Oven Roasted Potatoes

View at Picasa Greek Lemon Chicken With Artichokes – from the Mama Says, “No More Frozen Pizza!” recipe collection www.mamasays.us

Last weekend I ran into the daughter of a dear friend who is in her mid-twenties. As we caught up on her new job and recent engagement (so much excitement)…she gushed that she and her fiance enjoy making the Greek Lemon Chicken with Artichokes from the Mama Says, “No More Frozen Pizza!” recipe collection.  They make it so often that it has become one of their “dishes.”  You can only imagine how thrilled I was to hear her talking about cooking, the cookbook and glowing (most likely due to the engagement). The Mama Says recipe collection is all about encouraging busy people to get into the kitchen to cook for themselves – it’s always a plus when they find a special someone to cook with…

One of my favorite side dishes to serve with the Greek Lemon Chicken recipe is oven-roasted potatoes with lemon and oregano.

View at Picasa Greek Lemon Potatoes perfect side dish for the Greek Lemon Chicken – from the Mama Says, “No More Frozen Pizza!” recipe collection www.mamasays.us

Greek-style Lemon Potatoes

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450° and spray a 9- by 13-in. baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, toss diced potatoes with lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, lemon zest, garlic, and salt; layer slices in baking dish.
3. Pour 1 cup boiling water over the prepared potatoes and bake, uncovered, until most of the water has evaporated and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Top with feta (if using) and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

View at Picasa Canon Canon EOS-1Ds Mark I

Note: I’ve modified the recipe to included diced potatoes and a mixture of russet and sweet potatoes, optional feta cheese and often use more lemon zest.

Recipe inspiration: Sunset, FEBRUARY 2007 Photo Credit: myrecipes.com/ Annabelle Breakey

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Thank you for joining us in the kitchen.

Spicy Side Dish

View at Picasa 21-Mar-2010 10:54, 3.2, 5.9mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 500

Serve this delicious carrot side dish on its own or as part of a meze (collection of salads to start the meal). Boiled carrots are sliced then marinated with Moroccan spices and served at room temperature.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients

• 8 – 10 fresh carrots, peeled
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped (or cilantro – for added kick)

Preparation

1. Cook the carrots in boiling water for 20 – 30 minutes or until tender.
2. Drain and allow to cool. When cooled, slice into coins.
3. In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the carrot slices. Let stand for at least one hour.

Note: To make carrots more piquant add additional cayenne pepper to the marinade or serve with zhug or harissa so people can spice up their own carrots.

Mama Says – do you have a favorite side dish? Tell us about it in the comment section below!

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Kale Chips

I picked some end of summer kale earlier this week.  The leaves were bright green, curly and tight.  I didn’t have enough to make a stew, or soup, and quite frankly, I didn’t want to ruin the sweet taste of the fresh leaves.

So a friend suggested that I make Kale Chips.  A little oil, salt and pepper, 15 minutes in the oven.

Oh yeah, baby.  These were good.  We’ll be having them again.

View at Picasa 09-Sep-2009 19:03, 3.2, 5.9mm, 0.077 sec, ISO 800

Update:  Joy Bauer, nutritionist, made kale chips on a recent Today Show segment. During the segment she gave junk food a healthy make-over and shared 5 healthy choice recipes, including her take on kale chips. Enjoy!

There’s nothing better than a quick healthy AND delicious side dish.  And, in these dog days of summer one that requires exactly 2 minutes of cooking time is just about the best you can get.

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So here’s how you make them.  You can either snip (using scissors) or cut (using a knife) a tiny little bit of the end.  That will show you where the “string” is that goes along side the pea.  Pull the string and throw it out.

Get a bowl of ice water ready – a lot of ice and a bit of water will act as a “shock” to the sugar peas and will keep them from getting wilted after they’re done cooking.

While you’re busy de-stringing, boil some water.  When the water is boiling, drop the sugar snap peas in for 2 minutes.    When the 2 minute buzzer goes off, drain the peas and put in the ice water.  Stir around for a minute or so.

Once the sugar snap peas are cold, take them out of the water and dry on a paper towel.  Then, put them in a bowl.  Snip some chives on top, a little sea salt and pepper, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.  Voila!  A great side dish, with almost no (hot) cooking required!!