January 7, 2012

Sunday
Turkey Avocado Wrap
(http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/turkey-avocado-wrap-recipe/index.html )
Ingredients
1/4 cup low-fat ranch dressing
2 tablespoons chipotle salsa
1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
12 ounces sliced oven-roasted turkey breast (from deli)
1 ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
2 cups mesclun lettuce or sprigs of cilantro
1 1/2 cups grated jicama
1 tomato, thinly sliced
2 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chips
Dill pickle

Directions
In a small bowl, combine the ranch dressing with the salsa and orange zest. Lay the tortillas on a cutting board, and spread the ranch mixture evenly over each one, leaving about a 1-inch border on all sides. Layer the turkey, avocado, lettuce, jicama, tomato, and scallions evenly over each tortilla, still leaving a border. Season with salt and pepper. Roll up like a pinwheel. Halve, and serve with chips and a pickle.

Monday
Baked chicken
(http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/oven-baked-chicken/faf6d9c9-ee67-4a7b-86ec-8bf0c93a8124 )
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2/3 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cut-up whole chicken (3 to 3 1/2 pounds)

Method
Heat oven to 425°F. Melt butter in rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches, in oven. Stir together Bisquick, paprika, salt and pepper; coat chicken. Place skin sides down in dish (dish and butter should be hot). Bake 35 minutes; turn chicken. Bake about 15 minutes longer or until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Peas and carrots
(http://www.chow.com/recipes/11423-herbed-peas-and-carrots )
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
7 medium carrots, peeled and small dice (about 3 cups)
2 medium shallots, peeled and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup water
1 pound frozen baby peas, thawed (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once butter foams, add carrots and shallots, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. Add water and continue to cook until liquid evaporates and carrots are tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add peas and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in parsley, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and serve.

Mushroom rice pilaf
(http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mushroom-rice-pilaf/detail.aspx )
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 teaspoons butter
1 (8 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper

Directions
In a saucepan, sauté green pepper and onion in butter until tender. Add mushrooms; heat through. Stir in the water, rice, bouillon, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 14-16 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Tuesday
Chicago style hot dog
(http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicago-style-hot-dog/detail.aspx )
Ingredients
1 all-beef hot dog
1 poppyseed hot dog bun
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon sweet green pickle relish
1 tablespoon chopped onion
4 tomato wedges
1 dill pickle spear
2 sport peppers
1 dash celery salt

Directions
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, place hot dog in water, and cook 5 minutes or until done. Remove hot dog and set aside. Carefully place a steamer basket into the pot and steam the hot dog bun 2 minutes or until warm.
2. Place hot dog in the steamed bun. Pile on the toppings in this order: yellow mustard, sweet green pickle relish, onion, tomato wedges, pickle spear, sport peppers, and celery salt. The tomatoes should be nestled between the hot dog and the top of the bun. Place the pickle between the hot dog and the bottom of the bun. Don't even think about ketchup!

Potato Salad
Ingredients
(http://sites.google.com/site/monicasallen/potatosalad )
8 medium red potatoes.
1/4 white or yellow onion (optional)
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
4 oz sweet relish
paprika

Directions
Boil the potatoes until they are done but not overcooked. If you overcook them, they don't really hurt the recipe since the extra potato just mixes in with the creamy portion of the mixture. Boil the eggs over medium high heat until hard boiled. Allow the potatoes and eggs to cool. You can run cold water over them in a strainer to speed up the process. Peel the potatoes and then slice into chunks. Peel and slice the egg into 1/2 inch pieces. Chop the onion into very small pieces. Stir all ingredients gently except for the paprika. After all ingredients are well mixed, pour into a bowl. Add the paprika across the top. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Wednesday
Cauliflower soup
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/01/cauliflower-soup/
Ingredients
1 stick Butter, Divided
1/2 whole Onion, Finely Diced
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Half-and-half
2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste
1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature
Bread
Green salad with pecans

Preparation Instructions
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown. Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine. Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer. In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary. Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir. Serve immediately with bread and a green salad of choice.

