Chorizo and Beef Meatloaf

The inspiration for this experiment

1 lb ground beef
10 oz bulk chorizo
about 1 cup grated Asiago cheese
3 (small) stalks of celery, diced
about 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped until it was closer to 1 cup
5 double-stuffed olives (with garlic and jalepeno), chopped
3 tablespoons coconut flour
1 egg

Mix up all the ingredients with your hands.
Form it into a log shape on a foil-covered sheet pan.
Bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

Serve with caramelized onions.

Kohlrabi Curry

I was looking for something to do with the kohlrabi I had bought a couple of weeks ago.
I used this as a starting point.

3 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and cubed
3 cloves of garlic, minced

about a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil
1 t mustard seeds
1 t cumin seeds
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 t curry powder
1 t salt
1/4 t powdered ginger
1 t chili powder
a can of diced tomatoes
about a tablespoon of lemon juice

Heat the oven to 400.  Cover a sheet pan with foil, spray it with olive oil spray.  Spread the kohlrabi and garlic evenly on the sheet.  Spray them with olive oil, mix them around, and roast for 15-20 minutes.

Put some oil in a pretty big skillet.  Add the mustard and cumin seeds, and heat until the seeds start to sizzle and pop.  Add the garlic, and stir around for a few seconds.  Add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften.  Add the spices and tomatoes and roasted kohlrabi.  Continue to cook (covered if you want), stirring occasionally, and adding water as needed, until everything is done (at least 10 minutes, but more if the kohlrabi wasn't soft from roasting).

Quinoa Salad

(a big batch)

2 c quinoa
4 c water

3 T olive juice (from the jar of olives)
6 T olive oil
4 T lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper

8 c spinach
3 red bell peppers
1 English cucumber
20 olives (jumbo green double-stuffed with garlic and jalepeno, or kalamata)
1/4-1/2 c green onion
3 avocados

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a sieve.  Drain it.  Bring water to a boil in a pan.  Add the quinoa.  Bring back to a boil.  Cover and simmer about 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed.
Combine the olive juice, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.
Chop the spinach, peppers, cucumber, olives, and green onion.  Put them in a big bowl.  Stir them to combine.  Add the quinoa and stir it in.  Cut the avocados into chunks and add to the bowl.  Pour the vinaigrette over, and toss gently.

Also good with chopped or shredded chicken, and/or feta cheese.

Tuna and Spinach Bake

adapted from The Low-Carb Gourmet by Karen Barnaby

2 T butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (I used a whole onion)
the last few stalks from the core of a celery, chopped, with the leaves (my addition)
2 10-oz bags ready-to-use spinach (I had most of a 16 oz box left, so I just used that much)
2 6-oz cans chunk light (or solid albicore) tuna, drained and flaked
3/4 cup whipping cream
3 eggs
1/4-1/2 t salt
4 oz cheese, shredded (originally aged cheddar.  I used about 6 oz--part anejo and part cheddar, because they needed to get used up.)

Preheat oven to 350.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.  (I don't have a frying pan that big, so I used a wok.)  Add the onion and celery and saute until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add the spinach and cook until wilted.  (This is where you want the biggest frying pan/wok available.  I had to add the spinach in stages as it started to wilt.)
Spread the spinach mixture in an 8x8" baking dish.  Top with the tuna.
Beat the cream, eggs, and salt together with a fork.  Pour over the tuna.
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until set and the top is lightly browned.

"Sophia Loren" Chicken

adapted from "500 More Low-Carb Recipes" by Dana Carpender

3/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese (the kind in a can)
2-3 T dry oregano
1-2 T dry parsley
2-3 T dry basil
1 T paprika
3 big chicken breasts

Mince the garlic.  Put it in a bowl with the oil.  Set aside.
Combine the cheese and the spices in another bowl.  Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350-400.
Cover a big baking sheet (or a couple of pans) with foil.  (This is VERY IMPORTANT.)
Cut the chicken into "fingers."  (I cut mine a bit too small.)
Dip each piece in the oil, then the cheese mixture, and put it on the foil-lined pan.
Bake 20-45 minutes, depending on how big the pieces are.

Note: I had two pans.  The first was cut really small, and baked in a pyrex 9x13" pan at 350 for 20 minutes.  Some of the pieces gave off quite a bit of oil. They didn't come out as crispy, but they didn't stick as badly to the foil.
The second pan was a rimmed cookie sheet and baked at 400 for 30 minutes.  I liked how they were crispier, but a lot of coating stuck to the foil.

Marinara Dipping Sauce

1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped small
a couple cloves of garlic, minced
about 2 teaspoons each basil and oregano
a generous pinch of cayenne pepper
salt

Put everything (except the salt) in a small saucepan, and simmer for as long as you have time for (at least half an hour).  Add water if it starts looking too thick, or sputtering too much, or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add salt to taste.
Remove from the heat, and blend with an immersion blender.

