December 2012

Cassie-Tostadas
Lindsey-Texas Pulled Pork with Sauteed Apples
Kimberly-Chicken Tikka Masala
Lauri-Spaghetti
JoLayna-Chicken Pesto Calzones

Tostadas

Refried Beans:
1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and
chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black
pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
9 cups water

1. Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

Chicken:  

3 frozen chicken breasts

1 chopped onion, 

1 can of rotel tomatoes mild

Place all in a pot of water and boil until chicken is cooked through and you can shred it easily.  When I take the chicken out, I take some of the tomatoes and onions with it and mix it into the chicken.

Rice: 

2 cups long grain rice

1 TBS taco seasoning 

1 TBS Butter

1 cup tomato sauce

4 cups chicken broth

Combine rice, butter and seasoning into a medium pot or wide deep pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes (until golden).  Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Tostadas:

Corn Tortillas (white or yellow)

Salt

Oil for frying

Heat oil in a shallow pan (add enough oil to make about 1 inch deep. Fry tortillas until crisp and season with salt as soon as you remove them from pan.

Toppings:

Chopped Lettuce

Chopped Tomatoes

Queso Fresco

Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix (made according to package directions, but substituting balsamic vinegar for the white vinegar)

The best part of these tostadas are the tortillas and adding the dressing to the top J  It’s Italian dressing made with balsamic vinegar and it’s what makes these tostadas super tasty! 

Chicken Pesto Calzones

Chicken Pesto Calzones

Makes 10-12 calzones (adapted from mykitchenaddiction.com)

Dough

3 cups lukewarm water

2 tsp dry active yeast

1 tsp sugar

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp salt

3 cups unbleached bread flour

5 cups white whole wheat flour

Stuffing

22 oz jar Kirkland Pesto

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

3 cups mozzarella cheese

Topping

Extra virgin olive oil (brushed on top)

Italian seasoning (sprinkled on top)

To prepare the dough, combine the lukewarm water, yeast, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk until the yeast and sugar are dissolved in the water. Transfer to mixer and add the olive oil, salt, and bread flour. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Gradually add the whole wheat flour, until the dough starts to pull from the sides of the bowl. Knead until the dough is smooth (3-5 minutes). Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 475°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside. Divide the dough into 10-12 portions and roll out each portion of the dough into a rectangle/oval on a lightly floured surface.

In a mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken and 2/3 of the pesto jar. With remaining pesto, spread about 1 TBSP of pesto on each calzone surface.  Leave 1 border so sealing the calzone isn’t messy. Then Spoon 1/12 (or 1/10)  of chicken pesto mixture onto half of each piece of dough. Top with ¼ cup of cheese. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges to seal the calzone.

Transfer each calzone to the baking sheet, brush the top with some olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake for about 12 – 14 minutes until golden on top and cooked through. Enjoy!

Spaghetti and Pear Pomegranate Salad

Spaghetti Sauce:

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage (or MSG free                                              4 bay leaves

            pork sausage                                                                            2 Tbsp sugar

1 ½ c. finely chopped onion                                                               4 tsp dried basil leaves

1 (12 oz) can tomato paste                                                                  2 tsp dried oregano leaves

3 (28 oz) cans Italian-style or plain                                                     4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

            crushed tomatoes in puree                                                      2 tsp salt

2 cup water                                                                                         1 (16 oz) pkg. spaghetti

4 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)

In a large pot, cook and stir the bulk sausage with the onion until the meat is brown; drain fat.  Add remaining ingredients, except the spaghetti.  Bring sauce to a boil; reduce heat.  Partly cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  (If desired, simmer in a crockpot instead of pot.)  Makes 12 cups of sauce.

Garlic Bread Seasoning

½ cup powdered Parmesan cheese                                                     2 tsp basil

2 Tbsp kosher salt                                                                               2 tsp marjoram

2 tsp oregano                                                                                       2 tsp dried parsley

Shake ingredients together in an airtight container.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. 

To use:  Mix 1 ½ Tbsp of Garlic Bread Seasoning with ½ cup butter to spread on bread or salmon.  You can also sprinkle this over vegetables, baked potatoes, fish or chicken.

Pear Pomegranate Salad

1/2  cup chopped pecans                                                                     2 ripe pears that are still a little firm

¼ cup sugar                                                                                         Juice of 1 lime

1 head romaine lettuce                                                                        4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

1 (14 oz) bag baby spinach

Seeds from 1 pomegranate (about 1 cup)

Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Combine pecans and sugar in a small nonstick skillet.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and coats the nuts (about 15 minutes).  Place on the prepared foil and set aside.

Toss together lettuce, spinach, pomegranate seeds, pears, lime juice, and cheese, adding the candied pecans right before serving.  Drizzle Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette over the salad and serve immediately.

Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette

½ cup red wine vinegar                                                                       1 tsp kosher salt

½ cup sugar                                                                                         1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1-2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped                                                     ½ cup canola oil

Combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender and process on high.  Lower speed, and while blender is still running, add oil in a steady stream.  Dressing may be stored in refrigerator about 2-3 weeks.  Shake well before serving

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients
Marinade:
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 long skewers (or a George Forman Grill)

Sauce:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 cups heavy cream (or Half and Half)

• 1 cup coconut milk (14oz can)
• 1 green bell pepper

Rice:

• 1 cup Jasmine rice (basmati for more authenticity)

• 1 TBS butter
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1. In a large bowl (or ziplock bag) combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, pepper, ginger,
and salt. Stir in chicken and refrigerate for 1 hour (I prefer overnight).

2. Preheat a grill for high heat.  Combine 1 cup rice with 21/2 cups boiling water in medium saucepan. Lower heat and simmer for 15 min., stirring once.  Fluff with a fork and add butter and cilantro.

3. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill until
juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side (or dump contents on Forman grill).

4. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic, jalapeno and bell pepper for 1 minute.
Season with cumin, paprika, and salt. Stir in tomato sauce, cream and coconut. Simmer on low
heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10
minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro. We
also like to have our version of Naan of making the uncooked tortillas (Not as good as the
real thing, but still good to scoop up the rice and Masala with).  *For more spice, double the cumin and paprika in the sauce.

Texas Pulled Pork with Sauteed Apples

Texas Pulled Pork

3 pound pork roast

3/4 cup barbeque sauce

1/4 cup plus 2 T apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup plus 2 T chicken broth 3 T light brown sugar 2 1/4 tsp prepared yellow mustard

2 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp chili powder ( I halved this amount) 1 large onion, chopped 1 1/2 tsp garlic, crushed 3 T cornstarch mixed in 1 T water

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place the pork roast into the slow cooker on top of sliced onions. Pour in the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, and garlic. Cover and cook on High until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 5 to 6 hours or on Low for 10 hours.
2.	Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Thicken sauce with cornstarch mixed in with cold water until it is more of BBQ consistency. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices & cook a little longer.

Sauteed Apples

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup butter 8 large tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick 2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add apples. Cook, stirring constantly, until apples are almost tender, about 6 to 7 minutes.
2.	Dissolve cornstarch in water; add to skillet. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and serve warm.