring occasionally.  I can't remember the actual minutes but by time the quinoa was ready, so were my vegetables.  

Place the tofu on top of the other veggies in the frying pan.  Stir to combine and continue cooking for a few additional minutes, just long enough to heat through. 

Mix the veggies with the added tofu into the quinoa until well combined.  Then serve in a bowl, adding a drizzle of low-sodium soy sauce, and a tablespoon of chili crisp on the top.

That was it.  A little fusion going on here.  I do this for myself usually when Gregg is out having father-son time.  

If I have written anything that is unclear, please ask in the comments.  

There are enough portions for four to five more meals. I was happy doing a little meal-prep, dividing my portions to eat over the next few days, or freeze if necessary.

This is the tofu I used and was very happy with it. It is easy to crumble.  The tofu was our son's recommendation as he and our daughter-in-law enjoy it occasionally.  (I don't get anything for advertising any products on this blog.  I like to share what I enjoy.)

It would be nice to add a fried or poached egg on the top.

This recipe is very easy to alter and you can use any favorite vegetable.  You can also easily leave things out, like the chili crisp for instance.

You might also prefer to substitute cooked rice or pasta for the quinoa.  

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your week!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - HEALTHY BEEF NOODLE DISH

This recipe came from What's In The Pan hosted by Olya.  You can see Olya's original recipe here.  We enjoy noodle dishes very much and this one was delicious, another to go in our make-again folder.  In all my recipe posts I recommend going to the blog to see any tips that I didn't post on my blog, also the food photographs.  I enjoy looking at what else is offered also, and there were many recipes I would like to try eventually.

Healthy Beef Ramen Noodle

Serves 4 - Approximate 394 calories per serving

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large onion chopped

1 red bell pepper chopped

½ head broccoli cut into florets

1 lb. ground beef

6 oz ramen noodles (2 packets with seasoning packets discarded)

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

¼ c. soy sauce (we used low-sodium)

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. sriracha

1 clove garlic minced

1 scallion (chopped)

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. 

Add onions, peppers, and broccoli and cook until tender, 5 minutes. 

Remove from the pan.

Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until no longer pink, 5 minutes more. 

Drain fat and return vegetables back to the skillet

Make sauce: 

Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Sriracha, and garlic.

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. 

Add ramen noodles and cook until tender, 2 minutes. 

Drain.

Add cooked ramen noodles to skillet and pour over sauce. 

Toss until completely combined. 

Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Then garnish with scallions and serve.

What did we think of this recipe, and what changes were made?

It was another excellent dish and one I wouldn't hesitate making for company.  

The changes we made were as follows.

Instead of the Ramen Noodles we used a packet of fresh noodles (an equivalent amount) that we already had in the refrigerator.  

Additions were a packet of button mushrooms that we sliced and added along with the onion, red peppers and broccoli.

There was no apple cider vinegar as we had thought but did have sherry vinegar.  Gregg thought the sauce seemed a little too acidic because of it and he added a smidgen of peanut butter and agave syrup. That did the trick.  However, next time we will use the Apple Cider Vinegar, or perhaps a Rice Wine Vinegar.

For garnish we added sliced green onions and Thai basil.  There is an Asian supermarket not too far away.  We pop in quite often as we both enjoy Asian cuisine and this is where we buy our Thai basil.  The other supermarkets rarely ever sell it.

This recipe would be good with any of your favorite veggies.

There were leftovers which we will have for lunch tomorrow.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - SIDE DISH: POTATO AND PARSNIP MASH

There is no link to this recipe, it is something that I have had in my head for a while, an old dish that my mother used to make when I was a child, and one I haven't thought about doing in a long time.  

It is an age-old recipe you may have your own version.  If you do, I would love to read about it in a comment.  Mine is simple, nothing very fussy, and you have to like parsnips.  You can also leave out the parsnips and make regular mashed potatoes, or leave out the potatoes and just make the parsnips.

Mashed Potato and Parsnip Mash

Ingredients:

Use your favorite potatoes, as many as you need for each person.  Peel and cut into large chunks.

The same applies for the parsnips, peel and cut into large chunks (I usually use equal amounts but less is okay too).

A big pat of butter or you can use a little avocado oil or olive oil

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (you can leave this out if you prefer)

A small amount of milk (I used 2% but you can also use broth if going non-dairy.  Up to you on how much, for the consistency you prefer)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pour enough water to cover the veggies and bring to a boil.  When it reaches the boiling point, cook for another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and parsnips are cooked enough to mash.  You don't want to get them too mushy.

Carefully check for doneness by using the tip of a knife.  If it slides in easily then your veggies are done.  Preaching to the choir here but I add this just in case new-to-the-kitchen people are reading this. 

Have your colander ready in the sink and again carefully drain the potatoes and parsnips.  Put back into your pot, or use a separate mixing bowl.  Let them dry out a minute or two after draining.   

Add butter and milk to mash, also nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.  Mix until well combined and for the texture you prefer. 

People often use a mixer, which I have done.  I have also seen people putting them in a blender and pulsing until smooth.  I am not one who likes the super-smooth mixed mash and prefer to have a little more texture.  Fortunately, my dear other half prefers it this way also.  For that I use a potato masher similar to this one.

I served this with a cilantro-lime chicken dish, which I will share another time.  Also, a mixed green salad.  

I made enough for leftovers as I would like to do potato/parsnip patties for lunch the next day.

That's it!