Delicious Oven Baked Seasoned Steak Fries

By Jodee Weiland

When preparing a meal for several guests, it’s always nice to have an easy but tasty potato side dish to serve. Delicious Oven Baked Seasoned Steak Fries are both tasty and easy to prepare as well as healthy.

https://learnfromyesterday.comUsually I scrub the skins of the potatoes earlier, and then set them aside to dry whole. We all know that baking potatoes whole is easy, but it takes longer to bake them, and you can’t season them or anything, so they are just a baked potato. That’s fine, but if you want something a little different and delicious, this is definitely the dish for you!

I like my guests to feel that they are special enough for me to do something a little extra for them. That something can definitely be both healthy and taste delicious. Seasonings and a little extra virgin olive oil can make all the difference, and it’s not that difficult to do. Besides, with a baked potato, people tend to load them up with not so healthy choices, while these potatoes need no extra garnishes!

https://learnfromyesterday.comDelicious Oven Baked Seasoned Steak Fries

6 to 8 baking potatoes (depending on the number of people and size of the potatoes)
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Dried parsley flakes
Sea salt and black pepper to taste (for after baking)

These are the basic seasonings, but you can add any other seasonings you may like. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Prepare your baking sheets with parchment cooking paper. Cut the each potato in half and then cut the halves into ¼” to ½” slices to create your steak fries just before you are ready to cook. You may do this sooner and leave in cold water, but I prefer to do it just before baking.

Put the slices in a large bowl and pour some olive oil over the slices. Toss the slices until all of them are coated with some olive oil. They do not need to be drenched, but just coated. Once coated in olive oil, place the slices evenly on your baking sheets. Sprinkle them to taste with the garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley flakes. You may add any additional seasonings you may like, but if serving guests, I suggest you always ask about preferences as some people may not like or tolerate well certain seasonings. When done seasoning, place the baking sheets in the oven for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Watch them carefully when baking so that you do not burn them.

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Once done, place your Delicious Oven Baked Seasoned Steak Fries in a dish and serve along with the rest of the meal. Your guests may add salt and pepper to their own taste, but they don’t really need it with the seasonings already used. I don’t usually put salt on the table, just a whole peppercorn grinder, and rarely does anyone request the salt. These steak fries are always a winner with those eating, but the best part is that they are full of great flavor and healthy. On top of that, they are really easy to put together and adaptable to the tastes of your guests as well. Try them, and enjoy!

Egg White Spinach Mushroom Omelet with Mozzarella

By Jodee Weiland

The great thing about an omelet is that you can have them for breakfast, but you can even have them for dinner or any other meal.

https://learnfromyesterday.comMost people prefer omelets for breakfast, but done right, an omelet can just as easily be any other meal. The main reason for that is the fact that they usually have vegetables with eggs or egg whites. They may also have meat in the omelet or a meat serving on the side for those who want it. Omelets vary according to personal preferences or tastes.  There are very few rules when making an omelet, if any, other than including eggs. But hey, who knows? There may be an egg-less omelet out there somewhere. These days, anything is possible!

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This Egg White Spinach Mushroom Omelet with Mozzarella is simple and healthy. It has egg whites, mushrooms, spinach, and shredded mozzarella cheese with a little olive oil. There’s nothing complicated here because it consists of four main ingredients. For extra flavor, you could add chopped onions that you would sauté with the mushrooms in olive oil slightly before adding the egg, but if you want it simple and quick, just add the four main ingredients with a little olive oil. Another thing you could do is to add cut up prosciutto or ham if you want. In fact, you could add any meat you prefer. For us, this omelet was delicious just as it is described here. I love to overload the vegetables, so be ready. It’s the New Year and once again, healthy habits are at the top of our list. We have them already, but we want to keep them so we can maintain good health throughout the coming year.

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Egg White Spinach Mushroom Omelet with Mozzarella

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (substitute butter if preferred)
6 egg whites
4 to 6 mushrooms sliced or 1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms drained
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella part skim
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

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In your omelet pan, lightly sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes or until ready. Pour the egg whites in over that and let this cook over a medium heat. When ready, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over this. Finally, add the baby spinach to the top of the omelet. Cover and let cook until slightly wilted.  When ready, fold the omelet over to create a half circle. Either flip the half circle over to cook a minute or two longer or cut in half to flip and finish cooking.

