Random Risotto

*1 box Mushroom risotto

*1 bundle asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces and sprinkled with lemon juice

*1 squash, diced

*1/2 can chick peas (garbanzo beans), warmed

*1 tbsp Gorgonzola cheese

*1 small can mushroom pieces and stems, drained

*Shredded Parmesan

***************

*Cook risotto according to instructions on box.

*Boil squash until tender

*Add asparagus to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes

*Saute mushrooms in butter

*Once risotto is cooked, add asparagus, squash, chick peas, mushrooms and Gorgonzola.

Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Purple Hull Peas

I had never even heard of purple hull peas until this past weekend when we went to our farmers market and they were selling them fresh. Man, are they good! Joe likes to think of himself as a bean (pea) aficionado and he told me time and time again while eating tonight that this was the absolute best (bean) pea soup he has ever eaten. I say it was due to the fresh peas, or maybe it was the cook...?! Or maybe, just maybe, he was really hungry.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2 pints fresh purple hull peas
4-6 slices of thick, center-cut smokey bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In a dutch oven, brown bacon with onion and garlic.
Add peas and water, adding enough water to cover peas plus an inch; add cilantro.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer approximately 20-30 minutes until peas are done.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I topped mine off with homemade pico de gallo and served it with a green onion and butter-topped cornbread muffins.

McKerr Muffins

And this is yet another delicious recipe out of my new Cooking Light cookbook.

Cooking Spray
4 (2 1/2 inch) mushrooms
2 tsps fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (I used more because we like it hot!)
1 tsp butter
1 1/2 cups egg substitute
2 whole wheat English muffins, split and toasted
4 (1 ounce) slices Canadian bacon
4 (1 ounce) slices part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped green onions

Heat non-stick skillet over medium heat; coat with cooking spray. Remove stems from mushrooms and discard stems (I also cleaned out some of that weird stuff on the inside). Add mushrooms to skillet, under sides up. Pour 1/2 tsp lemon juice into each cap. Sprinkle evenly with dill and red pepper. Cook 6 minutes or until mushrooms are browned; turn mushrooms over and cook 1 minute more. Remove from pan, cover and keep warm.

Wipe same pan with a paper towel. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add egg substitute and allow to set about 30 seconds. Gently scrape cooked part of egg substitute to center and continue doing so ever so often until all egg substitute is set (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat.

Preheat broiler.

Arrange muffin halves cut sides up on a baking sheet. Top each muffin half with 1 Canadian bacon slice, about 1/3 cup scrambled egg substitute and 1 mushroom cap, stem side down. Gently press mushroom cap down. Top each mushroom cap with 1 cheese slice. Broil 1 1/2 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately.

I served mine with jalapeno hash browns and tomato slices.

The husband was happy!

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Yet another recipe from my new Cooking Light cookbook.

Three words:

1. Oh

2. my

3. goodness!

*************************

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 minced garlic cloves

1 seven ounce bottle salsa verde (such as Herdez)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (I just used canned)

1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

8 six-inch corn tortillas

cooking spray

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled queso fresco

1/2 tsp chili powder

4 lime wedges

*************************

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Place first 4 ingredients in a blender (next time I would add a jalapeno because I like some heat); process until smooth. Combine chicken and cream cheese in a large bowl. Stir in 1.2 cup salsa mixture. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

3. Bring broth to a simmer in a medium skillet. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, add tortilla to pan, then flip. You only want to get it moist, turning it only once or else it will become soggy. Remove tortilla; drain on paper towel covered plate. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. Place tortilla, seam-side down in an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, broth and chicken mixture.

4. Pour reserved salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with queso fresco and chili powder (I forgot to do the chili powder but it was still mouthwateringly delicious). Bake at 425 for 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with lime wedges.

*************************

Yield: 4 servings (2 enchiladas and 1 lime wedge)

*************************

Serve with cilantro-lime rice and black beans, I even added some sliced avocado.