Soup

This was a plain, old, nothing special soup. (Not bad, but not very exciting.)

a tablespoon or two of olive oil
1 onion
a few cloves of garlic
3 carrots
3 ribs of celery
about a quart of stock from smoked turkey
a kielbasa
salt (because my stock wasn't previously salted)

Chop the onion.
Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan.
Start sauteing the onion.
Mince the garlic, and add it to the pan.
Chop the carrots, and add them.
Chop the celery and add them.
Continue to saute until the onion is starting to look translucent.
Add the stock.  Let it boil/simmer for quite a while, until the vegetables are getting soft.
Chop the kielbasa, and add it.  Simmer until it's hot through.
Taste the broth, and add salt to taste.

Brussels Sprouts in Browned Butter

(from 500 More Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpenter)

1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
8 T (1 stick/quarter lb) butter
zest of 1/2 a lemon
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper

Run the Brussels sprouts through the slicing blade of a food processor, or slice them with a mandoline cutter.
Melt the butter in a big, heavy skillet and let it brown.  (I used a wok.)
Add the brussels sprouts and saute until crisp/tender.
Add the zest and juice during cooking.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve.

We thought this was delicious, but a little too much butter.  Next time, I will use either more Brussels sprouts (1 1/2 lb), or less butter (5-6 T?).
The book said this was 4-6 side-dish servings.  The two of us ate it up!  (My husband does love Brussels sprouts.)

Chicken with Lemon, Capers, and Mushrooms

(adapted from Dr. Atkins' Quick and Easy New Diet Cookbook by Robert and Veronica Atkins)

2 T olive oil
1 1/2 lb chicken breasts, cut into about 1/2" slices
12 oz mushrooms, cut into halves or quarters (depending on their size)
5 oz white cooking wine  (original recipe called for 2/3 c, but I only had 5 oz left, and it was fine)
zest from half a lemon
juice from half a lemon
2 T capers (drained)
salt and pepper to taste
3 T butter

1.  Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet or dutch oven over medium (to medium-high) heat until hot but not smoking.  Add the chicken and cook, turning once, for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until browned.  (I had to do this in two batches, since my dutch oven is big, but not huge, and the original recipe might have expected the pieces to be thicker.)  Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm.  (I put a piece of foil over it.)
2.  Add the mushrooms, wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, and capers to the pan.  Stir it around so the mushrooms are coated, and bring the liquid to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Simmer for another 2 minutes or so.  Add some salt and pepper.  Add the butter and cook over low heat for 1 minute.  Return the chicken to the pan to heat through.

The book says this is 4 servings.  The two of us ate about 2/3 of this for lunch, along with Brussels sprouts.

Slow-Cooker "Mexican" Pulled Pork

This makes a LOT.

2 bone-in pork shoulder roasts (3.5-3.75 lb each)
olive oil (probably 2 T or a bit more)
2 t salt
2 t ground cumin
1 T dried oregano
1 t ground coriander seed
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 onion, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, most of the seeds removed and chopped
4 bay leaves
about 2 cups home-made smoked turkey stock

Combine the salt spices.
Rub olive oil over all sides of the meat.
Rub the spice mixture on all sides of the meat.
Put the meat into a slow cooker.
Spread the onion, garlic, jalapeno and bay leaves over and around the meat.
Pour the stock into the slow cooker, trying to not rinse off the spices.
Cook on low for 10 hours.  Turn it over at some point in the middle of cooking.
Let the meat cool enough to handle.  Pull the meat into shreds using two forks, a fork and a hand, or your hands.
Keep some of the liquid, and add it to the shredded meat so it doesn't get too dry.

Broccoli and Kale Soup with Chicken

I had a bunch of kale languishing in the fridge, and a bowl of broccoli that I'd cut up and not used yet, so I decided to make soup.  My husband seemed unimpressed (and a little scared) by the appearance of this soup, but he tried it, and ate two big bowls.  :)

1 onion, chopped
a tablespoon or two of olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
about 8 cups of broccoli, chopped into largish bite-sized pieces
most of 1 bunch of kale, center stem removed and roughly chopped
about 4 cups stock (from smoked turkey)
2 chicken breasts
lemon pepper
salt

Chop the onion.  Warm the olive oil in a big saucepan or dutch oven.  Start to saute the onion as you mince the garlic.
Heat the oven to somewhere between 350 and 425.
Add the broccoli and kale to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until it's all chopped up and in the pot, and for a little longer.
Add the stock.  (Mine was frozen, so I just covered the pot and waited until it was thawed.)  Let it simmer.
Meanwhile, cut the two chicken breast in half.  Cover a rimmed baking sheet with a big piece of foil.  Spray the foil with olive oil.  Put the chicken on the foil, spray them as well, and sprinkle them with lemon pepper.  Turn them over and repeat.  Put another piece of foil on top, and roll all the edges, so the chicken is sealed inside.
Add lemon pepper to taste to the soup, as well.
Bake the chicken.  I left it in for 35 minutes, but that was more than was necessary.  It just needs to reach an internal temperature of 160F. (20 minutes might have been enough, but the chicken wasn't dried out, because it was sealed up in the foil, so it was ok.)
Pour off the juices from the chicken into the soup.
Let the chicken cool a little while you blend the soup.  I used an immersion blender, but you could put in a regular blender, though you would probably want to let it cool a bit first.
Add salt to taste.  (If you use store-bought stock, or bouillon, you might not need more salt.)
Cut the chicken into small chunks and add them to the soup.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 pumpkin

