Lit'l Smokies, Corn, Beans and Crunchy Vegetables

I'm recovering from a big abdominal surgery and using up the ingredients I have here,  before attempting grocery shopping - which I'm very excited to do again! All Foodies love to grocery shop! 

Today I have a couple pots of soup in the 'fridge, but when I saw a pack of Hillshire Farms Little Smokies in the lunchmeat-cheese drawer in my 'fridge, I immediately knew I needed to have them for lunch.

Chop the vegetables. Sauté the celery in a 2-1/2 quart pot, in 2-3T good quality, single source EVOO. Cook and stir this a few minutes before adding the bell pepper, onion and Yukon Gold potatoes. Stir everything to coat with the oil, reduce the heat, cover and let simmer 5 minutes. 

Increase the heat and add the chopped Lit'l Smokies and some water or chicken broth if needed. Stir-fry everything a while, make sure nothing is sticking to the pan, reduce heat, cover and let simmer 5 minutes.

Drain and rinse the corn and beans. Add them to the pot, stir then let simmer another 5 minutes to heat everything through. Serve as is or with a crispy green salad and/or corn muffins. This was quick and SO good. Makes about 4-6 servings. . .Lin

Chicken and Spicy Mexican Rice

I have to begin by saying, my heart really wasn't in this today. I had hoped for warmer weather to take the dogs to a beach I once found, but now have no recollection of its location. I'd love to find it again though and was hoping today would be the day. However, The Weather had other ideas. When I started this, it was 37° and snowing! I thawed some chicken thighs and decided to cut those up and roast them with some seasoned vegetables. 

1# chicken thigh meat
3 big cloves garlic
1/2 lg. bell pepper
3 stalks of celery
1/3c EVOO
salt, chipotle seasoning, black pepper

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, slice the vegetables, mince the garlic and combine it all in a favorite pan. Drizzle with EVOO, season and stir with a wooden spoon to coat.

 

Roast in a 375° oven for 20 minutes. Your kitchen will smell heavenly while this is happening! At this point, there will be a lot of liquid in the pan. Shake or stir to coat all the pieces again and raise the heat to 425° for an additional 20 minutes to get everything nicely browned.

Meanwhile rinse 1c of quick cooking whole-grain brown rice well, then soak it in 1c fresh cold water for 20 minutes. Add 1c of juice from a 28oz. can of tomatoes and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 additional minutes. Cool for half an hour, then stir in the following ingredients.

1/4 - 1/3c finely diced jalapeños from a jar

8oz. total of grated sharp cheddar and sour cream

- or - any 8oz. combination of cheese, hard and soft, sharp and mild cheese, or heavy cream

Add the diced tomatoes* and remaining juice, from a 28oz. can, to this mixture then pour it over everything in the pan. Stir once again just enough to combine. Sprinkle with a little grated cheese if you'd like, then return to a 350° oven for about 15 minutes, until everything is bubbly. Serve with a simple green salad as is, or stir in some beans and corn! This turned out well, and in the end I'm glad I had mykitchen time to create this for the next few days. . .Lin

Tuttorosso* . . .These are the best canned tomatoes! The quality and quantity of the tomatoes and the juice are excellent! There are a couple name brands, starting with "H," that I will never buy again. Their juice is watery and the tomato pieces are covered with peelings. Check out Tuttorosso! I'm not sure where I bought mine, but they're available on Amazon if you can't find them in your local grocery store.

Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Tomato-Cream Scalloped Vegetables

• 2# skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
• Rosemary Seasoning *
• 2T dark Moroccan EVOO

• juice from the bowl of vegetables
• 1 14.5oz can stewed tomatoes
• 6oz. Alfredo sauce
• ½c sour cream
• 1t sugar
• 2T fresh lemon juice
• 1-2T dark syrupy balsamic vinegar
• 1t± powdered rosemary
• 1t± fresh ground black pepper

Today, I'm cooking for a friend recovering from surgery. It took a while for this recipe to come together in my mind. I kept wanting to run to the store for some spinach and red peppers to add to it. Instead, I decided to just use what was here, take my time with technique and seasonings for the sauce, hoping to make it something this person will like. 

