I had a dental cleaning scheduled this morning, with a new to me dentist - hubby had been there a few times already. It went ok, found out that my dentist had put in a temporary filling in the root canal and I either had to get a "real" filling or a crown on it now. This dentist is an endodontist, my other one wasn't (the reason hubby ended up going to him in the first place was because he needed a crown and he ended up staying). The old dentist was nice enough, but he just felt like he catered more to kids, and anything major he needed to send you to an endo anyway. So now I'm at one. :) So now the small bit of money from my grandmother's estate will be going for a new tooth, some glasses, some tennis shoes, and probably a dental for Miko too. At least it's getting used.
I finally made the Cheeseburger Soup I posted ages ago. It was great! Instead of making the white sauce, I just thickened with cornstarch instead (didn't feel like dirtying up another pan). I also stirred in some mustard. I had a jar of mustard that was almost done, so I rinsed it with some water and threw it in, since I felt like it needed it. It reminded me a lot of the Beer Cheese Soup I make (the mustard was a grainy mustard with Killian's Red in it) and I can imagine it'd be awesome with brat's in it!. I also told hubby if I was serving it to others, it'd be nice to garnish with some onion rings. I didn't make the bread bowls though, I ran out of time.
This weeks menu in no particular order (except the fact that I will save 1/4 pound of the ground beef of the Keema matar to use in the Dan Dan Noodles). The last two meals are more pantry style meals in that I have the ingredients to make and if I want to they can be subbed in if I have the time or feel ok since they take more time. Recipes will follow.
Keema Matar
Dan Dan Noodles
Aloo Gobi
Cuban Chicken
Pizza
Braised Chicken with Chickpeas
Mediterranean Baked Lima Beans
For more menu ideas visit: I'm an Organizing Junkie
Keema Matar (Chopped Meat with Peas)
Adapted from Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery p. 939 AND"Great Curries" by Manisha Kanani"
Serving Size : 4-6
1 Tablespoon oil or butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons curry powder (or to taste)
2 green chiles, finely chopped (can use canned)
1 pound extra lean ground beef, or lamb
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon minced ginger OR 1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
1 (10 ounces) package frozen peas
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Heat oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for 5 minutes, until golden brown. Add the garlic, curry powder, ginger and chilies and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef or lamb and stir fry for about 5 minutes, chopping and turning to break it up. Stir in the ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, ground cinnamon, ginger, and salt with water. Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes. Add the peas and lemon juice. Cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered or until the meat is tender. Serve with naan bread and plain yogurt.
Variation: Substitute for green peas 1/2 cup split peas soaked in 1 cup water. Add peas and water to meat at beginning of cooking, cover, and cook until peas are tender.
Dandan Mian (Spicy Peanut Noodles)
Dandan are wooden buckets, one on each end of a pole carried across the shoulders, from which vendors used to sell this snack in the streets of Chengdu. Yield: 2 servings
1/2 pound Chinese flat wheat noodles, or linguine
2 Tablespoons tahini, or peanut butter
1 Tablespoon ground Szechuan red peppercorn
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons Chinese or white vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 Tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts
Boil the noodles. Meanwhile, combine the tahini, Szechuan pepper, garlic, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. When the noodles are done, drain and toss them with the tahini mixture. Sprinkle the peanuts on top before serving.
Aloo Gobi (Curried Cauliflower and Potatoes)
From “Bend It Like Beckham”
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and cut into small pieces
Large bunch of fresh cilantro, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped
Small green chilies, chopped into small pieces (or one teaspoon chili powder)
1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly into eighths
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces
28 ounce can of diced tomatoes with juice (or two 15 ounce cans)
Fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 teaspoon, or to taste)
Fresh garlic, chopped (about 1 teaspoon, or to taste)
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
2 Teaspoons Turmeric
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Garam Masala
Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan (I use a dutch oven, this makes A LOT.) Add the chopped onion and one teaspoon of cumin seeds to the oil. Stir together and cook until onions become creamy, golden, and translucent.
Add chopped cilantro stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt. Add chopped chilis (according to taste). Stir tomatoes into onion mixture. Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly. Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few Tablespoons of water (ensuring that the mixture doesn't stick to the saucepan). Ensure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce. Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).
Add two teaspoons of Garam Masala and stir. Sprinkle chopped cilantro leaves on top of the curry. Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.
Cuban Chicken and Rice
From: Tom & Riva Serving Size: 6
1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 can tomato sauce, (15 ounce)
1 pinch saffron
Salt, to taste
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 1/2 cups White Rice, uncooked
1 cup beer
15 Ounces Canned Peas, drained
1/2 red bell pepper, roasted and sliced
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute chicken until lightly browned; remove from skillet and set aside.
Saute onion, garlic and green bell pepper until soft; stir in tomato sauce, saffron, salt and bouillon and return chicken pieces to skillet. Cook for 10 minutes, then add rice and reduce heat to low.
Add beer and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender. Finally, stir in peas with liquid and garnish with roasted red bell pepper.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 813 Calories; 42g Fat (48.1% calories from fat); 50g Protein; 52g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 226mg Cholesterol; 975mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Grain(Starch); 6 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Fat.
Mediterranean-Style Baked Lima Beans
Serves 6-8 From “Veganomicon”
You may have lima bean baggage but this recipe will help you work through it. Please set your issues aside and for a moment imagine large, mild, tender beans with a creamy interior and a slightly tangy tomato sauce. (If you must, you can substitute navy or cannellini beans for the limas. But be sure to try it at least once with large lima beans.) This is a delightful spin-off of a traditional Greek home-style dish and is hearty meal alongside rice, potatoes and steamed greens. Or, serve them the traditional Mediterranean way, just slightly warmed, as part of a meze spread with olives, hummus, Cashew-Cucumber Dip, pickles, pita, and the like.
TIP: During the soaking, the beans will appear slip and their skins wrinkled; this is normal, so don't be alarmed.
Beans:
1 pound dried, large lima beans, soaked for at least 8 hours
2 quarts water
2 bay leaves
Sauce:
Vegetable bouillon cube
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped finely
1 small carrot, shredded
28 ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup or agave nectar
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground nutmeg
black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
Drain and rinse the beans and place them in a large pot with the 2 quarts of cold water and the bay leaves. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium. Simmer the beans for 30 minutes, until tender but not fully cooked (the interior of the beans will still be grainy). Skim off any foam that may collect while beans are cooking. Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of bean liquid, and set aside (leave the bay leaves with beans). Dissolve the vegetable bouillon cube in the reserved 1 cup of hot bean liquid; set aside.
While the beans are cooking, preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly oil a 4-quart Dutch oven or casserole dish (you can also prepare the beans in two batches in two 2-quart casseroles or Dutch ovens).
Prepare the sauce in either the prepared Dutch oven, if using, or a separate large saucepan. Heat the garlic and olive oil over medium heat until the garlic starts to sizzle. Add the onion, and stir until translucent and softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the carrot, stir and cook for another minute, and add the tomatoes, reserved vegetable bouillon, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, maple syrup, oregano, thyme, salt, and nutmeg. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, to reduce the sauce a little. Taste the sauce and season with black pepper and more salt if necessary. Stir in the beans, parsley, and mint.
Place in the prepared casserole dish (if not already in the Dutch oven), cover the dish, and bake the beans, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, until they are tender and the interior of the beans is creamy. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, to reduce the sauce a little bit and give the beans a slightly dry finish. Remove from the oven, remove the bay leaves, and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Braised Chicken with Chickpeas and Tomatoes
Total cost: $9.33/Cost per serving: $1.17. This dish uses dark meat chicken parts, which are cheaper and more flavorful than breast meat. Purchase leg quarters, if available, and split them into drumstick and thigh portions before cooking to save even more.
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 chicken leg or thigh and 3/4 cup bean mixture)
1 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
4 cups water
1 cup thinly sliced onion (about 1), divided
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 chicken drumsticks, skinned (about 1 1/4 pounds)
4 chicken thighs, skinned (about 1 3/4 pounds)
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 5)
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges (optional)
Sort and wash chickpeas; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above chickpeas; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain chickpeas.
Place 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, 4 cups water, 1/2 cup onion, garlic, and bay leaf in pan; bring to a boil. (Reserve leftover chickpeas for another use.) Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until beans are just tender. Drain chickpea mixture in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Set chickpea mixture aside.
Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan.
Add remaining 1/2 cup onion to pan. Sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add vinegar, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates.
Add 2 cups tomato, Chicken Stock, and reserved cooking liquid to pan. Add chickpea mixture, and bring to a boil. Place chicken on top of chickpeas, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 40 minutes or until chicken is done and chickpeas are tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
CALORIES 261 (34% from fat); FAT 9.8g (sat 2.4g,mono 3.9g,poly 2.3g); IRON 2.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 82mg; CALCIUM 36mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14.8g; SODIUM 244mg; PROTEIN 27.7g; FIBER 3.2g
Monday, March 23, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A change of pizza
Well, the cupcakes didn't happen. I was hoping the migraine would go away and it didn't. I ended up picking up two creme brulees at Krogers instead. It turned out ok, they weren't great - but it was better than having a dozen Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting staring at us. I will still make them at some point, so I'll still have that temptation to deal with, though. I guess it's better than trying to deal with a whole Chocolate Orange Cheesecake though (which one year I will make also).
The pizzas last night were good - at least for me. Can't really say they were hubby's faves though. It was a take off of a pizza I made when I ran the demo kitchen at HomePlace. I changed it quite a lot though last night, it was more of a taco salad pizza last night. I made some "refried" beans using Fantastic Foods dried beans from the bulk bins at Good Foods Grocery (a local natural foods store). I LOVE their refrieds better than the canned, especially since I can make as much as I want/need. And the flavoring is just perfect. I can also add olive oil if I want or leave them fat-free. I chopped some romaine lettuce that I wanted to use up, and tossed it was some taco sauce (about 2 Tbsps worth), 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and chopped green onions (if I had olives I would have added those too). I drained some Fire roasted tomatoes (I would have used fresh if I had them) and used the liquid to reconstitute the beans. I mixed that with some leftover Pico de Gallo and then mixed that with the refried beans. I spread the bean mixture on the par-cooked pizza blanks. Topped with a bit of taco sauce, some cheese and sliced pickled jalapenos. I baked it for about 12 minutes until the cheese was melted and starting to turn brown in places. When it came out of the oven I topped it with the salad and topped it with a touch of Mexican crema and a touch more taco sauce. YUM! I've been wanting taco salad, and this fit the bill. Hubby's problem with it was only that taco salad isn't one of his faves in the first place, but he said it wasn't bad.
Those pizzas up there? Those are my typical shape, amoeba. I can't make a round pizza most of the time to save my life. I've stopped trying - so we just have amoeba pizzas. They taste just the same and are much less stressful to make in the long run for me.
The pizzas last night were good - at least for me. Can't really say they were hubby's faves though. It was a take off of a pizza I made when I ran the demo kitchen at HomePlace. I changed it quite a lot though last night, it was more of a taco salad pizza last night. I made some "refried" beans using Fantastic Foods dried beans from the bulk bins at Good Foods Grocery (a local natural foods store). I LOVE their refrieds better than the canned, especially since I can make as much as I want/need. And the flavoring is just perfect. I can also add olive oil if I want or leave them fat-free. I chopped some romaine lettuce that I wanted to use up, and tossed it was some taco sauce (about 2 Tbsps worth), 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and chopped green onions (if I had olives I would have added those too). I drained some Fire roasted tomatoes (I would have used fresh if I had them) and used the liquid to reconstitute the beans. I mixed that with some leftover Pico de Gallo and then mixed that with the refried beans. I spread the bean mixture on the par-cooked pizza blanks. Topped with a bit of taco sauce, some cheese and sliced pickled jalapenos. I baked it for about 12 minutes until the cheese was melted and starting to turn brown in places. When it came out of the oven I topped it with the salad and topped it with a touch of Mexican crema and a touch more taco sauce. YUM! I've been wanting taco salad, and this fit the bill. Hubby's problem with it was only that taco salad isn't one of his faves in the first place, but he said it wasn't bad.
Those pizzas up there? Those are my typical shape, amoeba. I can't make a round pizza most of the time to save my life. I've stopped trying - so we just have amoeba pizzas. They taste just the same and are much less stressful to make in the long run for me.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Birthday Happenin's
Today is my hubby's birthday. We are finally the same age, at least for a few months. Yes, I robbed the cradle. (ha!) For some reason, he's not really all that happy to be turning 36, not really sure why this year is bothering him more than 35. He asked me if 36 was a good year for me. I told him it was, considering that I was still here, I figure any year that I'm still here, it's been a good year. I am not really sure how to make him feel more comfortable with another year. I know that when I turned 35 I felt a little weird, but that was only because I remembered my mom's 35th birthday in a vague way (I wasn't very old after all) and it was odd. It's odd to realize that as you are older that the differences in age aren't as great as when you are younger though.
And we are also waiting on a new niece from my SiL tomorrow too, Caroline Grace. Always an aunt, never a mother to change the always a bridesmaid quote. This will make the 3rd niece in the family. I realized the other day that I haven't knit anything for her. I haven't knit anything for ages now. :( They are hoping to move to China for a few years so I also don't want to knit anything that become a burden to have to cart over there either, so it might be a good thing that I haven't. I'll wait and see what she's like and can knit her something that will fit her personality too. I still need to knit Katie (their other child) some socks at some point, so maybe I'll do them matching socks. :)
I ended up buying frozen corn dogs, so I won't be making the recipe I posted (at least not at this time). I've got some leftover Guinness from the St. Pat's stew so I'm going to make Chocolate Stout Cupcakes for Hubby's birthday "cake" I'm going to halve the recipe on epicurious.com and frost with a cream cheese frosting so it looks like the head on a pint. Hubby's not a big fan of Guinness, but he'll drink it. We're both not real big drinkers really, even before my liver problems, thank goodness! I think we're into it kind of like we are as food. We enjoy trying different tastes. Oh, and the Tender Chicken in Gravy was really tasty. Hubby said it was a keeper and I need to remember to repeat it. *sigh* Something I hope I remember to do. I'm not really good at repeating meals. Does anyone else have that problem too? Even our pizza is never the same every week, I even change what I put in the dough sometimes (ie I'll add herbs).
Thank you for the kind comments to my last post too. It's scary to push send on your real thoughts sometimes.
And we are also waiting on a new niece from my SiL tomorrow too, Caroline Grace. Always an aunt, never a mother to change the always a bridesmaid quote. This will make the 3rd niece in the family. I realized the other day that I haven't knit anything for her. I haven't knit anything for ages now. :( They are hoping to move to China for a few years so I also don't want to knit anything that become a burden to have to cart over there either, so it might be a good thing that I haven't. I'll wait and see what she's like and can knit her something that will fit her personality too. I still need to knit Katie (their other child) some socks at some point, so maybe I'll do them matching socks. :)
I ended up buying frozen corn dogs, so I won't be making the recipe I posted (at least not at this time). I've got some leftover Guinness from the St. Pat's stew so I'm going to make Chocolate Stout Cupcakes for Hubby's birthday "cake" I'm going to halve the recipe on epicurious.com and frost with a cream cheese frosting so it looks like the head on a pint. Hubby's not a big fan of Guinness, but he'll drink it. We're both not real big drinkers really, even before my liver problems, thank goodness! I think we're into it kind of like we are as food. We enjoy trying different tastes. Oh, and the Tender Chicken in Gravy was really tasty. Hubby said it was a keeper and I need to remember to repeat it. *sigh* Something I hope I remember to do. I'm not really good at repeating meals. Does anyone else have that problem too? Even our pizza is never the same every week, I even change what I put in the dough sometimes (ie I'll add herbs).
Thank you for the kind comments to my last post too. It's scary to push send on your real thoughts sometimes.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Something for me to think about
I've been seeing a psychologist for a little while lately. One thing she mentioned today is how my family isn't really one to outwardly demonstrate love and such (not that it's a bad thing). We didn't really do a a lot of deep sharing and such. I actually share more on here than I do with anyone else. When she asked if there was anyone that I talked with about my medical problems, I had to admit that I honestly don't. I don't keep them secret from anyone, and if anyone asks I will usually tell them at least some of it, but it is something I keep a lot of to myself. [Even though I know this blog is public, I still view it as "my diary" more and one of the reasons why more is told here sometimes.] She mentioned that I might want to find a group that deals with chronic pain (my migraines) or something along those lines. I don't know how I feel about that. I just can't imagine how it would help, I guess. How could it really be any different than my life?
I've always had horrible allergies -heck, most of my schooling was on Benedryl, then Tavast, etc. - I'm surprised I stayed awake for most of my school day. It was a part of my life, just like headaches since both my parents got migraines. I grew up with doctors telling me that the headaches I had were from my eyesight (I got glasses in 3rd grade) and there was no such thing as a sinus headache, especially in children. [Now they are thinking that sinus headaches may even be a type of migraine.] It was just part of my life, including the vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound and smells. Since it was part of our family - mom understood that I wasn't lying when I said I didn't feel well but others don't. How do you explain a migraine to someone who doesn't get them? How do you explain it when a lot of times, each one is different, different things work, and they can last for different times and everyone can have different symptoms? You can't call into work in the morning and go in later in the day if you feel better because most people won't understand either. How many jobs can you name that are optimized to have no sound/light or smell? [Smell is the kicker - shampoo even kills me sometimes - imagine how much fun it was going into clean up kennels.]
The big thing now is that I can't take a lot of pain meds anymore (they are usually filtered through the liver) so I try to go for as long as I can before taking anything (which is good and bad - migraines sometimes react better the sooner to catch them - but most of the time my migraines either don't respond or come back the next day anyway). I just really hate getting sick, it kind of scares me how easily I catch things sometimes. Just shows me how bad my immune system is now. I've been pretty lucky in that I'm not working in the public now, and I'm not getting as sick as I could be, but still - this cold scared me a bit. It didn't take long at all, and my husband didn't catch it at all.
