Month: May 2009

Categories
Hash Brown Potatoes Quiche Spinach Vegetarian

Spinach, Caramelized Onion and Feta Quiche

2 tsp. olive oil
3 cups chopped onion
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 (11-oz.) can refrigerated soft breadstick dough
Cooking spray
1 (10-oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 cup fat-free milk
3 large egg whites
2 large eggs
1-1/4 cups (5-oz.) crumbled feta cheese

To decrease fat, we’ve used 2 egg yolks and 5 egg whites. Some egg yolks are necessary to produce a creamy filling. You can refrigerate the leftover yolks for up to 3 days in an airtight container (add a tablespoon of water so the yolks don’t develop a film).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, sugar, and salt; cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in potatoes and cook for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat.
Unroll dough, separating into strips. Working on a flat surface, coil one strip of dough around itself in a spiral pattern. Add second strip of dough to the end of the first strip, pinching ends together to seal; continue coiling the dough. Repeat procedure with the remaining dough strips. Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough into a 12″ circle, and fit into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray.
Spread potato mixture in bottom of prepared crust, and top with spinach. Combine milk, egg whites, eggs, and cheese; pour the milk mixture over the spinach. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until set, shielding crust with foil after 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Categories
Main Dish Mexican Tortillas Vegetarian

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

Several quarts of water

8 cups fresh spinach leaves, stemmed (1 pound)
Vegetable oil spray, if needed
15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup low-sodium salsa
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
6 6-inch corn tortillas or nonfat or low-fat flour tortillas
1/2 cup nonfat or low-fat sour cream
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons lime juice
4 ounces shredded nonfat or low-fat Monterey Jack cheese (about 1 cup)
2 Italian plum tomatoes, diced
2 green onions (green and white parts), thinly sliced

In a large pot, bring water to a boil over high heat.
While water heats, thoroughly rinse spinach. Add spinach to boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well in a colander. Press out as much liquid as possible with the back of a large spoon. (Discard water or save for vegetable stock.)
Preheat oven to 3500 F. If using a casserole dish, spray it with vegetable oil spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine spinach, black beans, salsa, cumin, and chili powder.
Spoon 1/4 of the mixture down the middle of one tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the filling (jelly-roll style). Place tortilla seam side down in a shallow nonstick baking pan or prepared casserole dish. Repeat process with remaining tortillas.
Bake enchiladas, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine sour cream and lime juice. Remove enchiladas from oven and spread sour cream mixture evenly over enchiladas. Top with cheese, tomatoes, and green onions and bake for 5 minutes.
Cook�s Tip: This dish freezes so well that you might want to make a batch to keep on hand for unexpected guests or evenings when you just don�t want to cook. After rolling the enchiladas, place them in a container and cover tightly with foil or put them in an airtight plastic freezer bag. Increase baking time to 35 to 40 minutes.
You can substitute a 10-ounce package of no-salt-added frozen spinach for the fresh spinach. Cook according to package directions, omitting salt and oil, then continue with the recipe.

Serves 6

Categories
Pork

Spicy Pork Cubes

1 teaspoon acceptable vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless pork loin, all visible fat removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 2 medium oranges)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 medium limes)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 habaqero or jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Brown the pork cubes for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onion and garlic, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer, then cook, covered, over low heat for 40 to 50 minutes, or until pork is tender.
Uncover pan and cook over medium-high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until juices have reduced to a thick glaze. Serve warm.

Serves 8; about 1/2 cup per serving

Categories
Pork

Spicy Baked Pork Chops

Vegetable oil spray
1 pound boneless pork loin chops, all visible fat removed
Egg substitute equivalent to 1 egg
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1/3 cup cornflake crumbs
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Using vegetable oil spray, spray a shallow baking pan large enough to hold pork chops in a single layer. Set aside.
Cut pork chops into 4 portions, if necessary. Set aside.
In a small, shallow bowl, combine egg substitute and milk. In a shallow dish such as a pie pan, combine crumbs, cornmeal, marjoram, pepper, mustard, ginger, and cayenne. Using tongs, dip pork chops in milk mixture, letting excess liquid drip off. Coat both sides of pork chops with crumb mixture. Arrange pork chops in prepared pan.
Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Turn chops with a spatula and bake for 10 minutes, or until chops are tender and slightly pink in center.

Serves 4

Categories
Ethnic - Regional Italian Pasta

Spaghetti Pepperoni Pie

1/2 pound spaghetti, broken up into thirds
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 cups bottled spaghetti sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 ounces pepperoni, chopped
4 eggs, large, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In large saucepan of lightly salted water, cook spaghetti one minute less than directed on package. Drain.
Heat oven to 350. Coat 10 inch skillet with nonstick cooking spray. If handle is not ovenproof, wrap with foil.
Coat with crumbs. In bowl, combine spaghetti, pasta sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni. Stir in beaten eggs. Spoon mixture into prepared skillet. Bake in 350 degree oven 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with parmesean, bake until cheese is golden brown, 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges.

