Cooking With Del Monte Giveaway

Tags

corn, giveaway, green beans, peaches, pears, recipes, tomatoes

About a month ago, I was asked to participate in an opportunity with Del Monte to get a little creative with their canned goods line. Since I am no stranger to a little improvisation in the kitchen, I thought this was a great opportunity to challenge myself just a bit in the kitchen. Along with my push to work a little harder in the kitchen, Del Monte sent a little incentive in the form of canned goods and a gift card to purchase additional items that I might need to host a party showing off my skills.

I will let it be known that my tiny studio apartment, which I now share with BR, is difficult to host parties in but when I take great advantage of small get-togethers at moms house. 

Accepting the “challenge” of cooking with canned goods came easy. Del Monte was a brand I saw a lot of in my mother and grandmothers kitchen; especially since they both make an amazing marinara sauce from “scratch”. Del Monte takes great pride in delivering the same nutritional content in their canned goods as you would get in a fresh product. Fresh IS best, but sometimes, the week gets ahead of you and next thing you know, that huge bag of fresh green beans you got at the farmer’s market is sitting in your fridge turning to a pile of mush. And while I admit that I am now a proud CSA owner, there are times when my fresh produce doesn’t last as long as I need it to. So, sometimes I cheat and take advantage of the convenience of canned goods.

Del Monte was kind enough to send me an ample supply to sample:

– Green Beans (2)

– Diced Tomatoes (2)

– Whole Kernel Corn (2)

– Pear Halves (2)

– Sliced Peaches (2)

In addition the canned goods, I received a stipend for additional grocery shopping, an apron and can strainers to share.

The bonus is the prize pack to a lucky commenter below:

Green Beans (1)

Diced Tomatoes (1)

Whole Kernel Corn (1)

Pear Halves (1)

Sliced Peaches (1)

1 Can Strainer

1 Apron

(Details at the end of this post)

To get me started on this project, Del Monte sent along some ideas, which I have also included at the end of this post for your convenience, curiosity or whatever. Using the green beans as an addition to a potato salad, corn in a salsa, peaches in the hummus and even pears in a savory dish- so many uses!

I decided to branch out a bit.

Pears.

I have always always always loved pear juice. My mother says that I used to drink it a lot as a baby. Opening the can of pears in light syrup brought me back to those days. Ah, the 80’s. But thinking about pears, some of my favorite ways to eat pears involve cheese. After tasting a not so great pear salad, I decided to recreate a pear walnut salad over arugula with blue cheese. The sweetness of the pears with the spiciness of the arugula are a match made in heaven- add to that the creamy texture of blue cheese and the crunchy texture of toasted walnuts, and baby, you have yourself a tasty salad.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

8 cups of baby arugula

1 can of Del Monte pear halves in light syrup

4 ounces of blue cheese, crumbled

¼ cup of walnuts, crushed

Dressing:

Your favorite balsamic vinaigrette, or a homemade variety. (I whisked some of the pear juice with balsamic vinegar and olive oil- yum)

Directions:

Drain the pears and save the juice. Slice the pears into thin slices. In a large bowl combine the arugula, blue cheese crumbles, walnuts, and pears. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.

Obviously not rocket science but in a pinch, a great dish! My next pear project is pear, walnut, blue cheese and arugula PIZZA!

Peaches.

For these peaches, I kept it simple. I am not a huge fan of canned peaches. There, I said it. The texture is the deal breaker for me. So when I came across the peaches I decided to put them in a sandwich. The result? a pretty interesting grilled cheese.

Ingredients: Makes 1

2 slices of multigrain bread

2 ounces of extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 can of Del Monte Sliced Peaches in Light Syrup, drained

handful of arugula

butter

garlic powder

Directions: Assemble the sandwich with cheddar, peaches and arugula. Spread butter on both sides of the sandwich and sprinkle with garlic powder. In a small frying pan, place the sandwich, buttered side down over a medium high heat. Cook on both sides for 3 minutes each.

