This recipe adds several twists to the standard coleslaw. First it adds bell & jalapeno peppers to the mix, something I’ve never done before. Second, it uses McCormick Big n’ Bold Santa Fe Style Seasoning for flavor. And third it adds kidney beans, rich in taste and fiber. So for those reasons, it’s worth the adventure of trying this healthy coleslaw. Fiber with Flavor sounds (and tastes) healthy to me!
4 Cups shredded cabbage
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup julienned red bell peppers
1/4 cup julienned yellow bell peppers
1/4 cup julienned green bell peppers
1 can Red Skinned Kidney Beans, Drained, and Rinsed
1/4 cup Jalapeno peppers, diced
1/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp McCormick Santa Fe Style Seasoning
- Combine peppers and kidney beans together. Mix well.
- Make dressing by mixing mayonnaise with sugar and Santa Fe Seasoning.
- Combine cabbage, carrots, onions, peppers, kidney beans together. Mix well.
- Mix in dressing and mix to coat well.
- Refrigerate for 40 minutes or more to allow flavors to meld together.
Serve Chilled.
If you’ve ever made brown rice before, then you know that you often end up with rice that looks like popcorn – that is, the rice expands and pops out of it’s shell leaving a sorta exploaded look to the rice.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. By baking brown rice in a pan in the oven you can make a brown rice with a texture similar to white rice.
Here’s how:
Bring to a boil 4 cups of water. You can do this on the stove or in a large Pyrex cup in the microwave (start at about 4 minutes in the microwave – depends on your oven, of course).
Heat the oven to 375° F.
Place 2 cups of rice in a baking pan. I use an aluminum throwaway pan lined with non-stick aluminum foil. Place the rice on the foil, and pour the boiling water over the top. Even out the rice.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Then check to see if the rice is done — it will most likely take an hour. You’ll know when it’s done when all of the water is absorbed by the rice. Don’t bake too long or you’ll find the rice explodes and looks just like you boiled it in a pan.
Here’s a recipe we cooked up the other day that (we feel) was unique, tasty and wholesome. We thought we’d experiment around with Italian Seasoning and ended up with something we’d never have thought of. The result was sensuous … Italian Seasoning mixed with Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper along with the citrus flavor from Lime Juice. Try this recipe. It’s a keeper.
1 Pound Chicken Parts (your favorite)
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper
1/2 cup Lime Juice
In a large skillet place 1 tbsp olive oil. Add chicken pieces. Season with Italian Seasoning and Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper. Add 1/2 of the lime juice. Simmer. Cover and cook. Turn occasionally to cook chicken thoroughly — about 20 minutes. Add the remaining lime juice and cook, turning often to season, for another 5 minutes.
Note: It’s important that the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of at least 165° F. Use a meat thermometer to verify the chicken is done.
Vanilla French Toast with Maple Syrup
This is a delicious proven French Toast Recipe that we had for breakfast this morning. We like to use a hearty white bread so that the bread holds up after being dipped in the milk and egg mixture. A soft bread will simply fall apart. Our favorite here in the East Coast of the US is the Maiers Premium Italian Bread.
Recipe Vanilla French Toast
3 Eggs, Beaten
1 Cup Low Fat Milk
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/3 tsp Cinnamon, Ground
10 slices of hearty white bread, sliced
Combine beaten eggs, low fat milk, Pure Vanilla Extract and ground cinnamon in bowl and mix well. Pour milk and egg mixture into a shallow pan that is large enough to let a slice of bread lay flat. Dip a slice of bread into the egg mixture let sit a second, then flip to dip other slide. Remove from egg mixture and cook on a well oiled griddle pan until golden brown on both sides. Recipe Yields: 5 two slice servings of French Toast. Serve with whipped butter and pure maple syrup.
If you’re looking for an easy to make meal for four, that has a Mediterranean taste, and flair of Greece then consider the following dish. It’s made with ground lamb, spinach, onion, egg noodles and is flavored with McCormick Greek Seasoning. Some Feta cheese adds the final taste of Greece to the dish.
First start this dish by browning the ground lamb. At the same time heat 2 quarts of water to boiling in a 3 quart pan. For the ground lamb, I used store bought lamb from Safeway and there was a bit of fat in the pan after cooking. So what I do is soak up the fat with Viva paper towels, they’re really absorbent. Just swish them around in the pan with the spatula. I had to use several towels and must have been unlucky in the package of ground lamb I choose.
