January 12, 2013

Sunday

Breakfast: Eggs, grits, sausage, and raisin bread      

Monday

Chilli
http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dishes/McCormick-Chili
Ingredients
2 pound lean ground beef/turkey
2 package McCormick® Chili Seasoning Mix, Original 
2 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced Chili tomatoes, undrained
2 can (15 to 16 ounces) Chili beans, undrained
½ cup Honey BBQ sauce ( I like Sweet Baby Rays)
Toppings: Fritos, cheese, sour cream, green onions.

Directions

1. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain fat.
2. Stir in Seasoning Mix, tomatoes and beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with assorted toppings, like Fritos, Cheese, sour cream, and green onions.
 
Tuesday
CPK’s BBQ Chicken Pizza
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/cpks-bbq-chicken-pizza/
Ingredients
1 whole Recipe For Pizza Crust (mine Makes Two Crusts)
2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce
Olive Oil, For Drizzling
Salt For Sprinkling
16 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thinly
1/2 whole Red Onion, Cut In Half And Sliced Very Thin
Chopped Cilantro, to taste
 
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion. Sprinkle again with a little salt,  then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time.

Basic Pizza Crust

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/cpks-bbq-chicken-pizza/
Ingredients
1 teaspoon Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
1-1/2 cup Warm Water
4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/3 cup Olive Oil
 
Preparation Instructions
Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes. In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass. Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it. Note: it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better. When you are ready to make the pizza, grab HALF the pizza dough (recipe makes 2 crusts) and squeeze the dough toward the bottom to form a nice, tight, pulled ball. You can roll out the pizza with a rolling pin if you’d like, but sometimes it’s just as easy to throw it around and pull and stretch till it feels right. And when the crust is nice and thin, lay it on an oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and spread it with your fingers. Very lightly sprinkle some salt on the crust. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Top your crust with your toppings of choice. Then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Wednesday

Peppered Salmon with Roasted Root Vegetables
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/seafood/citrus-peppered-salmon-with-root-vegetable-hash/
Ingredients
4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
2 small beets, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt or salt
4 4 to 5 ounce skinless salmon fillets
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper blend or black pepper
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons water
Diagonally sliced green onions (optional)
 
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a 13x9x2 baking pan combine carrots, beets, half of the oil, and half of the salt. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through roasting time. Transfer vegetables to a platter; cover to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle salmon with the remaining salt and the pepper. In a 12-inch skillet heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add salmon; cook for 3 minutes. Turn; cook for 3 minutes more or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Transfer to platter with vegetables. Add juice concentrate and the water to skillet. Simmer, uncovered, about 1 minute or until thickened; spoon over salmon. If desired, sprinkle green onions over all.

Lima beans

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-lima-beans/
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (16 ounce) package frozen baby lima beans
 
Directions
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, and spray with cooking spray. Sauté onions until soft and translucent. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Add lima beans, and enough water just to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until beans are tender.
 
Thursday
Pimento cheese sandwiches
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/southern-pimento-cheese/
Ingredients
2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper  (optional)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced  (optional)
1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimento, drained
salt and black pepper to taste
 
Directions
Place the Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, minced jalapeno, and pimento into the large bowl of a mixer. Beat at medium speed, with paddle if possible, until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve on white bread.

Friday

Dal rice
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tarka_dahl_with_rice_01844
Ingredients
400g/14oz red lentils, rinsed in a sieve under cold running water
2 tsp ground turmeric
25g/1oz butter
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped, to taste
salt and pepper
200g/7oz rice, cooked according to the packet instructions
 
Preparation method
1. Place the lentils into a saucepan and cover with enough water to come 3cm/1¼in above the lentils. Bring to a boil, skimming off any froth as you bring it to the boil. Once simmering, add the turmeric along with half of the butter. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are completely softened and the water is absorbed, but the mixture not dry.
2. Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and dry fry until toasted and aromatic (about 1-2 minutes). Remove the cumin seeds from the pan and set to one side. Add the remaining butter to the pan and, once melted, fry the garlic and chopped green chilli for 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic turns light golden-brown, and the chilli is softened. Add the toasted cumin seeds back to the pan and remove from the heat.
3. Once the lentils are soft, give them a rigorous stir to break them up a little. Stir the chilli and garlic mixture (including any butter) into the pan with the lentils and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve the tarka dal alongside the cooked rice.
 
Fried eggplant
https://sites.google.com/site/monicasallen/friedeggplant
Ingredients:
2 eggplants/brinjals (1 lb each)
Spices:
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder (mirchi)
1 tsp dhane jeera powder
salt to taste
pinch of sugar
Wheat Flour for coating
Oil for frying
 
Method: Cut eggplant into round slices about 1/4 inch thick. Coat with all the spices, salt and sugar. Leave covered to marinate for 15 minutes to 1/2 hour. Heat oil in a shallow pan. Coat the marinated eggplant with the flour and shallow fry till golden brown on both sides evenly.

Saturday

African peanut soup
http://cookieandkate.com/2013/west-african-peanut-soup/
Ingredients
6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 bunch collard greens (or kale), ribs removed and leaves chopped into 1-inch strips
¾ cup unsalted peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
½ cup tomato paste, or 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes*
Hot sauce, like sriracha (AKA rooster sauce)
¼ cup roughly chopped peanuts, for garnish
 
Instructions
1.In a medium Dutch oven or stock pot, bring the broth to a boil. Add the onion, ginger, garlic and salt. Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
2.In a medium-sized, heat-safe mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter and tomato paste, then transfer 1 to 2 cups of the hot stock to the bowl. Whisk the mixture together until smooth, then pour the peanut mixture back into the soup and mix well. Stir in the collard greens and season the soup with hot sauce to taste. Simmer for about 15 more minutes on medium-low heat, stirring often. Serve over cooked brown rice if you’d like, and top with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.