“Takeout” Beef and Broccoli

• 3 tbs of low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp of light brown sugar
• 1 tbs of cornstarch
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbs of canola oil
• sirloin steak, cut into thin strips (enough for two people)

• 10-minute brown rice
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

Prepare the water for the rice and a pan to steam the broccoli.  Mix together the first 5 ingredients.  Add the steak and let marinate for 10 minutes on the counter.  Heat a non-stick skillet with canola oil and brown the steak.  Pour brown rice in a bowl, top with cooked beef and broccoli.  Enjoy!

Homemade Granola Bars

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup of wheat germ
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped/crushed

• 1/4 dried golden raisins, chopped
• 1/4 cup flax seeds
• 1/4 dried apricots, chopped

• 2 tbs butter, melted
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pour the oats, wheat germ, salt, and almonds onto an ungreased backing sheet.  Mix them around.  Toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Watch carefully as they will burn if left in for too long.  Lower the oven to 300 degrees.

While the oats are toasting, melt butter in a microwave-safe measuring cup.  Pour it into a small saucepan over low heat.  Use this same measuring cup (now greased up!) to measure out the honey.  (This will help the honey to slide smoothly out of the cup.)  Still over low heat, add in the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Once it is all blended together, pour in the vanilla.  Remove from heat.

Mix the flax seeds, raisins, and apricots together in a large bowl.  Once the oat mixture is taken out of the oven and cooled, add it to the dried fruit.  Stir together well.  Pour in the sticky mixture and stir with a large spoon until mixed well.

Use parchment paper to line a baking pan and butter the sides not covered with parchment paper.  Spread the granola mixture into the pan, pressing it firmly to flatten out.  (You can butter your fingers to do this or pack it down with another, smaller bread pan.)

Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes or until very lightly golden brown.  Let cool completely before removing from pan and slicing.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

This is an easy, but very indulgent macaroni and cheese making it a once-in-a-very-great-while sort of recipe.

2 cups of skim milk
1 small can evaporated 2% milk
2 tablespoons of butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
1/4 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
Splash of chicken stock

2 cups uncooked elbow pasta
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 parmesan cheese
3/4 cup of italian style bread crumbs

Spray the inside of your crockpot with nonstick canola oil spray.  Mix butter, skim milk, evaporated milk, sour cream, and spices in your crockpot.  Pour in the pasta and cheddar and mix well.  Set on low for about 2 hours, stirring every thirty minutes or so.  Remove inner casserole dish from the crockpot.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs on top.  Place under broiler on high for about 5-7 minutes until top is a bit crunchy.

Enjoy!

Spicy Breakfast Potato Wedges

4 russet potatoes

• scrub clean under cold water
• do not peel!
• cut in half the long way
• then cut these pieces into halves, and then into quarters
• you will end up with 16 potatoes pieces that are each 1/8 of a whole

1.5 tbs of vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon of cheyenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon of cracked pepper
1 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon of italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon of onion powder
3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (helps to make the potatoes crispy and makes clean-up easier).  Put potato wedges into a plastic ziplock bag with the oil.  Seal and shake around until they are all coated.  Mix your seasonings in a little bowl and then pour them into the bag.  Seal the bag again and shake it so that the potatoes are coated with seasoning.  Pour the potatoes on the baking sheet (on top of the parchment paper) and spread them out leaving space between them.  Make sure that they are flesh side (well one of the flesh sides) down and not skin side down.  This will make this section touching the parchment paper really crispy and nicely browned.  Leave them in the oven for 35 minutes.  Potatoes are done when they are easily pierced with a fork.  Enjoy!

Sunday, February 24th - March 2nd ~ Weekly Menu

Sunday, February 24th: Eggplant Chana Masala {pnp link}
Monday, February 25th: Chicken Bouillabaise {external link}
Tuesday, February 26th: Shrimp Scampi {external link}
Wednesday, February 27th: Italian Wedding Soup {external link}
Thursday, February 28th: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry {external link}
Friday, March 1st: Escarole and Beans {pnp link}
Saturday, March 2nd: Dinner Out!

