Thursday, June 24, 2010

Amanda's Stromboli

I didn't know how to cook this so I ended up baking it from frozen for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees. It did get done. However, a lot of the insides ran out. Luckily I had put it on a piece of foil as suggested by Robin. None of us liked it very much. It had a really strong and slightly unpleasant broccoli flavor to it. I do like broccoli, so I don't know what the problem was.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Shannon's Mushroom & Bean Casserole

2 tsp vegetable oil
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and cut into quarters
15 oz can red beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked rice (leftover or fresh)
14oz can diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup (+ 2 TBS for topping) shredded Mexican-style or cheddar cheese
3/4 cup sour cream (or 1/4 c sour cream plus 1/2 cup mayonnaise)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2 scallions, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 8x8 glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tsp olive oil and addmushrooms. Cook (?) 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are nicely browned and liquid has evaporated.

In a large bowl combine mushrooms with all remaining ingredients(except 2 TBS cheese for topping). Pour mixture into baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 2 TBS of cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and casserole is slightly bubbly, about 10 more minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

South Asian Roasted Fish (Cooking Light)

Ingredients
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh lemongrass
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chili sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless halibut fillets
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a food processor or blender; pulse 30 seconds or until well combined.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish. Pour lemongrass mixture over fish; turn fillets to coat evenly. Bake at 425° for 13 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Serve sauce with fish.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
213 (22% from fat)
Fat:
5.3g (sat 2g,mono 1.3g,poly 1.2g)
Protein:
35g
Carbohydrate:
5g
Fiber:
0.1g
Cholesterol:
52mg
Iron:
1.8mg
Sodium:
710mg
Calcium:
84mg

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Amanda's Smoked Chicken

We had Amanda's smoked chicken the first night and then tonight I made up a chicken posole soup based on this recipe:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=321639

Instead of using pork, I just added some shredded chicken during the last 10 minutes of cooking. I also eliminated the Anaheim chilis and the chili powder and instead added a minced chipotle chili in adobo sauce. Oh, I also used all chicken broth instead of a chicken / beef combo.

It was really delicious and a great way to use up the leftover chicken.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Cheap White Fish Veracruz

This is my second recipe, except I'm obviously not going to be using the very endangered and expensive grouper:

White Fish Veracruz

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Chai-Brined Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Apple Chutney




I am planning on making this for our next set of meals:

Chai-Brined Pork Tenderloin w/ Spiced Apple Chutney.


The way I cook the Pork Tenderloin deviates from the cooking light recipe. Instead I usually follow the Cooks Illustrated Pan-Seared method:

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle tenderloins evenly with a small quantity of salt and pepper and rub all over. Heat 2 tsp oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Place both tenderloins in skillet; cook until well browned, 3 minutes. Using tongs, rotate tenderloins 1/4 turn; cook until well browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat until all sides are browned. Transfer tenderloins to rimmed baking sheet and place in oven (reserve skillet if making pan sauce); roast until internal temperature registers 140-degrees (I usually go to 145) on instant-read thermometer, 10 to 16 minutes. (Begin pan sauce, if making, while meat roasts.)

  2. 2. Transfer tenderloins to cutting board and tent loosely with foil (continue with pan sauce, if making); let rest until internal temperature registers 145 (150) degrees, 8 to 10 minutes. Cut tenderloins crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, arrange on platter or individual plates, and spoon sauce (if using) over; serve immediately.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Potstickers



These came in super handy on a busy night tonight. Got home from work at 5:45, and these were on the table by 6:00. We dipped them in the hoisin that Shannon gave. Adam loved them and I also thought they were delicious. I did my pan-fry/steam combo and the wontons were perfectly browned and translucent. Mmmmmm...

Friday, January 29, 2010

Indonesian Beef Curry

Ingredients
Curry:
Cooking spray
1 1/2 pounds lean top round, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 serrano chiles, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cardamom pods, crushed
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Rice:
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 cup light coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
To prepare curry, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Place half of the beef in skillet; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned. Remove the beef from pan. Keep warm. Repeat process with the remaining beef.
Lower heat to medium; add oil to pan. Add shallots, ginger, garlic, and chiles; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in coriander and next 6 ingredients (through cinnamon); cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Return beef to pan. Add broth; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until beef is tender. Uncover and cook 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Discard cinnamon stick; stir in juice.
To prepare rice, bring 1 1/4 cups water and remaining ingredients to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Place 2/3 cup rice onto each of 6 plates; top each serving with 1/2 cup curry.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
280 (30% from fat)
Fat:
9.4g (sat 3.4g,mono 3.4g,poly 1.2g)
Protein:
27.9g
Carbohydrate:
18.6g
Fiber:
1g
Cholesterol:
64mg
Iron:
3.1mg
Sodium:
536mg
Calcium:
26mg
Mark Scarbrough, Cooking Light, MAY 2007

Robin's Chicken Burgers




We had the chicken burgers for dinner last night. First of all, I never intended to serve them on a bun since I considered it a waste of calories for a home meal. Secondly, I took the bag of frozen burgers out of my freezer and left it on the counter to thaw which was probably not the best plan since by the time I returned home they were so soft that they were losing their burger shapes. I hoped to save my mistake by carefully placing them back into the freezer so they would firm up a bit before I needed them. No luck. So, I started to re-form the patties, but truly hate that feeling so I mushed the whole thing up and made chicken meatballs using my meatball scoop.

I pan-seared the meatballs in a bit on olive oil using my cast iron skillet on the stove top. The smell of mayo and rosemary as they cooked was delightful. Since they were smaller than the burgers, I cooked them for about 3 minutes on each side then would rotate them in a new direction until fully cooked.

I enjoyed them more than anyone else. Rosemary is probably my favorite herb so it was really nice for me to have a new rosemary application. Jeff thought they were okay. I confessed that I was supposed to serve them on a bun and he said a slice of onion, tomato and cheese would have made a huge difference for him. Charlie and Paige were both suspicious of the meatballs -- they both asked a couple of times if it was meat and what kind of meat it was (this was the first time I've served ground chicken) and Stella claimed to not be hungry. She ate one whole meatball without too much complaint, but stuck to her story of not being hungry. The meal was served with steamed green beans.

I probably would make this again, except next time I'll follow through with the bun to make it more of a crowd pleaser.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Amanda's Crab Cakes

Recipe: ?

Instructions: ?

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Short Sharp Chops

Recipe:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=225902

Instructions:
Thaw in refrigerator, turning bag occasionally. When ready to prepare, heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chops; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until done.

Asian Chicken Turkey Lettuce Wraps

You will need to buy a head of lettuce!

Recipe:
http://freezinginhaymarket.blogspot.com/2009/09/erikas-recipes-asian-lettuce-wraps-and.html

Instructions:
Let sauces and chicken mixture thaw in the fridge.

Heat chicken mixture in a large skillet until heated through.

To cook rice noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook about 4 minutes until soft. Drain.

Assemble lettuce wrap by putting a small amount of chicken in the middle of a piece of lettuce. Add rice noodles and wrap up. Dip in one of the sauces and enjoy.