Here's another plug for the Eating Well website.
I made the Chilaquiles Casserole for dinner last night - it's definitely a keeper. Check out the reviews before you make it. I did use grated zucchini and all the enchilada sauce. I also knew to let it cool and firm up a bit before I served it.
The only thing I would do differently next time is to make homemade enchilada sauce. I couldn't find any canned sauce here that didn't have msg. I used it because I was testing the recipe for our Mexico group and I wanted to make it as written.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Hummus
We are great fans of hummus. Here's the basic recipe. Feel free to leave things out if you are on a special diet. Feel free to add things in to jazz it up. Yum!!
1 16 oz. can garbanzo beans - drain and save the liquid
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP tahini (sesame seed butter) or peanut butter
1 tsp. soy sauce or tamari
Add all ingredients to blender except reserved bean juice. Blend for approx. 2 minutes adding enough juice to make it the consistency you like. We like it spreadable but not runny. I use a Blendtec blender to make this and it becomes wonderfully smooth and light.
Serve with pita bread wedges, crackers or raw veggies.
Sun Dried Tomato variation: Chop about 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes in the blender before adding the other ingredients - set them aside while you process the rest of the hummus. Stir tomatoes into hummus in a bowl and serve. Optional - increase the garlic to 2 cloves for this one.
1 16 oz. can garbanzo beans - drain and save the liquid
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP tahini (sesame seed butter) or peanut butter
1 tsp. soy sauce or tamari
Add all ingredients to blender except reserved bean juice. Blend for approx. 2 minutes adding enough juice to make it the consistency you like. We like it spreadable but not runny. I use a Blendtec blender to make this and it becomes wonderfully smooth and light.
Serve with pita bread wedges, crackers or raw veggies.
Sun Dried Tomato variation: Chop about 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes in the blender before adding the other ingredients - set them aside while you process the rest of the hummus. Stir tomatoes into hummus in a bowl and serve. Optional - increase the garlic to 2 cloves for this one.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Toscana Soup
This is the sausage & potato soup we had at the WOC planning retreat. It's supposed to be the real recipe from Olive Garden. I don't know if it is, but it tastes very much like it. Enjoy!!!
1 1/2 c. mild Italian sausage links, precooked and cut into small pieces*
1 Tbsp. bacon, precooked
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 c. diced onions
1 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
32 oz. box of chicken broth
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 c. kale leaves, ribs removed, slice thin
1/3 c. heavy cream
Saute onions and bacon in olive oil over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Simmer about 15 minutes. Add cooked sausage, kale and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve.
* I have cooked the sausage several ways but the easiest is to bake it on a sheet pan at 300 for about 25 minutes or until done - longer for thicker sausages. Cut in half lenthwise (or in quarters) and then slice into bite sized pieces. You can also use bulk sausage and just saute it in the pan while you do the onions and that way you can omit the olive oil.
For the other soup we ate, check out the older posts for Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Bisque. It's there but today's soup was made using the old recipe with the can of tomato soup. Also the peppers I used this time had tougher skins than usual so I wasn't as happy with it. I like that one with really big cheesy croutons on top of it - sorry ladies but I was out of them today.
1 1/2 c. mild Italian sausage links, precooked and cut into small pieces*
1 Tbsp. bacon, precooked
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 c. diced onions
1 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
32 oz. box of chicken broth
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 c. kale leaves, ribs removed, slice thin
1/3 c. heavy cream
Saute onions and bacon in olive oil over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Simmer about 15 minutes. Add cooked sausage, kale and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve.
* I have cooked the sausage several ways but the easiest is to bake it on a sheet pan at 300 for about 25 minutes or until done - longer for thicker sausages. Cut in half lenthwise (or in quarters) and then slice into bite sized pieces. You can also use bulk sausage and just saute it in the pan while you do the onions and that way you can omit the olive oil.
For the other soup we ate, check out the older posts for Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Bisque. It's there but today's soup was made using the old recipe with the can of tomato soup. Also the peppers I used this time had tougher skins than usual so I wasn't as happy with it. I like that one with really big cheesy croutons on top of it - sorry ladies but I was out of them today.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Baked Potato Soup
This is one of Bonnie's D - Lisech's recipes.
1 med. garlic bulb - 1/4 in. cut off the top
6 large baking potatoes - rinsed and pierced with fork
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. pepper
optional add ins:
crumbled cooked turkey bacon
shredded cheese (lowfat works)
sour cream
minced green onions
Heat oven to 400
Wrap garlic bulb tightly in foil
Place garlic and potatoes in oven, bake 45 minutes. Remove garlic, continue baking the potatoes another 15 minutes or so, until tender.
Squeeze pulp from garlic into a 4 qt. pot
Peel 3 of the potatoes, add to pot and mash until nearly smooth.
Gradually stir in chicken broth and pepper.
Place over medium heat and cook until hot, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile cut remaining potatoes (with skin) into smallish pieces. Stir into soup and cook until heated through. Serve with chosen add-ins.
In a pinch I have used garlic powder in place of the roasted garlic. My note says I used 3/4 tsp. and it was good. I also use a small bulb of garlic or just several cloves instead of a whole bulb.
1 med. garlic bulb - 1/4 in. cut off the top
6 large baking potatoes - rinsed and pierced with fork
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. pepper
optional add ins:
crumbled cooked turkey bacon
shredded cheese (lowfat works)
sour cream
minced green onions
Heat oven to 400
Wrap garlic bulb tightly in foil
Place garlic and potatoes in oven, bake 45 minutes. Remove garlic, continue baking the potatoes another 15 minutes or so, until tender.
