Spicy Hard-Deviled Eggs

 

 

 

Occasionally, Scott likes to get creative and mess around in the kitchen. Once upon a weekend afternoon, he hard-boiled some eggs and decided to use his friend’s Best Boy brand Sriracha Mustard  and Redhead Hot Sauce to make deviled eggs for me. Because I like deviled eggs, and he likes me.   

Standing back to let him create, but kind-of-sort-of hovering, my tongue twisted and I called them “hard-deviled” eggs.  Checking back later on his progress, I again inadvertently called them “hard-deviled” eggs. Returning a third time to sample the results, I purposely called them “hard-deviled” and that was that – the name stuck. I was impressed with both his flavor and heat layering – the sriracha mustard, the hot sauce, and a spicy sweet pickle – and the pickle added a nice crunch! I’m happy to say the finished result was FANTASTIC, and Scott made it his mission to keep a constant supply in the ‘fridge for any time we need a quick protein boost to stave off hunger pangs.  Kudos to Scott and Best Boy!

 

Ingredients: 

8 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and halved (Why 8? He never boils the entire carton of eggs so I will always have eggs for baking – gotta love this guy…)

6 each – Famous Dave’s spicy sweet pickle chips, chopped

5 teaspoons Best Boy Sriracha Mustard*

7 teaspoons Mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Best Boy Redhead Hot Sauce*

Cut the eggs in half length-wise and scoop out the yolks into a bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Spoon the filling into the egg white halves.  Cover and refrigerate.

*Best Boy has an award-winning deli mustard that is quite delicious if you want less heat, and “redhead” is one of a trio of fabulous hot sauces (a super hot, fruity Blonde, a smokey Brunette and the flavorful Redhead).  Go ahead – mix and match the mustard and sauce in true Creative Recipe style to discover your favorite flavor combination.

Fresh Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Tangy, savory and fruity – fresh raspberry balsamic vinaigrette

The raspberries I brought home from the store were on the soft and mushy side….  sigh….  I decided to smoosh them into a puree and whip up a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette – something I have been meaning to try for oh, only about 20 years or so.  No time like the present!   The hardest part was smashing the berries through a fine mesh sieve with the back of a spoon, but the resulting puree was velvety, though a bit tart!  A spoonful of honey fixed that.  I also added Dijon mustard and some seasonings for a more savory, zippy flavor, but you could forgo those ingredients for a sweeter dressing.

 

 

 

Soft and mushy raspberries – perfect for pureeing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (for savory zest – if you don’t like mustard or want a sweeter dressing, you could omit)

Optional seasonings: for a zestier, more savory taste, I used some Litehouse freeze dried seasonings.  1/8 tsp garlic; 1/8 tsp red onion; 1 tsp basil – grind in a mortar with pestle or in a bowl with the back of a spoon.  You could also use garlic and onion powders instead and add fresh basil.  This is totally optional.  For a sweeter dressing, omit.

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

4 tablespoons raspberry puree

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or use half or all  light olive oil for a milder taste)

Directions:

Wash and drain the berries.  Place a spoonful in a sieve over a bowl and press with the back of your spoon – around and around.  The seeds will remain in the sieve and the puree will drop into a bowl. Shake the sieve occasionally to force more of the puree through the holes.  Discard the seeds.  Repeat until you have four tablespoons or as much as you want.

Takes a little time, but worth the effort

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whisk the mustard, seasonings if you’re using them, vinegar and honey until well blended.  Stir in the raspberry puree. Whisk in the olive oil.

 

Italian Vinaigrette with Grainy Mustard

Best Boy Mustard! It’s the best!

This is an update to my Italian Vinaigrette.  My friend at Best Boy & Co. makes amazing mustards, sauces and dry rubs.  I tried his award-winning grainy “Deli Mustard”   in this dressing, drizzled over a bowl of sliced tomatoes and goat cheese….  so good!  I simply substituted this mustard for the Dijon mustard.

