bcmom's kitchen

Italian Style Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:37:00 +0000

I found this recipe in the Food section of my newspaper. It's a keeper!

Italian Style Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1-1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 large thinly sliced onion
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
2 T quick-cooking tapioca
2 cans (15 oz.) rinsed cannellini beans
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 cup fresh basil torn into small pieces

Directions:

Place chicken in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Scatter onion over chicken.
Stir together tomatoes, broth and tapioca; pour over onions.
Cover and cook on high 4-1/2 hours or on low 6-1/2 hours.
Stir in beans and spinach; cook 30 minutes more on low. Stir in basil and serve.

The flavors in this were so good together! It turned out soupier than I was expecting, but I think that was because I used pearl tapioca instead of instant - it's what I had - and I think I messed it up by soaking it in hot water instead of cold. Looking back on it, I could have just mixed the tapioca with the cold broth and tomatoes and let it soak in that overnight - since I mixed this up the day before and then cooked it in the morning. Either way, I'll try it again, whether with instant tapioca or the same kind - to see if there's a difference. It didn't really matter, because it tasted great. I just cooked up some fettuccine and served it with that and some sliced sourdough bread.

The original recipe called for bone-in chicken thighs, but I read it wrong and got the boneless thighs out of the freezer. I don't really like boned chicken in crockpot recipes because it ends up falling apart, and you always have to be on the lookout for bones. So, I stuck with the boneless. It was great, because it did fall apart, and there were pieces of chicken all through. I cooked it on high most of the time, and probably got closer to the 6-1/2 hours than the 4-1/2.

I used Great Northern beans, which I cooked in my crockpot, instead of the cannellini beans - because that's what I had. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup sliced black olives instead of the spinach, but at least one of the people who would be eating this doesn't like olives, so I left them out. And the spinach? The original recipe didn't call for it, but it just seemed like it should have spinach - so I added it. I didn't actually measure, but a 10-oz. package ought to be about right. You can add olives instead of the spinach or along with the spinach.

I Need Better Food Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:44:00 +0000

In some cases, I just plain need pictures - good or not. I've been using Pinterest for a while now, and I started thinking that it would be a great way to handle the 'table of contents' on this blog. Currently I have the tabs at the top linking to all the different categories - using Blogger labels. And that works OK. You click the tab for soups, and you get a page with all the posts I've labelled 'soup' - simply scroll down through the posts to find a recipe that looks good.

I thought it would be nicer to create a Board on Pinterest for each of my categories. Clicking the tab would give you a page - like this one I created for Soups - with all the recipes in that category. The only problem is that it's not quite that easy. Why? Because I don't have pictures on all my recipes, and that means either I can't add those recipes to the Pinterest board, or I have to use my header, which doesn't quite convey the idea. It's that yummy picture of the recipe that is going to make people look in the first place. I know I love the pictures in a cookbook - whether I'm cooking or not, I can still get a lot of enjoyment out of looking at the pictures. Of course, my favorite cookbook - The Best of Mennonite Fellowship Meals - has no pictures at all, but...

Anyway, I have been trying harder to take pictures of everything I make, but I don't always remember - sometimes not until it's half gone, and sometimes not at all. And, my husband has been known to laugh at me for taking pictures of food. My problem is that I don't really know what makes a good food pic. I know one when I see one, but I don't really understand why it's good, and how do I go about taking some of my own? So it's time for some research into food photography and getting better food pics. I found a couple posts to start with:

and most of all, I just need to remember to take some shots of everything I make - good or not. Practice makes perfect, right?

In the meantime, what to do about those Pinterest Boards? Do you think it's a good idea for the 'table of contents' part of this blog? What do you use to organize your recipe posts to make them easy to browse?

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:26:00 +0000

I found this recipe in the paper a couple weeks ago and made it for dinner last night. It was amazing! Really. So, so good!

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Soup

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. (about 2 large) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 T paprika
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. dried basil
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
4 cups turkey broth (or chicken or vegetable stock)
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 can (15-oz.) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green pepper, diced
Salt to taste

Directions:

In large soup pot (5-qt.), heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, and sweet potato and saute until onion becomes translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
Add paprika, turmeric, basil, cinnamon, and cayenne. Stir to combine. Add stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; turn down heat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans and green pepper. Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes (or longer) or until potatoes are tender and soup is heated through. Season with salt to taste.
Serve with crusty whole grain bread, and brown rice if desired.

