Stuffed Bell Peppers

11 Jan 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish Tags:

Stuffed peppers is one of my Husband’s favorites so when I came across the recipe for Classic Stuffed Bell Peppers  I decided to make them. I guess I’ve never made stuffed peppers before.  Anyway-while there were a few different steps to this recipe it was easy overall and the end product was really, really good.  I did end up with stuffing left over so I could have made probably 2 more peppers with it.

pepper

Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 medium red, yellow or orange bell peppers (about 6 oz each). 1/2 inch trimmed off of the top, cores and seeds removed.

1/2 cup long-grain white rice

1.5 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)

12 ozs lean ground beef

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup liquid reserved

6ozs Monterey Jack cheese, freshly grated (not pre-grated bagged)

1/4 cup ketchup

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and pre-heat to 350.

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tbsp salt and bell peppers. Cook until peppers just begin to soften-about 3 minutes (make sure the peppers are covered with water). Using a slotted spoon remove peppers, draining any excess water back into the pot, and place on paper towels.

Return water in the pot to a boil, add rice and boil it until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain rice and place it in a large bowl.

Heat oil in a 12 inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown-about 5 minutes.  Add the beef and cook, breaking beef into small pieces with spoon, until no longer pink.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the mixture to the bowl with the rice, stir in tomatoes, 1 cup cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir together ketchup and reserved tomato juice in a small bowl.

Place peppers cut-sides up in a 9in. square baking dish.  Using a small spoon fill each pepper evenly with the beef and rice mixture, pressing it down inside the peppers so that you can get the most possible filling inside.  Spoon 2 tablespoons ketchup mixture into the top of each filled pepper and then sprinkle each with 1 tbsp cheese. 

Bake until cheese is browned and filling is heated through 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Slightly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24464.Here_in_America_s_Test_Kitchen

 

Mushroom and Pea Risotto

18 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish Tags: , , ,

A bowl of risotto on a chilly rainy night is so warming. Since I love mushrooms and peas and had both on hand I decided to put them together in this dish and it came out beautifully! I used Shitake but you could easily sub with Porcini too. The bit of white wine adds an extra layer of flavor, as does the broth since the dried mushrooms are reconstituted in it and then added to the risotto to cook it.  You could serve this either as an appetizer or as a main course, depending on the portion size.  It doubles easily. The recipe below made 2 main course servings or 4-6 appetizer servings.

Risotto

Mushroom and Pea Risotto

  • 3-4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 oz dried Shitake or Porcini Mushrooms
  • 1/8 cup (1/4 stick) unsalted butter plus 1 tbsp separated
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 3/4 cup Abrorio rice
  • 1 tbsp brandy
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed or fresh peas
  • 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium-sized sauce pan bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat and add the mushrooms. Cover and cook until the mushrooms are tender-about 5 minutes. Using a spider remove the mushrooms, shaking off the liquid, to a board and chop roughly to desired size. Keeping the broth in the pan over low heat, add the wine and brandy.

Melt the butter in another large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft. Add a bit of the broth, the mushrooms and garlic and sautee until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has evaporated. Add the rice and 1 cup of broth and simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until nearly all of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat the process until the rice is tender and creamy about 30 minutes. Add the tbsp of butter and stir. Mix in the peas and the Parmesan cheese and then add the salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Note: an easy way to defrost the peas:  place one small bowl (large enough to hold all of the peas and room enough to stir them) into another larger bowl.  Pour hot water into the larger bowl so that it surrounds the peas. Stir occasionally. They will defrost in the time it takes to make the risotto above.

For the Parmesan cheese use only freshly grated from a block. A microplane works the best for the finest grate.

Pork Chops with Roasted Apples and Onions

18 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Main Dish Tags:

I made these pork chops and had these     as the side dish along with some Mexican Rice.  The flavor of the apples and onions together is really nice. They’re roasted so the apples were still slightly crisp but a nice light apple-y flavor.  I adjusted the recipe a bit-I didn’t use the frozen pearl onions as I had an onion at home to use and I also doubled the amoung of sauce.