Placing the sharp cheese and the spicy arugula with the peaches was a slick move on my part. The texture was as if I placed a ripe tomato inside the grilled cheese-I can only imagine that the addition of bacon would be amazing! The cheese was sharp enough to mask the peachy taste but there was a hint of sweetness in it that, in my opinion, worked. But then again, grilled cheese is grilled cheese. Toasty bread and melty cheese- win! Fruit= bonus.

Diced Tomatoes.

For the diced tomatoes, I decided to try it out by subbing canned tomatoes instead of fresh. The diced tomatoes worked flawlessly in the tomato fondue dish. Simply replacing the fresh tomatoes with Del Monte Diced Tomatoes saved time and was super convenient. Plus, it worked.

Whole Kernel Corn.

I revisited an old favorite recipe for the corn. Turkey Taco Salad. The original recipe called for fresh corn, but I subbed in a can of Del Monte Whole Kernel Corn and could not taste the difference.

However, I do love canned corn.  This was a no brainer. And awesome.

Green Beans.

An old reliable. Mom kept canned green beans on hand to add to dinners that were lacking vegetables. Having them plain was just fine when I was 9 but now? They seem plain. I like adding them to salads because they are quick.

While watching a rerun of Chopped, Leyla Ali added peanut butter to her vegetable dish and I thought it was brilliant. And because I love all things Thai, I made a peanut sauce with coconut milk.

Ingredients:

1 can of light coconut milk

3 T natural creamy peanut butter

splash of fish sauce

a pinch of red pepper flakes

touch of salt

1 can of Del Monte Green Beans, drained

Directions: In a large skillet, whisk coconut milk together with peanut butter and bring to a simmer over low heat. Add the splash of fish sauce, red pepper flakes and allow to simmer for 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. You may add salt to taste. Drizzle the sauce over warm green beans.

This sauce really worked. So much so that I ate an entire can of green beans covered in this sauce.

But if the above isnt for you, that’s okay. Del Monte has provided their own recipes for you to try.

Marinated Potato and Green Bean Salad

Tomato-Basil Steak Salad

Corn Salsa Bake

Chocolate-Chipper Cake

Peach Ginger Hummus

**********************

So now that the meat and potatoes is out of the way, how about a chance to win a prize pack??? Post a comment below for a chance to win. Enter by Tuesday, June 4, 11:59 PM and I will announce a winner on Wednesday, June 5.

Want more entries?

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GOOD LUCK ALL!

Tomato Fondue over Blue Fish

Tags

dinner, dinner with D, fish, ginger, healthy, recipes, scallions, tomatoes

Sometimes, I really miss my old roommate, Diana. Not that my current living situation is terrible (far from it) but sharing a passion for cooking with my roommate was awesome. I have fond memories of sitting in my room watching hours of Chopped on Food Network and getting a whiff of something amazing. And, because I was compelled by curiosity, I would mosey over to the kitchen and be all “whacha cookin’ roomie?” Whatever was in that kitchen would be divine!

On one particular evening, Diana had to recreate a dish for class (culinary school) and she had asked me to help her choose the best tasting dish. What an honor! So I grabbed my fork and dug in. A slab of fish covered in a delicious sauce. It was fresh tasting and really complimented the fish. She told me it was called tomato fondue. We brought leftovers of the delectable dish to my family and it was a huge hit when them as well!

Its been months since I have had her tomato fondue and after purchasing some blue fish, I thought it would make for the perfect opportunity to dig up the recipe. After searching on the internet to no avail, I contacted Diana for her recipe. She was kind enough to share it. And now, because everyone should know about this deliciousness, I will share it with you.

Diana’s Tomato Fondue

ingredients:

1 inch of ginger root, peeled then diced

3 plum tomatoes, diced

1 bunch of scallions, sliced

Method:

In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, sweat the ginger in the pan until its fragrant and tender, about 3 minutes. Next up, add the tomatoes and stir to combine. The tomatoes will take about 5 minutes to become a rustic sauce texture and then you can add the scallions. Heat through for an additional 2 minutes and set aside. Serve atop several filets of your favorite fish or a chicken breast (but I prefer fish)

We are eating more fish these days and I kind of like it. My favorite fish to top with the tomato fondue is a delicate white fish- like basa filet or tilapia. But in this particular post, I pan fried some blue fish seasoned with just salt and topped it with the fondue.

