Kashi Go Lean with these. From vines in my yard. We are lucky to have these all over our yard, but I can't pick a lot of them since most of them also have poison ivy nearby. I'm already covered with it thanks to Miss Miko (aka Poison Ivy Butt) and I can't take anything thanks to my liver problems. I spent my growing up years covered in poison ivy thanks to playing in the woods too- so I already know that I'm horribly allergic to it, and know that not much works with me. I just try my best to keep it to a dull roar. [As a side note, while working as a Vet Tech I used to get it between my boobs all the time while holding dogs because I'd get fur down there thanks to the scrub tops V-necks and my bra would keep the fur there all day.] Anyway it doesn't bother me one bit since the squirrels and birds love them too. I don't mind sharing. As it is, we didn't get any cherries this year, they were pretty small and I think they ripened during my surgery.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Visit to Penzey's in Richmond Menu Plan Monday
We finally made it to Penzey's store in Richmond (3400 Cary St.) We met MiL in Lowe's first to pay for our new storm door - my birthday gift. And then we headed towards Cary St. The store was a bit hard to find, only because Cary St is a one way street with a lot of little stores. The store is near the VEC (Emergency Vet) so that helped me in knowing that there was a parking lot back behind there. We walked around and headed in. As we were walking in, hubby asked, "You've never been in one, right?" I confirmed this and he groaned, "We're going to be here forever." We weren't, and I used birthday money. I was able to get two spices free, one from the catalog and one from their magazine: Barbecue 3000 and Tuscan Sunset. I used the Tuscan Sunset Saturday night when I made Meatball subs. It's a salt-free Italian-style seasoning and it worked great in the meatballs as the seasoning.
I didn't pick up a whole lot and most are small bottles
Aleppo pepper ground - it's a turkish pepper that isn't too spicy and I've seen mentioned in a few places recently
Lemon extract: for when I made madelines for hubby since I don't keep lemons on hand
wasabi powder - for hubby
Brady St Cheese sprinkle - something I got as a sample a while back (I was still in college if that tells you how long it's been) that I've liked on pasta when I just fix some for myself
Smokey 4S- their seasoned salt with smoked paprika in it
Pasta Sprinkle - Italian seasoning kinda thing for pasta that also received as a sample at first that I liked
Shallot seasoning- something I've wanted to try
Vindaloo seasoning - hubby loves vindaloo (thanks to Red Dwarf) and usually I use a paste I get at the Indian grocery store
Tandoori seasoning- I love tandoori
Sate seasoning- thought I'd try it - it's not the peanut butter sauce, just for the meat
broken anise stars (this is a regular, I'm out and it's hard to find them here I usually get this at the Mennonite place near my mom's)
Breakfast sausage seasoning - I'm still trying to find a mix that I like
I did find out they don't make the Bay leaf seasoning that I loved anymore. :( I've used up the last of the large bag that mom and I split. *SIGH* It was great and I will miss it.
On Sunday we watched "The Godfather Part II" and it's a good thing that the meatballs were Saturday night. ;)
Recipe reviews for the Clean Eating mag:
Pasta Roll-ups with Turkey and Spinach: I don't like cinnamon in it - but I knew that going in. Even decreasing it to 1/4 tsp I still didn't like it. Hubby liked it fine. Next time I'll use my usual Italian seasoning though.
Spicy Chicken with Brown Rice Pilaf - Wonderful chicken. Hubby and I thought the pilaf needed more salt and pepper though.
Chicken and Rice Soup with Spring Vegetables- Tasty though I did use leftover turkey broth and turkey instead of chicken. No other changes except adding polutry seasoning, celery and onions.
Curried Chicken Salad with Tropical Fruit - YUM! Next time chop the tropical fruit a bit smaller, mine was in quite large chunks.
Turkey Meatball Subs- Double yum! I used Penzey's Tuscan Sunset (salt-free seasoning) instead of just oregano. Hubby ate 3!
Ok - My menu Plan for this week:
for more ideas: It's being held at Heavenly Homemakers since I'm an Organizing Junkie is on Vacation this week.
Monday (tonight): Fried rice (using leftover rice pilaf and some stir-fried veggies I used as a side dish)
Tues: Leftover soup
Wednesday: James BBQ (recipe below- I'm using in the Crock Pot and it works with deer meat too)
Thurs: Pork solvoki (might change - I've got pork cubes in the freezer might use the vindaloo seasoning instead)
Friday: Bratwurst (July 4th)
Saturday & Sunday: Leftovers
* Exported from MasterCook *
James Beef Barbecue
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Beef
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 Lbs beef roast
4 Bermuda Onions -- cut into 1/8" thick rings
Add to taste:
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt
2 Tbsps Horseradish
2 Tbsps Mustard
1 C Ketchup
2 Tbsps Browning Sauce -- optional (Kitchen Boquet)
2 Tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
Add just enough water to cover onions. Add meat and stock, then mustard,
catsup, etc... Bring to a boil for 1/2 hour. Let simmer for 1 hour until
meat falls apart.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 395 Calories; 24g Fat (54.8%
calories from fat); 26g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 87mg
Cholesterol; 694mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 2 1/2
Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
I didn't pick up a whole lot and most are small bottles
Aleppo pepper ground - it's a turkish pepper that isn't too spicy and I've seen mentioned in a few places recently
Lemon extract: for when I made madelines for hubby since I don't keep lemons on hand
wasabi powder - for hubby
Brady St Cheese sprinkle - something I got as a sample a while back (I was still in college if that tells you how long it's been) that I've liked on pasta when I just fix some for myself
Smokey 4S- their seasoned salt with smoked paprika in it
Pasta Sprinkle - Italian seasoning kinda thing for pasta that also received as a sample at first that I liked
Shallot seasoning- something I've wanted to try
Vindaloo seasoning - hubby loves vindaloo (thanks to Red Dwarf) and usually I use a paste I get at the Indian grocery store
Tandoori seasoning- I love tandoori
Sate seasoning- thought I'd try it - it's not the peanut butter sauce, just for the meat
broken anise stars (this is a regular, I'm out and it's hard to find them here I usually get this at the Mennonite place near my mom's)
Breakfast sausage seasoning - I'm still trying to find a mix that I like
I did find out they don't make the Bay leaf seasoning that I loved anymore. :( I've used up the last of the large bag that mom and I split. *SIGH* It was great and I will miss it.
On Sunday we watched "The Godfather Part II" and it's a good thing that the meatballs were Saturday night. ;)
Recipe reviews for the Clean Eating mag:
Pasta Roll-ups with Turkey and Spinach: I don't like cinnamon in it - but I knew that going in. Even decreasing it to 1/4 tsp I still didn't like it. Hubby liked it fine. Next time I'll use my usual Italian seasoning though.
Spicy Chicken with Brown Rice Pilaf - Wonderful chicken. Hubby and I thought the pilaf needed more salt and pepper though.
Chicken and Rice Soup with Spring Vegetables- Tasty though I did use leftover turkey broth and turkey instead of chicken. No other changes except adding polutry seasoning, celery and onions.
Curried Chicken Salad with Tropical Fruit - YUM! Next time chop the tropical fruit a bit smaller, mine was in quite large chunks.
Turkey Meatball Subs- Double yum! I used Penzey's Tuscan Sunset (salt-free seasoning) instead of just oregano. Hubby ate 3!
Ok - My menu Plan for this week:
for more ideas: It's being held at Heavenly Homemakers since I'm an Organizing Junkie is on Vacation this week.
Monday (tonight): Fried rice (using leftover rice pilaf and some stir-fried veggies I used as a side dish)
Tues: Leftover soup
Wednesday: James BBQ (recipe below- I'm using in the Crock Pot and it works with deer meat too)
Thurs: Pork solvoki (might change - I've got pork cubes in the freezer might use the vindaloo seasoning instead)
Friday: Bratwurst (July 4th)
Saturday & Sunday: Leftovers
* Exported from MasterCook *
James Beef Barbecue
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Beef
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 Lbs beef roast
4 Bermuda Onions -- cut into 1/8" thick rings
Add to taste:
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt
2 Tbsps Horseradish
2 Tbsps Mustard
1 C Ketchup
2 Tbsps Browning Sauce -- optional (Kitchen Boquet)
2 Tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
Add just enough water to cover onions. Add meat and stock, then mustard,
catsup, etc... Bring to a boil for 1/2 hour. Let simmer for 1 hour until
meat falls apart.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 395 Calories; 24g Fat (54.8%
calories from fat); 26g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 87mg
Cholesterol; 694mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 2 1/2
Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Naked Chef
No, I'm not talking about Jamie Oliver (although hubby did order me his last two cookbooks [Italy and Cook] for my birthday and they should be on there way here soon and will I will finally have the cookbooks I've been wanting for a while) but today's cooking adventure.
THERE ARE NO ACTION SHOTS, SO YOU PEOPLE (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) MOVE ON TO OTHER PAGES!
Ahem... *cough*
I think I mentioned that last weekend at the Farmer's Market I bought beets and the person who sold them mentioned the would be the last for the year. I didn't get a chance to do anything with them until today since my menu was already planned and Hubby already has a favorite. What I wanted, I didn't have eggs old enough for (pickled eggs and beets, I find eggs peel better when they are older) but hubby wanted is Summer Borscht - Cold Beet Soup. The Naked Chef part of the title comes from the fact of how I usually deal with beets. I guess it's a good thing we don't have kids and live out in the country, huh? I am not the worlds neatest cook (or eater I almost always wear my food at some point and when I eat pho I usually try to remember to wear my contacts since I even get it on my glasses.) aprons help but don't protect everything. I just find that it's easiest if I just go naked and wear latex gloves (I don't mind my fingers being stained, it's the staining under my fingernails that bothers me more).
This morning I used the beet greens for breakfast. I don't have an actual recipe for this but: I had a package of the Simply Potatoes shredded hash browns. I mixed them with some oil, salt and pepper and pressed them into a 9x13 pan and baked it at 400 F for about 20 minutes until it started to turn brown. While that was going, I sauteed the diced greens with some onions, garlic, diced tomatoes and diced ham (I don't have any bacon on hand) and some Italian seasoning. When the potatoes were done I topped with a bit of shredded Parmesan and topped with the sauteed veggies. Then I topped with 2 cups of Egg Subsitute that had been mixed with a bit of Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle (garlic flavor) and then sprinkled a touch of reduced fat cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan. I baked for about 25 minutes until the eggs were done and it was browned. It was very good! You can also save the greens for the soup, but we don't like it for that. During the winter or if beets aren't available, I've also used canned beets with no problems too.
The soup was originally from Joanne Stephanik's (SP I don't have the book in front of me) Vegan Deli but it's been modified.
Summer Borscht (Cold Beet Soup)
Adapted from Vegan Deli
Serves 4-6
1 lb fresh beets (3-4 2" beets)
8 cups water
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp dill
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 cooked potatoes - leftovers are great
1 cup sour cream
Trim the beet tops, leaving 1" (if you trim too close they'll bleed a lot of the color out) and scrub well. [If using the greens, wash and chop them and set aside.] Put the beets into the water and bring to a boil in a large soup pot. Simmer until the beets are fork tender (like a potato), about 40 minutes. Let cool. Remove with a slotted spoon. Peel, using your hands (the skins will slip off). Chop, reserving a few and place into blender. Strain cooking liquid. Blend, leaving soup a bit chunky (I usually add about 1 1/2-2 cups reserved cooking liquid). Chop reserved beets into a fine dice and add to soup. Add rest of ingredients except potatoes and sour cream, adjusting to taste (you may have to add more later after it's cooled since cooling can dull the taste). Place into storage container and let cool. When ready to serve, taste and adjust seasoning of soup. We like to pan fry the potatoes until crispy and serve on top of the cold soup with a dollop of sour cream.
THERE ARE NO ACTION SHOTS, SO YOU PEOPLE (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) MOVE ON TO OTHER PAGES!
Ahem... *cough*
I think I mentioned that last weekend at the Farmer's Market I bought beets and the person who sold them mentioned the would be the last for the year. I didn't get a chance to do anything with them until today since my menu was already planned and Hubby already has a favorite. What I wanted, I didn't have eggs old enough for (pickled eggs and beets, I find eggs peel better when they are older) but hubby wanted is Summer Borscht - Cold Beet Soup. The Naked Chef part of the title comes from the fact of how I usually deal with beets. I guess it's a good thing we don't have kids and live out in the country, huh? I am not the worlds neatest cook (or eater I almost always wear my food at some point and when I eat pho I usually try to remember to wear my contacts since I even get it on my glasses.) aprons help but don't protect everything. I just find that it's easiest if I just go naked and wear latex gloves (I don't mind my fingers being stained, it's the staining under my fingernails that bothers me more).
This morning I used the beet greens for breakfast. I don't have an actual recipe for this but: I had a package of the Simply Potatoes shredded hash browns. I mixed them with some oil, salt and pepper and pressed them into a 9x13 pan and baked it at 400 F for about 20 minutes until it started to turn brown. While that was going, I sauteed the diced greens with some onions, garlic, diced tomatoes and diced ham (I don't have any bacon on hand) and some Italian seasoning. When the potatoes were done I topped with a bit of shredded Parmesan and topped with the sauteed veggies. Then I topped with 2 cups of Egg Subsitute that had been mixed with a bit of Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle (garlic flavor) and then sprinkled a touch of reduced fat cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan. I baked for about 25 minutes until the eggs were done and it was browned. It was very good! You can also save the greens for the soup, but we don't like it for that. During the winter or if beets aren't available, I've also used canned beets with no problems too.
The soup was originally from Joanne Stephanik's (SP I don't have the book in front of me) Vegan Deli but it's been modified.
Summer Borscht (Cold Beet Soup)
Adapted from Vegan Deli
Serves 4-6
1 lb fresh beets (3-4 2" beets)
8 cups water
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp dill
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 cooked potatoes - leftovers are great
1 cup sour cream
Trim the beet tops, leaving 1" (if you trim too close they'll bleed a lot of the color out) and scrub well. [If using the greens, wash and chop them and set aside.] Put the beets into the water and bring to a boil in a large soup pot. Simmer until the beets are fork tender (like a potato), about 40 minutes. Let cool. Remove with a slotted spoon. Peel, using your hands (the skins will slip off). Chop, reserving a few and place into blender. Strain cooking liquid. Blend, leaving soup a bit chunky (I usually add about 1 1/2-2 cups reserved cooking liquid). Chop reserved beets into a fine dice and add to soup. Add rest of ingredients except potatoes and sour cream, adjusting to taste (you may have to add more later after it's cooled since cooling can dull the taste). Place into storage container and let cool. When ready to serve, taste and adjust seasoning of soup. We like to pan fry the potatoes until crispy and serve on top of the cold soup with a dollop of sour cream.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Recipe Review
Dinner last night was the Lasagna Rolls. They were quite tasty. Although, not as tasty as I would have liked, but it was me and not the recipe's fault. It's the cinnamon. I don't like cinnamon in savory things. I even decreased it to 1/4 tsp instead of the 3/4 tsp called for. I didn't want to leave it out since there wasn't anything else besides nutmeg (a common spice with spinach) and it looked like it was going for more of a Greek flavoring than an Italian one. Since it was also my first time trying the recipe I didn't want to change it too much either. *sigh* I really should have just used Italian spices and I would have liked it better. Hubby liked it just fine - he doesn't mind cinnamon and it was edible, just not a fave of mine is all. It will be made again, I'll just use my normal Italian spices instead.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Menu Plan Monday
Last Week went well, once the A/C was fixed. Since I had planned easy meals, it was pretty easy. :) And I ended up not cooking at all on Friday. My birthday was Saturday, and I went out see "Sex in the City" with my MiL on Friday and we went out to eat lunch together afterwards (we went to a noon showing) and then went back to her place and talked, and then I realized I may-as-well stay there and have hubby meet us there for dinner. You see, he's been craving subs from a place that he grew up with and had asked if he could get them. So we had subs that night. I made dinner on Saturday, one of the things I always requested as a kid for my birthday, something I called "CornChickyHOTHOTHOT" it's just BBQ'd chicken and corn on the cob. But you know how your mom always sets your food down in front of you and tells you it's hot. Well.... in my mind that's what it was called. It was easy and good. I was just tired of eating out.
This week for MPM I'm cheating. I've been picking up the Clean Eating magazine for a while now (it's printed quarterly and they have 3 magazines out). I haven't fixed anything from it, but the recipes look good. I think it's originally a body building thing, but the basic premise is healthy stuff, no overly processed foods, no alcohol (which I can't have because of my liver), lean meats, fish, healthy oils, that kind of stuff. I am not switching my "diet" to that but it is something that is a lot like WW's Core so it isn't really anything different than I already try to do. Anyway, their spring magazine had a menu in it of 5 dinners with a shopping list so I'm using that this week. Everything looked yummy, and it feeds 4 (we're a family of 2), with things that will either freeze well or leave me leftovers for lunch. Yay!
Here's the recipes and shopping list (It's going to be long!)
And for more menu ideas visit I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/06/menu-plan-monday-june-23rd.html
From One Grocery Bag, Five Delicious Dinners
Print this off and take it to the market with you. This shopping list goes with the 5 quick and easy recipes from our Spring issue and equips you to prepare 5 dinners for a family of four for under $60.