I've always had horrible allergies -heck, most of my schooling was on Benedryl, then Tavast, etc. - I'm surprised I stayed awake for most of my school day. It was a part of my life, just like headaches since both my parents got migraines. I grew up with doctors telling me that the headaches I had were from my eyesight (I got glasses in 3rd grade) and there was no such thing as a sinus headache, especially in children. [Now they are thinking that sinus headaches may even be a type of migraine.] It was just part of my life, including the vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound and smells. Since it was part of our family - mom understood that I wasn't lying when I said I didn't feel well but others don't. How do you explain a migraine to someone who doesn't get them? How do you explain it when a lot of times, each one is different, different things work, and they can last for different times and everyone can have different symptoms? You can't call into work in the morning and go in later in the day if you feel better because most people won't understand either. How many jobs can you name that are optimized to have no sound/light or smell? [Smell is the kicker - shampoo even kills me sometimes - imagine how much fun it was going into clean up kennels.]
The big thing now is that I can't take a lot of pain meds anymore (they are usually filtered through the liver) so I try to go for as long as I can before taking anything (which is good and bad - migraines sometimes react better the sooner to catch them - but most of the time my migraines either don't respond or come back the next day anyway). I just really hate getting sick, it kind of scares me how easily I catch things sometimes. Just shows me how bad my immune system is now. I've been pretty lucky in that I'm not working in the public now, and I'm not getting as sick as I could be, but still - this cold scared me a bit. It didn't take long at all, and my husband didn't catch it at all.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
I did make a menu plan last week. But Monday got so busy - I never got a chance to post it. It didn't matter much anyway, only two of the meals got made (even Pizza Friday was moved to Saturday). Thanks to the joys of March weather- I've been ready to rip my head off for most of this week which hasn't really made me want to do much cooking. :( I can't even tell you want we ended up eating instead, I do remember that hubby brought home Hot Pockets and freezer french fries for Friday night - and one night I made a quick Alfredo-ish sauce (white sauce with shredded Asiago) for a mixture of California Frozen veggies, sauteed garlic spinach and tortellini for another.
I do know that on Monday we had Buffalo Chicken Dip (pulled from the freezer) on carrot sticks, celery sticks and whole grain baguette. [It was a great way to get some veggies in us, and monitor portions for me, and be able to double dip without spreading my germs since we each had our own little custard cups of dip.] And on Tuesday I made Migas. I 'll post both of those recipes below in addition to this weeks recipes.
For this week, We've got St. Patrick's Day on Tuesday. I'm trying two recipes from the WW site for the first time. I've not made Irish Soda Bread before and always wanted to, so I'm looking forward to that. And the Beef, Brown Rice and Mushroom Stew has Guinness in it and will be a bit different than our usual Corned Beef (I've STILL got to make the Corned Tongue). We've also got hubby's birthday on Thursday. I asked if he wanted anything, but like usual he had no ideas. *sigh* I guess that's the problem when I cook whatever he asks for normally. He got excited at the idea of Bagel Dogs, but I had already pulled them out to thaw for last week and I know they won't last until Thursday (they were short-dated in the first place when I put them in the freezer). He ended up saying that hot dogs in general would be good. I'm going to surprise him with Corn dogs since he loves those. :) I might try a baked corn dog since he's trying to lose weight, but we'll see how much they cost at the store. I'll post a recipe I found though. Here's my menu, and there's more menu ideas here: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/03/menu-plan-monday-march-16th.html [It's normally here: http://orgjunkie.com]
Monday: Bagel Dogs
Tuesday: Beef, Brown Rice & Mushroom Stew with Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
Wednesday: Tender Chicken in Gravy
Thursday: Oven Baked Corn Dogs with French Fries
Friday: Chez JJ Pizza (Homemade Pizza - recipe on site, let me know if you can't find it)
Buffalo Chicken Dip
The taste of Buffalo Wings without all the work! This thick and spicy dip is sure to be a hit with wing lovers. If you think it might be too spicy for you, start with 1/4 C. of hot sauce and add from there, if needed. Feel free to use your favorite dippers too… bread sticks, celery sticks… whatever sounds good!
From http://www.30daygourmet.com/Contest/Recipe_of_the_Month_Winners/2004_10_Recipe.asp
Makes 6 cups (24 servings) [Can be double/tripled etc]
3/4 cup French's hot sauce*
3 cups Shredded or chopped chicken
16 oz. Cream Cheese (2 bricks)
1 cup Ranch dressing (I used blue cheese)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
* = or similar brand. 3/4 C. = 6 oz.
Assembly Directions: Heat chicken and hot sauce over medium heat. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Continue cooking and stirring, until the cream cheese is melted. Mix in the cheddar cheese, heating and stirring until it is melted. Set aside to cool.
Freezing Directions: Put dip in rigid container(s) or freezer bag(s) based on how you will serve it… single servings as a snack, or all of it in one container/bag for a group/family serving. Seal, label and freeze.
Serving Directions: Thaw dip in the refrigerator. Heat in the microwave until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips or Ritz crackers. OR for a group or party, put the warmed dip in a slow cooker on low to keep it warm.
Nutritional Info: Serving size: 1/4 cup
Per Serving: 179 Calories; 15g Fat (73.3% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 47mg Cholesterol; 417mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1-1/2 Lean Meat; 2-1/2 Fat.
Migas (pronounced MEE-gahs) is a Tex-Mex tangle of eggs, bits of corn tortilla, and a host of savory, from black beans, chorizo and cheese to salsa, avocado and chiles. A dish that many professed egg-haters relish, it probably can thank its existence to thrifty cooks looking to use left-over tortillas, since tortillas are an integral part of the dish. The word, migas, in fact, is derived from the Spanish word for crumbs. Because they are an egg dish, they are traditionally served at breakfast or brunch. Like omlettes though, they can make an excellent dinner as well. The corn tortillas in migas can take the form of either fresh tortillas or tostadas (tortilla chips), as reflected by our recipes. When tostadas are used, they are added near the end of preparation so they retain their crispness. Some additional possibilities for enhancing your migas are:
crisply cooked and crumbled bacon
chopped ham
crumbled chorizo (browned before you add the eggs)
cooked, shredded chicken or turkey
grated or diced potato (sautéed until tender before adding the eggs)
poblano chiles
green bell pepper
green onion
cayenne pepper (a dash or so)
minced garlic
Migas with Fresh Tortillas
Chop the onion, green chiles, tomato, avocado and cilantro before you start the migas so they'll be ready when you need them. This recipe makes two servings, but it can easily be doubled or tripled or more for a larger crowd.
4 large eggs
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon salsa (your favorite, but it should be chunky)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 6-inch corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 Tablespoons chopped green chiles
1 medium tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
1/2 cup chopped avocado, sprinkled with a little lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
2/3 cup grated mild cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese, or combination of both
crema or sour cream
In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, water and salsa, and set aside. Warm the butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the tortilla pieces and sauté until softened. Add the chopped onion and sauté until it is transparent. Stir in the chopped green chiles. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and "scramble" until eggs are done. Remove the skillet from heat, and sprinkle the chopped tomato, avocado, cilantro and cheese into the eggs, again stirring well. Serve at once with warm flour tortillas. Garnish with additional salsa and crema or sour cream.
Homemade Bagel Dogs
Makes 8
4 pts for the "bagel" and points for the hotdog you choose
I haven't tried freezing these myself, but I don't see why they wouldn't. For those that want to do a vegan bagel dog, I don't see why you couldn't use the appropriate "dog" and use the bialy dough recipe I've posted elsewhere on my site instead (or your own bagel recipe without eggs included).
Adapted from: http://diaryofthesuburbanhausfrau.blogspot.com AND http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2005/08/19/bagel-dogs/
For Bagels:
3/4 Cup Water (80 degrees F)
1 Egg
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Cups Bread Flour
2 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
For Water Bath:
2 Quarts Water
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
Egg Glaze:
1 Egg, beaten
1-2 Tablespoons Milk
Topping Ideas:
Poppy Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Dried Onion Flakes
Garlic Powder
Kosher Salt
Celery Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Hot Dogs:
8 Hot Dogs (any type you'd like)
For ABM: Combine in order recommended by your machine. Select dough cycle (makes 1 1/2 pounds). When cycle is complete, punch down dough and remove dough to lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 8 pieces.
If making by hand: You will want the water warmer - about 110-115 degrees and will use all-purpose flour (bread flour is too high in gluten to knead easily by hand). In a small bowl, combine water, 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes until yeast is foamy. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, rest of sugar, and salt. Right before mixing yeast mixture into flour mixture, break egg into yeast mixture and combine. Add to flour mixture and add rest of flour to make a ball. Turn onto lightly floured surface, kneading by hand for about 10-15 minutes and adding extra flour if needed to keep from sticking, until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic. Spray rising container with oil and let rise in a warm place 1-1 1/2 hours (until doubled, depends on temp of house). Punch down dough and remove dough to lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 8 pieces.
For Food Processor: Use cooler water (80 F) and bread machine flour. Combine water, 1 teaspoon sugar, yeast and egg in a measuring cup. Put dry in food processor with blade attached and mix well with a few short pulses of the blade. Add wet while blade is running and process briefly just enough for dough to come together. Let rest for 15 minutes. Process dough again using quick pulses until it forms a smooth, soft ball. Add more flour or liquid if needed. Dough should easily come away from the sides of the bowl and the blades. Spray rising container with oil and let rise in a warm place 1-1 1/2 hours (until doubled, depends on temp of house). Punch down dough and remove dough to lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 8 pieces.
For Stand Mixer: Use warm water (110-115 degrees) and bread flour. Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed bowl with 1 teaspoon sugar for 5 minutes. Add remaining liquids and dry -except last cup of flour. Using dough hook, turn to Speed 2 for about 1 minute, or until are thoroughly mixed. Continuing on Speed 2, gently tap remaining flour around the sides of the bowl, 1/2 cup at a time, as needed. Mix until dough cleans to hook and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. When dough clings to hook, knead on Speed 2 for 2 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Remove dough from hook. Spray rising container with oil and let rise in a warm place 1-1 1/2 hours (until doubled, depends on temp of house). Punch down dough and remove dough to lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 8 pieces.
There are two ways to make the Bagel Dogs: Spiral and Enclosed.
For the spiral - roll out each part into a snake that is twice as long as your chosen hot dog. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough snake in both directions- lengthwise and widthwise. Place your hot dog at one end of the flattened snake at approximately a 45 degree angle. Roll your dog, wrapping it up with the bagel dough, allowing the dough to overlap about 1/2 inch as it twists along the dog. Make sure that it is sealed well on each end, I like to dip my fingers in a bowl of water and use my wet fingers to squeeze the ends shut.
I tried the Enclosed this last time, and while I need to work on it a bit more so that one side doesn't have more breading than the other side, I liked it a lot better. For this one I rolled out each piece a little longer than the length of a hotdog, but about double the width of one. I wet one side of the dough by dipping my fingers in a bowl of water and brushing them on the edge. I set the hotdog inside and sealed it, and then made sure it was sealed well inside, once more using wet fingers to make sure the edges were sealed well.
Place Bagel dogs on a baking sheet coated with vegetable oil or Silpat mat (this is what I use all the time anyway, it's also what I use to knead/roll out on) and cover with a light towel and let rest for about 20-30 minutes in a draft-free place. [I usually take this time to pre-heat the oven since it takes a while to warm up because of my baking stone, and get the boiling water ready.]
Get a large pot of boiling water ready. I like to add 2 Tablespoon of brown sugar and 2 Tablespoon of kosher salt to it (I do this for my bagels too) but you don't have to if you don't want to. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
When the rising time is up, boil the dogs in batches of 2, for 3 minutes. I try to turn them over at the 1 1/2 minute mark, but they don't always want to, it's not a big thing. Drain and place back on the oiled baking sheet. Continue like this with the rest of the dogs. Brush with the egg glaze (if using, I don't bother) and sprinkle with your choice of toppings on top of the boiled dogs.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving, and remember that these hold their heat really well and will be HOT!
Beef, Brown Rice and Mushroom Stew
Although a rich stew like this is often made with fatty chuck, bottom round provides a healthy alternative without compromising flavor. The stew, a baked concoction, can be made ahead. Refrigerate for up to 3 days and reheat over medium heat, or freeze in plastic containers for up to 3 months.
Makes 6 1-cup servings
POINTS® value per serving: 6
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 pounds bottom round, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 pound cremini or white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 tsp stemmed fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
One 12-ounce bottle Guinness stout
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Spray a large casserole or oven-safe saucepan with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the meat (working in batches if necessary) and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Spray again with nonstick spray and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until they release their liquid, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the thyme, caraway seeds, salt and pepper; cook until aromatic, about 15 seconds.
Pour in the broth and beer, stirring until the foam dissipates. Stir the beef back into the stew and bring to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
Stir in the rice. Cover and bake until the meat and rice are tender, stirring once or twice, about 1 more hour.
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
Baking soda was the boon to home bakers in the late 18th century. No more yeast! Irish soda bread celebrates this quick-and-easy heartiness: Here's a raisin-and-caraway studded loaf with no fuss and big taste. The soda bread, of course, is "of the moment," best within a few hours of being made.
Makes 1 round loaf (8 slices).
Serving size: 1 slice (1/8 loaf)
POINTS® value per serving: 3
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup plus 1 tsp all-purpose flour, separated
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup golden raisins
4 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Nonstick cooking spray
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Whisk the buttermilk and oil in a medium bowl; set aside.
Whisk 1 cup all-purpose flour, the whole-wheat flour, raisins, caraway seeds, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the buttermilk mixture with a wooden spoon until thoroughly moistened.
Dust a clean, dry work surface with the remaining 1 teaspoon flour. Turn the dough out onto work surface and knead for 30 seconds, just until it coheres. Shape into a round loaf about 6 inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Use a sharp knife or a new razor blade to cut an "x" about 1/2 inch deep in the top of the loaf.
Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray, place the loaf on it, and bake until lightly browned and crusty, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Tender Chicken in Gravy
This comforting dish will satisfy your pickiest eater. Serve over 1/2 cup brown rice with a side of steamed broccoli for a meal with a POINTS value of 7 per serving
From: Weight Watchers 20 Minutes Recipes Spring 2009
Yield: 4 servings ( about 3 chicken tenders and 1/4 cup gravy) Points: 5
cooking spray
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
14 ounce can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon light butter
2 Tablespoon chopped chopped fresh parsley, divided
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken, and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn chicken; add broth, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove chicken from pan; set aside, and keep warm.
Combine milk and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Bring broth mixture to a boil. Cook 4 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Slowly stir in milk mixture, butter, and 1 Tablespoon parsley. Cook, stirring constantly until gravy thickens. Serve over chicken; sprinkle with remaining parsley.
Per serving: Cal 254 (14% from fat); fat 4g; (sat 1.7g); pro 43.5g; carb 8.2g; fib 0.4g; chol 105 mg; iron1.7mg; sod 598mg; calc 113mg
Baked Corn Dogs
Baked corn dogs, a new and improved take on a state-fair snack, put fast, fun food at your fingertips. Be sure to buy ice-pop sticks if you don't have them on hand. Serve these with baked beans coleslaw.
From Everyday Food Magazine Jan/Feb 2007
Serves 4.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for dusting sausages
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2/3 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 precooked smoked chicken sausages (13 ounces total)
Ketchup and mustard, for serving (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Make a well in center; add milk, eggs, and oil. Mix just until combined.
Insert an ice-pop stick into one end of each sausage, leaving a 1 1/2-inch handle. Dust with flour; tap off excess. Using handle, rotate each sausage over bowl as you spoon batter to coat evenly. Place on sheet; bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Using a spatula, reapply batter that has slipped onto sheet. Return to oven; bake until golden, 20 minutes. Serve with ketchup and mustard, if desired.
I do know that on Monday we had Buffalo Chicken Dip (pulled from the freezer) on carrot sticks, celery sticks and whole grain baguette. [It was a great way to get some veggies in us, and monitor portions for me, and be able to double dip without spreading my germs since we each had our own little custard cups of dip.] And on Tuesday I made Migas. I 'll post both of those recipes below in addition to this weeks recipes.
For this week, We've got St. Patrick's Day on Tuesday. I'm trying two recipes from the WW site for the first time. I've not made Irish Soda Bread before and always wanted to, so I'm looking forward to that. And the Beef, Brown Rice and Mushroom Stew has Guinness in it and will be a bit different than our usual Corned Beef (I've STILL got to make the Corned Tongue). We've also got hubby's birthday on Thursday. I asked if he wanted anything, but like usual he had no ideas. *sigh* I guess that's the problem when I cook whatever he asks for normally. He got excited at the idea of Bagel Dogs, but I had already pulled them out to thaw for last week and I know they won't last until Thursday (they were short-dated in the first place when I put them in the freezer). He ended up saying that hot dogs in general would be good. I'm going to surprise him with Corn dogs since he loves those. :) I might try a baked corn dog since he's trying to lose weight, but we'll see how much they cost at the store. I'll post a recipe I found though. Here's my menu, and there's more menu ideas here: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/03/menu-plan-monday-march-16th.html [It's normally here: http://orgjunkie.com]
Monday: Bagel Dogs
Tuesday: Beef, Brown Rice & Mushroom Stew with Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
Wednesday: Tender Chicken in Gravy
Thursday: Oven Baked Corn Dogs with French Fries
Friday: Chez JJ Pizza (Homemade Pizza - recipe on site, let me know if you can't find it)
Buffalo Chicken Dip
The taste of Buffalo Wings without all the work! This thick and spicy dip is sure to be a hit with wing lovers. If you think it might be too spicy for you, start with 1/4 C. of hot sauce and add from there, if needed. Feel free to use your favorite dippers too… bread sticks, celery sticks… whatever sounds good!
