Taco Seasoning

Tacos are probably Elliot's favorite food.  And one of mine too since they are so fast.  I keep a jar of this mix on hand so I don't have to make it every time.  It's cheaper than the packets and doesn't have any MSG.

1/3 cup chili powder
4 Tbs cumin
2 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs oregano
4 tsp paprika
4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Hot Chocolate

Made with milk and less sugar than the packets.  So simple, I make this all the time in the winter. 

Mix 2-3 teaspoons sugar, 4 teaspoons cocoa powder* and 2 tablespoons cold milk until smooth.  Add 1 cup warmed milk, and if desired 1/4 tsp of vanilla and/or cinnamon.

*or dark cocoa powder

Oven Roasted Vegetables

One of my favorite side dishes.  I always think I've made way too many but we eat every bite.

Cut zucchinis, colored peppers, onions and mushrooms into bite size chunks.  Toss with olive oil and either salt and pepper, Lawry's seasoning salt, or whatever seasoning you like.  Roast in shallow roasting pan on 425 for about 15 minutes or until tender.

VEGGIE WRAPS
If you make enough to have leftovers an easy and favorite lunch is to spread some cream cheese on a whole wheat flour tortilla and fill with veggies.   Serve cold or at room temp, can be made ahead.  Even Elliot eats these delicious wraps!

Sirloin Tip Beef Roast

This is one of our favorite dinners.  Tasty and requires very little prep time.  Whenever I'm cooking a beef roast or turkey breast or any other hunk of meat I depend on my talking meat thermometer to tell me when it's done, otherwise I'd overcook it every time.  Be sure to set it to rare because the meat continues to cook when you take it out and can become overdone very easily.  I rarely measure out the ingredients, just eyeball it.  Be sure to let the roast rest before carving it, and cut into thin slices.

In small bowl mix:

1 1/4 Tbs paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground cayenne
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 Tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking pan with aluminum foil.  Place 3 pound sirloin tip roast in pan and cover on all sides with the spice mixture.  Roast until oven thermometer reads rare, about 45 minutes.  Let sit 15 minutes before carving.

btw - the picture doesn't do it justice.  It looked mouth-watering in iPhoto!

Spinach and Lentil Stew

Spinach Lentil Stew

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB Olive Oil
5 cups water
1 cup lentils, rinsed
4 tsp vegetable bouillon granules
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cans (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
5 oz fresh spinach
1 TB red wine vinegar

Saute onion & garlic in oil until tender. Add water, lentils, Bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add carrots, tomatoes and spinach; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover & simmer 15-20 minutes longer or until lentils are tender. Stir in vinegar.

Scallops

This is a recipe from a cooking class I took. I made them as a late Valentines Day dinner for Ben, and he and Elliot both loved them. Be prepared to shell out a small fortune for the scallops, but they are worth it for a special occasion.  The recipe is surprisingly simple and comes together very quickly. 



Pan Seared/Sauteed Sea Scallops

1.5 lbs dry sea scallops
2-3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

2-3 Tbs butter
2-3 Tbs flat leaf parsley
1-2 cloves garlic, pasted


Dry off scallops with paper towels

Heat heavy saute pan over moderate high heat for several minutes.  Add oil, swirl and continue to heat until oil begins to smoke.  Season scallops only when ready to saute. 

Add a few scallops, about 3, and let them sit in place.  Slowly add one scallop at a time ensuring you don't overcrowd the pan nor cool down the pan by adding too many at once.  Maintain a high heat.

Saute for about 1.5 - 2.5 minutes on first side until nicely browned.  Turn each scallop individually and slowly, again not to cool off the pan too much.

Once second side is nicely browned and center appears opaque, remove scallop to a paper toweled plate and reserve.

Continue with same procedure for remaining scallops if needed.

After sauteing all the scallops and while pan is still hot, carefully tip out the oil in the pan and discard.  Wipe out pan with paper towel and return pan to heat.  Toss butter into pan and shake pan to swirl butter.  When butter is foaming, add in parsley and garlic and continue to swirl.

Return scallops to the pan to warm and coat them with parsley, garlic butter sauce.

Plate about 4 scallops and nap them with the butter sauce for a main course.


