Dill Havarti Seared Pepper Salad

The Best Seared Pepper Salad

This Dill Havarti Cheese with Seared Pepper Salad is a real refreshing way to shake up your everyday greens.  It’s got a wonderful blend of ingredients that make every bite explode with flavor.  This recipe, in particular, was voted as one of New York’s top twenty must have dishes a few years ago.  That alone sparked my interest in preparing this for myself and when I tried it, I knew I had to film it.

Also, be sure to check out my Fresh Veggies with Ricotta, Mint and Lime, my Oriental Salad and my Curry Chicken Salad recipe!

Dill Havarti Seared Pepper Salad Ingredients:

8 oz Dill Havarti (any Substitution)
12 Lunch Box Bell Peppers, halved and seared
1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halves
1/2 Red Onion, sliced
1/2 cup Black Olives, halves
1/2 cup Green Olives, halves
2 tbsp Capers
2 tsp Fresh Mint, chopped
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Olive Oil (2 tbsp for Dressing 2 tbsp for Searing)
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Dry Bread for Serving

Follow the instructions in my Seared Pepper Salad video tutorial.

Fresh Veggies with Ricotta Mint and Lime

Fresh Veggies with Ricotta Mint and Lime

The Best Ricotta Salad

This Ricotta Salad with Fresh Veggies, Mint and Lime is another great way to enjoy a healthy lifestyle.  So if you’re looking to supplement a diet or just enjoy something tasty, this is the salad for you.  It’s got blanched Sugar Snap Peas, sliced Bell Peppers and Baby Kale Leaves that add plenty of vitamins and protein.  It’s also a nice way to kick off a fancy barbecue, if you’re into that sort of thing.  Personally I like to change things up and, hopefully, you do too.

Also be sure to check out my Dill Havarti Seared Pepper Salad, my Oriental Salad and my Curry Chicken Salad recipes.

Fresh Veggies with Ricotta Mint and Lime Ingredients:

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 cup Sugar Snap Peas, blanched
1/2 Cup Bell Pepper, sliced
1 doz Baby Kale Leaves
1 Green onion, chopped scallions
1 tsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
2 sprigs Mint, chopped
4 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Lime Juice, freshly squeezed
Salt and Pepper to Taste

For instruction, be sure to watch my Fresh Veggies with Ricotta, Mint and Lime video tutorial.

Roast Beef Stroganoff

Roast Beef StroganoffBack Burner Beef Stroganoff!

For me, Beef Stroganoff is one of those recipes I rarely think I want until I’m actually enjoying a plate of it.  I always forget just how good it is until I’m stuffing my face and going back for seconds.  The way I did this recipe isn’t exactly normal practice.  And I mean that in two different ways.  Usually the beef is combined and cooked into the Stroganoff but I don’t do it that way in this recipe.  Also, most home cooks have not adopted Restaurant Chef Techniques and those are the secrets I try to pass on to you here in the Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen.

Roast Beef for StroganoffOne Particular technique I’m referring to is cooking things separately.  Have you ever wondered why your favorite restaurant dishes are so resilient and full of flavor?  Well, that’s why.  A lot of things that compliment each other are cooked separately.  A great example is Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo.  The Noodles are seasoned and Cooked separately, and so is the Chicken and the sauce.  That’s why it works wonders on your Pallet when they’re combined and they compliment each other, or the dish would never work.  And that’s the idea and Technique I implement in this recipe.  I insure that it works when I cook the Roast Beef separately because I use the stock from the roast as the flavor when I cook the Beef Stroganoff Noodles.  This one concept, this one little lesson has turned “okay” cooks into great cooks over night.  So use this technique in your cooking, if you don’t already, and you’ll improve your cooking 100%

Beef Stroganoff Ingredients:

2 cups Egg Noodles
1 Sliced Onion (long slices)
10 oz sliced Portobello Mushrooms
2 chopped Green Onions
1 tbsp fresh chopped Parsley
1 chopped Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Butter
1 1/2 cups Beef Stock
1 cup Heavy Cream
3/4 cup Sour Cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
Oil for Cooking
1 Roast Beef (Click Here for Recipe)

Start with a few tbsp of oil, add the Garlic and Sliced Onion but save the Green Onion and Parsley for last.  Add and saute the Mushrooms until they turn color and soften.  Then add the Noodles and butter and stir until it melts.  Add the Beef Stock, Heavy cream and the Sour Cream.  Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to a simmer and reduce the liquid to a creamy sauce(about 10 minutes).  Then serve the Roast Beef Stroganoff with 8 to 10 oz of Roast Beef on top and enjoy.