Caramelized Brussel Sprouts

This was in a Family Fun magazine, October 2012.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds brussel sprouts
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp. table salt)
1/2 tsp. sugar
lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:
1. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on an oven rack in the lowest position & heat the oven to 500'. Trim the bottom of the sprouts, peel & discard any shriveled leaves, and halve the sprouts.
2. In a large bowl, drizzle the sprouts with the oil & toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle with the salt & sugar & toss gently to combine.
3. Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Carefully transfer the sprouts to the sheet & spread them evenly, flat sides down.
4. Place the sprouts in the oven & roast them until they're well browned & tender, 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

We made these for dinner - and they were delicious - the tomatoes were tender, slightly sweet, and perfect for a cold night.

 

4 tomatoes, halved horizontally

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (or basil)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

 

 -Preheat oven to 450° F.

 -Place tomatoes cut-side up on a greased baking tray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, cheese & herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and bake 15 minutes or until tender.
          

"Almost Marzetti's" Slaw Dressing

We eat cole slaw on a regular basis here - with BBQ, hot dogs, tuna salad, hamburgers, etc. - and I usually buy Marzetti's Light dressing, because that's what I've always done, and I've never found a recipe that worked. Yesterday I was forced to find one, because it was almost dinner time & I had about 1/2 cup of Marzetti's - here is the recipe I found, from allrecipes:

Ingredients:

2 cups light mayonnaise

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup white distilled vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

cabbage

carrot

celery salt (optional)

 

1. Combine mayo, sugar, vinegar & mustard; whisk together until sugar is dissolved.

2. Chop or shred carrots & cabbage.

3. Add enough dressing to taste; sprinkle with celery salt if desired.

 

Recipe from here. 

 

Sausage Pizza Zucchini Boats

This is a *great* dish - a homeschooling friend shared the recipe. It comes from a website called Dashing Dish, and she calls it Pizzuchini. My entire family liked the meal- even my meat-loving, Italian husband.

Here is the recipe, and my changes are in bold:

	4   large zucchini, halved lengthwise
	1 lb. (2 cups) lean ground turkey or boca meat style crumbles    I used Morning Star sausage, crumbled
	1/4 cups onion, diced I used onion powder
	2 tsp garlic powder I put 3 cloves garlic through the garlic press
	1/2 tsp. salt I omitted
	1/4 tsp. pepper
	1 cup  pizza or pasta sauce I used 1 cup crushed tomatoes
	2 tbs. grated parmesan
	1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
	2 tbs basil, 2 tbs oregano, optional I added these to the pan 1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 13×9 baking dish with     non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 2. In a large non-stick skillet, combine ground turkey, onion,     garlic, salt and pepper, (and basil and oregano if you desire).     Cook over med-high heat until turkey is brown and cooked through.     I just crumbled the sausage and added it to the pan. 3. While the turkey is cooking, make the ‘zucchini boats’ by scooping     the seeds from center of each zucchini half, using a spoon or melon     baller. This will make 8 long ‘zucchini boats’. Set boats in baking dish,     placing them side by side. 4. Once the ground turkey is browned, add the pizza/pasta sauce and     parmesan cheese to the skillet, and simmer over medium heat for     5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened up. 5.  Spoon turkey mixture into zucchini boats. Sprinkle mozzarella      cheese over the top of each boat. 6.  Bake zucchini boats for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cheese is golden      brown.

Squash-Corn Muffins

We are trying new veggie recipes on a regular basis, since we've joined a veggie co-op. At least this week we got familiar things! I came home with a boatload of yellow squash, so we made muffins tonight - this made 12.

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow corn meal
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
4 tsp brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup shredded yellow squash
1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed (I used sweet white corn)

Preheat oven to 400*. Mix all dry ingredients; set aside. Combine oil, brown sugar, buttermilk and egg; add to dry ingredients. Fold in corn and squash, gently mix until moist. Divide between 12 muffin cups; bake 10 minutes or until done.