The  blue fish is a bit of a fishy tasting fish but the ginger really freshens it up along with the kick of mild onion flavor from the scallions (Tried with regular onions- not the same).

We sunk out teeth into this delicious filet of blue fish topped with tomato fondue and enjoyed it with a side of garlic sauteed spinach. A super healthy dinner that was flavorful and satisfying!

If you arent a big fish person, I recommend trying this topping on fresh basa filet. It has a great texture and a very very mild fish taste (if any).

ENJOY!

Eggplant Tart

Tags

baking, dinner, eggplant, light lunch, tart, tomatoes, vegetarian

Sunday is by far my favorite day of the week. I usually don’t plan much for Sundays aside from Brunch or an early movie because it’s the day before the dreaded Monday and the last day of the weekend. So I do what relaxes me. Put on a movie, or blast the Green Day station on Pandora and zone out in the kitchen. It’s a ritual that I have been honoring for years.

I choose a somewhat labor intensive dish to make on Sunday because after coming home from work and walking Mickey, going to the gym or whatever, sometimes the last thing I want to do is be patient while dinner cooks. I have tried this in the past and what I have learned is, I am not a pleasant person to be around when I’m hungry. So when I started prepping Sunday meals and coming home to dinner in less than 15 minutes, that sunday ritual became mandatory.

When I spotted these beautiful babies at the Farmer’s Market, I knew they were eggplant but I had planned them for another recipe. I recently subscribed to Cooking Light magazine (soooo excited!) and now receive  daily emails about what is for dinner. Something caught my eye and I began to peruse the site chocked FULL of amazing recipes. When I saw the Eggplant, Tomato, and Smoked Mozzarella tart, the plans for my eggplant changed. I tweaked the recipe a tiny bit according to the supply on hand.

For the Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon toasted wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

Cooking spray

Method:

Preheat oven to 400*.

Combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, pepper and salt in a large bowl and whisk. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the water and oil to the center of the well. Using either your hand (my preferred method) or a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients together to create a soft dough. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough four  times. Make a 4 inch circle out of the dough and cover it with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge and allow to chill for 15 minutes.

After the dough has chilled, roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap and press into a 9 inch tart. Making this tart makes me think of the Dude, who gave me this tart pan because he didn’t want to take it to his new home across the country. Paying homage to one of my bestest friends and his tart pan. Hi mike!

Pierce the dough after its been fitted into the tart pan with a fork and bake at 400* 20 minutes.

When the dough is baked, allow to completely cool. While it is cooling, prepare the filling for the tart.

Filling:

1 eggplant (about 1 lb), cut crosswise into  1/4 inch slices ( I used two small, but heavy eggplants)

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/3 teaspoon oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (1/8 tsp garlic powder)

(1/2 large spanish Onion, thinly sliced)

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (3/4 tsp dried italian seasoning)

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint (I don’t care for mint)

2 plum tomatoes (1 large beefsteak tomato)

1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella, divided (I used smoked gouda)

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

Crank up the oven to 450 and arrange eggplant on a nonstick cookie sheet. Roast eggplant for 20 minutes or until slightly browned. This particular eggplant that I used is a non-bitter eggplant. If using regular eggplant, you might want to soak the eggplant to eliminate the bitterness or salt the eggplant while roasting it.

Set the eggplant aside when its cooked and work on the sauce.

In a medium skillet, sauté the sliced onion in a tsp of oil over medium heat. I like the onions to be slightly sweet when making a tomato based sauce so I cook them until they start to caramelize a tiny bit. About 8 minutes. Add salt and garlic powder while constantly stirring the onion to prevent the spices from burning.

The recipe takes a turn here where I stop looking at the instructions and kinda do what feels right. 

Lower the flame and add the tomatoes, basil, italian seasoning and stir. The tomatoes will break apart and create a rustic sauce. Its amazing to watch. and the smell! heavenly! Allow the sauce to simmer for 15 minutes on low. I tweaked my sauce at this point and added a tiny bit more garlic powder.