Pork

Pork Chops with Roasted Apples and Onions

  • 2 1/2 tsp canola oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced onion
  • 2 cups Gala apple wedges
  • 2 tbsp butter, divided
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 4 pork chops
  • 1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tsp AP flour
  • 1 tsp cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400.

Pat pork chops dry, season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large oven-proof skillet over med/high heat. Add 1 tsp oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add onions to pan and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the apple to the pan and place in the oven.  Stir in 1 tbsp butter and bake for about 10 minutes or until apples are slightly soft.  Set aside.

Heat another large skillet over med/high heat.  Add remaining oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add pork to the pan, cook 3 minutes on each side or until just before desired doneness-set aside, tented with foil to keep warm. Combine broth and flour in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the broth mixture to the pan, bring to a boil scraping the pan to loosen the browned bits. Cook 1 minute or until reduced halfway.  Add onions and apples to broth, stir in vinegar and remaining butter and stir.  Serve sauce over pork chops.

From Cooking Light, September 2012.

 

Shredded Beef Tacos-slow cooker

13 Dec 2012 1 Comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish, Slow Cooker Tags: ,

Yummy yummy yummy!!! I love tacos. I love tacos even more when the beef has been cooking all day, the house smells awesome, and there’s creamy avocado, tangy sour cream, bright red tomatoes, oniony scallions and cheese on the taco. It’s like a bite of heaven.

I’m a big fan of the Skinnyms website. They have great recipies and hey-why not eat a healthy version of something delicious that won’t make you pop the button on your pants?

Taco

Shredded Beef Tacos-slow cooker

Ingredients

  • 2 lb chuck roast
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can green chilies, drained
  • 1 small onion, finely diced (about ½ cup)
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup lime juice-1 lime
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper

For taco assembly:

  • Shredded (not pre-shredded) cheddar and monterey jack cheese
  • A super-ripe tomato sliced, seeds and watery parts removed
  • Avocado-sliced
  • Scallions-chopped
  • Fat free sour cream

Directions

Place the onions, chilies and garlic in the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker. Season the beef with salt and pepper on all sides and place on top of the onions.

In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the tomato sauce, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Pour the spice mixture over the beef and cover.  The beef will not be completely covered-and it’s ok.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, then keep warm until serving.

Once the beef is cooked and tender, use two forks to shred the beef. If there’s any fat bits floating in the mixture pull them out with a spider and discard. Stir the beef with the cooking juices and keep warm in the slow cooker until ready to serve.

This makes a ton of meat for tacos. I bought carb-balance Mission Tortillas (the small ones) and nuked them in the microwave for a few seconds to heat them up then set up the assembly line-tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado and beef.  Other ideas too: chipotle sauce, hot sauce, lettuce etc…

The beef also reheats really well for left overs. I had myself a nice lunch at the office the next day.

Recipe adapted from: http://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-mexican-shredded-beef/

Black Bean Soup-slow cooker

07 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Appetizer, Holiday, Lunch, Main Dish, Slow Cooker, Soup Tags: ,

I really am loving having a slow cooker that works perfetly. After years of thinking they were all like that old one that I had (which wasn’t old really) that sucked I had pretty much sworn off of them. But not anymore!

Black bean soup. Thick, yummy, hearty, a bit of heat, delicious. That’s it. Make it 🙂

bean4

Black Bean Soup-slow cooker

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 medium onions, minced
  • 3 celery ribs, chopped medium
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped medium
  • 8 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 5 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Salt
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 pound dried black beans (about 2 1/4 cups), picked over and rinsed
  • 2 medium smoked ham hocks
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8-1/4 cup hot sauce (to taste)
  • fresh cilantro leaves chopped for garnish
  • fat free sour cream for garnish
  • chipotle sauce for garnish

Instructions

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, cumin, pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

 Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker and stir in the water, broth, black beans, ham hocks, and bay leaves until evenly combined. Cover and cook on low until the soup has thickened and the beans are tender, 8 to 10 hours. (Alternatively, cover and cook on high for 6 to 7 hours.)

