Colleen's Cinco de Mayo Fiesta!

I had friends over for a Cinco de Mayo fiesta last night. I spent a bit of time during the afternoon checking out various recipes online, and couldn't find one I liked. So...I winged it, and it worked! Below is my very own recipe for baked poblanos. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Ingredients
4 large poblano peppers
1 C yellow corn
1 medium size white onion
5 garlic cloves
1 jalepeno
3 tomatoes (from the vine)
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
2 cans black beans (drain and rinse one can; do not drain or rinse 2nd can)
1 large bunch cliantro
healthy dose of chili powder
salt to taste
Olive oil
shredded Mexican cheese (without spices though)

Instructions
-Preheat the oven to 475.
-Grill the poblanos, onions and corn (I used a grilling pan in lieu of an actual grill).
-While the veggies are grilling, heat garlic, jalapeno and fresh tomatos in a dollop of olive oil. Upon the garlic turning a slight golden color, add the can of diced tomatoes (do not drain the juice) and can of green chilies. Add a healthy dose of chili pepper and salt to taste. Let saute for about 10 minutes.
-Arrange your casserole dish as follows: coat bottom with light layer of garlic/jalapeno/toms/chillies mixture. Cover with black beans, and a nice helping of chopped cilantro. Top with poblanos. Pour remaining garlic/jalapeno/toms/chilies mixture and black beans. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.
-Sprinkle a generous portion of shredded cheese atop the poblanos, turn up the head to a steamy 500, and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and browned!
-I served the poblanos atop a bed of Mexican rice, and provided chopped avocados and sour cream to my guests as garnish. Yum! Yum!

New "Chicken" Parmesan

I snagged this recipe off Epicuroius.com and absolutely LOVE it! I substitute the chicken with Quorn Naked Chik Cutlets.

yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 12-ounce container grape tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper
4 Quorn Naked Chik Cutlets
1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese in water, drained, thinly sliced

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 500° F. Whisk first 3 ingredients in large bowl.


• Place tomatoes in medium bowl; mix in 2 tablespoons garlic oil, then oregano and crushed red pepper.


• Microwave Chik Cutlet per instructions.


• Add Chik Cutlets to large bowl with remaining garlic oil and turn to coat.


• Place 1 cup Parmesan in pie dish. Dip 1 side of each Chik Cutlet into cheese to coat; arrange Chik Cutlet, cheese side up, on 1 half of large rimmed baking sheet. Scatter tomatoes on other half of sheet.


• Roast Chik Cutlet until just cooked through and firm to touch, about 10 minutes.


• Arrange mozzarella slices atop Chik Cutlet. Return to oven; roast until cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes.


• Transfer Chik Cutlets and tomatoes to 4 plates. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.


• Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions:

• This dish goes great with a nice orzo/asparagus/fresh lemon juice pasta and baby spinich cooked with olive oil and garlic..

Sausage & Peppers

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 4 Italian turkey sausages
  
• 1 onion, frenched
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into 1" strips
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded and sliced into 1" strips
• 4-5 roma tomatoes, diced
• 2T tomato paste
  
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Directions

1. In a large skillet or pot heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Cook the sausage for 1-2 minutes on each side.
3. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, paste, wine, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper.
4. Cook over low heat for 30-35 minutes.
5. Serve with crusty garlic bread, which makes this a yummy fork-n-knife sandwhich. This would also be great with pasta.
   

Crust Less Cranberry Pie

Crust Less Cranberry Pie- Ala my good friend Jackie Jackman Miller

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups cranberries (fresh, whole)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease 9-inch pie pan.

Combine flour, sugar and salt. Stir in cranberries and walnuts and toss to coat.

Stir in melted butter, beaten eggs and almond extract.
Spread the batter into prepared pie pan.

Bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Drop Noodles

Drop Noodles

This is a recipe that is from my Grandma (Mamus) so it is not written down any where – when very you asked how to make something all she would tell you is a handful of this and that and a few spoons full of this and that, and throw it together and cook till it was done, how long or at what temperature was a mystery. I hope this works for you as the measurements are very loosely translated. I hope I am clear enough, ask if I am not.

You will need ….
Large bowl to mix flour, eggs and water.
2-3 eggs – amount of eggs is dependent on how many noodles you want to make.
Flour – amount unknown- again depends on how many eggs used and how many noodles you want – and the amount needed to achieve correct consistency.
Salt – again amount used is relevant to the quantity of eggs and flour used.
Water – add till you have the consistency correct.

Large pot of boiling water to cook noodles.

Ok I would start small, like with one egg and build from there. Try your best to achieve correct balance, which is why I say start small.

Take egg / eggs and beat with whisk till toughly blended.
Add water – continue to beat with whisk till you have a “ medium thinish” consistency – so not too thin / not too thick.
Add flour and some salt a pinch or two – continue to mix until you have
a thick doughy consistency – you need to be able to spoon out mixture, and have it stay together as you drop into boiling water.
If it is too runny, noodles will not stay together when cooking or on spoon.

Spoon out dough with teaspoon- drop into boiling water slowly- you may need a knife to help spoon noodle dough out into the boiling water.
Reduce the temperature to keep water boiling but not to over flow pot while you are adding dough mixture.
Stir noodles to avoid sticking together and to pot- I use Pam on bottom of pot.
Cook ten minutes or till done.
The noodles can also be fed to kids with small amount of butter on them or plain – they usually like them more than the soup.

Good luck I hope this works and tastes good!

Home Made Chicken Soup

Chicken Soup Recipe

This is not written any where I just have it stored in my brain so I hope it makes sense….

3 boxes of Chicken broth

4 bay leaves

10 black corn peppers

1 small bunch of parsley – tie together

3 stalks of celery – cut each of them in ½

1 med red potato left unpeeled

1 med onion – peeled

1 med turnip left unpeeled

1 small bag of baby carrots ( you can use regular carrots –this just saves me time- I also like the organic ones – they are a little thicker- if you like lots of carrots you can add more)

½ of a chicken leave skins and bones on for flavor – I do not use the liver or gizzards

1 med head of cabbage cut into quarters (optional if you don’t like cabbage)

1 package of fresh dill – use later after soup cooks as a garnish when serving.

Get a large tall pot that will hold all of the above while allowing to

Simmer / low boil.

Put broth in pot, add ½ chicken

Next put in all the rest of the items listed except the carrots and the cabbage. I put those in later they can be put in now but can turn too soft and mushy after cooking so long.

Let cook simmer / low boil for at least 3 hours.

After 3 hours remove celery, parsley, potato, onion and bay leaves these can be discarded.

At this point you can remove the chicken if you want, I do. I let it cool a little and then skin and remove from the bones and put meat back into the pot to eat with soup or you can serve it on the side if you like.

Add carrots and cabbage let cook for 1 hour or till done.

Cut up fresh dill very finely- serve on top of hot soup in bowls (again this is optional) and enjoy!

Yummy & Fat-Free Dessert Shake!

I made this the other night for dessert, and it was so good that Chris has been requesting it every night since! This recipe makes two servings.

12 oz skim milk (although I made this once with reduced fat milk and it was better)
10 frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Cocoa Pebbles cereal :)

Blend the first three ingredients until smooth. You may want to add a few more strawberries to make sure the shake is THICK (like a regular milk shake). Pour into glasses and top off with the Cocoa Pebbles. Enjoy!