I will definitely be making this again. It's really easy, and the flavors blend so well. Also, I can't remember why I thought I didn't really like Garbanzo beans - until I tried roasting them - but they are absolutely perfect in this soup. I might have to try them in other things...(see related articles) The recipe said, once the potatoes are cooked and the soup is hot, to add additional stock or water if needed to reach the desired consistency, but I thought it was perfect just the way it was. I guess it depends on how you like your soups.

The recipe didn't say what to serve this with - crackers, biscuits, bread? - so I had mine with a bit of brown rice, which was wonderful, and we had some nice whole grain sourdough bread. Oh! the broth soaked into the bread! Amazing!! (so I added my own suggestion to the recipe - because I can't imagine anything going better with this soup)

Bean and Pumpkin Chili

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:04:00 +0000

I cooked a pumpkin last week and used part of it in this chili.

Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. dried parsley flakes
2 t. chili powder
1-1/2 t. dried oregano
1-1/2 t. ground cumin
1 can (15-oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15-oz.) red beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked pumpkin
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups chicken broth

Directions:

In 6-quart pan, brown hamburger with onion, pepper, and garlic; drain fat if necessary. Add spices.
Stir in remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer until heated through and flavors have blended. (1 to 1-1/2 hours on low heat)

Serve hot.

The original recipe was supposed to be meatless, using soy crumbles, but I didn't have anything like that, so I used hamburger. Ground turkey would probably be good in this too. I made some cornbread muffins to go with it. My husband just put crackers in his.

I've never used pumpkin in chili before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. It adds a richness and a thickness to the chili, but you really don't taste pumpkin. So why put pumpkin in chili? Any ideas? I'm thinking it's a good way to get some extra nutrition into your soup. Pumpkin - it's not just for pies!

Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:39:00 +0000

When I saw this recipe on Modern Mom, I just had to try it. I've never been a huge fan of chickpeas (or Garbanzo Beans) but I love anything with buffalo hot sauce, so I thought they'd be worth a try. And the picture just plain looked awesome! So I made them, and they are oh, so good! I will definitely be making these again!

Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:

1 T butter
1/4 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's RedHot Original)
1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

Directions:

Drain and rinse garbanzo beans; pat dry with towel. Spread onto baking sheet. (not too big. a 13x9" pan would work just fine)
In small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter; add hot sauce and stir to combine.
Pour hot sauce mixture over beans; toss to coat evenly.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 450°, stirring/shaking the pan occasionally - until browned.
Cool - if you can wait that long - and enjoy!

original recipe

These make a great snack. It's really hard to stop munching on them! That's not all bad, because, according to Dr. Oz - you can eat triple the amount of these roasted chickpeas as nuts - for the same number of calories!

It also made me wonder how many other ways I can roast chickpeas, so I went looking for recipes and found these:

w/ cayenne and cumin (and a very funny story, too)
w/ olive oil, garlic, and cayenne
w/ vinegar and mustard
w/ Moroccan spices
and more

They're all pretty much the same - drain your beans, toss with oil and spices of your choice, and roast at a high temperature until browned and crunchy. Pretty much like this page said - salt, seasoning blend of your choice, garbanzo beans, olive oil - and there are a bunch more recipes linked and listed there. Easy, easy, easy! and you end up with a healthy, high fiber snack.

These Foods Contain the Most Antioxidants

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:33:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I was reading through a magazine today and found this list of the top 20 antioxidant foods, so I thought I'd share. Scientists believe that foods rich in antioxidants prevent damage from molecules called free radicals. "If you increase the consumption of foods high in antioxidants, research indicates that you'll protect your body from the damage from these free radicals," says Dr. Ronald L. Prior, research chemist for the USDA, who conducted that study that produced this list.