Your Shopping List
PRODUCE
3 small onions $1.99
1 head garlic $.39
1 lime $0.50
1 bag pre-washed mixed greens $3.49
MEAT
2 lb. extra-lean ground white turkey breast $5.18
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts $14.97
DRY GOODS
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes $1.49
1 14.5-oz can Italian-style tomatoes $1.00
1 box high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna $2.39
1 small bag brown rice $2.00
2 1-qt. boxes reduced-sodium chicken stock $5.58
1 15-oz. can mixed tropical fruit packed in juice, unsweetened $3.19
1 6-pack bag whole-grain sub rolls $2.29
FROZEN FOODS
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach $0.95
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables $1.89
DAIRY
1 15-oz. container non-fat ricotta $2.29
1 2-cup package shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese $2.19
1 6-oz. container non-fat yogurt $0.69
1/2 dozen eggs $1.99
FROM YOUR PANTRY
Extra-virgin olive oil
Ground cinnamon
Ground nutmeg
Ground cumin
Dried oregano
Chili powder
Curry powder
Dried bay leaves
Peppercorns
Salt
Cooking spray
PASTA ROLL-UPS WITH TURKEY AND SPINACH
Here's a good way to sneak some greens into your kid's diets – and time into your schedule! These lasagna-style roll-ups can be made ahead of time and reheated for a quick easy weeknight meal.
Serves 4
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey breast
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
28-oz can whole tomatoes in juice
1 tsp salt
8 sheets dried high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna
10-oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
15-oz container non-fat ricotta cheese
1 egg
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Turn heat to medium-high and add ground turkey, breaking it up with a spatula until meat shows no sign of pink. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, then add tomatoes and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low stir, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring and breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse and allow to cool in a colander.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Squeeze all remaining moisture from thawed spinach and place in large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, egg and a 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to bowl. Stir until combined.
Spread 1 cup of cooked tomato sauce into bottom of a 9" x 10" casserole dish. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle flat in front of you. Use your fingers to spread 1/8 of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up. Place the rolled pasta seam side down, into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Spread remaining tomato sauce over roll-ups, then top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 5 minutes or until the roll-ups are browned and bubbly.
NUTRIENTS PER SERVING: CALORIES: 234, Total FAT: 3 g, Sat fat 0g, CARB: 27 g, Fiber 5g, Sugar 7g, PROTEIN: 28 g, Sodium 508 mg, Chol 76 mg
SPICY CHICKEN WITH BROWN RICE PILAF
Here's a recipe that does double meal duty. You'll reserve one cup of cooked rice pilaf for another recipe, the Chicken and Rice Soup with Spring Vegetables. A pilaf is simply rice sauteed in oil, then cooked in seasoned broth.
Serves 4.
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 cup brown rice
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1 tsp chili powder
1 clove, garlic, minced
juice from 1/2 lime (reserve other half for Curried Chicken Salad recipe)
1/2 tsp sea salt
Cooking spray
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
In a heavy saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add cumin and oregano. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and stir to coat with onion mixture. Add stock, and when it begins to boil, reduce heat to low, cover pan with lid, and cook for 50 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove pan from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff pilaf before serving. Reserve 1 cup of pilaf for soup recipe.
While rice is cooking, mix yogurt, chili powder, garlic, lime juice and salt in a small bowl. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts on baking sheet and coat each with a quart of yogurt mixture. Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Serve chicken atop rice pilaf.
Nutrients per serving: Calories: 296, Total fat: 4 g, Sat fat: 1 g, Carb: 31g, Fib: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Prot: 32g, Sod 419 mg, Chol 69 mg
CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP WITH SPRING VEGETABLES
For this recipe, poach two chicken breasts in chicken stock to boost the soups flavor, as well as give you a leg up on your next meal. Reserve one chicken breast for the Curried Chicken Salad with Tropical Fruit recipe.
Serves 4.
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
1 cup water
1 dried bay leaf
4 peppercorns
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10 oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup reserved cooked brown rice pilaf
*if you haven't reserved the cup of brown rice pilaf from Tuesday for this recipe, substitute a cup of cooked brown rice.
In a large saucepan, heat chicken stock and water until just about boiling. Add bay leaf and peppercorns from stock. Reserve 1 breast for Curried Chicken Salad with Tropical Fruit. When the other chicken breast has cooled enough to touch, shred it into bite-sized pieces.
Stir mixed vegetables into soup and cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Stir in shredded chicken and rice pilaf. Heat until warmed through, about 2 minutes, and serve.
TIP: You can freeze the soup as long as you leave out the rice – it'll get mushy upon thawing.
Nutrients per serving: Calories 146, Total fat 1g, Sat fat 0g, Carb 22g, Fib 4g, Sugar 0 g, Prot 12 g, Sod 118 mg, Chol 17mg
CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD WITH TROPICAL FRUIT
This protein packed salad couldn't be easier on your schedule – or zingier on your taste buds. It also happens to be high in Vitamin C.
Serves 4.
1/4 cup low-fat yogurt
Juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 15 oz can mixed tropical fruit packed in juice, unsweetened, drained
1 reserved cooked chicken breast, diced in 1” pieces
1 bag pre-washed mixed greens
In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, lime juice and curry powder.
Place tropical fruit, and chicken breast in medium mixing bowl. Add yogurt dressing and stir to coat.
Divide mixed greens between 4 plates and top each with chicken salad.
TIP: Use the leftover chicken salad to fill the extra whole-wheat sub from Friday for a quick and yummy meal on Saturday!
Nutrients per Serving: Calories 134, Total fat 2g, Sat fat 1g, carb 11.5g, Fiber 1g, Sugars 9g, Prot 16g, Sod 60mg, Chol 39mg
TURKEY MEATBALL SUBS
These sandwiches are packed with protein and iron, but skimp on all the fat grams that sub-shop favorites typically deliver. If you bought a six pack of subrolls, you'll have one roll left. Try filling it with the leftover Curried Chicken Salad for a quick lunch.
Serves 4.
5 whole-grain sub rolls
1 lb extra-lean ground white turkey breast
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 egg
1 egg white
1 small onion, thinly sliced
14.5 oz can Italian-style tomatoes
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
Using a food processor process 1 sub roll into fine bread crumbs. Measure out 1 cup of crumbs.
In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to combine turkey, garlic, oregano, egg and egg white. Gently shape the mixture into 20 meatballs. Wash hands with soap and water after completing this step.
Heat a 10” skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs to skillet and brown on all sides. Remove meatballs and reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until slices are limp and just starting to brown.
Add tomatoes and meatballs, and stir to coat. Allow mixture to come to a slight boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered.
Split remaining 4 sub rolls in half lengthwise. Fill each roll with 5 meatballs and sauce, and top each with 1 Tbsp of shredded cheese.
Nutrients per serving: Calories 355, Total fat 4.5g, Sat fat 0.5g, carb 39g, Fib 4g, sugar 7g, prot 39g, sod 494g, chol 125mg
This week for MPM I'm cheating. I've been picking up the Clean Eating magazine for a while now (it's printed quarterly and they have 3 magazines out). I haven't fixed anything from it, but the recipes look good. I think it's originally a body building thing, but the basic premise is healthy stuff, no overly processed foods, no alcohol (which I can't have because of my liver), lean meats, fish, healthy oils, that kind of stuff. I am not switching my "diet" to that but it is something that is a lot like WW's Core so it isn't really anything different than I already try to do. Anyway, their spring magazine had a menu in it of 5 dinners with a shopping list so I'm using that this week. Everything looked yummy, and it feeds 4 (we're a family of 2), with things that will either freeze well or leave me leftovers for lunch. Yay!
Here's the recipes and shopping list (It's going to be long!)
And for more menu ideas visit I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/06/menu-plan-monday-june-23rd.html
From One Grocery Bag, Five Delicious Dinners
Print this off and take it to the market with you. This shopping list goes with the 5 quick and easy recipes from our Spring issue and equips you to prepare 5 dinners for a family of four for under $60.
Your Shopping List
PRODUCE
3 small onions $1.99
1 head garlic $.39
1 lime $0.50
1 bag pre-washed mixed greens $3.49
MEAT
2 lb. extra-lean ground white turkey breast $5.18
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts $14.97
DRY GOODS
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes $1.49
1 14.5-oz can Italian-style tomatoes $1.00
1 box high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna $2.39
1 small bag brown rice $2.00
2 1-qt. boxes reduced-sodium chicken stock $5.58
1 15-oz. can mixed tropical fruit packed in juice, unsweetened $3.19
1 6-pack bag whole-grain sub rolls $2.29
FROZEN FOODS
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach $0.95
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables $1.89
DAIRY
1 15-oz. container non-fat ricotta $2.29
1 2-cup package shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese $2.19
1 6-oz. container non-fat yogurt $0.69
1/2 dozen eggs $1.99
FROM YOUR PANTRY
Extra-virgin olive oil
Ground cinnamon
Ground nutmeg
Ground cumin
Dried oregano
Chili powder
Curry powder
Dried bay leaves
Peppercorns
Salt
Cooking spray
PASTA ROLL-UPS WITH TURKEY AND SPINACH
Here's a good way to sneak some greens into your kid's diets – and time into your schedule! These lasagna-style roll-ups can be made ahead of time and reheated for a quick easy weeknight meal.
Serves 4
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey breast
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
28-oz can whole tomatoes in juice
1 tsp salt
8 sheets dried high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna
10-oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
15-oz container non-fat ricotta cheese
1 egg
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Turn heat to medium-high and add ground turkey, breaking it up with a spatula until meat shows no sign of pink. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, then add tomatoes and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low stir, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring and breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse and allow to cool in a colander.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Squeeze all remaining moisture from thawed spinach and place in large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, egg and a 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to bowl. Stir until combined.
Spread 1 cup of cooked tomato sauce into bottom of a 9" x 10" casserole dish. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle flat in front of you. Use your fingers to spread 1/8 of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up. Place the rolled pasta seam side down, into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Spread remaining tomato sauce over roll-ups, then top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 5 minutes or until the roll-ups are browned and bubbly.
NUTRIENTS PER SERVING: CALORIES: 234, Total FAT: 3 g, Sat fat 0g, CARB: 27 g, Fiber 5g, Sugar 7g, PROTEIN: 28 g, Sodium 508 mg, Chol 76 mg
SPICY CHICKEN WITH BROWN RICE PILAF
Here's a recipe that does double meal duty. You'll reserve one cup of cooked rice pilaf for another recipe, the Chicken and Rice Soup with Spring Vegetables. A pilaf is simply rice sauteed in oil, then cooked in seasoned broth.
Serves 4.
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 cup brown rice
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1 tsp chili powder
1 clove, garlic, minced
juice from 1/2 lime (reserve other half for Curried Chicken Salad recipe)
1/2 tsp sea salt
Cooking spray
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
In a heavy saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add cumin and oregano. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and stir to coat with onion mixture. Add stock, and when it begins to boil, reduce heat to low, cover pan with lid, and cook for 50 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove pan from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff pilaf before serving. Reserve 1 cup of pilaf for soup recipe.
While rice is cooking, mix yogurt, chili powder, garlic, lime juice and salt in a small bowl. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts on baking sheet and coat each with a quart of yogurt mixture. Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Serve chicken atop rice pilaf.
Nutrients per serving: Calories: 296, Total fat: 4 g, Sat fat: 1 g, Carb: 31g, Fib: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Prot: 32g, Sod 419 mg, Chol 69 mg
CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP WITH SPRING VEGETABLES
For this recipe, poach two chicken breasts in chicken stock to boost the soups flavor, as well as give you a leg up on your next meal. Reserve one chicken breast for the Curried Chicken Salad with Tropical Fruit recipe.
Serves 4.
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
1 cup water
1 dried bay leaf
4 peppercorns
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10 oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup reserved cooked brown rice pilaf
*if you haven't reserved the cup of brown rice pilaf from Tuesday for this recipe, substitute a cup of cooked brown rice.
In a large saucepan, heat chicken stock and water until just about boiling. Add bay leaf and peppercorns from stock. Reserve 1 breast for Curried Chicken Salad with Tropical Fruit. When the other chicken breast has cooled enough to touch, shred it into bite-sized pieces.
Stir mixed vegetables into soup and cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Stir in shredded chicken and rice pilaf. Heat until warmed through, about 2 minutes, and serve.
TIP: You can freeze the soup as long as you leave out the rice – it'll get mushy upon thawing.
Nutrients per serving: Calories 146, Total fat 1g, Sat fat 0g, Carb 22g, Fib 4g, Sugar 0 g, Prot 12 g, Sod 118 mg, Chol 17mg
CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD WITH TROPICAL FRUIT
This protein packed salad couldn't be easier on your schedule – or zingier on your taste buds. It also happens to be high in Vitamin C.
Serves 4.
1/4 cup low-fat yogurt
Juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 15 oz can mixed tropical fruit packed in juice, unsweetened, drained
1 reserved cooked chicken breast, diced in 1” pieces
1 bag pre-washed mixed greens
In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, lime juice and curry powder.
Place tropical fruit, and chicken breast in medium mixing bowl. Add yogurt dressing and stir to coat.
Divide mixed greens between 4 plates and top each with chicken salad.
TIP: Use the leftover chicken salad to fill the extra whole-wheat sub from Friday for a quick and yummy meal on Saturday!
Nutrients per Serving: Calories 134, Total fat 2g, Sat fat 1g, carb 11.5g, Fiber 1g, Sugars 9g, Prot 16g, Sod 60mg, Chol 39mg
TURKEY MEATBALL SUBS
These sandwiches are packed with protein and iron, but skimp on all the fat grams that sub-shop favorites typically deliver. If you bought a six pack of subrolls, you'll have one roll left. Try filling it with the leftover Curried Chicken Salad for a quick lunch.
Serves 4.
5 whole-grain sub rolls
1 lb extra-lean ground white turkey breast
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 egg
1 egg white
1 small onion, thinly sliced
14.5 oz can Italian-style tomatoes
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
Using a food processor process 1 sub roll into fine bread crumbs. Measure out 1 cup of crumbs.
In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to combine turkey, garlic, oregano, egg and egg white. Gently shape the mixture into 20 meatballs. Wash hands with soap and water after completing this step.
Heat a 10” skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs to skillet and brown on all sides. Remove meatballs and reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until slices are limp and just starting to brown.
Add tomatoes and meatballs, and stir to coat. Allow mixture to come to a slight boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered.
Split remaining 4 sub rolls in half lengthwise. Fill each roll with 5 meatballs and sauce, and top each with 1 Tbsp of shredded cheese.
Nutrients per serving: Calories 355, Total fat 4.5g, Sat fat 0.5g, carb 39g, Fib 4g, sugar 7g, prot 39g, sod 494g, chol 125mg
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
We have cool air!
And I celebrated by baking bread. Well, I had to, hubby needs it for his lunches. If we didn't have the A/C fixed I would have made a loaf in the breadmachine. Hubby doesn't mind it when it's made in the ABM, it's just that it doesn't fit as well in his little plastic container as easily when made in that bread pan.
It actually got fixed yesterday. I made a quick call to the A/C people, and someone actually picked up. I called just to make sure that hubby left the right number. Since hubby's used to living and working in Richmond, he forgets that where we live is actually a different area code, and I wanted to make sure he left the area code when he left my cell phone number as a call back number. Well, I ended up talking to one of the owners, and since he was heading to Richmond in a few minutes, and since he was driving by he offered to stop by yesterday instead of today. All it end up being was an old capacitor (basically a battery kinda thing). He said he's been replacing them all week, and usually it's a storm that blows them, but ours is about due, it's 8 years old. We have cool air coming through the vents again. Ahhhhhh! This is our second time using Kober's Heating & Air and we definitely don't have anything bad to say about them! They are definitely staying on our House Repair Phone List.
Recipe for the bread (One of hubby's favorite- I don't make the cut down the middle since it usually deflates the bread and hubby doesn't care). These loaves were made with 1/2 whole wheat and took a bit longer to rise.
* Exported from MasterCook *
Split-Top Butter Loaf
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Bread
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 tsp sugar
3/4 c warm water -- 105 to 115 degrees F
1 env active dry yeast
1 1/2 c buttermilk
1 egg
1 tbsp salt
1/4 c honey
3 tbsps butter -- in pieces
6 c bread flour
Topping:
2 tbsps butter -- melted
Stir sugar into warm water in small cup. Sprinkle yeast over top. Let
stand until foamy 5 to 10 minutes.
Heat buttermilk, egg, salt, honey and butter in saucepan until butter
melts and mixture registers 110 degrees F to 120 degrees F on instant-read thermometer. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add 2 cups bread flour; beat until smooth. Stir in yeast mixture. Add
remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough holds together and pulls
away from the sides of the bowl.
Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and
elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to large greased bowl, turning to
coat. Cover with clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in warm
place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Let rest for 5 minues. Grease two 9 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 2 3/4-inch loaf pans. Divide dough in half; lightly coat halves with flour. Gently pat each half into 7 x 5 inch rectangle. Transfer to the 2
prepared loaf pans. Cover with clean kitchen towel. Let rise in warm
place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/4 hours.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. With a razor blade or very sharp knife, make a slash down length of each loaf.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Open oven; pull rack with breads out slightly. Brush loaves with some of the melted butter. Bake another 15 minutes. Brush again with butter. Bake another 5 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove loaves from pans to wire to cool.
Description:
"Makes 2 loaves (12 slices each) at $1.42 each loaf."
Source:
"Family Circle 2/1/00"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 166 Calories; 3g Fat (18.1%
calories from fat); 5g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber;
16mg Cholesterol; 311mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
It actually got fixed yesterday. I made a quick call to the A/C people, and someone actually picked up. I called just to make sure that hubby left the right number. Since hubby's used to living and working in Richmond, he forgets that where we live is actually a different area code, and I wanted to make sure he left the area code when he left my cell phone number as a call back number. Well, I ended up talking to one of the owners, and since he was heading to Richmond in a few minutes, and since he was driving by he offered to stop by yesterday instead of today. All it end up being was an old capacitor (basically a battery kinda thing). He said he's been replacing them all week, and usually it's a storm that blows them, but ours is about due, it's 8 years old. We have cool air coming through the vents again. Ahhhhhh! This is our second time using Kober's Heating & Air and we definitely don't have anything bad to say about them! They are definitely staying on our House Repair Phone List.
Recipe for the bread (One of hubby's favorite- I don't make the cut down the middle since it usually deflates the bread and hubby doesn't care). These loaves were made with 1/2 whole wheat and took a bit longer to rise.
* Exported from MasterCook *
Split-Top Butter Loaf
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Bread
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 tsp sugar
3/4 c warm water -- 105 to 115 degrees F
1 env active dry yeast
1 1/2 c buttermilk
1 egg
1 tbsp salt
1/4 c honey
3 tbsps butter -- in pieces
6 c bread flour
Topping:
2 tbsps butter -- melted
Stir sugar into warm water in small cup. Sprinkle yeast over top. Let
stand until foamy 5 to 10 minutes.
Heat buttermilk, egg, salt, honey and butter in saucepan until butter
melts and mixture registers 110 degrees F to 120 degrees F on instant-read thermometer. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add 2 cups bread flour; beat until smooth. Stir in yeast mixture. Add
remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough holds together and pulls
away from the sides of the bowl.
Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and
elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to large greased bowl, turning to
coat. Cover with clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in warm
place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Let rest for 5 minues. Grease two 9 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 2 3/4-inch loaf pans. Divide dough in half; lightly coat halves with flour. Gently pat each half into 7 x 5 inch rectangle. Transfer to the 2
prepared loaf pans. Cover with clean kitchen towel. Let rise in warm
place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/4 hours.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. With a razor blade or very sharp knife, make a slash down length of each loaf.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Open oven; pull rack with breads out slightly. Brush loaves with some of the melted butter. Bake another 15 minutes. Brush again with butter. Bake another 5 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove loaves from pans to wire to cool.
Description:
"Makes 2 loaves (12 slices each) at $1.42 each loaf."
Source:
"Family Circle 2/1/00"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 166 Calories; 3g Fat (18.1%
calories from fat); 5g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber;
16mg Cholesterol; 311mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Monday, June 16, 2008
Whew! & Menu Plan Monday
We have had a pretty busy weekend. On Friday night our heat pump died. At least it was this weekend and not last weekend when the temps were 99-100! As I say over in my little blurb about myself, we have pugs, and the little short-nosed guys don't do so well with the heat, and the fact that our heat is pretty humid too. So we headed out to Target on Saturday to pick up some fans since all I have is little desk-style fans. We picked up two box-style fans and one oscillating stand style. They did ok, although we were on the go so much on Sunday that we felt bad since we were in A/C and the guys weren't. My dinners changed a bit since I still wasn't feeling great, and we ended up eating leftovers, especially since I wasn't eating much, and didn't taste them the first time I made them. So we basically ate the Hamburger Soup, Picadillo and Aloo Gobi throughout the week since the meals made a lot in the first place, and I didn't eat that much of it in the first go round. Hubby was happy with that. I pulled some hot dogs to eat Saturday for lunch out of the Freezer and we at the Tuna for Saturday's dinner, right as a Thunderstorm rolled through. Good thing it was a quick meal to cook. It was also a cool meal to fix since it was cooked in my cast-iron grill pan. I was planning to make the Sriracha-glazed chicken for dinner last night, since we were going for Father's Day brunch, but plans changed. We did go for Ice cream a few times this week too (we don't usually keep it in the house, and since it was something I could swallow easily, well...
First off, we went to Full Kee for dim sum. We hadn't been there before and Fil and SMil like it. It was SMil's idea to surprise Fil and show up there as they got there. It worked! :) He wasn't expecting us at all! We got jasmine tea to drink, I haven't had that in a while, it's one of my favorite teas, although I usually drink it when I'm sick (out of my Royal Dulton Classic Pooh Cup that I found at TJ Maxx *grin*) and I'm the one that orders all those weird chewy things. :D I don't know that I can remember everything, but I'll try: beef balls (like beef dumplings and had peas and carrots), chicken feet in black bean sauce (spicy), squid salad (I love this stuff!), tripe (spicy and I also love this in pho!), beef bones (like tiny spare ribs but boiled, also spicy), eggplant stuffed with shrimp paste (VERY good), flaky pastry with bbq pork, baked buns with bbq pork, shu mai, steamed rice paper with shrimp (paste?), fried tofu skins filled with shrimp and turnip (hubby's and my fave), baby octopus (looked spicy but sweet), turnip cakes (YUMMY), sticky rice in lotus leaves, fried shrimp wrapped in rice paper, mango custard (egg custard with mango pieces, and fried sesame balls with I think taro paste inside. We then headed to FiL and SMil's home for some conversation and I got to try a recipe I had noticed in the local paper. It was for an apple spice cake, and it was very good (I'll post the recipe below).
After that we headed to see Mil since it had been a while since either of us had seen her. I haven't been cooking as much since I haven't felt as well- or driving as much since gas prices so I haven't been delivering C.H.O.W. meals either. We visited with her, and ended up going out to eat with her and one of her friends also to another new to us place, Leonardo's. It's another place that has been around for awhile, and we've both seen it (it's across from the CVS we use) and when I used to work at HomePlace a lot of the people there used to eat there. Hubby and I both got Steak (well hubby got chicken) subs and split an order of fries. They were very good and we'll go back at some point to try some of the other stuff. We were both stuffed though! We finally got home close to 8 pm. The pugs were happy to see us, and told us in no certain terms that we were late with their dinner!
My menu plan this week is still kind of up in the air, it mostly depends on what happens with our A/C. I'm still waiting for the A/C people to call us back and to come out, and then they probably can't even fix it right away.
Monday: Sriracha Glazed Chicken (see recipe posted last week)
Tuesday: Pancakes with Blueberries (didn't get cooked on Sunday since I let hubby sleep in)
Wednesday: Hamburgers
Thursday: Hot Pockets (hubby wanted them, we had a coupon, & they're on sale and they're cooked in the microwave, not a problem!)
Friday: Spaghetti or pasta salad
For more menu ideas (over 200!) visit: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/06/menu-plan-monday-june-16th.html
The Byrd Nest Applesauce Cake
Makes 12-14 servings
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light OR dark brown sugar OR Splenda brown-sugar substitute
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 3/4 cups applesauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola or other vegetable oil
2 eggs (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup finely chopped nuts
Heat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour a baking pan (1 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan; 2 8-by-1½ inch OR 9-by-1 ½ inch round pans; or 1 tube pan.
Measure all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl frequently. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Stir in the raisins and nuts. Pour into pan or pans.
Bake rectangular pan 50 to 60 minutes; round pans 50 to 55 minutes; tube pan 60 to 65 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
This cake is very moist and should be cut with a thin and narrow blade knife for clean cuts.
The cake freezes well and is good for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks.
Variation: Substitute apple cider for the water and dried cranberries for the raisins, and cut back on each spice by 1/4 teaspoon -- Marika Byrd
First off, we went to Full Kee for dim sum. We hadn't been there before and Fil and SMil like it. It was SMil's idea to surprise Fil and show up there as they got there. It worked! :) He wasn't expecting us at all! We got jasmine tea to drink, I haven't had that in a while, it's one of my favorite teas, although I usually drink it when I'm sick (out of my Royal Dulton Classic Pooh Cup that I found at TJ Maxx *grin*) and I'm the one that orders all those weird chewy things. :D I don't know that I can remember everything, but I'll try: beef balls (like beef dumplings and had peas and carrots), chicken feet in black bean sauce (spicy), squid salad (I love this stuff!), tripe (spicy and I also love this in pho!), beef bones (like tiny spare ribs but boiled, also spicy), eggplant stuffed with shrimp paste (VERY good), flaky pastry with bbq pork, baked buns with bbq pork, shu mai, steamed rice paper with shrimp (paste?), fried tofu skins filled with shrimp and turnip (hubby's and my fave), baby octopus (looked spicy but sweet), turnip cakes (YUMMY), sticky rice in lotus leaves, fried shrimp wrapped in rice paper, mango custard (egg custard with mango pieces, and fried sesame balls with I think taro paste inside. We then headed to FiL and SMil's home for some conversation and I got to try a recipe I had noticed in the local paper. It was for an apple spice cake, and it was very good (I'll post the recipe below).
After that we headed to see Mil since it had been a while since either of us had seen her. I haven't been cooking as much since I haven't felt as well- or driving as much since gas prices so I haven't been delivering C.H.O.W. meals either. We visited with her, and ended up going out to eat with her and one of her friends also to another new to us place, Leonardo's. It's another place that has been around for awhile, and we've both seen it (it's across from the CVS we use) and when I used to work at HomePlace a lot of the people there used to eat there. Hubby and I both got Steak (well hubby got chicken) subs and split an order of fries. They were very good and we'll go back at some point to try some of the other stuff. We were both stuffed though! We finally got home close to 8 pm. The pugs were happy to see us, and told us in no certain terms that we were late with their dinner!
My menu plan this week is still kind of up in the air, it mostly depends on what happens with our A/C. I'm still waiting for the A/C people to call us back and to come out, and then they probably can't even fix it right away.
Monday: Sriracha Glazed Chicken (see recipe posted last week)
Tuesday: Pancakes with Blueberries (didn't get cooked on Sunday since I let hubby sleep in)
Wednesday: Hamburgers
Thursday: Hot Pockets (hubby wanted them, we had a coupon, & they're on sale and they're cooked in the microwave, not a problem!)
Friday: Spaghetti or pasta salad
For more menu ideas (over 200!) visit: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/06/menu-plan-monday-june-16th.html
The Byrd Nest Applesauce Cake
Makes 12-14 servings
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light OR dark brown sugar OR Splenda brown-sugar substitute
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 3/4 cups applesauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola or other vegetable oil
2 eggs (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup finely chopped nuts
Heat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour a baking pan (1 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan; 2 8-by-1½ inch OR 9-by-1 ½ inch round pans; or 1 tube pan.
Measure all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl frequently. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Stir in the raisins and nuts. Pour into pan or pans.
Bake rectangular pan 50 to 60 minutes; round pans 50 to 55 minutes; tube pan 60 to 65 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
This cake is very moist and should be cut with a thin and narrow blade knife for clean cuts.
The cake freezes well and is good for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks.
Variation: Substitute apple cider for the water and dried cranberries for the raisins, and cut back on each spice by 1/4 teaspoon -- Marika Byrd
Monday, June 09, 2008
Menu Plan Monday
Well, this whole week looks like it's going to be 3H (Hazy, Hot and Humid) I know that today and tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 100's too. Mom brought down her old grill yesterday, but we haven't set it up yet so I've planned on skillet meals. I'm hoping that the temperature will go down a bit so I can grill towards the end of the week. Our grill is on the back porch which gets the sun all day, so when it's been hot all day, the last thing I want to do is stand out there and grill. I figure I can always broil those recipes and we'll be fine (I'll use the toaster oven so as not to heat up the house).
I had outpatient surgery on Thursday, and I forgot (or don't remember since I was on pretty heavy drugs after my liver surgery) that since I'm a difficult intubation that the way they have to intubate me, it leaves me with a majorly sore throat. I didn't eat real food until Sunday evening. So even though I had made bread and soup for Thursday night, I didn't feel like eating it, and hubby had to go out and buy me gelatin and pudding to eat. I couldn't even handle canned chicken noodle soup if that tells you how bad it was. I am still a little sore and coughing. Right now it's like I've got a cold, with my nose still running a bit (They had to use a naso-gastric tube too) and I'm still coughing and my throat is slightly sore. I'm still not up to wanting to eat or drinking, but with the heat, I'm making myself. Good thing we at least have A/C.
For more menu ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/06/menu-plan-monday-june-9th.html
Monday: Picadillo (Cuban ground beef with raisins and olives - I'm using ground turkey)
Tuesday: Aloo Gobi (Indian curried cauliflower with potatoes-I didn't make it last week)
Wednesday: Ranch-Style Eggs over Polenta (From WW From Pantry to Plate cookbook)
Thurs: Tuna Steaks with Wasabi Ginger Glaze (from Cooking Light June 2008)
Friday: Grilled Chicken with Sriracha Glaze (From Cooking Light June 2008)
Ranch-Style Eggs over Polenta
Serves 4
16 oz tube prepared polenta cut into 12 (1/2 inch) slices
15 1/2 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup jarred chunky salsa
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Arrange the polenta slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray the polenta lightly with nonstick spray. Bake until hot, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the beans, salsa, and cumin in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered about 10 minutes.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray. Crack the eggs into the skillet and fry until the yolks just being to set, 2-3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle the eggs with the cheese and cilantro. Cover the skillet and let stand until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.
To serve, place 3 polenta slices on each of 4 plates. Spoon the beans over the polenta, and top with an egg. Serve at once.
Per serving: (3 slices polenta, 1/2 cup beans, and 1 eggs): 301 cal, 9 g fat, 3 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 215 mg chol, 945 mg sod, 37 g carb, 6 g fib, 19 g prot, 177 mg calc. POINTS 6
Instead of frying the eggs, they can be poached or scrambled if you prefer.
From: WW From Pantry to Plate
Tuna Steaks with Wasabi-Ginger Glaze
Add jasmine rice and steamed fresh asparagus to complete the meal. Chinese-style hot mustard has a sharp, spicy bite and can be used in place of wasabi paste. The glaze would also pair well with salmon, chicken thighs, or pork.
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks (1 inch thick)
2 tablespoons ginger marmalade (such as Dundee)
2 teaspoons wasabi paste
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1. Spoon 1 tablespoon soy sauce over fish; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ginger marmalade, and 2 teaspoons wasabi paste in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
3. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side. Spoon marmalade mixture over tuna; cook 1 minute or until medium-rare or until desired degree of doneness. Remove tuna from pan; sprinkle with cilantro.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 steak and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 281(7% from fat); FAT 2.3g (sat 0.5g,mono 0.3g,poly 0.6g); IRON 1.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 98mg; CALCIUM 37mg; CARBOHYDRATE 7.7g; SODIUM 397mg; PROTEIN 51.4g; FIBER 0.1g
Grilled Chicken with Sriracha Glaze
Dense, bone-in chicken leg quarters benefit from long, slow cooking over indirect heat. The less intense heat also prevents the sweet glaze from burning. Customize the glaze according to what you have on hand; try pineapple preserves or apple jelly in place of mango jam, for example, or hot pepper sauce instead of Sriracha. Serve with a simple slaw of cabbage, carrots, lime juice, and sugar.
2/3 cup mango jam
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (12-ounce) bone-in chicken leg-thigh quarters, skinned
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Prepare grill for indirect grilling. If using a gas grill, heat one side to medium-high and leave one side with no heat. If using a charcoal grill, arrange hot coals on either side of charcoal grate, leaving an empty space in the middle.
2. Combine mango jam, chives, vinegar, and Sriracha, stirring until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup mango mixture; set aside.
3. Brush oil evenly over chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Carefully remove grill rack. Place a disposable aluminum foil pan on unheated part of grill. Carefully return grill rack to grill. Place chicken on grill rack over unheated part. Brush chicken with about 2 tablespoons remaining mango mixture. Close lid; grill 90 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into meaty part of thigh registers 165°, turning chicken and brushing with about 2 tablespoons mango mixture every 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Drizzle chicken with reserved 1/4 cup mango mixture.
