If artichokes aren't usually on your menu, then this recipe may kind of scare you at first, because artichokes aren't the most appetizing looking vegetable out there. But I challenge you to try this out anyway, because I don't know anyone who doesn't like marinated artichoke hearts after they get brave enough to try them, and this recipe is sooo super yummy! I was also a little wary of this recipe at first, because the way you're supposed to cook the rice sounds a little difficult at first, but if you just do exactly as the recipe says, it will turn out well.
ARTICHOKE RISOTTO
*1 tablespoons olive oil
*1/2 tablespoon unsalted margarine
*1 small onion, chopped
*1 cup uncooked carnaroli rice (I couldn't find this exact name of rice, so I used arborio rice, because on the package it said "great for risotto" lol)
*1/8 cup soy milk (or skim milk)
*1/8 cup apple juice
*3 cups vegetable broth (Here's where that vegetable broth recipe comes in handy!)
*1 (6.5 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts
*1/2 can yellow corn
*Cayenne pepper to taste
1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat oil and margarine. Stir in the onion, and sauté until tender.
2. Stir in the rice, and cook until lightly browned. (Stir occasionally so you don't burn the rice. I found that using a rubber spatula was very helpful with this recipe)
3. Pour milk and apple juice into the rice.
4. When the rice has absorbed the liquids, gradually pour in vegetable stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, until absorbed. Reserve about 1/4 cup stock. Cover, and cook about 20 minutes, until rice is tender. (This is copied from the recipe I found, but when I cooked the rice it absorbed the liquids a lot faster than 20 minutes. Probably about ten. Just be sure to keep your eye on the rice so you don't burn it, and when all the liquids are absorbed, taste it to make sure the rice is tender.)
4. Remove the rice from heat, and thoroughly mix remaining vegetable stock, artichoke hearts (Don't drain the marinade, add it to the rice), corn, and cayenne pepper into the rice.
This makes 4 good sized servings.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Smoothies
I had a request for smoothie recipes. Unfortunately, I never measure when I cook and can't even take a guess here. Here is what I put in though.
The one rule when making smoothies is using extremely ripe fruit. The fruit that you think has gone bad and would never eat, goes fabulously in a smoothie.
My favorite Smoothie
Milk
Orange juice concentrate (straight from the can no water added)
vanilla extract
Peaches (with out peal)
strawberries
blueberries
sugar (this depends on how sweet you like your smoothie)
whey protein powder (your smoothie won't taste as good with it, but it will stay with you longer)
If you use protein powder first add the milk and protein powder in a blender and blend for 1 full minute.
Then add vanilla and orange juice
then add fruit and ice
The one rule when making smoothies is using extremely ripe fruit. The fruit that you think has gone bad and would never eat, goes fabulously in a smoothie.
My favorite Smoothie
Milk
Orange juice concentrate (straight from the can no water added)
vanilla extract
Peaches (with out peal)
strawberries
blueberries
sugar (this depends on how sweet you like your smoothie)
whey protein powder (your smoothie won't taste as good with it, but it will stay with you longer)
If you use protein powder first add the milk and protein powder in a blender and blend for 1 full minute.
Then add vanilla and orange juice
then add fruit and ice
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
1 pot cheesy chicken and pasta
In a large pan cook
1 pound chicken (dice chicken before or after you cook it)
To pan add:
4 oz pasta
1 can chicken broth
1 bag frozen veggies (I use carrots, broccoli, and, cauliflower)
Boil until pasta is done
In a separate bowl mix
1 can cream of chicken
1/2 cup milk
1 to 2 cups cheese (just about anything you have will work)
1 T Dijon mustard
garlic
salt and pepper
When the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid in the pan is evaporated, mix in the sauce and cook until cheese is melted.
Enjoy
1 pound chicken (dice chicken before or after you cook it)
To pan add:
4 oz pasta
1 can chicken broth
1 bag frozen veggies (I use carrots, broccoli, and, cauliflower)
Boil until pasta is done
In a separate bowl mix
1 can cream of chicken
1/2 cup milk
1 to 2 cups cheese (just about anything you have will work)
1 T Dijon mustard
garlic
salt and pepper
When the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid in the pan is evaporated, mix in the sauce and cook until cheese is melted.