Pumpkin pie spice

1 Onion, chopped

Garlic, several cloves, minced

Olive oil

Sausage (2 lb. pork)

Mushrooms (probably 1 ½ lb.), quartered

Celery (a few stalks), chopped

Cabbage (about 1/3), chopped

Carrots (3), shredded

Salt and pepper, thyme, rosemary, oregano

½ c quinoa

¼ c corn starch

1 c milk

1.   Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove and reserve top of pumpkin. Scoop out seeds and stringy pulp.  Sprinkle the inside of the pumpkin with a little pumpkin pie spice, and rub it around.

2.   Sauté onion and garlic.  Add sausage and vegetables.  Cook until the sausage doesn’t seem raw.

3.   Add seasoning.  Stir in quinoa.

4.   Spoon mixture into the pumpkin, trying to leave as much liquid as possible in the pan.

5.   Mix the cornstarch into the liquid, add the milk, and cook until thick. Mix the sauce into the meat and veggie mixture. 

6.   Replace pumpkin top.  Place pumpkin on a large baking sheet, and bake 1-2 hours in the preheated oven, or until pumpkin is tender. Scoop out portions of filling and parts of the cooked pulp to serve.

Moussaka

from The Low-Carb Gourmet by Karen Baraby

Eggplant:
Preheat the boiler.
Trim the stem-end from 2 1-lb. eggplants, and cut into 1/3" slices.
Spray both sides with olive oil, and broil about 4" from the element until brown.  Turn and broil the other side.

Meat:
Heat 2 T olive oil in a large pot.
Add: 1 onion, chopped, and a few cloves of garlic, minced.
Saute until onion browns slightly.
Add 3 lb ground meat (lamb, beef...I used turkey this time).  Cook on high, breaking up lumps, until it doesn't look raw.
Add 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes, 1 t salt, 1 t (or more) oregano, 1 t cinnamon.
Simmer 30 minutes.  Cool, and beat in 3 eggs, and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Sauce:
In a medium bowl, mix:
2 c ricotta cheese
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1/4 c grated Pecorinno
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t salt
pepper to taste
Beat in 3 eggs.

Assemble:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Spray a 9x13" baking dish with olive oil.
Place a layer of eggplant (not overlapping) in the dish.
Spoon half of the meat over.
Make another layer of eggplant.
Spoon the rest of the meat over.
Put the remaining eggplant on top.
Cover (carefully) with the sauce.
Bake 45 minutes to an hour, until the top is golden.
Let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Kale and Mushroom Stuffed Flank Steak

I was inspired by this recipe: http://mypanera.panerabread.com/recipes/recipe/spinach-and-wild-mushrooms-stuffed-flank-steak-spirals/

This was enough to feed 8 people.

Spice rub:

• 4 t paprika
• 1 T black pepper
• 1 t chili powder
• 4 t salt
• 2 t sugar
• 1 t coriander (ground)
• 1 t thyme
• 1/2 t garlic salt (I didn't have any garlic powder)
• 1/2 t dried minced onion (again, I didn't have any powder)

about 5 lb. of flank steak (it was three steaks)
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
4 (or more) cloves of garlic, minced
about 9 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 bunches of kale, spines removed and chopped
about half a bunch of fresh parsley
2 red bell peppers, trimmed and sliced into thin sticks

Combine the spice rub in a small bowl.
Warm half of the olive oil in the biggest skillet, wok, or dutch oven you have.
Saute the onion and garlic a little.  Add the mushrooms and continue to cook.
Add the kale a little at a time, so it has time to cook down, so there is room to add more to the pan.  (I added it as I chopped it, a few leaves at a time.)
Add the parsley and about 4 teaspoons of the spice rub.  Remove from heat.
Butterfly and/or pound the meat until it is evenly between 1/4" and 1/2" thick.
Cut a lot of pieces of kitchen string, to tie around the meat once it's rolled.  (At least 5 per piece of meat.)
Rub with the remaining oil, and then the spice rub.
Make sure the meat grain is running side-to-side.
Arrange the bell pepper pieces horizontally on the bottom 2/3 of the meat.
Cover most of the meat with the kale mixture, leaving about a 1 inch border on the top edge.
Roll the meat up, away from you, and tie with the string.
(I did all of this the day before, wrapped it all in plastic wrap, and refrigerated it over night.)
Heat the oven to 500F.
Line a baking sheet (with sides) or baking dish with aluminum foil, and arrange so the pieces of meat are not touching.
Roast 8-10 minutes, until beginning to brown.
Reduce heat to 350, and continue to roast 20-25 minutes, until internal temperature is 130F.
Remove from oven, and let rest for 15 minutes.
Cut into 2" slices, removing the string as you go.