From http://www.30daygourmet.com/Contest/Recipe_of_the_Month_Winners/2004_10_Recipe.asp
Makes 6 cups (24 servings) [Can be double/tripled etc]
3/4 cup French's hot sauce*
3 cups Shredded or chopped chicken
16 oz. Cream Cheese (2 bricks)
1 cup Ranch dressing (I used blue cheese)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
* = or similar brand. 3/4 C. = 6 oz.
Assembly Directions: Heat chicken and hot sauce over medium heat. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Continue cooking and stirring, until the cream cheese is melted. Mix in the cheddar cheese, heating and stirring until it is melted. Set aside to cool.
Freezing Directions: Put dip in rigid container(s) or freezer bag(s) based on how you will serve it… single servings as a snack, or all of it in one container/bag for a group/family serving. Seal, label and freeze.
Serving Directions: Thaw dip in the refrigerator. Heat in the microwave until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips or Ritz crackers. OR for a group or party, put the warmed dip in a slow cooker on low to keep it warm.
Nutritional Info: Serving size: 1/4 cup
Per Serving: 179 Calories; 15g Fat (73.3% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 47mg Cholesterol; 417mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1-1/2 Lean Meat; 2-1/2 Fat.
Migas (pronounced MEE-gahs) is a Tex-Mex tangle of eggs, bits of corn tortilla, and a host of savory, from black beans, chorizo and cheese to salsa, avocado and chiles. A dish that many professed egg-haters relish, it probably can thank its existence to thrifty cooks looking to use left-over tortillas, since tortillas are an integral part of the dish. The word, migas, in fact, is derived from the Spanish word for crumbs. Because they are an egg dish, they are traditionally served at breakfast or brunch. Like omlettes though, they can make an excellent dinner as well. The corn tortillas in migas can take the form of either fresh tortillas or tostadas (tortilla chips), as reflected by our recipes. When tostadas are used, they are added near the end of preparation so they retain their crispness. Some additional possibilities for enhancing your migas are:
crisply cooked and crumbled bacon
chopped ham
crumbled chorizo (browned before you add the eggs)
cooked, shredded chicken or turkey
grated or diced potato (sautéed until tender before adding the eggs)
poblano chiles
green bell pepper
green onion
cayenne pepper (a dash or so)
minced garlic
Migas with Fresh Tortillas
Chop the onion, green chiles, tomato, avocado and cilantro before you start the migas so they'll be ready when you need them. This recipe makes two servings, but it can easily be doubled or tripled or more for a larger crowd.
4 large eggs
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon salsa (your favorite, but it should be chunky)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 6-inch corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 Tablespoons chopped green chiles
1 medium tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
1/2 cup chopped avocado, sprinkled with a little lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
2/3 cup grated mild cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese, or combination of both
crema or sour cream
In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, water and salsa, and set aside. Warm the butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the tortilla pieces and sauté until softened. Add the chopped onion and sauté until it is transparent. Stir in the chopped green chiles. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and "scramble" until eggs are done. Remove the skillet from heat, and sprinkle the chopped tomato, avocado, cilantro and cheese into the eggs, again stirring well. Serve at once with warm flour tortillas. Garnish with additional salsa and crema or sour cream.
Homemade Bagel Dogs
Makes 8
4 pts for the "bagel" and points for the hotdog you choose
I haven't tried freezing these myself, but I don't see why they wouldn't. For those that want to do a vegan bagel dog, I don't see why you couldn't use the appropriate "dog" and use the bialy dough recipe I've posted elsewhere on my site instead (or your own bagel recipe without eggs included).
Adapted from: http://diaryofthesuburbanhausfrau.blogspot.com AND http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2005/08/19/bagel-dogs/
For Bagels:
3/4 Cup Water (80 degrees F)
1 Egg
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Cups Bread Flour
2 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
For Water Bath:
2 Quarts Water
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
Egg Glaze:
1 Egg, beaten
1-2 Tablespoons Milk
Topping Ideas:
Poppy Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Dried Onion Flakes
Garlic Powder
Kosher Salt
Celery Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Hot Dogs:
8 Hot Dogs (any type you'd like)
For ABM: Combine in order recommended by your machine. Select dough cycle (makes 1 1/2 pounds). When cycle is complete, punch down dough and remove dough to lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 8 pieces.
If making by hand: You will want the water warmer - about 110-115 degrees and will use all-purpose flour (bread flour is too high in gluten to knead easily by hand). In a small bowl, combine water, 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes until yeast is foamy. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, rest of sugar, and salt. Right before mixing yeast mixture into flour mixture, break egg into yeast mixture and combine. Add to flour mixture and add rest of flour to make a ball. Turn onto lightly floured surface, kneading by hand for about 10-15 minutes and adding extra flour if needed to keep from sticking, until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic. Spray rising container with oil and let rise in a warm place 1-1 1/2 hours (until doubled, depends on temp of house). Punch down dough and remove dough to lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 8 pieces.
For Food Processor: Use cooler water (80 F) and bread machine flour. Combine water, 1 teaspoon sugar, yeast and egg in a measuring cup. Put dry in food processor with blade attached and mix well with a few short pulses of the blade. Add wet while blade is running and process briefly just enough for dough to come together. Let rest for 15 minutes. Process dough again using quick pulses until it forms a smooth, soft ball. Add more flour or liquid if needed. Dough should easily come away from the sides of the bowl and the blades. Spray rising container with oil and let rise in a warm place 1-1 1/2 hours (until doubled, depends on temp of house). Punch down dough and remove dough to lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 8 pieces.
For Stand Mixer: Use warm water (110-115 degrees) and bread flour. Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed bowl with 1 teaspoon sugar for 5 minutes. Add remaining liquids and dry -except last cup of flour. Using dough hook, turn to Speed 2 for about 1 minute, or until are thoroughly mixed. Continuing on Speed 2, gently tap remaining flour around the sides of the bowl, 1/2 cup at a time, as needed. Mix until dough cleans to hook and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. When dough clings to hook, knead on Speed 2 for 2 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Remove dough from hook. Spray rising container with oil and let rise in a warm place 1-1 1/2 hours (until doubled, depends on temp of house). Punch down dough and remove dough to lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 8 pieces.
There are two ways to make the Bagel Dogs: Spiral and Enclosed.
For the spiral - roll out each part into a snake that is twice as long as your chosen hot dog. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough snake in both directions- lengthwise and widthwise. Place your hot dog at one end of the flattened snake at approximately a 45 degree angle. Roll your dog, wrapping it up with the bagel dough, allowing the dough to overlap about 1/2 inch as it twists along the dog. Make sure that it is sealed well on each end, I like to dip my fingers in a bowl of water and use my wet fingers to squeeze the ends shut.
I tried the Enclosed this last time, and while I need to work on it a bit more so that one side doesn't have more breading than the other side, I liked it a lot better. For this one I rolled out each piece a little longer than the length of a hotdog, but about double the width of one. I wet one side of the dough by dipping my fingers in a bowl of water and brushing them on the edge. I set the hotdog inside and sealed it, and then made sure it was sealed well inside, once more using wet fingers to make sure the edges were sealed well.
Place Bagel dogs on a baking sheet coated with vegetable oil or Silpat mat (this is what I use all the time anyway, it's also what I use to knead/roll out on) and cover with a light towel and let rest for about 20-30 minutes in a draft-free place. [I usually take this time to pre-heat the oven since it takes a while to warm up because of my baking stone, and get the boiling water ready.]
Get a large pot of boiling water ready. I like to add 2 Tablespoon of brown sugar and 2 Tablespoon of kosher salt to it (I do this for my bagels too) but you don't have to if you don't want to. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
When the rising time is up, boil the dogs in batches of 2, for 3 minutes. I try to turn them over at the 1 1/2 minute mark, but they don't always want to, it's not a big thing. Drain and place back on the oiled baking sheet. Continue like this with the rest of the dogs. Brush with the egg glaze (if using, I don't bother) and sprinkle with your choice of toppings on top of the boiled dogs.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving, and remember that these hold their heat really well and will be HOT!
Beef, Brown Rice and Mushroom Stew
Although a rich stew like this is often made with fatty chuck, bottom round provides a healthy alternative without compromising flavor. The stew, a baked concoction, can be made ahead. Refrigerate for up to 3 days and reheat over medium heat, or freeze in plastic containers for up to 3 months.
Makes 6 1-cup servings
POINTS® value per serving: 6
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 pounds bottom round, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 pound cremini or white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 tsp stemmed fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
One 12-ounce bottle Guinness stout
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Spray a large casserole or oven-safe saucepan with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the meat (working in batches if necessary) and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Spray again with nonstick spray and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until they release their liquid, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the thyme, caraway seeds, salt and pepper; cook until aromatic, about 15 seconds.
Pour in the broth and beer, stirring until the foam dissipates. Stir the beef back into the stew and bring to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
Stir in the rice. Cover and bake until the meat and rice are tender, stirring once or twice, about 1 more hour.
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
Baking soda was the boon to home bakers in the late 18th century. No more yeast! Irish soda bread celebrates this quick-and-easy heartiness: Here's a raisin-and-caraway studded loaf with no fuss and big taste. The soda bread, of course, is "of the moment," best within a few hours of being made.
Makes 1 round loaf (8 slices).
Serving size: 1 slice (1/8 loaf)
POINTS® value per serving: 3
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup plus 1 tsp all-purpose flour, separated
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup golden raisins
4 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Nonstick cooking spray
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Whisk the buttermilk and oil in a medium bowl; set aside.
Whisk 1 cup all-purpose flour, the whole-wheat flour, raisins, caraway seeds, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the buttermilk mixture with a wooden spoon until thoroughly moistened.
Dust a clean, dry work surface with the remaining 1 teaspoon flour. Turn the dough out onto work surface and knead for 30 seconds, just until it coheres. Shape into a round loaf about 6 inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Use a sharp knife or a new razor blade to cut an "x" about 1/2 inch deep in the top of the loaf.
Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray, place the loaf on it, and bake until lightly browned and crusty, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Tender Chicken in Gravy
This comforting dish will satisfy your pickiest eater. Serve over 1/2 cup brown rice with a side of steamed broccoli for a meal with a POINTS value of 7 per serving
From: Weight Watchers 20 Minutes Recipes Spring 2009
Yield: 4 servings ( about 3 chicken tenders and 1/4 cup gravy) Points: 5
cooking spray
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
14 ounce can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon light butter
2 Tablespoon chopped chopped fresh parsley, divided
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken, and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn chicken; add broth, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove chicken from pan; set aside, and keep warm.
Combine milk and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Bring broth mixture to a boil. Cook 4 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Slowly stir in milk mixture, butter, and 1 Tablespoon parsley. Cook, stirring constantly until gravy thickens. Serve over chicken; sprinkle with remaining parsley.
Per serving: Cal 254 (14% from fat); fat 4g; (sat 1.7g); pro 43.5g; carb 8.2g; fib 0.4g; chol 105 mg; iron1.7mg; sod 598mg; calc 113mg
Baked Corn Dogs
Baked corn dogs, a new and improved take on a state-fair snack, put fast, fun food at your fingertips. Be sure to buy ice-pop sticks if you don't have them on hand. Serve these with baked beans coleslaw.
From Everyday Food Magazine Jan/Feb 2007
Serves 4.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for dusting sausages
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2/3 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 precooked smoked chicken sausages (13 ounces total)
Ketchup and mustard, for serving (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Make a well in center; add milk, eggs, and oil. Mix just until combined.
Insert an ice-pop stick into one end of each sausage, leaving a 1 1/2-inch handle. Dust with flour; tap off excess. Using handle, rotate each sausage over bowl as you spoon batter to coat evenly. Place on sheet; bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Using a spatula, reapply batter that has slipped onto sheet. Return to oven; bake until golden, 20 minutes. Serve with ketchup and mustard, if desired.
Friday, March 06, 2009
I really just want to breeetdh.
Yep, the menu's changed. Oh well. Not a big thing- I've got a cold and can't breathe (or smell or taste much) and hubby was at his mom's after work on Tuesday and Wednesday. We did lose power for a few hours right after eating dinner (I made a slightly different recipe - mostly the same, just in casserole form - recipe below). I know the recipe looks really involved, but pretty much everything can me made ahead of time when you have the chance (this is a good time to make Crockpot Caramelized Onions [its one of the recipes listed]!). I'm also thinking that this might be a good recipe to try as a freeze ahead recipe too - since it' makes A LOT (especially for just two of us). Anyway, I ended up just making some tatertots for me on Tuesday along with the rotisserie chicken I bought when I went grocery shopping and eating leftovers on Wednesday. I did make the Poutine last night (made homemade oven baked fries instead of french fries though). I haven't decided if we're having pizza, migas, chicken noodle soup or leftovers tonight though. I didn't sleep well last night and hubby's going to work tomorrow too, so I might just do pizza tomorrow instead and make his Saturday dinner a bit more special.
Kusherie Casserole
(Egyptian rice, macaroni and lentils with spicy tomato sauce and browned onions)
This very common Egyptian dish of rice, lentils, and macaroni with spicy tomato sauce and browned onions has been a family favorite for many years. The rice, lentils, and macaroni are usually served separately with the sauce alongside, but I find this dish translates very well into a casserole, and it's easier to serve to a crowd or transport in this form.
From “The Almost No Fat Holiday Cookbook: Festive Vegetarian Recipes” by Bryanna Clark Grogan
Makes 8 servings.
Spicy Tomato Sauce:
3 1/2 cups tomato juice (can be drained from canned tomatoes)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 Tablespoons celery leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon sugar, honey, or alternate sweetener
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Rice and Lentils:
1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
4 vegetarian or soy cubes
Black pepper, to taste
2 cups dry whole wheat or regular macaroni, cooked until just done and drained
Browned Onions:
3 large onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20-30 minutes.
To cook the rice and lentils, lightly oil a heavy pot and add the lentils. Stir over high heat until they start to change color, then add the water, brown rice, vegetable cubes, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer (or bake in a 350 degree F oven) for 60 minutes.
Mix the cooked, drained macaroni with 1/4 cup of the sauce. Steam-fry the onions and garlic in a lightly oiled skillet until soft and browned.
To assemble the casserole, preheat the oven to 350degreesF. Oil a shallow 9” x 13” baking pan and layer half the rice and lentils, the macaroni, the remaining rice and lentils, the sauce and the browned onions, in that order. Cover with heavy foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Serve casserole with plain yogurt or sour cream, if desired.
Per Serving: Calories 419, Protein 16 g, Fat 1 g, Carb 83g
Kusherie Casserole
(Egyptian rice, macaroni and lentils with spicy tomato sauce and browned onions)
This very common Egyptian dish of rice, lentils, and macaroni with spicy tomato sauce and browned onions has been a family favorite for many years. The rice, lentils, and macaroni are usually served separately with the sauce alongside, but I find this dish translates very well into a casserole, and it's easier to serve to a crowd or transport in this form.
From “The Almost No Fat Holiday Cookbook: Festive Vegetarian Recipes” by Bryanna Clark Grogan
Makes 8 servings.
Spicy Tomato Sauce:
3 1/2 cups tomato juice (can be drained from canned tomatoes)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 Tablespoons celery leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon sugar, honey, or alternate sweetener
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Rice and Lentils:
1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
4 vegetarian or soy cubes
Black pepper, to taste
2 cups dry whole wheat or regular macaroni, cooked until just done and drained
Browned Onions:
3 large onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20-30 minutes.
To cook the rice and lentils, lightly oil a heavy pot and add the lentils. Stir over high heat until they start to change color, then add the water, brown rice, vegetable cubes, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer (or bake in a 350 degree F oven) for 60 minutes.
Mix the cooked, drained macaroni with 1/4 cup of the sauce. Steam-fry the onions and garlic in a lightly oiled skillet until soft and browned.
To assemble the casserole, preheat the oven to 350degreesF. Oil a shallow 9” x 13” baking pan and layer half the rice and lentils, the macaroni, the remaining rice and lentils, the sauce and the browned onions, in that order. Cover with heavy foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Serve casserole with plain yogurt or sour cream, if desired.
Per Serving: Calories 419, Protein 16 g, Fat 1 g, Carb 83g
Monday, March 02, 2009
Menu Plan Monday - Snowbound Edition!
Well, things went just a bit different last week, and my menu plan has already changed for this week.
For last week, hubby's windshield totally cracked and then his truck was making a funny noise. I had moved up the easy meal to a different night because of a migraine, and of course the next night I had to go pick him up from work because he had to drop his truck off to be looked at the next morning. *sigh* We ended up having the Red Beans and Rice on Tuesday, Chef Boyarde Ravioli on Wed. I had missed my WW meeting on Tues because of the migraine, so I drove him to work on Thurs. and would hit the Thurs 11:30 meeting. I still had a migraine, and my meds hadn't kicked in yet (he actually drove TO work, I just rode) so I asked his mom if I could crash at her place until my WW meeting instead of going to the Library like I planned. She was ok with that, but hubby had forgotten to tell me that she had a really bad cold, and she was worried I'd catch that. I fell asleep on her couch for a bit, woke up feeling a bit better and went to WW, left my jacket at her place and went back. She ended up convincing me to stay since I'd have to pick up hubby that evening anyway and no reason to drive home. I offered to pick up a few things at the grocery store for her and she offered to buy me pho (I tried to convince her of it's healing properties earlier but it wasn't working). I also ended up taking her to CVS later too. About 5:45 I texted hubby to see if he was going to be late, or if I needed to be there at 6 and he tells me that his truck was ready early that morning but he got busy and forgot to call me. *SIGH* At least I got to do some stuff for his mom that she probably wouldn't have let me do otherwise. That night we had Beans & Weenies - not hubbies fave, but I love. Turns out he was either really hungry or he really likes the new Bush's Grillin' Beans because he ate 3 servings! Hubby announces he wasn't to go out and try The Silver Diner for our anniversary instead of me cooking. Fine by me- the cheesecake will be tried next year. And for Fri- we didn't have homemade pizza - I still wasn't feeling great, so hubby brought home a FoodLion pizza. Not one of their freezer one, but one of those fresh ones that you bake. It wasn't bad. Not a Chez JJ but not bad for $8.00.