Enjoy
Monday, April 20, 2009
Doug's favorite super easy chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken (anything you have will due)
b-b-q sauce
Italian dressing
Simply mix 1 part b-b-q sauce and 1 part Italian dressing (I use about 1/3 cup each). Put chicken into baking dish and pour 3/4 of the sauce on it. Bake on 350 until done. (I check mine with a meat thermometer) You can then pour off the juices from the chicken into a sauce pan to make gravy. Last, put the rest of the b-b-q sauce mixture onto the chicken and bake for 5 more minutes. Super easy!
This goes well with mashed potatoes. To make the gravy I:
Melt 2 T butter in a sauce pan
Pour in drippings from chicken pan
bring to a boil
add flour (I'm guessing 1-2T)
boil for 1 or 2 minutes
add milk or chicken broth to thin out
boil until done
Chicken (anything you have will due)
b-b-q sauce
Italian dressing
Simply mix 1 part b-b-q sauce and 1 part Italian dressing (I use about 1/3 cup each). Put chicken into baking dish and pour 3/4 of the sauce on it. Bake on 350 until done. (I check mine with a meat thermometer) You can then pour off the juices from the chicken into a sauce pan to make gravy. Last, put the rest of the b-b-q sauce mixture onto the chicken and bake for 5 more minutes. Super easy!
This goes well with mashed potatoes. To make the gravy I:
Melt 2 T butter in a sauce pan
Pour in drippings from chicken pan
bring to a boil
add flour (I'm guessing 1-2T)
boil for 1 or 2 minutes
add milk or chicken broth to thin out
boil until done
Bean and Rice Veggie Wraps
This is a recipe that started out as "black bean and rice burritos", and has grown over time. It's good for you, easy to make, and surprisingly filling! Also, it doesn't cost too much to make, but makes quite a bit. If you have left overs, they store well in an airtight container in the fridge. You can even pre-wrap them before you put them in the fridge. They're pretty good hot or cold, but I prefer mine warm.
* 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
* Oil of your choice
* 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
* 1 green chili pepper, finely chopped
* 1 can black beans
* 1/2 can pinto beans
* 1/4 can whole kernel corn
* 1 tomato, diced
* 1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
* 4 T salsa of your choice (Or to taste)
* Hot sauce of your choice, to taste (This is optional, but I like my food spicey)
* Salt and Pepper to taste
* Flour tortillas
1. Cook brown rice according to instructions on the package.
2. While rice is cooking, prepare your other ingredients. First, mince your garlic clove, and chop up your chili pepper. Put a bit of oil in a frying pan over low-medium heat, and throw in the garlic and chili. Keep these moving with a spatula, or your garlic may burn. (This step is actually optional. You can just throw in the chili raw, but I prefer mine to be softer. Cooking also takes out a bit of the heat if you're not into spicey) Cook until the chili is as soft as you like it.
2. Pour black beans and pinto beans in a colander over the sink, and rinse. Once rinsed, put beans in a large bowl and add the chili and garlic to the bowl.
3. Drain corn and add to the bowl.
4. Chop tomatoes, and add to the bowl.
5. Shred cheese, add to the bowl.
6.Once your rice is done cooking, add this to the bowl while it's still warm. Mix everything together.
7. Add salsa, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Mix, and add more of these last ingredients to taste if needed.
8. Spoon mixture into tortillas, and wrap burrito style.
This makes around 6 wraps, depending on how full you like your wraps to be. Enjoy!
* 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
* Oil of your choice
* 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
* 1 green chili pepper, finely chopped
* 1 can black beans
* 1/2 can pinto beans
* 1/4 can whole kernel corn
* 1 tomato, diced
* 1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
* 4 T salsa of your choice (Or to taste)
* Hot sauce of your choice, to taste (This is optional, but I like my food spicey)
* Salt and Pepper to taste
* Flour tortillas
1. Cook brown rice according to instructions on the package.
2. While rice is cooking, prepare your other ingredients. First, mince your garlic clove, and chop up your chili pepper. Put a bit of oil in a frying pan over low-medium heat, and throw in the garlic and chili. Keep these moving with a spatula, or your garlic may burn. (This step is actually optional. You can just throw in the chili raw, but I prefer mine to be softer. Cooking also takes out a bit of the heat if you're not into spicey) Cook until the chili is as soft as you like it.
2. Pour black beans and pinto beans in a colander over the sink, and rinse. Once rinsed, put beans in a large bowl and add the chili and garlic to the bowl.
3. Drain corn and add to the bowl.
4. Chop tomatoes, and add to the bowl.
5. Shred cheese, add to the bowl.
6.Once your rice is done cooking, add this to the bowl while it's still warm. Mix everything together.
