Spanish Rice

I found a spanish rice recipe that I love!

2 cups long grain rice
3 TBSP oil
One small diced yellow onion
1 TBSP minced garlic
4 cups water
approx 4 TBSP tomato bouillon
1 Poblano pepper, diced
1 small handful of cilantro

Start by toasting the rice on high heat with the onion, garlic and 3 TBSP of oil, just until it is starting to brown a little. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the bouillon and stir. Next add the diced pepper and the handful of cilantro.  Turn to a medium/low heat and cover. Rice will take approx 15-20 minutes to cook.

Tomatillo Salsa

from here

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs tomatillos (they look like little green tomatoes with husks around them)
• ½ cup white onion
• ¾ cup cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

Directions

1. Preheat broiler on high.
2. Peel and discard husks off tomatillos. Rinse and cut tomatillos in half. Place cut side down on foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Broil for 5 – 7 minutes until skin is lightly blackened.
3. Puree tomatillos and rest of ingredients together including onion, cilantro, lime, and pepper using a food processor, blender, or hand immersion blender until ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.
4. Cool in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes
Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version

*Serves 6-8

Potatoes:
3 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
26-ounce bag frozen shredded hash browns
1/2 cup light sour cream

Topping:
3 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion is softened and translucent,a bout 5-6 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Combine the chicken broth and milk in a liquid measure and slowly whisk in the mixture. Add the salt, pepper and thyme. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheese until smooth. Mix in the frozen hash browns, lifting and folding the mixture until well combined. Finally, stir in the sour cream.

In a medium bowl, toss the lightly crushed cornflakes with the butter until evenly combined. Scoop out the potato mixture into a 9X13-inch baking dish and top with the buttered cornflakes. If baking the potatoes by themselves, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly around the edges. If baking the potatoes with a ham (my ham recipe bakes at 300 degrees), bake the potatoes for 90 minutes at 300 degrees then crank the oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes for 10 minutes more. In both baking situations, let the potatoes rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Mandarin Pasta Salad

Dressing:
1 tsp peeled, chopped ginger root
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/3 cup rice or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 tsp sugar

Salad:
8 oz. uncooked bow tie pasta
1/2 cucumber sliced
1/2 diced bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 pkg fresh baby spinach (6oz)
1 can mandarin oranges (11oz)
2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 cup sliced almonds

For dressing, finely chop ginger root, whisk ginger root with garlic, vinegar, orange juice, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soup mix & sugar. Cover & refrigerate.

For salad, cook pasta to pkg directions, drain and rinse

Meanwhile slice cucumber, dice bell pepper & chop onion. Add cucumber, bell pepper, onion, spinach, mandarin oranges, chicken & almonds to pasta. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Serve immediately

Crunchy Potato Salad

9 medium potatoes
1 can cream of celery soup
3/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 stalks celery
1 small green pepper
2 green onion
2 hard boiled eggs

Cook potato's
Mix soup, mayo, vinegar, and pepper.
Toss all together. Chill for 3 hours or overnight

**from campbellkitchen.com**

Bacon & Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

1 1/2 lb. potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
1/2 cup salad dressing (like miracle whip, mayo would probably work, but wouldn't be as sweet)
1/2 cup milk
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crubled
1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic powder or 3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheese

Mash potatoes, mix in everything but cheese and beat until smooth, add cheese.

**Awesome as a Twice Baked Potatoes.

Garlic Baked Potato Wedges

from allyou.com

Prep: 15 min.

Cook: 30 min.

Serves: 8

Cost per serving: 44 cents

6 baking potatoes (3 lb.)

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 small cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Carefully cut each into 16 thin wedges. Place wedges in a large bowl. Pour olive oil over potatoes. Add salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary and toss to coat. Place Parmesan in a large bowl; set aside.

2. Arrange potatoes in a flat layer on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake, turning once or twice, until lightly browned and soft in center, about 30 minutes.

3. Remove potatoes from oven and immediately toss with Parmesan in a bowl until coated. Serve hot.

PER SERVING: 188 Cal., 7g Fat (1g Sat.), 0mg Chol., 2g Fiber, 3g Pro., 29g Carb., 18mg Sod.