Spaghetti Squash Arrabbiata

from The Low-Carb Gourmet by Karen Barnaby

2 T olive oil
2 (or so) cloves of garlic, minced
2 (or 3) oz prosciutto, finely diced
1-2 hot chile peppers, finely chopped (I used 2 jalapenos, removed all the seeds, and scraped 3 of the 4 halves.  Next time, I will scrape a little less.)
1 cup canned tomatoes with juice, pureed
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 a spaghetti squash, prepared according to Basic Spaghetti Squash
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (or Pecorino) cheese

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the garlic, prosciutto, and chiles.  Cook until the garlic is golden.
Add the tomatoes.  Cook until it thickens slightly.  Add salt and pepper.
Add spaghetti squash and simmer until hot, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cheese and serve.

Spaghetti Squash, Carbonara-Style

from The Low-Carb Gourmet by Karen Barnaby

This is better than pasta Carbonara! (In my opinion.)  The book called this 8 servings, but I think it's 4.

3 oz prosciutto, finely diced (or thinly sliced, and chopped)  (the book says 2, but I found 3 oz packages)
2 T. olive oil
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup water
1/4 t salt
1/2 t (or so) ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan (or Pecorino) cheese
1/2 of a spaghetti squash, cooked according to the directions for Basic Spaghetti Squash

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Fry the prosciutto in the oil (over medium or medium-low heat) until it starts to brown. (Use a small frying pan, because that's all that goes in it.)
In a medium to large bowl, combine the egg, yolk, cream, water, salt, pepper, and cheese.  Stir in the prosciutto and oil.  Stir in the squash.
Pour into a 8x8" baking dish, or gratin dish about that size.
Bake 35-40 minutes, until the center barely jiggles.
Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Basic Spaghetti Squash

from The Low-Carb Gourmet by Karen Barnaby

Cut off the stem end of the squash, and split it in half lengthwise.  This part is difficult, because the squash is very hard.  I scored the squash with a carving knife, and wedged it apart with a santuko.  I felt like I needed a cleaver.
Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Also, not exactly easy.  They are slimy, and the strands attaching them to the flesh of the squash don't want to let go.  I used my hands as well as the spoon.

Oven method:
Preheat the oven to 350F (before you cut the squash).
Put the squash halves, cut side down, in a baking dish big enough to hold them.  Add water until it is about 1/2" deep.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake 40 minutes (or more).  (After 40 minutes, I poked it with a fork, and it didn't seem all the way cooked, so I put it back for another 10 minutes, and it wasn't over-cooked after that.)

Microwave method:
Put the squash halves, cut side down, in a microwaveable dish big enough to hold them.  Add water until it is about 1/2" deep.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Microwave on high for 10 minutes.  "The squash is done when the skin yields to firm pressure."

Uncover the squash, and let it cool enough to handle.
Use a fork or spoon to scrape out the shreds.

Slow-Roasted Spice-Cured Pork Shoulder

from The Low-Carb Gourmet by Karen Barnaby

4-5 lb boneless, skinless pork shoulder (I used a 7 lb bone-in pork shoulder)
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
12 cloves
1 tablespoon salt
2 bay leaves, crumbled
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped (I used 1 T dried rosemary)
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

With a sharp knife, score the pork fat in a crosshatch pattern.  Mash up the coriander, peppercorns, and cloves with a mortar and pestle.  (Mine is small, so next time I would do one at a time.) (Or combine them, and coarsely grind them in a coffee grinder.)  Combine the previous spices with the salt, bay leaves, rosemary, and garlic.
Spread half of the spice mixture in the bottom of a glass or other non-corrodible baking dish.  Place the pork on top.  Pat on the remaining mixture.  (I rubbed it in on all sides.)  Cover and refrigerate over night.
Preheat the oven to 250F.  Rinse the pork with cold water, and pat dry.  (I forgot the drying part, and it was fine.)  Place, fat side up, in a large baking dish.
"Bake for 6 hours (that's right, 6 hours).  Let sit for 15 minutes before slicing."

Mashed Rutabaga with Balsamic Vinegar and Browned Butter

from The Low-Carb Gourmet by Karen Barnaby

The recipe says that it is 8 servings.  It was enough for 7 people.  They seemed to like it.
My husband didn't think the vegetable itself had much flavor, and that the vinegar added a lot to it.  He does, however, get hives when there is vinegar in the air, and adding it to hot butter made him start itching.  Sigh.  I'll need to keep that in mind if/when I make this again, and either change the method or warn him beforehand so he can take a benedryl.



4 lb rutabagas, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Place the rutabagas in a large pot and cover with cold water. (The stock pot was too big.)  Bring to a boil and cook at a moderate boil until the pieces are tender, 45 minutes to an hour.  Drain well.
Mash, or puree in a food processor.  (I recommend the food processor--work in batches.)  Return to the pot and stir in HALF of the butter, the sour cream, salt, and pepper.  Stir over low heat until hot.  Transfer to a gratin or baking dish.
Melt the remaining 4 T of butter in a small saucepan over low heat until it turns nut brown.  Add the vinegar.  Drizzle over the puree and serve immediately.