When the lamb has browned:
Add 1 1/2 cups of egg noodles to the boiling water; these will cook for 7 to 8 minutes.
Then add the following to the skillet:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2-3 tsp McCormick Greek Seasoning
Sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the pan so the meat is flavored equally. Cook until the onion is clear.
Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped spinach leaves to the skillet, stir often to cook the spinach evenly.
After 2 to 3 minutes the spinach should be cooked, and if the timing is right your egg noodles will be ready to drain. Test by tasting one, and if done drain, add to the skillet and stir in well.
To serve, scoop out some of the mixture into a bowl or plate and top with some crumbled Feta cheese. If you like Greek cooking, you should be happy with this simple noodle dish. Cooking time is about 20 minutes total.
Chances are if you ever peeled, sliced or shredded a potato you found it didn’t take long for the nice white color of the potato to turn a lovely shade of brown. This happens because the oxygen in the air reacts with the enzymes in the cells of the potato which quickly changes the white potato to an unappealing brown color. The same is true with apples. Oxygen also reacts with that fresh cut salad turning the edges of the leaf brown.
Luckily, there is an easy solution to stop the oxidation. The simplest method is placing those peeled potatoes and sliced apples in water. This works well when there is only a limited time between preparation and cooking and when the pieces of potato and apple are large.
If you shred the potatoes and apples, the oxidation occurs very quickly. In fact, when I shred potatoes using my KitchenAid stand mixer’s shredding attachment, the potato starts to brown almost at the moment it’s coming out of the attachment. In this case as well as when sliced apples are to be displayed, I turn to McCormick Anti-Oxidant. Through the magic of chemistry, this product, which is made primarily with food grade citric acid, effectively stops the browning of sliced fruits and vegetables.
- For potatoes, simply mix up 1 1/2 tsp of McCormick Anti Oxidant with each quart of water (or 2 tbsp to a gallon for larger needs) and let the potatoes sit in the solution for three minutes and then drain.
- For shredded potatoes, put the anti-oxidant mixture in a bowl placed directly under the shredder to cath the shredded potatoes as they fall out.
- For green vegetables such as cucumbers and lettuce, use 1/2 tsp anti-oxidant to 1 gallon of water. One gallon of solution will treat 40 pounds of vegetables and fruit.
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| Shredded potatoes in anti-oxidant solution |
One of the best reasons for using anti-oxidant with foods instead of other solutions such as lemon juice is the pure citric acid adds no tastes to the food. When I used lemon juice to prevent the browning of my sliced avocado it always added the taste of lemon to my salads. You can see from the picture above how white the shredded potatoes are in the anti-oxidant solution, and they stay that way while cooking.
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| Barbecued New York Strip Steak |
For years, we’ve been on the search for finding that tender cut of meat that we get at the restaurant and from specialty steak suppliers. We’ve bought steaks from gourmet shops, organic farmers, organic grocers, high end grocers, and so on. Yet, we never seemed to get a tender steak. We tried USDA Choice and USDA Prime cuts, which made no difference either. We almost gave up on the idea believing that that restaurants had a specialty supply of select meats. Then one day recently, the light came on and we discovered the secret.
We’ll tell you in just a second what the secret is and when we do, you’re going to say, duh! And it’s a big duh, something we all should know and in fact do know about. The secret is, (ready?) Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer. See, it’s something you know about, probably have in your kitchen cabinet and most likely don’t use very often. But you should use Adolph’s often and on every steak you barbecue this summer. Oh, one more question. Ever wonder how that barbecue joint makes tender baby back ribs and beef brisket? The answer to that question is that they use Adolph’s Tenderizer. That’s it.
So break out that bottle of Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer this weekend, sprinkle a little on both sides of the steaks. Use about 1 tsp of Adolph’s per pound of meat. If you have one, prick them with a corn on the cob holder, otherwise use a fork. Then season as you desire, and they’re ready to grill immediately. You may cover and refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours for more tenderizing but that’s usually not necessary.
Adolph’s is made from the Papaya, is all natural and contains no MSG. It’s a little bit of magic in a bottle. What are you waiting for? Light that grill and be surprised with how you can now make those tender steaks like you get when you eat out at that expensive restaurant and without paying $20.00 a pound for them. Try it! You are certain to be amazed.