In order, from highest to lowest:

Small red beans (dried)
Wild blueberries
Red kidney beans
Pinto beans
Blueberries (cultivated)
Cranberries
Artichokes (cooked)
Blackberries
Prunes
Raspberries
Strawberries
Red Delicious apples
Granny Smith apples
Pecans
Sweet cherries
Black plums
Russet potatoes (cooked)
Black beans (dried)
Plums
Gala apples

The article suggested printing the list out and taking it to the grocery store with you, to help you choose the best foods. If you don't have a list, just think color - foods in the brightest, most vivid colors are usually the ones that are high in antioxidants. (Except Russet potatoes made the list but not sweet potatoes which are much brighter and more vivid in color.)

I must admit, I was surprised by the Red Delicious apples on this list. They're always the last apples I'd pick for anything. Guess I was wrong there... Still, I'll probably keep buying the Granny Smiths and the Galas, just because they taste better. It doesn't matter how high a food is in antioxidants, if you don't eat it, it can't help you!

Not-Stuffed Cabbage - a Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:36:00 +0000

I've never had stuffed cabbage. I haven't the faintest clue how one would even go about stuffing cabbage, but it does sound like more work than I want to do. However, when I saw this layered version on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it. Of course, I didn't follow the recipe exactly...

Not-Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 T minced garlic
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp hot Hungarian Paprika
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
water - enough to rinse cans
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 to 2 tsp. olive oil
1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Parmesan

Directions:

In skillet, cook ground beef, adding onion, garlic, and green pepper as you get them chopped. Cook until beef is browned and vegetables are tender; add spices.
Reduce heat to low and add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot and slightly thickened.
While it simmers, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Chop cabbage, adding it to skillet as you go. Cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, stirring frequently. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened, stir in the 2 cups cooked rice.
Grease a 13x9" baking dish and layer half the cabbage in the bottom of the dish. Follow with half the meat mixture, the other half of the cabbage, and the remaining meat mixture.
Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes at 350°.
Remove foil, spread mozzarella cheese over the top and sprinkle with some Parmesan. Return to over and bake, uncovered, an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Remove from oven, and let sit 5 minutes or so. Serve hot.

This turned out really good. The flavors go really well together. It started smelling amazing as soon as I added the spices to the hamburger! And the cheese on top? So good!

The original recipe did not call for green pepper, but I had half of one that needed used, so that's why I threw it in. I also only used 8 oz. of tomato sauce - instead of the 16 oz. called for - because I messed up and only got one can out! Since I only used 1/2 lb. hamburger instead of the full pound, maybe that was best... It's a casserole - you can adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes or to use what you have.

The cabbage could have used a bit more salt, but that's my fault - when it says salt and pepper to taste, it really means to taste it! I just usually sprinkle it on until it looks good. Also, next time I want to cut the cabbage into smaller pieces - perhaps more like coarsely shredded. The original recipe said to chop it into pieces about 1 inch in size, so I left my cabbage fairly large this time. It was OK, but I think it will be better smaller.

Also, I see no real reason for the layers. Once you bake this, you really can't tell it's layered. I'm thinking just mix the meat, tomato sauce, rice mixture together with the cabbage, pour it all into the baking dish, and bake as directed.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:27:00 +0000

My friend Peggy posted this recipe for Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip on my facebook wall a few weeks ago. She knows me well - anything cranberry, and I'm all over it! I finally got a chance to make this last weekend, and it is amazing! All the flavors just combine to make your mouth happy...

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

1 12-oz package fresh cranberries (3 cups)
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 t cumin
2 T lemon juice (or lime)
dash salt
2 8-oz packages cream cheese

Directions:

Coarsely chop cranberries in Ninja or food processor and place in medium bowl
Chop onions, cilantro, and jalapeno and add to cranberries
Mix in sugar, cumin, lime juice, and salt
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight
When you're ready to serve: soften cream cheese and spread it on a plate, serving platter, or the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish; spread cranberry mixture evenly over the top.
Serve with Ritz (type) crackers, Wheat Thins, or tortilla chips

I cut the sugar down significantly from the original recipe - from 1-1/4 cups to just 2/3 cup. I think it could be cut down a tiny bit more, but then I like the tartness of the cranberries, so it's probably a good balance. I used lime juice, because I had a lime I needed to use and no lemons. It all worked together really well.