*it also called for a sweet red pepper, chopped - we didn't have any- and 1 tsp. chili powder, but I have some anti-spice children, so I omitted that. I was thinking cutting the sugar and adding chopped green onions would be good, too.

From Low Fat, High Flavor Cookbook

Glazed Baby Carrots

I have never made glazed carrots. My husband is not a fan of cooked carrots, so it's never on my mind. However, this week I inadvertantly bought 7 pounds of carrots...you have to do something with that many. My girls all loved these, which I found on allrecipes:

1 pound baby carrots

1/4 cup orange juice (I used water - no orange juice)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 pinch salt

           

1. Place carrots in a shallow saucepan, and cover with water. Boil until tender. Drain, and return carrots to pan.
2. Pour orange juice (or water) over carrots, and mix well. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, butter, and salt. Heat until butter and sugar melt.

Roasted Okra

I got a package of okra in our product co-op box, and usually I slice it, freeze it, and keep it for gumbo, but I decided to try it roasted. It was fantastic- 3 of us gobbled it up. One didn't like it at all, and my other daughter thought it was too peppery. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com.

18 fresh okra pods, sliced 1/3 inch thick

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

2 teaspoons black pepper, or to taste

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Arrange the okra slices in one layer on a foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Stuffed Baked Tomatoes

Yet another garlic recipe - I'll try this sometime this week.

2 tomatoes

1 cup small curd cottage cheese

1/4 chopped fresh spinach, basil, arugula

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise. Combine remaining ingredients.
2. Divide evenly among 4 tomato halves. Bake. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until hot and browned.

Simple Marinated Chicken & Vegetables

This is really good - either thrown on the grill on skewers, or cooked in the oven under the broiler.

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks (at least 1 1/2 inches)
peppers, chunked
onions in large slices
mushrooms, halved if large

In large bowl or ziploc, mix:
2-4 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (or more, if you really like garlic)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste

Add chicken and veggies to bag/bowl, toss to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Either cook on grill, on skewers, or on a large pan, spread out in one layer - cook under the broiler, turning after 3-4 minutes, and cook until done.

A new zucchini side dish

I came up with this last night, and it was a success- and very quick and easy.

zucchini, sliced into rounds (we used 2 medium-sized, and didn't have any leftovers)
Italian dressing
Parmesan cheese
non-stick cooking spray

Spray a saute pan with spray; place zucchini in pan and add enough Italian dressing to coat. Saute for a couple of minutes, then either keep in pan if it's oven-proof or transfer zucchini to baking dish. The dish should be large enough for most of the zucchini slices to lay in single layer. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese as desired; place under broiler until cheese is lightly brown.

Serve immediately - the zucchini will get too soft if left under broiler too long.

White Bean Dip with Rosemary & Garlic

This makes a very good spread, similar to hummus. I mixed ideas from several recipes online. The rosemary adds a really nice touch:

2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed well
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil

In a saute pan over medium heat, stir half the olive oil and the 3 cloves garlic until fragrant, being careful not to brown garlic, about 1 minute. Pour oil and garlic into a food processor.

Add remaining ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth.

Serve with pita chips, veggies, crackers, etc. This made ~3 cups of dip. I made my own pita chips by slicing the pitas into small triangles, brushing with olive oil, sprinkling with sea salt, and baking at 400* - 5 minutes on one side, flip all pieces and bake ~3 minutes or until crispy. They are good warm or cooled.