7. Add salsa, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Mix, and add more of these last ingredients to taste if needed.
8. Spoon mixture into tortillas, and wrap burrito style.
This makes around 6 wraps, depending on how full you like your wraps to be. Enjoy!
Friday, April 17, 2009
How to Make Your Own Vegetable Broth
I decided to try out the Vegetable Primavera recipe tonight, and wanted to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth or plain water. But since Ian worked today, I didn't have the car, so needed to walk to Sacco's to get my veggies, but didn't want to also walk to Smith's for vegetable broth. So I thought, "Hey, I guess I'll try to make my own!" I'd never done this is the past because I thought it would be complicated, but it's really super easy! Here's what you do:
1.Get some veggies to make your broth. You can use any vegetables you'd like. (I just chopped up what I needed to make the Vegetable Primavera in advance, and then used the left overs. So I used yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli stalks, red onion, the top of a yellow bell pepper, and white mushrooms. I also had some carrots in the fridge that needed to be used before they went bad, so I threw those in too.
2. Put all your veggies in a BIG pot. You don't need to peel or even chop up the veggies. Adding the peels is also a good idea because there are lots of nutrients in them.
3. Add a clove of garlic. You can cut this into big chunks, or hit it with the handle part of a knife to just break it up a bit. (This is optional...but who doesn't LOVE garlic?)
4. Add some herbs if you'd like (I added LOTS of parsley, and a couple of bay leaves) and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add enough water to cover your vegetables, and put the pot on the stove with the heat turned up high.
6. Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer, and let it cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
7. Remove from heat, and let it cool down a little bit.
8. Pour into a large bowl thru a strainer or colander. (A strainer would obviously give you a better broth, but I only have a colander.)
9. If you want to save left over broth, you can freeze it in ice cube trays, or other types of storage containers.
I use recipes that call for vegetable broth a lot, but it usually isn't very much so the left overs go to waste. I also usually have a lot of left over vegetables that end up getting thrown away. So, this is a good economic idea in my opinion! Also, most broths you buy at the store have loads of sodium in them, so this is a much healthier option.
1.Get some veggies to make your broth. You can use any vegetables you'd like. (I just chopped up what I needed to make the Vegetable Primavera in advance, and then used the left overs. So I used yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli stalks, red onion, the top of a yellow bell pepper, and white mushrooms. I also had some carrots in the fridge that needed to be used before they went bad, so I threw those in too.
2. Put all your veggies in a BIG pot. You don't need to peel or even chop up the veggies. Adding the peels is also a good idea because there are lots of nutrients in them.
3. Add a clove of garlic. You can cut this into big chunks, or hit it with the handle part of a knife to just break it up a bit. (This is optional...but who doesn't LOVE garlic?)
4. Add some herbs if you'd like (I added LOTS of parsley, and a couple of bay leaves) and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add enough water to cover your vegetables, and put the pot on the stove with the heat turned up high.
6. Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer, and let it cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
7. Remove from heat, and let it cool down a little bit.
8. Pour into a large bowl thru a strainer or colander. (A strainer would obviously give you a better broth, but I only have a colander.)
9. If you want to save left over broth, you can freeze it in ice cube trays, or other types of storage containers.
I use recipes that call for vegetable broth a lot, but it usually isn't very much so the left overs go to waste. I also usually have a lot of left over vegetables that end up getting thrown away. So, this is a good economic idea in my opinion! Also, most broths you buy at the store have loads of sodium in them, so this is a much healthier option.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Marilyn's Turkey Turnovers
You know what Marilyn ~ Your turnovers are still my favorite! I make them whenever I need to take a meal to a family and special occasions at my house. Mmm... Yummy! (Bet you never thought you would hear that from me -miss picky eater- LOL)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Crock pot Thai Curry
I'm not much of a meat and potatoes girl and I love to experiment when I cook. However, my husband is the pickiest eater I have ever known. That being said I may post a recipe that seems weird, but I will never post one my husband doesn't love. So even if your first thought is, REALLY? You still may want to give it a try. We had this for dinner tonight and loved it so much we stuffed ourselves silly.
The sauce in this recipe is to die for, so if the vegetable combo does not sound appealing to you try it on chicken and rice only. Plus Doctor Oz says that curry prevents Alzheimer's Disease.