We tried it with Wheat Thins, tortilla chips, and the Ritz type crackers, and it tastes good with all of them - but the Ritz type are the best. Everyone who tasted this thought it was great - my husband who does not like cilantro, my friend Peggy who sent me the recipe and doesn't even like cranberries, my son who - well, I expected him to like it! I never would have thought to mix these particular ingredients together, but the combination really is magic. I will be making this again!! I don't expect it will last long...

Honey Garlic Lemon Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:16:00 +0000

My brother made this yummy-sounding chicken and posted this video - so I thought I'd share.

I am going to have to try this! All those flavors sound like they will be really amazing together. I'm just wondering if I can bake it and perhaps brown the chicken a bit. I don't think it needs it for flavor, but it will look prettier.

Cranberry Nut Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:21:00 +0000

I love cranberries. I like to just pop them in my mouth and eat them. And any recipe with 'Cranberry' in the title gets my attention immediately. This is one of the simplest recipes and oh, so yummy!

I made some Friday afternoon so we could have it this weekend. Cranberry and orange go so well together.

Cranberry Nut Bread

Ingredients:

1 egg, well beaten
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup orange juice (or mixture of fresh orange juice from 2 oranges and milk to make 3/4 cup)
2 T oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Beat egg in medium bowl; add orange zest, juice/milk mixture, oil and sugars; mix well.
Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and and add to liquid mixture. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts.
Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, and spread batter evenly in pan.
Bake at 350ºF for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight.

Makes 1 loaf

I especially like using a mixing bowl w/ a handle for almost everything I bake. It's easy for mixing, and easy to pour the batter into the pan.

Cranberries are a bit tricky to chop if you're trying to use a knife and cutting board - which I have done. This time I threw the cranberries into my Ninja and chopped them up easily! I did the same thing with the pecans - super easy!

The original recipe calls for all white flour and white sugar, but I like adding brown sugar and whole wheat flour to my recipes because I think it gives a better flavor. Half and half works quite well, or you can use all brown sugar and whole wheat flour, whatever your preference is. You could even use the all white if you want. I won't judge - well, not too much.

The best way to eat this? Toasted! With a little butter melted on top... Try it - you'll see what I mean!

Beans: Canned or Dry?

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:23:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Adding beans is an inexpensive and easy way to add protein and fiber to your diet. Diets rich in beans can lower cholesterol levels, improve diabetics' blood glucose control,reduce risk of many cancers, lower blood pressure, regulate functions of the colon, prevent and cure constipation, as well as reduce your risk of heart disease and improve your bone and prostate health.

If you're not eating beans, you really should be! I know - I'm one to talk. My mom cooked beans often when I was growing up, and I really didn't appreciate them or even like them - except in chili. I did like the cornbread she served with them, though! It wasn't until I found and tried the recipe for Five Bean Soup that I discovered I really like beans - a lot.

Canned beans make it really easy to add beans to your diet. I try to always have a few cans of kidney beans and black beans on hand, and you can buy many other varieties of canned beans. They're really handy to grab and add to any dish where you want to add a little extra protein or fiber - casseroles, soups, pasta, salads, or anything else you can think of. There are also many tasty recipes you can find that feature or include beans - my Five Bean Soup for one, and the Turkey Barley Chili I just posted.

Image via Wikipedia

While canned beans are fairly inexpensive, you can save even more by buying dried beans and cooking your own, and you don't get the added salt or sugar that most canned beans have. I usually cook mine in the crockpot - I wash and sort them sometime during the day, place them in the crockpot with enough water to cover, and let them sit all day. Then, before going to bed at night, I turn the crockpot on low and let them cook overnight. The next morning I have cooked beans! This works especially well with black beans, because they always seemed to get mushy when I cooked them on the stove. Yes, probably my fault for not paying close enough attention, but still....

For use in recipes, I've found that 1-1/2 cups beans is approximately equal to one can of beans. A 1-lb. package of dried beans makes a little more than the equivalent of 3 cans of beans - and usually costs the same or less than one can. Cover with 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid if you're going to freeze them, and they're almost as handy as those cans of beans in your pantry. Since the liquid doesn't usually go into your recipe, you can thaw them fairly quickly by putting the frozen beans into a colander and running warm water over them.

