Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

44 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (That’s about one and one-half 12-oz boxes)
2 c chopped cooked chicken
2 c fresh chopped spinach
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 c.)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tb dried parsley flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (any variety)
Cook shells according to package directions (be sure to stir every once in awhile so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and tear apart); drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 2 13x9x2inch baking dishes.
In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.
Makes 8-10 servings.

Thai Coconut Lime Soup

1 can coconut milk
5 cans (~ 7 1/2 cups) chicken stock or broth (I’ve used bouillon with good results, too)
3 large carrots, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced into long strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into long strips
1 whole rotisserie chicken, shredded
1/4-1/2 cup lime juice (2-3 medium limes juiced) – to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon thai green curry paste (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder (again more if you like Curry, but no more than 1 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1-6 ounce package chow mein noodles
Large bunch cilantro, chopped
4-5 green onions, chopped
*If you want it to be spicier, you could add some cayenne pepper to taste
In large pot, add chicken stock and coconut milk. Bring to light boil, then add carrots and bell peppers. Cook on light boil for 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add shredded chicken, lime juice, soy sauce, green curry paste, curry, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Cook for 5 minutes. Carrots should not be too soft, they should have a little bit of crunch left.  Reduce heat to low and add noodles. Cover with lid and let the noodles absorb liquid. Once the noodles are al dente (about 5 minutes or so), the soup is done! Add your green onions and fresh cilantro 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Snickerdoodles

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
DIRECTIONS
  1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 (11X17-inch) rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, silpat liners or lightly coat with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), beat together the butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and mix until well incorporated. Reduce the speed of your mixer (stand mixer or handheld) and add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
  2. In a small bowl or shallow plate, combine the cinnamon and granulated sugar to coat the cookies. Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll in the cinnamon an dsugar to coat. Place the balls of dough about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are light golden brown and the centers are soft and puffy, about 9-11 minutes. The cookies will flatten after they come out of the oven. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Au Gratin Broccoli and Cauliflower

16 oz fresh broccoli and cauliflower florets
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp ground red cayenne pepper
1 T Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir together mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, green onions, garlic, mustard and red pepper; set aside.  Cover and steam florets 6-8 minutes until crisp tender.  Drain well.  Arrange florets in baking dish.  Spoon cheese mixture over florets.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and paprika.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Caesar Chicken Wraps

1/2 c. creamy Caesar dressing (Lite works fine)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 c. Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 c. red peppers, sliced
Handful of olives, sliced (or one small can of sliced olives)
5 flour tortillas (I use Costco’s uncooked tortillas and bake them fresh)
2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
Combine Caesar dressing, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, garlic and pepper.  In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and add a fourth of the dressing mixture; mix well.  In a large bowl, combine lettuce, red pepper and olives.  Add remaining salad dressing to lettuce and toss to coat.  Spread a layer of cream cheese mixture on each warm tortilla.  Top with lettuce mix, wrap up and serve.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

½ c. butter
1 finely chopped onion
½ – 1 c. frozen corn (or ½ c. chopped celery, if preferred)
½ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ c. carrots, sliced
¾ c. all-purpose flour
6 ½ c. chicken broth (can use 7 bouillon cubes plus 6 ½ c. water)
2 c. cooked wild rice (once I tried using a box of wild rice/brown rice combo with a seasoning packet and it was great)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
½ tsp salt
½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp mustard powder
½ tsp dried parsley
½ tsp black pepper
1 c. slivered almonds
2 c. half-and-half (you could use non-fat half-and-half for a low-fat version, but I haven’t tried it.) 

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, corn, and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 minutes more. Then add flour and stir well. Transfer mixture to a large pot. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until all has been added. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer. 
Next add the rice, chicken, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper and almonds. Allow to heat through then pour in the half-and-half. Let simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Do not boil or the roux will break. Delicious served in a bread bowl as well.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Colorful Veggie Salad

Ingredients

  • 6 cups fresh broccoli florets
  • 6 cups fresh cauliflowerets
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 large red onion, sliced
  • 1 can (6 ounces) pitted ripe olives, drained and sliced
  • 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
  • 2/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • Directions

    1. In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, onion and olives. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine dressing mix, oil and vinegar; shake well. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.Yield: 20 servings.