Yummy Pork Vindaloo

I wanted to make this last week but forgot to buy coconut milk when I got groceries. I finally made it tonight. Yum!! It's just spicy enough for me. You can add another 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper if you really like heat but I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it then.


Pork Vindaloo
1 1/2 TBSP grainy mustard (I couldn't find this, so I used Dijon mustard)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp gound tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1tsp red wine vinegar
2 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion in 1/2 rings
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pound pork cut in bite-size pieces
1 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup water


Combine mustard, cumin, tumeric, cayenne, salt and vinegar. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir fry until translucent. Add garlic and fry 30 seconds. Add spice paste and fry 1 minute. Add meat. Fry 3 minutes. Add coconut milk and water. Bring to boiling then lower to simmer for 60 minutes. Serve over rice. (I was afraid it wasn't thickening enough so I mixed about a tsp of cornstarch with a little water and added it. I probably should have waiting until it was done cooking because it probably would have been fine.

The picture might not look appetizing, but it was oh so good!

Cook Some Yummy Shrimp

I've finally learned how to cook shrimp. Here is a yummy recipe for Garlic Shrimp Linguini.

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked linguini
1 TBSP butter
1/4 cup white wine
2 TBSP grated Parmesan
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

I use frozen shrimp and like to thaw them and pull the tails off but you can cook them with tails on and each person can remove them before eating. Cook linguini according to package instructions. when linguini is half cooked, melt butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Add wine, cheese, garlic and parsley. Simmer over low heat for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium high and add shrimp. Cook about 4 minutes. Drain pasta and put in a large bowl. Pour shrimp mixture over top and mix in. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Dinner Ready When You Walk in the Door

I went to Kalamazoo for the afternoon, but first I put this in the crock pot. It was nice and hot when I got home!

Chicken and Barley
3 pounds skinless, bone-in chicken (or 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts)
1 tsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 cup pearl barley
1 can (28 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine or chicken broth


Place chicken in crock pot. In saucepan on stove, saute onions, celery and bell peppers until softened. Add garlic, salt, pepper and thyme and cook 1 minute. Add barley and stir. Add tomatoes and wine or broth and bring to a boil. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

Mmmmm...granola

This morning I made super-easy granola. Yum!

Granola With Almonds
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup light brown sugar
6 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP vanilla
4 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine honey, brown sugar, butter, salt and vanilla. Add oats, wheat germ and almonds. Mix well and spread on cookie sheets. Bake 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir again. Cool completely.

Thanksgiving Blessings Again

Are you still wondering what to do with the leftover turkey and squash from Thanksgiving? I had fun mixing together the leftovers from the fridge, plus a few extra ingredients, to make soup the Friday after Thanksgiving and it was yummy!

Thanksgiving Blessings Soup
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
4 cups turkey stock (or chicken broth)
2 TBSP leftover gravy
3/4 cup wild rice (uncooked)
1 1/2 cup squash puree (just put leftover squash in blender with some broth)
1 1/2 cup cooked turkey, cut into small, bite-size chunks
(My turkey had an herb rub on it, so I didn't add other spices to the soup, but you could add 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp sage to the soup if you wish)

In stockpot, saute' onion, celery and garlic in oil until softened, then add mushrooms and saute' some more. Add turkey stock, gravy, bay leaf, desired herbs and rice. Bring to boil and cook above a simmer for 1 hour, or until wild rice is cooked. Remove bay leaf. Add squash puree and turkey. Heat until cooked through.

If You Can't Take the Heat...

Earlier this year I bought a jar of sauce to make Makhani Chicken (Indian Butter Chicken). Basically, you put the sauce in a pan with cut up chicken and simmer. Very easy so, of course, I decided to see how I could make things more difficult by making it from scratch. Although it has quite a few steps, it is not really very difficult and it is sooooooo yummy! It was a bit spicy for my taste, but not too hot to eat and many of you like spicy more than I do.