So, which is better - canned or dry? I say both. How's that for making a decision? Both canned and dried beans have their place. Canned beans are ready and waiting whenever you need or want them. Dried beans require that you plan ahead, but once cooked you can store them in the refrigerator for several days or freeze them in individual containers. Dried beans are less expensive and don't give you the added salt or sugar you get with the canned beans - why do they put sugar in kidney beans, anyway? Always be sure to drain and rinse your canned beans before using them to remove most of that added salt. If you're not already using beans, start by buying some canned beans. If you've been using canned beans for a while, try buying some dried beans and cooking your own. I especially like cooking my own beans when I'm making something like chili that requires several cans of beans - why open a bunch of cans when I can cook one package and have all the beans I need? And save money, too.

Turkey and Barley Chili

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:15:00 +0000

I haven't really used barley much, but I bought some recently thinking it would be a good addition to our diet. It's supposed to be really good for you. I was thinking along the lines of a beef barley soup, but there was a chicken chili recipe on the box that caught my eye. I cooked some turkey wings and some black beans earlier in the week, so it seemed like a perfect time to try the recipe - with my own spin to it, of course.

Turkey & Barley Chili

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 T chili powder
1 t. cumin
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
16 oz. tomato sauce
4 cups water
1 cup medium barley
2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
2 cups cooked turkey

Directions:

Heat olive oil in 6-qt. saucepan; add onions and garlic and saute while chopping celery and green pepper. Add celery and pepper and continue to cook until very soft and starting to brown; add spices.
Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and barley. Over high heat bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add beans, corn, and turkey; increase heat to high until chili comes to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until barley is tender.
If upon standing the chili becomes too thick, add more broth or water until chili is desired consistency.
Serve with grated cheese and/or sour cream, if desired

The original recipe did not call for the onions, garlic, celery or green pepper - but it just didn't seem like chili without them! Or at least not without the onions and garlic. While I was adding vegetables, I figured celery and green pepper couldn't hurt. I also added about twice as many beans as the original recipe asked for. Again - chili needs beans! - and I had them.

I'm planning to take this for potluck on Sabbath, so I haven't actually tried it yet - except for a quick taste, which was really good. I'm thinking that I will need to add a bit more water, or maybe another can of tomatoes when I heat it up, because it turned out pretty thick. I'm thinking of either making cornbread muffins to go with the chili or serving it with tortilla chips. I think either would be really good with this.

Spinach and Cilantro Green Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:47:00 +0000

Also from the What the Bible Says about Healthy Living Cookbook - I made this rice to go with the burritos last night.

Spinach and Cilantro Green Rice

Ingredients:

2/3 bunch cilantro (stems OK)
1 cup firmly packed fresh spinach
1-1/4 cups milk
1-1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 T)
1-1/2 cups brown rice
1/2 tsp salt
Several generous grindings pepper

Directions:

Trim the cilantro stems to 1 to 2 inches.
Add the cilantro, spinach, milk, broth and lime juice to a blender and puree the ingredients.
Combine the liquid mixture with the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid, and simmer fo r45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes, without removing the cover. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

1/3 bunch of cilantro for the burritos, 2/3 bunch for this rice - you'd think all my cilantro would be used, but those aren't really good measurements, and cilantro bunches vary - so I just used quite a bit of cilantro and called it enough, for both recipes. I also used frozen spinach because I didn't have any fresh. I'm not sure how much frozen spinach equals a cup of fresh, so I just threw some in.

I made half this recipe because we just didn't need that much rice. I usually cook my brown rice 40 minutes so I thought the 45 minutes would be plenty long enough, but there was still liquid in the pan when I took the lid off, and the rice was a bit chewy. It tasted really good though, so I'm either going to cook it at a higher temperature next time or do like it says and turn the heat off and let it sit - instead of removing it from the heat to let it sit. The rice should continue to cook on the still-warm burner for a bit longer.

