Saturday, May 29, 2010

Greek Salad with pita bread and hummus

FRIDAY
Greek Salad

Kalamata olives and feta cheese really spice up this otherwise simple salad.

Yield 4-6 servings
Time 10 minutes

Ingredients
◦2 c assorted lettuce, chopped or torn
◦4 tomatoes, wedged or sliced
◦1 cucumber, seeded and sliced
◦1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced
◦small, mild white onion, sliced
◦12 Kalamata olives
◦4 oz firm feta cheese or mock feta, cubed
◦¼ c olive oil
◦1 t dried oregano
◦¼ c parsley, chopped
◦salt
◦pepper
◦1 lemon, wedged

Directions Arrange the lettuce in the dish(es). Add tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onion, olives, and cheese.
In the small bowl, whisk together oil, herbs, spices, and the juice from one or two lemon wedges. Drizzle dressing over the salad.

Use the remaining lemon wedges as garnish and serve.

Serve with toasted pita bread and hummus. Also I'm going to add some beans into this for a bit of extra protein.

Creamy Italian Chicken with pasta and fresh artisan bread

THURSDAY
Creamy Italian Chicken


Serves/Makes: 4
Difficulty Level: 3
Ready In: 2-5 hrs

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 cup water
8 ounces cream cheese -- softened
1 can cream of chicken soup -- undiluted
4 ounces can mushroom stems and pieces -- drained
Hot cooked rice or pasta

Directions:
Place the chicken breast halves in the crock pot. Combine the Italian dressing mix and water until smooth; pour over top of chicken. Cover; cook on low for 3 hours.

Combine the cream cheese and soup until smooth and blended. Stir in mushroom pieces. Pour soup mixture over chicken. Cook 1 hour more or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over hot cooked rice or pasta


Seve with fresh artisan bread and salad.

Sweet and sour tofu with rice

WEDNESDAY
Sweet and sour tofu
serves 4 - 6

2 cups bell pepper cut into 3/4" squares (mix the colors)
1 carrot, thinly sliced
3/4 cup scallions, cut on the diagonal into 3/4" long pieces (about 1 bunch)
1 generous teaspoon fresh ginger root, finely minced or grated
2 - 3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 - 8 ounce can unsweetened pineapple chunks with juice
1/2 cup apricot fruit spread (use the fruit only, fruit sweetened kind)
1 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or dry sherry
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup dry sherry or water
1 pound firm tofu cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

In a large nonstick skillet saute the bell pepper in the balsamic vinegar or
dry sherry for about 5 minutes.
Add ginger and garlic to skillet, stir for about 2 minutes. Add pineapple
chunks with their juice.
Add soy sauce, jam, cider vinegar, tofu adn scallions.
Stir and simmer gently for 5 - 10 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch to blend well, return to
heat and stir constantly until the sauce thickens. Serve with steamed rice.

**We may have some snow peas with this from our garden. Just depends how much output our garden gives us.

White Chili with ground turkey

TUESDAY
White Chili with Ground Turkey
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings
"Browned ground turkey and cannellini beans are combined with green chilies, onion and garlic in this chicken stock based soup seasoned with cumin, oregano and cinnamon. Serve with grated jack cheese."
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 onion, chopped
2-1/4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/4 pounds ground turkey
1-1/2 (4 ounce) cans canned
green chile peppers, chopped
2-1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
2-1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
ground cayenne pepper to taste
ground white pepper to taste
2-1/4 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans
3-3/4 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic and ground turkey and saute for 10 minutes, or until turkey is well browned. Add the chile peppers, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne pepper to taste and white pepper to taste and saute for 5 more minutes.
2. Add two cans of the beans and the chicken broth to the pot. Take the third can of beans and puree them in a blender or food processor. Add this to the pot along with the cheese. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt.

Serve with white rice

Matambre with saffron rice and sauteed carrots

MONDAY
This is one of our favorite flank steak recipes!!!