Wine note: This dish's tropical fruit flavors and spicy heat are ideal for gewürztraminer, a popular grape of Germany and France. The mango and apricot flavors of the highly aromatic Hugel gewürztraminer 2006 ($20) echo those of the glaze, while a slightly sweet lychee nut character helps to balance the heat. —Jeffery Lindenmuth
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 leg-thigh quarter and 1 tablespoon mango mixture)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 326(29% from fat); FAT 10.4g (sat 2.3g,mono 4.7g,poly 2.1g); IRON 4.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 154mg; CALCIUM 102mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18.2g; SODIUM 515mg; PROTEIN 38.7g; FIBER 2.7g
Elizabeth Karmel , Cooking Light, JUNE 2008
(hlloyd01261972@aol.com)
Very easy. We used boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of the thigh-leg quarters, so we did not have to grill as long as the recipe states. Really liked the spicy-sweet taste of the glaze. Would be great for an informal gathering. 05/26/08
I had outpatient surgery on Thursday, and I forgot (or don't remember since I was on pretty heavy drugs after my liver surgery) that since I'm a difficult intubation that the way they have to intubate me, it leaves me with a majorly sore throat. I didn't eat real food until Sunday evening. So even though I had made bread and soup for Thursday night, I didn't feel like eating it, and hubby had to go out and buy me gelatin and pudding to eat. I couldn't even handle canned chicken noodle soup if that tells you how bad it was. I am still a little sore and coughing. Right now it's like I've got a cold, with my nose still running a bit (They had to use a naso-gastric tube too) and I'm still coughing and my throat is slightly sore. I'm still not up to wanting to eat or drinking, but with the heat, I'm making myself. Good thing we at least have A/C.
For more menu ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/06/menu-plan-monday-june-9th.html
Monday: Picadillo (Cuban ground beef with raisins and olives - I'm using ground turkey)
Tuesday: Aloo Gobi (Indian curried cauliflower with potatoes-I didn't make it last week)
Wednesday: Ranch-Style Eggs over Polenta (From WW From Pantry to Plate cookbook)
Thurs: Tuna Steaks with Wasabi Ginger Glaze (from Cooking Light June 2008)
Friday: Grilled Chicken with Sriracha Glaze (From Cooking Light June 2008)
Ranch-Style Eggs over Polenta
Serves 4
16 oz tube prepared polenta cut into 12 (1/2 inch) slices
15 1/2 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup jarred chunky salsa
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Arrange the polenta slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray the polenta lightly with nonstick spray. Bake until hot, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the beans, salsa, and cumin in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered about 10 minutes.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray. Crack the eggs into the skillet and fry until the yolks just being to set, 2-3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle the eggs with the cheese and cilantro. Cover the skillet and let stand until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.
To serve, place 3 polenta slices on each of 4 plates. Spoon the beans over the polenta, and top with an egg. Serve at once.
Per serving: (3 slices polenta, 1/2 cup beans, and 1 eggs): 301 cal, 9 g fat, 3 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 215 mg chol, 945 mg sod, 37 g carb, 6 g fib, 19 g prot, 177 mg calc. POINTS 6
Instead of frying the eggs, they can be poached or scrambled if you prefer.
From: WW From Pantry to Plate
Tuna Steaks with Wasabi-Ginger Glaze
Add jasmine rice and steamed fresh asparagus to complete the meal. Chinese-style hot mustard has a sharp, spicy bite and can be used in place of wasabi paste. The glaze would also pair well with salmon, chicken thighs, or pork.
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks (1 inch thick)
2 tablespoons ginger marmalade (such as Dundee)
2 teaspoons wasabi paste
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1. Spoon 1 tablespoon soy sauce over fish; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ginger marmalade, and 2 teaspoons wasabi paste in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
3. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side. Spoon marmalade mixture over tuna; cook 1 minute or until medium-rare or until desired degree of doneness. Remove tuna from pan; sprinkle with cilantro.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 steak and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 281(7% from fat); FAT 2.3g (sat 0.5g,mono 0.3g,poly 0.6g); IRON 1.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 98mg; CALCIUM 37mg; CARBOHYDRATE 7.7g; SODIUM 397mg; PROTEIN 51.4g; FIBER 0.1g
Grilled Chicken with Sriracha Glaze
Dense, bone-in chicken leg quarters benefit from long, slow cooking over indirect heat. The less intense heat also prevents the sweet glaze from burning. Customize the glaze according to what you have on hand; try pineapple preserves or apple jelly in place of mango jam, for example, or hot pepper sauce instead of Sriracha. Serve with a simple slaw of cabbage, carrots, lime juice, and sugar.
2/3 cup mango jam
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (12-ounce) bone-in chicken leg-thigh quarters, skinned
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Prepare grill for indirect grilling. If using a gas grill, heat one side to medium-high and leave one side with no heat. If using a charcoal grill, arrange hot coals on either side of charcoal grate, leaving an empty space in the middle.
2. Combine mango jam, chives, vinegar, and Sriracha, stirring until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup mango mixture; set aside.
3. Brush oil evenly over chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Carefully remove grill rack. Place a disposable aluminum foil pan on unheated part of grill. Carefully return grill rack to grill. Place chicken on grill rack over unheated part. Brush chicken with about 2 tablespoons remaining mango mixture. Close lid; grill 90 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into meaty part of thigh registers 165°, turning chicken and brushing with about 2 tablespoons mango mixture every 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Drizzle chicken with reserved 1/4 cup mango mixture.
Wine note: This dish's tropical fruit flavors and spicy heat are ideal for gewürztraminer, a popular grape of Germany and France. The mango and apricot flavors of the highly aromatic Hugel gewürztraminer 2006 ($20) echo those of the glaze, while a slightly sweet lychee nut character helps to balance the heat. —Jeffery Lindenmuth
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 leg-thigh quarter and 1 tablespoon mango mixture)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 326(29% from fat); FAT 10.4g (sat 2.3g,mono 4.7g,poly 2.1g); IRON 4.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 154mg; CALCIUM 102mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18.2g; SODIUM 515mg; PROTEIN 38.7g; FIBER 2.7g
Elizabeth Karmel , Cooking Light, JUNE 2008
(hlloyd01261972@aol.com)
Very easy. We used boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of the thigh-leg quarters, so we did not have to grill as long as the recipe states. Really liked the spicy-sweet taste of the glaze. Would be great for an informal gathering. 05/26/08
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Menu Plan Monday
I have outpatient surgery on Thursday at o'crack of dawn early so the soup will be made early. Dinner will be made earlier this week and can just be reheated. We will hopefully have leftovers for Friday since I'm not sure if I'll feel like cooking or not - and hubby can't really cook, he can barely handle re-heating. I really need to teach him to cook.
Monday: Superb Turkey (recipe below)
Tuesday: Shrimp Curry (recipe below)
Wednesday: Clam Whiffle (recipe below)
Thurs: Hamburger Soup (recipe below)
Friday: Leftovers
For more menu ideas visit I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/06/menu-plan-monday-june-2nd.html
Superb Turkey (Hot Dog Marinade)
I call it Hot Dog Turkey because the first time we made the sauce and when we added the ketchup/liquid smoke, it smelled a little like a hot dog! This is wonderful. This is one of the turkey entrees my sister had at her reception (the other was marinated in Italian Dressing and grilled). The recipe came from my Aunt, I don't know where she got it from.
1/4 Cup vinegar
1/2 Cup water
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Teaspoons prepared mustard
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
1 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper -- (optional)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Medium onion -- thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 C Ketchup
1 Tsp Liquid Barbecue Smoke®
2 Tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
Mix vinegar through butter. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Add: ketchup, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and cool. After sauce is cool, add turkey breast (cut in half). Marinate for one day. Baste turkey every 5 minutes and brush marinade sauce over as you are grilling.
Shrimp Curry (Bangladesh)- Chingri Mash Torkari (cheen-gree mahsh TOHR-kan-ree)
A favorite recipe from Bangladesh, where shrimp is readily available.
Option: Replace lemon grass with 3 T. lemon or lime juice (45 ml) or 1 t. grated lemon peel (5 ml)
Serves 6
Sauté in a small amount of oil until cooked through:
2 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined (1 kg)
Set aside.
Sauté lightly in 2 T. oil (30 ml)
3 small onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlics, finely chopped
2 stalks lemon grass, chopped
Add:
1⁄2 t. ground turmeric (2 ml)
1⁄2 t. ground cumin (2 ml)
1⁄4 t. ground ginger (2 ml)
1⁄8 t. pepper (.5 ml)
2 dried red chillies, finely cut (optional)
2 bay leaves
1⁄2 t. ground cinnamon (2 ml)
1⁄2 t. sugar (2 ml)
1 t. salt (5 ml)
Cook 5–10 minutes.
Add:
5 tomatoes, finely chopped
Cook for 10 minutes.
Add:
2–3 c. coconut milk (500–750 ml) (p.280)
Cook until mixture takes on curdled appearance, about 10 minutes.
Add shrimp and cook 10 minutes. Serve with rice.
—Kimole Mankin, Haluaghat, Bangladesh; and Judy Nord, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
From Extending the Table... A World Community Cookbook
Clam Whiffle
"A whiffle is a souffle that any fool can make" - Peg Bracken
Serves 6
Preeat oven to 350.
Combine in bowl:
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cup crumbled soda crackers
Let soak 5 minutes.
Add:
1/4 cup melted margarine
1 can (8 oz) minced clams, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
4 Tbsp finely chopped green pepper
1/4 tsp salt
dash pepper
dash Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs, well beaten
Pour into greased casserole and bake 40-45 minutes until puffy and golden.
Serve at once.
-Evelyn Kreider, Goshen, Ind.
From More-With-Less Cookbook
Hamburger Vegetable Soup
From Sharing Our Best: Recipes from Amish Mennonites, Stuarts Draft, VA
Mrs. Paul D. Yoder
1 1/2 lbs hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cup water
1/2 c chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups diced potatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp basil or parsley
1 beef bouillon cube
3 tomatoes or a little juice
salt and pepper to taste
In large saucepan, brown meat with onions. Add water and remaining ingredients except tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are tender, then add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. May add more of other vegetables and juices or water. Should make about a gallon of soup.
Monday: Superb Turkey (recipe below)
Tuesday: Shrimp Curry (recipe below)
Wednesday: Clam Whiffle (recipe below)
Thurs: Hamburger Soup (recipe below)
Friday: Leftovers
For more menu ideas visit I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/06/menu-plan-monday-june-2nd.html
Superb Turkey (Hot Dog Marinade)
I call it Hot Dog Turkey because the first time we made the sauce and when we added the ketchup/liquid smoke, it smelled a little like a hot dog! This is wonderful. This is one of the turkey entrees my sister had at her reception (the other was marinated in Italian Dressing and grilled). The recipe came from my Aunt, I don't know where she got it from.
1/4 Cup vinegar
1/2 Cup water
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Teaspoons prepared mustard
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
1 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper -- (optional)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Medium onion -- thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 C Ketchup
1 Tsp Liquid Barbecue Smoke®
2 Tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
Mix vinegar through butter. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Add: ketchup, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and cool. After sauce is cool, add turkey breast (cut in half). Marinate for one day. Baste turkey every 5 minutes and brush marinade sauce over as you are grilling.
Shrimp Curry (Bangladesh)- Chingri Mash Torkari (cheen-gree mahsh TOHR-kan-ree)
A favorite recipe from Bangladesh, where shrimp is readily available.
Option: Replace lemon grass with 3 T. lemon or lime juice (45 ml) or 1 t. grated lemon peel (5 ml)
Serves 6
Sauté in a small amount of oil until cooked through:
2 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined (1 kg)
Set aside.
Sauté lightly in 2 T. oil (30 ml)
3 small onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlics, finely chopped
2 stalks lemon grass, chopped
Add:
1⁄2 t. ground turmeric (2 ml)
1⁄2 t. ground cumin (2 ml)
1⁄4 t. ground ginger (2 ml)
1⁄8 t. pepper (.5 ml)
2 dried red chillies, finely cut (optional)
2 bay leaves
1⁄2 t. ground cinnamon (2 ml)
1⁄2 t. sugar (2 ml)
1 t. salt (5 ml)
Cook 5–10 minutes.
Add:
5 tomatoes, finely chopped
Cook for 10 minutes.
Add:
2–3 c. coconut milk (500–750 ml) (p.280)
Cook until mixture takes on curdled appearance, about 10 minutes.
Add shrimp and cook 10 minutes. Serve with rice.
—Kimole Mankin, Haluaghat, Bangladesh; and Judy Nord, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
From Extending the Table... A World Community Cookbook
Clam Whiffle
"A whiffle is a souffle that any fool can make" - Peg Bracken
Serves 6
Preeat oven to 350.
Combine in bowl:
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cup crumbled soda crackers
Let soak 5 minutes.
Add:
1/4 cup melted margarine
1 can (8 oz) minced clams, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
4 Tbsp finely chopped green pepper
1/4 tsp salt
dash pepper
dash Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs, well beaten
Pour into greased casserole and bake 40-45 minutes until puffy and golden.
Serve at once.
-Evelyn Kreider, Goshen, Ind.
From More-With-Less Cookbook
Hamburger Vegetable Soup
From Sharing Our Best: Recipes from Amish Mennonites, Stuarts Draft, VA
Mrs. Paul D. Yoder
1 1/2 lbs hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cup water
1/2 c chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups diced potatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp basil or parsley
1 beef bouillon cube
3 tomatoes or a little juice
salt and pepper to taste
In large saucepan, brown meat with onions. Add water and remaining ingredients except tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are tender, then add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. May add more of other vegetables and juices or water. Should make about a gallon of soup.
Menu Plan Monday
I have outpatient surgery on Thursday at o'crack of dawn early so the soup will be made early. Dinner will be made earlier this week and can just be reheated. We will hopefully have leftovers for Friday since I'm not sure if I'll feel like cooking or not - and hubby can't really cook, he can barely handle re-heating. I really need to teach him to cook.
Monday: Superb Turkey (recipe below)
Tuesday: Shrimp Curry (recipe below)
Wednesday: Clam Wiffle (recipe below)
Thurs: Hamburger Soup (recipe below)
Friday: Leftovers
For more menu ideas visit I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/06/menu-plan-monday-june-2nd.html
Superb Turkey (Hot Dog Marinade)
I call it Hot Dog Turkey because the first time we made the sauce and when we added the ketchup/liquid smoke, it smelled a little like a hot dog! This is wonderful. This is one of the turkey entrees my sister had at her reception (the other was marinated in Italian Dressing and grilled). The recipe came from my Aunt, I don't know where she got it from.
1/4 Cup vinegar
1/2 Cup water
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Teaspoons prepared mustard
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
1 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper -- (optional)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Medium onion -- thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 C Ketchup
1 Tsp Liquid Barbecue Smoke®
2 Tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
Mix vinegar through butter. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Add: ketchup, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and cool. After sauce is cool, add turkey breast (cut in half). Marinate for one day. Baste turkey every 5 minutes and brush marinade sauce over as you are grilling.
Shrimp Curry (Bangladesh)- Chingri Mash Torkari (cheen-gree mahsh TOHR-kan-ree)
A favorite recipe from Bangladesh, where shrimp is readily available.
Option: Replace lemon grass with 3 T. lemon or lime juice (45 ml) or 1 t. grated lemon peel (5 ml)
Serves 6
Sauté in a small amount of oil until cooked through:
2 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined (1 kg)
Set aside.
Sauté lightly in 2 T. oil (30 ml)
3 small onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlics, finely chopped
2 stalks lemon grass, chopped
Add:
1⁄2 t. ground turmeric (2 ml)
1⁄2 t. ground cumin (2 ml)
1⁄4 t. ground ginger (2 ml)
1⁄8 t. pepper (.5 ml)
2 dried red chillies, finely cut (optional)
2 bay leaves
1⁄2 t. ground cinnamon (2 ml)
1⁄2 t. sugar (2 ml)
1 t. salt (5 ml)
Cook 5–10 minutes.
Add:
5 tomatoes, finely chopped
Cook for 10 minutes.
Add:
2–3 c. coconut milk (500–750 ml) (p.280)
Cook until mixture takes on curdled appearance, about 10 minutes.
Add shrimp and cook 10 minutes. Serve with rice.
—Kimole Mankin, Haluaghat, Bangladesh; and Judy Nord, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
From Extending the Table... A World Community Cookbook
Clam Whiffle
"A whiffle is a souffle that any fool can make" - Peg Bracken
Serves 6
Preeat oven to 350.
Combine in bowl:
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cup crumbled soda crackers
Let soak 5 minutes.
Add:
1/4 cup melted margarine
1 can (8 oz) minced clams, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
4 Tbsp finely chopped green pepper
1/4 tsp salt
dash pepper
dash Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs, well beaten
Pour into greased casserole and bake 40-45 minutes until puffy and golden.
Serve at once.
-Evelyn Kreider, Goshen, Ind.
From More-With-Less Cookbook
Hamburger Vegetable Soup
From Sharing Our Best: Recipes from Amish Mennonites, Stuarts Draft, VA
Mrs. Paul D. Yoder
1 1/2 lbs hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cup water
1/2 c chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups diced potatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp basil or parsley
1 beef bouillon cube
3 tomatoes or a little juice
salt and pepper to taste
In large saucepan, brown meat with onions. Add water and remaining ingredients except tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are tender, then add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. May add more of other vegetables and juices or water. Should make about a gallon of soup.
