Creamy Baked Risotto with Pan Fried Scallops

     Last night I tweeted a pic of the rice and scallops shown above and below. I was SO excited to get some retweets and mentions, so I'm quickly putting the recipe up here in response to requests!
    The rice method is a combination of Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen) and Ina Garten's way of making oven baked risotto.  I got the idea of adding the mushrooms and shallots. The drizzle of truffle oil over the scallops along with the tang of the diced green apple takes this dish over the top! It was delicious!

Creamy Baked Risotto with Pan Fried Scallops
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
5 Cups chicken broth, warmed
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 good sized shallots, diced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, put through press
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
In a dutch oven, saute shallots and mushrooms in the olive oil until soft. Add rice and garlic and stir for 30 seconds.  Add 4 cups of the broth and wine. Cover the rice mixture with a sheet of foil and then put the top on the dutch oven. Bake for 45 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Take it out and stir in the cheese, remaining cup of broth, and butter.

Scallops:
Combine 1 cup flour with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge the rinsed, drained, and dried scallops in the flour mixture. Cook over medium low heat in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil - about 7 to 10 minutes on each side to get a nice browned crust and ensure that scallops are done.

Serve scallops on bed of the rice. Drizzle a slight bit of truffle oil over each scallop. Top with finely diced Granny Smith apple.

Easy Empanadas for Allison (and Cassie)!

     I consider myself blessed that my daughters are friends with me on Facebook. I get such a kick out of viewing their pictures and especially the hilarious things they send back and forth to each other.  Recently I found myself embedded in a thread regarding one of Allison's favorite foods - empanadas.

Cassie:  Allison. Last night I had a dream we went to a party and they were serving empanadas. You snatched a handful and I got none.

 Allison: I feel terrible that in your dream I was so selfish. I guess it speaks to my love of empanadas! Maybe I will make you some to make up for it. whhaaaaaat???

Cassie: Hahahahahahaha. That may be in order! Do you know how to make them?!

Allison:  My mom does- I'll ask her for her recipe...

 Empanadas were the one food Allison really wanted at her open house when she graduated from high school.  I planned to buy them from a Spanish restaurant/Tapas place that, at the time, was just down the street.  So, one afternoon we popped in there for a snack. Their empanadas were quite a bit pricey - especially if I wanted to buy at least 100 of them.  Then I realized that there wouldn't be much to just making them myself and so I put together my unauthentic but tasty recipe that follows. The empanadas were quite a hit at the party and are so easy to make!  Also included is the Spanish style wilted spinach that makes the emapanadas a meal instead of just a snack.

Julie: Recipe for 48 empanadas: 2 package Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry, 1 pound ground beef, 1 (15 oz.) can of diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup sliced green olives, 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, 1 onion. Dice up onion and throw it in the frying pan with ground beef. Brown ground beef mixture over medium heat until no longer pink, then then drain out all the grease. Drain the can of tomatoes and add those to beef mixture along with cheese and olives. Add 1/4 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roll out pastry on a floured surface and using a glass as a "cookie cutter" cut out circles. Put a teaspoon and a half or so of beef filling on one side of each circle and fold over to make the half-moon shape. With the tongs of a fork, press the edges of the half circle together. Line a cookie sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray or lightly grease the pan with oil. Place the empanadas on pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!



Brown the ground beef with the diced onion and drain

Drain the chopped tomatoes and slice the olives

Mix the tomatoes, cheese, and olives with the ground beef

Put flour on surface such as cutting board, roll it out just a bit, and use glass it cut out circles

Put about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling on one side of each circle

Fold each circle over and use the tines of a fork to seal it closed

Bake for about 12 minutes at 400 degrees - they should be light golden brown

Super Sensation Spanish Style Spinach

Put 3 tablespoons of raisins in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water.  Let them stand while you prepare the spinach.  In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some cubes of good artisan style bread. Brown the bread cubes and remove them from the pan.  Add another tablespoon of olive oil along with 3 tablespoons of pine nuts and 1 clove garlic put through a press.  Cook on medium heat for 30 seconds and add a 10 oz. package of fresh spinach. Stir until spinach begins to wilt.  Put in drained raisins and stir again.  Remove from heat and add a couple sprinkles of vinegar.  If you have sherry vinegar, it is wonderful - if not, red wine vinegar will do.  Serve with the browned bread crumbs on top.