Matambre - Argentine Rolled, Stuffed Flank Steak Recipe
by Mimi Bobeck
7 hours 6 hours prep
SERVES 10
2 (2 lb) flank steaks
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups beef stock
1-3 cup cold water
THE STUFFING
1/2 lb fresh spinach, washed, drained, and trimmed of stems
8 carrots, scraped, cooked, 6 to 8 inches long
4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into quarters lengthwise
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
ground black pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Butterfly the steaks by slicing them horizontally from one long side to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of the opposite side.
Pound the steaks between plastic wrap to flatten them further.
Trim of all sinew and fat.
Lay one steak cut side up on a 12x18-inch jelly-roll pan.
Sprinkle with half the vinegar, half the garlic, and half the thyme.
Cover with the other steak, also cut side up, and sprinkle with remaining vinegar, garlic, and thyme.
Cover and marinate for 6 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Lay the steaks end-to-end, in the direction of the grain of the meat, so that they overlap by about two inches.
Pound the overlapping area to join them securely.
Spread the spinach leaves evenly over the meat, and arrange the carrots across the grain of the meat in parallel rows about 3 inches apart.
Place the egg quarters between the carrots.
Scatter the onion rings over the meat, and sprinkle the surface with the parsley, salt and pepper.
Carefully roll the matambre with the grain, jelly-roll style, into a thick, long cylinder.
Tie at 1 inch intervals.
Place the matambre in a large casserole or roasting pan along with the beef stock.
Add enough cold water to come a third of the way up the roll.
Cover tightly and bake at 375°F for one hour.
To serve hot, remove the matambre to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
Remove strings and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
Moisten with a little pan liquid, which can also be served on the side.
Alternately, press the matambre under weights to until the juices drain off, refrigerate thoroughly, and slice as above

Serve with saffron rice and sauteed carrots

Arugula, Asparagus & Salmon with blackberry glaze

This is from Clean Eating Magazine July/August 2010
12 oz wild caught salmon filet, skin and bones removed
olive oil cooking spray
2 cups asparagus tips
2 cups blackberries, divided
2 tsp raw honey
4 tsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
6 cups arugula
4 large scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1. Preheat oven to 400. divide salmon into 8 equal sized pieces. Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place salmon on baking sheet and bake for about 18 minutes. When done, salmon will flake but still stay together. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Set a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and steam asparagus for 2 minutes, until crisp tender. Rinse with cool water and chill in refrigerator (If you are preparing asparagus more than 1 hour ahead of time, cover and chill.
3. Take 16 blackberries and put them in a small bowl; set remaining blackberries aside.
Mash 16 blackberries, then add honey, soy sauce, oil and orange juice. Stir to combine(berries will remain chunky).
4. On 1 of 4 salad plates, arrange quarter of arugula, then top with quarter of asparagus quarter of scallions, 2 pieces of salmon and quarter of reserved blackberries. Drizzle with blackberry soy dressing, dividing evenly and serve. If desired garnish salad with orange zest.

Strawberry Pie

Strawberry Pie
Servings: 8

"Half of this pie 's strawberries are arranged in a baked pastry shell, and the other half are crushed and cooked up with sugar, water and cornstarch until thick and bubbly. This lovely glaze is then poured over the whole berries in the pastry shell. Chill this pie for several hours and serve it with mounds of whipped cream."
Ingredients:
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 cup white sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
1. Arrange half of strawberries in baked pastry shell. Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell. Chill for several hours before serving. In a small bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream

Pie crust recipe

I'm going to be using up the remaining fresh picked strawberries from last week. Since we have made jam, marmalade and frozen strawberry yogurt I figured it would be a refreshing change to make some strawberry pies that I can freeze and bake later.

Combination Butter and Shortening Crust

Ingredients for one double-crust 9 inch or 10 inch pie:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup (a stick and a half) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening (8 Tbsp)
6-8 Tablespoons ice water
1 Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse 4 times. Add shortening in tablespoon sized chunks, and pulse 4 more times. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. Pulse a couple times. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, keep adding water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition, until the mixture just begins to clump together.

2 Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 inch wide disks. Do not over-knead the dough! Dust the disks lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days before rolling out.

3 After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for an hour, you can take it out to roll. If it is too stiff, you may need to let it sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before rolling. Sprinkle a little flour on a flat, clean work surface and on top of the disk of dough you intend to roll out. (We use a Tupperware pastry sheet that has the pie circles already marked.) Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough. Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough (a pastry scraper works great for this) to make sure it is not sticking. You have a big enough piece of dough when you place the pie tin or pie dish upside down on the dough and the dough extends by at least 2 inches all around.

4 When the dough has reached the right size, gently fold it in half. Lift up the dough and place it so that the folded edge is along the center line of the pie dish. Gently unfold. Do not stretch the dough.

5a If you are only making a single crust pie, use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the lip of the dish. Tuck the overhang underneath itself along the edge of the pie dish. Use your fingers in a pinching motion, or the tines of a fork to crimple the edge of the pie crust.

5b If you are making a double crust pie, roll out the second disk of dough. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Use a kitchen scissors to trim the overhang to an inch over. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Finish the double crust by pressing against the edges of the pie with your finger tips or with a fork.