Eggplant Chana Masala (Chickpea Stew)

olive oil

1 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 small eggplant (I use the white and purple, striped variety), diced into small cubes

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons garam masala


1 large can of whole tomatoes, reserve juices and chop into small chunks

1 cup water

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon salt

juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat oil in a dutch oven.  Add onions and let cook for about two minutes.  When the onions are soft, add in the garlic and eggplant.  Stir well and cook for another two minutes.  Then add in the ginger and cayenne.  Stir well and cook about 3-5 minutes until fragrant.  Next, add in the coriander, cumin, paprika, and garam masala spices, stir well, and cook for another minute.  Add in the tomatoes, tomato juice, water, chickpeas and stir to combine.  Let simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.  After about 15 minutes, puree about 2 cups of the mixture in a food processor.  Return pureed mixture to dutch oven and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes.  Stir salt and lemon juice into the tomato and chick pea mixture.  This can be popped into the fridge and easily reheated later.  Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Mushrooms, Peppers, Spinach and White Bean Quesadillas

1 pint of baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 clove or garlic, pressed

1 can of white beans (rinsed, drained, and mashed)

few handfuls of spinach, rinsed and chopped

4 tortillas (or two depending on size)

goat cheese

Saute onions and peppers until softened.  Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for a few minutes.  Pour in beans and a splash of chicken stock. As the beans simmer, mash with the back of a wooden spoon.  After about 10 minutes, throw in the spinach and cook until wilted and incorporated into the vegetables and beans.  (Either cook down or pour out extra juice that may make the quesadillas too soggy.)  Meanwhile, heat up an oiled skillet and put in one tortilla.  Sprinkle with goat cheese.  Layer with bean mixture and top with another quesadilla.  Warm on medium to medium-high heat.  Carefully flip over.  When entirely warm and cheese is melted, remove from pan and sliced with a pizza cutter.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Soup

This was perfect for a weeknight when it is chilly out and you are a little pressed for time.  I froze the leftovers after reading a few suggestions to do so online so we will enjoy this meal at some point again this winter :)

3 celery stalks, chopped into 1 inch chunks

1 red pepper, chopped into 1 inch chunks

1/2 white onion, diced 

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon of tomato paste

few skirts of green tabasco sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 can of petit diced tomatoes

2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups of chicken stock

juice of one lime

brown rice

diced avocado

grated cheddar cheese
green onions/scallions, white and green sections chopped

dollop of sour cream

I sauteed the peppers, celery and onions for a few minutes until they were soft.  Then I added the garlic and cooked that together for a few more minutes.  Next, I added the spices, tabasco sauce, and the tomato paste and stirred it around so it was all mixed together well.  Then I added the tomatoes, stock, and beans.  I let that simmer with the top on but slightly tipped for about 20 minutes.  Once everything was soft I pureed everything in two batches.  Then I put it back in the pot and let it cook together for another 5 minutes or so.  Right before I took it off the heat, I stirred in the juice of one lime.  I served it over brown rice with chunks of avocado, a little grated cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. 

Enjoy! 

Garlic and Lime Shrimp and Beans

3/4 pound of shrimp 

juice from 1 lime

olive oil, salt, and pepper

1 teaspoon paprika 

6 garlic cloves, crushed

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 can of cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chicken stock, low sodium

Mix 1/3 of the garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lime juice, paprika, and shrimp in a bowl.  Cover and put in the refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour.  While your shrimp are marinating, prepare the rest of the ingredients.  

When the shrimp are done marinating, broil them for a few minutes until they are cooked through.  Remove from oven and put aside.  Cook the remaining garlic in olive oil until fragrant (a couple of minutes).  Add the tomatoes and simmer until they pop.  (You may help this along by crushing them with the back of a wooden spoon.)  Add tomato paste, crushed red pepper, and chicken stock and bring almost to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, add the beans, and cook until thickened.   Prepare rice.  Plate rice, pour sauce over the rice, and put shrimp on top.

Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Chicken

1 large can of peeled whole tomatoes, halved

olive oil, salt, and pepper

6 garlic cloves, crushed

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

3/4 cup chicken stock, low sodium

1 cup kalamata olives, sliced lengthwise

4 basil leaves, chopped into small strips

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Put the tomatoes (halved) on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over them, flop about 2/3 of your garlic on top, and then shake the pan to mix it all up.  Roast, turning once or twice, for about 30 minutes until their color has deepened.  When there is about 10 minutes left to your tomatoes, prep the chicken breasts.  Pat the chicken dry.  Sprinkle with a mixture of the flour, salt, pepper, thyme and dried basil.  Cook the chicken in a saute pan for about 3-4 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through.  Remove from pan and put on your plates.  Cook the remaining garlic until fragrant and then add the wine and tomato paste.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and add the chicken stock, finished roasted tomatoes, and olives.  Keep at a simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly.  Pour over chicken and sprinkle with basil.  Serve with egg noodles and steamed spinach.

Enjoy!