"Rutabagas are those large waxed golden and purple roots that are frequently called turnips.  Regular turnips are the smaller white-bottomed and purple-topped roots.  You can substitute them for the rutabagas here, if you like.
"The balsamic vinegar balances the sweetness of the vegetable...
"You can make the rutabaga puree up to two days ahead, cover, and refrigerate.  Bring to room temperature and reheat, covered, in a 400 degree F oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
"I serve this for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, which is shy the recipe makes a large amount."

Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme

from The Low-Carb Gourmet by Karen Barnaby

1 lb small mushrooms (I used white button mushrooms)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme)

Put one oven rack in the lowest position.  Preheat the oven to 450.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Clean (and if necessary, trim) the mushrooms.
Combine in a large bowl: the mushrooms, oil, salt, and pepper.  Toss them until they are evenly coated.
Spread them evenly on the baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven.  Roast for 10-15 minutes, or until the juice from the mushrooms has almost evaporated.  Turn the mushrooms, and continue to roast for another 10 minutes, or until they are browned all over.
Toss with the garlic, vinegar, and thyme.

The book says this is 4 servings.  I made a double batch for 7 people, and we would have eaten a lot more.

Kale, Carrot, and Mushroom Saute

1 bunch of kale
3 cloves of garlic
a couple tablespoons of olive oil
2 carrots
8 oz mushrooms
salt (probably a generous 1/4 teaspoon)

Clean and chop the kale.
Mince the garlic.
Heat the olive oil in a large wok or other pan.
Add the garlic.  When it starts to sizzle, add the kale, stirring it so it's all coated with the oil.
Continue to stir the kale occasionally as you shred the carrots and clean the mushrooms.
Add the carrots, and continue to stir occasionally  as you quarter the mushrooms.

Add the mushrooms, cook and stir occasionally.

Add the salt.  Let it cook until everything is as done as you like.  (My total cooking time was about 15 minutes.)

Donald's Awesome Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

From The Low-Carb Gourmet by Karen Barnaby

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
about 3 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (The book said 8 6-oz. breasts.  I used two huge ones that were over two lb, total, and cut them into several pieces each.)
3 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used 4 cups.)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (The book said 1 cup)
4 celery ribs, diced
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini)
3 cloves of garlic, chopped (This was my addition.)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheese (The book suggests Monterey Jack and cheddar.  I used Pepper Jack and medium cheddar--and slightly more than 2 cups.)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (I used garlic salt.)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9x13" baking dish with olive oil spray (or butter as the book says).
Heat the olive oil and 2 T butter in a large frying pan (or, as I prefer, my dutch oven).  Add the chicken, and brown on all sides.
Transfer the chicken to the baking dish.
Arrange the broccoli around the chicken.
Melt the remaining butter in the frying pan.  Add the onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic.  Add a little salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Spread over the chicken and broccoli.
In a medium bowl, mix the cream, mayonnaise, garlic salt, salt, and pepper.  Mix in the cheese.  Spread over the chicken and vegetables.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 40 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
I didn't like how the top looked, so I turned on the broiler, and browned the top.

Low(er)-Carb Pot Roast

Parsnips, while better than potatoes, are not low-carb.  But they taste good!

1 boneless cross rib roast
2 parsnips
3 turnips
about 7 cloves of garlic, squished but not really chopped (they were small cloves of garlic--hence a lot of them)
5 carrots (they were on the small side)
1/2 cup red cooking wine
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
sprinkle of thyme
generous sprinkles of lemon pepper and seasoned pepper
generous sprinkle of salt (it wasn't enough)

Brown (in some olive oil) all sides of the roast in a pan that can go on the stove.
Put the roast in a nice big crock pot.
Put the vegetables around the meat.
Pour the liquid in.
Sprinkle the seasons on.
Put the lid on.
Cook on low for 8 hours.

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

6 medium yellow, orange or sweet red peppers

olive oil (about 3 tablespoons)

1 medium onion, minced

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey

4 + cloves garlic, minced 

1 medium carrot, shredded

about a pound of sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup breadcrumbs (what I had was "Italian")

sage (about 1 1/2-2 teaspoons), other seasonings for turkey (I'm out of poultry seasoning, so I used some savory, a dash of nutmeg, and seasoned pepper)

salt and pepper to taste

 1.   Cut the tops off each pepper and reserve. Cook peppers in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from water and rinse with cold water.

2.   Remove stems from pepper tops and chop.

3.   In a large skillet (or dutch oven), warm the olive oil and brown ground turkey and onion over medium heat. Add garlic and other veggies (including reserved pepper).  Add bread crumbs and spices. Cook until vegetables are tender (the meat should be fully cooked by then).  

4.   Stuff hot meat mixture into peppers. Serve immediately.  

They are also good re-heated.

One stuffed pepper is plenty for me for a meal, but my husband eats two, so six is enough for two full meals.

