Salmon Glazed with Honey and Mustard

Found this on Epicurious. The crushed caraway seeds add an unique taste to the salmon.

Salmon Glazed with Honey and Mustard - 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of Salmon fillet with skin (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick)
1 garlic clove
3 T grainy dijon mustard
2 T mild honey
1/2 t cider vinegar
1/2 t. caraway seeds crushed (I love the taste of caraway seeds so I used more)

Preheat broiler. Line rack of a pan with foil and lightly coat with oil.

Pat salmon dry and put skin side down on pan. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then stir together with mustard, honey, vinegar, caraway seeds and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Spread mustard mixture evenly on top of salmon then broil 5 - 6 inches from heat until just cooked through, 12-15 minutes

Transfer salmon to platter.

Serve with a salad and or rice.

Gourmet Shrimp Enchiladas

A great recipe found on Recipezaar by Jekase. Prep time was 45 minutes and cook time 15 minutes. I love Mexican food and seafood. These enchiladas combines both. I served these to Tim and Kristin and they were a big hit. Do not substitute the fontina cheese for something cheaper.....the taste of the fontina makes the meal.

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 T soft cream cheese
1/4 C sour cream
1/2 lb cooked baby shrimp (I used large shrimp and cut them up)
1/2 C grated fontina cheese
3 T finely chopped white onions
3 T finely chopped red peppers
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 t. chilli powder
1/4 dill weed
1/3 fresh lemon juice

Mader's Reuben Rolls

Mader's Reuben Rolls
3/4 cup Thousand Island dressing
1/4 cup Dusseldorf mustard
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup minced onion (divided)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot pepper sauce
8 ounces corned beef (ground or shredded)
6 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
12 to 15 egg roll wrappers
Vegetable oil

Make dipping sauce by combining dressing, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon minced onion, the garlic, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce. Set aside.

To make rolls: Combine corned beef, cheese, sauerkraut and remaining 1/4 cup onion and mix well. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the center of an egg roll wrapper. Roll up as directed on package, sealing edges with a little water.

Deep-fry rolls in 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil, heated to 325 to 350 degrees, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, turning to brown evenly. When done, remove from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Serve with dipping sauce.
Makes 12 to 15 rolls.

Tortillas

Found in Wheatbelly 30 minute cookbook by Dr. William Davis

Tortillas - makes 4

Ingredients

1 cup Tortilla Baking Mix ( recipe on this blog)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper

Pour baking mix into bowl. Whisk in the eggs until combined. Divide dough into 4 equal portions.

Roll each ball between 2 parchment paper until it is 6inches diameter. If you have a tortilla press, line with parchment paper (much easier)

Place on the baking sheet with both pieces of parchment paper and bake for 5 minutes or until golden.

Store in refrigerator.

Argula Pizza with goat cheese

This is a simple pizza recipe that taste great. It's made with goat cheese, pesto sauce and tomatoes. Use your favorite recipe for the crust. On this blog I have 2 great recipes for crust. One with flour the other, grain-free. 






Ingredients:

One pizza crust
6 T pesto sauce
3 roma tomatoes
1 8oz goat cheese
1 1/2 mozzarella cheese
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1  C fresh argula
1 tsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to pizza recipe directions
2. Dab pesto onto the center of the pizza base, and spread towards the edges. Cut the goat cheese into thin slices and crumble over pizza. Arrange tomato slices over goat cheese. Sprinkle with garlic slices and mozzarella . Brush the crust with olive oil.
3. Place crust on oven rack. If you are using a grain-free crust you will have to keep crust on a parchment lined pan.
4. Bake for 5 - 10 minutes or until edges are golden.
5. After taking out of oven, cool for a few minutes so cheese has tome to set. Cover the pizza with arugula and serve.

Stuffed zuchini

Meat, Tomato, and Mozzarella Stuffed Zucchini Cups 
(Makes 6-8 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

2 large zucchini or yellow squash, about 12 inches long
2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil (may need more, depending on your pan)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 T finely minced fresh garlic
1 lb. ground beef (10% fat or less)
12 oz. ground turkey (10% fat or less)
(use any combination of ground meat you'd like, but use low-fat ground meat for the South Beach Diet.)
1-2 tsp. Spike seasoning (optional but recommended)
2 C flavorful tomato-basil pasta sauce
2 cups low-fat mozzarella or other mild white cheese (I used low-fat blend of six cheeses called Italian blend.)

Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Chop onion and green pepper. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a non-stick pan, then saute onion and pepper for 3-4 minutes, until just starting to soften. Add minced garlic and saute about 1 minute more, being careful not to brown the garlic. Remove the onion, pepper, and garlic mixture to a bowl.

Add 2 tsp. more olive oil to the pan. Crumble in the ground beef and ground turkey, season with Spike seasoning, and cook over medium heat until the meat is well browned. Tilt pan to see if there is any extra fat, and remove with a spoon if there is, then stir cooked vegetables and garlic back into the meat. Add tomato sauce and simmer until the mixture has thickened and liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes, then turn off heat.

While meat cools, cut zucchini into 2 inch thick slices, discarding ends. Use a sharp spoon or melon baller to hollow out a cup in each zucchini slice, leaving just over 1/4 inch of zucchini flesh. Be careful not to get too close to the skin or the cups will leak liquid when they cook.

Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray and stand up zucchini cups, open end up. Stir 1 1/2 cups grated cheese into the cooled meat mixture (it doesn't need to be completely cool), then spoon the meat-cheese mixture into zucchini cups, pressing down with the spoon and mounding it up a little over the top of the zucchini.

Bake zucchini cups for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and use remaining cheese to top each one with a generous pinch of cheese. Put back in oven and bake 10-15 minutes more, until zucchini is slightly soft when pierced with a fork and cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Cevapcici - serbien meat dish

These three recipes were found in the Milwaukee Journal in December of 2010. 

Erica's CevapciciMakes about 2 pounds or 20 small cevapcici

1 pound finely ground beef

½ pound finely ground pork

½ pound finely ground lamb

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon baking soda

Finely chopped onions

In large bowl, thoroughly mix together all ingredients except onions with your hands. Shape mixture into small cylinders about 1 inch in diameter and 2 inches long.

Grill over medium heat about 8 minutes on each side or until well done. Serve with finely chopped onions on a roll.

Susan's Cevapcici (Cevaps)Makes 6 servings

2 ¼ pounds ground pork

1 ½ pound lean ground beef

¾ pound ground lamb

2 egg whites

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper

¾ teaspoon paprika

Finely chopped onions for garnish

Preheat a grill to medium-low.

In a large bowl, combine meats and egg white. Add garlic, salt, baking soda, black pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika. Mix well using your hands, and form into finger-length sausages about ¾ inch thick.

Lightly oil the grilling surface. Grill sausages until cooked through, turning as needed, about 4 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the middle. (Place sausages carefully on grill so they don't slip through.)

To serve: Place cevapcici on a serving platter that has been lined with chopped onions.

David and Mladen's CevapciciMakes about 4 pounds

3 pounds ground beef (use 85% lean; see note)

1 pound finely ground lean lamb (use butt)

1 tablespoon salt

½ tablespoons black pepper

½ tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon seltzer water (must have CO2)

2 to 3 small cloves garlic (do not mince)

2 medium onions, cut into discs

Pita or flat bread

Chopped onion

In a nonreactive dish (plastic, ceramic, stainless steel), mix meats together with salt, pepper, baking soda and seltzer. Cover mixture with crushed garlic and onion disks. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 12 hours; however, 24 hours is best.

When ready to prepare, remove from refrigerate two hours before grilling.

Remove all the onion and garlic and discard. Mix meats again to incorporate flavors.

Roll up cevapcici by hand. They should be between ½ and ¾ inch in diameter and 2 ½ to 3 inches long. Formed cevapcici should be tight and uniform in thickness. You should get 18 to 20 cevapcici per pound of meat.

Let rest at least 30 minutes

To prepare: Heat grill to between medium and medium-high. Grill until cevapcici is firm and bounces a little off the grill plate when dropped from about 8 to 12 inches.

Roll frequently. No traces of well-done or crispy bits should be on cevapcici.

Put pieces of pita or flat bread over the meat for just a minute or two to warm before removing from the grill.

Serve 5 to 10 cevapcici per person with the bread, onions or kajmak. Kajmak is a mixture of feta and cream cheeses beaten with butter until fluffy.

Note: Beef that is 80% lean can be used, but be careful when grilling, as you can get flames.

Hungarian goulash

I found this recipe on Saveur website. "The recipe for this hearty, savory soup comes from Katalin Bánfalvi, author Carolyn Bánfalvi's mother-in-law, who lives in the village of Bõny, in northwestern Hungary. Hungarian sweet paprika confers a singularly deep, rich color and flavor." What I liked about this goulash is that it used potatoes instead of noodles which makes this a gluten-free meal. 

