Vegan Horseradish Chicken Salad with Pecans and Jalapeno Potato Salad in Baked Wonton Cups

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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It is another hot motherfucking week here in LA & I am in no mood to cook.  Still – I was tasked with bringing an appetizer to a little gathering & I was up early enough today to get the little cooking these recipes require done before the heat set in.

You can really stick any old thing in these baked wonton cups – like flavored mashed potatoes & cheese or taco fillings or pizza fillings but I did not want to have to use the oven at my destination to reheat or melt anything & cold salad fillings just sounded better today, anyway.   I will have to assemble these at the destination because I do not want the cups to get soggy but that is no big deal.   I only mention this to explain why I do not have photos of a bunch of these assembled.  I just made one of each & photographed them – and then ate them up!  This is the curse of a blog made of exclusively foods I am eating myself or feeding others.  I do not have the funds to waste on food that won’t be eaten nor the heart to throw good food away nor the family around to each a bunch of extras that I might create.   What you see here is typically my day to day menu – and these little party treats are no exception.

 

 

 

Baked Wonton Cups

INGREDIENTS

1 package small wonton skins – round or square

cooking spray

mini cupcake pan

 

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to about 325 degrees.

Spray the mini muffin pan with cooking spray & press a wonton skin in each.

Bake for between 6-9 minutes or until they are nicely browned.  Check the first batch frequently – because I burned mine.

Set out to cool.

 

Vegan Horseradish Chicken Salad with Pecans

 

INGREDIENTS

9 oz vegan chicken (I really recommend the awesome Beyond Meat version)

1/2 cup scallions – chopped (do not forget to regrow the ends – like HERE)

2 celery stalks – minced

1/4 pecans – chopped

1/2 cup lettuce (romaine is best) – chopped with extra for garnish

1 TBS prepared horseradish

1/2 cup vegan mayo (or real – if you are not vegan) – more if you like a wetter chicken salad

1 TBS of Dijon

S&P

 

 

DIRECTIONS

Cube the chicken up small so it will fit in the wonton cups.  Then – just mix all the ingredients up & season with S&P.  Chill until you are ready to put it into the cups JUST before serving.  Maybe add some freshly cracked pepper & a shred of lettuce as garnish.

Jalapeno Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS

3 medium potatoes – boiled until tender & cubed small

2 scallions – chopped (do not forget to regrow the ends – like HERE)

1 large jalapeno – seeded & diced

1/2 red bell pepper – diced

1/2 tsp (or more) chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 cup mayo (vegan or not)

1/4 cup yogurt (vegan or not – and you can change the ratio of mayo to yogurt to suit your taste)

3/4 cup cilantro – chopped

S&P to taste

OPTIONAL – add 1/2 cup corn kernels (I try avoid corn that is not from a local farmers’ market because of GMO)

 

DIRECTIONS

Mix that shit all up & season with S&P.  Chill (as with the chicken salad) until just before serving.  Maybe garnish with extra cilantro & freshly cracked pepper.

 

Sauteed Kale & Mushroom Quesadillas with Horseradish Cream Cheese & Poached Eggs

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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Sometimes I feel guilty posting something as a “recipe” when all I am really doing is suggesting a combination of ingredients.  I had:

INGREDIENTS

Tortillas

Kale – chopped into small bits (stems removed first)

Mushrooms – sliced

Cream Cheese

Horseradish

Grated cheese blend (mozzarella & cheddar)

Eggs

Olive oil

I made the thing you see here.

Poaching eggs can be quite a thing.  I have this handy little poacher:

I boiled the water beneath that the egg cuppy thing.  A sprayed the cuppies with cooking spray.  I added the egg & turned the heat off & covered the pan.  I waited three minutes.  I had poached eggs.  HERE are some more professional suggestions about poaching eggs.

Sauteed Kale & Mushroom Quesadillas with Horseradish Cream Cheese

DIRECTIONS

Wait to poach your eggs until the quesadilla is nearly done.

Heat 1-2 TBS olive oil in a large saute pan.  Add the kale & mushrooms & saute over med-high heat until the mushrooms & kale are tender. 5-10 minutes or so.

Meanwhile – with a fork, mix prepared horseradish – to taste – into a chunk of cream cheese.  Set aside.

When you are ready to eat, heat a clean saute or grill pan over medium heat.  Smear the cream cheese on a tortilla & place it the pan.  Top with kale & mushrooms & grated cheese.  Top with the another tortilla.  Get the water for your poached eggs boiling.

Press this with the lid of a pan & heat a minute or two (or until it begins to brown), give it a good press with the lid & then carefully flip it.  Press with the lid.

Now poach your eggs in the manner you selected.

When the quesadilla is ready, slice it up & stack it up & top it up with poached eggs.

Pour yourself a mimosa & get your feed on!   Then go HERE on Amazon and buy my book!

HAPPY SUNDAY!

250 Calorie Fancified Hot Dog with Mango Salsa & Horseradish Mustard

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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This is less of a recipe than it is an idea.  A really good & satisfying idea.  After hiking to the Hollywood sign & back yesterday

I came home starving.  Like many people, I walk this 6+ mile walk several times a week not because it provides the spectacular reward that is that view from the top (and yesterday wasn’t nearly as pretty as it can be) nor because it gives me a two hour opportunity to reflect & naval gaze nor because it is a great opportunity to experience nature right smack dab in the center of a huge city but because I am a fat fuck & a cranky wench & that hike helps burn away both foils.