Butter Cookie with Dark Chocolate, Fresh Cranberries and Toasted Almonds

Buttery, crispy, sweet-tart and so good!

Imagine this….  a buttery sugar cookie laden with dark chocolate, toasted almonds, and fresh cranberries for a perfect balance of melt in your mouth sweet-tart goodness.  If you can convince yourself there are enough cranberries and dark chocolate pieces in each cookie to offer a real anti-oxidant blast, well then you don’t even have to feel guilty about eating them!   Yesterday, I varied up my favorite butter cookie recipe and swapped 1 cup of chopped fresh cranberries for the dried apricots and toasted almonds for the pecans.  One word – SCRUMPTIOUS

Easy Tip:

Once cranberries are back in season, I pick up a few bags each time I am at the store (okay, not really each time I am at the store, but that would be a noble goal, wouldn’t it!) and finely chop them in the food processor, bag them in 1 cup measurements and start stockpiling in the freezer to use all year long.  Since it is practically impossible to find cranberries out of season, and because it is messy and time consuming to chop them, this is definitely worth my time to do in large quantities when the red berry is available.  Then I just grab a bag whenever I want it for a recipe (like Gluten Free Banana Cranberry Breakfast Bread)  and enjoy the “no chopping, no measuring, no mess” of it all.

One more thing about why I take the time to chop them…. I like to use cranberries unsweetened to minimize sugar intake.  But wow are they tart!  Biting into a whole, unsweetened cranberry, even if it is mixed into a sweet medium, is a shock!  So I chop them finely to disperse them evenly in the batter for a subtle, tart offset to whatever sweet goodness I’m baking up.

For the unofficial record, two bags of Ocean Spray fresh cranberries chopped down to approximately five cups.  Happy cranberry season!

 

Quinoa and Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Veggie burger (baked version) served with sweet potato fries and romaine lettuce and pear salad with goat cheese.

I’m really getting into this quinoa scene now that I’ve finally sampled it.  I have long wanted to make my own veggie burger and once I cooked my first pot of quinoa I thought again, “I should try to make a veggie burger.”  And so today I did…  I looked around online to get the general gist but my attention span was short.  After looking at only one recipe and taking it at face value, it appeared you combine veggies, quinoa and a binder.  The binder was interesting, using egg, bread crumbs and cheese, but the rest of the recipe was a little boring.  So I ramped up the veggie variety, added black beans, used multiple cheeses and added steak seasoning for a hint of meaty flavor.  This effort was way-delish, but was somewhat time-consuming and certainly made for a lot of dirty dishes, bowls and pans.  It made 8 burgers and since I was experimenting, I baked four of them.  I had the oven on anyway at 425 degrees for sweet potato fries.  At that temperature, the burgers browned up nicely and the cheese crisped the top and bottom a bit – all good.  We ate two and I froze the leftovers for another experiment.  If the frozen burgers microwave well for a quick lunch, then I could make a large quantity of these, bake and freeze, and the stockpile of a quick and healthy lunch option would justify the time and the mountain of dishes.

The other four we grilled.  They were also delicious, though I would recommend grilling over a lower heat than we started at. We served with a side of Grilled Romaine with Apple Slaw Dressing, and just for fun, we topped one with Artichoke Yogurt Dip.

Grilled veggie burger served with grilled romaine and apple slaw dressing.

Grilled artichoke yogurt dip is a zesty, cheesy topping for these burgers.

 

On the grill – release foil was the way to go with these.

 

Another great thing about this veggie burger is it could be gluten free.  Everything I used is gluten free to my knowledge.  I don’t have to eat a gluten free diet, but from my limited internet searches, true gluten free dieters would need to verify the cheeses they use in this recipe, the spice blend, and perhaps the black beans.

Well, here we go – this is how I did it, with approximate measurements, of course!