Squeeze pulp from garlic into a 4 qt. pot
Peel 3 of the potatoes, add to pot and mash until nearly smooth.
Gradually stir in chicken broth and pepper.
Place over medium heat and cook until hot, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile cut remaining potatoes (with skin) into smallish pieces. Stir into soup and cook until heated through. Serve with chosen add-ins.
In a pinch I have used garlic powder in place of the roasted garlic. My note says I used 3/4 tsp. and it was good. I also use a small bulb of garlic or just several cloves instead of a whole bulb.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Zuni Cafe Cookbook
Thank you, Mrs, for sending me on an interesting quest this week! Bet you didn't even know you did that, did you?
Pioneer Woman mentioned The Zuni Cafe Cookbook on her cooking blog in reference to brining. Our library has it and I have been enjoying it off and on all week. Cookbooks are the perfect kind of books to peruse while waiting for something else and it seems that's the kind of week I've had. Anyway, this is more than just a book of recipes. Judy gives a bit of culinary history and lots of reasons. Those who know me know I love to know 'why'!
I've always been dissatisfied with how my meat turns out - often dry or tough. Sometimes it's great, but not because I did anything to make it that way. Judy promises succulent and tender meat if I brine it. So now I've got some chicken breasts and a turkey chest brining in the fridge. The downside to all this brining is that we won't be eating any of this meat for several days. In the meantime there's always tofu! ;-)
After reading this cookbook, if I ever get to San Fransisco, I'll definitely want to eat at The Zuni Cafe!
Pioneer Woman mentioned The Zuni Cafe Cookbook on her cooking blog in reference to brining. Our library has it and I have been enjoying it off and on all week. Cookbooks are the perfect kind of books to peruse while waiting for something else and it seems that's the kind of week I've had. Anyway, this is more than just a book of recipes. Judy gives a bit of culinary history and lots of reasons. Those who know me know I love to know 'why'!
I've always been dissatisfied with how my meat turns out - often dry or tough. Sometimes it's great, but not because I did anything to make it that way. Judy promises succulent and tender meat if I brine it. So now I've got some chicken breasts and a turkey chest brining in the fridge. The downside to all this brining is that we won't be eating any of this meat for several days. In the meantime there's always tofu! ;-)
After reading this cookbook, if I ever get to San Fransisco, I'll definitely want to eat at The Zuni Cafe!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Eating Well
Eating Well is a magazine that I thoroughly enjoy. It has the usual recipes and photos of scrumptious looking food, but it goes much further than that. The subtitle says "Where Good Taste Meets Good Health". I have found it to be a very balanced approach to nutritious cooking and eating. Check out their website - I added it under Favorite Links.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Spinach, Rice and Cheese...
Zach wanted me to put this recipe on the blog. It is a favorite comfort food around here. If I mention that I have the ingredients to make this, I can very quickly have lots of helpers cleaning and chopping spinach. There really aren't any exact measurements for this one, so here goes...
Spinach Rice and Cheese
3-4 cups of uncooked rice - prepared however you like to do it. I put water in a pan (twice the amount of rice) and heat to boiling. Add 1/2 to 1 tsp. sea salt and a glug of good quality olive oil (small glug). Pour in the rice, cover and reduce heat to low for about 20 minutes. (This is for Jasmine rice. The cooking time would be longer for brown rice, and you might need a bit more water. Brown is good in this recipe too.)
1 large bunch of spinach or about 2 bags of baby spinach. Wash well, cut off stems and chop them. Chop spinach.
1 onion, chopped
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Soy sauce
Butter
In a large skillet, saute the chopped onion and spinach stems in a small amount of butter until they start to brown. Add hot cooked rice, and soy sauce - enough to tint it lightly - to taste. Mix well. Add chopped spinach and shredded cheddar. Mix well and serve.
This sounds strange when I write it out, but it turns out all sticky, cheesy, spinachy and not at all as bland as it sounds. I use reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari. I think some of the yumminess has to do with using good quality ingredients. It doesn't take a lot of cheese if you use a quality sharp cheddar.
Serves 5 or 6 for lunch, with fresh fruit.
Spinach Rice and Cheese
3-4 cups of uncooked rice - prepared however you like to do it. I put water in a pan (twice the amount of rice) and heat to boiling. Add 1/2 to 1 tsp. sea salt and a glug of good quality olive oil (small glug). Pour in the rice, cover and reduce heat to low for about 20 minutes. (This is for Jasmine rice. The cooking time would be longer for brown rice, and you might need a bit more water. Brown is good in this recipe too.)
1 large bunch of spinach or about 2 bags of baby spinach. Wash well, cut off stems and chop them. Chop spinach.
1 onion, chopped
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Soy sauce
Butter
In a large skillet, saute the chopped onion and spinach stems in a small amount of butter until they start to brown. Add hot cooked rice, and soy sauce - enough to tint it lightly - to taste. Mix well. Add chopped spinach and shredded cheddar. Mix well and serve.
This sounds strange when I write it out, but it turns out all sticky, cheesy, spinachy and not at all as bland as it sounds. I use reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari. I think some of the yumminess has to do with using good quality ingredients. It doesn't take a lot of cheese if you use a quality sharp cheddar.
Serves 5 or 6 for lunch, with fresh fruit.
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