Oven -Roasted Potatoes

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
4 medium all-purpose potatoes, cut into large chunks
1/3 olive oil

Combine all ingredients, (a large ziplock bag works great) and place in a large pan
Cook at 425 for 35 minutes, stirring occasionaly.

Ranch Potato Crisps

from panpered chef

3-4 medium baking potatoes
1 TBSP veg oil
1 package dry ranch salad dressing mix

oven 400 degrees
slice potatoes 1/4' thick (leave skin on)
coat with veg. oil and toss with ranch mix
layer single level on stone and bake 40-45 min or until brown.

Mushroom Risotto

Arborio Rice (3/1 ratio)
minced onion
garlic clove, minced
mushrooms
white wine
chicken stock- warm
olive oil
butter
parmesan cheese
parsley (to garnish)

add olive oil and butter to pan saute mushrooms to brown, add onion and garlic. Add rice and cook till transparent (don't brown). Pour in white wine, reduce until dry. Add stock 1/3 at a time and cook till absorbed. When done add a little butter, salt/ppepper and parm cheese. If too thin cook longer, if too thick add water.

Ratatoille

this is from my brother. so good!

zuccini,
egg plant
yellow squash
onion
yellow bell pepper
garlic, minced
whole canned tomatoes
EVOO
chopped parsley
bay leaf
chopped thyme

Dice all veggies to about the same size.

Saute onion, pepper, then garlic until you can smell garlic. Remove and dump mix on sheet pan with parchment paper. Saute zuccini, add to sheet pan. Continue cooking all veggies seperatly and add to sheet pan.

Cook tomatoes until dry add to sheet pan. Mix all on sheet pan, add herbs and mix. Put in oven 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Potato Dauphinois

1 lb potato's (russets)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T thyme, leaves only, minced
6 oz. gruere cheese, grated
5 oz. milk
3 oz. cream
1 egg yolk

Slice potato's long wise.
Combine milk, 1/2 cream in sauce pan. Add garlic, thyme and simmer

In bowl beat egg yolk and rest of cream

Slowly whisk hot mix into cold mix. Mix in potatoes just to coat.

In casserold dish (buttered) layer:
potato's (removed from cream mix), salt, pepper
cheese
potato's, salt, pepeer
cheese
etc.

Push down to compress, dump cream mix on top and top with cheese.
350 degrees for 60 minutes.

My brother made this is Culinary Arts Class, sooooo good!

Spicy Roasted Potato Wedges

5 russet potatoes, cut into 1/2 in wedges
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 TBSP smoked paprika
salt and pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 450. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, oil, paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne and thyme; toss well to coat.
Divide potatoes between 2 rimmed baking sheets, spreading in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pans from oven and flip potatoes over. Sprinkle with garlic. Return pans to oven and bake 20 minutes longer.
Serve potatoes hot or at room temp.

Per Serving:
223 cal
7g fat
0 mg chol
3 g fiber
37g carb
156 mg sod

Fresh Corn and Wild Rice Casserole

from The Pioneer Woman

2 cups cooked wild rice
3 to 4 cups fresh corn kernels (scraped off the cob)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or table salt to taste)
cayenne pepper to taste
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 to 1 cup milk, for thinning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook wild rice in chicken broth until almost done. Rice should still have a firm (but not crunchy) bite. Drain rice and allow to cool.
Scrape corn kernels into a large mixing bowl. Add in cream, butter, beaten eggs, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir together.
Add in cooled wild rice, stirring gently. Splash in milk so that mixture is stirrable, but not overly juicy.
Taste for seasonings, adding more salt or cayenne pepper if needed.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until just turning golden brown on top and mixture is somewhat set.

Risotto

Mushroom Risotto

This recipe comes from "the orange Bible"--Deborah Madison's encyclopedic Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It's not just for vegetarians! It has wonderful recipes that can be served with meats or in place of meat dishes, and each section begins with an introduction on basic techniques for the beginner (and often provides tips for the veteran cook as well).

Anyway, this is best made with mushroom stock, but if you haven't any, you could use chicken or vegetable stock.