Remove and discard the bay leaves. Remove the ham hocks and any portion of them that may ramin in the soup (there are fat pieces and small bones so be careful to remove everything-a spider works best), let cool and discard. Puree 2 cups of the soup with a stick blender until smooth, then stir back into the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper and hot sauce to taste, and serve.

Note: I added some Frank’s Hot Sauce in the last step as the soup needed a bit of a kick. It didn’t make it spicy-just gave it some heat.  Add it a little at a time and stir and taste until you reach your desired heat level. When serving I added a few squirts of my Goya Chipotle Sauce, a spoonful of sour cream and cilantro. The Chipotle Sauce gave it another dimension of taste without adding too much more heat.

This soup also reheats well.

Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated. Their notes:

 Editors’ Choice Cookbook Collection.  From The Best Make-Ahead Recipe.

 Why this recipe works:

We found that unsoaked beans worked fine in our slow-cooker black bean soup recipe. It was well worth the time and effort to sauté the aromatics before adding them to the cooker; the black bean soup recipe that skipped this step tasted flat. As for flavor, we knew we wanted a robust smoked pork presence. We tested our way through porky ingredients like bacon, kielbasa, ham, and ham hocks before deciding that the latter contributed all the depth we wanted. Once the soup was done—eight to 10 hours later—we stripped the meat from the hocks and stirred it into the beans. (I did not do this as basically everything was off of the bone-I removed the pices of the hock from the soup with my strainer and discarded them).

PREP-AHEAD TRIPS:  can store the following ingredients together:

1. Cook the vegetables as described in step 1, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerator.

2. Pick over and rinse the black beans and refrigerate.

If the soup becomes too thick as it sits, thin to the desired consistency with either water or broth.

Quiche Lorraine

03 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Appetizer, Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish Tags: , ,

I’ve always loved quiche. My Mom makes a delicious spinach quiche and that’s what got me to love them when I was little.  I haven’t made a quiche in a while but over this past weekend I made this Quiche Lorraine. I used Cooks Illustrated’s recipe and adjusted it a bit.

Give yourself time to make the crust.  A homemade crust makes all the difference in quiche and, while the instructions are long for the crust, it’s really really easy-just time it out right. I rolled it between the 2 sheets of plastic wrap and it saved me from making a huge mess with flouring the board etc.. I used 2 sheets of plastic for the top and 2 for the bottom and overlapped them to allow for the correct size of the crust.  The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Quiche1

Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients

For the Dough  

  • 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for rolling out the dough
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
  • 4 – 5 tablespoons ice water

For the Filling  

  • 8 ounces pancetta (cut to thickness of regular bacon) cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 7 ounces Gruyère cheese grated 

Instructions

FOR THE DOUGH 
Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat with flour. Cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl. Note: you can cube the butter ahead of time and then put it back in the fridge to get cool again.

Sprinkle 4 tablespoons ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, using folding motion to mix. Press down on mixture with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if it will not come together. Shape dough into ball, squeezing two or three times with hands until cohesive, then flatten into 4-inch-wide disk. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days, before rolling.

 Remove dough from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly, about 10 minutes if dough has chilled for 30 minutes or 20 minutes if it has chilled overnight. (The dough should be pliable. Use your hands to squeeze the dough; if you can squeeze it without applying too much pressure, it is ready to roll.) Roll dough on lightly floured work surface or between two sheets plastic wrap to a 12-inch disk about 1/8-inch thick. Fold dough in quarters, then place dough point in center of pie pan. Unfold dough. Alternatively, roll dough in 2-gallon zipper-lock bag to a 12-inch disk about 1/8-inch thick. Cut away top of bag. Grasping bottom, flip dough into pie pan and peel off bag bottom.

