Monthly Archives: June 2010

Chicken with Peanut Curry Sauce

This was a hit at our house…I think it helped that the chicken came on a skewer.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. canned unsweetened coconut milk, stirred well
1 T soy cauce
1 1/2 tspn. curry powder
3/4 tspn. ground coriander
2 tspn. corn starch
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1 tspn. fresh lime juice
1/4 tspn. red pepper flakes
1 tspn. fresh cilantro, minced
1 package skewers

Instructions:
Whisk together the coconut milk, soy sauce, curry powder and coriander in a small bowl until mixed well. Transfer 1/2 cup of the mixture to another bowl and add cornstarch to the new bowl. Stir well.

Cut the chicken into 1/2 in. thick strips. Add them to the cornstarch mixture, stirring to coat. Marinate covered and refrigerated for at least one hour. Cover the other bowl of sauce and place in the frig as well.

Making the dipping sauce…Stir together the peanut butter, lime juice, red pepper flakes, and reserved coconut mixture in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Thread the chicken on the skewers and cook on a grill for about six minutes on each side.

Serve with dipping sauce sprinkled with cilantro.

Did I change anything? I served this with pasta. Instead of using the dipping sauce for dipping, we used the dipping sauce as a pasta sauce.

What did the family think? Everyone ate it!!! Hubby and I really liked it. Next time I will add more red pepper flakes and more cilantro. Our oldest ate the chicken and the pasta and the youngest just ate the chicken. The novelty of being served chicken on a stick is SO intriguing. 🙂

recipe adapted from Cookie Magazine

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Chicken and Lentil Balsamic Salad

My new favorite salad!

Ingredients:
1 cup dry lentils
3 T balsamic vinegar, divided
2 chicken breasts
1 small garlic clove
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
Fresh baby spinach
Feta

Instructions:
Combine 4 cups of water with 1 cup dried lentils. Boil for 5 minutes, then reduce to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Do NOT add salt to the water. Drain lentils when done cooking.

Combine cooked lentils with 2 T balsamic vinegar. Stir and chill in frig for at least an hour.

Boil chicken breasts until cooked through. When they are done, shred with a fork so it resembles pulled pork. Place in frig so it begins to cool.

To make vinaigrette: 1 T balsamic vinegar, garlic clove, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Assemble salads: place spinach in the bottom of each salad bowl, add lentils, tomatoes, chicken, tomatoes, onions, chickpeas and feta. (I had A LOT of lentils left over.) Add dressing to each salad.

Did I change anything? I ended up making twice as much dressing. It was quick and easy so it wasn’t a big deal.

What did the family think? Everyone ate it! The boys’ salads did not have lentils, tomatoes or red onions and I let them eat it with a different salad dressing, but they ate it an no one complained. They have discovered the yumminess of feta, so that helped. 🙂

from Cookie Magazine

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Salad

Cupcake-Tin Pork Pies

These were a hit with the whole family…

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. ground pork
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tspn. salt
1/2 tspn. black pepper
1 T chopped fresh sage
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
2 (9-inch) discs prerolled, refrigerated pie dough, such as Pillsbury
2 eggs, beaten

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Grease two 6-cup muffin tins with butter or spray with something like Pam.
3. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the dough and 1 tablespoon of the eggs.
4. Unroll the dough and cut out twelve 4-inch circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass.
5. Reroll the scraps, then cut out 12 more 2-inch circles.
6. Line the bottoms and sides of the tins with the 4-inch rounds.
7. Divide the filling evenly among the cups. Press the 2-inch rounds on top, pinching the edges together to seal.
8. Poke a hole in the center of each pie.
9. Brush with the reserved egg and bake until the tops are browned and puffed slightly, 30 to 35 minutes.
10. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing the pies. Serve warm.

What did the family think? I had mine plain and they were super yummy. Hubby had his with some really good mustard. Oldest child had his plain and youngest child ate his with ketchup. Any way you eat them they are going to be good. At one point during our meal they were described as “a meatball in a crust”. Oldest child also said, “these are SO good”. I think they were a hit!

from Epicurious

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Pork

Salmon with Fresh Veggies

Using parchment paper is a great way to cook fish without too much mess.

Ingredients:
(2) 4oz. salmon filets
1 zucchini, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
(You can use different veggies, this is just what I used.)
Olive Oil
Lemon, sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Butter
Parchment Paper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rip off 2 large pieces of parchment paper and place one piece of fish towards the end of each piece of paper. Place one slice of lemon on top of each piece of fish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with veggies. (You may have a few veggies left over.) Lastly, top with a few small dollops of butter.

Wrap the parchment paper so it forms a packet. Don’t wrap it too tightly though, you want enough room for the hot air to move around.

Place packets on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Be careful of the steam when opening the packets after baking.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked the fish cooked this way. I like the way the veggies came out too. It was almost like they were steamed.

from Cookie Magazine

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Filed under Easy, Fish, Lent

Grits and Sausage Casserole

Never had grits? This would be a great place to start…

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. turkey breakfast sausage
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. water
3/4 c. quick-cooking grits
3/4 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 tspn. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of ground red pepper
3 egg whites
Cooking spray

Instructions:
Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Cook sausage in a skillet until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain and set aside.

Combine milk and water in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Stir in grits, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently.

