Chicken Jalfrezi and Grandma's Rice Pudding

Tonight, I cooked Chicken Jalfrezi, which is a dish using Indian spices, chicken, and peppers. I found it on a candida (yeast) diet site (scroll down the site for the recipe).

I have never cooked with turmeric, coriander, or garam masala before. It ended up being pretty good, but a little bland, which was surprising to me. Next time I'll season the chicken first for sure, maybe the peppers too. But it was a nice change of pace with different flavors than I'm used to eating and cooking with. I will probably try a different Indian recipe in the future because I do enjoy the warmth of the spices.

After dinner, I made a brown rice pudding and frittata so I can heat my breakfast quickly and easily in the morning. I used my grandma's recipe for the rice pudding, except substituting brown for white rice, almond milk for regular, and xylitol for sugar. It turned out well and can be eaten hot or cold.

Here is the original recipe:

Grandma's Rice Pudding
1/2 cup white rice
3 cups milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch of salt

Heat the milk and rice in a double boiler to a gentle boil. Cook until rice is done, about 30 minutes (note: longer for brown rice). Temper the egg and add it to the rice and milk. Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and bring back to a gentle boil for a few minutes. Add raisins if desired. Eat hot or cold.

I used less than 1/2 cup of sugar (xylitol) and it tastes sweet enough to me.

If you've never had rice pudding, you should try it. It's such a warm, comforting food. The rice and milk just meld together. I have many fond memories of making this with my grandma. I'd always request rice pudding or grilled cheese and tomato soup whenever I was there for lunch. I remember the rice pudding taking so long to make in my young mind, since it took more than an hour to cook. It was always such an anticipation to take that first bite. Delicious.

Beef and Pepper Stir Fry

This is actually based on a kabob recipe I have used before, but after a mishap on the grill with the flames flaring up and singeing my veggies, I decided to take the kabob ingredients, add a few other things, and make it into a stir fry. It was DELISH!

Here is the kabob recipe. The only change I made to the marinade was to sub Xylitol for the brown sugar, and Tamari for the soy sauce.

It's great to use as a stir fry because then you can add whatever veggies you want. The veggies I used were:

• Red, yellow, orange, and green bell peppers
• Onions
• Broccoli

I stir fried the meat (sirloin sliced thinly) in some canola and sesame oil first, then removed it from the pan. Drained off the grease, added some more canola and sesame oil and threw in the veggies to stir fry. Once the veggies were about done, I added the meat back in along with the rest of the marinade and stirred it all together for another couple minutes until it was all hot. Obviously, this would be great over rice, but it was very good plain too!

It was very flavorful and filling. Try it!

Sixth Annual Fall Feast

This Saturday I am hosting our sixth annual fall feast. It is a special dinner I like to give for my closest friends and family where they can come and eat a nice meal without having to worry about cooking it or paying for it. It’s a small thing, but it’s something tangible I can do to express love to them.

This year, I am making braised beef short ribs, mashed potatoes, polenta, acorn squash, roasted asparagus, and pumpkin cheesecake.

Interestingly, when I called Cub to see about the short ribs, the butcher told me they haven’t sold beef short ribs since sometime last year, and he also said most Twin Cities grocery stores don’t carry them. That got me nervous. But after calling around to a couple other places, I found that the “nicer” or more specialty stores do carry them. Lunds/Byerly’s does, but they cost quite a bit more (almost double) than where I have ultimately decided to buy them: Widmer’s in St. Paul. The butcher I talked to was very knowledgeable and the price was right at $4.99/lb. He said he’d cut them how I wanted when I go and pick them up. Great service.

Here is the recipe I’m planning to use (scroll down for the recipe): http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/11/braised-short-ribs-heaven-on-a-plate/. I’m making the ribs gluten free by using rice flour for dredging the meat so my dear friend Jamie can eat a gluten free meal.

All of the recipes I’m using seem to be fairly simple, and that’s on purpose. I am 18 weeks pregnant and still not feeling the greatest, so I’m trying to make the meal a little simpler than usual. I am also using paper plates this year. They are nice looking and heavy duty, and I think they’ll hold up just fine. But that is 16 less plates to wash! I’ll probably do the same for dessert plates and save myself another 16 plates worth of dishes.

Here are links to the other recipes I’m using.

Polenta
I’ve never made polenta before, and I may decide not to make it for the feast. I’ll see how the day goes.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/11/creamy-polenta-with-goat-cheese-heaven-on-a-plate-part-2/

Acorn Squash
I am trying to decide whether to make this recipe as is or modify it to make a squash puree instead.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/sweet-roasted-rosemary-acorn-squash-wedges/

Roasted Asparagus
Simple but, I’m sure, delicious. I love asparagus.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/11/oven-roasted-asparagus/

Pumpkin Cheesecake
I made this cheesecake one other time and it was very good. I will make a Maple Pecan drizzle to go over the top using the top commenter’s recipe. Yum.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Cheesecake-II/Detail.aspx

I'll be posting details about the party next week, including a cost breakdown and how each recipe turned out!