Monday: Superb Turkey (recipe below)
Tuesday: Shrimp Curry (recipe below)
Wednesday: Clam Wiffle (recipe below)
Thurs: Hamburger Soup (recipe below)
Friday: Leftovers
For more menu ideas visit I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/06/menu-plan-monday-june-2nd.html
Superb Turkey (Hot Dog Marinade)
I call it Hot Dog Turkey because the first time we made the sauce and when we added the ketchup/liquid smoke, it smelled a little like a hot dog! This is wonderful. This is one of the turkey entrees my sister had at her reception (the other was marinated in Italian Dressing and grilled). The recipe came from my Aunt, I don't know where she got it from.
1/4 Cup vinegar
1/2 Cup water
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Teaspoons prepared mustard
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
1 Teaspoon salt
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper -- (optional)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Medium onion -- thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 C Ketchup
1 Tsp Liquid Barbecue Smoke®
2 Tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
Mix vinegar through butter. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Add: ketchup, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and cool. After sauce is cool, add turkey breast (cut in half). Marinate for one day. Baste turkey every 5 minutes and brush marinade sauce over as you are grilling.
Shrimp Curry (Bangladesh)- Chingri Mash Torkari (cheen-gree mahsh TOHR-kan-ree)
A favorite recipe from Bangladesh, where shrimp is readily available.
Option: Replace lemon grass with 3 T. lemon or lime juice (45 ml) or 1 t. grated lemon peel (5 ml)
Serves 6
Sauté in a small amount of oil until cooked through:
2 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined (1 kg)
Set aside.
Sauté lightly in 2 T. oil (30 ml)
3 small onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlics, finely chopped
2 stalks lemon grass, chopped
Add:
1⁄2 t. ground turmeric (2 ml)
1⁄2 t. ground cumin (2 ml)
1⁄4 t. ground ginger (2 ml)
1⁄8 t. pepper (.5 ml)
2 dried red chillies, finely cut (optional)
2 bay leaves
1⁄2 t. ground cinnamon (2 ml)
1⁄2 t. sugar (2 ml)
1 t. salt (5 ml)
Cook 5–10 minutes.
Add:
5 tomatoes, finely chopped
Cook for 10 minutes.
Add:
2–3 c. coconut milk (500–750 ml) (p.280)
Cook until mixture takes on curdled appearance, about 10 minutes.
Add shrimp and cook 10 minutes. Serve with rice.
—Kimole Mankin, Haluaghat, Bangladesh; and Judy Nord, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
From Extending the Table... A World Community Cookbook
Clam Whiffle
"A whiffle is a souffle that any fool can make" - Peg Bracken
Serves 6
Preeat oven to 350.
Combine in bowl:
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cup crumbled soda crackers
Let soak 5 minutes.
Add:
1/4 cup melted margarine
1 can (8 oz) minced clams, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
4 Tbsp finely chopped green pepper
1/4 tsp salt
dash pepper
dash Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs, well beaten
Pour into greased casserole and bake 40-45 minutes until puffy and golden.
Serve at once.
-Evelyn Kreider, Goshen, Ind.
From More-With-Less Cookbook
Hamburger Vegetable Soup
From Sharing Our Best: Recipes from Amish Mennonites, Stuarts Draft, VA
Mrs. Paul D. Yoder
1 1/2 lbs hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cup water
1/2 c chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups diced potatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp basil or parsley
1 beef bouillon cube
3 tomatoes or a little juice
salt and pepper to taste
In large saucepan, brown meat with onions. Add water and remaining ingredients except tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are tender, then add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. May add more of other vegetables and juices or water. Should make about a gallon of soup.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Food Section Recipes
PAINLESS PENNY-PINCHING
Terrific food, cheaper checkout
With grocery prices up, we offer three delicious meals that won't break your budget
By PEGGY GRODINSKY
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
BUDGETING TIPS
Substitutes
• Oatmeal for pricey breakfast cereal
• Portobello mushrooms, beans, tofu and peanut butter for meat
• Canola oil for olive oil
Home strategies
• Buy cheap, flavorful cuts of meat and use the bones to make stock.
• To avoid expensive takeout food or delivery, freeze homemade meals for days when you're too tired to cook.
• Recycle leftovers into the next day's meals (steamed rice into rice pudding, mashed potatoes into shepherd's pie).
• Keep track of leftovers so they don't migrate to the back of the refrigerator and go bad.
• Rescue old ingredients, such as sour milk and stale bread, in recipes that call for them, such as buttermilk pancakes and bread pudding.
Shopping strategies
• Make a list and stick to it.
• Clip coupons.
• Watch for store sales and plan your week's menus based on them.
• Get to know your grocery store; wandering the aisles can lead to impulse purchases.
• Don't go shopping when you're hungry.
• Avoid the "gimmes" by leaving the kids at home if possible.
• Buy whole chickens and cut them up at home.
• Forget brand loyalty and use generics, which often are packaged by the same manufacturers.
• Buy organics when it makes a difference: strawberries yes, pancake syrup no.
• Check unit pricing and buy good deals in bulk.
ABOUT THE RECIPES
In these recipes, we classified certain items as pantry staples and did not include them in our budget calculations. They are: salt, pepper, most spices, garlic, vinegar, butter (in small amounts), oil, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and vanilla extract (a single recipe uses tiny amounts of the last three). So check your cupboards first; then you're ready to cook.
The goal: three affordable meals that serve four to six people.
The context: rising food prices.
The parameters: delicious food at reasonable prices without hours in the kitchen. We want the Ikea of food, inexpensive yet stylish.
And nothing drastic, like the Sludge from M.F.K. Fisher's 1942 How to Cook a Wolf. That recipe, in brief: Borrow 50 cents, mix ground beef and mix it with whole-grain, bulk cereal and "wilted or withered" vegetables. Add water. Boil; simmer for three hours.
"It it obvious to even the most optimistic that this Sludge, which should be like stiff, cold mush and a rather unpleasant murky brown-gray in color, is strictly for hunger," Fisher wrote.
Thankfully, we are not that hungry. Perhaps food prices will stabilize long before we are.
While planning, shopping and cooking these three meals, I encountered or recollected common-sense lessons, real but with metaphorical echoes.
Waste not, want not.
Recycle. Corncobs add wonderful flavor to stock. Pasta water thins and rounds out pasta sauces. The salsa from last night's takeout Mexican dinner will perk up today's pot of beans.
Eat locally and seasonally when possible. Consider how much fuel it takes to jet an off-season grape from Chile to Texas.
Be flexible. You planned on buying a watermelon; you could practically taste it. But at the store, watermelon is dear — and mangoes are a steal. Buy the mangoes.
I also ran into an embarrassment of resources. I ran a Google search on "cheap eating" and got 385,000 hits, from "Las Vegas on 25 cents a day" to a news article on how rising food prices will make Americans even fatter.
A tip from a colleague sent me in search of Whole Foods Markets' "Meals for 4 Under $15" program. Once I got over my shock that the company many call "Whole Paycheck" offers bargain menus, I checked out the recipes: Black Beluga Lentils with Endive Citrus Salad, Coconut Red Pork Curry, Fish Po' Boy with Tartar Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries. Unsurprisingly, the program steers you toward in-store products. No matter. The recipes look promising.
It was hard to tear myself away from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's curious Recipe Finder database (recipefinder.nal.usda.gov), intended "to help families spend less and eat healthier."
First I searched for recipes that would appeal to an American Indian parent of a teen. Two hits: Carne Adobado, a spiced pork, and Misickquatash, an Indian succotash. The recipe for Misickquatash called for frozen lima beans. Does any teen like frozen lima beans? Does any grown-up?
Next I asked the database for toaster-made recipes that would appeal to Hispanics and use whole grains. Zero hits. Just as I was about to look for desserts low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol and tempting to a Southerner, I remembered that this story was due. I moved on.
University of Houston business-school graduate student Jamie Waldron, described to me as "the frugal gourmet," outlined in detail her own meticulous system for saving money. Lately, rising prices have forced her to adjust her food budget up, but she isn't griping.
"People are getting really frustrated by the increasing prices for gas and food. At the same time, the cost is going up for the companies that are putting that stuff out there," said Waldron, who is 26. "I think people need to be a little more understanding. Hopefully, people's employers will be understanding, too, and maybe give their employees an increase."
Even without that unlikely increase, do splurge occasionally, if you are able. For me, that means top-quality bread and cheese. I won't scrimp when I'm buying those items.
For Waldron and her Ph.D.-student husband, a big night may mean frozen tilapia fillets with garlic, lemon and herbs and accompanied by rice pilaf. Because she's saved by using frozen fish, she allows herself to splurge on fresh vegetables. Then the pair rent a movie and enjoy a reasonably priced bottle of wine.
For a couple of grad-school students, she says, "That's a really big deal."
You can buy a smaller car and save on gas. You can take better care of yourself and, with luck, save on medical bills. But putting dinner on the table, you have some degree of daily control.
Menu 1: Pasta With Garlic, Parsley and Chickpeas; Green Salad; and Strawberries With Balsamic Vinegar
LEFTOVERS
1 lemon half, strawberries (tempted, I bought more than I needed)
PASTA WITH GARLIC, PARSLEY AND CHICKPEAS
A fast, satisfying, inexpensive dish made with ingredients you probably have on hand.
* 1 (14.5-ounce) box whole-grain rotini pasta
* 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
* 1 large bunch parsley, minus the stems, chopped coarsely
* Hot red-pepper flakes
* Salt
* Lemon half
* 3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the rotini. Cook until al dente. Drain, saving some of the pasta water.
Gently heat the oil in a sauté pan. Add the garlic and cook over very low heat for about 1 minute. Stir in the chickpeas, parsley and red-pepper flakes to taste. Warm all ingredients over low heat.
Combine the chickpea mixture with the drained pasta. Season with salt to taste.
Squeeze the lemon over. Drizzle in a bit of pasta water, if needed, to make the sauce silky.
Divide among 4 plates. Sprinkle each with Parmesan.
GREEN SALAD
Combine torn lettuce leaves with 2 tomatoes, in wedges, and an oil-and-vinegar dressing.
STRAWBERRIES WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR
Slice about 4 cups strawberries and divide among 4 bowls. Drizzle a scant amount of balsamic vinegar over each portion. Serve immediately.
Menu 2: Spicy Baked Beans, Cornbread Sticks, Creamy Coleslaw and Watermelon
LEFTOVERS
Watermelon, most of a bag of cornmeal, most of a jar of molasses, beans for two more meals, several carrots, an orange (minus zest), 1/4 head cabbage, several tablespoons cumin seeds
SPICY BAKED BEANS
I often put the beans in a slow oven and let them cook while I'm sleeping. You can also make them in a slow cooker on low, which will keep the kitchen cool.
* 1 cup dried kidney beans
* 1 cup dried cannellini, Great Northern or navy beans
* 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
* 1/2 pound smoked slab bacon, diced
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 carrot, chopped
* 2 jalapeño chiles (or more)
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 1/2 cups whole canned tomatoes, with liquid
* 3 to 4 tablespoons molasses
* 1 dried bay leaf or a handful fresh
* Grated zest of 1 orange
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar, plus more if needed
* Salt
* 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight. Toast the cumin seeds in a large, dry dutch oven for about 1 minute until fragrant. Remove and set aside. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
Heat the bacon in the dutch oven for about 1 minute; add the onion and carrot and sauté for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are softening. Add the cumin seeds, jalapeños and garlic and sauté another 1 to 2 minutes.
Crush the canned tomatoes with a fork, reserving their liquid with enough water to total 3 cups. Drain the beans. Add to the pot with the tomatoes, molasses, bay leaf, orange zest and tomato-water mixture. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Place in the oven and cook, stirring 2 or 3 times, for 2 hours. Stir in the vinegar and salt to taste. Cook for another 2 hours until the beans are tender but not mushy and the liquid has mostly been absorbed.
Taste for seasoning. Add more vinegar if necessary. Stir in the cilantro.
CORNBREAD STICKS
You can also make this in a 9-inch iron skillet.
* 3 tablespoons butter, plus more for pan
* 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
* 1/2 cup flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, to taste
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the cornbread-stick pan in the oven; melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan on the stove. If you are using a skillet, melt the butter in the skillet.
Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
In a different bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Add the melted butter to the liquid ingredients. Melt 1 to 2 tablespoons extra butter on the stove and use it to brush on the stick pan.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry. Stir with a wooden spoon until just mixed. Pour the batter into the hot stick pan (or skillet). Bake 10 minutes for the sticks, about 25 minutes for the skillet, until golden and crispy. Eat warm!
Makes about 18 sticks.
CREAMY COLESLAW
Adapted from Good Housekeeping Great American Classics Cookbook (Hearst Books, $25)
* 1 lemon
* 1/4 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
* 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
* Salt and ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 pounds cabbage, shredded (about 6 cups)
* 2 carrots, shredded
* 1 green pepper, julienned
Zest and juice the lemon. Combine the zest and juice with the mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, and celery and caraway seeds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss. Chill for an hour to let the flavors meld.
Menu 3: Savory Bread Pudding With Corn, Green Salad With Jicama and Mango and Crazy Cake
LEFTOVERS
One ear corn, 4 ounces cheese, eight eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, heel of a loaf of bread
SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH CORN
Adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (Broadway Books, $40). The original calls for bread without the crusts, but why waste them when they enhance the rustic nature of bread pudding? You can spice up the recipe with chopped jalapeños, a spoonful or two of salsa or a shake of hot sauce.
* 2 2/3 cups whole milk
* 4 cups corn kernels (from about 5 ears fresh corn; reserve the cobs)
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 bunch green onions, sliced into rounds
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* Salt and ground black pepper
* Bunch chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
* 4 eggs
* 5 cups 1-inch cubes of stale bread
* 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart gratin or casserole dish.
In a medium-size pot on the stove, scald the milk and as many corncobs as will fit in it. Turn off the heat and let the milk cool and infuse. When the milk has cooled, remove the cobs; reserve 1/3 cup milk separately and set remaining milk aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn kernels, green onions and chili powder. Sauté a few minutes until the onions have softened. Season with salt. Stir in the cilantro.
Whisk the eggs with the larger portion of cooled milk. Place the bread in a large bowl. Pour the milk mixture over it. Stir in the corn mixture and the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape into the prepared casserole. Drizzle the remaining 1/3 cup milk over the pudding. Let stand 15 minutes before baking. Bake for about 45 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
GREEN SALAD
Julienne 1 jicama. Cube 1 mango. Combine in a salad bowl with torn leaves from 1 head lettuce. Dress with an oil-and-vinegar dressing of your choice. If you like, sprinkle with toasted pumpkinseeds.
CRAZY CAKE
As a girl, I delighted in making this homey eggless, butterless cake, also known as Wacky Cake. Sure enough, I unearthed the recipe on a 3-by-5-inch card written in my childish script. It's said to date to the Depression, when it was an affordable treat. It's "wacky" because it's made in the baking pan by stirring three liquid ingredients into three "holes" in the dry ingredients.
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons white vinegar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
* Confectioners' sugar, to dust
Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In the baking pan, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Poke 3 holes in the dry ingredients with your index finger. Into 1 pour the vinegar, into the second the vanilla, into the third the oil. Pour 1 cup water over all (or 1 cup cold, leftover coffee) and mix thoroughly, taking care to stir in the dry bits at the edge of the pan.
Bake for about 25 minutes until the cake is springy, just pulling away from the edges of the pan, and the batter is domed. Cool. Cut into squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
SOUTHERN PULLED-PORK SANDWICHES
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Pork shoulder, a well-marbled cut available at most supermarkets, turns tender after long, slow cooking. Ours is especially succulent with a spice rub and vinegar.
* 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* Coarse salt and ground black pepper
* 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 4 equal pieces
* 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 8 soft sandwich rolls, split
* Store-bought barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in lower and upper positions. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Place pork in a 5-quart dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot; rub with spice mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, garlic and 1/2 cup water; add to pot. Cover and place on oven's lower rack. Bake until pork is very tender and separates easily when pulled with a fork, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer pork to a work surface, reserving pan juices. With two forks, shred meat. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with pan juices to moisten (you may not need all the juices). Pile pork on rolls and top with barbecue sauce, if desired.
Makes 8 servings, each 416 calories, 14.2 grams fat (4.7 grams saturated), 29.4 grams protein, 40.7 grams carbohydrates, 2.1 grams fiber.
BAKED POTATOES WITH CHEDDAR SOUR CREAM
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
* 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream (8 ounces)
* 1 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
* Coarse salt and ground black pepper
* 8 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 4 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, rub potatoes with oil. Bake on upper rack until tender, about 65 minutes.
To serve, cut a deep cross in each potato; push ends together to open. Season with salt and pepper; top with sour-cream mixture and, if desired, green onions.
Makes 8 servings, each 298 calories, 10.3 grams fat (5.6 grams saturated), 9.8 grams protein, 43.2 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber.
CUCUMBER AND SWEET-ONION SALAD
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
* 3 English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal
* 1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, halved and thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup fresh dill, coarsely chopped
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
* Coarse salt and ground black pepper
In a large bowl, toss together cucumbers, onion, dill, oil, lemon juice and vinegar; season with salt and pepper and serve.