 Working around circumference of pan, press dough carefully into pan corners by gently lifting dough edges with one hand while pressing around pan bottom with other hand . Trim edge to 1/2-inch beyond pan lip. Tuck this rim of dough underneath itself so that folded edge is about 1/4-inch beyond pan lip; flute dough in your own fashion. For quiche or tart pans, lift the edge of the dough, allowing the extra dough to flop over the sides. Then run the rolling pin over the top of the pan to remove excess dough. Next use your forefinger and thumb, press the dough evenly up the sides from the bottom to increase the height of the rim. Refrigerate pie shell for 40 minutes and then freeze for 20 minutes.

 Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Press doubled 12-inch square of aluminum foil inside dough shell; evenly distribute 1 cup or 12 ounces ceramic or metal pie weights over foil. Bake, leaving foil and weights in place, until dough dries out, about 17 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights by gathering sides of foil and pulling up and out. For partially baked crust, continue baking until lightly golden brown, about 9 minutes more; for fully baked crust, continue baking until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

FOR THE FILLING
Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Fry bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate. Meanwhile, whisk all remaining ingredients except cheese in medium bowl.

Spread cheese and bacon evenly over bottom of warm pie shell and set shell on oven rack. Pour in custard mixture to 1/2-inch below crust rim. Bake until lightly golden brown and a knife blade inserted about one inch from the edge comes out clean, and center feels set but soft like gelatin, 32 to 35 minutes. Transfer quiche to rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Helpful notes from Cooks Illustrated:

Published September 1, 1997. 

The center of the quiche will be surprisingly soft when it comes out of the oven, but the filling will continue to set (and sink somewhat) as it cools. If the pie shell has been previously baked and cooled, place it in the preheating oven for about five minutes to warm it, taking care that it does not burn. Because ingredients in the variations that follow are bulkier, the amount of custard mixture has been reduced to prevent overflowing the crust.

Quiche2

Baked Potato Soup-slow cooker

28 Nov 2012 2 Comments

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish, Slow Cooker, Soup Tags:

The really chilly weather is here and I’ve been looking for a great potato soup recipe. I came across Pink Parsley’s recipe and adjusted it a bit to lessen the calories and also more to my taste. I used light cream and light cheese. It came out so well and even better-it’s lighter! Below is my version. This soup is FABULOUS!!! It’s really easy to make and you can adjust the toppings to whatever you’d like. Make it SOON!! You’ll be happy you did!

Baked Potato Soup

  • 1 large onion, chopped small
  • 2 tbsp bacon grease (I keep some in the fridge. If you don’t cook the bacon for the toppings and keep 2 tbsp in the pan)
  • 5 small-medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tbsp AP flour
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 lbs Russet potatoes (about 4), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 8oz light sharp cheddar cheese, grated, (do not use pre-grated)
  • 3oz light colby jack cheese, grated, (do not use pre-grated)
  • 1/2 cup of light cream
  • 1/2 cup of light sour cream
  • 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
  • 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided

Toppings:

  • light sharp cheddar cheese, grated (do  not use pre-grated)
  • sliced scallions
  • crispy bacon pieces
  • light sour cream

Place 2 tbsp bacon grease in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until browned.  Then add the garlic, thyme, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes until everything becomes fragrant. Then stir in the flour, stir it constantly for a minute or so until the flour is no longer white. Then stir in one cup of the chicken broth, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan, until the mixture has thickened. Then pour it into the slow cooker.

To the slow cooker add the remaining 3 cups chicken broth, all of the potatoes, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

After 5 hours test a piece of potato to make sure it’s cooked through. If not cook it for a bit longer, until they’re to desired texture.  When the potatoes are done cooking place 3 cups (without liquid) into a bowl, add the light cream, and mash until smooth. Add them back into the slow cooker, stir in the sour cream and cheddar cheese. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melty and has come together.  You can cook the bacon for the topping during the last 10 minutes.