Sooo, they're calling for bad weather, and I'm still getting migraines. It's rainy and when we leave for dinner it's starting to sleet. It's rain in Richmond, we have a good meal (I have enough fried food to last me a year - fried onion rings, fried clams, french fries) and we stop by FoodLion to pick up bread and stuff for John's lunchs for next week since I didn't get bread made. At this point we're hoping to make it to MiL's on Sunday - but not sure we're going to with the weather. I put a bit of icemelt on the steps because it's pretty slippery already.
I wake up on Sunday to a layer of ice over everything and we let MiL know we're not going to go anywhere. And then it snows....and snows....and snows...and snows. I fix the Red Lentil Soup that I had planned for earlier this week for dinner (YUM!) and the power starts to flicker. We lose power not soon after. *sigh* Luckily it's not off for too long, and since it's not too cold outside the house doesn't get too cold either. When we get up Monday, I'm thinking we have about 10 inches (that's what they mention on the news). So, since I didn't go shopping for my menu (I planned it on Friday), I have had to move it around already.
For more menu ideas visit: I'm an Organizing Junkie
I'm not posting days since it could all change (although the first one we're having tonight as long as we still have power - it's been blinking):
Koshary (Egyptian Lentils with Rice, Macaroni, Browned Onions and Spicy Tomato Sauce)
Ravioli with Garlic Parsley Sauce (I've actually still got some pasta from Costco - but I'll post the recipe I use when I don't)
Poutine (French Fries with Cheese Curds and Gravy) [I'm either oven baking the fries or buying frozen fries]
Migas with Fresh Tortillas
Pizza
FFY
Cheeseburger Soup with bread bowls
Egyptian Rice and Lentils (Koshary)
Adapted From "Extending the Table" -Fiza, Mattareyya, Egypt; and Mary F. Beck, Cairo, Egypt
Koshary is Egypt's street food. Vendors serve this low-cost, nutritious meal in dishes or plastic bags from little kiosks. It is also an important dish for Coptic Orthodox Christians because it is meatless and can be eaten during times of fasting. In Egypt the sauce is made from fresh tomatoes, and the rice and lentils are always served with macaroni.
My Notes: From a friend on the WW CLC board (Jilly) who's husband is from Egypt, she makes a spicy vinaigrette to go on top at the end just like we would use Tabasco or Pepper Vinegar and puts a bay leaf in with the rice and lentils. She just gives ingredients for the vinaigrette, just mix them to your tastes.
Serves 8
Rice and Lentils:
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/4 cups lentils
3 cups boiling water (or stock)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper
1 1/2 cups rice
1 cup boiling water (or stock)
Sauce:
3/4 cup tomato paste
3 1/2 cups tomato juice (or tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes)
1 green pepper, chopped
3Tbsp celery leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or crushed chilis to taste)
Macaroni:
2 cups macaroni, any variety
3 Tbsp of above sauce
1 Tbsp oil
Browned Onions:
2 tablespoons oil
3 onions, sliced
4 garlic clove, minced
JillyBean's Spicy Vinaigrette (all to taste):
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
minced garlic
apple cider vinegar
olive oil
In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, brown lentils in 2 Tbsp oil, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the 3 cups boiling stock, bay leaf, and the salt and pepper. Cook uncovered 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the rice and 1 cup stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes without stirring.
Meanwhile make sauce: Heat all the sauce ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes.
Once the sauce is made, Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and mix with 3 Tbsp of the above sauce and 1 Tbsp oil.
To make browned onions, heat oil in a small skillet. Saute onions and garlic over medium heat till brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve rice-lentil mixture in one serving dish and macaroni in another. Place side-by-side on plates, ladle sauce over and top with browned onions. Or pile rice-lentil mixture and macaroni on a large serving platter. Spread tomato sauce over, and top with onions. Individuals may add plain yogurt.
Ravioli with Garlic Parsley Sauce
This is like the frozen Garlic ravioli you can get at Costco.
Serves 4-6
16 ounces ravioli, preferably spinach
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch fresh parsley, minced
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons butter, or olive oil
Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and put back into pan. Add everything else to pan and stir to mix. Serve with crusty bread and a salad.
Poutine (French Fries with Cheese Curds and Gravy)
Makes 4 side servings or 2 main servings
To save calories, oven bake the fries, use FF stock and thicken with cornstarch and use lowfat cheese.
4 large russet potatoes
oil for deep frying
salt
2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups cheese curds
Peel and slice the potatoes into thick fries (at least 1 cm thick). Soak the potatoes in ice water for about 30 minutes. Remove and drain well.
Heat oil for frying to about 325F and deep fry potatoes for about 8 minutes. Remove from oil and set on paper towel. Turn the oil up to 375F.
In a saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour. Add the beef broth and stir over medium-high heat until thickened. Reduce heat and keep hot. (I use a tiny bit of gravy browning to get that nice dark color).
Return the French fries to the oil and continue frying until golden and crispy. This should take about 5 more minutes. Remove fries to drain on paper towel and salt to taste.
Assemble the poutine quick while everything is still HOT. (Poutine is best made in a bowl or other container which will contain the heat and help melt the curds. Also, the curds should be at room temperature before assembling the Poutine). Start with a layer of fries. Put some cheese curds in the middle. Add more fries and top with more cheese curds. Ladle gravy over the fries and cheese curds.
Migas with Fresh Tortillas
Migas (pronounced MEE gahs) is a Tex-Mex tangle of eggs, bits of corn tortilla, and a host of savory , from black beans, chorizo and cheese to salsa, avocado and chiles. A dish that many professed egg-haters relish, it probably can thank its existence to thrifty cooks looking to use left-over tortillas, since tortillas are an integral part of the dish. The word, migas, in fact, is derived from the Spanish word for crumbs.
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon salsa (your favorite, but it should be chunky)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 6-inch corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 tablespoons chopped green chiles
1 medium tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
1/2 cup chopped avocado, sprinkled with a little lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
2/3 cup grated mild cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese, or combination of both
crema or sour cream
In addition to the ingredients called for in this recipe, some additional possibilities for enhancing your migas are:
crisply cooked and crumbled bacon
chopped ham
crumbled chorizo (browned before you add the eggs)
cooked, shredded chicken or turkey
grated or diced potato (sautéed until tender before adding the eggs)
poblano chiles
green bell pepper
green onion
cayenne pepper (a dash or so)
minced garlic
In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, water and salsa, and set aside.
Warm the butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the tortilla pieces and sauté until softened. Add the chopped onion and sauté until it is transparent. Stir in the chopped green chiles.
Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and "scramble" until eggs are done. Remove the skillet from heat, and sprinkle the chopped tomato, avocado, cilantro and cheese into the eggs, again stirring well.
Serve at once with warm flour tortillas. Garnish with additional salsa and crema or sour cream.
Note: This recipe makes two servings, but it can easily be doubled or tripled or more for a larger crowd. Migas are a terrific brunch dish.
Chop the onion, green chiles, tomato, avocado and cilantro before you start the migas so they'll be ready when you need them.
Lightened Cheeseburger Soup
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion
1 c. diced celery
1/2 c. diced red bell pepper
1/2 c. carrots, julienne-sliced
3 c. peeled and cubed potatoes
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried leaf basil
1 quart fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 Tbsp. butter
1/3 c. flour
2 c. low-fat milk
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. pepper
Brown the ground beef, onion, and celery in a large saucepan or stockpot. Add the red bell pepper and cook for one minute longer. Drain the fat. Add the chicken broth, carrots, potatoes, parsley and basil or herb seasoning blend. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat; stir in flour until smooth, about 30 seconds. Slowly stir in the milk. Stir in the cheese. Continue cooking and stirring until the cheese is melted and the mixture is thick and begins to bubble. Stir the milk mixture into the soup mixture until well blended. Heat thoroughly and season to taste.
Makes eight servings. Each serving has 350 calories, 18 g of fat, 21 g of carbohydrate and 460 mg of sodium.
Bread Bowls
2 1/2 c. warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. oil
6 1/2 to 7 1/2 c. bread flour
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. milk
Measure warm water into a large bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add salt, sugar, oil and 3 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Add enough additional flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 to 12 minutes. Place dough in a bowl that has been lightly coated with nonstick spray, turning to grease top. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until double, about 1 hour.
Grease outside of 12, 10-ounce custard cups or ovenproof bowls. Punch dough down and divide into 12 pieces. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Spread each piece into a circle about 5 inches in diameter. Place dough over outside of bowl, working with hands until dough fits. Set bowls, dough side up on baking sheet coated with nonstick spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until double, about 30 minutes.
Combine egg and milk; gently brush mixture on dough. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Using potholders, carefully remove the bowls. Set bread bowls open side up on baking pan; bake 5 minutes.
Makes 12 bread bowls. Each bowl has 296 calories, 3 grams (g) of fat, 57 g of carbohydrate and 538 milligrams of sodium.
For last week, hubby's windshield totally cracked and then his truck was making a funny noise. I had moved up the easy meal to a different night because of a migraine, and of course the next night I had to go pick him up from work because he had to drop his truck off to be looked at the next morning. *sigh* We ended up having the Red Beans and Rice on Tuesday, Chef Boyarde Ravioli on Wed. I had missed my WW meeting on Tues because of the migraine, so I drove him to work on Thurs. and would hit the Thurs 11:30 meeting. I still had a migraine, and my meds hadn't kicked in yet (he actually drove TO work, I just rode) so I asked his mom if I could crash at her place until my WW meeting instead of going to the Library like I planned. She was ok with that, but hubby had forgotten to tell me that she had a really bad cold, and she was worried I'd catch that. I fell asleep on her couch for a bit, woke up feeling a bit better and went to WW, left my jacket at her place and went back. She ended up convincing me to stay since I'd have to pick up hubby that evening anyway and no reason to drive home. I offered to pick up a few things at the grocery store for her and she offered to buy me pho (I tried to convince her of it's healing properties earlier but it wasn't working). I also ended up taking her to CVS later too. About 5:45 I texted hubby to see if he was going to be late, or if I needed to be there at 6 and he tells me that his truck was ready early that morning but he got busy and forgot to call me. *SIGH* At least I got to do some stuff for his mom that she probably wouldn't have let me do otherwise. That night we had Beans & Weenies - not hubbies fave, but I love. Turns out he was either really hungry or he really likes the new Bush's Grillin' Beans because he ate 3 servings! Hubby announces he wasn't to go out and try The Silver Diner for our anniversary instead of me cooking. Fine by me- the cheesecake will be tried next year. And for Fri- we didn't have homemade pizza - I still wasn't feeling great, so hubby brought home a FoodLion pizza. Not one of their freezer one, but one of those fresh ones that you bake. It wasn't bad. Not a Chez JJ but not bad for $8.00.
Sooo, they're calling for bad weather, and I'm still getting migraines. It's rainy and when we leave for dinner it's starting to sleet. It's rain in Richmond, we have a good meal (I have enough fried food to last me a year - fried onion rings, fried clams, french fries) and we stop by FoodLion to pick up bread and stuff for John's lunchs for next week since I didn't get bread made. At this point we're hoping to make it to MiL's on Sunday - but not sure we're going to with the weather. I put a bit of icemelt on the steps because it's pretty slippery already.
I wake up on Sunday to a layer of ice over everything and we let MiL know we're not going to go anywhere. And then it snows....and snows....and snows...and snows. I fix the Red Lentil Soup that I had planned for earlier this week for dinner (YUM!) and the power starts to flicker. We lose power not soon after. *sigh* Luckily it's not off for too long, and since it's not too cold outside the house doesn't get too cold either. When we get up Monday, I'm thinking we have about 10 inches (that's what they mention on the news). So, since I didn't go shopping for my menu (I planned it on Friday), I have had to move it around already.
For more menu ideas visit: I'm an Organizing Junkie
I'm not posting days since it could all change (although the first one we're having tonight as long as we still have power - it's been blinking):
Koshary (Egyptian Lentils with Rice, Macaroni, Browned Onions and Spicy Tomato Sauce)
Ravioli with Garlic Parsley Sauce (I've actually still got some pasta from Costco - but I'll post the recipe I use when I don't)
Poutine (French Fries with Cheese Curds and Gravy) [I'm either oven baking the fries or buying frozen fries]
Migas with Fresh Tortillas
Pizza
FFY
Cheeseburger Soup with bread bowls
Egyptian Rice and Lentils (Koshary)
Adapted From "Extending the Table" -Fiza, Mattareyya, Egypt; and Mary F. Beck, Cairo, Egypt
Koshary is Egypt's street food. Vendors serve this low-cost, nutritious meal in dishes or plastic bags from little kiosks. It is also an important dish for Coptic Orthodox Christians because it is meatless and can be eaten during times of fasting. In Egypt the sauce is made from fresh tomatoes, and the rice and lentils are always served with macaroni.
My Notes: From a friend on the WW CLC board (Jilly) who's husband is from Egypt, she makes a spicy vinaigrette to go on top at the end just like we would use Tabasco or Pepper Vinegar and puts a bay leaf in with the rice and lentils. She just gives ingredients for the vinaigrette, just mix them to your tastes.
Serves 8
Rice and Lentils:
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/4 cups lentils
3 cups boiling water (or stock)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper
1 1/2 cups rice
1 cup boiling water (or stock)
Sauce:
3/4 cup tomato paste
3 1/2 cups tomato juice (or tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes)
1 green pepper, chopped
3Tbsp celery leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or crushed chilis to taste)
Macaroni:
2 cups macaroni, any variety
3 Tbsp of above sauce
1 Tbsp oil
Browned Onions:
2 tablespoons oil
3 onions, sliced
4 garlic clove, minced
JillyBean's Spicy Vinaigrette (all to taste):
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
minced garlic
apple cider vinegar
olive oil
In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, brown lentils in 2 Tbsp oil, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the 3 cups boiling stock, bay leaf, and the salt and pepper. Cook uncovered 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the rice and 1 cup stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes without stirring.
Meanwhile make sauce: Heat all the sauce ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes.
Once the sauce is made, Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and mix with 3 Tbsp of the above sauce and 1 Tbsp oil.
To make browned onions, heat oil in a small skillet. Saute onions and garlic over medium heat till brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve rice-lentil mixture in one serving dish and macaroni in another. Place side-by-side on plates, ladle sauce over and top with browned onions. Or pile rice-lentil mixture and macaroni on a large serving platter. Spread tomato sauce over, and top with onions. Individuals may add plain yogurt.
Ravioli with Garlic Parsley Sauce
This is like the frozen Garlic ravioli you can get at Costco.
Serves 4-6
16 ounces ravioli, preferably spinach
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch fresh parsley, minced
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons butter, or olive oil
Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and put back into pan. Add everything else to pan and stir to mix. Serve with crusty bread and a salad.
Poutine (French Fries with Cheese Curds and Gravy)
Makes 4 side servings or 2 main servings
To save calories, oven bake the fries, use FF stock and thicken with cornstarch and use lowfat cheese.
4 large russet potatoes
oil for deep frying
salt
2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups cheese curds
Peel and slice the potatoes into thick fries (at least 1 cm thick). Soak the potatoes in ice water for about 30 minutes. Remove and drain well.
Heat oil for frying to about 325F and deep fry potatoes for about 8 minutes. Remove from oil and set on paper towel. Turn the oil up to 375F.
In a saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour. Add the beef broth and stir over medium-high heat until thickened. Reduce heat and keep hot. (I use a tiny bit of gravy browning to get that nice dark color).
Return the French fries to the oil and continue frying until golden and crispy. This should take about 5 more minutes. Remove fries to drain on paper towel and salt to taste.
Assemble the poutine quick while everything is still HOT. (Poutine is best made in a bowl or other container which will contain the heat and help melt the curds. Also, the curds should be at room temperature before assembling the Poutine). Start with a layer of fries. Put some cheese curds in the middle. Add more fries and top with more cheese curds. Ladle gravy over the fries and cheese curds.
Migas with Fresh Tortillas
Migas (pronounced MEE gahs) is a Tex-Mex tangle of eggs, bits of corn tortilla, and a host of savory , from black beans, chorizo and cheese to salsa, avocado and chiles. A dish that many professed egg-haters relish, it probably can thank its existence to thrifty cooks looking to use left-over tortillas, since tortillas are an integral part of the dish. The word, migas, in fact, is derived from the Spanish word for crumbs.
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon salsa (your favorite, but it should be chunky)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 6-inch corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 tablespoons chopped green chiles
1 medium tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
1/2 cup chopped avocado, sprinkled with a little lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
2/3 cup grated mild cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese, or combination of both
crema or sour cream
In addition to the ingredients called for in this recipe, some additional possibilities for enhancing your migas are:
crisply cooked and crumbled bacon
chopped ham
crumbled chorizo (browned before you add the eggs)
cooked, shredded chicken or turkey
grated or diced potato (sautéed until tender before adding the eggs)
poblano chiles
green bell pepper
green onion
cayenne pepper (a dash or so)
minced garlic
In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, water and salsa, and set aside.
Warm the butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the tortilla pieces and sauté until softened. Add the chopped onion and sauté until it is transparent. Stir in the chopped green chiles.
Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and "scramble" until eggs are done. Remove the skillet from heat, and sprinkle the chopped tomato, avocado, cilantro and cheese into the eggs, again stirring well.
Serve at once with warm flour tortillas. Garnish with additional salsa and crema or sour cream.
Note: This recipe makes two servings, but it can easily be doubled or tripled or more for a larger crowd. Migas are a terrific brunch dish.
Chop the onion, green chiles, tomato, avocado and cilantro before you start the migas so they'll be ready when you need them.