2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1/2 C. finely diced white onion
12 to 16 oz. white or portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 lemon
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 C. mushroom (or other) stock
2 T. butter
1/3 C. finely chopped onion
1 1/2 C. arborio rice
1/2 C. dry white wine
1/3 to 1/2 C. cream
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley

Heat the butter and oil in the pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, raise the heat to high, and saute until browned around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and squeeze lemon juice over all. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Heat the stock to a simmer. Melt the butter in a wide pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat to soften, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add rice, stir to coat, and cook a bit longer. Add wine and simmer until completely absorbed. Add 1 cup of stock; stir and cook until it's absorbed. Add stock by ladlefuls, stirring constantly until each ladleful is absorbed by the rice before adding the next one. About halfway through, add the mushrooms. After the last addition, add the cream and stir vigorously. Taste for salt, season with pepper, stir in the parmesan and parsley, and serve.

Spinach Feta Risotto

This is the newest addition to my repertoire of risottos. The recipe is in Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, a welcome addition to my cookbook library.

3 C. sliced white mushrooms
1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 C. olive oil
1 T. chopped fresh dill
2 T. plus 1/2 C. dry white wine
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
5 C. vegetable or chicken stock
2 C. arborio rice
10 oz. fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed, and chopped
1 C. crumbled feta cheese

Over medium heat, saute the mushrooms and garlic in 1 T. of oil for about 5 minutes. Add the dill and 2 T. of wine and cook for a minute more. Add salt and pepper to taste; hold on very low heat until the risotto is ready.

Heat the stock to a low simmer. In another pot, saute the onions in the remaining 3 T. of oil for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until the grains are coated with oil. Add the 1/2 C. wine and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is absorbed.

Add the simmering stock a cup at a time. Cook, stirring frequently, until each cup is absorbed before adding the next. Continue until all the stock is used and the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. When the rice has absorbed all of the stock, add the spinach, cover, and cook for about 2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted but still bright green. Stir in the feta cheese. Serve each portion topped with some of the sauteed mushrooms.

Herbed New Potatoes

12 small new potatoes
4 tsp butter
4 tsp minced fresh parsley
4 tsp minced fresh chives

Peel 1/2 inch strip around the center of each potato and immediately place potatoes in a medium saucepan of cold water

Add enough additional water to the saucepan to cover the potatoes by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the potatoes are easily pierced by a fork but firm, about 20 minutes; drain. Do not overcook. Cover to keep warm.

Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH until melted, about 5-10 seconds. Stir in minced parsley and chives. Pour the butter mixture over the potatoes and toss to coat.

Spoon the potatoes into a serving bowl. Garnish with sprigs of parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

VARIATION:
for variety, sprinkle with chopped cooked bacon and/or finely minced green onions.

Apple, Grape and Celery Salad

Serves 4
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal, plus leaves for garnish
1 Granny Smith apple, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Garnish with celery leaves.

Refried Beans

Recipe #1

Soak 2 C pinto beans and 1 chopped onion overnight in 2 quarts water. Cook beans in water until tender (2-3 hours) checking to be sure beans don't dry out. Add 1 tsp. salt (or more to taste) and 1/4 cup oil. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth while still hot or mash with a potato masher.


Recipe #2

1/4 cup bacon, cut up
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cups pinto beans
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt

Cook bacon and onions until tender. Add 2 quarts water and beans. Season with spices. Let cook several hours. Mash beans by hand or in blender. Great for Navajo Tacos.

Creamy Corn

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

4 ears corn on the cob or 2 boxes frozen corn kernels, 10 ounces each
2 tablespoons butter
1 rib celery and greens, chopped
1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup half-and-half

Scrape corn from cobs.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add butter and chopped vegetables and lightly saute for 3 minutes, then add corn and season with thyme, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, then add half-and-half. Cover and cook over medium low heat 10 minutes. Uncover and stir, then adjust seasonings.


Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Baked Apples with cheddar and walnuts

2 TBSP chopped walnuts
4 McIntosh apples
1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 cup spoon-size shredded what cereal, crushed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake until golden and fragrant, 4-5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a plate and cool.

Pare the skin from the top third of the apples. Core the apples leaving a 1/2 inch base intact at the bottom and a 1 1/2 inch wide opening at the top. Place the apples in a small baking pan, cover loosely with foil, and bake until tender, about 15 minutes.

Combine the walnuts, cheese, and cereal in a bowl. Stuff the apples with the cheese mixture. Cover loosely with the foil and return to the oven. Bake until the cheese melts and the apples are tender, about 5 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serves 4 (1 apple each)

Points per serving: 3