Makes 8 servings, each 70 calories, 5.2 grams fat (0.8 gram saturated), 0.9 gram protein, 6.2 grams carbohydrates, 0.8 gram fiber.
STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB SUNDAES
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes, plus cooling
It takes only 10 minutes to create a colorful ice cream topping that makes the most of a well-loved warm-weather combination: sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb.
* 1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
* 2 rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces (2 cups)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 pints vanilla ice cream
* Store-bought shortbread cookies, for serving (optional)
In a large saucepan, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and 1/4 cup water; bring to a simmer over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb begins to break down, 6 to 8 minutes.
Refrigerate until the sauce is cool, at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.
Spoon strawberry-rhubarb sauce over scoops of ice cream; serve with shortbread, if desired.
Makes 8 servings, each 269 calories, 12.8 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 4.2 grams protein, 35.5 grams carbohydrates, 1.5 grams fiber.
DARK CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH SOUR CHERRIES
Good-quality cocoa powder is quite dark and makes the cookies almost black. It can be difficult to tell when they're done, so keep a close eye on them. These will bring serious chocoholics to their knees.
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 cups Dutch process cocoa powder
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 3/4 firmly packed cup dark-brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
* 1 1/2 cups dried cherries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate and sour cherries.
Form balls of dough or drop blobs of it onto the cookie sheet from a spoon. Bake until puffed and cracked, 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets partway through. Cool on a rack.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Terrific food, cheaper checkout
With grocery prices up, we offer three delicious meals that won't break your budget
By PEGGY GRODINSKY
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
BUDGETING TIPS
Substitutes
• Oatmeal for pricey breakfast cereal
• Portobello mushrooms, beans, tofu and peanut butter for meat
• Canola oil for olive oil
Home strategies
• Buy cheap, flavorful cuts of meat and use the bones to make stock.
• To avoid expensive takeout food or delivery, freeze homemade meals for days when you're too tired to cook.
• Recycle leftovers into the next day's meals (steamed rice into rice pudding, mashed potatoes into shepherd's pie).
• Keep track of leftovers so they don't migrate to the back of the refrigerator and go bad.
• Rescue old ingredients, such as sour milk and stale bread, in recipes that call for them, such as buttermilk pancakes and bread pudding.
Shopping strategies
• Make a list and stick to it.
• Clip coupons.
• Watch for store sales and plan your week's menus based on them.
• Get to know your grocery store; wandering the aisles can lead to impulse purchases.
• Don't go shopping when you're hungry.
• Avoid the "gimmes" by leaving the kids at home if possible.
• Buy whole chickens and cut them up at home.
• Forget brand loyalty and use generics, which often are packaged by the same manufacturers.
• Buy organics when it makes a difference: strawberries yes, pancake syrup no.
• Check unit pricing and buy good deals in bulk.
ABOUT THE RECIPES
In these recipes, we classified certain items as pantry staples and did not include them in our budget calculations. They are: salt, pepper, most spices, garlic, vinegar, butter (in small amounts), oil, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and vanilla extract (a single recipe uses tiny amounts of the last three). So check your cupboards first; then you're ready to cook.
The goal: three affordable meals that serve four to six people.
The context: rising food prices.
The parameters: delicious food at reasonable prices without hours in the kitchen. We want the Ikea of food, inexpensive yet stylish.
And nothing drastic, like the Sludge from M.F.K. Fisher's 1942 How to Cook a Wolf. That recipe, in brief: Borrow 50 cents, mix ground beef and mix it with whole-grain, bulk cereal and "wilted or withered" vegetables. Add water. Boil; simmer for three hours.
"It it obvious to even the most optimistic that this Sludge, which should be like stiff, cold mush and a rather unpleasant murky brown-gray in color, is strictly for hunger," Fisher wrote.
Thankfully, we are not that hungry. Perhaps food prices will stabilize long before we are.
While planning, shopping and cooking these three meals, I encountered or recollected common-sense lessons, real but with metaphorical echoes.
Waste not, want not.
Recycle. Corncobs add wonderful flavor to stock. Pasta water thins and rounds out pasta sauces. The salsa from last night's takeout Mexican dinner will perk up today's pot of beans.
Eat locally and seasonally when possible. Consider how much fuel it takes to jet an off-season grape from Chile to Texas.
Be flexible. You planned on buying a watermelon; you could practically taste it. But at the store, watermelon is dear — and mangoes are a steal. Buy the mangoes.
I also ran into an embarrassment of resources. I ran a Google search on "cheap eating" and got 385,000 hits, from "Las Vegas on 25 cents a day" to a news article on how rising food prices will make Americans even fatter.
A tip from a colleague sent me in search of Whole Foods Markets' "Meals for 4 Under $15" program. Once I got over my shock that the company many call "Whole Paycheck" offers bargain menus, I checked out the recipes: Black Beluga Lentils with Endive Citrus Salad, Coconut Red Pork Curry, Fish Po' Boy with Tartar Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries. Unsurprisingly, the program steers you toward in-store products. No matter. The recipes look promising.
It was hard to tear myself away from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's curious Recipe Finder database (recipefinder.nal.usda.gov), intended "to help families spend less and eat healthier."
First I searched for recipes that would appeal to an American Indian parent of a teen. Two hits: Carne Adobado, a spiced pork, and Misickquatash, an Indian succotash. The recipe for Misickquatash called for frozen lima beans. Does any teen like frozen lima beans? Does any grown-up?
Next I asked the database for toaster-made recipes that would appeal to Hispanics and use whole grains. Zero hits. Just as I was about to look for desserts low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol and tempting to a Southerner, I remembered that this story was due. I moved on.
University of Houston business-school graduate student Jamie Waldron, described to me as "the frugal gourmet," outlined in detail her own meticulous system for saving money. Lately, rising prices have forced her to adjust her food budget up, but she isn't griping.
"People are getting really frustrated by the increasing prices for gas and food. At the same time, the cost is going up for the companies that are putting that stuff out there," said Waldron, who is 26. "I think people need to be a little more understanding. Hopefully, people's employers will be understanding, too, and maybe give their employees an increase."
Even without that unlikely increase, do splurge occasionally, if you are able. For me, that means top-quality bread and cheese. I won't scrimp when I'm buying those items.
For Waldron and her Ph.D.-student husband, a big night may mean frozen tilapia fillets with garlic, lemon and herbs and accompanied by rice pilaf. Because she's saved by using frozen fish, she allows herself to splurge on fresh vegetables. Then the pair rent a movie and enjoy a reasonably priced bottle of wine.
For a couple of grad-school students, she says, "That's a really big deal."
You can buy a smaller car and save on gas. You can take better care of yourself and, with luck, save on medical bills. But putting dinner on the table, you have some degree of daily control.
Menu 1: Pasta With Garlic, Parsley and Chickpeas; Green Salad; and Strawberries With Balsamic Vinegar
LEFTOVERS
1 lemon half, strawberries (tempted, I bought more than I needed)
PASTA WITH GARLIC, PARSLEY AND CHICKPEAS
A fast, satisfying, inexpensive dish made with ingredients you probably have on hand.
* 1 (14.5-ounce) box whole-grain rotini pasta
* 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
* 1 large bunch parsley, minus the stems, chopped coarsely
* Hot red-pepper flakes
* Salt
* Lemon half
* 3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the rotini. Cook until al dente. Drain, saving some of the pasta water.
Gently heat the oil in a sauté pan. Add the garlic and cook over very low heat for about 1 minute. Stir in the chickpeas, parsley and red-pepper flakes to taste. Warm all ingredients over low heat.
Combine the chickpea mixture with the drained pasta. Season with salt to taste.
Squeeze the lemon over. Drizzle in a bit of pasta water, if needed, to make the sauce silky.
Divide among 4 plates. Sprinkle each with Parmesan.
GREEN SALAD
Combine torn lettuce leaves with 2 tomatoes, in wedges, and an oil-and-vinegar dressing.
STRAWBERRIES WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR
Slice about 4 cups strawberries and divide among 4 bowls. Drizzle a scant amount of balsamic vinegar over each portion. Serve immediately.
Menu 2: Spicy Baked Beans, Cornbread Sticks, Creamy Coleslaw and Watermelon
LEFTOVERS
Watermelon, most of a bag of cornmeal, most of a jar of molasses, beans for two more meals, several carrots, an orange (minus zest), 1/4 head cabbage, several tablespoons cumin seeds
SPICY BAKED BEANS
I often put the beans in a slow oven and let them cook while I'm sleeping. You can also make them in a slow cooker on low, which will keep the kitchen cool.
* 1 cup dried kidney beans
* 1 cup dried cannellini, Great Northern or navy beans
* 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
* 1/2 pound smoked slab bacon, diced
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 carrot, chopped
* 2 jalapeño chiles (or more)
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 1/2 cups whole canned tomatoes, with liquid
* 3 to 4 tablespoons molasses
* 1 dried bay leaf or a handful fresh
* Grated zest of 1 orange
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar, plus more if needed
* Salt
* 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Soak the beans in plenty of cold water overnight. Toast the cumin seeds in a large, dry dutch oven for about 1 minute until fragrant. Remove and set aside. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
Heat the bacon in the dutch oven for about 1 minute; add the onion and carrot and sauté for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are softening. Add the cumin seeds, jalapeños and garlic and sauté another 1 to 2 minutes.
Crush the canned tomatoes with a fork, reserving their liquid with enough water to total 3 cups. Drain the beans. Add to the pot with the tomatoes, molasses, bay leaf, orange zest and tomato-water mixture. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Place in the oven and cook, stirring 2 or 3 times, for 2 hours. Stir in the vinegar and salt to taste. Cook for another 2 hours until the beans are tender but not mushy and the liquid has mostly been absorbed.
Taste for seasoning. Add more vinegar if necessary. Stir in the cilantro.
CORNBREAD STICKS
You can also make this in a 9-inch iron skillet.
* 3 tablespoons butter, plus more for pan
* 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
* 1/2 cup flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, to taste
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the cornbread-stick pan in the oven; melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan on the stove. If you are using a skillet, melt the butter in the skillet.
Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
In a different bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Add the melted butter to the liquid ingredients. Melt 1 to 2 tablespoons extra butter on the stove and use it to brush on the stick pan.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry. Stir with a wooden spoon until just mixed. Pour the batter into the hot stick pan (or skillet). Bake 10 minutes for the sticks, about 25 minutes for the skillet, until golden and crispy. Eat warm!
Makes about 18 sticks.
CREAMY COLESLAW
Adapted from Good Housekeeping Great American Classics Cookbook (Hearst Books, $25)
* 1 lemon
* 1/4 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
* 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
* Salt and ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 pounds cabbage, shredded (about 6 cups)
* 2 carrots, shredded
* 1 green pepper, julienned
Zest and juice the lemon. Combine the zest and juice with the mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, and celery and caraway seeds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss. Chill for an hour to let the flavors meld.
Menu 3: Savory Bread Pudding With Corn, Green Salad With Jicama and Mango and Crazy Cake
LEFTOVERS
One ear corn, 4 ounces cheese, eight eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, heel of a loaf of bread
SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH CORN
Adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (Broadway Books, $40). The original calls for bread without the crusts, but why waste them when they enhance the rustic nature of bread pudding? You can spice up the recipe with chopped jalapeños, a spoonful or two of salsa or a shake of hot sauce.
* 2 2/3 cups whole milk
* 4 cups corn kernels (from about 5 ears fresh corn; reserve the cobs)
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 bunch green onions, sliced into rounds
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* Salt and ground black pepper
* Bunch chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
* 4 eggs
* 5 cups 1-inch cubes of stale bread
* 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart gratin or casserole dish.
In a medium-size pot on the stove, scald the milk and as many corncobs as will fit in it. Turn off the heat and let the milk cool and infuse. When the milk has cooled, remove the cobs; reserve 1/3 cup milk separately and set remaining milk aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn kernels, green onions and chili powder. Sauté a few minutes until the onions have softened. Season with salt. Stir in the cilantro.
Whisk the eggs with the larger portion of cooled milk. Place the bread in a large bowl. Pour the milk mixture over it. Stir in the corn mixture and the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape into the prepared casserole. Drizzle the remaining 1/3 cup milk over the pudding. Let stand 15 minutes before baking. Bake for about 45 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
GREEN SALAD
Julienne 1 jicama. Cube 1 mango. Combine in a salad bowl with torn leaves from 1 head lettuce. Dress with an oil-and-vinegar dressing of your choice. If you like, sprinkle with toasted pumpkinseeds.
CRAZY CAKE
As a girl, I delighted in making this homey eggless, butterless cake, also known as Wacky Cake. Sure enough, I unearthed the recipe on a 3-by-5-inch card written in my childish script. It's said to date to the Depression, when it was an affordable treat. It's "wacky" because it's made in the baking pan by stirring three liquid ingredients into three "holes" in the dry ingredients.
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons white vinegar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
* Confectioners' sugar, to dust
Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In the baking pan, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Poke 3 holes in the dry ingredients with your index finger. Into 1 pour the vinegar, into the second the vanilla, into the third the oil. Pour 1 cup water over all (or 1 cup cold, leftover coffee) and mix thoroughly, taking care to stir in the dry bits at the edge of the pan.
Bake for about 25 minutes until the cake is springy, just pulling away from the edges of the pan, and the batter is domed. Cool. Cut into squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
SOUTHERN PULLED-PORK SANDWICHES
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Pork shoulder, a well-marbled cut available at most supermarkets, turns tender after long, slow cooking. Ours is especially succulent with a spice rub and vinegar.
* 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* Coarse salt and ground black pepper
* 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 4 equal pieces
* 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 8 soft sandwich rolls, split
* Store-bought barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in lower and upper positions. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Place pork in a 5-quart dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot; rub with spice mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, garlic and 1/2 cup water; add to pot. Cover and place on oven's lower rack. Bake until pork is very tender and separates easily when pulled with a fork, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer pork to a work surface, reserving pan juices. With two forks, shred meat. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with pan juices to moisten (you may not need all the juices). Pile pork on rolls and top with barbecue sauce, if desired.
Makes 8 servings, each 416 calories, 14.2 grams fat (4.7 grams saturated), 29.4 grams protein, 40.7 grams carbohydrates, 2.1 grams fiber.
BAKED POTATOES WITH CHEDDAR SOUR CREAM
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
* 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream (8 ounces)
* 1 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
* Coarse salt and ground black pepper
* 8 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 4 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, rub potatoes with oil. Bake on upper rack until tender, about 65 minutes.
To serve, cut a deep cross in each potato; push ends together to open. Season with salt and pepper; top with sour-cream mixture and, if desired, green onions.
Makes 8 servings, each 298 calories, 10.3 grams fat (5.6 grams saturated), 9.8 grams protein, 43.2 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber.
CUCUMBER AND SWEET-ONION SALAD
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
* 3 English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal
* 1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, halved and thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup fresh dill, coarsely chopped
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
* Coarse salt and ground black pepper
In a large bowl, toss together cucumbers, onion, dill, oil, lemon juice and vinegar; season with salt and pepper and serve.
Makes 8 servings, each 70 calories, 5.2 grams fat (0.8 gram saturated), 0.9 gram protein, 6.2 grams carbohydrates, 0.8 gram fiber.
STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB SUNDAES
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes, plus cooling
It takes only 10 minutes to create a colorful ice cream topping that makes the most of a well-loved warm-weather combination: sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb.
* 1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
* 2 rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces (2 cups)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 pints vanilla ice cream
* Store-bought shortbread cookies, for serving (optional)
In a large saucepan, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and 1/4 cup water; bring to a simmer over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb begins to break down, 6 to 8 minutes.
Refrigerate until the sauce is cool, at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.
Spoon strawberry-rhubarb sauce over scoops of ice cream; serve with shortbread, if desired.
Makes 8 servings, each 269 calories, 12.8 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 4.2 grams protein, 35.5 grams carbohydrates, 1.5 grams fiber.
DARK CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH SOUR CHERRIES
Good-quality cocoa powder is quite dark and makes the cookies almost black. It can be difficult to tell when they're done, so keep a close eye on them. These will bring serious chocoholics to their knees.
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 cups Dutch process cocoa powder
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 3/4 firmly packed cup dark-brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
* 1 1/2 cups dried cherries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate and sour cherries.
Form balls of dough or drop blobs of it onto the cookie sheet from a spoon. Bake until puffed and cracked, 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets partway through. Cool on a rack.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Menu Plan Monday
Well, last week I wasn't feeling so great all week. All the meals ended up being made finally, some out of order - the Zuppa Toscana was made for today's lunch. And since I have leftovers of the French Onion Soup, I'll use that to make a Crock Pot Beef Roast this week (instead of using either a dried soup packet or a canned soup).
