cooking the recipe: October 2012

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

One-Pot Mac and Cheese

Cooking oil spray

2 cups skim milk

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 cups preshredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

Spray the pot of the slow cooker or if using a liner bag, spray the bag well. In a mixing bowl whisk together milk, evaporated milk, egg, salt and pepper. Pour milk mixture into the crockpot. Add cheese and uncooked macaroni. Stir gently to mix.

Turn slow cooker on low and cook 3-4 hours, or until the custard is set and the macaroni is tender. (Do not cook more than 4 hours, or the sides will begin to dry out). Serve at once.

Jans tips: between the 3-4 hour mark on low, the edges start to get that crispy, cheesey edge. My kids love that part, but if yours don't you'll want to make this when you know you can cut it to warm or serve it at about the three hour mark.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Broccoli Rabe and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza

INGREDIENTS

1small bunch broccoli rabe

1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

4cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/4teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4teaspoon kosher salt

1cup shredded smoked mozzarella

112 inch Boboli thin-crust pizza shell

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Trim the bottom 2 inches and any thick stems from the broccoli rabe; blanch 2 minutes. Transfer immediately to a large bowl of ice water. Drain well, pat dry with paper towels and chop into 1-inch pieces.

2. Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper, salt and broccoli rabe; saute 1 minute.

3. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the pizza crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange broccoli rabe and garlic over the top. Bake directly on oven rack 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is crispy. Drizzle pizza with remaining oil and slice.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Tastes Like Thanksgiving Casserole

This hearty, rich-tasting main dish is sure to be a hit with your family. It's a delicious way to use up Thanksgiving turkey, and you can substitute 5-1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes for the 6 potatoes. —Mary Lou Timpson, Centennial Park, Arizona

This recipe is:

Contest Winning

Prep: 30 min. Bake: 30 min.

Yield: 8 Servings

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Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1-1/4 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup butter, cubed
6 cups unseasoned stuffing cubes
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 cup chicken broth
4 cups cubed cooked turkey
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup sour cream, divided
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Place potatoes in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Remove from the heat.
In a large bowl, combine the stuffing cubes, poultry seasoning and sage. Stir in broth and celery mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
In another large bowl, combine the turkey, soup, garlic powder and 1/4 cup sour cream; spoon over stuffing mixture. Drain potatoes; mash in a large bowl. Beat in the cream cheese, pepper, salt and remaining sour cream; spread over turkey mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 8 servings.

Cheesy Biscuits

1 1/2 cups Bisquick

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 Tbps sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425. Stir together all ingredients just until combined. Scoop into a mini muffin pan coated with cooking spray. Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden. **I used a medium cookie scoop and got 20 muffins**

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Slow Cooker Ham & White Beans

1 lb package dried northern beans
ham bone, hocks, shanks or diced ham (about 1 pound)
2 tsp onion powder
6 cups water
salt & pepper to taste

Rinse and sort the beans for any pebbles. Add the the rinsed beans, onion powder, salt, pepper, and ham to the crock pot. Add water. Cover and cook on low about 8 hours, until beans are tender. Remove ham bone, shanks or hocks and pull off the meat. Add meat to the crock pot and mix. Serve with cornbread.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Buffalo Chicken Taquitos

INGREDIENTS

4 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
12 soft taco, flour tortillas
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
4 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese
1/3 cup Frankâ€™s hot sauce
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small sauce pot over medium low heat, melt butter.
Add Mrs. Dash, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning.
Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute.
Add cream cheese and stir until melted and completely combined with butter and spices.
Wisk in hot sauce and milk and simmer for 5 – 8 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Combine chicken and sauce.
Lay out a tortilla; fill with about ¼ - 1/3 cup chicken and 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese.
Tightly roll up taquito and place on a greased baking sheet; repeat until chicken is gone.
Brush taquitos with vegetable oil on all sides.
Bake for 15 – 18 minutes; rotate them every 5 minutes, until golden brown.
Serve with Kraft Blue Cheese Dressing and celery sticks.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Chile Colorado Burritos

Tender chunks of beef in a yummy sauce, wrapped in a soft flour tortilla, smothered in more sauce and cheddar cheese, and then broiled to bubbly perfection. Mmmmmm.
I don't even think I'd had chile colorado until I met my husband and he took me to Casa Gamino in Paramount, California. Now, Casa Gamino is MY idea of great Mexican food. Their salsa is fresh, peppery, and perfect. Their chips are made in the restaurant. And everything I've ever tried there has made me happy.
This recipe isn't exactly Casa Gamino, but it's pretty darned close, and I like to exclaim every time I make it, "This is the BEST Mexican food in Iowa!" Sadly, I mean it.
The times below are approximate. Mexican cooking is not an exact science in my house the way baking is. The meat can rest for a little while if it's done cooking early, but if you try to eat it before it's reached tender perfection, you might be disappointed in the results. Try this out and let me know what you think. I'm willing to bet you'll think it is is de-li-ci-oso.
Chile Colorado Burritos

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds stew meat or other beef cubed (top sirloin is great)
1 large can mild (red) enchilada sauce* (at least 19 oz.)
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 can re-fried beans (optional)
5-7 burrito size flour tortillas
1 cup or so of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Put beef, bouillon, and enchilada sauce into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours**, or until meat is very tender. (Can also cook on high for maybe 3-4 hours.) I've also cooked it in a dutch oven for about 4 hours at 325 degrees. More meat, more time. A third option is to cook it in a large heavy saucepan--bring it to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. If you go with a method other than the crock pot, make sure the pot is covered and pretty well sealed to minimize evaporation of the liquid.

