Chicken Chow Mein

from Skinny Kitchen - 7PP


Ingredients for Chow Mein:
8 ounces dry whole grain spaghetti, see shopping tip
2 cups celery, sliced on the diagonally
2 cups onion, diced
5 cups cabbage, shredded
1½ cups cooked chicken breast, diced
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons vegetable oil


Ingredients for Sauce:


⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce  (6 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cloves garlic, mined
2 teaspoons ginger (from a jar), see shopping tip
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Cook the spaghetti for about 6-7 minutes just until soft. Do not over cook.
2. In the meantime, prep all vegetables and dice the chicken. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, add all sauce ingredients and mix until well blended. Set aside.
4. Coat a large nonstick wok or pan with cooking spray. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in pan.
Add celery and onions and saute over medium-high heat for several minutes until onions become soft. Add cabbage and chicken. Saute another few minutes until soft.  Turn down to medium heat, add noodles and soy sauce mixture.  Stir-fry for about 2 minutes or until noodles are heated through. Stir constantly to blend everything.
5. Store any leftovers in the fridge for a few days.
Makes 5 servings (each serving, 1½ cups)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons ginger
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
⅓ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 packages Stevia, Truvia, Splenda or your favorite sugar substitute

Instructions
1. Cook rice.
2. In the meantime, coat the bottom of a nonstick pan with cooking spray. Heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken mixture from pan; set aside.
3. Coat pan again with cooking spray and heat remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Add onions, carrots, celery and red bell pepper to pan.  Sauté 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender.  Drain pineapple, reserving ¾ cup juice. Add 1½ cups pineapple chunks to pan; cook 30 seconds (Reserve remaining pineapple for another use).  Combine the reserved ¾ cup pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, flour, sugar and Stevia in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.
4. Return chicken mixture to pan. Stir in juice mixture; bring to boil. Cook 1-2 minute until sauce thickens a bit.
5. To serve: Spread ½ cup rice over each plate. Top each with about 1 cup sweet and sour chicken.
6. This dish freezes great. Mix together the chicken and rice and freeze in individual servings.
Makes 6 servings (1 cup sweet and sour chicken plus ½ cup rice)


From Skinny Kitchen- 7PP

Melanie's Favorite Easter Quiche

This quiche was part of our Easter brunch earlier this spring. The recipe is for a deep dish quiche, that you would make in a straight sided nine inch cake pan, rather than a pie dish. It still works fine in a pie dish, just anticipate that you will have extra pastry and extra filling, which can easily be used to make muffin-sized quiche snacks, and adjust your cooking time.

Pastry Dough   
1.75 cups (8 3/4 ounces) all purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen 10 minutes 
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/4-1/3 cup ice water  
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Custard Filling  
8 ounces hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed 
1/2 pound broccoli rabe, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
1.5 tablespoons cornstarch 
1.5 cups whole milk 
8 large eggs plus 1 large yolk 
1.5 cups heavy cream 
1 teaspoon table salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg 
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
6 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)

Instructions

1. FOR THE DOUGH: Process flour and salt together in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until butter is size of large peas, about ten 1-second pulses.
2. Mix sour cream and ¼ cup ice water in small bowl until combined. Add half sour cream mixture to flour mixture; pulse for three 1-second pulses. Repeat with remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch dough with fingers; if dough is floury, dry, and does not hold together, add 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water and process until dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains, three to five 1-second pulses.
3. Turn dough out onto work surface and flatten into 6-inch disk; cover disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm but not hard, 1 to 2 hours, before rolling. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let thoroughly chilled dough stand at room temperature 15 minutes before rolling.)
4. Cut two 16-inch lengths of foil. Arrange foil pieces in round 9 by 2-inch cake pan so they are perpendicular, pushing them into corners and up sides of pan; press overhang against outside of pan. Spray foil lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Roll out disk of dough on generously floured work surface to 15-inch circle (about ¼ inch thick). Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into cake pan. Working around circumference, ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with 1 hand while pressing into pan bottom with other. Trim any dough that extends more than 1 inch over edge of pan. Patch any cracks or holes with dough scraps as needed. Refrigerate any remaining dough scraps. Refrigerate dough-lined pan until firm, about 30 minutes, and then freeze for 20 minutes.
6. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line dough with parchment or foil and fill completely with pie weights or dried beans, gently pressing weights into corners of shell. Bake on rimmed baking sheet until exposed edges of dough are beginning to brown but bottom is still light in color, 30 to 40 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and pie weights. If any new holes or cracks have formed in dough, patch with reserved scraps. Return shell to oven and bake until bottom is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Remove shell from oven and brush interior with egg white. Set aside while preparing filling. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
   
7. FOR THE CUSTARD: Cook sausage in 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring to break sausage into ½-inch pieces, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Return skillet to medium heat, add rabe, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Transfer rabe to large plate lined with triple layer of paper towels. Gently press with double layer of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
8. Place cornstarch in large bowl; add 3 tablespoons milk and whisk until cornstarch has dissolved. Whisk in remaining milk, eggs, yolk, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne until smooth and homogeneous.
9. Scatter sausage, rabe, and mozzarella evenly over crust. Gently pour custard mixture over filling. Using fork, push filling components down into custard and drag gently through custard to dislodge air bubbles. Gently tap pan on counter top to dislodge any remaining air bubbles.
10. Bake until top of quiche is lightly browned, toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, and center registers 170 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Transfer to wire rack and let rest until cool to touch, about 2 hours.
11. When ready to serve, use sharp paring knife to remove any crust that extends beyond edge of pan. Holding edges of foil, remove quiche from pan; gently slide thin-bladed spatula between quiche and foil to loosen, then slide quiche to serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

From Cook's Illustrated

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

This easy recipe would work on the grill or under the broiler.