4 tbsp. sunflower or canola oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 1⁄2 lbs. beef chuck, trimmed 
   and cut into 1⁄2" cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground 
   black pepper, to taste
1⁄4 cup sweet paprika
2 tsp. dried marjoram
2 tsp. caraway seeds
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into 1⁄2" cubes
2 medium parsnips, cut into 1⁄2" cubes
1 1⁄2 lbs. medium new potatoes, peeled 
   and cut into 1⁄2" cubes
1 tomato, cored and chopped
1 Italian frying pepper, chopped

1. Heat oil in a 5-qt. dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, stirring only once or twice, until the meat is lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in paprika, marjoram, caraway, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add carrots, parsnips, and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered, until the beef is nearly tender, about 40 minutes.

2. Add potatoes and cook, uncovered, until tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and peppers; cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with rye bread, if you like.

SERVES 4 – 6

Healthier General Tso’s Chicken

Lately Tim has been ordering General  Tso's Chicken when we go out for Asian food. I found a recipe for this dish on Martha Stewart's site and modified it to be more healthy. Normally the chicken is coated in the egg white/cornstarch mixture and deep fried till golden brown. This version is pan fried in a drizzle of oil until crisp and tender.

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups snow peas, trimmed and halved diagonally
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons low salt soy sauce
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Chicken and Coating:

• 2 large egg whites
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

1. For sauce: Mix together water and cornstarch until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Set aside.
2. For chicken: Whisk together egg whites, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Stir in chicken.
3. To cook: Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add a small amount of oil. Add half of chicken to pan,
dripping off excess coating. Cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from pan, add more oil if necessary and repeat with remaining chicken. Set the chicken aside.
4. Add sauce to skillet and cook until snow peas are tender and sauce is thickened. Add chicken (and any
collected juices) to skillet. Toss to coat.
5. Serve with rice.
Serves: 4

Wild Rice and Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

I love squash. And so I’ve been loading up on many varieties at the farmers’ market. Recently, I came across a great recipe for Wild Rice and Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash. I found the recipe online atLunds and Byerlys, a Minneapolis specialty gourmet grocery chain. I modified the recipe a bit since I didn’t have the recommended Lunds and Byerlys special seasonings on hand. I think it still turned out great and the bowls looked beautiful. The meal was delicious, filling, and also seemed quite healthy. Always a bonus.

Ingredients

1 (1 lb.) acorn squash, halved, seeds removed

1 tbsp. olive oil

8 oz. bulk Italian sausage

2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 cup cooked wild rice

1 1/2 cups shredded provolone and mozzarella, divided

Directions

Arrange squash halves cut side down in 13X9 microwavable baking dish; add ¼ cup water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, using multiple sheets if necessary. With a knife, make 4 steam vents in plastic wrap. Microwave (HIGH) until tender (15-20 minutes).

While squash is cooking, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté sausage, Italian herb seasoning, red pepper, onion and garlic until sausage is no longer pink and onions are tender (8-10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in spinach, wild rice and 1 cup provolone/mozzarella.

When squash is tender, carefully remove plastic wrap, starting from side farthest from you. Using tongs, transfer cooked squash to cutting board; discard water.

Place a tablespoon of butter in bottoms of each squash half. Mound sausage mixture into halves. Return to 13X9 dish, cover with foil and bake in preheated 350F oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle remaining ½ cup cheese over tops, return to oven and bake until cheese melts (5-8 minutes).

Amount: 4 servings

Mr. B's Crab Cakes

I found this recipe in the Milwaukee's Lifestyle Magazine, January 2011 edition. I"m a big fan of all the Bartolotta restaurants in the Milwaukee area. Each restaurant is on the top 30 best restaurants in the metro Milwaukee area. So when I saw this recipe, I knew it had to be good, and it was.

The Bartolotta crab cake recipe didn't include a recipe for a sauce to dip the crab cakes into so we had to do some research and experiment with some sauces. Tim and I made 5 different sauces. Out of those 5, two we thought complimented the crab cakes better than the others. We've included those recipes in this posting.

Crab cakes can be served as an appetizer or as a main meal. When we tried this recipe, we used it as a main meal. We served it with a coleslaw, spicy baked sweet potato fries and a bowl of clam chowder.