Today, since I was feeling better, was quite a cooking day for me. This morning I made bread, half of it went so hubby can have bread for his sandwiches for lunch and the other half of it went for our buns for hot dogs. I boiled potatoes for our potato salad. I made the Zuppa Toscana. It pretty much tired me out. Good thing dinner tonight was just cheese hotdogs, potato salad and corn on the cob. :)
Tues: NC Mustard Style BBQ Chicken, potato Salad
Wednesday: CP Beef with egg noodles and Caesar Salad
Thurs: Leftovers
Friday: Pizza
Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Menu Ideas: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/05/menu-plan-monday-may-26th.html
Today, since I was feeling better, was quite a cooking day for me. This morning I made bread, half of it went so hubby can have bread for his sandwiches for lunch and the other half of it went for our buns for hot dogs. I boiled potatoes for our potato salad. I made the Zuppa Toscana. It pretty much tired me out. Good thing dinner tonight was just cheese hotdogs, potato salad and corn on the cob. :)
Tues: NC Mustard Style BBQ Chicken, potato Salad
Wednesday: CP Beef with egg noodles and Caesar Salad
Thurs: Leftovers
Friday: Pizza
Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Menu Ideas: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/05/menu-plan-monday-may-26th.html
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Recipes from Food Sections
Sticky Lemon Chicken
6 servings
1 large chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 head garlic, halved horizontally
2 to 3 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1 lemon, finely sliced
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 bunch flat Italian parsley, chopped
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook chicken, garlic and thyme, in batches if necessary, turning as needed, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Return all chicken to the pan; add sherry vinegar. Cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add honey and soy sauce; shake pan to mix. Add lemon slices and hot water; raise heat to medium-high. Cook until the liquid has reduced to a syrup, 10 to 15 minutes. If chicken has not cooked through, add more hot water if necessary; continue cooking until done. Remove to platter; sprinkle with parsley.
Per serving: 400 calories (51 percent from fat) 22 g fat (5 g saturated), 89 mg cholesterol, 20 g carbohydrates, 29 g protein, 885 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.
(Adapted from “Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food,” Key Porter Books)
Cheap Eats
A backyard barbecue you - and your wallet - will love
By JIM ROMANOFF - For The Associated Press
Throwing a barbecue is one of the joys of summer, but it can get pricey. The secret to backyard entertaining without breaking the bank is to build the meal around foods that are good values or sale items. Pantry items and ingredients that add multiple flavors with one stroke complete the package.
This impressive, yet easy to prepare Mediterranean-inspired meal can comfortably serve 10 people for around $3 a person. Plus, most of the dishes can be prepared ahead, leaving you with more time with your guests.
Tomato-balsamic barbecued chicken starts with chicken thighs and drumsticks, which cost little and tend to be the most flavorful parts of the bird.
A flavorful, tangy glaze takes advantage of pre-seasoned tomato paste and the complex sweet acidity of balsamic vinegar. For this recipe, inexpensive balsamic works as well as more pricey kinds because a bit of sugar is added to the mix.
Mediterranean orzo salad marries perfectly with the flavors of the barbecued chicken. The main ingredient is the traditional rice-shaped pasta, which usually cost around $1 for a 1-pound box.
And because the salad includes a good amount of feta cheese, the dish is substantial enough to serve as an entree for any guests who are vegetarian.
To finish off the meal there is an indulgent treat that is made with just four ingredients. A simple brown sugar shortbread is layered with rich and tangy jarred lemon curd to make sweet little sandwiches that are both crunchy and chewy.
TOMATO-BALSAMIC BARBECUED CHICKEN
To make this tangy dish even easier to prepare, make the tomato-balsamic glaze and par-cook the chicken ahead of time. Refrigerate both and when guests arrive, you can finish the chicken on the grill about 15 minutes before serving.
Start to finish: 1 hour (30 minutes active)
Servings: 10
For the sauce:
6-ounce can basil-garlic flavored tomato paste (or a 6-ounce can of tomato paste mixed with a teaspoon of prepared pesto)
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the chicken:
5 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 F.
To make the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place on two rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat a gas grill to medium-high or prepare a charcoal fire.
Remove chicken from oven and cool for 5 minutes. If desired, remove the skin. Brush the chicken generously with the tomato-balsamic sauce.
Grill the chicken, turning and basting frequently, until well browned and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
MEDITERRANEAN ORZO SALAD
For the best value, buy the exact amount of olives for this salad from the bulk olive bar found in many larger grocers. For the dressing, use convenient squeeze bottles of lemon juice found in the freezer case.
A bottle costs a little over $2 but contains the juice of around 7 large lemons.
Start to finish: 25 minutes
Servings: 12
1 pound orzo pasta
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound tomatoes, diced
1 seedless cucumber, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to package instructions. In a colander, drain the cooked pasta, then rinse with cold water and drain well. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, feta cheese and the reserved pasta. Add the dressing and toss well to coat. Season with salt and pepper just before serving.
LEMON SHORTBREAD SANDWICHES
Butter and eggs make prepared lemon curd so rich and flavorful that it can stand on its own as a filling for these golden shortbread cookies. You can find it with the other jams and jellies at the grocer.
Start to finish: 1 hour (15 minutes active), plus 2 hours cooling
Servings: 12
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
12 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup lemon curd
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Coat a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Press a piece of plastic wrap over the bottom of the dish, letting the ends hang over the sides; smooth out any wrinkles.
In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar and butter. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
On low speed, beat in the flour until the mixture is well blended and holds together when pressed. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the ball in half and press one half into an even layer over the bottom of the prepared dish.
Grab the edges of the plastic wrap and lift the rectangle of dough out of the dish. Set aside.
Press the remaining dough over the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Spread the lemon curd on top. Invert the reserved first half of the dough directly on to the filling. Peel away the plastic wrap.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden. Transfer the dish to a wire rack and cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into 12 rectangles.
6 servings
1 large chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 head garlic, halved horizontally
2 to 3 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1 lemon, finely sliced
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 bunch flat Italian parsley, chopped
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook chicken, garlic and thyme, in batches if necessary, turning as needed, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Return all chicken to the pan; add sherry vinegar. Cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add honey and soy sauce; shake pan to mix. Add lemon slices and hot water; raise heat to medium-high. Cook until the liquid has reduced to a syrup, 10 to 15 minutes. If chicken has not cooked through, add more hot water if necessary; continue cooking until done. Remove to platter; sprinkle with parsley.
Per serving: 400 calories (51 percent from fat) 22 g fat (5 g saturated), 89 mg cholesterol, 20 g carbohydrates, 29 g protein, 885 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.
(Adapted from “Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food,” Key Porter Books)
Cheap Eats
A backyard barbecue you - and your wallet - will love
By JIM ROMANOFF - For The Associated Press
Throwing a barbecue is one of the joys of summer, but it can get pricey. The secret to backyard entertaining without breaking the bank is to build the meal around foods that are good values or sale items. Pantry items and ingredients that add multiple flavors with one stroke complete the package.
This impressive, yet easy to prepare Mediterranean-inspired meal can comfortably serve 10 people for around $3 a person. Plus, most of the dishes can be prepared ahead, leaving you with more time with your guests.
Tomato-balsamic barbecued chicken starts with chicken thighs and drumsticks, which cost little and tend to be the most flavorful parts of the bird.
A flavorful, tangy glaze takes advantage of pre-seasoned tomato paste and the complex sweet acidity of balsamic vinegar. For this recipe, inexpensive balsamic works as well as more pricey kinds because a bit of sugar is added to the mix.
Mediterranean orzo salad marries perfectly with the flavors of the barbecued chicken. The main ingredient is the traditional rice-shaped pasta, which usually cost around $1 for a 1-pound box.
And because the salad includes a good amount of feta cheese, the dish is substantial enough to serve as an entree for any guests who are vegetarian.
To finish off the meal there is an indulgent treat that is made with just four ingredients. A simple brown sugar shortbread is layered with rich and tangy jarred lemon curd to make sweet little sandwiches that are both crunchy and chewy.
TOMATO-BALSAMIC BARBECUED CHICKEN
To make this tangy dish even easier to prepare, make the tomato-balsamic glaze and par-cook the chicken ahead of time. Refrigerate both and when guests arrive, you can finish the chicken on the grill about 15 minutes before serving.
Start to finish: 1 hour (30 minutes active)
Servings: 10
For the sauce:
6-ounce can basil-garlic flavored tomato paste (or a 6-ounce can of tomato paste mixed with a teaspoon of prepared pesto)
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the chicken:
5 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 F.
To make the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place on two rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat a gas grill to medium-high or prepare a charcoal fire.
Remove chicken from oven and cool for 5 minutes. If desired, remove the skin. Brush the chicken generously with the tomato-balsamic sauce.
Grill the chicken, turning and basting frequently, until well browned and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
MEDITERRANEAN ORZO SALAD
For the best value, buy the exact amount of olives for this salad from the bulk olive bar found in many larger grocers. For the dressing, use convenient squeeze bottles of lemon juice found in the freezer case.
A bottle costs a little over $2 but contains the juice of around 7 large lemons.
Start to finish: 25 minutes
Servings: 12
1 pound orzo pasta
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound tomatoes, diced
1 seedless cucumber, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to package instructions. In a colander, drain the cooked pasta, then rinse with cold water and drain well. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, feta cheese and the reserved pasta. Add the dressing and toss well to coat. Season with salt and pepper just before serving.
LEMON SHORTBREAD SANDWICHES
Butter and eggs make prepared lemon curd so rich and flavorful that it can stand on its own as a filling for these golden shortbread cookies. You can find it with the other jams and jellies at the grocer.
Start to finish: 1 hour (15 minutes active), plus 2 hours cooling
Servings: 12
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
12 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup lemon curd
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Coat a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Press a piece of plastic wrap over the bottom of the dish, letting the ends hang over the sides; smooth out any wrinkles.
In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar and butter. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
On low speed, beat in the flour until the mixture is well blended and holds together when pressed. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the ball in half and press one half into an even layer over the bottom of the prepared dish.
Grab the edges of the plastic wrap and lift the rectangle of dough out of the dish. Set aside.
Press the remaining dough over the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Spread the lemon curd on top. Invert the reserved first half of the dough directly on to the filling. Peel away the plastic wrap.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden. Transfer the dish to a wire rack and cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into 12 rectangles.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Menu Plan Monday
Well, since I defrosted the chest freezer last week, I'm going to try to use up a few things that are in there. I also found I had a few more boxes of generic Mac & Cheese than I thought - we don't eat it all that often, but it does come in handy when all you have to do is add a can of tuna and some frozen mixed veggies and there's dinner.
Monday: Rogan Josh (CP - reicpe below: marinate and throw into the CP can do the skillet stuff if you have time it makes it taste better but if you don't you don't need to you can also freeze (with the tomato stuff and just dump when thawed I've found.)
Tuesday: Cheesy Tuna Mac (add canned tuna and frozen mixed veggies to packaged Mac & Cheese)
Wednesday: French Onion Soup (I save some of the CP Caramelized Onions for the soup and freeze the rest the rest of the recipe is below the caramelized onion recipe. The sweet onions put off a lot of broth so save it!)
Thurs Turkey Burgers and Baked Potatoes (using some of my major stock of Turkey burgers I found in the freezer!)
Friday: Zuppa Toscana (From Top Secret Recipes, although made lighter)
I might change my mind on Friday since I don't have any kale in the freezer and I'm not sure that I'll want to go to the grocery store for it - but we'll probably need milk by then anyway - we'll see.
For more menu ideas visit I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/05/menu-plan-monday-may-19th.html
* Exported from MasterCook *
Rogan Josh
Recipe By :"Great Curries" by Manisha Kanani
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Ethnic Lamb
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 lb lamb sirloin
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 c plain nonfat yogurt
1 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
4 tbsp oil
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
1 onion -- finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
2 Bay Leaves, Whole
14 oz can chopped tomato
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 Cups White Rice -- to serve
Trim away any excess fat from the meat and cut into 1 inch cubes. In a
bowl, mix together the lemon juice, yogurt and salt, 1 garlic clove and
the ginger. Add the lamb and leave in the marinade overnight.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the cumin seeds for 2 minutes
or until they being to sputter. Add the bay leaves and cardamom pods and
fry for another 2 minutes. Add the onion and remaining garlic and fry for
5 minutes. Stir in the ground coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper and fry
for 2 minutes. Add the marinated lamb and cook for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and 2/3 cup water. Bring to
a boil then reduce the heat.
Cover and simmer for about 1-1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
Serve with pain rice.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 1263 Calories; 55g Fat (39.3%
calories from fat); 48g Protein; 144g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber;
127mg Cholesterol; 788mg Sodium. Exchanges: 7 1/2 Grain(Starch); 4 Lean
Meat; 5 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 8 Fat.
NOTES : The most popular of all lamb dishes, the lamb is
traditionally marinated in yogurt then cooked with spices
and tomatoes which give this dish it's rich, red
appearance.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
* Exported from MasterCook *
Caramelized Onions-CP (4 pts)
Recipe By :Slow Cooker Cooking, Lora Brody
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cheap Eats Crockpot
Vegetables
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 pounds sweet onions -- cut into 1/4" thick slices
8 tablespoons butter
Place the onions and butter in the insert of the slow cooker, cover, and
cook on low for 12 to 14 hours, until the onions are deep brown and very
soft. It's almost impossible to overcook these; make sure to let the
onions cook until they are mahogany colored.
Yield:
"3 1/2 cups"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 213 Calories; 16g Fat (63.6%
calories from fat); 3g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 41mg
Cholesterol; 162mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Vegetable; 3 Fat.
NOTES : While this recipe calls for Vidalia onions, you can use
other sweet onions such as Maui, Walla Walla, or
Texas1015s. If you have a large slow cooker, you can
double the onions. It is not necessary to increase the
amount of butter.
Don't blanch at the amount of butter called for here.
When you drain and chill the onions, the onion-flavored
butter will congeal on the surface of the cooking liquid.
Skim it and use it when you saute other vegetables, over
pasta, or in risotto.
3 lbs of onions is about 4-5 onions, 3 to 4 inches in
diameter, peel and cut them into 1/4-1/2" thick slices
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0
* Exported from MasterCook *
French Onion Soup (4 pts)
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soups & Stews
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/2 Lbs onions -- (5 cups) sliced into rings
1/4 C Butter
6 C fat-free Beef Broth
Salt and Pepper
6 french bread slices -- toasted
8 tbsps Grated Parmesan Cheese
Slice onion thin. Brown lightly in butter. Add broth and simmer,
covered for 30 minutes. Season to taste.
To serve: Place soup in bowls, cover with a toasted slice of french bread
sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 223 Calories; 11g Fat (36.8%
calories from fat); 17g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 26mg
Cholesterol; 863mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2
Vegetable; 2 Fat.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0
Monday: Rogan Josh (CP - reicpe below: marinate and throw into the CP can do the skillet stuff if you have time it makes it taste better but if you don't you don't need to you can also freeze (with the tomato stuff and just dump when thawed I've found.)
Tuesday: Cheesy Tuna Mac (add canned tuna and frozen mixed veggies to packaged Mac & Cheese)
Wednesday: French Onion Soup (I save some of the CP Caramelized Onions for the soup and freeze the rest the rest of the recipe is below the caramelized onion recipe. The sweet onions put off a lot of broth so save it!)
Thurs Turkey Burgers and Baked Potatoes (using some of my major stock of Turkey burgers I found in the freezer!)
Friday: Zuppa Toscana (From Top Secret Recipes, although made lighter)
I might change my mind on Friday since I don't have any kale in the freezer and I'm not sure that I'll want to go to the grocery store for it - but we'll probably need milk by then anyway - we'll see.
For more menu ideas visit I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/05/menu-plan-monday-may-19th.html
* Exported from MasterCook *
Rogan Josh
Recipe By :"Great Curries" by Manisha Kanani
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Ethnic Lamb
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 lb lamb sirloin
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 c plain nonfat yogurt
1 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
4 tbsp oil
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
1 onion -- finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
2 Bay Leaves, Whole
14 oz can chopped tomato
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 Cups White Rice -- to serve
Trim away any excess fat from the meat and cut into 1 inch cubes. In a
bowl, mix together the lemon juice, yogurt and salt, 1 garlic clove and
the ginger. Add the lamb and leave in the marinade overnight.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the cumin seeds for 2 minutes
or until they being to sputter. Add the bay leaves and cardamom pods and
fry for another 2 minutes. Add the onion and remaining garlic and fry for
5 minutes. Stir in the ground coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper and fry
for 2 minutes. Add the marinated lamb and cook for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and 2/3 cup water. Bring to
a boil then reduce the heat.
Cover and simmer for about 1-1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
Serve with pain rice.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 1263 Calories; 55g Fat (39.3%
calories from fat); 48g Protein; 144g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber;
127mg Cholesterol; 788mg Sodium. Exchanges: 7 1/2 Grain(Starch); 4 Lean
Meat; 5 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 8 Fat.
NOTES : The most popular of all lamb dishes, the lamb is
traditionally marinated in yogurt then cooked with spices
and tomatoes which give this dish it's rich, red
appearance.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
* Exported from MasterCook *
Caramelized Onions-CP (4 pts)
Recipe By :Slow Cooker Cooking, Lora Brody
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cheap Eats Crockpot
Vegetables
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 pounds sweet onions -- cut into 1/4" thick slices
8 tablespoons butter
Place the onions and butter in the insert of the slow cooker, cover, and
cook on low for 12 to 14 hours, until the onions are deep brown and very
soft. It's almost impossible to overcook these; make sure to let the
onions cook until they are mahogany colored.