Ingredients
1½ Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce (for marinade)

1 Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce (for sauce) 
1 Tbsp Ginger root, peeled and minced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Lime Juice (for peanut sauce)
2 tsp Lime Juice (for marinade)
1½ pound(s) Chicken breast, cut into thin 2-inch strips
6 Tbsp Coconut milk, light
3 Tbsp Peanut butter, reduced-fat
2 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped
4 tsp Honey
1 tsp Lime zest, freshly grated
⅛ tsp Red Pepper flakes, crushed

Instructions
Combine 1 1⁄2 tablespoons of the fish sauce, the ginger, garlic, and 2 teaspoons of the lime juice in a zip-close plastic bag; add the chicken. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag; turn to coat the chicken. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, 1 hour. 

To prepare the peanut sauce, combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, cilantro, honey, the remaining 1 tablespoon each fish sauce and lime juice, the lime zest, and red pepper in a  medium bowl; whisk until smooth. 

Preheat the broiler or prepare the grill for a hot fire; spray the broiler pan or grill rack with nonstick spray. Thread the chicken strips onto the skewers, then broil or grill the skewers 4 inches from the heat, turning once, until they are cooked through, 3–4 minutes per side. Serve at once with the peanut sauce. 

Yields 4 servings with about 2 tablespoons peanut sauce per serving.

4pp

44-Clove Garlic Soup with Parmesan

This little gem was discovered via Smitten Kitchen where she credits adapting it from Bon Appetit, February 1999. This would be a great small soup course to a multi course meal.

Ingredients:
26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 1/4 cups sliced onions
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
18 garlic cloves, peeled
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup whipping cream (I think half and half would work as well)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
4 lemon wedges


Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 26 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer cloves to small bowl.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add roasted garlic and 18 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes. Add chicken stock; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add cream and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide grated cheese among 4 bowls and ladle soup over. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve.

Coconut Bread

This wonderful recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen.
Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (295 ml) milk
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
5 ounces (140 grams) sweetened flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray for baking pan

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut, and stir to mix.
Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and stir together until just combined. Add butter, and stir until just smooth — be careful not to overmix.
Butter and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or coat it with a nonstick spray. Pour batter in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, anywhere from 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Note: This makes a very tall loaf. A bread pan with high sides is beneficial.

Oven Steamed Mussels

We don't know why, but somehow these taste so much better oven steamed. And every single one opened!

 Ingredients:
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
4oz diced pancetta
2 garlic cloves, minced 
pinch of red pepper flakes 
1/2c white wine 
2 sprigs fresh thyme 
1 bay leaf 
1/4 tsp salt 
2# Penn Cove mussels 
2 Tbs unsalted butter 
1/4c minced fresh parsley 

 Adjust oven rack to lowest shelf and preheat oven to 500* On the stovetop, add olive oil and pancetta to a heavy dutch oven (with lid) and cook on medium heat until pancetta is crispy. Scoop out pancetta. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, thyme and bay leaf. Bring wine to a boil. Add mussels and salt. Stir to coat. Put tight fitting lid on pot and transfer to hot oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Take out of oven, push mussels to the side and add butter, stirring until melted. Add fresh parsley and reserved pancetta. Stir to coat. Divide between 2 bowl (entree size) or 4 bowl (appetizers) and serve with crusty bread.

Penne with Tomato Vodka Sauce

Compliments of Rachael Ray

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream

1 tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, minced

1 cup vodka

1 cup chicken stock

1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes

Coarse salt and pepper

16 oz pasta, such as penne rigate

1/2 cup heavy cream

20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Crusty bread, for passing

Directions

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil, butter, garlic and shallots. Gently sauté the shallots for 3-5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add the vodka to the pan – three turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce the vodka by half, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While the pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir the cream into the sauce. When the sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from the heat. Drain the pasta. Toss the hot pasta with the sauce and the basil leaves. Pass the pasta with crusty bread.

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/rachael-rays-vodka-cream-pasta 

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients
1.5 pounds 93 percent lean ground beef
Water
Salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1onion, chopped
4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and chopped (omitted when cooking for Seth)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Madeira or ruby port
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1.25 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 carrots, peeled and chopped 

Assorted frozen veggies like peas and corn
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Mashed potatoes per your favorite recipe

Toss beef with 2 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and baking soda in bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Heat oil in broiler-safe 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just starting to soften and dark bits form on bottom of skillet, 4 to 6 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste and garlic; cook until bottom of skillet is dark brown, about 2 minutes. Add port and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until evaporated, about 1 minute. 

Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add broth, Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaf, and carrots; bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. 

Reduce heat to medium-low, add beef in 2-inch chunks to broth, and bring to gentle simmer. Cover and cook until beef is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring and breaking up meat chunks with 2 forks halfway through. Add frozen veggies and cook until heatedvthrough. Stir cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water together in bowl. Stir cornstarch mixture into filling and continue to simmer for 30 seconds. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Top with mashed potatoes and place under a broiler until potato crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

French Onion Pasta

So this is on the verge of a little to 'pre-packaged' for me, but I gave it a try and I have to say I was rather pleasantly surprised. If you're willing to eat dip made with Lipton's french onion soup mix, you should try this.

Ingredients:
2 cups of uncooked penne pasta (I snuck in whole wheat pasta)
1 cup of chicken stock
1 packet of Lipton's Onion Soup mix
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 cup of marsala wine
4 tablespoons of light cream
1 tablespoon of flour
1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil



In a large oven safe saucepan, heat the oil. Add the scallions and garlic, stir continually until soft and fragrant. Add in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes. A light brown fond will form on the bottom of the pan, so long as it doesn't blacken, don't worry. A nice dark brown is ok.
Add the marsala wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck on business.
Add the stock and soup mix packet, allow to simmer for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta al dente.
Reduce heat and add the light cream, mix well.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, stir well. Arrange evenly in saucepan and top with the mozzarella cheese. Set it under the broiler until the cheese gets a little crispy.

Balsamic Honey Pulled Pork in the crockpot

This recipe sounded a little more sophisticated than the gazillions of crockpot pulled pork recipes. It wasn't as simple, as you do need to make the sauce on the stove top for 25min, but it didn't fail to disappoint!

Ingredients:
for pork
2.5-3# boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat
1 onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 cup chicken broth

for sauce
1c balsamic vinegar
3/4c ketchup
1/3c packed brown sugar
1/4c honey
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Place pork, onion, pepper, herbs and broth in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10hrs or high for 4.5-5hrs.

Make BBQ sauce by combining ingredients in heavy saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring occassionally.

Transfer meat to cutting board and shred using two forks, discarding any fat.
Strain vegetable mixture and discard liquid. Return meat and veggies to crock pot. Add BBQ sauce and stir to coat meat evenly. Adjust slow cooker to low for 1 hr.

Serve on slider buns with coleslaw and pickles.

Corn and Crab Chowder

From Rachel Ray via the Food Network. This is how I used a surplus of crab meat from my Uncle Bill.

Ingredients
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, choped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, seeded and diced
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 Tbs Old Bay seasoning
3 Tbs flour
2 c vegetable or chicken stock
1 quart whole milk
3 c corn kernels (frozen works fine)
8 oz lump crab meat
for garnish: tabasco, oyster crackers, or sliced scallions

Heat a deep pot over moderate heat. Add oil and butter. Add veggies to the pot with a bay leaf. Season with salt, pepper and Old Bay seasoning. Saute veggies for 5 minutes, then sprinkle in flour. Cook flour for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and combine.. Stir in milk and combine. Bring soup to a bubble. Add corn and cram meat and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning and remove the bay leaf before serving with garnish.

Fast Chicken Posole Soup

This recipe is from my mom's wonderful friend, Melanie. It's a great quick recipe that's tasty and satisfying.

Ingredients:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c onion, diced
1/2 c celery, diced
4 fresh tomatillos, coarsely choped
2 (14oz) cans chicken broth
1 (15oz) can white hominy, rinsed and drained
2 c choped, skinless, boneless chicken breast - cooked (use a rotisserie chicken!)
1 Tbs lime junice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
for garnish:
1/2 ripe avocado
4 radishes, thinly sliced
cilantro

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat.
Add spices, garlic, onion and celery and saute for 2 minutes.
Stir in tomatillos; cook 1 min.
Add broth and hominy; cover and bring to boil. Uncover and cook 8 minutes.
Add chicken and cook 1 minute or until heated through.
Remove from heat; stir in lime juice, salt and pepper.
Serve in bowls and garnish.

Crockpot Thai Chicken

In my search for more crockpot dinners, this was a big hit. Not too spicy and excellent served over rice.

Ingredients
2 medium onions cut into thin wedges
1.5 cups sliced carrot (3 medium)
1 small red sweet pepper, cut into bite-size strips
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce 
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2-3 teaspoons red curry paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup frozen peas
Hot cooked rice
Chopped peanuts (optional)
Snipped fresh cilantro (optional)

In a slow cooker, place onions, carrot, and sweet pepper. Top with chicken. In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, peanut butter, lime peel, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, curry paste, and garlic until smooth. Pour over all in cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Stir in coconut milk and peas. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Serve chicken mixture over hot cooked rice. If desired, sprinkle each serving with chopped peanuts and cilantro.