Slowcooker White Chicken Chili November 7, 2009

It’s hard to have a true white chicken chili that’s also spicy.  Once you put in the cayenne and chili powder it doesn’t look like a white chili anymore!  I make chili pretty often and am always trying new ingredients and spice mixtures.  This one was delish!  Chili doesn’t really need much of a recipe though; be creative and use what you have on hand.

1 pound dried navy beans, picked over

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup carrots

2 cups onions

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

2 tablespoons garlic

1 2/3 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Sprinkle crushed red pepper (to desired taste)

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/8 – ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (to desired taste)

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 pound chicken breast, diced

2 (10-ounce) cans Ro’tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles (original), undrained

1 can cream of chicken soup

1-2 tablespoon heavy cream

1. In a large bowl, soak beans in cold water to cover by 2 inches overnight. Drain beans in a colander and add to Crockpot.
2. In a skillet, heat the oil and sauté the onion, carrot and jalapeno until soft and beginning to caramelize, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the spices and chicken broth, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add to Crockpot.  Add the chicken, canned tomatoes, soup and stir to combine.  Cook on low 8-9 hours or on high 4-5 hours.  Finish by adding the cream.
3. Serve the chili in deep bowls, garnished with dollops of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, cilantro, jalapenos, and green onions to taste.

Sage-Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Apple Slaw November 2, 2009

I’m not crazy about this picture since I didn’t get a very good browning on my pork chops.  Don’t worry about the apples being over-powering as they end up very savory.

Source: Ellie Krieger’s The Food You Crave

For the chops:
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
1 large clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon
Freshly ground black pepper
Four 3/4-inch-thick bone in pork loin chops (about 8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil (1 tablespoon)

For the slaw:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut in half, then thinly sliced into half-moons
1 large Granny Smith apple, cut in half, cored, and coarsely shredded
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 head green cabbage, cored and coarsely shredded (about 9 cups)
3 large carrots, coaresly shredded (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1. To make the chops, combine the sage, garlic, salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl. Rub the mixuture all over the pork chops and let them sit at room temperature for 10 mibutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until good and hot. Add the chops and brown well on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a plate.
3. To make the slaw, carefully wipe out the pan. Heat the oil over medium high heat and add the onion, apple, and sage. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cabage, carrots, vinegar, and salt and continue cooking until the cabbage and carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and return the pork chops to the pan, burying them in the vegetable mixture. Cover and cook just until the pork chops have just a slight blush in the center, 5 to 7 minutes longer.
4. To serve, arrange the warm slaw on individual plates and top with a pork chop and some pan juices.

Strawberry Phyllo Harmony May 30, 2009

I was inspired to make this dessert from a dish my husband and I love from Woo Lae Oak, a Korean BBQ restaurant in NY.  

8 layers phyllo dough, defrosted 

Non-stick butter flavored cooking spray

Sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 pint strawberries, washed & sliced less than 1/4 inch thick

Low-fat strawberry ice cream, slightly softened  - look for cream/sugar as ingredients and not artificial stuff

Strawberry whipped cream:

1/2 cup whipping cream

4 teaspoons powdered sugar

3 strawberries, mashed

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lay out one sheet of phyllo dough on top of a large cutting board.  Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with 1 tsp. sugar.  Layer with another phyllo dough sheet, cooking spray and sugar, and repeat with all 8 layers.  Cut the dough into 16 pieces.  Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.  Place one piece of the dough into half one of the wells and layer a second piece on the other half to create a bowl.  Brush butter into each muffin and around edges.  Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden.  Remove from pan and let cool completely.

2.  Whip cream and sugar to soft peaks.  Add berries and continue whipping until stiff peaks.  Refrigerate until you are ready to use.

3.  Scoop ice cream into the bottom of each phyllo bowl, add a layer of strawberries and top with whipped cream.  Serve with sliced strawberries immediately.  Serves 8.

Recipe for a Perfect Daughter February 22, 2009

My dad sent me a sweet Valentine’s day card that fits in perfectly with my blog!

Recipe for a Perfect Daughter:
2 cups of sugar
dash of spice
1 cup of everything nice

Combine ingredients, stirring until well-blended and sweet. Keep in a warm safe place and allow muxtire to rise. For best results, season with TLC, but avoid spoiling. (Compliments to the chef!)

