International

Chicken with Sun Dried Tomato-Basil Sauce

by // // No Comments

I found this recipe a year or two ago and have it pinned as one of my favorites. It is rich and delicious. One thing I did differently is that I added some of the drippings from the pan I cooked the chicken in. I de-glazed the pan with a bit of water and poured that into my sauce.

4 chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt and fresh pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup onions, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (in package, NOT oil packed)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook in pan until thermometer reads 162 degrees or so (chicken will continue cooking after being removed from the pan.) Remove chicken from pan and set aside, keeping covered.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and shallots, cook 1-2 minutes, just until soft. Add sun dried tomatoes; stir.

With a whisk in hand, add flour and stir. Pour in chicken broth and whisk constantly to remove any lumps.
Add cream; whisk.
Continue whisking for 3-4 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken.  Take off heat and let sit; it will

continue to thicken
Add fresh basil to sauce and give it a good stir.

Serve the chicken and sauce with your choice of pasta.

Source

Red Curry and Ginger Pork Loin

by // // No Comments

So, I like to cook with pork. It is so versatile and lends itself well to different flavors. I decided to make up a curry and ginger marinade and sauce. It is slightly sweet with a definite kick due to the curry.

Ingredients:
1/4 C. oil
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar2 Tbsp. red curry paste
1 tsp. fresh ground ginger

2 lbs. meat. I used pork, but it would be great with chicken or beef. 

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Place meat in a large zip top bag. Pour marinade over the top. If you have a meat injector, you could also inject some of the marinade into the meat. Let marinate in the fridge for an hour or two.
Heat up your grill over med high to high heat. Oil your grill grate. Remove meat from marinade and place on grill. Let sit for a few minutes, then turn. Continue cooking pork until an instant read thermometer registers between 145 and 160 degrees F. Let meat rest for at least 5 minutes.

For extra sauce cook the following in a small sauce pan:
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. Brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. red curry paste
1/3 c. water
juice of 1 lime.
Heat til just boiling, then simmer for 5 mins or so. 

Mediterranean Inspired Orzo Salad

by // // No Comments

 So, in April I went to Utah to surprise my sister for her 30th Birthday. Her husband then surprised us all by taking us by limousine to The Roof Restaurant at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City. They had a salad there that was made with Israeli couscous and was full of Mediterranean flavors. I was determined to re-create it at home. I searched high and low for Israeli couscous, but when I turned up empty handed, I decided to just use orzo past, which I love.
It is a simple pasta salad using my Greek Style Vinaigrette.

Ingredients: 
1 C. orzo pasta
1/3 C. pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped (about 10 olives)
1/3 C. crumbled feta cheese
1-2 Tbsp. fresh chopped dill
Salt and Pepper if needed 
Directions:
Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. 
Chop Kalamata olives
Chop dill
Place orzo in a bowl, add olives, feta cheese, dill and dressing. Toss to coat. Adjust dressing or S&P according to taste. 
You could easily add whatever other ingredients you want. Chopped spinach, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts would be great additions. 
And, if you are lucky enough, you could try it with Israeli couscous. 

 

Freezer Meal: Cafe Rio Chicken

by // // No Comments

A little confession.  I know the food is good at Cafe Rio.  I ate there once or twice on a trip to southern Utah a few years back.  But I don’t go ballistic nuts over it.  Just sayin’.  Maybe because I have had so much authentic Mexican food that I never feel like I have been deprived, you know? (Not sure if this is a copycat recipe or what, but my source is noted at the end of this post). This was really tasty.  I used it in a salad, but there was plenty left over to do burritos or fajitas, tacos…OMGoodness, this would be amazing in Sopa de Pollo!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz.  zesty Italian dressing
1/2 T. minced garlic
1 packet ranch dressing mix, combined with 1/2 cup water
1/2 T. chili powder
1/2 T. ground cumin

1.  Place all ingredients in a zippered freezer bag (gallon size). Close bag and smoosh all the ingredients together.  Place bag in freezer until ready to use.
2. Take out of freezer one hour prior to prep time–this is also a slow cooker recipe–OR run room temperature water over the bag for about 30 seconds.  Then, empty ingredients into a slow cooker.
3.  Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.  Remove from slow cooker and shred with forks.