More Comfort Food - Chicken Pot Pie

     Another family favorite dinner that the girls grew up with was chicken pot pie.  Back in the day, I used lots of butter and even (gasp!) potatoes in this recipe.  Now I make this comfort meal with only one pat of butter and I ditch the starchy potato carbs.  The topping is from a ready made pie crust, but more South Beach Diet friendly would be the use of puff pastry or phyllo.  We still love this on a cold winter day, but have found that using individual souffle dishes lends to better portion control.

 

Ingredients:

 

2 to 3 chicken breasts (good idea to include more and save/freeze for use later)

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

6 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 (15 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 (12oz.) package of frozen mixed vegetables, cooked in microwave for 5 minutes

1 prepared package of prepared pie crust dough such as Pillsbury's

Directions

     Place at least 2 or 3 chicken breasts  in a large pot along with some celery, a carrot or two, and an onion to give them a nice flavor.  Cover the breasts with water and heat to boiling.  Turn the heat down and let the breasts simmer for about 20 minutes.

 

     Meanwhile, dice one large onion and saute in 1 tablespoon butter and 3 tablespoons of olive oil until soft.  Add 6 tablespoons of flour and mix it into the onions.

 

      Add 2 (15 oz.) cans of chicken broth to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is like thick gravy.  Cut the chicken up and add it to the pan along with a 12 oz. package of frozen mixed vegetables that has been cooked in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

     Lay out prepared crust such as Pillsbury's and use the individual souffle dishes to cut out the dough.

 

 

Spoon the chicken vegetable mixture into each dish.

     Place a pie crust top on each dish and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until the crust is flaky and brown.

Enjoy!

Spinach Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells - Comfort Food!

This has been a favorite family recipe for years.  The savory sauce is light, tangy and just zings when paired with the satisfying ricotta cheese spinach filling of the pasta.  It was a cold and snowy today – just the right night for this comforting yummy dish!

Spinach Cheese Stuffed Shells

You will need a 12 oz. box of jumbo pasta shells – cook half of them according to the package directions.  A good time to do this would be while sauce is simmering and you are mixing up the spinach cheese filling.

Ingredients for the Sauce:

1 pound ground beef (optional)

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves put through a press or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce

1 (15 oz.) can chopped tomatoes

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

Brown the ground beef and onion or medium low heat and drain the oil.  (This would be a good time to microwave the spinach for the filling – directions are below)  If using fresh garlic add it to beef and cook for 30 seconds before adding the rest of the ingredients.  (If not using ground beef, sauté fresh garlic in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 30 seconds and then add the rest of the ingredients) Simmer about 10 minutes or so while you combine the ingredients for the cheese spinach filling and cook the jumbo pasta shells

Ingredients for Spinach Filling
1 pound (16 oz.) ricotta cheese (I use part skim)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Cook spinach in microwave according to the package directions.  Squeeze/drain the excess water out of the spinach and mix it with the rest of the ingredients.

Directions for constructing this dish:

Stuff each shell with a heaping tablespoon of the filling.

  Arrange the shells in a baking dish.  Spoon the sauce over the stuffed shells.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Enjoy!

BBQ, Buffalo Chicken, and Margarita Pizza - Fast!

A few weeks ago, Jenn came back from visiting Caroline with a great recipe for Buffalo Chicken Pizza.  For a few years now, I have really struggled with making pizza. I have tried all kinds of techniques for making the dough - and have failed at all of them!  Whipping up a sauce or slapping down toppings I can do - but making the crust is not my strength.  Jenn had the answer; they used a premade crust and it was even whole wheat at that. So, when I swallowed my pride and used the shrink wrapped crust, I also realized that pizza could now be made very, very easy.  The buffalo chicken recipe is really yummy, and making a reduced fat blue cheese dressing as part of the topping eases some of the guilt. Likewise, the barbecue chicken pizza is equally delicious and using the South Beach diet recipe for BBQ sauce, makes it a bit more healthy. Finally, for garlic lovers, a margarita pizza is included. The blend of basil, tomatoe, and melted fresh mozzerella cheese is just divine!