Ingredients

2 to 3 slices stale bread (I used Udi’s gluten free bread)

4 ounces sliced Portabella Mushrooms

1 cup cooked Black Beans – drained and rinsed

1 cup finely shredded Zucchini

1 cup finely chopped Vidalia Onion, Sweet Peppers, Celery – I probably used about 1/4 onion, 5 or 6 mini peppers and 1 stalk celery

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for sautéing)

2 teaspoons Steak Seasoning (I used McCormick Grill Mates Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning) – Note, because I used this seasoning, I did not use salt and pepper.  If you’re gluten free, verify the seasoning you use.

1 – 1/2 cups cooked Quinoa

1 Egg

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

1/3 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

Directions

Tear the bread and place in a food processor.  Pulse until you have small, evenly-sized bread crumbs (does not have to be super fine).  Transfer to a bowl and measure 1 cup.

Place the mushrooms and black beans together in the food processor and pulse/chop, being careful not to puree to a mush.  Transfer to a bowl and rinse the food processor.

Finely chop the onion, peppers and celery in the food processor.  Measure one cup.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onion, pepper and celery mixture until the liquids have evaporated and the veggies are beginning to brown.

Add the zucchini and sauté one minute or so.

Add the mushroom and black bean mixture along with the steak seasoning.

Cook several minutes until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated and mixture is just beginning to brown.  Transfer to a large bowl and cool.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Add the bread crumbs, quinoa, egg and cheeses to the cooled veggie mixture.  Mix well.

Use a large scoop to scoop onto baking pan (I lined mine with “release” foil).  Flatten or use a biscuit cutter and a spoon to flatten into even “burgers”

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until browned to your desire.  Or grill over medium heat on “release” foil.  Try to flip only once.

 

 

 

Apple Slaw Salad Dressing

The apple slaw is marinating to release the juices from the apples and blend the flavors.

Grilled romaine topped with the apple slaw dressing makes a tasty perch for a grilled veggie burger.

 

 

Here’s a great way to up the nutrition content of a salad dressing – add some grated apple for sweetness, crunch and flavor.  I created this hearty dressing to spoon over some grilled romaine and it was very good.  Depending on the sweet/tartness of your apples, you may wish to add some honey.  Let the dressing sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes after mixing to marinate and blend the flavors.  Serve immediately over the Grilled Romaine.  We had for lunch with a grilled Quinoa and Black Bean Veggie Burger and it was a great taste combination.

Grilled romaine is almost ready for the apple slaw dressing.

Ingredients

2 small apples, peeled and grated – I used Gala because that is what I had

2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard

4 teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Honey or your favorite sweetener to taste – wait until the flavors have blended a bit to taste before deciding if you need sweetener

Herbs to taste – I used some tarragon and chives.  Basil and mint would also be delish!

Cheese for Garnish – I used Feta.  Goat Cheese, Parmesan and Blue Cheese would be delicious as well.

Directions

Mix all ingredients except the garnish in a glass or stainless bowl and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.  Spoon over grilled romaine and garnish with the cheese.  Get creative if you like and garnish with dried fruit (think cherry, cranberry!) or fresh berries and perhaps some toasted nuts.  The sky is the limit – or at least your pantry or closest store…

Grilled Artichoke and Yogurt Dip

Hot and bubbling, straight out of the oven – yum!

Wow! So many possibilities to get creative with this recipe, where to start?  At the beginning, I guess…  Our friends brought us a bag of grilled artichokes as a hostess gift the other night.  They looked yummy and the next day I decided to turn them into a healthy baked dip.  I did not have time to go to the store, so in true Creative Recipe fashion, I used whatever I had on hand.  I did not have mayo, which is the classic ingredient for a baked artichoke dip, but I did have fat-free plain yogurt (not Greek style), and I was going for healthy.  Searching online, I learned that yogurt can curdle a bit if baked at too high a temperature.  Absolutely does not affect taste.   There are tricks, according to my search, such as adding cornstarch to the yogurt or baking at a lower temperature.  But I wanted a nicely browned dip, and I’m a believer in just starting somewhere and changing one ingredient or technique at a time in the quest for perfection.  So I simply started with the yogurt, no thickener, a high enough oven to brown the dish and determined to note the results.  The flavors and texture were delicious, it browned beautifully, and yes…. the yogurt did curdle slightly.  Next time, I will add a thickener such as corn starch or rice flour to the yogurt to note that difference.  You could get very creative with some sautéed spinach and/or zucchini or summer squash to really load up the veggie quotient.  Here is the first go-round on this recipe and as you would expect, quantities are eye-balled:

Ingredients

1 bag grilled Artichoke Hearts, chopped (6 ounce bag) – These grilled hearts are certainly worth seeking out, but you could used canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped.  There are also frozen artichoke hearts that may work, though I would recommend thawing and draining well first.

Roasted Red Peppers, chopped (hmmmm…. 1/2 cup or so?)

A few Celery tops, minced

Minced Vidalia Onion – about 2 tablespoons

Garlic – if desired (I omitted because the grilled artichokes were flavored with garlic.  If I used canned, I would add some garlic)

Fresh Lemon Juice – about 1 teaspoon

Dill Weed – 1 to 2 teaspoons, to your taste.  Basil would also be good, maybe tarragon or oregano, depending on your veggie choices.  Get creative!

Plain Non-fat Yogurt – approximately 1 cup

Cheese – I used a combination of shredded Parmesan, Goat Cheese and Feta Cheese – about 1 -1/2 cups.  Cream cheese would also melt nicely.  Get creative, but perhaps avoid cheeses that get too “oily” as they melt.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Place in an 8 x 8 square glass pan (I did not grease).  Top with some more Parmesan Cheese.

Bake, uncovered, approximately one hour or until browned and bubbly.

Variations:

If you add veggies with a high water content such as fresh spinach or squash, I would recommend grating the squash and chopping the spinach.  Then sauté in a small amount of olive oil until the liquids that naturally leach out evaporate.  That way you will not have a watery dip.

Maybe some bread crumbs (gluten free or Panko) or potato chip crumbs would be good on top?  Just brainstorming…

This would be a great topping for a baked potato bar or veggie burgers – try the Quinoa and Black Bean Veggie Burger.  What creative ideas and variations do you have?

Grilled artichoke yogurt dip is a zesty, cheesy topping for these burgers.

 

Southwestern Roasted Potato Salad with Corn and Black Beans

Roasted Yukon Gold and Sweet Potatoes pair with roasted corn and black beans in a sour cream based tomatillo and cilantro dressing.

I created this dish for the neighborhood Memorial Day “Mexican Fiesta” party.  I truly think it could also be called “salad of many bowls and dishes” based on the volume of dishes I washed during the creation….  It was worth it though!  The sour cream dressing is a favorite recipe from my friend, Jackie.  I thought it would taste especially delicious with this potato and vegetable combination.  And it did!  Thanks, Jackie 🙂  As typical for Ms. Creative Recipe, very little measuring went on during the preparation of this dish, other than the dressing which had Jackie’s exact measurements.  I also used whatever veggies I had on hand, so feel free to swap out as you like.

Ingredients – Salad

8 to 10 small Yukon Gold Potatoes – washed and cut into evenly sized chunks

2 to 3 Sweet Potatoes (or yams) – peeled and cut into evenly sized chunks

4 ears Sweet Corn – husked

Butter and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Lime Juice – 1/2 lime

Salt and Pepper

Sweet Vidalia Onion or Green Onions – very thinly sliced and chopped

Celery – finely chopped

Sweet Bell Peppers – chopped

Yellow Cherry Tomatoes – quartered

1 can Black Beans – drained and rinsed well

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss the potatoes in a bowl with olive oil and coarsely ground black pepper.  Spread on a baking pan in an even layer.  I used “release” foil for easy clean up.

Melt butter with salt and lime juice in a small bowl.  Brush liberally over the corn and wrap in a foil packet.

Roast the corn and potatoes for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender, but not mushy.  Turn the potatoes half way to maximize browning.  Corn may finish before the potatoes. Cool.

