Cooking Outside the Box

Cooking Outside the Box Helpful hints, recipe ideas and information on preparing healthful food from scratch.

05/03/2024

Here is more information on the silent auction where I will be debuting as Parsnipity Parties, my Portuguese catering page. If you have enjoyed Joia's antics, these are the people who saved her life for us all to enjoy. Please participate by 1) buying a ticket 2) donating something for the auction 3) donating to Kitten Connection

Beef Barley is my favorite soup and one my father and I often cooked together on Saturdays when I was a child. I decided...
01/19/2024

Beef Barley is my favorite soup and one my father and I often cooked together on Saturdays when I was a child. I decided to start by making my own beef stock with the free beef bones I can get from the butcher. It is a complicated process, but since I was making a huge batch for freezer meals, I decided to go for it. Link to the recipe is comments.
I also love the recipe I found for the actual soup. I've never used a recipe before, but this one had some great helpful hints, which I will share as comments on the photos. I will also put the link in comments.

I buy nice large loaves of freshly baked rye bread with seeds for my avocado toast, but by the time I get to the ends, t...
01/18/2024

I buy nice large loaves of freshly baked rye bread with seeds for my avocado toast, but by the time I get to the ends, they are too dry and small for toast. I started saving them in the freezer thinking I could use them for croutons, but as the freezer bag began to be full, I tried to think of something more useful for these delicious bread cubes. I decided to design a savory bread pudding recipe with Portuguese ingredients. We had it for dinner tonight and declared it a winner, although my husband said, “Isn't this stuffing?” Shhhhh....eat your bread pudding!

Click through the photos for explanations.

Portuguese-style Savory Bread Pudding
Chef Cynthia Wilson
Cooking Outside the Box

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces (225 grams) Portuguese chouriço, cut into coins
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 to ½ teaspoon piri piri powder (or other chili powder), adjusting amount for your heat tolerance. I used 1/8 teaspoon.
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch finely shredded dark green Portuguese cabbage o (as used in Caldo Verde) You can find this already shredded in markets. In the other countries, use kale.
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (400 milliliters) heavy cream
1 cup (230 ml) chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
10 cups (400 grams) 1-inch cubes of dark rye bread with seeds
2 cups (8 ounces/225 grams) Portuguese cheese of your choice, diced
1/2 cup (50 grams) Portuguese cheese of your choice, diced for topping.

Directions
1. In a large skillet, cook the chouriço coins on medium-high heat until the fat has rendered, 5-7 minutes. Set aside on paper towels.

2. In the same pan, add the piri piri chili powder, smoked paprika, cinnamon and bay leaf. Add the onion and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Fold the greens in, tossing until they wilt, 1-2 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, chicken stock, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in the bread and stir until the cubes are thoroughly moistened. Let stand at least 1 hour. It is important that the bread is thoroughly moistened. You can cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a large rectangular casserole dish with butter.

5. Gently fold the cabbage, chouriço, and cheese cubes into the bread mixture. Transfer the bread pudding in the butter greased baking dish, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

6. Uncover and top with the reserved cheese cubes and bake for another 20 minutes, until the top is crips, the cheese is melted and the bread pudding is slightly springy to the touch, not wet.
7. For easier cutting, let set for about ten minutes while you make a green salad.

While my 92 year old father is still living independently, he is having a helper come in twice a week to make his breakf...
01/15/2024

While my 92 year old father is still living independently, he is having a helper come in twice a week to make his breakfast. To ensure that those breakfast will give him a powerhouse of nutrition, I have created a menu and shopping list of superfood breakfasts, adjusted for sodium, sugar and fat for that person to follow. I thought that some of you might find this useful for yourself or someone in your life.

Superfood Breakfasts

Shopping list:

Unflavored lowfat Greek yogurt
plain rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
unsalted sunflower seeds
chia seeds

sliced almonds (no salt)
Frozen unsweetened berry mix (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
ripe avocados
dark rye bread (high fiber)
Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
limes
2 dozen eggs
Pam cooking spray
Lowfat cottage cheese
mixed nuts (no salt)
No-sugar peaches

bag of fresh baby spinach
bag of mixed grated cheese (white and orange)
Jar of mild salsa
8 inch whole wheat tortillas
extra virgin olive oil
paprika
red, green, yellow bell peppers
red onion
white button mushrooms
fresh chard
center-cut low-sodium bacon
red potatoes
fresh garlic

Breakfasts:

Yogurt Berry Bowl
Place ¾ cup Greek yogurt in a bowl
Sprinkle with 1/3 cup raw rolled outs
Sprinkle with sunflower and chia seeds and sliced almonds
Top with ¾ cup thawed mixed berries (fresh can be used)

Avocado Toast with Egg
Mash a ripe avocado
Spritz with the juice of ½ lime and mix in
Scramble 2 eggs (no milk, no salt) in a pan sprayed with Pam
Toast 2 slices of rye bread
Spread toast with mashed avocado
Sprinkle with Everything But the Bagel seasoning
Top with scrambled egg
Sprinkle with Everything But the Bagel seasoning

Cottage Cheese, Peach and Nut Bowl
¾ to one cup lowfat cottage cheese
top with no-sugar peaches
top with mixed no-salt nuts and chia seeds