NOTE:  Great in tacos, salads, burritos, etc.

TIPS:  You might want to put this in two quart-size bags, depending on the size of your slow cooker.  What I have found with these recipes is that however you place them in the freezer is the shape and size you are going to have of your frozen meal.  Hopefully, that fits in your cooker.  Mine barely did on this.  But I tried a different recipe the other day (yuck!!) that I laid out flat to freeze and it wouldn’t fit my smaller cooker and even with my larger oval one I had to chop away at the corners of the food to get them down in order to get the lid on securely.  Good things to know before you start.

Source:  Chef In Training.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

by // // No Comments

I know that there have been a few different versions of enchiladas posted on the Mormon Mavens blog, but this is my version and it is also one of my favorite freezer meals. I usually make 3 or 4 pans at a time and freeze a couple.
This recipe is a take on my mom’s enchiladas that I LOVED eating as a kid. I simplified the recipe to make it fit my lifestyle more. I do not cook the sauce and I do not combine the sauce and the chicken like my mom does.

Also note-almost everything in this recipe is APPROXIMATIONS. I know that is horrible for a food blog, but, I have never used a measuring cup or spoon when I make this. Just tweak it to your liking!

2 Chicken breasts cooked and chopped (I broil mine sprinkled with garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, lime juice and oil.)
2-3 Cups shredded cheese (mont jack, colby jack, mexican blend, whatever you prefer.)Flour tortillas-soft taco size

Sauce:
Saute  in a pan til soft, 1 onion-chopped and one garlic clove minced
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 to 2 C. sour cream
1/2 to 1 C. salsa
1 can diced green chilies
1/4 to 1/2 C. green salsa (I only add this if I have it on hand)

A couple or a few shakes of hot sauce
A few shakes of chili powder
A few shakes of cumin
Just mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a big bowl.
Lay out a 9x13in. pan, your tortillas, your chopped chicken, your sauce and your cheese . You can add the shredded cheese to the sauce (reserving a bit to sprinkle over the top) if you want to skip a step.
Put a blob of sauce in the bottom of your pan and spread around. Then get to filling and rolling your tortillas. NOTE: Make sure you do NOT use all your sauce on the inside of the tortillas, you want some left to spread over the top of all the rolled enchiladas.
Sprinkle a small handful of chicken in the middle of the tortilla, put a blob of sauce on there and a sprinkle of cheese, then roll up. Place in the pan, seam side down. Continue this step until your pan is full (I can normally get about 10 in there) I squeeze them in there.
Place the rest of the sauce on the top of the enchiladas and spread around, making sure to get all the tortillas covered. Then sprinkle a little more cheese on top. You can cover and freeze them like this or you can just bake them right away.

Cover with foil and bake for about 20-30 mins in a 350 degree oven. Remove the foil and bake another 10 mins or so, til the edges are bubbly.

If you freeze them, just cook them at about 350, covered, for a couple hours until the center is warm and the edges are bubbly.

Serve with Rice, beans, shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, chopped olives, and whatever else you like.

Asian Style Dumpling Soup

by // // No Comments
This recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen. 
It is rich and full of Asian flavors. Using store bought dumplings helps it come together quickly. I also use pre-cooked bacon crumbles to save even more time (and to prevent bacon smell all over the house.)
Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (or use pre-cooked bacon crumbles)
3 green onions, white and green parts separated, sliced thin on bias
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (I use the kind in a tube-again, to save time.)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 oz, shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin (I used dried shiitakes that I re-hydrated and chopped)
6 C. chicken broth
16 oz. frozen Asian-style dumplings or potstickers
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Directions:
Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp, six to eight minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the pan and return the pan to medium heat. Add the whites of the green onion, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until green onions have softened, about two minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until beginning to brown, about five minutes. 

Add broth and bring to a boil. Add the dumplings or potstickers and simmer over medium-low heat until they are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fish sauce and lime juice. Serve, sprinkled with the greens of the green onions and bacon.