To start, wash, dry, then trim excess fat from the chicken thighs.  Sprinkle them well, then rub them with seasoning and put skin side down into hot EVOO in a non-stick skillet. Cover with a splatter screen. While these are sizzling, combine 1-2T chicken soup base with 1c of warm water and pour it over sliced vegetables shown, in a large glass bowl, toss to coat them, to keep them bright and fresh. Turn the chicken over. After a few minutes, when the skin is cool enough to touch, pull it off (keep it to render for another recipe, or give it to your dogs if they're okay with a little sodium) Re-season the chicken and flip it again to crisp it.

Drain the stewed tomatoes, using the juice for something else. Rough chop half and add them to the vegetables. Finely chop the rest into a medium glass bowl, with the next group of ingredients. Whisk this well then pour most of it over the vegetables in an 8x2x11" glass baking pan. Add the chicken and spoon the rest of the sauce on top.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for about an hour, basting once. Check the vegetables for doneness, baste again. Bake a little longer if needed or serve. If you love to cook, have fun with it, and look for ways you can share it with the people you love. . .Lin

Fun with a Roasted Chicken

Mushroom Chicken Stroganoff

8-12oz. No Yolk Stir-Fry Noodles

Cook the pasta about half way, so the noodles are still chewy.  Rinse well in cold water, to keep them from sticking together. Drain  in a collander until later.

2 med. chopped carrots

1 med. yellow onion - chopped

¼ lg. green pepper - sliced thin

2-3T minced garlic from a jar

1-2t mild pepper blend

2T butter

8oz. washed, chopped mushrooms

1T mushroom Better Than Bouillon soup base

1c+/- fresh cold water

6oz. sour cream

½c crumbly-powdery Parmesan cheese

12oz. roasted (pre-cooked) dark chicken meat

Sauté the first group of ingredients until they start to brown a little. Add the soup base and the water, a little at a time, only using what you need to keep it from sticking. Cook only until the carrots are still somewhat hard.

When the cooked vegetables cool a bit, gently stir in the sour cream and dry Parmesan. When that's well combined, add the pasta, incorporating everything well. Add the chicken stirring just be sure it's coated with the sour cream mixture and mixed with the other ingredients. Bake at 325° for 20-30 minutes.

Quick Spicy Chicken Noodle Bowl

This was a quick deviation, for lunch for me, since I didn't need all the pasta. I took a handful of that, some chicken, a little of the partially cooked onion, mushroom, and a little of the cooking juices. In another small bowl, I combined some finely chopped roasted red pepper, Coriander (CILANTRO) Chutney, Basil Pesto, a splash of white balsamic vinegar, and some sour cream.  

Oh my. . .If you've used the Coriander Chutney, you know how spicy it is! That's the Serrano peppers they use. They pack a wallop - so go easy until you're used to cooking with that. Somehow I knew this would be a good combination, and it sure was. I've still got LOTS of chicken, so watch for more chicken recipes. It's still my favorite of all the animal proteins! . . . Lin

Shepherd's Pie

I've never made one of these.  My sweet, tiny little Grandma, whose maiden name was Shepherd, was from England.  I think she may have made this once or twice when I was very young, but my memory of that is foggy.  I wasn't sure I even had the right idea about what they are.  I did a quick Google search and found that my idea was far more complicated, but decided to go with it anyway.  I made a meatloaf base, separate from the vegetables and topped, 'frosted' it all with mashed potatoes, so 3 layers total.  This mades a lot of food, which was a good thing for today.  The largest container is for a big family I know.  I gave one of the little ones to a friend who stopped over earlier, and the other one is for me.  This made 20 servings, so it's a good thing to make for a hungry crowd.

MEAT LOAF LAYER

Start with the vegetables.

Chop the vegetables, then break up all the meat and mix everything together in a giant bowl, with your hands.

a BIG handful of fresh spinach

tops from a bunch of green onion

1 med. yellow or white onion

1 colorful sweet pepper

5-6 lg. cloves of garlic

½T Himalayan pink salt

½T Tellicherry black pepper

2# lean ground beef

1# ground turkey

1# ground pork or chicken

In a medium bowl, mix together what I call 'the glop.'

1½c rolled oats
-or- quick steel cut oats

3 lg. eggs
6oz. sour cream + 6oz. water

After 15 minutes or so, the oats should absorb enough that a spoon will stand up when the perfect level of gloppiness is achieved 😉

Bake this in well greased or parchment paper lined baking pans, in a 350° oven for 50-60 minutes.  Drain off any accumulated grease.  Prepare the vegetables and potatoes next.  When the meat is cooled, cut it into individual size servings.