Chicken Stew

This turned out really good - it is adapted from this recipe from Food Network

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces (Or 1 1/2 tsp dried basil)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 chicken breast with ribs (about 1 1/2 pounds total) (Or 5-6 boneless, skinless thighs)
• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans
• 3-4 small red skin potatoes, diced (peeled if you don't like skin)
• Serving suggestion: crusty bread

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 15-20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the beans and potatoes to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. **I took out some of the soup at this point and pureed it in my blender, and then added it back in.**

Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Green and Red Tomato and White Corn Soup

I found this on allrecipes.com - our neighbor gave us a bag of green tomatoes, and Sunday afternoon I'm too tired to make Fried Green Tomatoes.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (I used 3 cloves)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1-2 tsp dried oregano

4 green tomatoes, chopped

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (I used more, and it was frozen white corn)

7 cups vegetable broth (I used 4 cups of chicken stock)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a stockpot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, saute until soft.
2. Stir in the cumin powder, oregano, tomatoes and corn. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in broth, reduce heat to low and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 182 | Total Fat: 7.2g | Cholesterol: 0mg

Garlic Broccoli

this is one of our favorite side dishes:

wash and cut into bite-size pieces at least 2 heads of broccoli
mince 3 (or more if you love garlic!) cloves garlic

steam broccoli for 1 1/2 minutes - only to crisp-tender

coat a saute pan with olive oil, saute garlic until tender. Add broccoli and saute for several minutes on medium high; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Pork and Broccoli Stir-Fry Recipe with Ginger and Hoisin Sauce

one of our favorites

1 lb. pork tenderloin (2 boneless pork loin chops were perfect)

2 T soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
1 T cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
4 cups broccoli flowerets, cut into same size pieces
1-2 T peanut oil (depending on your pan)
4-5 slices fresh ginger root
4-5 sliced garlic cloves

sauce:
2 tsp. ginger puree (also called ground ginger, or use finely minced fresh ginger root)
2 tsp. garlic puree (also called ground garlic, or use finely minced garlic cloves)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 T Hoisin sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes or a few shakes or Sriracha sauce

Trim all visible fat from pork chops and cut into strips about 1/2 inch thick and 2-3 inches long. Combine soy sauce, dry sherry, and cornstarch in bowl and add the pork strips. Stir to coat pork and let marinate while you prep the other ingredients.

Wash broccoli and cut into same-sized flowerets, keeping a few inches of stem on the pieces. If using ginger and garlic puree, combine with chicken stock, Hoisin sauce, and hot sauce or pepper flakes. (If using freshly minced ginger and garlic, keep them out of the sauce so they can have a minute or so of extra cooking time.)

Have all ingredients ready and turner and serving plate ready before you begin to stir-fry.

Heat wok over high flame or hot burner about 1 minute, until it feels hot if you put your hand over the wok. Add 1 T peanut oil and heat until the oil looks shimmery, then add garlic and ginger root slices and cook 30 seconds to one minute, just until you start to smell the garlic and ginger. Be careful to remove every bit of ginger and garlic or it will make the oil taste bitter.

Add broccoli and stir-fry, stirring often, for about 3 minutes, or until broccoli turns bright green and is barely getting tender. Remove broccoli to a plate. Add a bit more oil if needed, heat about 30 seconds, then add pork and marinating liquid. Stir-fry pork about 3-4 minutes, until it's firm and slightly browned. (If using freshly minced garlic and ginger, add now and cook about 1 minute.) Add broccoli and sauce and cook about 2 minutes more, stirring until meat and vegetables are coated with sauce and sauce is slightly thickened. (There will not be a huge amount of sauce.) Serve hot.

Curried Chicken Vegetables with Rice

Curried Chicken Vegetables with Rice

INGREDIENTS

1 pound chicken tenders or boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1‑1/4 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 package (16 ounces) frozen mixed vegetable medley, such as broccoli, red bell peppers, cauliflower and sugar snap peas, thawed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 cups hot cooked white rice
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

PREPARATION:
1.Toss chicken with curry powder, salt and ground red pepper in medium bowl; set aside.
2.Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup chicken broth, vegetables and tomato paste; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, uncovered, 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
3.Combine remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth and cornstarch, mixing until smooth. Stir into chicken mixture; simmer 2 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice; top with yogurt and cilantro.