Itialian Lentil Soup

by // // No Comments

This is a family favorite. Healthy and delicious. Can be made over the stove or thrown in the crockpot. I have done both ways, just depends on what’s going on. It is so easy to throw in what you have. I have used fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, frozen grape tomatoes, it is such a forgiving recipe. I have also made it with real Italian pork sausage (I don’t like it that way, too greasy), chicken sausage links that I cooked and cut up, and with ground Italian style chicken sausage (my favorite.)

Italian Lentil Soup

1 lb. package Italian style chicken sausage
1 onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
2-3 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 C. chicken or vegetable stock
tomatoes (one can diced or a couple fresh diced or a bunch of grape tomatoes, whatever you have or want to use.)
1-1/2 C. Dry lentils
Italian seasonings (Basil, thyme, oregano) or and Italian seasoning blend
1 (10 oz pkg) spinach or a bunch of kale, roughly chopped
1/2 C. cream (optional)

In a large dutch oven, brown the chicken sausage over med. high heat.
Add the veggies and cook and stir for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Pour in the liquid and add the tomatoes.
Add the dry herbs. I usually just sprinkle in some basil, oregano and thyme. Add salt and pepper if needed.
Bring the soup to a low boil, add the dry lentils and turn soup down to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the lentils begin to soften (about 15-25 mins.)
Stir in the spinach or kale and the cream, if using. Cook til greens are wilted.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

*If using a crock pot, cook the chicken and then dump in all the ingredients except the spinach and cream. Cook on low for a few hours, until lentils are soft. Then stir in your greens and cream, if using. 

Barbacoa Pork Taquitos

by // // No Comments
This recipe is a combination of 2 of my family’s favorites. 
One of my favorite things is a barbacoa pork quesadilla. It is what I order if I ever go to Cafe Rio. It’s made with sweet pork and colby jack cheese. It’s what I make when I cook my own sweet pork at home. 
One day I had a light bulb go off in my head and decided to make my favorite taquitos with the pork and colby jack, rather than chicken and pepper jack.
Barbacoa Pork Taquitos

1/3 C. (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C. green salsa
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions
2 C. prepared Barbacoa Pork
1 C. grated colbyjack cheese
small flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add pork and cheese and combine well. (You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.)

Place 2-3 T of pork mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.  Roll up tortillas and place seam down on a baking sheet, not touching one another.  Spray lightly with cooking spray, or lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.  Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, or your favorite dipping sauce.

I normally triple this recipe and freeze a bunch. Just fill and roll your tortillas and place them on your baking sheet. Omit the spray and salt. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the taquitos are frozen. Then transfer them to a plastic freezer bag. To cook them, just put them on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for about 25 mins. 

Coconut Curry Chicken

by // // No Comments

This is a simple curry to make. I love the addition of the lemon zest and the fresh basil.

Coconut Chicken Curry

3-4 Chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 can-about 1 1/2 cups– coconut milk (may use lite if you prefer)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar (may use honey)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1. In a large skillet, cook chicken in a little bit of olive oil. Remove from pan. 
2. Combine Milk, soy sauce, sugar and salt in small bowl.
3. In a small bowl, put garlic, curry powder, zest and pepper flakes 
4. Add oil to skillet over med-high heat. Heat for 30 seconds. Dump in the garlic and spices. Stir fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the coconut milk mixture and bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and cook until the sauce thickens slightly. Return chicken to pan. Heat through. Add basil.
5. Serve with rice

Feeds about 6-8 people.

source: Amy Harnois

Curried Walnut Couscous–redo

by // // 2 Comments

I got this recipe from a grocery store back in Florida. They had entire meals printed in color on nice card stock for people to collect. Anyway one of the meals featured this curried walnut couscous and it has been one of my absolute favorites ever since. My kids love it too (and make a giant mess when they eat it.)
 It is quick and simple and delicious
CURRIED WALNUT COUSCOUS
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 C. chopped walnuts (I use pecans in a pinch)
1 C. couscous
1 1/2 C. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 C. golden raisins (I have never made it with these)
Place butter, brown sugar, curry powder and walnuts in a medium saucepan. Cook 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring often until butter melts. 
Cook 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly. 
Stir in remaining ingredients, heat and stir 2 more minutes. 
Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff and serve.