Makhani Chicken (Indian Butter Chicken)
(Allow 4 hours for marinating)

1 1/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
2 1/2 TBSP lemon juice, divided
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plain yogurt
2 1/2 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP + 1 1/4 tsp garam masala (this is a spice)
2 1/2 TBSP melted butter, divided
1 TBSP + 1 1/2 tsp chili powder, divided
2 1/2 TBSP ginger paste (I used grated, fresh ginger)
1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP chopped, green chili pepper (you can buy these in a little can)
2 cups tomato puree
1 cup water
1 TBSP honey
1 cup heavy cream

Marinate chicken in glass bowl with 1 TBSP lemon juice, 2 tsp chili powder and salt. Toss to coat and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In the meantime, drain yogurt in a cloth for 15 - 20 minutes. Place in a medium bowl. Add garlic paste, 1 1/4 tsp garam masala, 1 1/2 TBSP butter, 1 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 1/2 TBSP ginger, 1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice and oil. Refrigerate until chicken is done marinating, then pour over chicken and marinate another 3 hours.

(If you want to serve this over rice, this would be a good time to put the rice on to cook).

Preheat oven to 400. Place chicken on grill pan. Bake 15 - 20 minutes, or until almost cooked through.

To make sauce, melt 1 TBSP butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 TBSP garam masala and saute. Add 1 TBSP ginger paste, 1 TBSP garlic and green chile. Saute until tender, then add tomato puree, 1 tsp chili powder and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add honey and simmer until chicken is done baking. Place chicken in sauce mixture. Continue cooking another 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in cream. Serve over rice.

(I found this to be pretty runny, but maybe that is how it is supposed to be. I might thicken it a bit with just a little flour the next time).

Pasta Fagioli

This is actually a crock pot recipe, but I didn't have time to do it in the crock pot so I just did it on the stove. To do it in the crock pot, brown the ground beef and put everything except the pasta in the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, then add pasta and cook another 20 minutes on high or until pasta is cooked. It is super yummy!

Pasta Fagioli

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, choped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can northern beans, drained and rinsed
32 oz low sodium beef broth
1 jar pasta sauce
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp Tabasco sauce (recipe called for 1 TBSP, but 1 tsp was plenty)
1 small green or yellow summer squash, sliced (optional)
dash of black pepper
1 cup dry pasta (I used Rotini)

If you're not using the crock pot method:
Brown meat and drain well. Saute' onion and celery in a bit of olive oil until onions are translucent. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes (with juice), both kinds of beans, broth, pasta sauce, oregano, Tabasco sauce, pepper and squash. Cover and simmer 30 - 45 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Add pasta. Simmer another 15 minutes, or until pasta is cooked.

Shrimp, Not Soup

I love to try new recipes. It's very satisfying to make something from start to finish and have it taste good. I am trying to get my mind around the concept that many folks don't like to cook, but I can't really figure that one out. Tonight I decided to try Sesame Shrimp. Very easy and yummy, if you can find chili garlic sauce.

Sesame Shrimp

1 TBSP fresh lime juice
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 TBSP orange marmalade
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined and tails off

Combine juice, chili garlic sauce, salt, marmalade and 1 tsp oil. Mix well. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Marinate in fridge for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If you wish, you can skewer the shrimp). Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 4 minutes, turning once. Serve with rice and veggies! Mmmmmmmmmmm...

Soup Weather

I love soup weather! Tonight it is Tortellini Soup. I used zucchini, garlic, tomatoes, green pepper and onions from my garden. Yum!

Tortellini Soup
(6 servings)

1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
(Or buy the breakfast kind so you don't have remove casings. I actually used turkey sausage because I was cooking for my folks).
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
40 oz low-sodium beef broth (very important to get the low sodium kind or it will be wayyyyyyyyyy to salty)
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 medium-size green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 TBSP dried basil
2 TBSP dried oregano
10 oz cheese tortellini (fresh, dried or frozen)
Grated Parmesan cheese

Saute sausage in heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until cooked through. Remove cooked sausage. Pour off all but 1 TBSP drippings. (If you use turkey sausage you won't even have that much, which is fine.) Add onion and garlic to Dutch oven and saute until translucent. Return sausage to Dutch oven. Add stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, zucchini, carrot, bell pepper, wine, basil and oregano. Simmer about 40 minutes. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to a simmer before continuing).