Yield:
"3 1/2 cups"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 213 Calories; 16g Fat (63.6%
calories from fat); 3g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 41mg
Cholesterol; 162mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Vegetable; 3 Fat.
NOTES : While this recipe calls for Vidalia onions, you can use
other sweet onions such as Maui, Walla Walla, or
Texas1015s. If you have a large slow cooker, you can
double the onions. It is not necessary to increase the
amount of butter.
Don't blanch at the amount of butter called for here.
When you drain and chill the onions, the onion-flavored
butter will congeal on the surface of the cooking liquid.
Skim it and use it when you saute other vegetables, over
pasta, or in risotto.
3 lbs of onions is about 4-5 onions, 3 to 4 inches in
diameter, peel and cut them into 1/4-1/2" thick slices
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0
* Exported from MasterCook *
French Onion Soup (4 pts)
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soups & Stews
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/2 Lbs onions -- (5 cups) sliced into rings
1/4 C Butter
6 C fat-free Beef Broth
Salt and Pepper
6 french bread slices -- toasted
8 tbsps Grated Parmesan Cheese
Slice onion thin. Brown lightly in butter. Add broth and simmer,
covered for 30 minutes. Season to taste.
To serve: Place soup in bowls, cover with a toasted slice of french bread
sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 223 Calories; 11g Fat (36.8%
calories from fat); 17g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 26mg
Cholesterol; 863mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2
Vegetable; 2 Fat.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Zucchini Picadillo
Recipe to try when zucchini is plentiful and cheap!
Zucchini Picadillo
The Washington Post, May 14, 2008
Picadillo is a Latin dish typically made of ground beef, tomatoes, raisins and olives. This complex vegetarian variation is great as a side dish with broiled steak or as a main dish for lunch. According to cookbook author Linda Larsen, it can be made at a cost of 96 cents per serving.
Makes 6 1/2 to 7 cups (6 to 7 servings)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 zucchini (ends trimmed), cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/4-inch half-moon slices
1 14 to 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juices
2 cups cooked brown rice or white rice
1/4 cup dark raisins
1/4 cup pitted and sliced green olives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook for about 4 minutes, stirring; the onion should be crisp-tender and not translucent. Add the zucchini and tomatoes with their juices. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook just until the mixture starts bubbling at the edges, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the rice, raisins, olives, salt and pepper, stirring to combine; increase the heat to medium-high just to bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until well blended. Serve hot.
Recipe Source: Adapted from her "The Everything Meals on a Budget Cookbook" (Adams Media, 2008).
146 calories, 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, n/a cholesterol, 408mg sodium, 24g carbohydrates, 3g dietary fiber, 3g protein.
Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick for The Washington Post.
E-mail the Food Section at food@washpost.com with recipe questions.
Zucchini Picadillo
The Washington Post, May 14, 2008
Picadillo is a Latin dish typically made of ground beef, tomatoes, raisins and olives. This complex vegetarian variation is great as a side dish with broiled steak or as a main dish for lunch. According to cookbook author Linda Larsen, it can be made at a cost of 96 cents per serving.
Makes 6 1/2 to 7 cups (6 to 7 servings)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 zucchini (ends trimmed), cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/4-inch half-moon slices
1 14 to 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juices
2 cups cooked brown rice or white rice
1/4 cup dark raisins
1/4 cup pitted and sliced green olives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook for about 4 minutes, stirring; the onion should be crisp-tender and not translucent. Add the zucchini and tomatoes with their juices. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook just until the mixture starts bubbling at the edges, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the rice, raisins, olives, salt and pepper, stirring to combine; increase the heat to medium-high just to bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until well blended. Serve hot.
Recipe Source: Adapted from her "The Everything Meals on a Budget Cookbook" (Adams Media, 2008).
146 calories, 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, n/a cholesterol, 408mg sodium, 24g carbohydrates, 3g dietary fiber, 3g protein.
Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick for The Washington Post.
E-mail the Food Section at food@washpost.com with recipe questions.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Two whole grain recipes that looked good
From the SF Gate
Walnut Bread Strata with Swiss Chard
Serves 10-12
The Walnut Bread Strata with Swiss Chard is a play on a breakfast dish
that usually features fluffy white bread and loads of eggs and cheese.
Reducing the amount of custard and cheese and substituting fresh whole
wheat walnut bread turns it into a whole different animal - it's dense
and crunchy with the slightly sour, deep character of grainy artisan bread.
The strata needs to soak overnight, so all you do the next day is bring
it to room temperature for a half hour - this reduces the cooking time
and the risk of it drying out in the oven - and bake it for 45 minutes.
This strata needs to be assembled the night before baking. It's pretty
hearty, so you can serve it to quite a few people; it would be nice for
a brunch buffet. Serve with fruit salad and sausages, or add 2 cups
cooked and crumbled sausages to the bread when you toss it with the
Swiss chard.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, finely minced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves ripped into smaller pieces
3 cups low-fat milk
8 eggs
-- Pinch nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
1/2 pound of whole wheat walnut bread, such as Acme, or whole wheat
levain, bottom crust removed and the rest of the loaf cut into 1-inch cubes
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
Instructions: Use butter or olive oil to grease a 9-by-13 inch baking pan.
Heat the olive in a medium skillet. Add the onion and saute until
tender, 8 minutes. Add the chard and saute for 3 minutes, then add a
splash of water, cover, then cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Set
aside to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, combine the milk, eggs and nutmeg until smooth.
In a bowl, toss the bread with the cheese and the Swiss chard. Spread
out in the prepared pan. Drizzle with the egg mixture so that the bread
is evenly coated. The egg mixture won't cover all of the bread, but try
to poke down any pieces that can be further nestled in the custard (this
way the top will be crunchy and crisp).
Refrigerate overnight then bring to room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Bake until egg mixture is set and casserole is bubbly, 40-45 minutes.
Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Per serving: 200 calories, 13 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat (5
g saturated), 162 mg cholesterol, 280 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.
Apricot Coffee Cake with Oatmeal Crumble
Serves 10-12
Lest you fear Mom will think you're trying to force her to be too
healthy, make the Apricot Coffee Cake with Oatmeal Crumble. Each slice
has a layer of dried apricots and streusel running through the center,
making an elegant and delicious addition to a brunch spread.
Supplemented with whole wheat pastry flour, the cake bakes up lighter
than one made with regular whole-wheat flour. Other nourishing
ingredients include rolled oats and low-fat yogurt rather than sour
cream. Though it also contains butter and white sugar to ensure a
delicate and moist texture, the cake ends up having a lot less fat and
more fiber than your typical breakfast pastry, something that mothers
will appreciate.
Filling and topping:
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar, lightly packed
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Coffee cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
To make the filling and topping: Soak the apricots in hot water for
20-30 minutes or until soft, then drain thoroughly.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, squishing the butter
with your fingers or a pastry blender until the ingredients are well
combined. Set aside.
To make the coffee cake: Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan or a
9-inch springform pan and preheat the oven to 350°.
Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat on medium speed
until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, yogurt, and vanilla and almond
extracts, then beat again until smooth.
Whisk or stir together the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, baking soda
and salt in a medium bowl, then gradually add to the butter mixture
while on low speed, until just combined.
If using a Bundt pan: Sprinkle half of the topping evenly over the
bottom of the prepared pan. Pour one-third to one-half of the batter
evenly on top, then sprinkle with the remaining topping and all of the
apricots. Add the rest of the batter in large spoonfuls, then use a
flexible spatula to gently spread the batter to an even thickness (it
helps to grease the spatula first); it's OK if some of the filling mixes
in. Follow baking directions, below.
If using a springform pan: Pour one-third to one-half of the batter
evenly in the prepared pan, then sprinkle with half of the topping and
all of the apricots. Add the rest of the batter in large spoonfuls, then
use a flexible spatula to gently spread the batter to an even thickness
(it helps to grease the spatula first); it's OK if some of the filling
mixes in. Sprinkle with the remaining topping.
Bake until a toothpick placed in the thick part comes out clean, 40-45
minutes for a Bundt pan, 40 minutes for a 9-inch pan. Let cool on a rack
for 10 minutes, then use a thin knife to loosen the edges of the cake.
If using a Bundt pan, invert it onto a serving platter; with a
springform pan remove it from the pan and slide onto a platter.
Per serving: 325 calories, 6 g protein, 47 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat (7 g
saturated), 62 mg cholesterol, 185 mg sodium, 4 g fiber
Walnut Bread Strata with Swiss Chard
Serves 10-12
The Walnut Bread Strata with Swiss Chard is a play on a breakfast dish
that usually features fluffy white bread and loads of eggs and cheese.
Reducing the amount of custard and cheese and substituting fresh whole
wheat walnut bread turns it into a whole different animal - it's dense
and crunchy with the slightly sour, deep character of grainy artisan bread.
The strata needs to soak overnight, so all you do the next day is bring
it to room temperature for a half hour - this reduces the cooking time
and the risk of it drying out in the oven - and bake it for 45 minutes.
This strata needs to be assembled the night before baking. It's pretty
hearty, so you can serve it to quite a few people; it would be nice for
a brunch buffet. Serve with fruit salad and sausages, or add 2 cups
cooked and crumbled sausages to the bread when you toss it with the
Swiss chard.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, finely minced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves ripped into smaller pieces
3 cups low-fat milk
8 eggs
-- Pinch nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
1/2 pound of whole wheat walnut bread, such as Acme, or whole wheat
levain, bottom crust removed and the rest of the loaf cut into 1-inch cubes
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
Instructions: Use butter or olive oil to grease a 9-by-13 inch baking pan.
Heat the olive in a medium skillet. Add the onion and saute until
tender, 8 minutes. Add the chard and saute for 3 minutes, then add a
splash of water, cover, then cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Set
aside to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, combine the milk, eggs and nutmeg until smooth.
In a bowl, toss the bread with the cheese and the Swiss chard. Spread
out in the prepared pan. Drizzle with the egg mixture so that the bread
is evenly coated. The egg mixture won't cover all of the bread, but try
to poke down any pieces that can be further nestled in the custard (this
way the top will be crunchy and crisp).
Refrigerate overnight then bring to room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Bake until egg mixture is set and casserole is bubbly, 40-45 minutes.
Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Per serving: 200 calories, 13 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat (5
g saturated), 162 mg cholesterol, 280 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.
Apricot Coffee Cake with Oatmeal Crumble
Serves 10-12
Lest you fear Mom will think you're trying to force her to be too
healthy, make the Apricot Coffee Cake with Oatmeal Crumble. Each slice
has a layer of dried apricots and streusel running through the center,
making an elegant and delicious addition to a brunch spread.
Supplemented with whole wheat pastry flour, the cake bakes up lighter
than one made with regular whole-wheat flour. Other nourishing
ingredients include rolled oats and low-fat yogurt rather than sour
cream. Though it also contains butter and white sugar to ensure a
delicate and moist texture, the cake ends up having a lot less fat and
more fiber than your typical breakfast pastry, something that mothers
will appreciate.
Filling and topping:
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar, lightly packed
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Coffee cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
To make the filling and topping: Soak the apricots in hot water for
20-30 minutes or until soft, then drain thoroughly.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, squishing the butter
with your fingers or a pastry blender until the ingredients are well
combined. Set aside.
To make the coffee cake: Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan or a
9-inch springform pan and preheat the oven to 350°.
Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat on medium speed
until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, yogurt, and vanilla and almond
extracts, then beat again until smooth.
Whisk or stir together the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, baking soda
and salt in a medium bowl, then gradually add to the butter mixture
while on low speed, until just combined.
If using a Bundt pan: Sprinkle half of the topping evenly over the
bottom of the prepared pan. Pour one-third to one-half of the batter
evenly on top, then sprinkle with the remaining topping and all of the
apricots. Add the rest of the batter in large spoonfuls, then use a
flexible spatula to gently spread the batter to an even thickness (it
helps to grease the spatula first); it's OK if some of the filling mixes
in. Follow baking directions, below.
If using a springform pan: Pour one-third to one-half of the batter
evenly in the prepared pan, then sprinkle with half of the topping and
all of the apricots. Add the rest of the batter in large spoonfuls, then
use a flexible spatula to gently spread the batter to an even thickness
(it helps to grease the spatula first); it's OK if some of the filling
mixes in. Sprinkle with the remaining topping.
Bake until a toothpick placed in the thick part comes out clean, 40-45
minutes for a Bundt pan, 40 minutes for a 9-inch pan. Let cool on a rack
for 10 minutes, then use a thin knife to loosen the edges of the cake.
If using a Bundt pan, invert it onto a serving platter; with a
springform pan remove it from the pan and slide onto a platter.
Per serving: 325 calories, 6 g protein, 47 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat (7 g
saturated), 62 mg cholesterol, 185 mg sodium, 4 g fiber
Menu Plan Monday
Ok, so far for the next few days it's to use up the meals that I cooked yesterday (well the parts of it that I cooked see this post http://view-from-the-stove.blogspot.com/2008/05/im-aaaaalive.html):
Monday: Herbed Turkey Burgers (just ground turkey with some Italian seasoning) and I'm thinking about making potato salad. I wish is was warmer here though - I may just make garlic fries.
Tuesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs (finally!) with Garlic bread
Wednesday: Gyros (not sure what I'm going to serve as a side with this since tomatoes aren't exactly tasty yet, probably just a Greek-style salad)
Thurs: Herbed Sirloin Steak with baked potatoes
Fri: Far East Grillers
With that last one, it could change, you see, the chicken is just that, frozen chicken breasts, so it could actually be whatever I want it to be and we may be leaving Friday night to head up to my mothers so I'm not even sure if I'll just use leftovers from Thursday and make steak sandwiches anyway. We'll have to see what happens.
For other meal ideas check out I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/05/menu-plan-monday-may-12th.html
And then our grill died. It's been dying and when we researched last year how much it would cost to replace the burners and such we found out that the company doesn't technically make that model anymore so the parts are pretty hard to find and pretty expensive. It doesn't help that they are cast-iron so the shipping and handling are pretty high too (but that's also why they've lasted for a while too). To but new ones will cost as much as buying a new grill almost - and we're not even sure if they'll fit either. And to top it off, we're not even sure if that will totally fix the problem we're having. We do know that we need to replace the burners (there's 3 separate ones) but we're having problems finding the rest of the parts to fix the rest of it. We really hate to "waste" the grill and the fact that most of them seem to be disposable. From what we've heard and read, Weber seems to keep a pretty good back stock of parts so we're going to look into getting one of those and hopefully we won't have to go through this again. I do have a charcoal grill (it's also a smoker) - but there's a few problems: 1)it takes so long to light it for just 2 people and 2)the smoke give me problems with my allergies so we haven't even used it yet. I wonder if there is a way to convert a former gas grill to a charcoal grill - that would at least help with one problem hubby has with charcoal grills - he's afraid of a fire starting since the one I have is so close to the ground. All this to say mom is going to give me her grill that she hasn't used in years until we can afford to get a new one. Yay!
Monday: Herbed Turkey Burgers (just ground turkey with some Italian seasoning) and I'm thinking about making potato salad. I wish is was warmer here though - I may just make garlic fries.
Tuesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs (finally!) with Garlic bread
Wednesday: Gyros (not sure what I'm going to serve as a side with this since tomatoes aren't exactly tasty yet, probably just a Greek-style salad)
Thurs: Herbed Sirloin Steak with baked potatoes
Fri: Far East Grillers
With that last one, it could change, you see, the chicken is just that, frozen chicken breasts, so it could actually be whatever I want it to be and we may be leaving Friday night to head up to my mothers so I'm not even sure if I'll just use leftovers from Thursday and make steak sandwiches anyway. We'll have to see what happens.
For other meal ideas check out I'm an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/05/menu-plan-monday-may-12th.html
And then our grill died. It's been dying and when we researched last year how much it would cost to replace the burners and such we found out that the company doesn't technically make that model anymore so the parts are pretty hard to find and pretty expensive. It doesn't help that they are cast-iron so the shipping and handling are pretty high too (but that's also why they've lasted for a while too). To but new ones will cost as much as buying a new grill almost - and we're not even sure if they'll fit either. And to top it off, we're not even sure if that will totally fix the problem we're having. We do know that we need to replace the burners (there's 3 separate ones) but we're having problems finding the rest of the parts to fix the rest of it. We really hate to "waste" the grill and the fact that most of them seem to be disposable. From what we've heard and read, Weber seems to keep a pretty good back stock of parts so we're going to look into getting one of those and hopefully we won't have to go through this again. I do have a charcoal grill (it's also a smoker) - but there's a few problems: 1)it takes so long to light it for just 2 people and 2)the smoke give me problems with my allergies so we haven't even used it yet. I wonder if there is a way to convert a former gas grill to a charcoal grill - that would at least help with one problem hubby has with charcoal grills - he's afraid of a fire starting since the one I have is so close to the ground. All this to say mom is going to give me her grill that she hasn't used in years until we can afford to get a new one. Yay!
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