So – after huffing & puffing my way through the heat & dust – I returned home – as I typically do – feeling entitled & ready to shove something in my face.  In colder weather – I usually (and by usually I mean like 5 times a week) eat a huge bowl of my Zero Calorie Zero Carb Vegetarian Pho.

It is getting warmer now, though (it was 100 here two days ago), and soup doesn’t sound so good.  But a nice summery hot dog does!  And, if you eat veggie dogs, a huge one is only about 100 calories & the bun is likely to be about 120.  That is a pretty good deal, calorie-wise, assuming you like veggie dogs.  I posted this beauty last July

served with Cilantro Jalapeno mustard.

I could eat that mustard with a spoon!

But this time – I had mango salsa laying around leftover from my glorious Ahi Tuna Tower.

Mango Salsa

INGREDIENTS

1 ripe mango – chopped

1/2 red onion – minced

2 scallions – minced

1/2 red bell pepper – minced

1 jalapeno (or 2 serranos if you love heat) – minced

S&P to taste

Juice of half a lime

Juice of half a lemon

DIRECTIONS

Mix together.

I saw the bowl of this beautiful stuff in my fridge & asked myself why I shouldn’t use some to top a hot dog.  I am not a meat eater and even when I was – I loathed the concept of Hawaiian pizza (with ham & pineapple) and some of you may argue that this concoction is in that same ballpark – but I disagree.  The hot dog with my new favorite mustard – horseradish mustard – and this salsa is a most incredible, low calorie lunch delight!  I recommend very highly that you try it!  The salsa would also go very nicely on chicken or seafood so don’t be afraid to make a lot of it!

Sliced Baked Potato with Horseradish Cream & Thyme

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

 

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It doesn’t get much simpler than a baked potato.  A friend of mine posted an image of a sliced one on Facebook and it looked interesting – so I tried it.  I wasn’t sure if I should peel it of not so I peeled half of it.   The image above shows the peeled side.  Here is the skin side.

I don’t think it makes a big difference but the peeled side was prettier & turned a nice golden color.

To make these – simply pre-heat your oven to 425.  Prep your potato by washing & drying it, peeling it (if you choose to) and then slicing it into 1/4-1/2 slices – being careful not to cut all the way through.  You might first want to cut a little bit off the long side to create a flat surface for the potato to stabilize on.  I didn’t do that.  I saw someone online using the handle of a wooden spoon to brace the potato against & to provide a barrier to keep the knife from slicing all the way through.  I didn’t find the slicing very tricky & just went for it. Once it is sliced up, rub olive oil into it & season it with a little salt.  Put it directly on the rack in your oven.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden & crispy on the outside.

I served mine with the leftover horseradish cream from my

Smoked Salmon & Horseradish Cream Verrine with Cucumber & Tomato

Horseradish Cream

INGREDIENTS

4 oz cream cheese

1 TBS prepared horseradish sauce (or to taste)

2 sprigs fresh dill

7 (or more) TBS heavy cream

1/8 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Blend everything in a food processor.  Add more heavy cream if you like a thinner sauce.  Add more horseradish sauce if you enjoy kick.

I added some fresh thyme & voila!  You could top this potato like any other, though (butter, sour cream, bacon bits, cheese – whatever).  Here is how they look naked.  Let your imagination take you away when you ponder how to dress it.

Smoked Salmon & Horseradish Cream Verrine with Cucumber & Tomato

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

Follow @celisemccarthy

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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I recently discovered the VERRINE.  Here is the web definition:

verrine

A verrine is a confection, originally from France, made by layering ingredients in a small glass. It can be either sweet or savoury.

If you Google image search “verrine” you get an amazing array of gorgeous appetizers & desserts.  See HERE.

Last night, I decided to try my hand at one.  As per usual, I was restricted to what I already had on hand.  Fortunately, I had smoked salmon, cucumbers, dill & heirloom cherry tomatoes.  I also had a fresh horseradish root.That fucker cost $8 but it is like a Fred Flintstone club.  I grated a bunch up with a microplane but in the end, couldn’t really taste it.  You might just want to use a little prepared horseradish sauce,instead, if you attempt this recipe.  Also – I left my cream sauce very thick – like a whipped cream cheese.  You might like yours a bit runnier.  In that case, just use more heavy cream.The only part of this dish that is a proper recipe is the horseradish cream.  The rest is just a layering of ingredients that you can alter to your own tastes.  I made these in three sizes: a shot glass, a stemmed apperitif glass & a tumbler.  You can choose the serving size appropriate for the occasion.  Know that I ate all three of these myself last night.  These would make a wonderful brunch starter – sort of like a bagel with the works – without the bagel.

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Horseradish Cream

INGREDIENTS

4 oz cream cheese

4 TBS fresh grated horseradish root OR prepared horseradish sauce to taste

2 sprigs fresh dill

7 (or more) TBS heavy cream

1/8 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Blend everything in a food processor.  Add more heavy cream if you like a thinner sauce.  Add more horseradish sauce if you enjoy kick.

Smoked Salmon Verrine with Cucumber & Tomato & Horseradish Cream

INGREDIENTS

Smoked salmon

Cucumber

Tomato (I used multicolored heirloom cherry tomatoes)

Dill

Capers

Fresh lemon

Fresh bread or bagel

Horseradish cream

Fresh pepper

DIRECTIONS

Dice the salmon, tomato, cucumber & bread.  Put some bread in the bottom of each serving glass (I only used bread in the tumbler – not in the smaller verrines) & layer with cucumber, tomato & horseradish cream.  Top with dill & capers & squeeze a little lemon on top.  Finish with cracked pepper & serve!

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