VEGETABLE LAYER

Chop or slice, then cook your vegetables so they're crisp-tender. Drain and save the cooking water for soup, give it to your dogs or pour it in a cup and drink it. Cover the
meat layer with the vegetables. Today I had a colorful mix of:

1½# scrubbed carrots

2-3c cauliflower florets

12oz. frozen French cut beans

some radishes

MASHED POTATO TOPPING

Scrub 3# of potatoes.  The Yukon Gold's were nice, so I didn't peel them.  I just cut away any bad places and cut them into ½" cubes.  Steam-cook them until they're mashable.  Drain the water, season with salt and pepper, add butter and sour cream.  Put the cooked vegetables on top of the cut meat layer, then cover everything with the mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle the top with seasonings if you want and broil on low, until the top browns.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle on some shredded cheese.   Comfort Food! . . Lin

Chicken-Farro-Vegetable Pilaf

1c farro

3c chopped vegetables

~ carrot, celery, onion

1-2T extra virgin olive oil

1# seasoned chicken breast or thigh meat
~ this is garlic and herb

1t-1T seasoning

1t-1T soup base

3c water

Farro is an ancient whole grain with many dietary benefits, but it's derived from wheat, so it's not gluten-free.  If you want to add whole grains, protein and fiber to your diet, farro is a convenient and healthy choice.  It's one of the oldest cultivated grains, initially discovered in the fertile crescent of the Middle East.  Farro is an original grain from which other grains are derived.  More commonly it's now grown in Italy in the regions of Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany, and the Marches.

Rinse the farro well in a strainer and let it drain on a crumpled paper towel.  Combine the vegetables, farro and bite size pieces of chicken in a large non-stick pan with the olive oil.  Saute on low until the chicken and farro browns a little and the vegetables are slightly translucent.  Add 3c water and seasonings and/or soup base.  Cover and simmer over low heat until all the water absorbs - 30-40 minutes.  This is something that can be served now, to a group as a casserole, or just made ahead for individual servings for lunches or dinners for the next 3-4 days.  

*EDIT:  When I first tasted this, I realized I had used too much seasoning.  To balance that, I added about ½c sour cream, 1-2T tomato paste and a splash of white wine.  Worked like a charm! . .Lin

A Colorful Zucchini Pasta Thing

4c zucchini chunks

2T coconut oil

1 celery heart - chopped

¾c chopped green pepper

½ lg. yellow onion - chopped

3-4 lg. garlic cloves - minced

2-3c finely chopped grape tomatoes

1T roasted garlic and herb seasoning

1-2T vegetable soup base

1-2T sugar
⅓c sunflower or pumpkin seeds

4T of a nut based salsa

chopped celery tops

¼c dry white wine*

4oz. colorful uncooked pasta

Scrub the zucchini, then cut it in half or quarters, lengthwise.  Scoop or cut out the seeds and throw these away.  Cut what remains into chunks.  Combine these with the other ingredients in the first group, cover and simmer on low until the zucchini becomes a little translucent.

Combine the tomatoes and the rest of those ingredients to make a vegetable 'sauce' for the pasta and vegetables *(I often freeze wine in an ice cube tray to use later in recipes.  2 standard cubes = ¼c)  Microwave 1 minute then stir and set aside.

Cook the pasta separately just to the al dente' stage.  Drain and combine with the sauteed vegetables and tomato mixture.  Top with cheese and bake uncovered 15 minutes at 350⁰. . .Lin

"Chicken In A Basket". . .so named by my friend Erick

24oz. chicken breast or thigh meat

2t +/- Rosemary Seasoning *

½ c chopped onion

2T butter

carrots

celery and tops

1 med. zucchini

3-5 big garlic cloves

4c water

2-3T corn flour

2 c frozen baby peas

1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes - drained

1 15oz. jar Newman's Own Garlic Alfredo

1 8oz. can diced - drained water chestnuts

Clean the chicken up, regarding fat.  Cut away as much as you can, then cut it all in bite-size pieces into a 5 quart pot.  Add the seasoning now, or wait until later if you want.  Saute' this group 5 minutes.

Add the fresh chopped, diced or sliced vegetables, a little of the water, cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Pour ¾c of the water into a clear mug.  Stir in the corn flour, making a smooth paste.  Add this to the pot, then more water, and the next group of ingredients, EXCEPT the alfredo.  Once the vegetables are almost cooked, stir in the alfredo.