Spanish-Style Brine & Rub for Pork Tenderloin with Maduros and Spicy Slaw January 13, 2009

After brining our Thanksgiving turkey, I was hooked on the method.  This book includes several brining recipes for pork and I really wanted to give one a try.  This was fantastic!  If you love pork and intense flavor this recipe is for you!  Think Bobby Flay.   I just love Spanish flavors and this recipe really hits the mark.  I had 2 plantains ripe on the counter and was excited to make Maduros (or fried plantains).  There is a small Peruvian place in the Upper East Side of Manhattan (Pio Pio) that has the best maduros and chicken you will ever eat.  Mine didn’t come out quite as good (but we still ate every last bite so you know this is good!) and I think it was because my oil wasn’t hot enough.  I made a spicy slaw to serve with the pork as well. 

Source:  Bruce Aidells’s Complete Book of Pork; I recently got this book as a gift and it really is a go to book for pork.  My changes are in green.

Spanish Style Brine

3 1/2 cups cold water

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup sherry vinegar (red wine vinegar)

1 cup ice cubes

4 bone-in rib pork chops (about 3 pounds total) 1.5 pound pork tenderloin

1.  Pour the water into a large bowl or plastic storage tub.  Stir in the salt and continue stirring until the salt dissolves.  Stir in the sugar and vinegar and continue stirring until they dissolve.  Add the ice cubes and stir to chill the mixture down.  It should be 45 F or colder on an instant-read thermometer.  Add the pork, cover, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.  Remove the pork and discard the brine.  Pat dry with paper towels, and either proceed with the recipe or cover with plastic wrap.  The pork can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before being cooked.

Spanish Style Rub

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon of chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoons sherry vinegar (red wine vinegar)

1.  Combine all above ingredients.  Coat the brined pork generously on both sides with the rub.  Set the chops aside while you prepare a grill.  

2.  I used a gas grill and cooked the pork uncovered high heat 3 minutes per side (6 minutes total) and then covered for an additional 10 minutes.  Pork reached an internal temperature of 145 F and juices were no longer pink.  

3.  Slice pork and serve with spicy coleslaw, avocados, bell pepper, and maduros (below).

 

Maduros (Fried plantains)

2 ripe plantains (yellow with some black spotting)

Canola oil

1.  Slice plantains on the bias.   

2.  Heat oil in a small saucepan until very hot.  Oil should reach to top of plantains.  Oil must be very hot or it will soak into the plantains while cooking.  Cook plantains 4 minutes per side or until golden brown.  Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towel to drain.

 

Spicy Slaw

4-5 cups precut slaw mix

1/2 cup low-fat mayo

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon white sugar

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 

1 teaspoon Frank’s hot sauce

salt & pepper

1.  Combine first 6 ingredients.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Serve immediately if you prefer a crunchy slaw or chill in refrigerator for a few hours.

Savory Sweet Potato Pear Soup and Soft Parsley and Garlic Pretzels January 9, 2009

I didn’t think I was going to be able to enter this round of Platinum Chef being out of town for the two weeks prior to the deadline.  Lucky for me the deadline was extended!  These ingredients were fun and I just love sweet potatoes and pears so this was right up my alley.  Kate from Paved with Good Intentions picked the following ingredients:  carrots, potatoes, pears, parsley, and egg.  I had a heck of a time thinking about that egg.  I thought long and hard about a quiche or frittata or my favorite…pot pie!  Mmm love that stuff.  I wanted to use my new emersion blender (thank you Lien!) so I figured soup would be fun.  I wanted bread with my soup (of course) and thought a flavored pretzel would be fun!

Savory Sweet Potato Pear Soup

1-tablespoon butter

½ red onion, chopped

½ cut carrot, chopped

½ cut celery, chopped

2 very large sweet potatoes (about 1.5 pounds), peeled and diced

2 pears, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1-teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon cumin

5 cups low sodium low fat chicken broth

1.     In a large pot, melt butter on medium heat.  Sauté onion, carrot and celery 3-4 minutes or until onion is translucent.