Add tortellini to soup and cook as long as package tells you, or until tortellini is done. Each person can top with Parmesan cheese if they wish.

Keep the Leftover Pancakes!

Do you ever make pancakes and find that you have a few leftover? Toss them in the freezer for this sweet breakfast treat!

Overnight Blueberry French Toast
4 cups blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch
Leftover pancakes (torn into pieces)
6 eggs
3/4 cup milk
generous 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

In the morning:
2 TSP butter, melted
Maple syrup

Mix blueberries, sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Grease 10 X 15 (or 9 X 13) pan and pour blueberry mixture into pan. Place pieces of pancakes over blueberries. In bowl, mix eggs, milk, baking powder and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Pour over pancakes. Press pancakes down to soak them and place pan in fridge. In the morning, preheat oven to 425. Press pancakes a bit to make sure all are coated with egg mixture. Brush with melted butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with maple syrup.

Chicken Twice Over

reThis week I made Chicken Burgers with pesto mayo and then chopped up the leftover burgers, mixed in the leftover pesto mayo, added a little more mayo, and made chicken salad sandwiches for Fiber Fest today. Loved it!

Pesto
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP chicken broth
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/4 cup cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 TBSP Romano cheese

Place in blender in order listed. Blend until smooth. Add more oil if needed. (You'll only need 2 TBSP for the pesto mayo and you can freeze the rest in ice cube trays to use later!)

Chicken Burgers
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken (if you can't find it at the store, just grind up chicken breasts in a food processor)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Mix ground chicken, cheese and pepper. Form into 6 patties and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm them up. Grill burgers for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Pesto Mayo
1/2 cup mayo
2 TBSP pesto

Mix mayo and pesto. Put on cooked burgers. Yum!

Easter Chocolate

I love Easter because it is an excuse to make chocolate Easter nests with candy eggs inside. Yum!

You can find the very easy recipe at the Enchanted Learning website.

It is definitely a Good Friday today because I found out that I am getting the house I've been wanting. Check it out at Realtor.com!

Leftovers a New Way

Still wondering what to do with all that leftover turkey and stuffing? These are unique and yummy!

Turkey and Stuffing Burgers
1 1/2 cups leftover roast turkey
4 cups leftover cooked stuffing
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 450. Grease jelly-roll pan. In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse turkey until chopped. In large bowl, combine turkey, stuffing and eggs until well mixed. Form into 8 mounds. Place them 2 inches apart on pan and flatten mounds. Roast 20 minutes, without turning over.

Refreshing Chicken Salad

I tried a new chicken salad recipe this week. YUM! It's made with avocados, so it doesn't last very long. Very tasty, though!

Avocado Chicken Salad

1 medium, ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
2 TBSP lemon juice, divided
2 1/2 - 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1 medium tart apple, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 green onion, chopped (optional)
3/4 cup light mayo
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 tsp ground ginger

In a small bowl, combine avocado with 1 TBSP lemon juice, set aside. In a large bowl, combine the chikcen, grapes, apple, celery, onion (optional), mayo, walnuts, ginger, and remaining lemon juice. Stir in avocado.

Oh So Tender Roast

I made this roast this week for my folks. It was oh so easy, tasty and tender!


Pan-Roasted Pork Loin with Leeks

4 large leeks (about 2 1/4 pounds)
1/2 cup water
1 TBSP butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (2-lb) boneless pork loin, trimmed
1/2 cup dry white wine

Remove roots and upper leaves from leeks. Cut each leek in half lengthwise then slice into 1/2 inch slices. Soak in cold water to remove all dirt. Combine leeks, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp butter, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper in large Dutch oven. Cook for 10 minutes. Pour leek mixture into bowl.