November 11 - November 17th ~ Weekly Menu

Sunday, November 11th: Orzo with Roasted Vegetables {external link}
Monday, November 12th: Chicken Gabriella {external link}
Tuesday, November 13th: Salmon with Sweet Potatoes and Oven Roasted Cauliflower {external link}
Wednesday, November 14th: White Bean, Pancetta, and Tomato Pasta {pnp link}
Thursday, November 15th: Grilled Breaded Pork Chops {external link}
Friday, November 16th: Make Your Own Pizza Night featuring Frank Pepe's White Clam Pizza {external link}
Saturday, November 17th: Chicken and Mushroom Marsala {external link}

November 4th - November 10th ~ Weekly Menu

This is another busy week for us with meetings and such, so this is a limited menu.  Also, I am going to try to prep all of the meals on Sunday as I am testing out the "freezer cooking" method.

Sunday, November 4th: Meatloaf with Baked Sweet Potatoes {pnp link}
Monday, November 5th: Pineapple Chicken served over rice {pnp link}
Tuesday, November 6th, ELECTION DAY!: Butternut Squash Ravioli {external link}
Wednesday, November 7th: I have class so husband will fend for himself :)
Thursday, November 8th: Dinner out
Friday, November 9th: Minestrone Soup {make ahead- pnp link and regular- pnp link}
Saturday, November 10th: Seared Scallops with Napa Cabbage and Leeks {pnp link}

Seared Scallops served with Napa Cabbage and Leeks

Ingredients

1 pound of sea scallops

juice of 1 lemon

salt and peper

olive oil

2 slices of pancetta, cut into small strips 

1 full napa cabbage, rinsed and sliced into 1/2 inch strips

2 medium leeks, rinsed and sliced into half moons (omit dark green part)

1/2 cup of chicken stock

Pepper

Instructions

Brown the pancetta in a non-stick pan.  Remove and let drain on paper towels.  Pour off most of pancetta grease.  Lower heat to medium and add leeks.  Cook until softened.  Add chicken stock and cabbage.  

Pat sea scallops dry and season with salt and pepper.  Coat a pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Pour in the lemon juice and add the scallops to the pan.  Sear the scallops, turning once (just a few minutes on each side).  Remove and place on a plate. 

Once the cabbage is wilted and most of the chicken stock is cooked off, pour into a serving dish and top with the scallops.  Add fresh ground pepper to the top.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Risotto with Peas and Parmesan Cheese

2 cups chicken stock, low sodium

1 cup of water

1/4 cup of dry, white wine

1 teaspoon of dried basil 

1/2 medium-sized onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced 

3/4 cup Arborio (risotto) rice

1 pint of sliced mushrooms

1 pad of butter

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

3/4 cup of frozen peas

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, grated

pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  

Put stock, water, wine, and basil in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and keep warm, uncovered.  

Saute onion in a dutch oven until softened.  Add garlic and cook until it smells delicious.  Pour rice to the pan and stir it around to toast it (2 minutes).  Pour in the warm broth, water, wine, and basil mixture and stir well.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Cook uncovered for 15 minutes.  (At this point you do not need to stir it as long as you make sure it is just at a simmer.)  After this 15 minutes of simmering, put the cover on and put the dutch oven in the 325 degree oven.  Bake for 15 minutes.  

During this time, saute the mushrooms in butter adding in the lemon juice and frozen peas after about 5 minutes.  Cook for another few minutes until the mushrooms and peas are tender.  After the 15 minutes, carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven and place on stove.  Stir in the mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and fresh ground pepper.  Put the cover back on and cook at a low heat until all ingredients are incorporated and the rice is creamy (less then 10 minutes).

Enjoy!

Chicken and 2-Bean Chili

Sometime last week I roasted a chicken for dinner and shredded the leftover chicken.  I then froze it to use for later recipes.  This recipe is one that is going to benefit from that chicken :)

1 red or green pepper (green pepper looks pretty with all of the red), diced

1 medium-sized sweet onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 envelope of McCormack's chili seasoning mix (less sodium)

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

1 cup of chicken stock

juice of 1/2 lime

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can black beans (low sodium if possible), rinsed and drained

1 can red kidney beans (low sodium if possible), rinsed and drained 

1 cup shredded chicken, thawed

3/4 cup frozen corn

Saute the onions and peppers in a heavy, dutch oven until soft.  Add the garlic.  When garlic smells delicious, add in seasoning mix and cumin.  Mix well.  Pour in the chicken stock, lime juice, and tomato paste.  Continue to cook until a bit thickened.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir well.  Continue to cook uncovered until the tomatoes are well incorporated and the chili is nice and thick (about 30 minutes).

Enjoy!

 

Seeded Bread

This is a hearty bread, great with a little butter and jam!  It is adapted from Beth Hensperger's  The Bread Bible.