Lightened Cheeseburger Soup
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion
1 c. diced celery
1/2 c. diced red bell pepper
1/2 c. carrots, julienne-sliced
3 c. peeled and cubed potatoes
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried leaf basil
1 quart fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 Tbsp. butter
1/3 c. flour
2 c. low-fat milk
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. pepper
Brown the ground beef, onion, and celery in a large saucepan or stockpot. Add the red bell pepper and cook for one minute longer. Drain the fat. Add the chicken broth, carrots, potatoes, parsley and basil or herb seasoning blend. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat; stir in flour until smooth, about 30 seconds. Slowly stir in the milk. Stir in the cheese. Continue cooking and stirring until the cheese is melted and the mixture is thick and begins to bubble. Stir the milk mixture into the soup mixture until well blended. Heat thoroughly and season to taste.
Makes eight servings. Each serving has 350 calories, 18 g of fat, 21 g of carbohydrate and 460 mg of sodium.
Bread Bowls
2 1/2 c. warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. oil
6 1/2 to 7 1/2 c. bread flour
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. milk
Measure warm water into a large bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add salt, sugar, oil and 3 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Add enough additional flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 to 12 minutes. Place dough in a bowl that has been lightly coated with nonstick spray, turning to grease top. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until double, about 1 hour.
Grease outside of 12, 10-ounce custard cups or ovenproof bowls. Punch dough down and divide into 12 pieces. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Spread each piece into a circle about 5 inches in diameter. Place dough over outside of bowl, working with hands until dough fits. Set bowls, dough side up on baking sheet coated with nonstick spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until double, about 30 minutes.
Combine egg and milk; gently brush mixture on dough. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Using potholders, carefully remove the bowls. Set bread bowls open side up on baking pan; bake 5 minutes.
Makes 12 bread bowls. Each bowl has 296 calories, 3 grams (g) of fat, 57 g of carbohydrate and 538 milligrams of sodium.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Anniversary Menu Plan Monday
Well, once more it's going to be eating more out of the pantry this week. My husband's windshield of his truck had gotten a small crack in it one day a few week ago, probably from a rock, and from the wide swings in temperatures we've had recently it spread all the way across the other day. So he's going to have to get that fixed and I'll help to save some money by using what's in the our pantry. I was hoping to have some Mediterranean-Style Baked Lima Beans, but I don't have dry or frozen lima beans on hand (the fresh automatically get eaten, I don't freeze them for later). What I thought were lima beans turned out to be favas, and while they might work, I'd rather stick with limas since I don't have to peel them. I'll have to wait until the next time I head to the store and pick some up.
This Saturday is our 11th Wedding Anniversary!! :) I'm making dinner -and yes, I wanted to - the menu is below. I have a T-bone from my sister in the freezer, so I'm going to use that. I haven't decided what other vegetable I'm making and the cheesecake is going to be an experiment for me since I don't have an exact recipe yet. I'm trying to duplicate our wedding cake, kinda. I'm going to use some light cream cheese like I do normally for a plain cheesecake, and I've not made a flavored cheesecake before, and I don't really have a recipe for this so I'm just winging it. Wish me luck! Our cake had crushed chocolate cookie base, chocolate cheesecake with orange flavoring in it and a chocolate ganache top. I'm not going to get majorly fancy with orange segments and chocolate curls because it's just us. As it is I don't really want to make a whole cheesecake as it is, since it's just the two of us, but since it freezes well, I'm going to be freezing the extra in slices.
Monday: FFY (hubby will be home late- I don't have a lot of leftovers, so it's really whatever you can find!)
Tuesday: Egyptian Rice and Lentils (Koshary) recipe below
Wednesday: Red Beans & Rice (packaged mix) with Chicken sausages
Thursday: Burmese Soup (Red Lentil Soup)
Friday: Chez JJ Pizza (Homemade Pizza)
Saturday: Our 11th Wedding Anniversary - and I'm really going to mix cultures. :) I'm making Bistecca alla Fiorentina, Pommes Frittes (although oven baking them, so I guess they're more Oven fries), and Chocolate Orange Cheesecake.
For more menu ideas visit I'm an Organizing Junkie
Egyptian Rice and Lentils (Koshary)
Adapted From "Extending the Table" -Fiza, Mattareyya, Egypt; and Mary F. Beck, Cairo, Egypt
Koshary is Egypt's street food. Vendors serve this low-cost, nutritious meal in dishes or plastic bags from little kiosks. It is also an important dish for Coptic Orthodox Christians because it is meatless and can be eaten during times of fasting. In Egypt the sauce is made from fresh tomatoes, and the rice and lentils are always served with macaroni.
My Notes: From a friend on the WW CLC board (Jilly) who's husband is from Egypt, she makes a spicy vinaigrette to go on top at the end just like we would use Tabasco or Pepper Vinegar and puts a bay leaf in with the rice and lentils. She just gives ingredients for the vinaigrette, just mix them to your tastes.
Serves 8
Rice and Lentils:
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/4 cups lentils
3 cups boiling water (or stock)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper
1 1/2 cups rice
1 cup boiling water (or stock)
Sauce:
3/4 cup tomato paste
3 1/2 cups tomato juice (or tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes)
1 green pepper, chopped
3Tbsp celery leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or crushed chilis to taste)
Macaroni:
2 cups macaroni, any variety
3 Tbsp of above sauce
1 Tbsp oil
Browned Onions:
2 tablespoons oil
3 onions, sliced
4 garlic clove, minced
JillyBean's Spicy Vinaigrette (all to taste):
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
minced garlic
apple cider vinegar
olive oil
In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, brown lentils in 2 Tbsp oil, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the 3 cups boiling stock, bay leaf, and the salt and pepper. Cook uncovered 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the rice and 1 cup stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes without stirring.
Meanwhile make sauce: Heat all the sauce ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes.
Once the sauce is made, Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and mix with 3 Tbsp of the above sauce and 1 Tbsp oil.
To make browned onions, heat oil in a small skillet. Saute onions and garlic over medium heat till brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve rice-lentil mixture in one serving dish and macaroni in another. Place side-by-side on plates, ladle sauce over and top with browned onions. Or pile rice-lentil mixture and macaroni on a large serving platter. Spread tomato sauce over, and top with onions. Individuals may add plain yogurt.
Burmese Lentil Soup
From: Katen Joshi on "Calling All Cooks" Episode CA1A08 Food Network
Serves: 4-6
Soup:
2 cups red lentils
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Add-ins:
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
10 to 12 green chilies cut into rings
2 large Idaho potatoes grated on medium grater
Vegetable oil
2 to 3 cups Vidalia onions cut into 1-inch slivers
Cubed bread (1/4-inch to 1/2-inch cubes)
Salted butter
1 cup fresh cilantro
In advance: pour distilled vinegar into a bowl with the green chili rings and let sit for at least 1 hour prior to serving soup.
To prepare soup, wash red lentils in warm water, 2 or 3 times over. Then fill large pot with 5 to 6 cups water. Cook lentils over medium flame until they lose their form, and a soup-like base is formed. Add fresh chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to soup, set soup aside.
Next, prepare the rest of the add-ins. Grate Idaho potatoes and deep fry to golden brown in hot oil. Place on paper towels to absorb excess oil, then put into a bowl. Saute onions in pan with 1/3 cup vegetable oil until golden-dark brown and caramelized, then place in a bowl. Saute cubed bread in a mixture of 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup butter until golden brown, put in a bowl. Roughly chop cilantro, put into a bowl.
To serve, place soup and add-ins on the table. Guests place 2 or 3 ladles of soup into their soup bowl, then, in middle of soup bowl, pile high with desired add-ins; do not spread out garnish.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
From: "At Home with Michael Chiarello" Cookbook
The classic Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a large porterhouse steak that usually weighs around one kilo (2.2 pounds). In Tuscan restaurants the steak is offered by the "etto" or in 100-gram (4 oz.) increments. This great steak includes both the strip loin and the fillet. I also use a rib-eye steak with this method. Always use the best meat, gray salt, coarse ground black pepper and balsamic vinegar that you can find. The marriage of all these ingredients will reveal a noble meal of authentic Italian flavor.
For my Tuscan BBQ on Weekend Today, I paired the bistecca with two unique condimenti, or finishes, to the steak: grilled lemon halves or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. An option to using expensive and rare balsamic is to use a Tuscan-flavored steak sauce. I make one with roasted garlic,sweetened with raisins, and, to give it a nice bite, black pepper. As you’ll see throughout this menu, Italians love a mix of tart and sweet,called agrodolce.
About Gray Salt: If you change just one thing about your cooking, make it the salt. The gray salt I use, from Brittany’s coast, retains all the minerals found in the sea, echoing your body’s mineral content exactly. Because of its taste, I use gray salt exclusively, and cherish the natural flavors it highlights in all foods.
2 lb. Porterhouse steak, about 2 inches thick
Gray Salt
Coarse ground black pepper
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Aged balsamic vinegar (optional)
1 lemon (optional)
Roasted Garlic Balsamic Steak Sauce (optional) -recipe below [make day before if using]
Let the steak rest outside of the refrigerator for one hour before cooking. Liberally season the steak with gray salt and pepper and press the seasoning into the meat.
To grill: Use a hot, clean and oiled grill. Grill the steak for about 5-6 minutes on each side for medium rare. The filet will cook a little faster than the strip loin. Move the steak every two minutes or so for even cooking and a crispy exterior.
For pan roasting: If pan-roasting, preheat the oven to 450° F. Heat a cast-iron skillet with a little olive oil until smoking hot. Turn on the fan, open the window and stand back to avoid getting spattered! Using tongs, place the steak in the center of the pan. Cook until the first side is seared brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the steak and place the pan in the oven until the steak is done, about 6 minutes for medium rare.
Remove the steak to a carving board and let rest for at least 5 minutes before carving.
Grilled Lemon Halves: Cut the lemon in half and brush the cut side with olive oil.
For pan roasting: Place cut side down alongside the steak. When marked, turn the lemons over and cook in the oven alongside the steak.
To grill: Place the lemons cut side down on the grill to mark. Turn the lemon over and move to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. Serve all bistecca with some extra gray salt on the table.
Roasted Garlic-Balsamic Steak Sauce
Bon Appétit | August 2007
Michael Chiarello
Yield: Makes about 4 cups
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated.
A sweet substitute for traditional steak sauce. Try it on a rib eye, use it to marinate flank steak, or mix it into ground beef for burgers.
1 1/2 cups warm water
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
3 large plum tomatoes, cored, quartered
1/4 cup roasted garlic paste from jar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons apple jelly or red currant jelly
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon (or more) fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon (or more) freshly ground black pepper
Combine 1 1/2 cups warm water and raisins in medium bowl; let stand until raisins are soft, at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. Mix vinegar and shallots in small bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Add vinegar mixture to raisin mixture, then stir in all remaining ingredients. Working in 3 batches, puree mixture in blender until smooth. If desired, season with more salt and pepper. Return mixture to medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours to blend flavors.
Baked Pommes Frites
Michael Chiarello
6 russet potatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Peel potatoes and cut into quarter-inch thick slices (lengthwise) cut again into 1/4-inch thick fries. Place the potatoes into a bowl with cold water; this will help keep the fries crisp. Just before cooking, drain water and place on paper towel, pat dry.
Put in a bowl; add olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Toss well and lay out in 1 layer on nonstick baking sheet. Bake until light brown. Cook for approx 30 - 40 minutes, turning frequently until golden brown.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for a minute or two and serve.
This Saturday is our 11th Wedding Anniversary!! :) I'm making dinner -and yes, I wanted to - the menu is below. I have a T-bone from my sister in the freezer, so I'm going to use that. I haven't decided what other vegetable I'm making and the cheesecake is going to be an experiment for me since I don't have an exact recipe yet. I'm trying to duplicate our wedding cake, kinda. I'm going to use some light cream cheese like I do normally for a plain cheesecake, and I've not made a flavored cheesecake before, and I don't really have a recipe for this so I'm just winging it. Wish me luck! Our cake had crushed chocolate cookie base, chocolate cheesecake with orange flavoring in it and a chocolate ganache top. I'm not going to get majorly fancy with orange segments and chocolate curls because it's just us. As it is I don't really want to make a whole cheesecake as it is, since it's just the two of us, but since it freezes well, I'm going to be freezing the extra in slices.
Monday: FFY (hubby will be home late- I don't have a lot of leftovers, so it's really whatever you can find!)
Tuesday: Egyptian Rice and Lentils (Koshary) recipe below
Wednesday: Red Beans & Rice (packaged mix) with Chicken sausages
Thursday: Burmese Soup (Red Lentil Soup)
Friday: Chez JJ Pizza (Homemade Pizza)
Saturday: Our 11th Wedding Anniversary - and I'm really going to mix cultures. :) I'm making Bistecca alla Fiorentina, Pommes Frittes (although oven baking them, so I guess they're more Oven fries), and Chocolate Orange Cheesecake.
For more menu ideas visit I'm an Organizing Junkie
Egyptian Rice and Lentils (Koshary)
Adapted From "Extending the Table" -Fiza, Mattareyya, Egypt; and Mary F. Beck, Cairo, Egypt
Koshary is Egypt's street food. Vendors serve this low-cost, nutritious meal in dishes or plastic bags from little kiosks. It is also an important dish for Coptic Orthodox Christians because it is meatless and can be eaten during times of fasting. In Egypt the sauce is made from fresh tomatoes, and the rice and lentils are always served with macaroni.
My Notes: From a friend on the WW CLC board (Jilly) who's husband is from Egypt, she makes a spicy vinaigrette to go on top at the end just like we would use Tabasco or Pepper Vinegar and puts a bay leaf in with the rice and lentils. She just gives ingredients for the vinaigrette, just mix them to your tastes.
Serves 8
Rice and Lentils:
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/4 cups lentils
3 cups boiling water (or stock)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper
1 1/2 cups rice
1 cup boiling water (or stock)
Sauce:
3/4 cup tomato paste
3 1/2 cups tomato juice (or tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes)
1 green pepper, chopped
3Tbsp celery leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or crushed chilis to taste)
Macaroni:
2 cups macaroni, any variety
3 Tbsp of above sauce
1 Tbsp oil
Browned Onions:
2 tablespoons oil
3 onions, sliced
4 garlic clove, minced
JillyBean's Spicy Vinaigrette (all to taste):
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
minced garlic
apple cider vinegar
olive oil
In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, brown lentils in 2 Tbsp oil, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the 3 cups boiling stock, bay leaf, and the salt and pepper. Cook uncovered 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the rice and 1 cup stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes without stirring.
Meanwhile make sauce: Heat all the sauce ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes.
Once the sauce is made, Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and mix with 3 Tbsp of the above sauce and 1 Tbsp oil.
To make browned onions, heat oil in a small skillet. Saute onions and garlic over medium heat till brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve rice-lentil mixture in one serving dish and macaroni in another. Place side-by-side on plates, ladle sauce over and top with browned onions. Or pile rice-lentil mixture and macaroni on a large serving platter. Spread tomato sauce over, and top with onions. Individuals may add plain yogurt.
Burmese Lentil Soup
From: Katen Joshi on "Calling All Cooks" Episode CA1A08 Food Network
Serves: 4-6
Soup:
2 cups red lentils
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Add-ins:
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
10 to 12 green chilies cut into rings
2 large Idaho potatoes grated on medium grater
Vegetable oil
2 to 3 cups Vidalia onions cut into 1-inch slivers
Cubed bread (1/4-inch to 1/2-inch cubes)
Salted butter
1 cup fresh cilantro
In advance: pour distilled vinegar into a bowl with the green chili rings and let sit for at least 1 hour prior to serving soup.
To prepare soup, wash red lentils in warm water, 2 or 3 times over. Then fill large pot with 5 to 6 cups water. Cook lentils over medium flame until they lose their form, and a soup-like base is formed. Add fresh chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to soup, set soup aside.
Next, prepare the rest of the add-ins. Grate Idaho potatoes and deep fry to golden brown in hot oil. Place on paper towels to absorb excess oil, then put into a bowl. Saute onions in pan with 1/3 cup vegetable oil until golden-dark brown and caramelized, then place in a bowl. Saute cubed bread in a mixture of 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup butter until golden brown, put in a bowl. Roughly chop cilantro, put into a bowl.
To serve, place soup and add-ins on the table. Guests place 2 or 3 ladles of soup into their soup bowl, then, in middle of soup bowl, pile high with desired add-ins; do not spread out garnish.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
From: "At Home with Michael Chiarello" Cookbook
The classic Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a large porterhouse steak that usually weighs around one kilo (2.2 pounds). In Tuscan restaurants the steak is offered by the "etto" or in 100-gram (4 oz.) increments. This great steak includes both the strip loin and the fillet. I also use a rib-eye steak with this method. Always use the best meat, gray salt, coarse ground black pepper and balsamic vinegar that you can find. The marriage of all these ingredients will reveal a noble meal of authentic Italian flavor.
For my Tuscan BBQ on Weekend Today, I paired the bistecca with two unique condimenti, or finishes, to the steak: grilled lemon halves or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. An option to using expensive and rare balsamic is to use a Tuscan-flavored steak sauce. I make one with roasted garlic,sweetened with raisins, and, to give it a nice bite, black pepper. As you’ll see throughout this menu, Italians love a mix of tart and sweet,called agrodolce.
About Gray Salt: If you change just one thing about your cooking, make it the salt. The gray salt I use, from Brittany’s coast, retains all the minerals found in the sea, echoing your body’s mineral content exactly. Because of its taste, I use gray salt exclusively, and cherish the natural flavors it highlights in all foods.
2 lb. Porterhouse steak, about 2 inches thick
Gray Salt
Coarse ground black pepper
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Aged balsamic vinegar (optional)
1 lemon (optional)
Roasted Garlic Balsamic Steak Sauce (optional) -recipe below [make day before if using]
Let the steak rest outside of the refrigerator for one hour before cooking. Liberally season the steak with gray salt and pepper and press the seasoning into the meat.
To grill: Use a hot, clean and oiled grill. Grill the steak for about 5-6 minutes on each side for medium rare. The filet will cook a little faster than the strip loin. Move the steak every two minutes or so for even cooking and a crispy exterior.