2.     Add potatoes, pears, coriander, curry, and cumin and sauté 1-2 minutes.

3.     Add chicken broth and bring to boil, simmer 20-25 minutes until sweet potato is soft.

4.     Using emersion blender, blend until smooth.  Serve warm.

5.     Leftover soup can be frozen flat in large freezer bags and defrosted in a saucepan.

 

 

Soft Parsley & Garlic Pretzels

Inspiration:  # 117047 Recipezaar 

1 package dry yeast

1 ½ cups warm water (100-110 degrees)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

4 cups flour

2 tablespoons packed finely chopped parsley

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 large egg, beaten

Coarse salt or sea salt

1.     Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.

2.     Dissolve yeast in water in a small bowl. Tiny bubbles form around edges to ensure yeast is active.  Add salt and sugar. 

3.     Pour mixture into stand mixer and add all the flour, parsley, and garlic powder.  Using hook attachment, knead until well blended and smooth, approximately 4 minutes. 

4.     That kind of looks like a turkey, huh?!  Anyways, cut dough into 6 even pieces and roll into approximately 2-foot ropes.  Create a rainbow shape and using each end, wrap around each other 3 times.  Invert twisted center and press ends into dough to form pretzel shape.  Place onto prepared baking sheet. 

5.     Brush pretzels with the beaten egg.  Sprinkle with coarse salt or freshly ground sea salt. 

6.     Bake approximately 17-19 minutes or until golden brown.

Lasagna Rolls: Food Network top ten recipes in 2008 January 3, 2009

According to a Food Network web article, this was one of the Top 10 recipes of 2008!  After making it and getting rave reviews I can certainly see why!  This was delicious and although somewhat time consuming, simple to make.  The béchamel sauce was the most time consuming part and next time I’ll probably substitute marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan instead.  That will cut down on a lot of the prep time and I think it’ll taste just as good.  The recipe makes 12 rolls will should be enough to serve 6 people (2 each).  I served it with a side salad.

Source:  Foodnetwork.com Giada de Laurentiis Episode: Italian Fast Food

Sauce: 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour 
1 1/4 cups whole milk 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 
Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna: 

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese (I used part skim ricotta) 
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry 
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped 
1 large egg, beaten to blend 
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil 
12 uncooked lasagna noodles 
2 cups marinara sauce 
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

 

1.  To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

2.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

3.  Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

4.  Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

5.  Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. I used high heat non-stick spray.  Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll.

 

6.  Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the béchamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.

Platinum Chef Challenge #10 Results! November 27, 2008

When Lisa from Lime in the Coconut chose my entry as the winner for Platinum Chef Challenge #9 I was honored and so excited!  But then I had the daunting task of choosing the next ingredients.  I couldn’t find a site that listed all previous 9 challenge ingredients so I did my best to choose ingredients that most likely had not been picked yet.  I thought I might have chosen ingredients that were too difficult when I only had one entry at the original deadline.  Now I’m glad I added the extension because I received a total of 5 fabulous recipes!  In no particular oder (well actually, it is the order I received the entries), here are the recipes:

Cara, from Cara’s Cravings, the Platinum Chef Challenge creator:

Cara decided to adapt a recipe from Cooking Light to make Lentil-Goat Cheese burgers.  Personally, I love this idea!.  She served it with some baby spinach and a lemon vinaigrette adapted from a Orange Tarragon dressing recipe in her Moosewood Low-fat Favorites Cookbook.

 

Lentil Goat Cheese Burgers

1 1/4 cups water

1/2 cup dried lentils

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon olive oi

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 ounces goat cheese

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 large egg white, lightly beaten 

1.  Place first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until tender; drain. Discard bay leaf. Place lentils in a large bowl; partially mash with a fork. Cool slightly. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly. Add onion mixture, cheese, and remaining ingredients to lentils; stir well to combine. Cover and chill 45 minutes. 

2.  Divide mixture into 3-4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Cook patties 5 minutes on each side or until done.

 

Roasted Garlic & Lemon Vinaigrette

1 whole head of roasted garlic (squeeze the cloves out of the skins)

1/4 cup lemon juice

salt & pepper

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp minced fresh tarragon

2 tbs white wine vinegar

1.  Combine garlic cloves and remaining ingredients in a blender, process until smooth and creamy. Let sit for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Kate, from Paved with Good Intentions: 

Kate took a delicious classic take on the ingredients:  soup and salad.  But boy did she ever jazz up a classic minestrone by adding sausage.  What a delicious sounding soup!