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Once done, the Egg White Spinach Mushroom Omelet with Mozzarella is ready to serve. This delicious omelet is easy to make and has great flavor. Serve with freshly brewed coffee, sliced apples or some other fruit cut up, and a multigrain toast for a healthy meal. Omelets aren’t difficult to make. They really are just a matter of imagination and taste. So enjoy!

Savory White Bean Soup…A Delicious Vegetarian Soup!

By Jodee Weiland

Cold weather has reached new lows this year in the Midwest. We’re at dangerously below zero temperatures! With the arrival of cold winter weather, there is nothing better than a hearty warm soup. Savory White Bean Soup…A Delicious Vegetarian Soup is just the soup you need to warm up your day when it gets this cold outside.

https://learnfromyesterday.comI originally found this Vegetarian White Bean Soup in the cookbook, Soups (Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library), that I bought years ago. Since then I have made quite a few changes to the original recipe to adapt it better to the tastes and needs of my own family.

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To begin with, I added more carrots, celery, and garlic. I love the flavors added to this soup by increasing these three ingredients. The combination of navy beans with plenty of carrots, celery, garlic, diced tomatoes and all the seasonings blend together to create a deliciously flavorful soup. In the cookbook I had, they used vegetable oil, butter, or a combination of both. I use extra virgin olive oil only and have varied the amount slightly. I have added parsley to the soup as a seasoning rather than merely a garnish because I like the flavor it adds. The original recipe used Roma tomatoes which is wonderful, if you have them on hand, but I used organic diced tomatoes because I always have them in the pantry and readily available. For me, any tomato will work because I love all kinds of tomatoes. This is my adaptation of what I think is a great soup for those cold winter days.

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Savory White Bean Soup…A Delicious Vegetarian Soup! (Adapted)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 large carrots peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks finely chopped
2 medium yellow onions finely chopped
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
72 to 80 ounces (9 to 10 cups) all natural vegetable broth
2 cans (14.5 ounces) diced organic tomatoes with juice
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups dried navy beans
2 tablespoons dried parsley or 1/8 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried summer savory
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoon dried thyme
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

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Allowing yourself plenty of time ahead of cooking, sort through the dried navy beans discarding any that are discolored. Once done, put the remaining beans in a bowl with enough cold water to cover the beans, about an inch or more above the beans. Place a cover on the bowl and let the beans soak for about twelve hours. I usually do this overnight on the day before, so I can put my recipe together the next day.

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White Bean Soup

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Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.  Add the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Sauté for about five minutes or until the onions are translucent.  Once these vegetables are ready, add the vegetable broth, diced organic tomatoes with juice, sugar, drained navy beans, parsley, summer savory, bay leaves, and thyme. Heat and bring this to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cover the pot. Cook the soup at the gentle simmer for about two and a half hours to three hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender enough to puree. You may add additional vegetable broth, if needed.  I usually do not need to add additional broth at all, but if you simmer it on too high a heat, you may need to add some, so check and stir occasionally to be sure.

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When done, remove the bay leaves and puree the soup with a hand blender or mixer. Your soup is very hot, so be careful not to splash the soup and burn yourself. I always make sure my blender head is in the soup and blend it carefully so as not to splash. I use a hand blender because I want it a bit chunky, rather than blended entirely smooth. You may also use a food processor or standing blender to puree. When you serve it, salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE:  If you want homemade croutons for your soup, you will find directions for making them at my recipe for Split Pea Soup.

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Savory White Bean Soup is a delicious vegetarian soup so full of flavor, it will amaze you! Top your soup with homemade croutons if you like. I like to serve this soup with a fresh loaf of crusty bread, sometimes a side salad, and a glass of wine. The robust flavor of this soup makes it a great meal to share with your family on those cold winter days! If you have any leftover, just freeze it for later. Give it a try, and I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised at just how good it is! Enjoy!

Kolpas, Norman. Soups (Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library) 1997. Ed. Chuck Williams. Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library: Time Life Ed. 108 pages.

I used these labels on my containers when freezing leftover soup, and they work fabulous!