I put some of this on my Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito for lunch - along with the salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Yum!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:30:00 +0000

Jeffrey and I love the African Burritos I usually make, which also include sweet potatoes and black beans. So, when I was browsing through the copy of What the Bible Says about Healthy Living Cookbook that I got from the library, I just had to try this recipe.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

Ingredients:

1 unpeeled large sweet potato (about 1 pound)
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
1 T olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
Several generous grindings of pepper
1/3 bunch cilantro (mostly leaves)
2 15-ounce cans black beans
Juice from 1/2 lemon or lime (about 2 T)
6 8-inch whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400° and oil a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Cut the potato into chunks and put them into the prepared pan. Bake fro 30-35 minutes, or until the potato pieces are tender when pierced with a fork.
While the potato bakes:

Chop the onion and garlic. Saute in the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan.
Cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat.
Chop the cilantro. Rinse and drain the black beans. Add the cilantro, beans and lemon or lime juice to the pan.

When the potato chunks are cooked, remove from the oven. Reduce heat to 350°.
Add the cooked potato to the frying pan with the onion mixture. (Set aside the pan you used to bake the potato; you will use it to heat the burritos.) Using a potato masher, mash the ingredients together to make a thick, chunky mixture.
To assemble the burritos:

Lay a tortilla on a flat surface.
Spoon 1/2 cup filling mixture over the tortilla.
Roll up the tortilla and place in pan, seam side down.
Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Cover the pan with foil and bake burritos for 30 minutes, until well heated.
Serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

The verdict: These are really good. Jeffrey commented that they are spicier than the other ones, so perhaps cut down on the cumin if you have people who don't like or can't eat spicy foods. These are very filling - we both ate 1-1/2 burritos, and I wrapped the other three in foil and stuck them in the freezer. I like the flavor of the roasted sweet potato and will use more sweet potato when I make these again. Also, I'm not going to bother with the rolling up and baking step. Instead I'll just mix up and heat the filling and let everybody heat and fill their own tortillas - with the filling along with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, sliced green onions, etc. I had some leftover filling, and that's how I fixed it for lunch. It turned out really good.

Crockpot Granola

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:34:00 +0000

Granola in the crockpot? Did you know that was even possible? The idea never even occurred to me until I saw this recipe for crockpot granola on Pinterest. And then, I had to try it! Here's what I did:

Crockpot Granola

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups wheat flakes
1 T flax seeds, ground
2 T raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup coconut (plus a bit more)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dried cranberries (can use other dried fruits like raisins or dried apples or a combination)

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in 5 qt. crockpot.
Add melted butter and honey and mix well.
Cover, but vent with a chopstick. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring every so often - every half hour or whenever you smell the granola cooking. Cook until granola is browned nicely the way you like it.
Scoop out onto a cookie sheet to cool. Stirring occasionally while it cools.
Store in air-tight container.
Enjoy!

I have a couple other granola recipes, both are supposed to be baked in the over, but I think I will be trying them in the crockpot. I think any combination of ingredients you like in your granola will work in the crockpot. The granola really does cook and brown nicely! But you don't have to worry about burning it.

If you like clumps in your granola, you'll need to add more honey or butter or both - or maybe peanut butter like some of the commenters suggested on the other recipe. I might try the peanut butter next time, but this is very good!

Another change I'll probably make next time is to either add the dried fruit halfway through the cooking time or even at the end. The cranberries are still good, but they dried out a bit more than I'd like.

Butternut Chicken Chili

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:28:00 +0000

I took this for a potluck this weekend, and everyone really liked it.

I was going to make my Corn Lover's Veg Stew - which I love - but followed a link to Butternut Chicken Stew on Simple Daily Recipes and decided to make a version of that. I will be making this again!

Butternut Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled & cubed
1 small bell pepper, chopped (can use frozen)
1-1/2 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can cooked red beans (or kidney beans)
1 (14.5oz) can tomatoes
1 T tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn

Directions:

Over medium high heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion begins to soften.
Add boneless skinless chicken thighs and cook until no longer pink, adding the peppers when chicken is almost cooked.
Lower heat to medium and add seasonings. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, while peeling and cubing the butternut squash. Add squash as you get it cubed and stir to coat with oil and seasonings.
Once all the squash has been added, add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about an hour or until squash is soft, stirring occasionally. Add corn during the last 15 minutes.
Enjoy!