This was a little too much filling to stuff into the peppers this time.  (When I used 1 lb. of beef, and different veggies, it all fit in.)

Garlic Parmesan Chicken

This time I used this recipe (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/garlic-chicken/detail.aspx), and only changed it a little bit.

Mince: several cloves of garlic (at least 2 teaspoons by the time you're done)

Combine the garlic with: 1/4 cup olive oil

Cover, and let it sit for several days.  (One day would probably be enough. Or you could warm it, like in the original recipe.)

Preheat the oven to 425.

Combine: 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (I used part granulated, and part grated pecorino)
                1/8 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Pound until they are the same thickness all the way across: 2 chicken breasts

Spread garlic olive oil over all surfaces of the chicken.  Use some of the left-over to grease a baking pan/casserole dish.

Coat the chicken with the cheese and crumbs.

Place the chicken in the baking pan, and bake for about 30 minutes, turning it over somewhere in the middle of that time.  (I should have turned them earlier, so the tops would be more golden.  Half-way through would be good.)

Chicken and Mushroom Saute

I found this recipe and thought it was a good starting place.  So here's what I did.

Chop 1 onion.

Mince 4 cloves of garlic.

 Slice about 12 oz. brown (crimini I think) mushrooms.

Cut 2 chicken breasts into strips.

Dredge the chicken in 1/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper.
Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a non-stick pan, and fry the chicken until it seems cooked through.

 Remove the chicken from the pan.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil (if there isn't much left) and saute the onion, garlic, and mushrooms, and about 1/2 teaspoon of dry thyme and a little salt.

 When the onions and mushrooms seem about done, add the chicken back in, stir it all together, and make sure the chicken is warm.

Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

This is the recipe that I try to follow when I make stir-fry.  I like to use broccoli or asparagus, with whatever other vegetables I have on hand.

Mix in a small bowl:

• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Add and stir in:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry sherry

Set that bowl aside.
Prepare and set aside in another bowl:

• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (or more)
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced (or more)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Wash your vegetables, and chop them up into bite-sized pieces, making the slower-cooking ones a bit smaller than the ones that cook faster.
Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces/strips.
Heat in a wok:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Stir-fry the green onion mixture about 10 seconds.
Add the chicken and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.
Add the vegetables and stir-fry about 1 minute.
Add the sauce and continue to stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Ground Beef and Veggies

Brown and thaw at the same time (turn it over frequently scraping off the thawed/browned layer):
1 lb. lean ground beef in a couple tablespoons of olive oil

Add: 1 onion, chopped
         several cloves of garlic, chopped
         a pile of baby carrots, chopped
         a big handful of "pizza spices" (basil, oregano, marjoram, etc.)
         a small handful of thyme
         half a teaspoon to a teaspoon or so of salt
         black pepper

Continue to cook, while chopping more veggies.
Add: a huge bunch of kale, chopped
         a smallish hunk of cabbage, chopped more fine than the rest

Stir it all up, and cook over medium/low heat for 10-20 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.

(After 10 minutes)

(After 15-20 minutes)

It was pretty good.  Next time, I would add more garlic and spices...maybe some red pepper flakes.

Kielbasa and Vegetables 2

olive oil

1 onion

 2 carrots

 1 red bell pepper

 8 oz Brussels sprouts

 4 oz kale

8 oz mushrooms
14 oz kielbasa
1/2 t salt

(The rest of the pictures got lost on the information superhighway.)

Chicken Washington

So yesterday, my husband told me about a dish that his college cafeteria made that he remembered with fondness, and they called "Chicken Washington."  He said that he had searched for it before, but the recipes that he found with that name were not what he remembered.
Since I had everything that I needed to make it, I tried today.
I used too much butter.  1/3 cup, or even 1/4 would probably have been enough.  And next time I will cut the chicken breasts into flatter pieces... and add onion.

BUT... here's what I did this time.

Measure out 1 1/2 cups milk in a pint measuring cup.
Add a package of dried shitake mushrooms.  (It's only 1 oz, but quite a few, since they are dry.)
Put a glass custard cup on top, so the mushrooms are at least mostly submerged, and warm the whole thing in the microwave for a couple of minutes, then let them soak.
Meanwhile, clean and slice about 1/2 a lb. of crimini mushrooms.
Squeeze the excess milk out of the shitake mushrooms, and dice them up as small as you can.  Return the shitake pieces to the milk, and add enough more milk to make 2 cups.
Mince up 3 cloves of garlic, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to about 375F.
Melt 1/2 cup (one stick) of butter in a frying pan big enough for the chicken pieces.
Brown 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the butter, season them with salt and pepper, and transfer them to a baking dish. (I greased the baking dish with the butter wrapper, first.)
Saute the garlic in the butter.
Add 1/4 cup flour, stirring to break up lumps and keep it from burning, until it is thickening, and bubbling.
Add the milk and shitaki pieces, stirring until it forms a thick sauce.
Pour the sauce over the chicken in the baking dish.
Put the sliced mushrooms on top of the sauce.
Cover the whole thing with shredded medium cheddar cheese.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature is at least 160F, or up to 180F (check after 30 minutes--these chicken breasts are huge, and take a long time to get done).