Sausage and Lentil Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil

5 links hot italian sausage

7 oz ham, shredded

2 onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp thyme

8 cups chicken broth

1 can whole tomatoes

1/2 lb dried lentils

1 bunch spinach leaves, chopped

1.  Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add sausage links and cook until done. Remove sausages from pot, cool, and slice sausages.

2.  Add ham, onions, and green pepper to the pot. Cover and cook 15 minutes.

3.  Add garlic, cumin, and thyme. Cover and cook 5 more minutes.

4.  Add chicken broth, sausage, tomatoes, and lentils. Lower heat, cover, and cook two hours.

5.  Remove from heat, add spinach, and let stand 2 more minutes.

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/6 cup olive oil

2 belgian endives

1 bunch spinach

1/2 granny smith apple, sliced into 8 slices

2 oz goat cheese, sliced into 2 rounds

chopped walnuts

1.  Preheat broil. Combine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Shake to blend.

2.  Add oil and shake again.

3.  Place endive leaves and spinach on plate.

4.  Place slices of apples on broiler pan into two fans. Place round of goat cheese on top of each fan of apples. Broil 5 minutes.

5.  Use spatula to place apples and goat cheese in center of salad. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with walnuts.

Ms. Feather Flower, from Ms. Feather Flower’s Kitchen:

Ms. Feather is a new blogger and I’m so happy that she joined our challenge!  Her blog focuses on gardening with a section to highlight fresh vegetable recipes.  Hope to see more from her!  She created a spicy baked side or suggests that it could be served over rice for a vegetarian main.  I think it would be a great topping for flatbread or pizza.

 

Tangy Spinach with Lentils and Goat Cheese

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp cayenne red pepper

10 oz regular spinach – rinsed, stems removed and cut into 1/2 inch slices (or 1-10 oz bagged baby spinach)

2 cups cooked lentils drained

1 small fresh tomato, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar

3 oz goat cheese 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish.

2. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Uncover and mix in the lentils, tomato, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and continue cooking until the spinach is wilted, about 4 more minutes.

3. Transfer the spinach to the baking dish and dot with goat cheese, pushing it down into the dish.

4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the goat cheese is lightly browned.

 

Next we have Lisa’s entry from Lime in the Coconut:

Lisa put a Mediterranean twist on the challenge ingredients.  Or at least I like to think so because lentil spreads remind me of delicious hummus and babaganush dips.  You’ll have to check out her blog for detail pictures which will help tremendously when you make her dish.  The roasted garlic head looks amazing!

Goat Cheese and Lentil Bruschetta Topped with Fresh Baby Spinach

1 cup lentils

2 sprigs rosemary

2 small bay leaves

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 head of roasted garlic (to roast the garlic cut off the top, brush it with olive oil and place it in a baking dish. Pour water into the dish so it goes about 1/2 way up the head of garlic. Cover with foil. Preheat your oven to 425 and put in the garlic for about an hour or until soft. Remove, let cool and then squeeze out your soft cloves

juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

1 bag of baby spinach leaves

1 loaf of French baguette

16 oz of spreadable herbed goat cheese (or any variety of goat cheese you like)

 

1.  To make the lentil spread, combine your dry lentils, rosemary, bay leaves, chicken stock and water in a pot and place the lid cocked over top to let steam escape. Turn the burner to medium heat and allow the liquid to come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until lentils are tender.

2.  Once lentils are cooked, drain them, remove the bay leaves and the rosemary stems (many of the rosemary leaves will have come off the stems, this is fine it will all get pureed in the food processor. You just have to remove any woody stems.) Place the lentils in a food processor, add your lemon juice, garlic and vinegar and process. Stream in the olive oil as the processor is running until you have a creamy spread-like consistency. Add in salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

3.  Preheat your oven to 350. Slice your baguette in half longways, as if you’re going to make a sandwich with the entire baguette. Once you’ve done that then slice it into 4 in pieces. Drizzle olive oil over each piece, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in your oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until bread is toasted. If it’s warm out you can grill your bread, or if you have an indoor grill you can grill your bread. It was cold outside and I didn’t feel like pulling out my indoor grill pan so I toasted it in the oven. Worked just fine.