I made cornbread muffins to go with it, and it was amazing!

As with any soup, stew, or chili, feel free to adjust any ingredients to use what you have on hand or to suit your preferences. Substitute chicken breasts or pre-cooked chicken (maybe from a rotisserie chicken), add more tomatoes or more beans, less broth, all chicken broth - it's up to you!

Free eCookbook - Salads for Every Season

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:10:00 +0000

Earthbound Farm is celebrating 25 years of pre-washed, packaged organic salads by giving away a free ecookbook - Salads for Every Season.

Salads for Every Season: 25 Recipes from Earthbound Farm by Myra Goodman (who’s been called “The Queen of Greens”) is 83 pages of delicious salad recipes from Myra’s first two cookbooks, Food to Live By and The Earthbound Cook.

The cookbook is available in several formats - Kindle, Nook, Google eBooks, etc. - so you can download the one that's right for you.

Enjoy!

How to Dice an Onion

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 04:26:00 +0000

I was trying to find a good video to go along with my post last night. A post about getting rid of that onion smell on your hands when you chop onions should have a video on how to chop those onions, right? However, even though there are plenty of videos on YouTube explaining how to dice an onion, they all seemed a bit over-complicated to me and added unnecessary steps. So, I made my own video.

Maybe not the best, but it will have to do for now. I've really got to get an assistant for the camera work!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Get Rid of That Onion Smell

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:51:00 +0000

I can't cook without onions. No, really - if I run out of onions I have a very hard time figuring out what to fix for dinner. There are so many things I just ~~can't~~ won't make without onions! But cooking with onions means hands that smell like onions, right?

Not necessarily. There's a really easy way to get rid of that onion smell on your hands - stainless steel! Simply rub your hands over stainless steel for several seconds while holding them under cold running water, and the smell will be gone. I usually just use my knife, since I've got it, and it needs rinsed off anyway, but they also have Stainless Steel SOAP which works the same way, without the sharp edges. I have several oval-shaped ones, but there are different sizes and shapes available, like this Amco Rub Away Bar which is shaped just like a bar of soap.

I'm not really sure how it works, but it does! (One of the product descriptions says: "Negatively-charged stainless steel soap combines with positive charge of cool water to neutralize germs" - so I guess that explains it.) Onion, garlic, fish - any unwanted odor completely neutralized and eliminated! Smells really bother me, so I am so happy to know this. I wish I had known it years ago - back when I was working in the kitchen in college and chopping tons of onions and garlic. I never could stand to wear the plastic gloves, so I just dealt with the smell, not knowing how easy it would have been to just get rid of it.

So next time you chop onions or get any kind of strong odor on your hands, try stainless steel. You'll be wanting to keep one of these handy soaps right by your sink for everyday use!

Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000

I buy my Taco seasoning in the big containers from Sam's Club. It's definitely cheaper than buying the packets at the grocery store, and there isn't much chance of running out. Still, it doesn't hurt to have this recipe on hand, just in case.

Taco Seasoning

1 T chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper

In a bowl, combine all ingredients.
To make tacos, use half the batch of seasoning with 1 pound ground beef and 1/4 cup water.

Even though I have plenty of Taco Seasoning, I'll probably have to try this just to see how it turns out. (and if my taco seasoning has some of the ingredients mentioned in the related article (must read label), I may have to start making it all the time!)

The Everything Potluck Cookbook - Free for Kindle

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:17:00 +0000

I love cookbooks, and potlucks, so I definitely grabbed this one.

Right now you can get The Everything Potluck Cookbook FREE for both Kindle and Nook. It's regularly $15.95, so now is definitely the time to get it!

Product Description:

Potlucks are a great way to get friends and relatives together without the pricey grocery or restaurant bill! In this cookbook, veteran cook Linda Larsen gives you an array of options for every meal and course. In addition, easy-to-understand icons indicate whether a recipe is easy, healthy, quick, or inexpensive. Everything you need to host, or attend, a successful potluck is here, including: 300 tasty and creative recipes; Tips for transporting food safely; Indications of whether a recipe can be made ahead of time; Menu suggestions for a variety of potluck parties. Guests can make the dishes on their own and bring them to the host's home, or they can all gather in the host's kitchen and make them together. With this book, cooking for the perfect potluck party has never been easier!