6 Servings

Categories
Cheese Chicken Breasts Tortillas

Southwest Chicken Skillet

2/3 cup salsa
8 8-inch flour tortillas (optional)
1/2 cup water
1 medium yellow or green sweet pepper, cut into squares
1/2 cup cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 1- to 1.5-ounce envelope fajita seasoning mix
Nonstick spray coating
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 small onion, cut into thin wedges
1 small zucchini, bias-sliced
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Colby-Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
2 tablespoons cooking oil

For marinade, in a medium mixing bowl combine fajita mix, water, and oil. Add chicken to marinade. Stir to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Spray a large skillet with nonstick coating. Preheat over medium heat. Add sweet pepper, zucchini, and onion; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from skillet.
Drain chicken; discard marinade. Add chicken to skillet. (If necessary, add 1 tablespoon cooking oil during cooking.) Cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes or until no pink remains. Return vegetables to skillet. Stir together salsa and chili powder. Add salsa mixture, corn, and beans to skillet. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes more or until heated through. Serve with warm tortillas and cheese, if desired. (To heat tortillas, wrap in microwave-safe paper towels; micro-cook on high power for 30 seconds). Makes 4 servings.

Categories
Black Beans Chicken Pizza

Southwest Chicken Pizza – California Pizza Kitchen Copycat

pizza crust
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup black beans, refried or black bean dip
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup white onions, sliced
1 green chili, canned, whole
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Make marinade by combining lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper flakes in a blender or small bowl with an electric mixer until well mixed. Marinate the chicken for 2 hours. Heat one teaspoon oil in small skillet over high heat. Cook chicken 2-4 minutes or until cooked through. Mix black beans with water and cayenne pepper.
Roll out pizza crust or use prepared crust. Preheat oven to 475. Spread black bean mixture over crust, arrange chicken evenly over beans. Top with onions. Thinly slice the chili pepper into strips. Sprinkle over onions. Top with cheeses. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until pizza crust lightly browns.
Serve with tomatillo salsa and sour cream on the side.

2 Servings

Categories
Chicken Breasts

Southwest Chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place chicken in a large self-closing plastic bag and pour in remaining ingredients.
Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes or up to 3 hours for stronger flavor. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Grill chicken 10-14 minutes or until done.

4 Servings

Categories
Chicken Main Dish Southern

Southern Fried Chicken Paula Deen’s Recipe

2 lbs cut-up chicken

Sauce mixture

4 eggs
1/3 cup water
1 cup hot sauce (I use Louisiana Hot Sauce, Tabasco might be hotter)

Seasoning blend

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Dredging mixture

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat peanut oil in a large deep pot to 350°F (do not fill more than half full–you don’t want a hot-oil spill-over accident!).
For sauce mixture: in a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs with the water.
Add hot sauce and whisk together well.
Pour this mixture into a large plastic zip-top bag.
For seasoning mixture: In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
For dredging mixture: In a another bowl, mix flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Rinse and pat dry chicken pieces with a paper towel.
Cut breast pieces in half across ribs.
Sprinkle chicken generously on both sides with seasoning blend.
Drop a few chicken pieces of chicken into bag of sauce mixture and squish around to coat thoroughly.
One piece at a time, roll chicken in flour mixture and drop into hot oil.
Don’t crowd chicken pieces–I cook about half the chicken at a time.
Fry chicken until brown and crisp.
Drain on paper toweling.
Dark meat will take about 14 minutes, white meat about 10 minutes.
Remember smaller pieces cook faster than the larger ones.
You can check for doneness by piercing to the bone in the thickest part with a fork.
If the juices run clear, it is done.

8 Servings

Categories
Hash Brown Potatoes Salmon

Smoked Salmon-Goat Cheese- Fresh Dill Frittata

Cooking spray
2-1/2 cups shredded peeled baking potato or refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 large egg whites
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
3 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add potato; saute 5 minutes or until golden brown, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Combine the egg whites, eggs, goat cheese, and smoked salmon in a medium bowl, and stir well with a whisk. Spread the egg mixture evenly over the potato in skillet, and cook 2 minutes or until edges are set and bottom is lightly browned. Sprinkle the top with dill.
Bake at 350&176; for 5 minutes. Broil 3 minutes or until center is set. Carefully loosen frittata from skillet with a spatula; gently slide frittata onto a platter. Cut into 4 wedges.

YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)