Breakfast Burrito
(Please make several of these, wrap individually in foil and freeze for him to microwave later)
12 large eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon paprika
2 cups baby spinach
6 (8 inch) whole-wheat tortillas
salsa
mashed avocado
½ cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
Directions
Whisk eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add spinach and paprika; cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggs are mostly set, about 5 minutes.
To assemble burritos, place each tortilla on a sheet of foil. Add ½ cup scrambled eggs to the bottom half of the tortilla, add a spoonful of salsa and some mashed avocado, then divide cheese evenly (about 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon per burrito). Roll snugly, tucking in the ends as you go. Wrap tightly in the foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

Southwest Breakfast Skillet
Ingredients
4 strips center-cut low-sodium bacon (4 ounces)
12 ounces Yukon Gold or red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
¼ cup water, plus more if needed
8 ounces white button mushrooms, diced
1 medium red, orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
½ small red onion, diced
¼ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
4 cups Swiss chard, stemmed and thinly sliced (from 1 bunch)
1 clove garlic, minced
4 large eggs
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ cup prepared salsa or pico de gallo

Directions
1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, flipping once, until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 teaspoons of the bacon fat.
Return the pan to medium heat. Add potatoes and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add water; cover and steam for 5 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in chard and garlic; cook until the chard is tender and wilted, about 2 minutes more. Crumble the bacon and stir into the mixture.

2. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Using the back of a wooden spoon, make 4 indentations. Crack 1 egg into each indentation. Season with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the egg whites are set, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and top with cheese and salsa (or pico de gallo).

Here in Portugal, we eat a lot of cheese that comes with a tasty rind. Some people eat the rind and others cut it off. F...
01/06/2024

Here in Portugal, we eat a lot of cheese that comes with a tasty rind. Some people eat the rind and others cut it off. For those cheeses where I cut it off, I save the rinds in the freezer. Then, when I make a cream soup or sauce, I whisk one or two pieces into the hot liquid. They add creaminess, flavor and saltiness. Here, I used them in my Creamy Chicken soup with Gnocchi. The chicken broth is flavored with garlic, shallots, celery, vermouth, and herbes de Provence, and the cheese rinds. I then add cream, gnocchi and the cooked chicken, warm through, and top with fresh tarragon. If you want a more complete recipe, I'll make one.

This is my second Thanksgiving in Portugal where fresh cranberries are hard to find. However, most stores have dried one...
11/22/2023

This is my second Thanksgiving in Portugal where fresh cranberries are hard to find. However, most stores have dried ones, so here is the recipe I created to reconstitute them and enhance them. I think they are even better than the fresh cranberry sauce I used to make!

Cranberry Sauce

In a small pot, combine:

8-10 ounces (or so) of dried cranberries

½ cup of a berry-flavored syrup such as you would use for Italian ice. In Portugal, I use Albergaria brand xarope de groselha (current syrup)

1 cup triple sec

2 long strips of lemon peel

1 cinnamon stick

Allow cranberries to soak in this liquid until they plump up

Add:

1 tart apple, very finely diced

peels of two apples (apple peels have pectin in them and this will give the sauce a jammy quality)

Cook over medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken and the apples are cooked through. Cool and remove cinnamon stick, lemon peels and apple peels before serving.

My Superfood Bowl this weeks was Pearl Barley and Black Bean with sunflower seeds, beets, green onions and pomegranate s...
10/21/2023

My Superfood Bowl this weeks was Pearl Barley and Black Bean with sunflower seeds, beets, green onions and pomegranate seeds. I dressed the barley and black beans with a dressing of mayo, lime, Dijon mustard and a Southern spice mix, along with a couple of tablespoons of mixed berry jelly.

My Superfoods Bowl this week is Lentils, Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables. It has: leeks, garlic, African Spices, quinoa, l...
06/05/2023

My Superfoods Bowl this week is Lentils, Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables. It has: leeks, garlic, African Spices, quinoa, lentils, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sultanas, roasted potatoes, peppers, carrots, turnips, and shallots. I top with cool yogurt and mint. When I come home starving from my aquafit workout, this is ready to go.

I'm really excited about this week's Superfood Bowl: Asian Brown and Black Rice Salmon Bowl with Wasabi Sesame Dressing....
05/26/2023

I'm really excited about this week's Superfood Bowl: Asian Brown and Black Rice Salmon Bowl with Wasabi Sesame Dressing. It's bursting with so many complimentary flavors that every bite is a happy surprise. Its superfoods: black and brown rice, salmon, zucchini, red pepper, red onion, seaweed, sunflower seeds, lentils, fennel seed, green beans and sesame seeds. I cooked the rice in jasmine tea as a fun and flavorful surprise. Among all rice varieties, black rice is the healthiest. It has more protein, fiber, vitamin E, iron, and antioxidants. Black rice also has a lower glycemic index, so it means it will slowly release sugar in the blood, preventing sugar spikes.

Realizing that the lovely bread and cheese of Portugal could not continue as my choice of lunch, I decided to start maki...
05/18/2023

Realizing that the lovely bread and cheese of Portugal could not continue as my choice of lunch, I decided to start making Super Food Bowls. I make enough to last for a week, so a healthful lunch is always ready for me. This is my grain bowl. It has: barley, split peas, lentils, corn, quinoa, leeks, garlic, red pepper, sweet potatoes, African spices, cumin, turmeric, leftover no salt/no fat duck rice broth, piri piri, olive oil and lemon. I top it with cooling nonfat Greek yogurt. All of these are super foods, dense in nutrition and low in simple carbohydrates, fat and salt. Next week, I will make a Salmon Salad and Brown and Black Rice Bowl. Stay tuned!

Address

Wichita, KS

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cooking Outside the Box posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Cooking Outside the Box:

Shortcuts

Share

Category