1/4 cup of honey
1/3 cup of lukewarm water
2 1/2 teaspoons of instant yeast

2 3/4 cups all purpose, unbleached flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup of wheat germ
2 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1 cup cool water
1/4 canola oil

1/3 cup of sunflower seeds
1/3 cup of flax seeds
a little less than 1/4 cup of poppy seeds

a little less than 1/4 cup of sesame seeds

Whisk the honey with the warm water, sprinkle the yeast on top, and then stir together.  Let sit for 10 minutes until "scummy".  Stir together the second set of ingredients(all dry) and then pour the yeast mixture over it.  Stir to combine.  Add the cool water and canola oil and mix together in a standmixer using the dough hook.  Put the dough in a bowl (not metal) with canola oil and flip it around a few times so it is coated with the oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel.  Put in a warm, draft-free spot for an hour and a half until doubled in size.  When the dough has been rising for an hour, pour all of the seeds onto a baking sheet and toast at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes.  Remove from sheet and let cool.  Once bread is done with its first rise, flour a work space and knead gently a few times.  Pat the dough into an oval shape and sprinkle the toasted seeds on top.  Again, knead gently to incorporate the seeds.  Divide the dough in half and shape into two small round balls.  Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and let rise a second time until doubled in size, about an hour.  About 45 minutes later, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  When the second rise is complete, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until lightly browned.  (Do the "tap test"- loaves should sound hollow when they are tapped.)   As always, resist the urge to cut into the bread until it has been completely cooled on a cooling rack!

Enjoy!

Homemade Breadcrumbs

Since I am making meatballs this week, I thought it was about time I used all of the frozen ends and scraps of bread I had squirreled away in my freezer.  As you know, I bake bread each week.  Although lovely in taste and crumb, it doesn't keep as long as the bread you get in the store with all of its long-lasting preservatives.  This results in me popping the remains in the freezer as soon as the bread is no longer fresh, but not yet stale.

First, I took all of the bread out of the freezer and popped it on a cookie sheet.  I baked it at 350 degrees for around 20 minutes until the bread was dry and crispy, but not browning too much.

I then broke up the larger pieces and put them all in my food processor.

To this, I added 1/8 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.  I ground it up, poured it all into a plastic ziplock bag, and then popped it in the freezer.

According to a few sources, they should keep for about a year in the freezer (no need to thaw) and a few months in the fridge.

One final picture of Charlie the Goldendoodle for your viewing pleasure.  He also loves breadcrumbs due to their crunchiness.

Enjoy!

Homemade Applesauce

I made applesauce last week and it was so delicious!  I ended up altering the recipes I found online because there was way too much sugar in them for my tastes.  In our home, we like chunky applesauce with a little cinnamon-sugar flavor, but that still retains some of the tartness of the apples.  This is how I made our applesauce.

~ 8 cups of apples, a mixture of Gala, Jonared, and Mcintosh (cored and cubed)
~ 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
~ 3/4 cup of water
~ juice of one lemon (a medium-sized lemon will give you about 2 tablespoons)
~ most of the peel of that lemon
~ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Put everything in one large pot and stir well.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Then, reduce the heat to a low simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes.  Since we like it chunky I mashed up the apples right in the pan.  If you want it thinner, you could definitely use an immersion or regular blender.  (Make sure you fish out the lemon peel.)  I then continued to let the applesauce simmer for another 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Banana-Pineapple Muffins

I like to freeze muffins and pop one out in the morning before I get ready to go to work.  By the time I get to school, it is thawed and great for a quick breakfast before my students come in :)

1/2 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup of flax seeds

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 tablespoon of lemon zest (from about half a lemon)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 over-ripened bananas, mashed

2/3 cup crushed pineapple (with juice)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, flax seeds and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, oil, lemon zest, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas, pineapple, and walnuts.  Spray muffin tins with a non-stick spray.  Fill almost to the top with the batter.  Bake for about 30 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean).  Pop them onto a wire rack to cool.  

Enjoy!

October 14th - October 20th ~ Weekly Menu

Sunday, October 14th:  Minestrone Soup {pnp link}
Monday, October 15th:  Pumpkin Manicotti {external link}
Tuesday, October 16th: Shredded Chicken Mexican Lasagna {pnp link}
Wednesday, October 17th: Martha's Foulproof Fricassee {external link}
Thursday, October 18th: Potato Latkes  {external link} and Homemade Apple Sauce {external link}
Friday, October 19th: Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash- so excited to try this! {external link}
Saturday, October 20th: Beef Stroganoff {external link}