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Picture of a Lamb Burger
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Tired of eating plain old hamburgers, or are just looking for something a little different to have on the barbecue this weekend? Consider using different meats for your burger grilling needs. Delicious burgers can be made from ground pork, chicken, turkey, and lamb. The secret is to properly season these meats before cooking so that the resulting burger is tasty.
Lamb is a traditional Greek meat dish which is often seasoned with mint. We love the flavor we get when we use McCormick’s Greek Seasoning with lamb dishes, and the lamb burgers are no exception. This is really a quick to make and unique tasting burger.
Greek Seasoned Lamb Burgers
1 pound lean ground lamb
2 tsps McCormick Greek Seasoning
Place ground lamb in a bowl. Sprinkle 1 tsp of Greek Seasoning over top of the meat and mix. Sprinkle remaining 1 tsp of Greek seasoning over top of meat and mix well. Then form into 4 to 5 burgers. Grill until well done. Serve on toasted rolls.
We served of lamb burgers on toasted rolls spread thinly with mint jelly. Top with lettuce, tomato, and cheese.
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| Big and Bold Seasonings from McCormick |
New at our Spice Place online store are McCormick’s Big and Bold Seasoning Blends. This is a line for very unique blends of seasonings from McCormick that we’ve simply fallen in love with. The flavor experts at McCormick have crafted some very delicious and savory blends into these seasonings. Each of these seasonings has a unique blend of herbs, and spices and they contain very little salt. We offer each of these spice blends in professional chef size containers ranging from 19 to 21 ounces.
Ranging in taste from Key West’s citrus flavor through Santa Fe’s cumin chili taste to Monterey’s red bell pepper seasoning, the McCormick Big and Bold Seasonings are a treat for the taste buds. These seasonings can be simply sprinkled on your foods, or mixed with liquids such as vinegar, lemon juice or water to make a delicious marinade. The flavors are unique, and will add a whole new set of tastes to your meals.
- Key West Style – A blend of lemon peel, basil, thyme and other herbs and spices for use on shrimp, seafood, chicken, beef, and pork.
- Monterey Style – Bold Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic flavor goes well with chicken, fish, seafood, pork and beef.
- Santa Fe Style – A rich taste of the southwest seasoned with chili, cumin and just the right amount of garlic. Use with beef, pork, chicken and seafood. Blend 1 tbsp with a pound of lean ground beef for a Santa Fe style hamburger.
As the summer barbecue season approaches, curious chefs should consider this line of seasonings for there backyard cooking. Each seasoning has it’s unique taste that will make your outdoor cooking taste great and you’re certain to receive rave reviews of your recipes from your guests.
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McCormick’s Big and Bold Monterey Style Seasoning has become a favorite seasoning of ours. It’s a mix of coarsely ground garlic, red bell pepper, roasted garlic, red pepper, and contains tumeric and annatto for adding a yellow color to foods. We find that the yellow color adds a pleasing and appealing look to chicken. So today we’re going to share our recipe for making a barbecued whole chicken seasoned with McCormick’s Monterey Style Seasoning along with a little bit of chili powder.
Monterey Seasoned Chicken Recipe
a 4 pound whole chicken
2 tbsp McCormick Monterey Style Seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup water
- Wash the chicken under cold water and set on a plate to allow excess water to drain off.
- Place the Monterey Style Seasoning and Chili Powder in a cup. Add sugar, water and vinegar. Stir to mix well.
- Put the whole chicken in a one gallon size freezer zip-loc storage bag.
- Dump the seasonings over top of the chicken, seal the bag, and flip over a few times to distribute the seasonings. Place the chicken in the refrigerator and marinate for about 2 hours turning over every 1/2 hour so the seasonings evenly infuse the chicken.
- Since this is a whole chicken, it needs to be cooked indirectly so it cooks slowly and completely. So place the charcoal on only one side of the grill. Light grill.
- Remove the chicken from the zip-loc bag, and place into a disposable heavy-duty aluminum pan that has the bottom lined with non-stick aluminum foil. We use the disposable pans because the smoke from cooking will permanently mark a real roasting pan.
- When the grill is ready, place the chicken on the side away from the heat, cover and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature of the chicken is about 170° F. For proper food safety, it’s very important that a meat thermometer is used to make sure the chicken it cooked thoroughly to prevent illness from under cooked chicken.
- Let the cooked chicken sit for 10 minutes before carving or else you’ll find you have shredded chicken (instead of sliced chicken).