Makes several cold-remedying bowls.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
2-3 chicken breasts
2 green onions chopped
1 lb frozen leaf spinach
½ lb frozen mixed vegetables
½ cube chicken bullion
4 large fresh garlic cloves crushed
1 pad butter or oil to grease a pan
Dashes of chili powder, sage, and thyme
Fresh ground pepper
1 can chicken soup*
1 can minestrone *
* I buy cans of soup when they’re 50% off and use them as soup base. You can just use more chicken broth and add your own extra veggies, rice, beans or what have you.
Directions:
Prepare quinoa in a microwavable bowl (ie Pyrex) with 1 part quinoa, 2 parts liquid; I used 1 cup quinoa + 2 cups chicken broth. Cook in the microwave for about 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
While quinoa cooks, grate/crush garlic and prepare chicken by cutting into small chunks.
Sauté chicken in 1/2 of the garlic on medium heat in a pan with butter or oil.
Add soup base and/or stock, the other ½ of the garlic, and vegetables to a large pot on the stove. Add seasonings. Stir and simmer.
Add chicken and quinoa to the mixture.
Add a cup of water to the chicken pan (to get garlic flavor and juices from the chicken) and add to soup.
Let soup simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Wheat-free, Low-cholesterol Meatballs &/or Meatloaf
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground chicken (or turkey)
3 eggs
4 green onions diced
2 tablespoons Za’atar or 1 tablespoon thyme + 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sage
1 tablespoon onion powder
Dash soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2 tablespoons soy flour*
2 tablespoons corn meal or maize flour*
*for soy and/or corn allergies, compensate with soy flour. The baking powder and eggs makes it rise and gives it a spongy texture.
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add more soy flour/maize flour/flax seed for thicker consistency, especially for meatballs.
Grease pan.
Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes, longer for meatloaf than for meatballs.
Serve with tomato sauce, cheese, butter, gravy or enjoy plain.
1 pound lean ground chicken (or turkey)
3 eggs
4 green onions diced
2 tablespoons Za’atar or 1 tablespoon thyme + 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sage
1 tablespoon onion powder
Dash soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2 tablespoons soy flour*
2 tablespoons corn meal or maize flour*
*for soy and/or corn allergies, compensate with soy flour. The baking powder and eggs makes it rise and gives it a spongy texture.
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add more soy flour/maize flour/flax seed for thicker consistency, especially for meatballs.
Grease pan.
Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes, longer for meatloaf than for meatballs.
Serve with tomato sauce, cheese, butter, gravy or enjoy plain.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Dirt Cake!
It’s a summer camp classic but this is also a fun dessert for Halloween.
Ingredients:
1 chocolate cake (Betty Crocker box Bundt works well)
4 boxes instant chocolate pudding (8 cups milk)
1 box Oreo or off brand chocolate sandwich cookies
1 box vanilla cream sandwich cookies
1 box Whoppers (malted milk balls)
2 bags gummy worms
1-2 bags of small chocolate marshmallows
Fudge sauce:
1 oz bar Bakers chocolate
3 tablespoons butter
Handful marshmallows
Container:
New 10 quart bucket
Directions:
Bake chocolate cake.
Prepare chocolate pudding. Let set and chill in the fridge. (This is mud)
Crush/ smash up Oreo & vanilla sandwich cookies by putting cookies in a large freezer bag and using a kitchen mallet. (This is like sand.)
After cake bakes and rests, cut into slices.
Melt fudge sauce ingredients in the microwave. (Also like mud)
Combine ingredients in the bucket by layering them. Drizzle fudge sauce in the middle. The worms are of course because it’s pretend dirt. The marshmallows and malted milk balls are the rocks.
Let the dirt cake chill in the fridge. Serve with a clean garden spade or plastic beach toy or large kitchen spoon that resembles a trowel.
Fake flowers optional
Enjoy.
Ingredients:
1 chocolate cake (Betty Crocker box Bundt works well)
4 boxes instant chocolate pudding (8 cups milk)
1 box Oreo or off brand chocolate sandwich cookies
1 box vanilla cream sandwich cookies
1 box Whoppers (malted milk balls)
2 bags gummy worms
1-2 bags of small chocolate marshmallows
Fudge sauce:
1 oz bar Bakers chocolate
3 tablespoons butter
Handful marshmallows
Container:
New 10 quart bucket
Directions:
Bake chocolate cake.
Prepare chocolate pudding. Let set and chill in the fridge. (This is mud)
Crush/ smash up Oreo & vanilla sandwich cookies by putting cookies in a large freezer bag and using a kitchen mallet. (This is like sand.)