Chicken and Pasta in Creamy Pesto Sauce

For dinner last night, I made a really yummy meal based on this one. It made a lot of food, probably a total of 6 generous servings. Here is the recipe with my modifications.

Chicken and Pasta in Creamy Pesto Sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup white wine
2 T dried basil
2 t dried oregano
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" strips
1 package tri-colored rotini pasta
4 T olive oil, divided
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 large onion, diced
1 T sugar
Sun dried tomatoes
1 carrot, grated
Broccoli
1/2 cup prepared pesto
1 cup whole milk

1. Prepare marinade by combining the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken strips.
2. Bring pot of water to a boil; add salt and pasta. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Toss with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and the Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a pan. Add onion and sprinkle onion with sugar. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sun dried tomatoes, carrot, and the chicken in its marinade. Simmer chicken pieces, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. 
4. Add pasta, pesto and broccoli to the skillet. Stir in the milk and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Adjust salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and serve with freshly grated Parmesan and a thick slice of warm bread.  

The great thing about this recipe is that you can add whatever veggies you like. I think it would taste great with artichokes, summer squash, zucchini or fresh cherry tomatoes.This is a recipe that will be in regular rotation at our house, and our 17 month old liked it, too!

Dijon-Tarragon Cream Chicken with Veggie Saute

Ever since we moved, I've been struggling to get decent dinners on the table. I think I must still be overwhelmed and don't feel like I have it together yet. For dinner tonight, I took a look at my All Recipes recipe box and decided to make this Dijon Tarragon Cream Chicken recipe again.

I have not been good at getting a variety of veggies incorporated into our meals either. To accompany the chicken, I made a veggie saute of asparagus, yellow squash, and red potatoes.

Both turned out great! I made a couple modifications to the chicken recipe: I added some white wine to deglaze the pan, and I didn't have fresh tarragon so I used a teaspoon of dried tarragon instead. From start to finish, it took 30 minutes.

Veggie Saute
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Baby red potatoes, diced
Asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
Yellow squash, sliced
Salt
Pepper

1. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Add garlic and potatoes and saute over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until tender.
2. Add asparagus and squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute for 3 minutes.

This veggie saute is very flavorful. I loved it!

Ravioli with Tomato Artichoke Sauce

Monday was a long day and I needed a quick and easy meal. One of my favorite go-to meals for days like this is ravioli -- the stuff in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. I happen to get mine at Costco and love their Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli. I usually just do a jarred sauce when I make it, but I decided it was time to make my own sauce from scratch. So I did! It tasted great -- I am really pleased with how it turned out, and from here on out, I'll be using fresh romas or cans of tomatoes to make my own sauce.

It seriously only took maybe 5 extra minutes of hands on time, and the sauce was ready by the time the water for the ravioli came to a boil and I cooked the pasta. Served with salad greens, this was a great and balanced meal!

Ravioli with Tomato Artichoke Sauce
1 Family size container of refrigerated ravioli
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 8 oz can tomato sauce (such as Hunts)
2 cups roma tomatoes, chopped, or same equivalent in canned tomatoes
1 T Italian seasoning
2 t dried basil
1 t onion powder
1/2 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1-2 T fresh basil, chopped

1. Heat pot of water for ravioli and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and add minced garlic. Saute for a minute or two over medium heat. 
3. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and dried basil. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer.
4. When the water is boiling, add some coarse ground salt and then add ravioli. Cook according to package directions.
5. Meanwhile, add the artichoke hearts to the sauce and cook through.
6. Plate and serve with fresh basil on top.

Notes: I added some shredded carrots to the sauce as well to sneak in some extra veggies. Try using whatever you have around -- carrots, zucchini, onion, etc. I love the taste of fresh herbs. I cut down on the cost of them by growing a mini herb garden in my kitchen window sill!

Evan's birthday menu

It's hard to believe, but the day is here: my baby boy is one year old today! This year has flown by so fast, and we are so blessed to have Evan in our lives. I can barely remember what it was like before Evan.

So what's the plan for his birthday? Family over at 1 for dinner, with extended family/friends for cake at 2:30. His party will be pretty laid back -- nothing too scheduled. Just playing with toys, opening gifts, eating cake, and making memories.