Pour this into a buttered 9"x13" glass pan or the equivalent.  Disclaimer:  Please don't bake this in an actual 'basket' - If you do. . .No, I will NOT come over and clean your oven!

😁

Top with biscuits, whole or cut into quarters.  Mix together a 'wash' of 1-2 tablespoons of melted butter, an egg yolk and a splash of water.  Brush this on the biscuits, sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake about 20 minutes at 350° until the biscuits are golden.

This will fill many hungry tummies. . .Lin

Red White and Green Sicilian Turkey Pasta

2+# of turkey breast

5 lg. cloves of garlic

2T butter or olive oil

8-10oz. large-chunky pasta

1 bunch dinosaur kale

8oz. of fresh mushrooms

1lg. sweet red pepper

6 green onions

2T butter or olive oil

8oz. neufchâtel cheese

13oz. crushed tomatoes

1T sugar

1-2T Italian or Sicilian seasoning

many grinds of fresh black pepper

1-2 cans drained, rinsed white beans

8oz. fresh grated parmesan cheese

Cut the turkey breast, with the grain - then cross cut against the grain of the meat, into big chunks.  Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over med.-high heat.  Saute'-sizzle the turkey until it's just beginning to brown.  Add the well chopped garlic.  Stir and cook until garlic begins to brown.  Pour in a little water or white wine to keep it from burning.  As it evaporates add a bit more.  Do this 2-3 times until the meat and garlic are well browned, but be really careful.  If the garlic scorches, it'll impart a nasty bitterness to this whole dish.  This step can be done way ahead of time, which is what I did.  Once it's cooled down, scoop it all into a heavy zip-seal plastic bag.  Force out the air and freeze.

Boil the pasta until almost al dente.  Wash the kale, cut out the center rib, then cut it into thin ribbons.  Put it into boiling water, then reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes.  Drain and rinse the pasta in cold water to keep it from sticking together and put in a large baking container.  Drain the kale and add it to the pasta.

Slice, chop the next group of vegetables and saute' in butter or oil until they're about half way cooked.  Add this to the baking container.  Immediately put the neufchâtel cheese, cut in cubes, on top of all the hot ingredients, gently mix together, then cover.

(meanwhile, drain and rinse the beans)  Uncover and stir occasionally to help melt the cheese.  Combine the tomatoes sugar and seasonings.  Once the cheese is melted, add the seasoned tomatoes. Stir again until everything is coated with the cheese and tomatoes.  Last, add the drained-rinsed beans and half of the parmesan.  Mix one last time.  Top with the rest of the parmesan, cover and bake at 250° for 45-60 minutes.

This picture was taken before I added the grated parmesan.  It looked much better right out of the oven, but everyone was hungry, so no time for a picture then!  It was a little bubbly with the top cheese having just a hint of browning.  Mmmm this was so good! . .Lin

Italian Minnesota "Hot Dish"

2 sm.-med. zucchini 

¼ lg. purple shallot - chopped

½t fresh ground black pepper

½c roasted-salted pumpkin seed kernels

½t garlic sea salt

1-2 T butter

2 lg. garlic cloves - chopped

¾ lg. purple shallot - chunked

1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes

1½c dry pasta

Saute' the first group of ingredients over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, to brown the zucchini a bit.  Cook until the vegetables get somewhat translucent.  Add the next group, cover and simmer for 15 minutes on low-medium heat.  Check and stir occasionally.  Meanwhile cook the pasta until it's almost al dente.  Drain, then quickly transfer the pasta to the vegetable pan and fold together.  Add a ladle or two of the pasta water to the vegetable mix, stir gently.  Bring the pan back to a quick boil, stirring the whole time.  Pour into a casserole container and proudly take this Italian Minnesota Hot Dish to your next Pot Luck Dinner...Lin

Crawfish Casserole

It's been a while since I've posted.  Since the last time, my first Great Grandchild was born, I developed shingles, and also had a really bad cold or the flu.  So, even though I was cooking, I wasn't posting.  Then, when I attempted to download some pictures of what I had cooked, they disappeared.  So those are gone. . .P.O.O.F. . .