In a medium bowl mix
1 can coconut milk (don't use the lite version, the fat in this is a healthy fat and the recipe is huge so the portion you will get is small.)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
2 T curry powder (curry powder is not spicy)
5 dashes of cayenne pepper for mildly spicy (more or less for your taste)
salt and pepper
Put into a crock pot either
1 pound chicken (frozen is fine)
or
1 can garbanzo beans (for a meatless dinner)
Then add
1 green bell pepper
2 zucchini
pour sauce over all of it
On the top add one large sweet potato sliced
(I always thought I didn't like sweet potatoes but I love them in this)
Cook on high for 5 hours
Serve over rice with soy sauce
The sauce in this recipe is to die for, so if the vegetable combo does not sound appealing to you try it on chicken and rice only. Plus Doctor Oz says that curry prevents Alzheimer's Disease.
In a medium bowl mix
1 can coconut milk (don't use the lite version, the fat in this is a healthy fat and the recipe is huge so the portion you will get is small.)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
2 T curry powder (curry powder is not spicy)
5 dashes of cayenne pepper for mildly spicy (more or less for your taste)
salt and pepper
Put into a crock pot either
1 pound chicken (frozen is fine)
or
1 can garbanzo beans (for a meatless dinner)
Then add
1 green bell pepper
2 zucchini
pour sauce over all of it
On the top add one large sweet potato sliced
(I always thought I didn't like sweet potatoes but I love them in this)
Cook on high for 5 hours
Serve over rice with soy sauce
Recipe sent to me by Gloria
I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds good, Bre you could try this and just leave out the chicken broth.
Vegetable Primavera
2 T. low sodium chicken broth or water
2 tsp. Dijon style mustard
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. red wine vinegar (or vinegar of your choice)
Non stick cooking spray
1 cup sliced yellow summer squash
1 cup sliced zucchini squash
1 cup chopped red or yellow pepper
½ cup thinly sliced sweet onion
2 cups broccoli florets
4 tsp snipped fresh parsley
In a small bowl, combine 1 T. of the broth, the mustard, oil, and vinegar. Set aside.
Lightly coat nonstick pan with cooking spray. Heat over med. Heat and add vegetables to pan. Cook about 5 minutes or until almost tender. Add remaining 1 T. broth and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the mustard mixture and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
4 servings
Per serving: 58 Calories, 3 g. fat, 8 g carbs, 3 g. fiber and 2 g. protein
When I make this, I sometimes throw in 2 cups of baby spinach leaves, and sometimes 1 cup sliced mushrooms during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
This dish is so incredibly packed with nutrients and antioxidants! You’ll feel better just knowing you’ve made such a healthy choice for a side dish.
Vegetable Primavera
2 T. low sodium chicken broth or water
2 tsp. Dijon style mustard
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. red wine vinegar (or vinegar of your choice)
Non stick cooking spray
1 cup sliced yellow summer squash
1 cup sliced zucchini squash
1 cup chopped red or yellow pepper
½ cup thinly sliced sweet onion
2 cups broccoli florets
4 tsp snipped fresh parsley
In a small bowl, combine 1 T. of the broth, the mustard, oil, and vinegar. Set aside.
Lightly coat nonstick pan with cooking spray. Heat over med. Heat and add vegetables to pan. Cook about 5 minutes or until almost tender. Add remaining 1 T. broth and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the mustard mixture and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
4 servings
Per serving: 58 Calories, 3 g. fat, 8 g carbs, 3 g. fiber and 2 g. protein
When I make this, I sometimes throw in 2 cups of baby spinach leaves, and sometimes 1 cup sliced mushrooms during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
This dish is so incredibly packed with nutrients and antioxidants! You’ll feel better just knowing you’ve made such a healthy choice for a side dish.
This blog is...
This blog is a place to share all your cooking successes. Healthy meals your family will actually eat, new recipes your trying out, delightful deserts, crockpot meals, meat free dinners, dinner on a budget, low cal meals, ethnic recipes, or anything else I haven't thought of.
Just introducing myself...
I really need to get my butt off the computer and clean my house, so I don't have time to type up any recipes at the moment, but I just wanted to take a second to say "hi", and that I'm excited about this blog! I actually have started to REALLY love cooking. I think it's so fun to see recipes come together, to smell all the good stuff cooking, and to be proud of making something myself. I also love trying new things.