For pan roasting: If pan-roasting, preheat the oven to 450° F. Heat a cast-iron skillet with a little olive oil until smoking hot. Turn on the fan, open the window and stand back to avoid getting spattered! Using tongs, place the steak in the center of the pan. Cook until the first side is seared brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the steak and place the pan in the oven until the steak is done, about 6 minutes for medium rare.
Remove the steak to a carving board and let rest for at least 5 minutes before carving.
Grilled Lemon Halves: Cut the lemon in half and brush the cut side with olive oil.
For pan roasting: Place cut side down alongside the steak. When marked, turn the lemons over and cook in the oven alongside the steak.
To grill: Place the lemons cut side down on the grill to mark. Turn the lemon over and move to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. Serve all bistecca with some extra gray salt on the table.
Roasted Garlic-Balsamic Steak Sauce
Bon Appétit | August 2007
Michael Chiarello
Yield: Makes about 4 cups
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated.
A sweet substitute for traditional steak sauce. Try it on a rib eye, use it to marinate flank steak, or mix it into ground beef for burgers.
1 1/2 cups warm water
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
3 large plum tomatoes, cored, quartered
1/4 cup roasted garlic paste from jar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons apple jelly or red currant jelly
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon (or more) fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon (or more) freshly ground black pepper
Combine 1 1/2 cups warm water and raisins in medium bowl; let stand until raisins are soft, at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. Mix vinegar and shallots in small bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Add vinegar mixture to raisin mixture, then stir in all remaining ingredients. Working in 3 batches, puree mixture in blender until smooth. If desired, season with more salt and pepper. Return mixture to medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours to blend flavors.
Baked Pommes Frites
Michael Chiarello
6 russet potatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Peel potatoes and cut into quarter-inch thick slices (lengthwise) cut again into 1/4-inch thick fries. Place the potatoes into a bowl with cold water; this will help keep the fries crisp. Just before cooking, drain water and place on paper towel, pat dry.
Put in a bowl; add olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Toss well and lay out in 1 layer on nonstick baking sheet. Bake until light brown. Cook for approx 30 - 40 minutes, turning frequently until golden brown.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for a minute or two and serve.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Late Menu Plan Monday
I think we're going to have to plan to replace our vacuum cleaner some point soon. We got it when we got married, almost 11 years now (on the 28th). I'm having trouble finding the bags for it as it is (I guess because most of the newer ones are becoming bagless?) and lately I'm getting a burning rubber smell after a bit. I tried today to see if I could find where the belt was, but no luck. The only removable parts are the Hepa filter, another foam filter thing at the bottom of the bag and the bag itself. I did spend an hour cleaning the beater bar and removing my hair from around a part where you can't reach it very well. Good thing I have hemostats (I actually use them for removing pin bones from fish too). The person who designed that part of the vacuum didn't have long hair, that's for sure.
To get some natural light in the house today, I've got the front door open, and Miko is laying at the back door and has a straight-line view through to the storm door. She gets up occasionally and runs to bark at the cars that drive by or a leaf that blows by. Why she doesn't just lay there and bark I don't know, but at least she is getting some exercise. ;) I may have to close it soon though, my headache can't handle it, and she'll probably start limping soon too.
The menu this week isn't exciting by any means. I'm still trying to save some money and use pantry stuff.
Monday: Macaroni & Cheese (store-brand packaged) with canned tuna and frozen veggies
Tuesday: Beef Noodle Soup (cooked beef from the freezer)
Wednesday: Bagel Dogs (frozen turkey dogs in the freezer) recipe is posted elsewhere on here- if you would like to have, just ask.
Thursday: Turkey and Stuffing Casserole (cooked turkey from the freezer and homemade white sauce not canned soup)
Friday: Homemade Pizza
For more menu ideas visit: I'm an Organizing Junkie
Stovetop Tuna Mac
4 servings
From "Mr. Food"
1 package macaroni and cheese dinner
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 (6-ounce) can white tuna, drained and flaked
8 buttery crackers, coarsely crushed
In a large saucepan, prepare the macaroni and cheese dinner according to package directions, adding the frozen mixed vegetables to the boiling macaroni in water for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain and return the macaroni and vegetables to the saucepan.
Stir in the remaining ingredients as directed on the package; mix well. Stir in the tuna, sprinkle the crushed crackers over the top, and serve.
Beef Noodle Soup
This is another wonderful recipe that can incorporate any left over beef you might have. This soup tastes great and is easy to make.
Left over beef, cubed
1 medium chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
2/3 cup chopped carrot
3-3/4 cups water
1-2/3 cups egg noodles
In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the meat, onion, and celery for 5 minutes. Stir in the bouillon, parsley, carrots, water, and egg noodles. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
Makes: 5-6 servings
1 pkg. (14 oz.) seasoned dry stuffing mix
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup COLLEGE INN® Chicken Broth
1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of turkey soup
3 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the first 4 ingredients, and set aside.
Separate the 2 soups in separate bowls and add 1/2 soup can of water to each; stir these well and set aside.
Place 1/3 of the crumb mixture into a lightly greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
Layer 1/2 of the chicken/turkey and pour the celery soup over this.
Layer another 1/3 of the crumb mixture, followed by the remaining turkey.
Pour the turkey soup over and top with the remaining crumb mixture. Drizzle with butter and pack the mixture firmly into the dish.
Bake 20 to 30 minutes.
To get some natural light in the house today, I've got the front door open, and Miko is laying at the back door and has a straight-line view through to the storm door. She gets up occasionally and runs to bark at the cars that drive by or a leaf that blows by. Why she doesn't just lay there and bark I don't know, but at least she is getting some exercise. ;) I may have to close it soon though, my headache can't handle it, and she'll probably start limping soon too.
The menu this week isn't exciting by any means. I'm still trying to save some money and use pantry stuff.
Monday: Macaroni & Cheese (store-brand packaged) with canned tuna and frozen veggies
Tuesday: Beef Noodle Soup (cooked beef from the freezer)
Wednesday: Bagel Dogs (frozen turkey dogs in the freezer) recipe is posted elsewhere on here- if you would like to have, just ask.
Thursday: Turkey and Stuffing Casserole (cooked turkey from the freezer and homemade white sauce not canned soup)
Friday: Homemade Pizza
For more menu ideas visit: I'm an Organizing Junkie
Stovetop Tuna Mac
4 servings
From "Mr. Food"
1 package macaroni and cheese dinner
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 (6-ounce) can white tuna, drained and flaked
8 buttery crackers, coarsely crushed
In a large saucepan, prepare the macaroni and cheese dinner according to package directions, adding the frozen mixed vegetables to the boiling macaroni in water for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain and return the macaroni and vegetables to the saucepan.
Stir in the remaining ingredients as directed on the package; mix well. Stir in the tuna, sprinkle the crushed crackers over the top, and serve.
Beef Noodle Soup
This is another wonderful recipe that can incorporate any left over beef you might have. This soup tastes great and is easy to make.
Left over beef, cubed
1 medium chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
2/3 cup chopped carrot
3-3/4 cups water
1-2/3 cups egg noodles
In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the meat, onion, and celery for 5 minutes. Stir in the bouillon, parsley, carrots, water, and egg noodles. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
Makes: 5-6 servings
1 pkg. (14 oz.) seasoned dry stuffing mix
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup COLLEGE INN® Chicken Broth
1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of turkey soup
3 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the first 4 ingredients, and set aside.
Separate the 2 soups in separate bowls and add 1/2 soup can of water to each; stir these well and set aside.
Place 1/3 of the crumb mixture into a lightly greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
Layer 1/2 of the chicken/turkey and pour the celery soup over this.
Layer another 1/3 of the crumb mixture, followed by the remaining turkey.
Pour the turkey soup over and top with the remaining crumb mixture. Drizzle with butter and pack the mixture firmly into the dish.
Bake 20 to 30 minutes.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
Yeah, I know I never got around to typing up the trip to WV. I hope to get around to it at some point. I've also been pretty bad about updating. Things have been keeping me pretty busy around here, and add in TOM and the migraines that come with it and you're lucky to even see anything. ;) I pretty much just followed the dinners last week. *SIGH* I had a feeling that would happen (the Red Pepper, Mozzarella Pesto sandwiches I did make once for me, and then on the weekend for us). Oh well. It hasn't been a great eating weekend in terms of diet for me this week, and once my period started I realized why I've been so noshing last and this week. At least my period isn't as bad as it used to be thanks to the ablation, but I still get everything else that goes along with it though. It could be a lot worse, so I can't really complain. I guess the biggest thing is something I've had to deal with my whole life really - the fact that I never know when it's going to come. The only time I did know was when I was taking BCP's (to help control it and my headaches actually) but with my liver problems I can't use them anymore (and it may have actually been the reason for all of my tumors).
I'm now playing around with Google Calendar to menu plan and general calendar stuff. So far it's going well, although figuring out how to sync with Lightening (Sunbird for Thunderbird) took a bit.
Here's the menu plan for this week - it's just dinners this time.
Monday: Slow-Cooker Pork Ragu (using leftover Kahlua pork from Christmas)
Tuesday: Fried Rice (using Freezer Stash)
Wednesday: Turkey Bratwursts
Thursday: Bobotie
Friday: Chez JJ Pizza
For more menu ideas visit: I'm an Organizing Junkie http://orgjunkie.com/2009/02/menu-plan-monday-feb-9th.html
Slow-Cooker Pork Ragu
Pork butt or shoulder is an economical cut of meat that's perfect for making this slow-cooked stew topping for pasta.
Source: Woman's World - October 17, 2006
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder
1 (16 ounce) jar marinara pasta sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine or water
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
16 ounces fusilli pasta
Place first 4 ingredients in 3-quart slow-cooker. Top with pork.
Combine sauce, tomato paste, wine, fennel seeds, pepper flakes and salt. Pour over pork; cover.
Cook on LOW for 10 hours, until tender.
Transfer pork to plate. Use 2 forks to shred pork; stir into sauce in slow-cooker.
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
Basic Fried Rice
Serves 4
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
3 eggs, beaten
2 strips bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
4 scallions, trimmed and sliced into 1/4-inch rings (reserve 1 heaping tablespoon sliced dark green portion for garnish)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 tablespoon minced ginger (about a 1-inch piece)
1/3 cup finely chopped carrot (1-2 carrots)
1-2 fresh chilies like jalapenos or Thai chilies, to taste, seeded and minced (optional)
4 cups cooked rice, at room temperature
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Pour beaten egg into pan and swirl egg around to coat entire bottom of pan. When egg is beginning to bubble, about 1-2 minutes, break it up into pieces using a spatula or wooden spoon, and remove from pan.
Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, 2-3 minutes. (If bacon begins to burn, lower heat to medium.)
Add scallions, garlic, ginger, carrot and (if using) chilies to pan, and cook, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes or until garlic becomes golden. Return cooked egg to pan.
Add rice and stir to coat well with the other ingredients. Cook for about 2 minutes to allow rice and egg to become hot. Turn heat down to medium-low, and pour soy sauce over rice. The pan may be quite full (depending on its size), so stir carefully to allow even distribution of soy sauce throughout rice.
Taste for salt, and add an additional 1 tablespoon of soy sauce if you like. Sprinkle with reserved dark green scallion slices to serve.
Variations:
*Add chopped raw shrimp (1/4-1/3 pound) 1 minute after adding scallions, garlic, ginger and carrot.
* Add small cubes of firm tofu (about 1/2 cup) 1 minute after adding scallions, garlic, ginger and carrot.
* Stir in small pieces of leftover cooked chicken just before adding rice to pan.
* For a mellower pork flavor, try pancetta instead of bacon.
* For Thai-style fried rice, sprinkle 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce over mixture before returning egg to pan, and squeeze juice from half a lime over rice just before serving.
* To get more of your vegetables, slice raw green beans (about 1/4-1/3 cup) very thin (1/8 inch) and add along with scallions, garlic, ginger and carrot.
* Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top
Riva's Milwaukee Brats
From: Riva Heron @ Dinners by the Dozen
Serving Size: 6
6 Bratwurst Links
12 Ounces beer
2 Cups sliced Peppers and Onions
6 Hoagie buns
Combine in bag and freeze. To cook, thaw completely and pour into baking pan and heat on stove or on grill. Heat until sausages are warmed through. If desired, remove sausages and sear on grill for 1-2 minutes. Place in brat bun, garnish with peppers/onions. Enjoy.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 325 Calories; 23g Fat (68.2% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 51mg Cholesterol; 653mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 3 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
South African Bobotie
Serving Size: 6
1/2 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup dried apricot, diced
1 1/4 cups White Bread, cut into cubes
2 1/2 cups 1% Low-fat Milk
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 pound browned ground beef
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup raisins
4 Tablespoons sliced almonds
1/2 cup Egg Substitute
Place bread into small bowl and pour 1/2 the milk over it – allow to soak. In another bowl, combine curry powder, chili powder, lemon juice, salt, pepper and ground beef. Add the raisins, almonds, apricots and soaked bread (including the milk the bread soaked in). Spoon mixture into a greased pan. Combine egg mixture and remaining milk. Pour over the meat mixture in the pan.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 536 Calories; 26g Fat (43.6% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 42g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 89mg Cholesterol; 1174mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 3 Fat.
Chez JJ's Pizza
(Using WW Basic Pizza Dough with Variations and Chez JJ's Pizza Sauce so you don't have to hunt for the recipes)
Basic Pizza Dough
Makes 2 (12 inch) pizza crusts (6 servings each)
From Weight Watchers Pizza,Pizza: 150 deliciously dazzling ways to make everyone's favorite pie
This dough makes enough for two pizzas, so you can freeze half the dough for another day. If you freeze it, thaw it in the refrigerator over night or on the counter for 1 1/2 hours. Unlike other bread dough, pizza dough only needs to rise only once. After rising, simply punch it down, then let it rest for 15 minutes before rolling or stretching to the desired shape. If you like you can let the dough rest in a floured zip-close freezer bag in the refrigerator overnight. You'll find it easiest to roll out or stretch bread dough when it's at room temperature.
1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 F)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
Combine the water and sugar in a 2-cup measuring just. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oil.
Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, scrape the yeast mixture through the feed tube; pulse until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. If necessary, turn the dough onto a lightly flour surface and knead briefly until smooth and elastic.
Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray; put the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Punch down the dough, then cut in half. Refrigerate or freeze in floured zip-close [I have better luck with a bit of oil in the bag instead of flour- about a tsp and spread around the bag] freezer bags at this point or use as directed in the recipe.
Per serving (1/12 of dough): 174 cal, 2 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 292 mg sod, 34 g carb, 1 g fib, 5 g prot, 7 mg calc, POINTS: 3
TIP: if mixing by hand: To make bread by hand, combine the water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl; set aside until foamy. Stir in the oil, flour and salt until the dough starts to gather around the spoon. Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface; knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Variations:
Cornmeal Pizza Dough: Pizzas with a Mexican influence are terrific made on a cornmeal crust. Substitute 1 cup cornmeal for 1 cup of the all-purpose flour.
Per serving: (1/12 of the dough): 178 cal, 2 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 mg chol. 292 mg sod, 35 g carb, 2 g fib, 5 g prot, 5 mg calc, POINTS: 3
Semolina Pizza Dough: Using part semolina flour makes a crispier-crusted pizza. If you can't find semolina flour, use farina cereal. Substitute 1 1/2 cups semolina flour for 1 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour.
Per serving (1/12 of the dough): 192 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 292 mg sod, 38 g carb, 2 g fib, 6 g prot, 8 mg calc, POINTS 4
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Whole-wheat flour makes a higher-fiber, more nutritious crust. Substitute 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour for 1 1/4 cups of the all-purpose flour.
Per serving (1/12 of the dough): 177 cal, 2 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 292 mg sod, 34 g carb, 3 g fib, 6 g pro, 5 mg calc, POINTS 3
Chez JJ's Pizza Sauce
This is mostly a mixture of a Cooking Light Marinara sauce for the freezer and one on the web that is supposed to be like Papa John's Sauce. I call it Chez JJ's Pizza Sauce now. :) This makes a little more than enough sauce for 2 pizzas depending on how much sauce you like on your pizzas. We like about 1/2 cup of sauce per 12" pizza.
15 oz crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed fennel [gives a bit of a sausage-like flavor]
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until thickened. Let cool. You can freeze. You can also double/triple as needed.
To make a pizza:
Preheat oven to 450. Roll dough into a 12" circle. Prick with a fork and place onto oven stone. Par-bake for 4 minutes. If you don't have a stone, place on pan and par-bake on bottom rack of oven instead. Remove from oven - and if it has bubbled up a bit, I usually press down with a towel or my pizza peel and let cool a bit before topping on a wire rack.
For each pizza top with 1/2 cup of sauce (if not using homemade I will just use jarred spaghetti sauce), 3/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese (or 3 oz Italian cheese blend) and then with 17 turkey pepperoni slices and any other toppings (thin sliced onions, mushrooms, peppers, etc). Don't put a whole lot of toppings on because too many will make the pizza soggy. The sprinkle about 2 Tbsp of shredded Parmesan on top.
Bake for about 9 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown and the edges are browning (it's going to be 12-15 minutes total including the par-baking).
Take out and let cool for about 3-5 minutes so the cheese won't slide off when you go to cut it. Eat and enjoy.
It's going to be about 5 points per slice depending on if you add any more pointy things to the pizza when you top it. Now, if you eat two pieces, it's not 10 points for both, it's going to be 11, just to warn you, and it's going to be 16.5 points for 3. So watch how many you eat.
I'm now playing around with Google Calendar to menu plan and general calendar stuff. So far it's going well, although figuring out how to sync with Lightening (Sunbird for Thunderbird) took a bit.
Here's the menu plan for this week - it's just dinners this time.
