Sunday, October 12, 2008

Chicken Tortilla Soup

You can modify this to make it as spicy as you like or you can omit certain ingredients if you don't care for them. I like it prepared as it reads. I also add cornstarch at the end to thicken it up. If you do this, make sure you mix in the cornstarch with cool water in a separate bowl and THEN add it to the hot soup pot.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 (14.5 oz) can of corn, drained
1(14.5 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can of sliced black olives
2 small cans of tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
corn tortilla chips

For garnish: diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, lime wedges



Directions:

Combine the chicken broth, green chilies, tomatoes with green chilies, black beans, corn, tomato suce, olives, onion, and garlic in a soup pot.

Add the shredded chicken.

Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes.

Add the lime juice, cilantro, cayenne, and cumin.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes longer.

Ladle into bowls and add garnishes. Eat with tortilla chips.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Shrimp Scampi

I made this for the first time tonight. DH rated it a 9.5 on a 10 point scale. I agree! It so easy, so fast, and so yummy!!

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
1/2 cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon dry white wine
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1/2 cup Asiago cheese, diced (I used fresh grated Parmesan because the Asiago cheese at the store was not labeled as pasturized.)
1 large avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

Directions:


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair pasta, and cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes; drain.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, parsley, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and white wine. Once the mixture begins to bubble, increase the heat to medium-high, and stir in the shrimp. Cook and stir until the shrimp turn pink, and are no longer transparent in the center, about 5 minutes.

Serve the scampi over a bed of angel hair pasta, and sprinkle with Asiago cheese and avocado to serve.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Best Broiled Tomato Sandwich

Fresh, ripe tomatoes marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then broiled with parmesan cheese on toast. Serve warm with bowl of soup.

2 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl balsamic vinegar
4 ripe tomato, sliced
3 Tbl mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 Tbl grated parmesan cheese divided
4 slices of bread lightly toasted

Preheat oven to broil

In shallow bowl, whisk together olive oil and vinegar, marinate the tomato in mixture stirring occasionally.

In small bowl combine mayo parsley oregano, black pepper and 4 tsp parmesan cheese. Spread mixture on each slice of toasted bread. Place marinated tomatoes on 2 slices and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.

Place on baking sheet and broil for 2 to 5 minutes, or until cheese turns golden brown. Serve immediately, open or closed face.

*This recipe is the best and easiest to make. My husband wasn't sure about it when I told him what I was making but loved loved loved it after trying them. Now its a regular meal for us! So good. I also recommend using a good french or italian bread to jazz it up a bit.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Cheesey Beef Enchiladas

I don't have an actual recipe for this, but it's super delicious and easy to add your own favorite flavors to it :) Oh it's also ingredients we usually have in the house so it's an easy last minute meal especially when I haven't been to the store! Enjoy!!

1 lb ground beef - cook with some onion (i usually just toss in some miced onion), salt, pepper, chili powder or ground red pepper if you like spice and recently I have been adding a little bit of mole if I have it.

Mix ground beef with one can of corn , enchilada sauce and some sour cream. I usually just eyeball these.

Use a 9x11 rectangle baking pan and put 1/2 bag shredded cheese (mexican, chedder, whatever you have on hand) sprinled over the bottom of pan.

Put "heaping" spoonfuls of the meat/corn mixture into flour tortillas (i usually end up with 7-8) and put seam down in the pan. Put some more enchilada sauce on the top of the enchiladas and then sprinkle with the other 1/2 bag of cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350!

I usually serve with mexican rice or beans or a salad.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Pigs in a Blanket- My grandmother's version

Ingredients:
Thin Round Steak
Bacon (your choice)
Diced onions
Beef broth

If needed, pound thin the round steak. Cut however many 2-3 inch wide strips you can, making them long strips. Lay a piece of bacon (uncooked) on the strip, add some diced onions (as much or little as you want), and roll up. Use a piece of string to tie the roll, so it doesn't come undone.

Put the rolls in the crockpot on low with beef broth for about 8 hours, and enjoy!

*Remember to remove the string before consuming all of the pig in a blanket. Apparently my great-uncle swore up and down that one dinner he got one without the string. My grandmother never missed tying one.

Beer Cheese Risotto

Our last taco/poker party left us with a fridge full of beer!!!!! I wanted to be able to cook with it...so I came across this recipe. It was pretty good!!

Ingredients:
½ large onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 cup arborio rice
2 cups hot vegetable stock (approximate)
½ cup beer or more
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Heat the stock to near boiling.
Sweat the onions & shallots in a heavy, medium saucepan with the olive oil, adding a generous pinch of salt. When the onions are soft and transparent, add the rice, sautéeing until each grain is coated.
Add the beer and heat to simmer, stirring constantly. When the beer is mostly absorbed, add around a third to a half cup of hot stock (this should be heated in another pan close by). Stir constantly while simmering. Repeat procedure for around twenty minutes--most of the stock should be consumed and the rice should be tender to the taste before proceeding. The rice will produce a thick, creamy sauce in the course of cooking.
Remove from heat, adding the parmesan cheese and stirring to incorporate. Give the cheese a chance to dissolve and melt, then add the cheddar. Stir to melt and incorporate. If a cheesier rice is desired, add more.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Rigatoni Mediterranean

So I was a little adventurous last night, and decided to make something meatless for Eric & I. Turns out, it was great! I love all the vegetables in this dish, and it was a great change up from just spaghetti & meatballs, pepper penne, or mac n cheese (which I would normally make).

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked rigatoni
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
5 1/2 cups diced peeled eggplant (about 1 pound)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups thinly sliced red onion (about 1 large)
1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (about 6)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can organic crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup of ricotta cheese, ***optional
Cooking spray
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

**Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant to pan, and sauté 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in pan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add sweet onion, zucchini, and green onions to pan; cook for 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add chopped basil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Combine pasta, eggplant, and tomato mixture in a large bowl; stir in shredded mozzarella & ricotta cheese. Transfer the pasta mixture to a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 15 minutes; uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Enjoy!!!!!