After cake bakes and rests, cut into slices.
Melt fudge sauce ingredients in the microwave. (Also like mud)
Combine ingredients in the bucket by layering them. Drizzle fudge sauce in the middle. The worms are of course because it’s pretend dirt. The marshmallows and malted milk balls are the rocks.
Let the dirt cake chill in the fridge. Serve with a clean garden spade or plastic beach toy or large kitchen spoon that resembles a trowel.
Fake flowers optional
Enjoy.
Almost Too Spicy Gumbo
Serves about 5
Ingredients:
2 14oz cans of vegetable soup
3 cups crab stock
2 cups raw (shelled, deveined) shrimp
2 raw Swai (or other mild white fish) fillets cut into small chunks
2 cups okra (I used frozen pre-cut)
2 6.5oz cans of clams in clam juice
4 cloves of fresh garlic crushed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (I used Zaatar)
3 sprigs of tarragon
1 jalapeño diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup rice
2 strips of bacon diced
Dash of chili powder
Dash or cayenne pepper
Dash pimentón
Directions:
Let ingredients simmer on low for 2-4 hours or use a Crockpot.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 14oz cans of vegetable soup
3 cups crab stock
2 cups raw (shelled, deveined) shrimp
2 raw Swai (or other mild white fish) fillets cut into small chunks
2 cups okra (I used frozen pre-cut)
2 6.5oz cans of clams in clam juice
4 cloves of fresh garlic crushed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (I used Zaatar)
3 sprigs of tarragon
1 jalapeño diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup rice
2 strips of bacon diced
Dash of chili powder
Dash or cayenne pepper
Dash pimentón
Directions:
Let ingredients simmer on low for 2-4 hours or use a Crockpot.
Enjoy!
Broccoli Cheese + Cream of Mushroom: And/Both!
I like mushrooms and I like broccoli cheese soup, so why choose? It doesn’t always have to be Either/Or.
Ingredients:
½ cup chopped onions
1 lb bag of frozen broccoli
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
1 cup water
Dash of ground mustard powder
½ cube of chicken bullion
Dash fresh ground pepper
2 cans Progresso Cream of Mushroom soup (gluten free)
Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
Let broccoli thaw or add 1 cup boiling water.
Chop up broccoli, separating stalks from florets.
In a blender, blend broccoli stalks, onions, and water until puréed.
Pour mixture into pot over medium heat. Add butter, milk, bullion, mustard powder, pepper and florets.
Reduce heat and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the cream of mushroom soup and let simmer for about 15 minutes more.
Serve with cheddar cheese on top.
Enjoy.
Ingredients:
½ cup chopped onions
1 lb bag of frozen broccoli
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
1 cup water
Dash of ground mustard powder
½ cube of chicken bullion
Dash fresh ground pepper
2 cans Progresso Cream of Mushroom soup (gluten free)
Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
Let broccoli thaw or add 1 cup boiling water.
Chop up broccoli, separating stalks from florets.
In a blender, blend broccoli stalks, onions, and water until puréed.
Pour mixture into pot over medium heat. Add butter, milk, bullion, mustard powder, pepper and florets.
Reduce heat and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the cream of mushroom soup and let simmer for about 15 minutes more.
Serve with cheddar cheese on top.
Enjoy.
Easy Sunday Morning Quiche
This quiche is easy like Sunday morning and vegetarian!
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper
½ onion
Salt & pepper
10 oz pack or 2 cups spinach
4 tablespoons cream cheese
8 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 pie crust
Dusting of Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Dice up red bell pepper and onion. Sauté with salt and pepper and a bit of oil.
Thaw spinach or chop up if fresh.
In a bowl whip eggs with milk
Grease a pie pan and insert crust. Scallop the edges.
Put red bell pepper & onions in first, then spinach.
Dollop and spread around the cream cheese.
Pour in the egg mixture.
Finish the top off with some parmesan cheese.
Bake until the crust is brown and the egg is firm at 350 for about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper
½ onion
Salt & pepper
10 oz pack or 2 cups spinach
4 tablespoons cream cheese
8 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 pie crust
Dusting of Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Dice up red bell pepper and onion. Sauté with salt and pepper and a bit of oil.
Thaw spinach or chop up if fresh.
In a bowl whip eggs with milk
Grease a pie pan and insert crust. Scallop the edges.
Put red bell pepper & onions in first, then spinach.
Dollop and spread around the cream cheese.