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

1 prepared pizza crust or pizza dough rolled out and ready to go

¾ cup prepared BBQ sauce (use bottled or diet recipe below)

5 or so thinly cut slices from a red onion

1 cup smoked white cheese sauce as Gouda, shredded

1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (2 chicken breasts)

1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions or chopped parsley

 Brush the pizza crust with a little of the BBQ sauce.  Mix the rest of the BBQ sauce with the chopped chicken and spread evenly over the crust.  Mix the two cheeses together and spread them on top of the chicken.  Separate the onion slices into rings and place them on top.  Bake at 450 degrees for 13 minutes.  After baking, garnish the top with chopped parsley or thinly sliced green onion.

South Beach BBQ Sauce – From South Beach Diet Book
1 (8-ounce) can Tomato sauce
2 tablespoons White vinegar
2 teaspoons Chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder

Combine all ingredients together. Refrigerate in a plastic container.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

1 prepared pizza crust or pizza dough rolled out and ready to go

6 tablespoons of butter or margarine (I used “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”)

6 tablespoons hot pepper sauce such a Frank’s

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups diced cooked chicken (2 chicken breasts)

¼ cup of blue cheese dressing (use store bought or the diet recipe below)

1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions or parsley

Put the margarine and hot pepper sauce in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for about 20 seconds.  Stir until completely combined and brush a little on the pizza crust.  Combine the two cheeses and spread them evenly over the top of the crust.  Add the rest of the hot pepper sauce mixture to the chicken and spread it evenly over the top of the cheese.   Drizzle the blue cheese dressing over the top and bake at 450 degrees for 13 minutes.  Garnish with thinly sliced green onions or parsley.

Light Blue Cheese Dressing

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

1 cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons plain vinegar

¼ cup reduced fat sour cream

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together.

Margarita Pizza

1 prepared pizza crust or pizza dough rolled out and ready to go

4 gloves of garlic put through a press

2 tablespoons of olive oil

4 tablespoons washed and thinly sliced basil leaves

1 or 2 ripe red tomatoes, sliced
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

Brush 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on the crust.  Spread the pressed garlic over the crust. Arrange the basil, tomatoes, and tomato slices over the top. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and bake at 450 degrees for 13 minutes.

A Slice of Sunny Spain

 Pablo, with Vanilla

  

    Earlier this month,  Allison invited her friend Pablo,an exchange student from Spain to stay with us for a few days.  The semester was over and Pablo's plane ticket wasn't until the next Monday, so Allison thought he might enjoy seeing what average American family life was like.  Of course we were all charmed by him and even Vanilla gave Pablo his heart!  It was so interesting to hear from him about Spanish eating habits.  We learned that breakfast in Spain was almost nothing - just a cup of coffee and maybe a piece of toast at most.  Lunch, the main meal, is no earlier than 1:30.  Dinner is served at 9:00, but can often be even later.  Pablo, however, was very gracious and fit right into our three square meals a day schedule.  While he was staying with us, I didn't attempt to serve him anything "Spanish" - I knew I would fall far short of the real thing! Although after he left, I couldn't resist cooking up some "Spanish" dishes our family has enjoyed in the past.  The olive recipe is fabulous as part of a tapas spread and just delicious with some warm, crusty bread to soak up the olive marinade sauce.  The salad is a bright and light side dish that would compliment any meat, but goes especially well with the chicken recipe given below.

 

Marinated Olives - Refrigerated, this will keep for a week - serve at room temperature

Mix all the ingredients together - very yummy!