4.  Once the bread is toasty, pull it out and spread a layer of goat cheese on each piece.

5.  Then spread a thick layer of lentil spread on each piece.

6.  Finally, top with a handful of baby spinach leaves.

7.  You can place the bruschetta back in the oven for about 3 minutes to wilt the spinach just a bit and warm the spreads.

Finally we have Cookie from Workout then Cook:

In the past month, Cookie has added some great sounding fall seasonal recipes on her blog which everyone should checkout.  For the challenge, Cookie stuffed a pork chop with a delicious sounding goat cheese spinach mixture and served with a light lemon lentil salad.  The pork chop looks fantastic as I love the stuffing idea.  

Pork Chops stuffed with Goat Cheese and Spinach

1 Tbsp olive oil

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 c frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

2 oz goat cheese, softened

½ tsp grated lemon rind

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 boneless pork chops

 

1.  Preheat oven to 400°F.

2.  In medium bowl, mix cheese, mustard, lemon rind and spinach until well blended.

3.  Using a sharp knife, slice pockets into chops by slicing horizontally into the side, and almost through to the other side. Season the outside with salt and pepper. Stuff chops with spinach mixture, allowing stuffing to overflow out of pockets.

4.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and sear on 1 side until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip chops and cook another 4 minutes until done.

 

Lentil Salad with Lemon Dressing

½ c dried brown lentils

1 medium tomato, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1.  Cook lentils in pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well. Place in large bowl. Mix in tomatoes.

2.  Whisk together olive oil, mustard and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Add dressing to salad; toss to coat. Add goat cheese. Transfer salad to serving bowl or platter.

 

So after three days of thinking I’ve finally picked a winner.  And the winner is…Kate from Paved with Good Intentions!  I loved her soup idea and it really fits with the fall season.  She creatively used all of the ingredients in a classic dish.  I really would love to make this soup.  Congratulations!  Be sure to check out her blog and the continuation of the Platinum Chef Challenge.

Smashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives November 19, 2008

A good quick recipe for hearty mashed potatoes.  I added some butter to boost the flavor.  I subbed the Yukon Gold with Russet and cut out half of the skin to make up for the change in skin texture.  Changes in green.

Source:  Ellie Krieger The Food You Crave

1 1/4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (about 4 medium), left unpeeled (4 medium Russet potatoes, skin half peeled)

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth, warmed

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh chives

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbs. butter

 

1.  Place the potatoes in a steamer basket fitted over a large pot of boiling water.  Cover and steam until the potatoes are knife-tender, 12 to 15 minutes.  Hmm I have never thought to steaming potatoes!  Unfortunately, I did not try it to get a review.  I covered potatoes with water and then boiled and cooked potatoes until knifer-tender.

2.  Drain the potatoes and return them to their pot.  Add the warm broth and coarsely mash.  Stir in the sour cream, butter and chives, season with salt and pepper.

Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables November 19, 2008

The chicken and vegetables tasted great even with my thyme substitution for the rosemary.  It was really easy to make because there is not too much chopping involved.  Changes in green.

Source:  Ellie Krieger The Food You Crave

6 Roma tomatoes 

3 medium zucchini 

1 bulb fennel (omitted)

2 carrots

3 tablespoons olive oil (4 Tbs.)

3/4 teaspoon salt

4 bone-in chicken breasts (about 2 1/2 pounds), skin removed

4 cloves garlic, finely minced (about 4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (1 tablespoon fresh thyme)

 

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Cut the tomatoes lengthwise into quarters and remove the seeds.  Trim the zucchini and cut it in half crosswise.  Then cut each piece in half lengthwise twice if the piece is thin and three times if it is thicker, so that the pieces are relatively uniform.  Cut carrots into similar size chunks as the zucchini.

3.  Remove the outermost layer of the fennel bulb and discard.  Cut the bulb in half so that each half retains part of the stem end.  Cut each half into 8 think wedges so each wedge is held together by a little piece of stem. (omitted)

4.  Put the vegetables in a large baking dish.  Toss them with 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt (and the thyme).  Arrange the chicken pieces in the pan with the vegetables.

5.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 (2) tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt, the garlic, and lemon zest and juice.  Rub mixture into the chicken in the pan.  Season with a few turns of pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes, then give the vegetables a stir and add the rosemary (omitted).  Return to oven and roast until the chicken is just cooked all the way through and the vegetables are tender and are beginning to brown.  20 to 30 minutes more.