Thanks for the amazing cookbooks, Jenn!

(I'll work my way to the other one soon. The recipes in there sound great too, this one just has more enticing pictures! LOL!)

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad with Watermelon-mango Salad

More recipes from my new Cooking Light cookbook!

Watermelon-Mango Salad
2 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
1 cup sliced, peeled mango
1 1/2 tbsps lime juice
2 tsps honey
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh chopped mint

Mix lime juice, honey and salt with a whisk. Drizzle over fruit and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with mint, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
DRESSING:
2/3 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 tsps lime juice
1 tbsp minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

SALAD:
4 cups shredded romaine
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced avocado
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can corn, rinsed and drained

Combine salad ingredients, drizzle with dressing and serve immediately. I also served a side of cilantro-lime rice.

CILANTRO-LIME RICE:
Cook rice and add lime juice, fresh chopped cilantro and garlic salt to taste.


This meal was absolutely delicious! The fruit alone was out of this world. Next time I think I'll omit the lettuce from the taco salad and just serve it as a chipotle chicken salad with tortilla chips or even in a pita pocket. Yum!

Potato, Corn & Leek Chowder with Tossed Green Salad and Turkey Melts

I received a belated birthday gift from Jennifer this past weekend and it was two very awesome cookbooks. So you'll be seeing a lot of new yummy recipes! This one here came from a Cooking Light cookbook, except for the turkey melts, I just came up with that on my own.

Potato, Corn & Leek Chowder

2 tbsps butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped leek (about 1 large)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 cups whole milk (I used 2%)
3 tbsps all-purpose flour
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups fresh kernels (I used canned)
2 lbs cubed, peeled Yukon gold or red potatoes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsps chopped fresh chives
*I forgot to add the parsley and the chives even though they were both sitting on the counter, but it was still delicious!

Heat butter and oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek, celery and bell pepper; cook until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Whisk together milk and flour in small bowl and slowly add to pan, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and next 4 ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Stir in parsley and chives. Makes 6, 1 1/3 cup servings.


Tossed Green Salad

Place 1 bag of (rinsed) baby mixed greens in a bowl. Add 2 large tomatoes cut into wedges, 1 cup julienne-cut yellow bell pepper and 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber. In another small bowl combine 1 1/2 tbsps lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper; stir well with a whisk. Drizzle over salad, toss well.

Turkey Melts

Make a sandwich of turkey and mozzarella and cook on a sandwich press.

Great Goulash

I made this dish for Ashley's family and they loved it. What an honor it was to have them praise my food in such a way! I was a brand new stay-at-home Mommy at the time and wasn't really big into cooking. To this day, ever so often Ashley calls or emails me wanting this recipe. Maybe her family's interest in my cooking is what sparked my interest in cooking? Although, I must give credit where credit is due. I used to make goulash the way our family does, which is absolutely delicious, but Joe, never leaving well enough alone, concocted this recipe. I have merely given it life.

1 lb hamburger meat
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 can Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes, drained
Italian seasoning
Garlic salt
Pepper
1 box Penne Rigate pasta
1 package sliced provolone
1 8 oz package shredded mozzarella cheese
*Be creative with the cheese. Sometimes I use sliced mozzarella and shredded Italian blend cheese.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to directions on box.

Brown meat with onion. While cooking, season meat with garlic salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to your liking. (I have no idea how much I add!)
Once meat is browned, drain off any fat, reduce heat to low and add the tomatoes to the meat. Stir until tomatoes are heated and remove from heat.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to pan. Add meat mixture to pasta and mix.

Spread one half into a glass casserole dish and top with sliced cheese. Layer the other half on top, spread, and sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese.

Place in oven just until cheese is melted, any longer and the noodles may get crunchy! Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

I like to serve this dish with a side salad and ciabatta bread. Bon Appetit!

Serves about 8, but we LOVE the leftovers!