1 can whole pitted black olives, drained and rinsed

1 small jar Spanish style green olives, drained

2 cloves of garlic, put through a press

2 teaspoons dried rosemary                                                                        

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup sherry vinegar

½ cup olive oil

             Sunny Salad                                                                              

Peel and slice the oranges

2 to 3 oranges

2 avocados

2 to 3 tomatoes

½ cup whole pitted black olives, drained and rinsed

1 small onion, sliced

Seed and chop tomatoes, avocados

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons
 olive oil

Mix everything together - Yum!

Chicken with Paprika and Peppers

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons Spanish style paprika

2 cloves garlic, put through a press

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Combine the paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper to make a paste and rub it onto both sides of the chicken breasts.  Put the chicken breasts in an oven safe pan and arrange the pieces of the sweet red peppers around them.  Shake a little bit of paprika, salt, and pepper over the red peppers.  Sprinkle the lemon juice over the chicken and peppers and drizzle a bit of olive oil over it as well.  Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.  Serve by putting some of the baked red peppers over each chicken breast.  It is really good with a dollop of Greek yogurt or low fat sour cream on the side.

Sangria (and Fauxgria) & Sweets

Jenn With Her Fellow Cookie Artists!

  I love the month of December since the girls come home and bring all their friends over for cookie decorating, dinners, and edible gift making.  It is also a great time to get together with my teacher buddies and other special aquaintances.  From past experience, I know my educator friends enjoy a glass of wine or two when they get together, so when several were coming over to my house for a pitch in, I thought sangria might be fun to serve.  I googled sangria recipes and found tons and tons of variations.  All had some type of red wine as the base, and then the variations were endless.  Some had white sugar, some had brown, some had orange juice, and some had ruby port.  I knew I wanted peaches as part of the fruit, so I opted to include a peach juice blend as an alternative to the ingredients I saw in the other recipes.  The ladies all seemed to enjoy the recipe noted here. However, our family's speed is more like fake sangria, which we call"fauxgria" and the recipe for that is here as well.  Also included in this post are some delicious holiday treats - White Chocolate Party Mix and Rolo Pretzel "Turtles".



Great Gifts!

Super Easy Sangria

2 cheap bottles of red wine like “Two Buck Chuck” Cabernet

1 can frozen condensed peach blend juice such as Dole’s Orange Peach Mango

A mixture of 4 to 6 fruits such as apples, peaches, or oranges, sliced if citrus or cut up in chunks

Mix all ingredients together in a glass pitcher.  Pour sangria into glasses, spoon some of the fruit in, and toss in some ice cubes.  Enjoy!

 

 

Fauxgria

6 cans of Fresca

½ can frozen condensed grape juice

½ can frozen condensed peach blend juice such as Dole’s Orange Peach Mango

 A mixture of 4 to 6 fruits such as apples, peaches, or oranges, sliced if citrus or cut up in chunks

Mix all ingredients together in a glass pitcher; the fizz in the carbonated drink will cause “foam”, so it’s best not to add it all at once.  Pour fauxgria into glasses, spoon some of the fruit in, and toss in some ice cubes.  Enjoy!

White Chocolate Party Mix

1 1/2 pounds white chocolate                                                

3 cups Rice Chex

3 cups Corn Chex

3 cups Cherrios

2 cups thin pretzel sticks

2 cups peanuts

1 (12 oz.) package of M&Ms

Put the white chocolate in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir and microwave in 15 second increments, stirring each time until smooth.  Pour melted white chocolate over the other ingredients and gently stir until all is evenly coated.  Spread the mixture on foil until cool.  The mixture will naturally break apart into pieces as it is placed into containers.

Rolo Pretzel "Turtles"

1 package of Rolo candies (chocolate covered caramel candies)

1 small bag of mini pretzel twists

1 package of pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with foil and place a Rolo on top of each pretzel you place on the cookie sheet.  Bake for 3 minutes.  Upon taking out of the oven, immediately press a pecan on top of each Rolo covered pretzel.  Allow the "turtles" to cool before storing in a covered container.