QPC baby spinach, beef jerky, grilled vegetable salad - featured in Group Recipes

I have never had beef jerky before I met my hubby. The first time I had it was about 15 years ago . I love it very much and every visit back to US, I will eat lots of it till my heart's content. Last Christmas, my hubby asked my step-daugther Erin to mail 6 packets of beef jerky to us and it was one of my surprise gifts. I had a year's supply of beef jerky’s! YAY! Yesterday when I was craving a baby spinach salad and grilled vegetables, I decided to have it for lunch. We get beautiful baby spinach in the markets here and it is frequently on hand as it is one of our favorites. On a whim, I added some beef jerky, chopped into bite size pieces, to the salad and it turned out so delicious that I just have to share with you all. I served this with ham, tomato and lettuce sandwich and a bowl of corn chips. The teriyaki beef tasted better than bacon, and is much lower in fat.

Ingredients:

1 big white onion, cut into rings

½ ts butter

1 ts brown sugar

Pamesan cheese (optional)

(A)

100 gm baby spinach, washed and dry

1 cup very thin strips of beef jerky

2 roasted red capsicum, skin seeds removed, cut in stips

2 heads of roasted garlic, skin removed

Ingredients for the salad dressing:

¾ cup balsamic vinegar

(B)

1 tb extra virgin oil

1 tb maple syrup

½ ts ground black pepper

¼ ts salt

Method:

Heat the balsamic vinegar and bring to boil. Simmer and reduce to ½ cup. Add (B) and mix well with a whisk and set aside. Heat the pan and add butter. After butter melted, add onion and brown sugar. Sautee till onion is soft and place it in the mixing bowl. Add (A) into the mixing bowl. Pour in salad dressing and toss well. Add pamesan cheese and serve.

QPC grilled vegetables in balsamic vinegar and basil - Featured in Group Recipes

I post this recipe specially for my very good friend, Seok Eng. She is the kindest person I have ever known. I am so blessed to have a friend like her. Her youngest daughter is now studying in London and like all mothers, she is always thinking of how to ensure that her children eat well and stay healthy. So, the other day, when I was with her, we talked about what food she can cook that can be frozen when she visits her daughter next week. Her love and devotion for her children led me to think of the following quote by Washington Irving.

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”
-- Washington Irving

Although this is a common dish, everyone has their own version, and this is the QPC version. Once you make a batch of grilled vegetables, you can use it in so many ways. For example, it can be used as the filling for grilled cheese sandwiches, it can be tossed with pasta, or served simply as an anti pasto with an Italian meal. Grilled vegetables can be frozen and it will stay good for at least 3 months. A favorite of mine is a grilled vegetable omellete. It is delicious if you add some to your green leafy salad. Put it in a nice bottle and it makes a great gift. Grilled vegetables are tasty, pretty, and healthy. What more can you ask for?

Ingredients:

1 yellow squash

1 green capsicum

1 orange capsicum

2 red capsicum

4 heads of garlic with skin

1 medium white onion 3 tbs balsamic vinegar (can be more according to individual taste)

(A)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 ts salt

½ ts freshly grinded black pepper

½ ts dried basil

Method:

Wash and dry all the vege. Grill all the capsicum in whole in a microwave oven set to grill for 20 mins. After 15 mins, put in the garlic. Leave them in the oven till they are cold enough to touch before removing the skin and seeds. Grill yellow squash in a grill pan for about 8 mins till it is soft but not mushy. On a frying pan sautee white onion till they are translucent and put them in a mixing bowl. In a sauce pan simmer the balsamic vinegar from 3 tbs to 2tbs and set aside to let it cool. Put all grilled vegetables in a big mixing bowl. In another medium bowl add reduced balsamic vinegar and (A). Whisky slightly to be ready to pour over the grilled vegetables. This dish taste better the next day. To be served at room temperature.