For those of you who don't know, I am Marci's little sister. I've been a vegetarian for four years, so yes, all my recipes will be meat free. Don't let that scare you off though...I'll only post yummy recipes, I promise. ;) Even if some of the stuff sounds weird to you, I challenge you to try it out. Being vegetarian isn't about restricting yourself, it's about trying new things, and you'll be surprised to find how many "weird" things actually taste REALLY good!
For those of you who don't know, I am Marci's little sister. I've been a vegetarian for four years, so yes, all my recipes will be meat free. Don't let that scare you off though...I'll only post yummy recipes, I promise. ;) Even if some of the stuff sounds weird to you, I challenge you to try it out. Being vegetarian isn't about restricting yourself, it's about trying new things, and you'll be surprised to find how many "weird" things actually taste REALLY good!
I just bought a cook book online yesterday and I got a ton of free e-books with my order. Let me know your email address if you are interested in any of these and I will shoot them over to you. It does say that it can be sent in it's original form so it's not infringing on any copyrights. The topics I have are:
Cakes
Cheesecake
Crockpot
Holiday
Jello Salads
Mexican
Muffins
Pizzaria
Quick Bread
Salad Dressing
Soups and Chowders
Zucchini
Preserving (Canning)
I am not huge on cookiing at all. In fact, I hate it more than anything else I get to do in life. If you want to try out some of the recipes in these e-books, maybe you could post some of the good ones on this site. ;)
Cakes
Cheesecake
Crockpot
Holiday
Jello Salads
Mexican
Muffins
Pizzaria
Quick Bread
Salad Dressing
Soups and Chowders
Zucchini
Preserving (Canning)
I am not huge on cookiing at all. In fact, I hate it more than anything else I get to do in life. If you want to try out some of the recipes in these e-books, maybe you could post some of the good ones on this site. ;)
Trisha Yearwood's Chicken Pot Pie
I don't think this recipe is super healthy, but it's sure yummy!! I got it out of Trisha Yearwood's cookbook and my kids actually eat it too!
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups chicken broth
1 10-ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 cup self-rising flour (see note)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk, well shaken
Preheat oven to 425 F
Put the chicken in a 2-quart casserole dish. Combine the broth and soup in a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to boil. Pour the broth mixture over the chicken.
In a seperate medium bowl, mix the flour with the pepper. Pour the mixture over the casserole and smooth the top; do not stir. Bake the casserole for 45 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the filling beneath is hot and bubbly.
Note: If you do not have self-rising flour, you may substitute 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
I bet you could put veggies in it too if you wanted to add a little extra nutritional value. The first time I made this I didn't use the best casserole dish and I barely got it all to fit. It started to bubble over the sides of the dish! I put a piece of tin foil on the second shelf in the oven and it caught all the drips. If you use a bigger dish, you won't have the problem I did ~ but you can use this tip for an easy clean up. Enjoy!!
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups chicken broth
1 10-ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 cup self-rising flour (see note)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk, well shaken
Preheat oven to 425 F
Put the chicken in a 2-quart casserole dish. Combine the broth and soup in a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to boil. Pour the broth mixture over the chicken.
In a seperate medium bowl, mix the flour with the pepper. Pour the mixture over the casserole and smooth the top; do not stir. Bake the casserole for 45 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the filling beneath is hot and bubbly.
Note: If you do not have self-rising flour, you may substitute 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
I bet you could put veggies in it too if you wanted to add a little extra nutritional value. The first time I made this I didn't use the best casserole dish and I barely got it all to fit. It started to bubble over the sides of the dish! I put a piece of tin foil on the second shelf in the oven and it caught all the drips. If you use a bigger dish, you won't have the problem I did ~ but you can use this tip for an easy clean up. Enjoy!!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Super Healthy Mexican Casserole
This casserole is loaded with nutrients, protein, and, fiber.
Cook 1 cup rice. I use wild rice.
While the rice is cooking saute in olive oil;
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
When tender add to pan
1 can black beans drained
1 can diced tomatoes drained
1 can corn drained
1 to 2 cups salsa
chili powder
cumin
garlic powder
salt and pepper
Tabasco sauce if you like it spicy
rice
put it all in a baking dish and bake on 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Serve with cheese and sour cream.
Cook 1 cup rice. I use wild rice.
While the rice is cooking saute in olive oil;
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
When tender add to pan
1 can black beans drained
1 can diced tomatoes drained
1 can corn drained
1 to 2 cups salsa
chili powder
cumin
garlic powder
salt and pepper
Tabasco sauce if you like it spicy
rice
put it all in a baking dish and bake on 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Serve with cheese and sour cream.
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