Remove the sauce from the heat and bring the oven back down to 400*.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the smoked gouda on to the crust.  Add a spoonful of the tomato sauce. Layer the eggplant.

Please note that I used double the amount of eggplant this recipe called for.

Cover the eggplant with remaining sauce, smoked gouda and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 for 10 –15 minutes or until cheese melts.

Allow tart to rest for a few minutes before removing from tart pan.

And allow tart to rest before slicing. This recipe makes 4 servings. I unknowingly calculated the calories without noting the serving size. the Serving size for this recipe is two slices.

So, tart makes 8 slices, you can serve yourself 2 slices.

I ate this as a light lunch. The tart warms beautifully in a toaster oven and can be bulked up with a side salad or plate of veggies.

As I write this, I sent my mother an apology for bringing her a tiny slice of this tart and telling her it was 8 Weight Watcher points. Its only now, long after she ate the tart that I apologize. Mothers know best. She looked at the tart scratching her head wondering how on the planet was that little slice 260 calories…

well. now we know.

BobWhite: Lunch and Supper Counter

Tags

comfort food, dinner, fried chicken, girls night out, grits, mac and cheese, tomatoes

In need of a Girls’ Night Out, I summoned 3 Divas that I hadn’t seen in a long while and made reservations to a 5 star restaurant. As my luck would have it, the restaurant made an error and us ladies had to resort to Plan B.

But luckily, when I told them about the need for an alternative, they sprang into action and suggested BobWhite. Having been open for just a short amount of time, BobWhite hides deep in the Lower East Side on Avenue C… or as locals call it Alphabet City…or Loisada.

We made the trek. And we arrived at the perfect time having acquired the last two tables.

The establishment is quaint. If every seat is filled, there should be about 20 people there total.  Its not really ideal for huge groups but our group of 4 hungry ladies was perfect.

The menu is short and sweet and boasts southern comforts like fried chicken, pork chop sandwiches and collard greens; to name a few. They also have a small selection of really great beers on tap. You won’t find Bud Light here… and I love that!

I ordered an ice cold IPA from Lagunitas. Mmm, Hoppy.

We all agreed that since we were all curious about the fried chicken, to order the Dinner for 4. 12 pieces of fried chicken, 3 sides, 4 biscuits and a mixed green salad; all for the price of $45.

First out of the kitchen was the salad adorned with shaved candy cane beets and a mustardy vinaigrette. We couldn’t keep from eating this delicious salad as we waited patiently for our chicken.

Then the biscuits came out as we were finishing our salads. Drizzled with a little honey, these biscuits were the bee’s knees. Note to self: Next time order more biscuits.

Then our sides came out. First up, tomato pudding. Our attempt at getting a healthy vegetable. Tomato pudding can best be describe as supple stewed tomatoes with parmesan cheese. Quite tasty!

We also got some cheesy grits. I really wanted to love this but it was too bland for my liking. After a few shakes of salt, it was more palatable- but not the greatest.

And how can you order Fried Chicken without macaroni and cheese? An instant comfort! This mac and cheese was just okay. Definitely needed some salt… and some more cheese. But I really couldn’t complain since it was still pretty good.

The thing we were waiting for was the chicken.

which took FOREVER! The one thing that I disliked about this place was the time it took for the chicken to come out. Luckily, 40 minutes flew by with the great conversation and pints of beer we were slinging back.

… and finally, there it was. Gorgeous color. Intoxicating aroma.

We dig right in. The skin was CRISPY! The chicken was JUICY. It was worth the wait!

We each got a wing, a leg and a thigh a piece which was perfect since we were all so hungry. The crew at BobWhite’s were taking bets about the table of 4 girls that ordered such a hefty plate of fried chicken.

And we didn’t disappoint…

As only a lonely half a wing remained at the end of our feast. We definitely impressed some onlookers.

Overall, this was a great Girls’ Night Out! Who needs fancy when you can make a good time anywhere you go!?!

I would definitely go back to BobWhites as I suspect once this place get popular, its going to be impossible to get a table. But I do have to warn that the chicken takes a while. 40-50 minutes for an order is a long time… but if you don’t want to wait, call it in and pick it up! They have take out!

Where do you and your best divas go on GNO?