Christina's Dijon Carrots and Brussels Sprouts

adapted from Ann Poulson

1 1/2 lbs baby carrots
1 1/2 lbs brussel sprouts


Steam 7-10 minutes or roast in the oven in light olive oil until tender. 

Sauce
4 TBSP butter
2 TBSP grainy mustard
1 TBSP smooth Dijon mustard

Melt butter and add mustards. Stir well. Pour sauce over veggies and stir gently to coat. Serve immediately. 

Christina's Honey Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette

from barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com

2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper, finely ground
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, balsamic, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic. Add the oil and whisk thoroughly to combine. Continue whisking until the dressing is fully emulsified.

Store in a jar with a lid and refrigerate. Shake well before serving. Enjoy!

Side note: If you choose to make this in the blender (as I like to do for almost every other recipe) this will be a thicker dressing. Still delicious, simply thicker. I prefer the consistency of this particular dressing when whisked by hand.

Christina's Honey Mustard Dressing

original recipe

1/3 C olive oil
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 TBSP Dijon mustard (I used a rounded tablespoon)
1 TBSP honey
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all up and let it blend. Variations: use lemon instead of vinegar and possibly add grated onion or shallot.

Christina's Sliced Beets in Creamy Mustard Sauce

adapted from Greene on Greens

11/2 pounds beets, scrubbed, trimmed and peeled
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely minced shallot or red onion
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons prepared Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Place beets in a small roasting pan with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake until beets are easily pierced with a sharp knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on size. Slice the beets in half; cut each half into 1/4-inch wedges.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot or red onion; cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in the stock, milk, and mustard. Cook and stir the
mixture until slightly thickened.

4. Remove the skillet from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley.

5. Rewarm beets and serve with sauce on the side. 

Christina's Deviled Eggs

6 eggs

1 tsp prepared mustard (dijon or regular)
pinch or two of salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp white vinegar
3 TSP mayonnaise
paprika


Boil the eggs until hard. Cool. Shell and slice in half. Remove yolks and mix with remaining ingredients. Spoon back into whites. Chill until ready to serve. 

Christina's Barbecue Sauce

from Ina Garten as adapted by Smitten Kitchen

Makes 6 cups

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup tomato paste (10 ounces)
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

In a large saucepan on low heat, saute the onions and garlic with the vegetable oil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. Use immediately or store in the fridge.

Christina's Deli-Style Pasta Salad

from Better Homes and Gardens

1/2 of a 16-ounce package (about 2 cups) frozen cheese-filled tortellini or one 9-ounce package refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1 1/2 cups broccoli flowerets
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 medium red or yellow sweet pepper, cut into thin strips

In a large saucepan cook pasta according to package directions, except omit any salt and oil. Add broccoli and carrot the last 3 minutes of cooking; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again.

Meanwhile, for dressing, in a screw-top jar combine the vinegar, oil, Italian seasoning, mustard, black pepper, and garlic powder. Cover and shake well. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the pasta mixture and sweet pepper. Shake dressing. Pour the dressing over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. I also mixed in some leftover chimichurri sauce and it was delicious, so I think that pesto would be a great addition if you have it around.

Christina's Breaded and Baked Chicken Drumsticks

from Simply Recipes by Elise

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon or whole grain mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp finely chopped chives or green onion greens
Salt
6 large chicken drumsticks, about 1 1/3 lbs
Olive oil

Place rack on upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat the bottom of a shallow roasting pan or baking sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.

Mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Mix together the breadcrumbs and minced chives in a separate medium bowl.

Sprinkle each drumstick with salt. One by one, dip each drumstick in the mayonnaise mixture, turning to coat. Then dip the drumstick in the breadcrumbs mixture, turning to coat. Place the drumsticks on the prepared roasting pan.

Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes, until just cooked through, and juices run clear (not pink) when poked with a sharp knife.

Christina's Shrimp Kabobs with Dill Dijon Sauce

from $5 Dinners

25 shrimp
1/2 onion
1 green pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp fresh or 2 tsp dried dill
2 Tbsp fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley

1. Thaw shrimp. Cut green pepper and onion into skewer size pieces. Place shrimp, green pepper, and onion on skewers. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a few dashes of dill. Lay in roasting pan and broil 5 minutes on each side
2. In small bowl, whisk dijon mustard, milk and dill until creamy. Dip shrimp, peppers and onions into sauce.

Christina's Pork or Lamb Vindaloo

from Recipe Source

1 ½ Tbs grainy mustard
1 ½ tsp. ground cumin
¾ tsp. ground turmeric
½ to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. red wine vinegar (or any other)
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 small onion
6 large, peeled, crushed garlic cloves
1 ¼ lbs. boned shoulder of pork or lamb cut to 1 in. cubes*
2/3 cup canned coconut milk, well stirred

Combine mustard, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt, vinegar in a cup. Mix well. Put the oil in a large, nonstick frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the onions. Stir and fry until it is medium brown. Put in the garlic. Stir and fry for 20 seconds. Put in the spice paste. Stir and fry for one minute. Put in the meat. Stir and fry for about 3 minutes. Now add the coconut milk and 2/3 cup water if you are going to cook in a pressure cooker or 1 cup water if you are going to continue to cook in the frying pan. (Transfer to a pressure cooker at this stage if that is your intention.) Cover and either bring up to pressure, or bring to a boil if you are using the frying pan. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes in the pressure cooker and 60 to 70 minutes in the frying pan. Serves 3-4.

*The recipe says to throw the meat in after you've cooked the onions, garlic, and spice paste. If you do it this way, all the fat that cooks off the meat will rise to the top of the sauce. It's a huge pain to remove. Some of the fat may also come from the oil initially added to the onions. I suggest stir frying the meat on the side, pouring off the fat, and THEN adding it to the mixture. Crock pots also work well.

Christina's Tangy Broiled Halibut

from my Grandma San

4 6-ounce fresh or frozen halibut steaks, cut 1 inch thick
olive oil
2 TBSPS Dijon-style mustard
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 TBSP dill, parsely or green onion
lime or lemon wedges

Thaw fish, if frozen. Preheat broiler.

Place filets on greased baking sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil and then mustard. Sprinkle with pepper.

Broil 3-4 inches from heat 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and fish flakes easily. Sprinkle with seasonings and serve with wedges.

To bake in oven: preheat to 350 and bake approximately 15 minutes or until done.

To grill by indirect heat: Arrange preheated coals around a drip pan in a covered grill. Test for medium heat above pan. Place fish on the greased grill rack over drip pan. Cover and grill for 8 to 12 minutes or just until fish begins to flake easily when tested with a fork, turning once and brushing occasionally with mustard mixture.

Christina's Honey Mustard Chicken

1/3 C dijon mustard
1/3 C honey
1 TBSP dried dill
1 tsp freshly grated orange peel
1 2.5 pound chicken, quartered

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine mustard and honey in small bowl. Stir in dill and orange peel.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Place chicken skin side down on pan. Brush sauce onto chicken, coating well.

Turn chicken over. Gently pull back skin and brush meat with sauce. Pull skin back over sauce.

Brush skin with remaining sauce. Bake until juices run clear when thickest part of meat is pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.

We like this served with mashed potatoes and veggies.