Pour in the egg mixture.
Finish the top off with some parmesan cheese.
Bake until the crust is brown and the egg is firm at 350 for about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Cornish Hens- Moroccan style
My local grocery store was having a 50 % off sale on all poultry products. I initially picked up a whole roaster chicken thinking of frugality and efficiency but then decided I couldn’t possibly consume the whole thing, even with assistance of neighbors and house mates. Also, after the inevitable and numerous reinventions of the chicken, I’d just get sick of chicken altogether, further fueling my newly acquired pescatarianism. More is not always better. Then I saw a pair of Cornish Hens conveniently packaged together for $4. Perfect. Something new to try and the price is right.
As usual with new ingredients, I search for recipes on www.epicurious.com for ideas or to see how they are customarily prepared. To my delight on the top of the second page of recipe listings was Morrocan-Style Roast Cornish Hens with Vegetables
The recipe is more or less a tajine (dish) but without the tajine (conical ceramic pot). I used the recipe as a guide and made the following alterations:
1. Instead of cous-cous, I made lentils:
1 cups French lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
A few tablespoons tomato paste
½ chicken bullion cube
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon garlic powder
I cooked it on low until the lentils were thick and saucy.
2. I took the sweetbreads out of the Cornish Hens and put them in a small crock pot with:
1 tablespoon fresh ginger chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 ½ cup boiling water
1 green onion chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
I let this simmer while I prepared the vegetables and spices. I later used a strainer and used the liquid as the “chicken broth” from the recipe.
3. Additions, substitutions, deletions, notes:
- I did not use any honey
- I used fennel seeds instead of caraway
- I didn’t use as much paprika as they recommended and instead added a teaspoon of turmeric.
- I only used a dash of cayenne. Moroccan food isn’t supposed to spicy like Mexican or Thai.
-I used a long white radish instead of a turnip
- I didn’t use the can of tomatoes. I put some tomato paste into the spice mix with my broth. That was liquidy enough.
-As for the herbs at the end, my guest doesn’t like cilantro so I didn’t bother. Cilantro and parsley are staples in Morocco cooking, though. Had I decided to use cilantro and parsley, (but not mint- that’s for tea, not chicken) I would have diced it up finely and stuffed the birds with it or stuffed it underneath the skin. This herb combination is generally cooked, not used as a garish.
- I didn’t have squash or zucchini so I used carrots.
- I didn’t “halve the hens”. This is generally done for serving size and does not affect how it cooks. After an hour at 425 degrees in a foil tent, the meat falls off the bone- as it should, just like a tajine.
This was delicious.
As usual with new ingredients, I search for recipes on www.epicurious.com for ideas or to see how they are customarily prepared. To my delight on the top of the second page of recipe listings was Morrocan-Style Roast Cornish Hens with Vegetables
The recipe is more or less a tajine (dish) but without the tajine (conical ceramic pot). I used the recipe as a guide and made the following alterations:
1. Instead of cous-cous, I made lentils:
1 cups French lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
A few tablespoons tomato paste
½ chicken bullion cube
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon garlic powder
I cooked it on low until the lentils were thick and saucy.
2. I took the sweetbreads out of the Cornish Hens and put them in a small crock pot with:
1 tablespoon fresh ginger chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 ½ cup boiling water
1 green onion chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
I let this simmer while I prepared the vegetables and spices. I later used a strainer and used the liquid as the “chicken broth” from the recipe.
3. Additions, substitutions, deletions, notes:
- I did not use any honey
- I used fennel seeds instead of caraway
- I didn’t use as much paprika as they recommended and instead added a teaspoon of turmeric.
- I only used a dash of cayenne. Moroccan food isn’t supposed to spicy like Mexican or Thai.
-I used a long white radish instead of a turnip
- I didn’t use the can of tomatoes. I put some tomato paste into the spice mix with my broth. That was liquidy enough.
-As for the herbs at the end, my guest doesn’t like cilantro so I didn’t bother. Cilantro and parsley are staples in Morocco cooking, though. Had I decided to use cilantro and parsley, (but not mint- that’s for tea, not chicken) I would have diced it up finely and stuffed the birds with it or stuffed it underneath the skin. This herb combination is generally cooked, not used as a garish.
- I didn’t have squash or zucchini so I used carrots.
- I didn’t “halve the hens”. This is generally done for serving size and does not affect how it cooks. After an hour at 425 degrees in a foil tent, the meat falls off the bone- as it should, just like a tajine.
This was delicious.
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