For dinner, I am serving one of my favorite things: Penne Rossa. Matt and I love to go to Zelo, a Neo-Italian restaurant downtown, for special occasions. My favorite dish there is Tortiligioni Rossa, a pasta dish with a tomato-cream sauce, crumbled Italian sausage, peas and red peppers. I love it so much I decided to try to recreate it at home, and I think I did it pretty well. I will be serving it with fresh baked artisan bread and a mixed greens salad with a honey garlic vinaigrette.

For dessert, I ordered a cake from Byerly's -- they offer a free birthday cake when your baby turns one. In addition, I am also making two other cakes. We are expecting 30-40 people! I am basing the recipe for the two cakes on this one, with some modifications. I'm doing one cake with vanilla pudding and strawberries, and the other with chocolate pudding with bananas.

Penne Rossa

Yield: 4 servings

1/2 lb mild Italian sausage

4 cups diced tomatoes (or 2 15 oz cans, undrained)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
4 scallions with tops, minced
2 Tbsp basil
1 tsp oregano
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 box penne pasta
1 cup baby green peas
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
Parmesan cheese
Black pepper

In a frying pan, crumble and cook Italian sausage. Drain fat and set aside.

In a large saucepan, saute garlic and scallions in olive oil over medium heat. Add diced tomatoes, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer.

Meanwhile, bring salted water to a boil for the pasta and add pasta once it's boiling. Cook for 8-10 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat. Blend in blender for a smoother sauce (or don't blend for a chunkier sauce). Stir in cream. Put back on stove and add the red pepper, peas and cooked Italian sausage to the sauce. Simmer at least 10 minutes.

Drain pasta and toss with the sauce.

Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Dinner tonight: Chicken Piccata

I thought making a little sunny, lemony Chicken Piccata would be the perfect thing to bring a little sunshine to my kitchen tonight. After a fabulous time in Arizona, it's back to my winter reality in
Minnesota. Today is actually a warm day -- a balmy 33 degrees and mostly sunny!

I'll be serving the chicken piccata with angel hair pasta and sugar snap peas tonight. A relatively quick and simple meal with tasty results! Because the chicken is pounded so thin, it cooks up very fast, frying quickly with only 2 minutes per side. The whole meal should be ready in less than 20 minutes!

I am using Ina Garten's recipe, found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-piccata-recipe

I don't have seasoned breadcrumbs on hand, so I'll make my own:

Combine the following:
1 c plain breadcrumbs (I will use the food processor to turn some getting-stale bread into crumbs)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Bon Appetit!

Rachel's Taco Soup

So many of the foods we eat have so many additives -- preservatives, sodium, the list is long. Now that my little boy is eating table food, it's become increasingly important to me for our family to eat foods with as little added non-food stuff as possible while keeping my sanity. Not always an easy task!

I've adapted one of my favorite winter go-to recipes to be built on more whole foods versus foods from a can, which usually have added sodium and preservatives. It turned out great and wasn't even that much more work. And considering this meal makes enough for a good four servings of leftovers, I'd say the extra time is really nothing to me. This soup is chock full of good for you, filling foods. It's a recipe you can feel good about serving your family!

I used whole tomatoes frozen from my garden, and kidney and black beans that I soaked, cooked, and froze for later use myself.

Tip: Freeze beans in can-sized servings (about 2 cups). When a recipe calls for canned beans, substitute your frozen ones!

So, without further ado, here is my recipe for Taco Soup.

Rachel's Taco Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

1 T olive oil

1 lb ground beef

Taco seasoning and water, to your taste (I use a lot :))

2 c soaked and cooked black beans

2 c soaked and cooked kidney beans

2 c tomatoes with juices, chopped
1 small can diced green chilies, undrained

1 c corn (I use frozen)

8 oz tomato sauce

1/2 c water

Saute onions in olive oil for 1 minute. Add ground beef to the pan and brown. Drain off fat. Add taco seasoning and water (just as you would for regular taco meat) and combine. Simmer for a few minutes.

Add the taco meat and the rest of the ingredients to your slow cooker. Give it a stir and let it cook on low for at least 5 hours.

Give it a taste. If you want more heat, you can add salsa, taco sauce or hot sauce. Or, better yet, add a halved, seeded hot pepper to the slow cooker to cook with the soup. If you want more depth, add some cumin and chili powder.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, fresh grated cheese, chopped cilantro and/or corn chips. Enjoy!

Yield: 8 generous servings

Rachel's notes

Beans: I slightly defrosted my frozen beans by submerging the bags into warm water for a few minutes. They were still slightly frozen when I added them to the soup.

Tomatoes: I used about 8 Roma tomatoes that I froze last summer from my garden. I soaked them for a couple minutes in warm water, slid the skins off, and chopped them up.