Don't have a Kindle? Use the Free Kindle Reading Apps for PC, MAC, iPhone, or Android, or treat yourself to a beautiful new Kindle Fire! OK, I don't really need one, but I would love to have one! Wouldn't you?

Free Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Cookbook

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:41:00 +0000

Make this year’s Thanksgiving feast your most memorable ever with help from Martha Stewart and an esteemed group of our nation’s top chefs, including Emeril Lagasse, Sara Moulton and Eric Ripert.

Download your FREE copy of the cookbook from Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius XM Satellite radio. You can get the entire cookbook or download each chapter individually.

There are some really yummy-looking recipes in here! The Sweet Potato Turkey Chowder and the Butternut Squash Lasagna are two that caught my eye.

Chard and Cheddar Omelet

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:55:00 +0000

I found this recipe over at Recipezaar, made these omelets once, and then forgot all about it until I was sending chard recipes to a friend last week.

Chard and Cheddar Omelet

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces swiss chard, stemmed and chopped (equals about 3 cups of packed chard)
3/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
5 large eggs
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Melt 1 tbsp of butter in an 10-inch diameter non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute until soft (about 2 minutes). Stir in the swiss chard, cover, and cook until tender (about 4 minutes). Stir in the hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl, and wipe the skillet clean.
Whisk the eggs, 1/4 cup cheese, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
Melt 1/2 tbsp butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the egg mixture and cook until the eggs are just set in the centre (about 2 minutes), tilting the pan and lifting the edge of the omellete with a spatula to let the uncooked portion flow underneath. Scatter half of the chard mixture over half of the omelette. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese over the chard. Fold the omelette over the cheese, and slide onto a plate.
Repeat with the remaining butter, egg mixture, chard, and cheese.

Made them for dinner the other night - so good!

Tip: When making omelets for dinner (or any time), turn your oven on warm and place the finished omelets in the oven while you cook the rest. That way everyone can eat at the same time, and the cheese gets all melty, more than it does just from cooking in the skillet. Of course, you want to make sure your plates are oven-proof! I usually cook all our omelets, and then while they're staying warm in the oven, I make toast to serve with them. When the toast is done, the omelets are perfect, and we can all sit down together.

Hearty Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:30:00 +0000

This soup is so good!

Hearty Soup

Ingredients

1 lb. lean hamburger or ground turkey
12 oz. diced potatoes
1/2 c. each carrots, celery & onions, chopped
4 oz. rice
4 tsp. butter or margarine
1-28 oz. can tomatoes, quartered, w/ juice
1/2 large head cabbage, cut into wedges
1-1/2 quarts water
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

In margarine, sauté cooked hamburger, carrots, celery, onion and rice until vegetables are tender.
Add remaining ingredients.
Simmer 3 to 4 hours

Serve with biscuits - made with half whole wheat flour.

For best results, make this soup they day before you want to serve it. Refrigerate it overnight and reheat the next day - it's better that way and continues to improve every time you reheat it!

Measurement tip: 1 lb. diced potatoes = about 4 cups. So for the 12 oz. needed in this recipe, you will need 3 cups.

Biscuits

noreply@blogger.com (Anna Hagen) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:30:00 +0000

I've been making these biscuits for as long as I can remember. They're really easy and good!

Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together in medium bowl, using fork
Pour oil and milk into measuring cup (do not stir together), then pour all at once into flour mixture
Stir with fork until mixture cleans sides of bowl and rounds up into a ball.
Knead on floured surface just until dough looks smooth; roll dough out to 1/2" thick; cut with biscuit cutter and place on ungreased baking sheet
Bake at 475° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown

Depending on what I want to use these for, I either use all white flour or half whole wheat. The whole wheat ones go especially well with Hearty Soup.

Either way they're really good. I especially love the little odd-shaped ones because they get really crispy!

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