Summer Stuffed Peppers (with no rice)

This is the second time I've made these stuffed peppers.  I started thinking about stuffed peppers after having a chili relleno at a Mexican restaurant.  Peppers are good, stuffing is good, but baked stuffed peppers are bad.  So I searched AllRecipes.com, and found a recipe to try.  The first time was closer to the original--I used ground beef, a can of tomatoes, and brown rice (instead of white), but the rice didn't cook all the way, so I tried breadcrumbs this time.  I plan to re-visit the brown rice idea at some point.

• 6 medium yellow, orange, green, or sweet red peppers
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1  pound lean ground turkey
• 4 (decent sized) cloves garlic, minced (or more, if they are small)
• 1 medium onion, minced
• handful of Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium (or 2 small) carrot, shredded
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup "Italian" breadcrumbs
• additional fresh herbs, to taste (I used green onion, rosemary, oregano, sage, and parsley, and basil for garnish)
• salt and pepper to taste (I used about a teaspoon of salt, I think)

1.   Cut the tops off each pepper and reserve. Cook peppers in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from water and rinse with cold water.

2.   Remove stems from pepper tops and chop.

3.   In a large skillet heat olive oil, and start browning ground  turkey. 

4.   Add garlic, onion and spices, and finish browning the meat.  

5.   Add the other veggies (including reserved pepper). Saute until vegetables are nearly tender. 

6.   Add breadcrumbs and herbs that can take more cooking (such as rosemary, oregano, and sage) when the mushrooms throw off their liquid. 

7.   Reduce heat to low. Cook until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in more tender herbs just before removing from heat (such as parsley, basil, and green onion) or use them as garnish.

8.   Stuff hot meat mixture into peppers. Serve immediately, with a hard cheese to grate over them.  (They are also fine as left-overs.)

 

Kielbasa and Vegetables

I hadn't thawed anything to cook today, and needed to make something fast and easy, if I was going to make anything at all in time for lunch.  Kielbasa thaws really fast, and it's pre-cooked, so it seemed like a good idea.
My mom always cooked kielbasa with carrots and potatoes, and some water so it would all steam together. I don't have any potatoes at the moment, and I'm trying to cut back on starches in every-day meals... and I had some cauliflower that REALLY needed to be used up...
This is what I came up with.

Chop up an onion.  Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a fry pan.

Start sauteing (on high or medium-high, depending on your stove--I wanted it to sound "sizzilly") the onion as you chop up three carrots.  Add the carrots.

Continue to saute as you chop up some cauliflower.  (I used up the end of a head--maybe a couple of cups.)  I wasn't exactly sauteing--more like stirring occasionally.  But I liked how the onions and cauliflower started to caramelize on the sides.

Continue to saute as you halve/quarter 8 oz of mushrooms.

Continue to saute as you slice a 13 oz kielbasa (this one was turkey).

Add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt (mine is kosher salt) and some black pepper. (I measured the salt after I poured it into my hand--it was just under 1/2 teaspoon.  I was curious.)

    

Smash up 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seed with a mortar and pestle and add that.  (If you have ground mustard powder on hand, I'm sure that would be just about the same.)

  

The mushrooms throw off quite a bit of liquid.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, probably reducing the heat to medium, until the kielbasa is warm and the vegetables are cooked as much as you like them.

We decided that it was very good.  It's different from just carrots and potatoes, but I might actually prefer this!

Sundried Tomato and Pesto Chicken

Toast in a dutch oven (or a huge frying pan) and set aside: 1/4 cup pine nuts
Mince and set aside: 4-6 cloves of garlic (I'm counting it as 4, because some were small, but it was technically 6)

Cut into strips/bites: 4 chicken breast halves
Heat in the dutch oven: about 2 tablespoons olive oil
Cook the chicken and garlic in the olive oil, until the chicken seems cooked through.

Add: a handful of dry basil

• about a cup of sundried tomatoes (from a jar, soaked in olive oil-not dry ones)
• 1 cup chicken broth (reserve a few tablespoons)
• nearly 7 oz of prepared pesto
• a little salt (since I used home-made chicken broth)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Mix the reserved chicken broth with: 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Add to the chicken, and cook until thickened.

Shortly before serving, add: 3/4 cup (or so) crumbled feta

Serve with pasta, and grated hard cheese (such as Parmesan, Assiago, or Pecorino)

Notes: You could toast the pine nuts in the oven, but that would make another dish.  I also prefer to cut/mince everything else before I cup up meat, so I don't have to worry about the meat juice getting where it shouldn't be.

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

So I saw this recipe on Pinterest for The Best Broccoli of Your Life, and I wanted to try it.
I didn't have enough broccoli, so I used some cauliflower as well.
(N.B. We just got back from about a week in Wisconsin, so my produce isn't as pretty as it was when I bought it, and I had to trim it more extensively than usual.)

