Monthly Archives: April 2012

CHICKEN BURRITOS

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1 cup chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 (7 oz) can mushrooms
2 1/2-3 cups chopped chicken
8-10 flour tortillas
mozzarella cheese, shredded

cook onions & celery in 1 cup chicken broth until soft. in a saucepan, add soups, mushrooms, chicken & cooked veggies. heat on medium temperature. spoon 2-3 tbs into the center of each tortilla. sprinkle a little cheese over mixture. fold both sides over. turn upside down into baking dish, layering until finished. pour remaining mixture on top and sprinkle with more cheese. bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

GRATINEE OF POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS

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1 1/4 cups chicken broth, heated to boiling
2/3 cup boiling water
2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
1 lg shallot, minced
3 leeks, white part only, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 tbs chopped rosemary
1 cup light cream
salt and pepper to taste
3 lbs potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp dried marjoram

pour the broth and water over the mushrooms in a bowl and steep for 30 minutes. strain, reserving the liquid. discard the mushroom stems and chop the caps. meanwhile, preheat the oen to 375 degrees. in a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and butter. add the shallot, leeks, and mushrooms, and cook, about 10 minutes. add the mushroom liquid, wine, and rosemary, and bring to a simmer. stir in the cream and salt and pepper, then set aside. in a 9″x13″ pan, arrange half the potatoes evenly and top with the marjoram, leek mixture, and half the sauce. top with the remaining potatoes and sauce. bake for 1 hour.

serves 4-6

CAULIFLOWER SOUFFLE

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1 med head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
2 egg whites
2 cups plain bread crumps
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. steam the cauliflower over boiling water until just tender, about 10 minutes. while the cauliflower cools, combine the mayonnaise with the lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper, and chives. beat the egg whites until stiff and fold the seasoned mayonnaise into them. gently fold the cooled cauliflower into 1/3 of the mayonnaise mixture and turn into a buttered souffle dish. spead the remaining mayonnaise (jiggle the dish to make the mayonnaise sink down). combine the bread crumbs with the cheese and sprinkle over the mayonnaise. bake 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. serve at once.

serves 4-6

STUFFED CHICKEN POCKETS

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6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
2 minced green onions (scallions)
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 (16 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained & quartered
3/4 cup slivered red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup dry white wine

preheat the oven to 375 degrees. pound the chicken to 1/2″ thickness. over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic, green onions, and tomatoes for 2 minutes. stir in the quinoa, artichoke hearts, red pepper, and rosemary, and saute 5 minutes. stir in the cheese, season with salt and pepper, and spread the stuffing evenly over the chicken breasts, leaving a 1/2″ border, and fold them over crosswise. use wooden toothpicks to stitch the edges closed. place the pockets in large squares of aluminum foil, top each with 2 tbs of wine and seal the foil loosely. bake for 30-40 minutes, or until done.

serves 4-6

NOODLES WITH CREAMY POPPY SEED SAUCE

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2 tbs vegetable oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs unsalted butter
1/2 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 lb wide egg noodles
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tbs poppy seeds
1 tbs freshly grated lemon zest

in a medium skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat. add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

add the butter and warm until melted. add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

add the lemon juice, salt, and black and cayenne peppers, and bring the mixture to a boil. reduce the heat to very low, cover, and keep warm while you cook the noodles.

in a large pot of boling water, cook the noodles until al dente according to pkg directions.

meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, yogurt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest.

drain the noodles and transfer them to a large serving bowl. add the mushroom mixture and the sour cream mixture and toss well to combine.

serves 4

SPICED BANANA TEA CAKE WITH DRIED CHERRIES

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2 cups boiling water
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar OR a natural sweetener
3 lg ripe bananas, mashed
1 lg egg OR egg replacement mixture for 1 egg
2 tbs corn oil OR other mild-tasting oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dried cherries

place a rack or trivet in a 6-qt slow cooker. add the boiling water, cover, and turn the heat setting to HIGH. lightly oil a baking pan that will fit in the cooker and set aside.

in a medium-size mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. add the sugar and stir to combine.

in a large mixing bowl, combine the bananas, egg or egg replacement, oil, and vanilla. add the dry mixture to the wet mixture about 1/3 at at time, mixing well as you go. fold in the cherries.

transfer the batter to the prepared pan and cover with aluminum foil, making several holes in the foil for steam to escape. place on the rack, cover, and cook on HIGH for 3 1/2-4 hours, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

take the cake out of the cooker, remove the aluminum foil, and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

serves 8

MEAT & POULTRY

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MAKE A JUICIER ROAST – To keep all of the natural juices inside your roast, sear it on all sides in a hot skillet with a little vegetable oil before putting it in the roasting pan. A few seconds per side is all it takes since the point is not to cook the meat but rather to toughen up the outside so that the juices don’t flow out while it is cooking. Then be sure to use a shallow roaster to retain more of the moisture. Uncover the meat halfway through roasting in order to avoid a steamed appearance and to get the top of your roast browned.