Serve hot topped with sour cream, grated cheese, scallions and bacon bits or anything else you’d like on top.

Other topping ideas: crispy pancetta, a squirt of Dijon mustard, chives, creme fraiche–whatever you like!

Chicken Enchiladas-a lighter version

19 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish Tags: , ,

I’ve made many chicken enchilada recipies over the years. I found this one on the Cook’s Illustrated website and decided to give it a try. The flavor was great. The recipe stated that it made 12 enchiladas but I ended up with only 10. I’ve adapted it to my own taste.

Make sure that the cooked chicken is finely shredded, or the edges of large pieces will tear through the tortillas. Serve these enchiladas with lime wedges, low-fat sour cream, sliced avocado, shredded lettuce, and hot sauce.

Chicken Enchiladas-a lighter version

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine
  • 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • Salt
  • 5 medium garlic cloves minced or pressed through a garlic press
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), trimmed of excess fat
  • Ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces 50 percent light cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
  • 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilis
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro plus extra for garnish
  • 10 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
  • Vegetable cooking spray
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges (for serving)
  • light sour cream (for serving)
  • avocado (for serving)

Instructions

  1. 1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the onion, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
  2. 2. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the thickest part registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside to cool. Strain the sauce through a medium-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the onions to extract as much liquid as possible. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. 3. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Toss together the shredded chicken, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup of the cheddar, the jalapeños, and cilantro, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. 4. Stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40 to 60 seconds. Spread the warm tortillas out over a clean work surface. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them seam-side down in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
  5. 5. Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with vegetable oil spray. Pour 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the enchiladas to coat them thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar down the center of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
  6. 6. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese browns, about 5 minutes longer. Serve, passing the remaining 1 cup sauce and the lime wedges separately.

Chicken Bites with Tangy Honey Mustard Sauce

16 Nov 2012 1 Comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish Tags: ,

What yummy little bites!! The coating on these bites are a combination of buttery Ritz Crackers, walnuts and panko so they’re tasty and crispy. The honey mustard sauce is tangy, sweet and has a touch of heat. All around they’re delicious. They’re really easy to make and came together in about 30 minutes-start to finish.

Chicken Bites with Tangy Honey Mustard Sauce

For the marinade:

  • a few tbps soy sauce (for marinade)
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed (for marinade)
  • 1/2 nip bottle scotch (for marinade)

For the chicken:

  • 3 chicken breasts (just over 1lb.) cut into 2-bite size pieces
  • 1/2 sleeve Ritz Crackers, crushed into tiny pieces
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, put through food processor to a fine grain
  • 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup flour

For the honey mustard dipping sauce:

  • 6 tbsp light mayonnaise
  • 4 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 4 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • cayenne pepper-to taste
  • chipotle powder-to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a ziplock bag large enough to hold all chicken and marinade add all marinade ingredients and let it sit while you prepare the breading and honey mustard sauce.

Place crushed Ritz Crackers (a potato masher or food processor works well), walnuts and panko into a bowl. Place eggs in a 2nd bowl. Place flour in a 3rd bowl. Line them up in assembly line fashion: flour, eggs, breadcrumbs.

For the sauce: combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Throw it in the fridge to cool until the chicken is finished baking. (Note: the measurements above are to taste-if you like more honey-add more, if you like less mustard-add less.)

Roll chicken pieces through flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and arrange on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for about 15-18 minutes (depending on how thick the pieces are) until done, flipping once during baking.

Serve with the dipping sauce. They’d also be great with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, BBQ sauce or some ranch dressing with hot sauce.

Slightly adapted from Mary Ellen’s recipe.

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Thanks for hosting the swap Sarah! http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/

Lasagna Carnivale

13 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Main Dish Tags: ,

What a fun name!! This lasagna uses a basic marinara sauce and small meatballs instead of a meat sauce. Those along with fresh mozzarella and grated parmesan-it’s a winner. Also it came out pretty light compared to most other lasagnas. Usually when there’s no ricotta a bechamel sauce is used-this one doesn’t have that-perhaps that’s why. It was delicious.