Mr. B’s Crab Cakes
1 pound lump crab meat
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Place crab meat in medium bowl (check for shells). Combine the rest of the ingredients, except bread crumbs, in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour mixture over crab meat. Add bread crumbs by sprinkling over this mixture. Gently combine. Form into cakes. Dust with bread crumbs to help prevent sticking during cooking. Lightly sauté in olive oil or butter until golden brown and hot all the way through. Finish in the oven if necessary. Makes seven-to-eight 3-ounce cakes.

Mustard Sauce

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp butter or margarine
1 minced shallot
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 oz white wine
1/4 tsp kosher salt

In a sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic to the oil and fry till the shallots are tender. Add wine to the shallots and allow it to thicken for about 25-30 seconds. Add mustard and salt to the saucepan and bring to a boil for about 1/2 a minute. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter into the sauce. Serve with crab cakes.

Remoulade dipping sauce

1/4 cub mayonnaise
1/4 hot pepper sauce (Franks)
1 tbsp dijon mustard

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk with a hand blender and serve with crab cakes. You can adjust the ingredients according to your own taste.

Classis spaghetti and meatballs for a crowd
Serves 12

This recipe was found in the Cook’s Illustrated Magazine – November – December 2010

Ingredients:

Meatballs

2 ¼ cups (6 oz) panko bread crumbs
1 ½ cups buttermilk (see note)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
6 ounces sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
3 oz parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 ½ cups)
6 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 ½ teaspoons powdered gelatin, dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water.
Table salt and ground black pepper

Sauce

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups grated onion from 1-2 onions (see note)
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press ( 2 tablespoons)
½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoons dried oregano
6 cups bottled Campbell’s tomato juice (favorite brand from staff at Cook’s Illustrated)
3 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
6 tablespoons dry white wine
Table salt and pepper to taste
3 pounds spaghetti
½ cup fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley flakes
Granulated sugar
Grated parmesan cheese for serving

Directions:

Meatballs

1.Place wire tacks in 2 foiled line rimmed baking sheets (if making entire recipe). Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine bread crumbs and buttermilk in large bowl and let sit, mashing occasionally with fork until smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes.

2.Add eggs, beef, pork, prosciutto, parmesan, parsley, garlic, gelatin mixture, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoons pepper to bread crumb mixture. Using hands, gently mix until thoroughly combined. Lightly form about ¼ cup mixture into 2-inch round meatballs. Approximately 40 meatballs.

3.Spray wire racks with nonstick cooking spray and add meatballs. Roast until browned, about 30 minutes.

Sauce

1.While meatballs roast, heat olive oil over medium heat in large dutch oven. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and golden around edges, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano; cook stirring frequently until fragrant. Stir in tomato juice, crushed tomatoes, win, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

2.Remove meatballs from oven and lower oven temperature to 300 degrees. Gently add meatballs to sauce, cover pot and place in oven. Cook until meatballs are firm and sauce has thickened, about one hour.

3.Meanwhile bring 10 quarts water to boil. Add pasta and 2 tablespoons salt, cook until al dente.

To serve

Stir basil and parsley into sauce and adjust seasoning with sugar, salt and pepper. Toss pasta with 1 ½ sauce until lightly coated. Serve pasta, passing meatballs, remaining sauce and grated parmesan separately.


Note: One cup of plain yogurt thinned with ½ cup milk can be substituted for the buttermilk. Grate the onion on the large holdes of a box grater. The ingredients in this recipe can be reduced by two-thirds to serve 4.

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

Succulent pork loin chops are paired with slices of tart apple cooked in a sauce of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Found at allrecipes.com









INGREDIENTS:

4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.

2.Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done. Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.

3.In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops. Keep warm in the preheated oven.

4.Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over apples and chops. Sprinkle with pecans.

Oven baked pork chops

These pork chops will melt in your mouth. They are very good and easy to assemble. They are first sauteed in butter, then baked in a creamy mushroom sauce.



INGREDIENTS:

4 (1 1/4 inch thick) pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream
of mushroom soup

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Season pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the pork chops in the butter for about 5 minutes per side.

3.In a separate medium bowl, combine the milk, water and soup. Place the pork chops in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour the soup mixture over the chops.

4.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

Maple Salmon

Found this recipe on Allrecipes.com. It was so good that I didn't need to make any changes. The great maple flavor comes from using real maple syrup. Don't use the fake stuff.





INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound salmon

DIRECTIONS:

1.In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

2.Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once. Keeping the salmon in the marinate longer does not improve the flavor.

3.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4.Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

Swedish meatballs

I've tried a number of Swedish meatball recipes but for some reason I always seem to comeback to this recipe from The Settlement Cookbook. I think the reason is the allspice that is added.

The recipe takes a little time to prepare. You can double the recipe and freeze what you don't use to serve for another meal.





Basic meatball recipe below
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.

Prepare meatballs. While they are browning, dissolve bouillon cubes in 1 cup boiling water. After meat balls are browned, add bouillon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat; cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour a little at a time. Add allspice and slowly stir in the evaporated milk and 1/2 cup water. Cook uncovered over low heat; stir occasionally. When the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes, stir in lemon juice and serve with buttered noodles or rice.


Basic meatball recipe:

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons butter

Combine the first 6 ingredients. Shaped into meatballs. Melt butter in a pan and brown the meat balls in the butter.

Pot roast cooked in foil

Still trying to get the old family favorites on my blog. I was going through some old cookbooks and rediscovered this favorite in The Settlement Cook Book. What I like about this recipe is you put it into the oven for a couple of hours and it makes an incredible tender roast that melts in your mouth.

Ingredients:

4 pounds chuck roast
1 package dehydrated onion soup
1 cup sour cream

Spread meat with dehydrated onion soup mixture and sour cream. Place the meat on a double thick square of heavy duty aluminum foil. Wrap with a double fold and fold ends over to seal package so that the juices with not escape. Bake at 300 degrees for 3-3 1/2 hours.

Orzo Salad with Currants, Olives and Pine Nuts

Another great recipe from Kristin

I've received a few requests for the orzo pasta salad I made for last night's concert on the square. I found the recipe in an issue of Real Food (Summer 2007), a quarterly magazine produced by Minnesota-based gourmet grocer, Lund and Byerly's. The salad was awesome, and made great leftovers for today's lunch. Many ingredients, but worth the effort. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups orzo pasta
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley sprigs
½ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. curry powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup currants
½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
Garnish: parsley sprigs (optional)

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain, then rinse with cold water and drain again. Transfer to a large bowl. To make dressing, add garlic and salt to the bowl of a food processor and process until garlic is minced and a paste forms. Add parsley and process well. Add lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, curry powder, cumin, and pepper; process for 30 seconds. Pour oil in a slow steady stream through food chute with processor running.

Drizzle dressing over pasta. Add onion, currants, olives, and pine nuts; toss well. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Rachael Ray - Tex Mex Corn Chip Chili

Found this great chili recipe in the March 2008 issue of Rachael Ray Magazine. It was the winning recipe in one of Rachel Ray's chili cook-off contests. I modified it a little bit and used Boca meatless ground burger instead of the lean ground beef. This is an easy conversion to make if you want to try a healthy alternative. This recipe serves 4.











Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 pound of lean ground beef or Boca meatless ground burger
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 T. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1 15oz can black beans
1 15 oz can pinto beans
1 10oz can tomatoes and green chilies
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
12 oz monterey jack pepper cheese, shredded
1 (10 oz) bag corn chips such as fritos



1. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook over medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add the beans, with their liquid, and the tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Stir in the cilantro, then top with the cheese, cover and let stand until the cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes. Place a handful of corn chips in each of 4 bowls. Top with the chili and serve.

Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1 pound of chicken breast
1 T. sesame oil
2 T. oyster sauce
2 t. sugar
1 t. light soy sauce
3 stalks green onions
1/2 cup cauliflower
1/2 cup broccoli
1 small carrot
1 cup mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. vegetable oil
4 t. cornstarch mixed with 1/3 cup water

Slice the chicken into thin strips. Place into a small bowl. Add sesame oil, oyster sauce, sugar and light soy sauce. Stir and and let marinate 1 hour.

Cut cauliflower, broccoli and any other vegetable into small bite size pieces. Cut green onion into 1/2 inch slices, including the green tops. Slice the carrot diagonally so that the slices are an oval shape. Slice mushrooms. Set aside vegetables.

Heat 2 T. vegetable oil in wok. Fry garlic until fragrant. Add marinated chicken and cook until it turns white stirring occasionally. Stir cauliflower, broccoli and carrots; cover and let steam 2 minutes. Add onions and mushrooms and stir for 1-2 minutes.

Pour in cornstarch mixed with water and stir well. Cook for an additional 1 minute. Serve with rice.