Tuesday, October 30, 2012

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

photo.JPG     


I am currently obsessed with butternut squash!  I love it in almost every form.  It is great when peeled, cubed and roasted in the oven with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt.  This is made even easier if you can find it –cubed, bagged and refrigerated in the produce department of your grocery store.  I have this in my local store  and it is great because I can just open up the bag of butternut squash chunks and put them directly on a baking sheet to roast in the oven.  My recipe takes this a step further by making a puree out of your squash to make soup.  I hope you will enjoy making this delicious and healthy vegetable soup for your family this week!

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked butternut squash*
*Boil butternut squash cubes in water until tender (10-12 minutes) and drain.
*OR:  Peel a butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into large cubes.  Place the cubes on a baking sheet with sides that has been sprayed with PAM.  Spray the cubes with olive oil or sprinkle olive oil on top.  Bake at 350 until tender  (20 minutes).  Tent with foil if cubes begin to brown before they get tender.

Instructions:
*Place the cooked  squash into a heat safe blender. 
*Add a bit of liquid (water, broth, milk or cream). 
*Pulse the squash on the “puree” setting of your blender  until the squash is completely smooth and creamy.
* You may need to continue adding more liquid to the squash- a little bit at a time,  to help it puree and to reach the desired consistency.
*Empty the squash into a saucepan to heat it up.
*At this point, it is really up to you to season  your butternut squash soup according to your taste.  Following are some suggestions of additions that you can choose.
**water
**chicken or vegetable broth
**milk
**cream
**sour cream
**kosher salt
**black pepper
**tarragon, thyme or dill
**extra virgin olive oil
**balsamic vinegar
**bacon or pancetta
**butter

*After you have decided which of these additions or combinations of additions to try, you may need to add more liquid.   I usually keep it simple and add salt, milk and sour cream with a bit of dill.
*Serve your soup warm with a beautiful salad and piece of toasted bread.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Vegetable Stir-Fry



I love this recipe!  I make it almost every week to accompany our main dish.  It’s a great way to incorporate vegetables into your menu and I think your family will enjoy the crisp-tender crunch.  Have fun with this quick and easy side dish.

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons olive oil ( regular or extra-virgin, though extra-virgin can burn)
1 Tablespoon butter (optional)
1 small onion, chopped
2 large stalks celery, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into small strips
1-2 small zucchini, cut into very thin rounds or  long thin strips
1 cup chopped broccoli (you can even use frozen chopped broccoli—just toss it in)
*Saute the above vegetables, stirring often until onions and celery are translucent

Then add:
1----2  cups of green cabbage, cut into long strips
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
*Place a lid on top of the stir fry after the addition of the cabbage---the steam helps it to wilt a bit faster.
*After about 5 minutes, take the lid of and stir.
Vegetables should be crisp-tender, or you can cook longer until vegetables are done to your liking.

Monday, October 22, 2012

HAMBURGER STEW

photo.JPG              


I think you will enjoy this “chili-like” stew.  It is very different from the chili I normally make so I had fun with it.  It is healthy and delicious for a snowy day and is great served with homemade cornbread (I posted my cornbread recipe last week).  Top each serving with sharp cheese and/or sour cream.                           Have fun as you make delicious meals for your family this week!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Lean ground beef
1 medium sweet onion (peeled and coarsely chopped)
4 large stalks of celery (cleaned and coarsely chopped)
2 cups of tomato sauce
4 cups of beef broth
1 medium can of tomatoes (or chopped fresh tomatoes)
1 can of chick peas (drained) –more if you wish
1 can of black beans (drained)—more if you wish
1 and ½ cups frozen corn (I used peaches and cream variety)
½ cup hot, pickled banana pepper rings, chopped
½ cup hot, pickled banana pepper  juice (or more if desired)
1 T. chili powder
1 t. paprika
½ t. cumin
1 T. cocoa
1 pouch of Ready Crisp bacon (fully cooked bacon pieces)—or 1 cup of chopped cooked bacon.
*Add extra beef broth or water if needed to loosen up mixture as it cooks.

Instructions:
*Brown ground beef with onions and celery.  Drain and rinse.
*Place tomato sauce and beef broth in large soup pot.
*Add beef mixture and all other ingredients.
*Bring stew to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
*Simmer for 15 -20 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.
*Simmer an additional 10 minutes and then serve.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

CORNBREAD

photo.JPG                  


It’s not easy to make corn bread here in Calgary because we don’t have self-rising corn meal or corn meal mix.  Following is the closest I have come to developing a corn bread recipe that will work for me.  I am always changing it though.  If you live in my area, let me know of your favorite way to make corn bread.

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup Crisco
3/4 cup corn meal
½ cup plus 3 T. flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
½ t. baking  soda
1 T. sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup whole milk

Instructions:
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
*Place the shortening in a cast iron skillet (or oven safe skillet) and place skillet in hot oven.
*While shortening is melting in the oven (and the skillet is heating up), place the remaining ingredients into a mixing bowl.  Mix until smooth.  Add more milk if necessary.
*Remove hot skillet from oven and pour melted Crisco into your cornmeal mixture.
*Pour all batter back into the hot skillet and place in the oven.
*Bake cornbread at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until done.

Note:
Make your cornbread to suit your individual tastes by using all buttermilk or all whole milk.  You may also want to omit the sugar or the egg.  Another addition that some enjoy is to add jalapeƱo peppers to the batter.

Monday, October 15, 2012

CROCK POT BARBEQUE CHICKEN

photo.JPG                 



You  are really going to enjoy this recipe!  The amounts are “guestimates”.  Please add more or less of an ingredient according to your taste.  This is a great recipe to make when you are having company or when you want to take a meal to someone. This chicken pairs well with a baked potatoes and your favorite green vegetables. The leftovers are amazing as well, served on a toasted bun.

Place the following ingredients into your crock pot and stir until well combined.
1 cup ketchup (or more if you want)
1/3 cup yellow mustard
½ cup brown sugar
1-2 cups water
2 Tablespoons of white vinegar (if you don’t have this on hand just leave it out).

Add whatever chicken you enjoy to the sauce in the crock pot.  I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and I don’t even thaw them out.   I just put them into the pot in their frozen state and cook them for 4 hours.  For this amount of sauce you would probably fit 5-6 chicken breasts in.  This chicken is excellent left over.  If you want you can add large chunks of potatoes to the mixture to cook for the last 2 hours or you could even add them at the  beginning.