Combine grits, sausage, cheese, salt, pepper and garlic in a bowl and set aside.

Beat eggs whites on a high until stiff peaks form. Gently stir 1/4 of egg whites into grit mixture. Gently fold in remaining egg whites.

Spoon mixture into a casserole dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

What did the family think? Hubby and I love this dish. It is a great way to have breakfast for dinner. 🙂

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Filed under Breakfast, Uncategorized

Crockpot Cranberry Apple Pork Loin Roast

Smells fantastic, tastes fantastic and won’t heat up your kitchen.

Ingredients:
3-4 lb. boneless pork loin roast
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. apple juice
3 apples, cored, peeled and coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Place roast in Crockpot and rub with garlic. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Serve with rice or couscous.

What did the family think? Hubby and I thought this was really good. It definitely tastes like comfort food.

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Avocado Sandwich

So pure and simple it has to be good…

Ingredients:
1 avocado
1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread

Instructions:
Cut, pit and peel an avocado. Put the “meat” of the avocado in a bowl. Mash up avocado until there are just a few chunks…you don’t want it too mushy. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon onto the avocado. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Stir. Spread on a piece of bread/toast and top with another piece of bread/toast. Enjoy!

I just had it with some really good bread that I toasted. That’s it…just toast and the avocado mixture. You may also want to have it with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. I have even seen a recipe to try it with a fried egg. I would have tried that if I’d had one.

What did the family think? I had this for lunch by myself and even if I could have shared with them I wouldn’t have. It’s too good to share. 🙂

from The Hungry Mouse

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

Creamy Summer Squash Lasagna

Hubby found this recipe on-line and suggested I try it. The only problem is that he got the recipe from a British website so all of the measurements had to be converted (or just estimated guessed.)

Ingredients:
6-9 lasagna noodles
2 T olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
5 summer squash, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. ricotta
1 c. cheddar cheese
Jar of your favorite pasta sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook noodles for about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drizzle with a little olive oil to keep noodles from sticking to each other.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for three minutes. Add the garlic and squash and cook until the squash begins to soften. Remove from heat and add 2/3 c. ricotta and 1/2 c. cheddar cheese to the zucchini mixture.

In a large casserole dish, spoon half of the zucchini mixture into the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of pasta and then 1/2 the pasta sauce. Top that layer with the rest of the zucchini mixture, add pasta on top of that and then the rest of the pasta sauce. Top off the dish by placing blobs of ricotta cheese on top and then sprinkling the rest of the cheddar cheese on top of that.

Place in the oven on one of the higher racks for about ten minutes.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it. It was super yummy and pretty easy, too.

from BBC Good Food

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

Fajitas

My goal here was to make a tasty fajita without having to use one of those packages of powdery spice mixes. I did not get what I was going for, so if you have any suggestions, please send them my way.
I am going to go ahead and include the recipe so you can see what I did and then you can help me from there. Thank you!!!

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 T lime juice
1/4 tspn. salt, divided
1/8 tspn. pepper, divided
2 T sour cream
1 1/2 tspn. fresh cilantro
1/8 tspn. ground cumin
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
Tortillas

Instructions:
Preheat broiler.

Place chicken in a shallow dish and sprinkle with lime juice. Season with 1/8 tspn. salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for ten minutes.

Whisk sour cream, cilantro, cumin and 1/8 tspn. salt in a small bowl.

Place the onion and the chicken on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes. Stir onion and turn chicken over. Broil chicken and onion for 3-5 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (The onion may get done before the chicken.) When chicken is done, cut into thin slices on a cutting board.

Assemble tortillas with chicken, sour cream mixture, tomatoes, salsa, cheddar cheese…whatever you like to put on your fajitas.

Did I change anything? I added green peppers that I just sauteed in a skillet with some onions. You can’t have a fajita without green onions. 🙂

What did the family think? I think everyone thought they were just okay. Not as much flavor as we would have liked. Any suggestions?

recipe from Food Network

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Filed under Chicken, Mexican

Sole with Orange Brown Butter

Note to self: when buying fish, make sure it is deboned. I didn’t figure out that the bones were in it until it was already cooked. So I made lemons out of lemonade so to speak and just got as much fish off the bones as I could and made the best of it.

Ingredients:
1 lb. sole fillets
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour for dusting fish
3 T vegetable oil
6 T butter
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 c. orange juice
1 T lemon juice

Instructions:
Season fish with salt and pepper and dredge them in flour. Shake off the excess flour. Put half the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, saute the fish on one side for about 3 minutes then flip it over and cook it on the other side for about three minutes. The fish should be golden brown. Transfer the fish to a platter and keep warm in a 200 degree oven while you make the sauce.

Add the remaining oil and butter to a saute pan and cook over high heat until the butter starts to foam. Add the shallot and cook until they are golden. Add the orange juice and cook for a minute more. Add the lemon juice. When the butter starts to foam again, remove from heat.

Put a piece of sole on each plate and drizzle with orange brown butter sauce.

What did the family think? Hubby liked it. I thought it was okay. It was a little too fruity for me.
The kids had leftover pizza. I didn’t subject them to tonight’s dinner. 🙂

We had this with parmesan risotto, green beans and watermelon.

from Cookie magazine

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Filed under Fish, Lent