This recipe looks like a remake of the previous one, using leftovers, but that isn't the case.  The two were created weeks apart since, recently, I wanted to make the crawfish bisque for my granddaughter and her guy.  I followed the previous recipe and then added the cooked pasta with a little more Alfredo sauce, parmesan cheese and Italian panko breadcrumbs, turning it into a casserole rather than a bisque.  Oh, it was good! . .Lin

Chicken, Rice, Peas and Carrots

This recipe, with a few variations here and there, is becoming a repeat!  See original ↓ 4.  Today I changed up the spice profile a bit and didn't add onion.  (The little shaker is a combination of finely ground black and red pepper - an excellent blend!)  Start with 12oz. chicken breast meat, ½c uncooked white rice, and 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil.  Saute' and stir for several minutes to brown the chicken and rice a bit.  Add a little chicken broth, seasonings, cover and shut off the heat.

Meanwhile, simmer ¼c split peas and 2 chopped carrots in 1c chicken broth for 20 minutes, then combine with the chicken and rice.  Simmer, covered, another 20 minutes, until the peas are cooked.  Serve as is, like a chicken-rice casserole. . .


OR - Before the last 20 minutes of cooking time, add a 28oz. can of petite diced tomatoes, sautéed' onions, peppers, and celery. . .and you've got a quick healthy soup. . .Lin

Chicken-Broccoli Wild Rice Casserole

1c mixed wild rice

2T Tuscan olive oil

1-2T butter
⅓c dry white wine

1 lg. purple shallot

4oz. sliced mushrooms

8oz. fresh broccoli

½lg. sweet onion
6oz. chicken thigh meat

2t lemon pepper

1T Italian seasoning

1½c homemade broth

1c Chobani Greek yogurt

In a regular frying pan (not non-stick) heat up the rice, oil and butter until the rice is snapping.  Slowly add the wine, as needed, simmering, covered for about a half hour, adding some of the vegetable broth if needed.  Add the vegetables, saving the broccoli florets for later.

When the wine is gone, add seasonings and more broth.  This is the vegetable broth I made several posts back.  I only used about half of it here, so I'll use the rest in another recipe.  (I did not use the can of soup shown in the first picture.)  Continue to simmer, covered, for about a half hour, adding more broth as needed.  When the rice is beginning to plump up, add the chicken.

(I added the broccoli florets at this point and it was WAY overcooked as you can see from the next picture.)-*-

Combine remaining broth with the yogurt, pour over everything in the pan.  Transfer this to a casserole-type baking dish, bake in a 325° oven for an hour.  After about 40 minutes, gently stir, then continue baking, dropping the temperature to 290°, -*-(add the broccoli florets at this time.)  Continue to cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked and tender, about another 20 minutes.  I underestimated the amount of time the rice would take.

This is not pretty, but turned out well in spite of the problem with the cooking times. . .Lin

Brussels Sprouts Beans and Potato Casserole

12oz. frozen baby Brussels sprouts

  6oz. frozen skinny green beans

- C - 1/2 red pepper

- H - 1 med. onion 

- O - 2 med. sweet potatoes

- P  - 1 lg. Idaho potato

Fresh ground salt and pepper

3-4T butter - cut into little squares

I had a big bowl of Beef Barley Soup for lunch and then, as dinner time rolled around, all I could think of was I wanted to make a BIG vegetable casserole!  Fortunately, I always have lots to pick from.  This went together in about 10 minutes using both frozen and fresh.  In a large baking dish, combine all the whole (and chopped) ingredients.  Bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes.  Keep an eye on it though, mine went from almost perfect to a little overdone in no time.

This can be served as a side or main dish.  If you want to add some Chili-Lime Cashews or Smoked Almonds, you'd have a great Vegan Main Dish.  Tonight I added some feta cheese crumbles and some chili sunflower seeds. . .Lin

Winter and Summer Squash Casserole

1/2 lg. butternut squash - peeled

3 sweet potatoes - scrubbed, not peeled

2 med.-lg. zucchini

1 med. onion - sliced

1 red pepper - sliced

8 oz. sour cream

3-4 oz. tomato pesto

1-2 t granulated roasted garlic

2 c fresh chopped tomatoes

fresh ground pepper and sea salt
chili-lime seasoning

Spiral slice the first 3 vegetables into a medium roasting pan.  Add the sliced onion and pepper.  In a medium size bowl, combine the remaining 6 ingredients, pour over the vegetables, mixing everything together gently.  Bake covered 15-20 minutes at 350° then check for doneness.  There should still be a little crunch to the squash.  At this point, you can serve as is, or sprinkle on some parmesan bread crumbs and place under the broiler a few minutes to brown the top. . .Lin