6 Use a sharp knife to cut vents into the top of the pie crust, so the steam has a place to escape while the pie is cooking. Optional Before scoring, you may want to paint the top of your crust with an egg wash (this will make a nice finish).

Chicken Teriyaki with rice and sauteed spinach

This one is all mine. We may not have this on today as we're going fishing and we're hoping to catch something for dinner. If we don't though I figured I'd put this down.

Chicken Teriyaki
Marinade in teriyaki sauce in a plastic bag. I personally prefer Soy Vay Teriyaki but any brand will do. Cut up a few green onions and place in bag. Marinate anywhere between 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator. Place on grill and cook thoroughly.
I'm serving this with plain white basmati rice (we normally prefer Jasmine but since moving to Maryland we have difficulties in finding Jasmine rice at an affordable price).
Sauteed spinach is especially easy. Mince two garlic cloves. Heat about 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, then toss in garlic. Saute for about a minute or two and then add spinach. Stir frequently, cook until spinach is wilted.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Mushroom Pork Scallopini with asparagus

Mushroom Pork Scallopini
Tender pork has fantastic flavor when coated with a buttery sauce seasoned with garlic and herbs.
8-10 Servings
Prep: 10 min. Bake: 30 min.
Ingredients
3 to 4 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each), cut into 1-inch slices
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 large onion, chopped
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, oregano and rosemary, crushed
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
Hot cooked fettuccine
Directions
•Dredge pork slices in flour. In a large skillet, heat butter and oil.
Brown pork on both sides in batches; remove and keep warm. Stir in
the wine, water, onion, garlic and seasonings into drippings. Return
pork to skillet, layering if necessary. Top with mushrooms.

•Cover and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes or until meat is no
longer pink. Serve with fettuccine. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Serve with asparagus.

Shrimp with orzo

THURSDAY
Shrimp with Orzo
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes
Servings: 10


"Cooked orzo with spinach and tomatoes is topped with garlicky shrimp in tomato sauce, then baked and topped with crumbled feta cheese."
Ingredients:
1 (14.5 ounce) can CONTADINA® Diced
Tomatoes Petite Cut
2 (14.5 ounce) cans CONTADINA®
Crushed Tomatoes
2 cups orzo
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 (10 ounce) box frozen spinach
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 teaspoon oregano
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 11x15-inch baking pan.
2. Cook orzo according to package directions; drain and toss with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Stir in spinach and drained diced tomatoes. Spoon into prepared pan.
3. Cook garlic in remaining oil. Add shrimp; saute until just pink. Add crushed tomatoes and oregano; simmer until slightly reduced. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon over orzo mixture; top with cheese.
4. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with parsley, if desired

Palek Paneer with rice & BHINDI BHAJI

WEDNESDAY
Super easy night. Using up a box of palek paneer.

BHINDI BHAJI
Ingredients:




1 pound okra
2 medium onions, chopped
1/4 tsp garlic paste or powder
1/4 tsp coriander paste or powder
1/8 tsp cumin
3 large tomatoes
2 tsp oil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro



How to make bhindi dopiaza :


Cut the tip and the very bottom from the okra just to clean it, but do not slice.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes.
Add all ingredients except okra, tomato and cilantro. Cook for 3 minutes. Add okra, then cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Garnish with tomato and cilantro

Make rice ahead of time.

Olive Garden Copycat Zuppa Toscana

Olive Garden Copycat Zuppa Toscana
Time 90 minutesServes 46Ingredients
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Lb. Italian sausage
2 large Russet baking potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4" slices.
1 large onion chopped
1/2 can oscar meyer bacon bits (or crumbled fresh cooked bacon)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped
2 cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
How to make it
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brown sausage and crumble. Drain and set aside.
Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, garlic in pot and cook on medicum heat until potatoes are done.
Add sausage and bacon
Salt and pepper to taste
Simmer for another 10 minutes
Turn to low heat
Add Kale and cream
Heat through and serve

Serve with salad and bread

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

MONDAY
Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes
Servings: 8


"These black bean and corn quesadillas are really cheesy, a little bit spicy, and a little bit sweet. My vegetarian husband goes crazy over these every time! Feel free to play around and add chicken or veggies, if you desire. Don't forget the salsa and sour cream!"
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained
and rinsed
1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn,
drained
1 tablespoon brown sugar 1/4 cup salsa
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons butter, divided
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack
cheese, divided

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in beans and corn, then add sugar, salsa, and pepper flakes; mix well. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
2. Melt 2 teaspoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet, sprinkle evenly with cheese, then top with some of the bean mixture. Place another tortilla on top, cook until golden, then flip and cook on the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling

Serve with Salad