Notes:
Buy only "Dry" scallops to prepare this dish.  "Dry" is the scallop in its' own juices with no additives.  The sign will usually say "dry" and it will be reflected quite well in its' price.
Wet scallops are those with water and sodium tripolyphosphates added to increase shelf life and retain moisture.  They will appear to be in a soupy looking liquid.  They will never really brown well due to liquid being released during cooking thereby steaming, not sauteing the scallops, not to mention the off taste.

When preparing a large number of scallops, attempt to use two saute pans.

Maintaining high heat in the pan is important.  Use your largest burner on the stove and thick/heavy bottomed pan.

When making the butter sauce, heat the butter to the state where it becomes brown, not black (which is too far)


From Foxfire class "Summer Saute"
Recipe adapted from one in "Cooks Illustrated" and from one by James Peterson in "Cooking".

Sugar Cookies

One of my favorite memories growing up was decorating sugar cookies at nearly every holiday. I had no idea back then how much work my mom put into making and especially cleaning up the mess after! It's a tradition I am excited about passing along to my kids. These cookies are soft and hold their shape well when baked. They also freeze well, just thaw at room temperature.

Deluxe Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1½ cups confectioners' sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon almond extract

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Mix thoroughly butter, confectioners' sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extract. Blend in flour, soda and cream of tartar. Cover; chill 2 to 3 hours.

Heat oven to 375º. Divide dough in half. Roll each half 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut into desired shapes. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown on edge.

MAKES ABOUT 5 DOZEN 2 TO 2 ½ INCH COOKIES.

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups (or shells)

Elliot loves these spinach lasagna roll ups! They are very healthy, the cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein.

If I'm short on time I'll just use a jar of spaghetti sauce instead of making the sauce.  You could also make this using pasta shells which present better, but I liked the spinach mixture to pasta ratio better using the lasagna noodles.  If you really like the filling and want to taste that more you might want to try the shells.

6 whole wheat lasagna noodles, or about 18 jumbo shells
1 small onion, diced
1 (14-1/2 oz) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 cups 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup (4 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles or shells according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, and cook, stirring constantly, 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Stir in whole tomatoes and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain spinach, pressing out excessive moisture. Combine spinach, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Spread 2 cups tomato mixture in a glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread spinach and cheese mixture along each lasagna noodle and roll up, placing seam side down in dish. Top with remaining tomato mixture. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until heated. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.

Bruschetta Chicken

I served this when my mom came over for lunch last Sunday. It's a favorite of mine for being quick and healthy and delicious. Mushrooms are great for supporting the immune system, I try to fit them in as often as I can.

Anytime I use chicken breasts I pound them a bit to make them all the same thickness. To serve for a Sunday lunch you can chop the veggies and pound the chicken ahead of time and it will come together in 15-20 minutes. I usually serve with brown rice and a salad. Recipe from Cooking Light

Chicken Bruschetta
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, divided
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tbs olive oil
1 8oz package sliced mushrooms1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped plum tomato
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Combine garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper; sprinkle on chicken breasts. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray and broil for 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 tsp salt, mushrooms, zucchini and minced garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, tomato, onion, basil and vinegar; saute 3 minutes. Serve the vegetable mixture over chicken; sprinkle with cheese.

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

I love muffins, and these are my absolute favorite. The flavors are light and fresh and always seem to cheer me up. The original recipe is from Eating Well. I changed it to make it all whole wheat and a more noticeable lemon flavor.

Whenever I make muffins I make a double batch and freeze the extras. Muffins freeze very well and can be thawed from frozen by wrapping in a paper towel and microwaving on high for one minute.


Ingredients

* 2 lemons
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 cup nonfat buttermilk + a little extra
* 1/3 cup canola oil
* 1 large egg
* juice from half a lemon
* 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
* 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) raspberries, cut into pieces

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 large (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemons in long strips. Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar. Add buttermilk, oil, egg and lemon juice and pulse until blended.
3. Combine the whole-wheat flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in raspberries. Let batter rest 10-15 mins. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Top with coarse sugar if desired.
4. Bake the muffins until the edges and tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.