Monday: Slow-Cooker Pork Ragu (using leftover Kahlua pork from Christmas)
Tuesday: Fried Rice (using Freezer Stash)
Wednesday: Turkey Bratwursts
Thursday: Bobotie
Friday: Chez JJ Pizza
For more menu ideas visit: I'm an Organizing Junkie http://orgjunkie.com/2009/02/menu-plan-monday-feb-9th.html
Slow-Cooker Pork Ragu
Pork butt or shoulder is an economical cut of meat that's perfect for making this slow-cooked stew topping for pasta.
Source: Woman's World - October 17, 2006
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder
1 (16 ounce) jar marinara pasta sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine or water
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
16 ounces fusilli pasta
Place first 4 ingredients in 3-quart slow-cooker. Top with pork.
Combine sauce, tomato paste, wine, fennel seeds, pepper flakes and salt. Pour over pork; cover.
Cook on LOW for 10 hours, until tender.
Transfer pork to plate. Use 2 forks to shred pork; stir into sauce in slow-cooker.
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
Basic Fried Rice
Serves 4
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
3 eggs, beaten
2 strips bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
4 scallions, trimmed and sliced into 1/4-inch rings (reserve 1 heaping tablespoon sliced dark green portion for garnish)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 tablespoon minced ginger (about a 1-inch piece)
1/3 cup finely chopped carrot (1-2 carrots)
1-2 fresh chilies like jalapenos or Thai chilies, to taste, seeded and minced (optional)
4 cups cooked rice, at room temperature
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Pour beaten egg into pan and swirl egg around to coat entire bottom of pan. When egg is beginning to bubble, about 1-2 minutes, break it up into pieces using a spatula or wooden spoon, and remove from pan.
Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, 2-3 minutes. (If bacon begins to burn, lower heat to medium.)
Add scallions, garlic, ginger, carrot and (if using) chilies to pan, and cook, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes or until garlic becomes golden. Return cooked egg to pan.
Add rice and stir to coat well with the other ingredients. Cook for about 2 minutes to allow rice and egg to become hot. Turn heat down to medium-low, and pour soy sauce over rice. The pan may be quite full (depending on its size), so stir carefully to allow even distribution of soy sauce throughout rice.
Taste for salt, and add an additional 1 tablespoon of soy sauce if you like. Sprinkle with reserved dark green scallion slices to serve.
Variations:
*Add chopped raw shrimp (1/4-1/3 pound) 1 minute after adding scallions, garlic, ginger and carrot.
* Add small cubes of firm tofu (about 1/2 cup) 1 minute after adding scallions, garlic, ginger and carrot.
* Stir in small pieces of leftover cooked chicken just before adding rice to pan.
* For a mellower pork flavor, try pancetta instead of bacon.
* For Thai-style fried rice, sprinkle 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce over mixture before returning egg to pan, and squeeze juice from half a lime over rice just before serving.
* To get more of your vegetables, slice raw green beans (about 1/4-1/3 cup) very thin (1/8 inch) and add along with scallions, garlic, ginger and carrot.
* Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top
Riva's Milwaukee Brats
From: Riva Heron @ Dinners by the Dozen
Serving Size: 6
6 Bratwurst Links
12 Ounces beer
2 Cups sliced Peppers and Onions
6 Hoagie buns
Combine in bag and freeze. To cook, thaw completely and pour into baking pan and heat on stove or on grill. Heat until sausages are warmed through. If desired, remove sausages and sear on grill for 1-2 minutes. Place in brat bun, garnish with peppers/onions. Enjoy.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 325 Calories; 23g Fat (68.2% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 51mg Cholesterol; 653mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 3 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
South African Bobotie
Serving Size: 6
1/2 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup dried apricot, diced
1 1/4 cups White Bread, cut into cubes
2 1/2 cups 1% Low-fat Milk
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 pound browned ground beef
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup raisins
4 Tablespoons sliced almonds
1/2 cup Egg Substitute
Place bread into small bowl and pour 1/2 the milk over it – allow to soak. In another bowl, combine curry powder, chili powder, lemon juice, salt, pepper and ground beef. Add the raisins, almonds, apricots and soaked bread (including the milk the bread soaked in). Spoon mixture into a greased pan. Combine egg mixture and remaining milk. Pour over the meat mixture in the pan.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 536 Calories; 26g Fat (43.6% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 42g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 89mg Cholesterol; 1174mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 3 Fat.
Chez JJ's Pizza
(Using WW Basic Pizza Dough with Variations and Chez JJ's Pizza Sauce so you don't have to hunt for the recipes)
Basic Pizza Dough
Makes 2 (12 inch) pizza crusts (6 servings each)
From Weight Watchers Pizza,Pizza: 150 deliciously dazzling ways to make everyone's favorite pie
This dough makes enough for two pizzas, so you can freeze half the dough for another day. If you freeze it, thaw it in the refrigerator over night or on the counter for 1 1/2 hours. Unlike other bread dough, pizza dough only needs to rise only once. After rising, simply punch it down, then let it rest for 15 minutes before rolling or stretching to the desired shape. If you like you can let the dough rest in a floured zip-close freezer bag in the refrigerator overnight. You'll find it easiest to roll out or stretch bread dough when it's at room temperature.
1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 F)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
Combine the water and sugar in a 2-cup measuring just. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oil.
Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, scrape the yeast mixture through the feed tube; pulse until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. If necessary, turn the dough onto a lightly flour surface and knead briefly until smooth and elastic.
Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray; put the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Punch down the dough, then cut in half. Refrigerate or freeze in floured zip-close [I have better luck with a bit of oil in the bag instead of flour- about a tsp and spread around the bag] freezer bags at this point or use as directed in the recipe.
Per serving (1/12 of dough): 174 cal, 2 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 292 mg sod, 34 g carb, 1 g fib, 5 g prot, 7 mg calc, POINTS: 3
TIP: if mixing by hand: To make bread by hand, combine the water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl; set aside until foamy. Stir in the oil, flour and salt until the dough starts to gather around the spoon. Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface; knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Variations:
Cornmeal Pizza Dough: Pizzas with a Mexican influence are terrific made on a cornmeal crust. Substitute 1 cup cornmeal for 1 cup of the all-purpose flour.
Per serving: (1/12 of the dough): 178 cal, 2 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 mg chol. 292 mg sod, 35 g carb, 2 g fib, 5 g prot, 5 mg calc, POINTS: 3
Semolina Pizza Dough: Using part semolina flour makes a crispier-crusted pizza. If you can't find semolina flour, use farina cereal. Substitute 1 1/2 cups semolina flour for 1 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour.
Per serving (1/12 of the dough): 192 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 292 mg sod, 38 g carb, 2 g fib, 6 g prot, 8 mg calc, POINTS 4
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Whole-wheat flour makes a higher-fiber, more nutritious crust. Substitute 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour for 1 1/4 cups of the all-purpose flour.
Per serving (1/12 of the dough): 177 cal, 2 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 292 mg sod, 34 g carb, 3 g fib, 6 g pro, 5 mg calc, POINTS 3
Chez JJ's Pizza Sauce
This is mostly a mixture of a Cooking Light Marinara sauce for the freezer and one on the web that is supposed to be like Papa John's Sauce. I call it Chez JJ's Pizza Sauce now. :) This makes a little more than enough sauce for 2 pizzas depending on how much sauce you like on your pizzas. We like about 1/2 cup of sauce per 12" pizza.
15 oz crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed fennel [gives a bit of a sausage-like flavor]
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until thickened. Let cool. You can freeze. You can also double/triple as needed.
To make a pizza:
Preheat oven to 450. Roll dough into a 12" circle. Prick with a fork and place onto oven stone. Par-bake for 4 minutes. If you don't have a stone, place on pan and par-bake on bottom rack of oven instead. Remove from oven - and if it has bubbled up a bit, I usually press down with a towel or my pizza peel and let cool a bit before topping on a wire rack.
For each pizza top with 1/2 cup of sauce (if not using homemade I will just use jarred spaghetti sauce), 3/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese (or 3 oz Italian cheese blend) and then with 17 turkey pepperoni slices and any other toppings (thin sliced onions, mushrooms, peppers, etc). Don't put a whole lot of toppings on because too many will make the pizza soggy. The sprinkle about 2 Tbsp of shredded Parmesan on top.
Bake for about 9 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown and the edges are browning (it's going to be 12-15 minutes total including the par-baking).
Take out and let cool for about 3-5 minutes so the cheese won't slide off when you go to cut it. Eat and enjoy.
It's going to be about 5 points per slice depending on if you add any more pointy things to the pizza when you top it. Now, if you eat two pieces, it's not 10 points for both, it's going to be 11, just to warn you, and it's going to be 16.5 points for 3. So watch how many you eat.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
While I recover from my gravy-infused weekend trip to WV for my husband's grandmother's 80th birthday party, I figured I'd at least get my menu posted. I was smart and planned my menu BEFORE we left. :) Mainly this was done because I knew it wouldn't be pretty. So I've got it figured out points-wise pretty much for the main meals.
I'll try to write more about the trip later. I've got to get my blood drawn tomorrow for my 3-month recheck and it'll be interesting to see if they actually get blood or gravy. ;) I hope this weekend won't impact my blood values.
Monday: B: Cereal L: Black & White Bean Salad, Mozzarella, Red Pepper and Pesto Sandwich D: Hand-Slappin' Chicken, Cauliflower, Collards
Tuesday: B: Strawberry Vanilla Shake L: same as above D: Slow Cooker Beef Beef Chili, cornbread
Wednesday: B: Fruit & Yogurt L: Same as above D: Garlic-Studded Pork Loin, Roasted Veg
Thursday: B: Egg, bacon, & veggies L: Ham N Swiss sandwich and Tomato Soup D: Tex-Mex Taco Salad
Friday: B: Egg & Cheddar Sandwich, L: Bean Salad, sandwich D: Pizza
For more menu ideas visit: I'm an Organizing Junkie
Everything may change (usually it's going to be breakfast or lunch). This morning ended up being coffee and pepperoni rolls. Yes, I was introduced to pepperoni rolls this weekend too. I think my blood will be a bit viscous.
Garlic-Studded Pork Loin
Makes 3 Entrees 6-8 Servings Each
Come home and enjoy this Mediterranean-style roast after a busy day. Slow cooking your main dish leaves you a little extra time for finishing touches: a roasted head of garlic to spread on a fresh baguette, fresh mozzarella over sliced tomatoes topped with fresh basil leaves, or perhaps a simple spinach salad with red onion, pitted Kalamata olives, and feta. - KN
From: Fix, Freeze, Feast
1 pork loin, (about 8 lbs)
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
18 garlic cloves
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup water
3 one-gallon freezer bags, labeled
Mix oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Rinse and trim loin as desired. Cut loin into three equal roasts. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, cut twelve openings 3/4 inch deep in each roast. Slice each garlic clove in half and place one garlic piece in each opening.
Rub each roast with one-third of the seasoning mixture. Place one roast into each freezer bag. Over each roast, measure 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water.
Seal and freeze.
To cook one entree: Completely thaw one entree in the refrigerator. Put roast and marinade in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
NOTE: Lemon juice from Concentrate- If you choose bottled lemon juice, take care to check the expiration date on the bottles. While 2-packs of lemon juice are three to five times less expensive per fluid ounce at the warehouse club, it does not keep indefinitely. If you purchase more than you will use in cooking, consider using it to clean around the house. Lemon is a natural cleaning agent and deodorizer. Contact the manufacturer for other household uses or consult some of the books in our Resources section.
Black and White Bean Salad
Serves 4
POINTS 2
1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 medium celery stalk, diced
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp minced Italian parsley
1/8 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp ground black pepper, or more to taste
In a large bowl, combine beans, tomato, onion and celery. Gently stir in vinegar and sprinkle with parsley; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Strawberry Vanilla Shake
Serves 2
POINTS 6
1/2 oz fat-free, sugar-free instant vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (use half 1 oz package)
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
Combine all ingredients together in a blender; puree until smooth.
Mozzarella, Red Pepper and Pesto Sandwich
Serves 4
POINTS 2
3 Tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp store-bought pesto sauce
8 oz baguette, cut into 4 equal pieces
6 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1 oz roasted red peppers, or 2 pieces, thinly sliced
4 romaine lettuce leaves
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and pesto. Halve baguette pieces horizontally and spread mayonnaise mixture on both sides. Top bottom halves with equal amounts of mozzarella, red peppers and lettuce. Cover with remaining bread halves and serve.
Fruit and Yogurt
Serves 1
POINTS 3
1 cup light vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 cup blueberries
Top yogurt with fruit.
Egg & Cheddar Sandwich
Serves 1
POINTS 3
3 egg whites
nonstick cooking spray
2 slices reduced calorie whole-wheat bread, toasted
2 Tbsp low-fat cheddar cheese
Scramble eggs whites in a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place egg on 1 slice bread and top with cheese and other slice of bread.
Egg, Bacon and Veggies
Serves 1
POINTS 3
1 egg
1 tomato, halved
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 slice Canadian bacon
In a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, cook all ingredients. Serve.
Ham & Swiss Sandwich
Serves 1
POINTS 3
2 slices reduced-calorie whole-wheat bread
2 oz lean ham
1 slice low-fat Swiss cheese
arugula leaves
sliced tomato
Dijon mustard
Top 1 slice bread with rest of ingredients and top with other piece of bread. Serve.
Roasted Vegetables
Serves 4
POINTS 3
Winter's root vegetables are wonderfully flavorful when they're slow-cooked.
1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into 1/3-inch thick wedges
1 medium acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 oz baby carrots
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tsp olive oil.
1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2/3 cup vegetable broth, or chicken broth
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange vegetables and garlic in a shallow baking pan. Add oil, sage, salt and pepper to pan; toss to coat
Roast vegetables until almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Add broth and bake 10 more minutes. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.
Slow-Cooker Beef Chili
Serves 4 (plus leftovers (2 cups) for Tex-Mex Taco Salad)
POINTS 7
From: WW Now & Later
2 pounds bottom round roast, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 large onion, chopped
2 (15 1/2 oz) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
1 (1 1/4 oz) package reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1 Tbsp chili powder
Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef. Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, taco seasoning, and chili powder.
Add the bean mixture to the slow cooker, stir to combine. Cover and cook until the beef is fork-tender, 4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.
Transfer 2 cups of the chili to a microwavable bowl and let cool. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days for later use in Tex-Mex Taco salad, opposite. Divide the remaining 4 cups of chili among 4 bowls.
Per serving (1 cup): 341 cal, 6 cal fat, 2g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 84mg chol, 431 mg sod, 30 g carb, 9 g fib, 42 g prot, 92mg calc.
Tex-Mex Taco Salad
Serves 4
POINTS 6
Filling Extra: Jazz up these salads by topping the lettuce and tomatoes on each plate with a few slices red bell pepper and thinly sliced scallions.
2 cups reserved cooked Slow-cooker Beef Chili
6 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup fat-free ranch dressing
16 baked tortilla chips, broken into pieces
1 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
Cover the chili with plastic wrap; then prick a few holes in the plastic. Microwave on High until hot, 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, divide the lettuce and tomatoes among 4 plates; drizzle each plate with 1 Tbsp of the dressing.
Top the lettuce mixture on each plate evenly with the tortilla chips, chili and cheese.
Per Serving (1 salad): 312 cal, 4 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 48 mg chol, 797 mg sod, 39 g carb, 7 g fib, 31 g prot, 327 mg calc.
I'll try to write more about the trip later. I've got to get my blood drawn tomorrow for my 3-month recheck and it'll be interesting to see if they actually get blood or gravy. ;) I hope this weekend won't impact my blood values.
Monday: B: Cereal L: Black & White Bean Salad, Mozzarella, Red Pepper and Pesto Sandwich D: Hand-Slappin' Chicken, Cauliflower, Collards
Tuesday: B: Strawberry Vanilla Shake L: same as above D: Slow Cooker Beef Beef Chili, cornbread
Wednesday: B: Fruit & Yogurt L: Same as above D: Garlic-Studded Pork Loin, Roasted Veg
Thursday: B: Egg, bacon, & veggies L: Ham N Swiss sandwich and Tomato Soup D: Tex-Mex Taco Salad
Friday: B: Egg & Cheddar Sandwich, L: Bean Salad, sandwich D: Pizza
For more menu ideas visit: I'm an Organizing Junkie
Everything may change (usually it's going to be breakfast or lunch). This morning ended up being coffee and pepperoni rolls. Yes, I was introduced to pepperoni rolls this weekend too. I think my blood will be a bit viscous.
Garlic-Studded Pork Loin
Makes 3 Entrees 6-8 Servings Each
Come home and enjoy this Mediterranean-style roast after a busy day. Slow cooking your main dish leaves you a little extra time for finishing touches: a roasted head of garlic to spread on a fresh baguette, fresh mozzarella over sliced tomatoes topped with fresh basil leaves, or perhaps a simple spinach salad with red onion, pitted Kalamata olives, and feta. - KN
From: Fix, Freeze, Feast
1 pork loin, (about 8 lbs)
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
18 garlic cloves
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup water
3 one-gallon freezer bags, labeled
Mix oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Rinse and trim loin as desired. Cut loin into three equal roasts. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, cut twelve openings 3/4 inch deep in each roast. Slice each garlic clove in half and place one garlic piece in each opening.
Rub each roast with one-third of the seasoning mixture. Place one roast into each freezer bag. Over each roast, measure 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water.
Seal and freeze.
To cook one entree: Completely thaw one entree in the refrigerator. Put roast and marinade in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
NOTE: Lemon juice from Concentrate- If you choose bottled lemon juice, take care to check the expiration date on the bottles. While 2-packs of lemon juice are three to five times less expensive per fluid ounce at the warehouse club, it does not keep indefinitely. If you purchase more than you will use in cooking, consider using it to clean around the house. Lemon is a natural cleaning agent and deodorizer. Contact the manufacturer for other household uses or consult some of the books in our Resources section.