When beef is done (very tender and flakes off when stirred), taste and add more salt, if desired. Heat up refried beans in the microwave (covered and in a microwave-proof dish, of course)and put your oven on broil. On an oven-proof plate, or cookie sheet even, lay out a tortilla. Place on tortilla about 1/2 cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito (hopefully you know how to roll these). Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the crock pot over the burrito to cover it. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.

Serve.
Makes 5-7 burritos, depending on how full you make them.

*Lots of people ask about what brand of canned enchilada sauce I use. There's even some controversy there. Lots of people seem put off that I use a canned sauce and make their own. I originally used Las Palmas mild because that's what was mostly available in California. When I moved to Iowa, I had to switch to Old El Paso mild, and now my family is used to the super mildness of that and comment how spicy it is when I use Las Palmas. Both are great, as far as I'm concerned, but the Old El Paso mild is definitely the way to go if you want a mild experience.

**Note: You may have to adjust the cooking time depending on this size of your chunks of meat. Larger chunks (like 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks) may need a little longer. Scrappy sort of chunks that are less than an inch may need a shorter cooking time.

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos

serves 6-8

Print this Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 lbs flank steak

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

for spice rub—

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

for serving—

corn tortillas

avocado slices

cilantro

your favorite salsa

limes

Directions:

Mix together all spices in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over your flank steak—be generous here! Then, place your steak at the bottom of your crock pot.

Cover the steak with the chopped onions, bell peppers and jalapeno pepper. Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, remove meat from crock pot and shred with a fork. It should be incredibly easy to shred. You can either stick the shredded meat back in the pot for another hour or serve as is.

To serve, heat your corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove. Spoon some carnitas on a tortilla then top with salsa, avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Enjoy with a margarita for best result.

Time:

active time–10 min

total time—8 hours

Monday, October 22, 2012

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

(Recipe from Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake)

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 large onion, chopped or season with Onion powder or minced onion
2 1/2 cups salsa
1 can (15 ounces) black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
6 flour tortillas (8 inches)
1 small can of drained corn, or about 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn (optional)
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream *Note: I used 1/2 cup
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, sour cream, corn (optional), taco seasoning and cumin.
Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings.

Turkey Ranch Club Wrap

Turkey Ranch Club Wrap

Serving size: 1 Turkey Ranch Club Wrap

Servings: 1

Approximate nutritional information:

Calories: 307 * Carbs: 23 * Fat: 16 * Protein: 29 * Fiber: 9 * Points +: 9 * Old Points: 7

Ingredients:

1 Flatout Wrap (I used the multi-grain with flax)

2 ounce of smoked turkey (I used Plainville)

1/2 slice sharp american cheese

2 slices cooked bacon** (I use Applegate farms)

1 tablespoon Ranch yogurt dressing (I use Wegman’s brand)

2 tomato slices

Romaine lettuce (you could also use baby spinach)

Directions:

Step 1. Spread ranch dressing over the center of wrap. Add turkey, cheese, bacon, tomato, and romaine.

Step 2. Fold sides in and then roll up.

**Bacon can be cooked in skillet, oven, or microwave.

Heathy Chicken with avocado sauce

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

½ Teaspoon of Paprika

¼ Teaspoon of Salt

¼ Teaspoon of Pepper

¼ Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

¼ Teaspoon of Onion Powder

¼ Teaspoon of Cumin

1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil

2 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Stock

1 Cup of Quinoa

Juice and Zest from One Lime

A Dash of Salt and Pepper

2 Tablespoons of Cilantro, chopped

Combine all the dry seasonings in a small bowl. Mix them together and then season both sides of each chicken breast.

Add the teaspoon of olive oil to a large pan or skillet. Heat the olive oil for a minute over medium/high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook for seven minutes on each side with the lid on.

Add the chicken stock and quinoa to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium/low heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes with the lid on, until all the stock has been absorbed.

After the chicken breasts have cooked all the way through, remove them from the pan and let them rest for seven minutes before slicing them.

Add the warm quinoa to a large bowl. Toss in the lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper, and chopped cilantro. Mix to combine.Serve the sliced chicken breast on top of the quinoa. If you find the blackened seasoning too spicy, you can add a quick and easy avocado cream sauce to cool it down.Just place the flesh from an avocado along with two tablespoons of Greek yogurt in a food processor and puree until smooth.

grilled avocado w melted cheese & hot sauce

Grilled Avocado w Melted Cheese & Hot Sauce

Anna's very own recipe. Serves 1 as a snack.

Ingredients:
1 avocado
1 tablespoon chipotle sauce (Tabasco or Louisiana)
1 tablespoon lime juice
¼ cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Slice the avocado in half and remove the stone. Prick all over with a fork, or cut criss-cross patterns with a knife. This allows the sauce to penetrate the flesh.

2. Pour the sauce over each half, then top with lime juice and salt and pepper.

3. In the cavity where the stone has been, put a fourth of the cheese on each avocado half. Place under the hot grill for 2 minutes.

4. Top with remaining cheese and grill (broil for Americans!) for another 2 minutes until completely melted and avocado warmed through.

Eat hot with a wedge of lime and chipotle sauce on the side!