Thursday
Beef with Peppers
(http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/beef-with-peppers/ )
Ingredients
1-1/2 pound Flank Steak, Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoons Sherry
2 Tablespoons Packed Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 teaspoon Red Chile Paste (or A Few Dashes Red Chile Oil)
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1 whole Medium Yellow Onion Sliced
2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced Into Rings
1 Tablespoon Diced Fresh Jalapeno (or 1 Teaspoon Dice Hot Pepper)
Red Pepper Flakes, For Sprinkling
Cilantro Leaves

Preparation Instructions
Mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and chili paste (or chili oil.) Place sliced beef in the mixture and toss to coat. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it is very hot, throw in the onions and cook for less than a minute. Remove to a separate plate. Return skillet to flame, allow to reheat, and add bell peppers (and hot pepper/jalapeno if using.) Cook for a minute, tossing, until peppers have brown/black bits but are still firm. Remove to a plate. Return skillet to heat and allow to get hot. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add 1/3 of the meat mixture, evenly distributing over the surface of the skillet. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 seconds, then turn with tongs. Cook for another 30 seconds, then remove to a separate plate. Repeat with remaining meat until all brown. Reduce heat to low. Add all meat, onions, and peppers to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour in remaining sauce (the sauce the meat marinated in*) and stir. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes. Sauce will slowly thicken. Turn off heat.
*Update/Note: you can also whip up an extra batch of liquid if you do not want to use the same liquid you use for the meat. Turn off boiling water, then throw in noodles. Stir, then allow noodles to sit in hot water for 8 minutes or so (check package directions to be sure.) Drain, then add 1/2 the noodles to stir fry. Toss together, then add more noodles to taste. Add very hot water if needed to thin. Top with cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

Friday
Beef Fajita Nachos
(http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/beef-fajita-nachos/ )
Ingredients
Flank Steak
1 whole Flank Steak
1/3 cup Olive Oil
2 whole Limes, Juiced
4 whole Canned Chipotle Peppers, With A Little Sauce
4 cloves Garlic, Peeled
1 whole Handful Of Cilantro
NACHOS
2 whole Yellow Onion
2 whole Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced (can Use Different Colors)
Olive Oil (for Frying)
Sturdy Tortilla Chips
8 ounces, weight Cheese, Grated (cheddar, Jack, Pepper Jack, Etc)
Guacamole
Salsa
Sour Cream

Preparation Instructions
To prepare the steak: Combine olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chipotle peppers, and cilantro in the bowl of a food processor or a blender. Blend until totally combined. Place flank steak into a large plastic bag or baking dish. Pour in marinade and make sure it adequately coats the meat. Seal bag or cover tightly and refrigerate for 24 hours at least. When ready to make the nachos, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan (or you can use a skillet). Drizzle a little olive oil on the grill and grill the meat over very high heat, about 4 minutes per side. (Turn 45 degrees halfway through on both sides to get nifty grill marks.) Remove steak from grill and set aside to rest. In a large skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are somewhat soft and starting to get black bits. Remove from heat and set aside. Slice half of the flank steak into strips against the grain, then chop slices into smaller bites. Place sautéed veggies on a cutting board and roughly chop to get them into smaller pieces. Arrange tortilla chips on a large ovenproof platter (or cookie sheet.) Sprinkle plenty of cheese all over the top. Place platter in oven for 3 minutes or so, just long enough to melt the cheese (but not burn the chips.) Remove from oven, then generously sprinkle peppers, onions, and chopped steak all over the top. Return to oven for no more than another minute---just long enough to heat up the meat and peppers (but not cook the meat all the way through.) Remove from oven and plop guacamole all over the top. Serve immediately with salsa and sour cream. Use the rest of the meat for more nachos...or make real fajitas!

Saturday
Indian Fish Coconut Curry Recipe
(http://steamykitchen.com/14700-indian-fish-coconut-curry.html )
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless fish fillets
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 onion, grated on large holes of box grater
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 fully ripe tomato, diced or 1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (cayenne)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1-2 fresh chili peppers, cut in half lengthwise
White cooked rice

Directions:
1. Wash the fish and pat very dry. Cut the fish into 2-inch pieces.
2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and swirl in the oil. When the oil is heated, add the onion, ginger and garlic. Turn the heat to medium-low and let the aromatics cook slowly. Sauté until very fragrant, about 5 minutes. Take care not to let it burn!
3. Add the tomato and sauté for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Use your spatula and smash the tomatoes a bit, to break them up.
4. Add the garam masala, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes. This is the masala (spice base).
5. Turn the heat to medium-high. Pour in the coconut milk and the water. When the mixture comes to a good boil, add in the fish and cook for 4 minutes or so, until the fish is cooked through. Serve over rice.