Preheat the oven to 425F.
Cover a cookie sheet with foil.
Cut broccoli and cauliflower into chunks onto the foil.  (I use a lot of the stems, as well as the florets.)  I used two smallish bunches of broccoli, and part of a head of cauliflower.

Spray with olive oil, toss, and repeat twice.
Sprinkle with kosher salt, and grind pepper on top.  Toss in several cloves of pealed garlic.

Roast for 20-25 minutes, until it starts to look browned around the edges.  (It would be a good idea to stir it around during cooking, to let other edges brown, but I didn't do this, because I was busy.)
Zest a lemon over the vegetables, squeeze half of the lemon over them, add a few tablespoons of toasted pine nuts, spray with olive oil again, and grate some hard cheese over the top (I had Assiago on hand, but pecorino or parmigiana would work equally well).  Toss and serve.

Potato Salad

Steam for 25 minutes:

• 2 lb red potatoes (1/2-1" cubes)
• 1/2 lb russet potatoes (1/2-1" cubes)
• 1/2 lb carrots (chopped smaller than the potatoes)

Rinse the vegetables under cold water until the water coming out the bottom of the colander is cold.
Put the vegetables in a pretty big bowl.
Add:

• 2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
• 5 relatively large radishes, thinly sliced
• about half of a 24 oz jar of dill pickles, quartered long-ways, and chopped short-ways
• the green parts of a couple green onions, chopped small
• 7 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (because our egg steamer holds 7, and why not fill it up?)

At this point, the big bowl was completely full.  So I got out a huge (over 6 qt.) mixing bowl, and in it combined:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• about 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• about 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• about 1/2 teaspoon salt

I put about a third of the potato mixture into the dressing mixture and combined them until everything was combined.  Do this gently, with more of a "folding" motion than a "stirring" motion, so as not to smash the potatoes, eggs, etc.
Then I poured it all back into the "big" bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
Before serving, I plan to sprinkle the top with paprika.

The other day, as my husband and I were talking about food and dietary needs and restrictions, he mentioned that he prefers to have some meat along with his pasta.  That statement immediately made me think about Chicken Cacciatore.  And I already had all of the ingredients on hand!

So this morning, I pulled out a couple of cookbooks that I knew had a recipe.  Then I was curious how many cookbooks I have with that recipe.  Turns out, it's six.

(As a side note, I really don't need any more cookbooks.  It's just that there are so many more cookbooks that I want!)

Chicken Cacciatore

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into three pieces each
paprika, salt and pepper
olive oil (a couple of tablespoons)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 cup white cooking wine
about 1/2 lb. mushrooms (2-3 cups, sliced)
1 1/2-2 cups chicken stock
1 (14.5 oz) can diced (Italian style) tomatoes
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
1 bay leaf
a couple of teaspoons dry basil
about 1 tablespoon rinsed capers
15 huge green olives, stuffed with garlic and jalapenos, sliced into three pieces each
a few sprigs of fresh oregano
a sprig of fresh thyme
a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary
a small handful of fresh parsley

Here's a picture of most of the ingredients:

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken pieces with paprika, salt, and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a very large pan.  (I love my enameled cast-iron dutch oven!)
Brown all sides of the chicken.  Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
Saute (or cook, stirring often enough that they don't burn) the onion, celery, and garlic in the pan until the onion is mostly cooked.
Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the wine.  Stir it around, and use it to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Let it cook off some of the liquid.
Add the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, bay leaf, and basil, and stir it up.  Put the chicken back in, and make sure it's down into the sauce, so it will cook.  Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer for a bit.
Add the capers, olives, rosemary, thyme, and most of the oregano.  Continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
Sprinkle the parsley and the rest of the oregano on top, and serve with noodles and hard cheese.  (My favorite is pecorino romano.)

Well, I created a profile, so I should start blogging, right?
My wrist is sore today, so I didn't do anything fancy, but here it goes!

I didn't take any pictures of what I cooked today, but here's one of where I got lettuce for our salad.  My little garden is doing quite nicely.

In addition to salad, we had baked chicken and mashed cauliflower.  Both are extremely easy.

Baked Chicken

Pre-heat the oven to at least 350 degrees F.  

Cut up a whole chicken, or take pre-cut chicken pieces.  

Spray a baking dish with olive oil.  Put the chicken pieces in the baking dish.  Spray them with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

Bake for 30 minutes.  Turn the pieces over sprinkle the other side with salt and pepper, and bake for another 15-20 minutes (until the internal temperature is at least 170 degrees F).  

(If you manage to time it right, and take them out at 170 degrees, cover with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes so the internal temperature comes up to 180 degrees.) 

Mashed Cauliflower

Cut a whole head of cauliflower (or as much of one as you can fit into your steamer) into florettes.  

Steam them for about 25 minutes.  

Dump them into a bowl.  Add a few tablespoons of butter (and salt, if you used unsalted butter).  

Mash.  (I use a hand-held immersion blender.  If you use a potato masher, you might need to steam the cauliflower longer.)

My husband prefers more salt than this, but he adds it at the table.