Cut the corn off the cob.

Combine the corn with the veggies and tomatoes in a large bowl.

Dice the potatoes and add to the mixture.

Toss gently with the dressing (recipe below) to coat.  Gently toss the black beans with some dressing in a small bowl to coat well without breaking up (so you don’t discolor the salad).  Gently fold the black beans into the potato salad and transfer to a serving bowl.

 

Jackie’s Jalapeno Ranch Salad Dressing

Ingredients

3 fresh Tomatillos, husked, washed and quartered

1/2 bunch fresh Cilantro – washed

2 pickled Jalapeno peppers

2 cups Sour Cream

2 envelopes (1 oz each) Ranch dressing mix

Directions

Place the tomatillos, cilantro and jalapenos in a food processor.

Blend until smooth, scraping down as necessary.

Combine with the sour cream and ranch mix, blending well.

 

 

 

 

Quinoa Salad with a Hint of Orange

Believe it or not, this was my first effort using quinoa.  I just kept slicing and dicing and mixing and tasting and the end result was pretty good.  Our neighbors were grilling some lamb with mint jelly for a sunset party and I thought this might make a nice side dish.  I garnished the finished salad with crumbled feta cheese and served some extra cheese on the side, which added a nice creaminess and a bit of salt to each bite.   Leftovers were delicious used the next day as an hors d’oeuvres scooped up on pita chips.  I’m documenting from memory here so I can try again with photos when I next have the time.

Quinoa

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Water

Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Cook five minutes.  Turn off heat, cover and let sit for 15 minutes.  Fluff and cool.  Toss in a large bowl with the salad ingredients and dressing below.

Salad Ingredients

Use as much or as little as you like and any variety you like, in true Creative Recipe fashion.  This is what I used:

Fresh Carrots – peeled and grated.  I used fresh unpeeled carrots because they really do taste better than the prepackaged minis.  I used the small shred on my hand grater.

Celery – very small dice

Sweet Red Bell Pepper – very small chop (I chose red for the color)

Red Onion – very fine dice

Yellow Squash – grated.  I used one small squash (tastes better than the large) and grated it with the skin on, using the large shred on my hand grater .

Radicchio – thinly sliced and chopped.  This adds a great color and a nice bitter contrast

Mandarin Oranges – 1 can, drained and chopped.  This was an after thought – or I should say after I tasted the salad.  It seemed too much on the bitter side from the radicchio, and the oranges added a nice sweetness and balanced the radicchio.

Dressing

Juice of 1 small Lemon

2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard

Sugar or Honey to taste (start with 1 teaspoon and go from there)

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon dried Dill Weed

Coarsely ground Black Pepper to taste

 

 

 

 

Guacamole Freeze

This guacamole was made from frozen avocado – yes, believe it or not!

I am so happy to have learned some preservation tips over the past year for avocados.  I love to eat them with almost everything but they are so difficult to buy at just the right level of ripeness.  If they don’t get used immediately they turn dark quickly.  And of course, I hate wasting food!  I read a tip that once ripe, you can store whole avocados in the refrigerator until ready to use and it really does work.  I now buy them a little on the hard side, leave them on the counter until ready to use and whatever I can’t use, I simply refrigerate (whole, uncut) until I am ready for them again.  It really works.  Then my sis experimented with another trick with great success.  She peeled and froze some ripe avocado in a baggie.  She added the seeds to the bag for extra preservation/luck, and this post demonstrates the test results – a very fast and easy guacamole!

Straight out of the freezer, the avocadoes looked fresh and green!  As they began to thaw, I thought they were perhaps beginning to turn brown, so I squeezed a bit of fresh lime juice in the bag and lightly smashed up the avocado.

Once thawed, I removed the seeds and mushed up the avocado in the bag (no mess!)

 

I added some fire-roasted salsa, mixed it up a bit in the bag and presto!  Guacamole!  Toss the bag for the easiest clean up ever.