Black and White Bean Salad
Serves 4
POINTS 2
1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 medium celery stalk, diced
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp minced Italian parsley
1/8 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp ground black pepper, or more to taste
In a large bowl, combine beans, tomato, onion and celery. Gently stir in vinegar and sprinkle with parsley; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Strawberry Vanilla Shake
Serves 2
POINTS 6
1/2 oz fat-free, sugar-free instant vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (use half 1 oz package)
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
Combine all ingredients together in a blender; puree until smooth.
Mozzarella, Red Pepper and Pesto Sandwich
Serves 4
POINTS 2
3 Tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp store-bought pesto sauce
8 oz baguette, cut into 4 equal pieces
6 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1 oz roasted red peppers, or 2 pieces, thinly sliced
4 romaine lettuce leaves
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and pesto. Halve baguette pieces horizontally and spread mayonnaise mixture on both sides. Top bottom halves with equal amounts of mozzarella, red peppers and lettuce. Cover with remaining bread halves and serve.
Fruit and Yogurt
Serves 1
POINTS 3
1 cup light vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 cup blueberries
Top yogurt with fruit.
Egg & Cheddar Sandwich
Serves 1
POINTS 3
3 egg whites
nonstick cooking spray
2 slices reduced calorie whole-wheat bread, toasted
2 Tbsp low-fat cheddar cheese
Scramble eggs whites in a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place egg on 1 slice bread and top with cheese and other slice of bread.
Egg, Bacon and Veggies
Serves 1
POINTS 3
1 egg
1 tomato, halved
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 slice Canadian bacon
In a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, cook all ingredients. Serve.
Ham & Swiss Sandwich
Serves 1
POINTS 3
2 slices reduced-calorie whole-wheat bread
2 oz lean ham
1 slice low-fat Swiss cheese
arugula leaves
sliced tomato
Dijon mustard
Top 1 slice bread with rest of ingredients and top with other piece of bread. Serve.
Roasted Vegetables
Serves 4
POINTS 3
Winter's root vegetables are wonderfully flavorful when they're slow-cooked.
1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into 1/3-inch thick wedges
1 medium acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 oz baby carrots
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tsp olive oil.
1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2/3 cup vegetable broth, or chicken broth
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange vegetables and garlic in a shallow baking pan. Add oil, sage, salt and pepper to pan; toss to coat
Roast vegetables until almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Add broth and bake 10 more minutes. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.
Slow-Cooker Beef Chili
Serves 4 (plus leftovers (2 cups) for Tex-Mex Taco Salad)
POINTS 7
From: WW Now & Later
2 pounds bottom round roast, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 large onion, chopped
2 (15 1/2 oz) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
1 (1 1/4 oz) package reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1 Tbsp chili powder
Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef. Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, taco seasoning, and chili powder.
Add the bean mixture to the slow cooker, stir to combine. Cover and cook until the beef is fork-tender, 4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.
Transfer 2 cups of the chili to a microwavable bowl and let cool. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days for later use in Tex-Mex Taco salad, opposite. Divide the remaining 4 cups of chili among 4 bowls.
Per serving (1 cup): 341 cal, 6 cal fat, 2g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 84mg chol, 431 mg sod, 30 g carb, 9 g fib, 42 g prot, 92mg calc.
Tex-Mex Taco Salad
Serves 4
POINTS 6
Filling Extra: Jazz up these salads by topping the lettuce and tomatoes on each plate with a few slices red bell pepper and thinly sliced scallions.
2 cups reserved cooked Slow-cooker Beef Chili
6 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup fat-free ranch dressing
16 baked tortilla chips, broken into pieces
1 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
Cover the chili with plastic wrap; then prick a few holes in the plastic. Microwave on High until hot, 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, divide the lettuce and tomatoes among 4 plates; drizzle each plate with 1 Tbsp of the dressing.
Top the lettuce mixture on each plate evenly with the tortilla chips, chili and cheese.
Per Serving (1 salad): 312 cal, 4 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 48 mg chol, 797 mg sod, 39 g carb, 7 g fib, 31 g prot, 327 mg calc.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
Hubby has off this week, and we're headed out of town this weekend, so my meals are pretty easy (does that mean boring?). I was going to make Chinese food today, but since we have restaurant leftovers from dinner last night with my sister - we'll eat those tonight for Chinese New Year.
Monday: Chinese leftovers
Tuesday: leftover pea soup
Wednesday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Thursday: Pasta with spaghetti sauce
Friday: Leaving for WV for Grandmother Sommerville's Birthday
Monday: Chinese leftovers
Tuesday: leftover pea soup
Wednesday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Thursday: Pasta with spaghetti sauce
Friday: Leaving for WV for Grandmother Sommerville's Birthday
Monday, January 19, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
I took hubby to Trader Joes on Saturday since we were having Mike and Jennifer over for dinner. He hadn't been there yet. He's not much of a food shopper, but I wanted him to see it so if I need him to stop for something he could. Since he works near there, sometimes it's easier for him to get something on the way home rather than me making a trip into town if I'm not headed there in the first place. Anyway, I had the dinner planned out, but they were bringing some sweet wine for dessert, so I was planning to pick up some bread, cheese, fruit and nuts and thought TJ's would be a good place to pick some up. I was right. I thought I'd also stop by Whole Foods for the cheese actually, since I could get the actual amount of cheese I needed, but TJ's was pretty packed, and I knew WF would be the same. We just got everything we needed at TJ's and left it at that. So hubby and I will hit WF's some other time since he hasn't been there either. The leftover Raclette cheese is going into the strata along with the leftover French bread, leeks, and green beans. The Double cream brie will get eaten as well as the leftover Gruyere Foccacia with no problem in this household. *grin* and I'm thinking of using the Stilton w/ apricots (which is AWESOME!!!!) on the pizza on Friday if it doesn't get eaten on crackers as evening snacks. The apples and Asian pears will get eaten as snacks also.
Monday: Chili Lime Chicken Patties (from Trader Joes) with Mrs. T's pierogies
Tues: Strata
Wednesday: Pea Soup
Thursday: Beef Tongue
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: My Mom's Birthday "Party" so we're headed there
For more menu ideas visit: http://orgjunkie.com/2009/01/menu-plan-monday-january-19th.html [She's starting to get over 400 now!]
Easy Strata & Variations
from: Cook Smart by Pam Anderson
1 pound each of prepared meat and vegetable (optional) OR
1 pound each of 2 prepared vegetables (optional)
1 quart half-and-half
1 dozen eggs
1 tsp. salt and several grinds of pepper
12 slices fluffy white bread
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 3 medium)
Prepare meat and/or vegetables, if using.
Whisk half-and-half, eggs, salt and pepper until smooth. Spray a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex or ceramic baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Line bottom with 6 slices of bread. If using meats and/ or vegetables, scatter half of each over the bread, then sprinkle with half of the scallions and cheese. Pour 1 cup of egg mixture over the top. Repeat layers with remaining bread, meat, vegetables, cheese and scallions. Slowly pour remaining egg mixture evenly over top. Cover with plastic wrap, then weight down casserole with 3 16-ounce cans for at least 15 minutes to submerge ingredients. (Can be refrigerated overnight, but return to room temperature before baking.)
Adjust oven rack to middle position. Bake in preheated 325-degree oven until custard is just set, about 50 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil until strata is spotty brown and puffy (watch carefully), about 5 minutes longer. Let stand for 8 to 10 minutes, then serve immediately.
Serves: 12.
Nutrition varies, based on meat/ vegetables used. Basic recipe, per serving: 362 calories, 17g protein, 17g carbohydrates, 24g fat (13g saturated), 1g fiber, 600mg sodium.
VEGETABLE OPTIONS:
MUSHROOMS OR BELL PEPPERS: Slice and sauté in 1 Tb. olive oil. Salt.
BABY SPINACH: Steam, covered, with 1 Tb. oil and salt until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.
FROZEN CORN: Thaw and drain.
ASPARAGUS: Cut in 1-inch pieces. Steam, covered, with 1 Tb. oil, salt and 1/3 cup water, 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover and cook off liquid.
MEAT OPTIONS
BACON: Cut into 1/2-inch pieces and fry until crisp. Drain well.
SAUSAGE: Fry bulk breakfast or Italian sausage until fully cooked. Drain.
HAM: Cut into small dice.
KIELBASA: Thinly slice.
CRAB: Pick over pasteurized backfin crab for shell and cartilage.
Split Pea Soup (3 pts)
From bag of split peas
Serves 10-12
1 lb (2 1/2 cups) dried green split peas
3 quarts (12 cups) water
1 3/4 – 2 lbs ham hocks or bone
1 large onion, minced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Rinse and sort peas. In a large soup kettle (I use a 6 qt crockpot and add everything together), combine peas, water and ham; simmer, covered for 2-2 1/2 hours. Add remaining ingredients; simmer covered for 45 minutes. Removed bones. For thicker soup simmer 20-30 minutes more, uncovered. Will thicken when refrigerated, but thins when heated.
Corned Beef or Veal Tongue
Tongue takes particularly well to spicing, but if you prefer a plain cure, omit the spices from the brine. If calves' tongues are available, be sure to try them; they are very lean and delicate flavored. Home-cured tongue does not have the excessive saltiness or the deep-rose hue of commercially brined tongues which are cured with saltpeter.
Recipe By: Better Than Store Bought by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie
Serving Size: 6
1 beef tongue -- fresh (or frozen and thawed)
water -- as needed
kosher salt -- as needed
1 egg -- in shell to test the brine
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 bay leaves -- crumbled
1/2 teaspoon allspice berries -- bruised
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns -- bruised
2 teaspoons coriander seeds -- bruised
1 teaspoon mustard seeds -- bruised
2 cloves garlic -- peeled but left whole
Select a ceramic, glass or enameled crock or bowl large enough to hold both the tongue and enough brine to cover the tongue by 2 or more inches. Be sure the container will fit into your refrigerator.
To determine the brine quantity needed, enclose the tongue in a plastic bag (no need to close the bag- just hold the open end above the water level), and run cold water into the container to cover the bagged meat by 2-3 inches. Remove the tongue.
Stir coarse salt into the water, letting each addition dissolve before adding more, until an egg will float in the solution. (you'll probably need about 1 1/2 cups salt.) Remove the egg once it has served its
purpose and pour the bring into a pot.
Stir into the brine the sugar, bay leaves, allspice berries, peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and garlic. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, then let cool completely.
Remove the tongue from the bag and prick it well all over with a skewer or larding needle. Return it to the crock or bowl.
When the brine is cool, pour it over the tongue. Cover with plastic wrap, then add a plate (with a weight on it, if necessary) that will hold the meat well under the surface. Cover the crock with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 days to 2 1/2 weeks for beef tongue, 3 to 10 days for calves' tongues. (Figure a minimum of 3 days curing per pound of any single piece of meat.) Turn the meat every few days and be sure it is always immersed in the brine.
To cook: Put the tongue or tongues in a pot with water to cover by several inches, 2 or 3 carrots, coarsely cut up, a peeled whole onion or two, and a few tablespoons of vinegar and simmer, partly covered, until the meat is very tender. (The time will vary with the size of the tongue and its original tenderness.) Remove from the cooking liquid, then slit the skin and peel it off neatly. Serve hot as a main course or cold and thinly sliced for lunch or in sandwiches.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 131 Calories; 4g Fat (28.0% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 52mg Cholesterol; 33mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.
NOTES : *Tongue: 3-4 lbs, well trimmed, or 3 or 4 calves tongues (about 3/4 lb each), trimmed
Monday: Chili Lime Chicken Patties (from Trader Joes) with Mrs. T's pierogies
Tues: Strata
Wednesday: Pea Soup
Thursday: Beef Tongue
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: My Mom's Birthday "Party" so we're headed there
For more menu ideas visit: http://orgjunkie.com/2009/01/menu-plan-monday-january-19th.html [She's starting to get over 400 now!]
Easy Strata & Variations
from: Cook Smart by Pam Anderson
1 pound each of prepared meat and vegetable (optional) OR
1 pound each of 2 prepared vegetables (optional)
1 quart half-and-half
1 dozen eggs
1 tsp. salt and several grinds of pepper
12 slices fluffy white bread
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 3 medium)
Prepare meat and/or vegetables, if using.
Whisk half-and-half, eggs, salt and pepper until smooth. Spray a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex or ceramic baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Line bottom with 6 slices of bread. If using meats and/ or vegetables, scatter half of each over the bread, then sprinkle with half of the scallions and cheese. Pour 1 cup of egg mixture over the top. Repeat layers with remaining bread, meat, vegetables, cheese and scallions. Slowly pour remaining egg mixture evenly over top. Cover with plastic wrap, then weight down casserole with 3 16-ounce cans for at least 15 minutes to submerge ingredients. (Can be refrigerated overnight, but return to room temperature before baking.)
Adjust oven rack to middle position. Bake in preheated 325-degree oven until custard is just set, about 50 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil until strata is spotty brown and puffy (watch carefully), about 5 minutes longer. Let stand for 8 to 10 minutes, then serve immediately.
Serves: 12.
Nutrition varies, based on meat/ vegetables used. Basic recipe, per serving: 362 calories, 17g protein, 17g carbohydrates, 24g fat (13g saturated), 1g fiber, 600mg sodium.
VEGETABLE OPTIONS:
MUSHROOMS OR BELL PEPPERS: Slice and sauté in 1 Tb. olive oil. Salt.
BABY SPINACH: Steam, covered, with 1 Tb. oil and salt until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.
FROZEN CORN: Thaw and drain.
ASPARAGUS: Cut in 1-inch pieces. Steam, covered, with 1 Tb. oil, salt and 1/3 cup water, 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover and cook off liquid.
MEAT OPTIONS
BACON: Cut into 1/2-inch pieces and fry until crisp. Drain well.
SAUSAGE: Fry bulk breakfast or Italian sausage until fully cooked. Drain.
HAM: Cut into small dice.
KIELBASA: Thinly slice.
CRAB: Pick over pasteurized backfin crab for shell and cartilage.
Split Pea Soup (3 pts)
From bag of split peas
Serves 10-12
1 lb (2 1/2 cups) dried green split peas
3 quarts (12 cups) water
1 3/4 – 2 lbs ham hocks or bone
1 large onion, minced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Rinse and sort peas. In a large soup kettle (I use a 6 qt crockpot and add everything together), combine peas, water and ham; simmer, covered for 2-2 1/2 hours. Add remaining ingredients; simmer covered for 45 minutes. Removed bones. For thicker soup simmer 20-30 minutes more, uncovered. Will thicken when refrigerated, but thins when heated.
Corned Beef or Veal Tongue
Tongue takes particularly well to spicing, but if you prefer a plain cure, omit the spices from the brine. If calves' tongues are available, be sure to try them; they are very lean and delicate flavored. Home-cured tongue does not have the excessive saltiness or the deep-rose hue of commercially brined tongues which are cured with saltpeter.
Recipe By: Better Than Store Bought by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie
Serving Size: 6
1 beef tongue -- fresh (or frozen and thawed)
water -- as needed
kosher salt -- as needed
1 egg -- in shell to test the brine
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 bay leaves -- crumbled
1/2 teaspoon allspice berries -- bruised
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns -- bruised
2 teaspoons coriander seeds -- bruised
1 teaspoon mustard seeds -- bruised
2 cloves garlic -- peeled but left whole
Select a ceramic, glass or enameled crock or bowl large enough to hold both the tongue and enough brine to cover the tongue by 2 or more inches. Be sure the container will fit into your refrigerator.
To determine the brine quantity needed, enclose the tongue in a plastic bag (no need to close the bag- just hold the open end above the water level), and run cold water into the container to cover the bagged meat by 2-3 inches. Remove the tongue.
Stir coarse salt into the water, letting each addition dissolve before adding more, until an egg will float in the solution. (you'll probably need about 1 1/2 cups salt.) Remove the egg once it has served its
purpose and pour the bring into a pot.
Stir into the brine the sugar, bay leaves, allspice berries, peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and garlic. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, then let cool completely.
Remove the tongue from the bag and prick it well all over with a skewer or larding needle. Return it to the crock or bowl.
When the brine is cool, pour it over the tongue. Cover with plastic wrap, then add a plate (with a weight on it, if necessary) that will hold the meat well under the surface. Cover the crock with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 days to 2 1/2 weeks for beef tongue, 3 to 10 days for calves' tongues. (Figure a minimum of 3 days curing per pound of any single piece of meat.) Turn the meat every few days and be sure it is always immersed in the brine.
To cook: Put the tongue or tongues in a pot with water to cover by several inches, 2 or 3 carrots, coarsely cut up, a peeled whole onion or two, and a few tablespoons of vinegar and simmer, partly covered, until the meat is very tender. (The time will vary with the size of the tongue and its original tenderness.) Remove from the cooking liquid, then slit the skin and peel it off neatly. Serve hot as a main course or cold and thinly sliced for lunch or in sandwiches.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 131 Calories; 4g Fat (28.0% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 52mg Cholesterol; 33mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.
NOTES : *Tongue: 3-4 lbs, well trimmed, or 3 or 4 calves tongues (about 3/4 lb each), trimmed
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Cheaper way of talking to my sister?
On one of the first times my sister went out on a date with her now husband, he likes to mention, she farted so loudly that it shook the couch. That was one thing my sister has always had no problem with, farting or burping. I was, on the other hand, always kidded because no one ever heard it even though I would say "excuse me." And growing up we blamed a lot of these things, whether burps or farts on the dog.
A few weeks ago, my husband burped pretty loudly and I turned around to scold him. He faced me and instead of blaming it on the dog like he's now learned to do, he returned, "What? I was just talking to your sister."
We've got a new phrase not only in our house now, but my sister liked it when we told her too.
A few weeks ago, my husband burped pretty loudly and I turned around to scold him. He faced me and instead of blaming it on the dog like he's now learned to do, he returned, "What? I was just talking to your sister."
We've got a new phrase not only in our house now, but my sister liked it when we told her too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