Heat remaining 2 tsp butter in pan. Add pork and cook 5 minutes over medium-high heat, turning to brown on all sides. Add remaining 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, and wine to pan. Cook 15 seconds. Return leek mixture to pan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours. Remove pork from pan. Increase heat to reduce leek sauce if too watery. Cut pork into 1/4 inch slices. Top with leek mixture. (4 to 5 servings.)

What Recipes Have You Tried?

I know that many of you have tried out some recipes in Simply in Season. I'd love to hear which ones are your favorites so I can try them too!

As for me, I recommend:

- Almond-Parmesan Green Beans (page 114)
- Thai Green Beans (page 129)
- Butternut Harvest Stew (page 187)
- Zucchini Brownies (Page 161)
- Great Green Veggie Pasta (page 123) -- Add more garlic and basil and less salt.
- Taco Filling (page 303)

If you have no idea what I'm referring to, buy the cookbook! It's awesome "recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods..."

Chicken Burgers

This is my favorite chicken burger recipe. If you like burgers but don't eat beef or ground turkey, this is an excellent alternative:

Chicken Burgers

1 lb ground chicken breast
1/2 Cup finely chopped green onions
1 TBSP chile paste
2 tsp grated, fresh ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
4 hamburger buns
1 cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)

Note: If you can't find ground chicken, you can grind your own boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a food processor but it is a very sticky mess!

Place chicken, onions, chile paste, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and salt in a bowl. Divide into 4 patties. Place on grill rack, coated with cooking spray. These burgers are very sticky, so I actually put them on a cookie sheet or other pan on the grill. Grill 4 minutes on each side, or until done. Place on buns and top with alfalfa sprouts. I also add a bit of Thai peanut sauce on mine! YUM!!

Homemade Rice-a-Roni

Here is the recipe for homemade Rice-a-Roni. For a super easy supper for myself, I put cubed chicken or pork (raw) in the pot with the Rice-a-Roni ingredients and cook it all together. I'm thinking I could even add broccoli or green beans and have a one pot meal when I don't feel much like cooking.


Homemade Rice-a-Roni
1/2 cup tiny pasta, or broken spaghetti
1 cup rice (I like jasmine or basmati rice)
2 TBSP parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp thyme
3 cups low-sodium broth (chicken or veggie)

Put everything in a pot. Cook, covered, until it boils. Stir once, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

Everything From Scratch

I like to cook. It seems not many people do anymore. I really like it when I find an easy recipe for something that is often made from a box. Here is an easy recipe for buttermilk pancakes that I love!


Buttermilk Pancakes
1 Cup flour
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Cup low-fat or nonfat buttermilk
1 TBSP canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in large bowl. Combine buttermilk, oil and egg in a separate bowl. Add to flour mixture and stir until smooth. You can probably figure out the rest.

By the way, when nobody is around, there are a few things I like to make from a box:

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
Rice-a-Roni
Kool-Aid
Lipton Noodle Soup

Even so, I have a recipe for Rice-a-Roni from scratch that I want to try. I cringe every time I see the amount of sodium in one of those boxes. I'll post the recipe if it's any good.

Birthday Fairies

Ember turned 4 on Friday. It's so hard to believe. For some reason, 4 seems so much older than 3. When she was 3 I could still think of her as a toddler, but now she's a big girl. We had a day of celebration yesterday, which included a Fairy Festival at Pilcher Park Nature Center in Joliet, IL. My nieces both enjoyed dancing around in their fairy costumes even though it was STILL VERY COLD!



I baked a Devil's Food Cake for her. I thought I'd post the recipe, then realized I've posted it before. You can find it by clicking here. This time I used 1/2 cup sour cream instead of the buttermilk and it was just as yummy. Cake flour makes all the difference. The cake is perfectly moist the next day, too! I used this frosting, which is very sweet:

Fudge Frosting

1 pound powdered sugar
3 squares baking chocolate, melted and cooled
5 TBSP butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
6 - 8 TBS cream (I had to add more)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Put sugar in mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients, except nuts. Beat until smooth and glossy. If too stiff, add cream or milk, one TBSP at a time. If too thin, add powdered sugar. Sprinkle nuts on top of cake, if desired.