I have always had a love/hate thing with lasagna. Since I’ve never been able to digest-either mentally or digestively- (what I call) ‘tub ricotta’ I was always disappointed to see, more often than not, that a lasagna had 60% tub ricotta and 40% other ingredients. Yuck.  Imagine my absolute glee when I went to Rome and found a cute restaurant serving lasagna-sans ricotta-which, apparently, is the way it’s made there.  Oh happy day!!! That was my first visit in 2008 and during 2 visits since then I’ve never ever seen ricotta put into lasagna. That’s not to say I’ve visited every home and restaurant in the great country, just an observation of the ones I have.  In fact, in Castelvetrano in Sicily, at my husband’s aunt’s families house, we ate it served warm and fresh right out of the pot on toasted bread for breakfast. YUM!! Since then I’ve become addicted to the fresh stuff and other versions-smoked ricotta, ricotta salata etc… So, in my opinion, people are nuts for buying a 3lb tub of mediocre mass-produced not-fresh stuff rather than heading to their local store and ponying up a bit more $ for the great fresh stuff. It makes such a monumental difference. (It’s on my ‘to do’ list to make it myself as well but I haven’t gotten that far yet.) But since there’s no ricotta in this recipe it doesn’t matter in the slightest. I just felt like explaining all of this 🙂

So here you have it:

Lasagna Carnivale

Why this recipe works:

A combination of fresh whole-milk mozzarella and Parmesan or Pecorino Romano kept our Lasagna de Carnevale recipe moist but not watery. For more even layering, we made mini meatballs, which we baked on a baking sheet in a hot oven, and then added straight to the sauce. To simplify our Lasagna de Carnevale’s sauce without sacrificing consistency, we simmered canned crushed tomatoes to our desired consistency. Finally, we used our cheese layer as the final topping to keep the lasagna from drying out as it cooked

Do not substitute no-boil noodles for the traditional noodles here; they will not work in this dish. The size of the noodles varies by brand; if the noodles are short (such as DeCecco) you will layer them crosswise in the dish, but if they are long (such as Barilla and Ronzoni) you will layer them lengthwise in the dish. Regardless of which brand of noodle you are using, there should be 3 noodles per layer.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
  • 6 ounces Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated (3 cups). Don’t use pre-grated.
  • 1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh basil or parsley leaves
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 1/2 onion, chopped small.
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 12 dried lasagna noodles(see note)
  • 1 pound fresh whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (4 cups). Do not use pre-shredded.

Instructions

  1. 1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Mix the beef, 1 cup of the cheese, bread crumbs, eggs, 5 tablespoons of the basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl using your hands until uniform.
  2. 2. Pinch off grape-size pieces of the mixture, roll them into small meatballs, and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the meatballs until just cooked through and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a paper towel–lined platter and set aside. Reduce the oven to 400 degrees.
  3. 3. Meanwhile, heat the oil, onion and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the garlic starts to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the meatballs and cover to keep warm.
  4. 4. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and noodles and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water. Spread the noodles out in a single layer over clean kitchen towels. (Do not use paper towels; they will stick to the noodles.)
  5. 5. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Smear 3 tablespoons of the tomato sauce (without any meatballs) over the bottom of the pan. Layer 3 noodles into the pan; the noodles can touch but not overlap. Spread about 11/2 cups of the tomato sauce with meatballs evenly over the noodles. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan.
  6. 6. Repeat the layering of noodles, tomato sauce with meatballs, and cheeses twice more. For the final layer, cover the noodles with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.
  7. 7. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the cheese is spotty brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before serving.
  8. TO MAKE AHEADThe lasagna can be assembled through step 5, then covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Remove the plastic wrap and cover the lasagna tightly with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray (or use nonstick foil). Bake the lasagna covered for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake as directed in step 6.Here’s the meatballs in the sauce.

    Slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.

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