Cooking Just for You

Sumptuous, mouth watering

chimichangas

will bring your family running to the dinner table every time, without you even having to call them .  The wonderful aroma will be enough to stir their interest.  This meal is very filling, and adds an international flavor.   Bon appetit!

This recipe is easy to make using leftover chicken.   Feel free to substitute cooked ground beef or chopped steak.

2 1/2 cups chicken, cooked, shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
16 ounces salsa
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pinch of salt
6 ? 10 inch flour tortillas
1 cup refried beans
Olive oil (for basting)
Sour Cream
Guacamole

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender.  Stir in chili powder, salsa, and cumin. Stir in shredded chicken.  Let cool.  Grease rimmed 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon a heaping tablespoon of beans down center of each tortilla. Top with a scant 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture. Fold up the bottom, top and sides of tortilla; secure with wooden toothpicks if necessary. Place chimichangas in greased baking pan, seam side down. Brush all sides with the oil. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, turning every 5 minutes.  Serve with sour cream and guacamole.

*Note:  This is one of those mexican suppers that is truly delightful - a good choice for your teenagers having their friends over to dinner!

Serves 8-10

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and I have a very resourceful website for ya’ll.   It includes holiday humor, suggested videos “to get through the holiday” with a smile on your face, as well as many cooking recipes/tips, decoration ideas, and novel drink notions.

It even has an iPhone application to aid you ladies (or men) in organizing your day.  This should help relieve the pressure, as well as organizing your Thanksgiving!

Here’s the link —>   Thanksgiving Resource

P.S.  It offers an iPhone application to help get you organized !!

Burnt Pumpkin Pie

At epicurious.com they offer a delicious, mouth watering recipe for burnt pumpkin pie.  If some of you ladies have never tried this, it is not only wonderful but a

memorable dessert

for your guests to rave about:

• 1 recipe pâte brisée
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup fresh pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup pecan halves
• sweetened whipped cream as an accompaniment

Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and fit it into a 9-inch (1-quart) pie tin. Crimp the edge of the dough decoratively and chill the shell for 30 minutes.

In a heavy saucepan cook the sugar over low heat, undisturbed, until it is melted, cook it over moderately low heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is a deep caramel color, and stir in the corn syrup, stirring the mixture until it is combined well. Add the rum and the butter and cook the mixture for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool until it stops bubbling.

In a bowl whisk together the eggs, the vanilla, and a pinch of salt and add the syrup mixture in a stream, whisking. In another bowl whisk together the pumpkin purée and the ginger and whisk in 1 1/4 cups of the egg mixture. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared shell, arrange the pecan halves decoratively on the mixture, and spoon the remaining egg mixture over the pecans. (The pecans will float to the top.) Bake the pie in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set and the crust is pale golden, let it cook, and serve it warm or at room temperature with the whipped cream.

Recipe for pâte brisée -

Ingredients

Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1 lb chicken breasts, cut in thin strips or 2” cubes
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt (essential for flavor)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp curry powder (or to taste)
1 tbsp evaporated cane juice or other sweetener of choice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup coconut milk powder
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 apple, cubed
1 sweet potato, 1” cubed
1 1/2 tbsp. Coconut oil

Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Put chicken in the skillet, dust with curry, salt, pepper and sweetener. Add onions, apple, potatoes and garlic & sauté about 5 minutes. Add curry powder and water. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until chicken and potatoes are done. Add coconut milk powder and stir until completely dissolved into thick gravy. Remove from heat and serve over bread or rice.

Suggested toppings: Chopped peanuts, Chopped green onions, Chopped cucumbers, Shredded coconut, Raisins, Chutney, Sliced bananas that are sprinkled with lemon juice, Chopped pickles, Sweet peppers, yellow, green or red.

Recipe by: Wilderness Family Naturals

P.S. I tried their sweet mango pepper dressing - it was to die for.

Strawberries with Lime Dipping Sauce: A Zesty, Healthy Snack

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

A sumptuous addition to your summer menu:

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. carton of light dairy sour cream

2 T. powdered sugar

2 tsp. finely shredded lime peel

1 T. lime juice

3 C. of strawberries

Directions: for lime dipping sauce, in a small bowl stir together sour cream, powdered sugar, lime peel, and lime juice. Wash the strawberries, but do not remove the stems; drain. Serve the strawberries with the lime dipping sauce.

An additional site with excellent vintage desserts: Simple Fruit Desserts (This lens belongs to Cheryl Kohan)

Cold Cucumber Soup with Avocado

This is a filling, satisfying cold soup; and

no cholesterol

in this one!

Serves 2

1 1/2 Cups fresh Cucumber juice from 2 large

cucumbers

1/4  Cup fresh Lemon juice

1 T.  chopped green onion

1 T.  chopped red onion

1 T.  chopped fresh parsley

1 Lg ripe avocado, peeled and seeded

1 Lg or 2 medium garlic cloves, minced

3 sprigs fresh basil, chopped (optional)

1 tsp tamari or light soy sauce

1-2 tsp curry powder, or to taste

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Fresh basil, for garnish

Combine the juices and remaining ingredients in a blender, and puree until smooth. If the soup is a bit thick, add a little more cucumber juice or lemon juice.

Pour the soup into bowls and serve cold. Garnish with fresh basil or any other fresh herb of choice.

For a zesty summer recipe, this one can’t be beat!

A cold, satisfying soup for Summertime!

This delicious recipe is from Cherie Calbom’s “The Coconut Diet”. It may be found at Amazon.com

Nutritional breakdown per serving: 186 calories (68.9% from fat); 16 grams fat; 3g protein; 13 g carbohydrate; 4 g dietary fiber; 0 mg cholestrol; 182 mg sodium

For more vegetarian recipes: Cooking Made Easy

For Italian vegetarian fare: Vegetarian Cooking Made Easy

A Delicious Rigatoni with Gorgonzola cheese: Rigatoni with Gorgonzola

(This one from Syvum.com)

A  Delightful Dessert for Summer :

Creme de Cacao Pie:

Ingredients:

1 quart of coffee ice cream

9 inch Graham cracker or Choc. Wafer pie shell

1 pint Pistachio, Butter Pecan or French Vanilla ice cream

1/4 cup of dark creme de cacao syrup

(you can substitute Hersheys choc. syrup)

Soften the ice cream slightly; pack into pie shell.  Freeze until firm - at least 1 hour.   At serving time, place scoop of pistachio, french vanilla or butter pecan ice cream on each serving and drizzle with 1 - 2 tablespoons creme de cacao syrup (if you wish, thicken with honey).

Purchase prepared pie shell or make your own ahead of time and store in the freezer.

Hi again folks. Today I’ve a recipe which is simply delightful. It makes for good summer fare, and is healthful due to the grilled vegetables component. I particularly like the red pepper sauce:

Bahama Breeze Chicken Santiago
Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:
2 Chicken Breast, 8oz, skinless, boneless
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Olive oil
½ cup Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
2 Tbsp Chimichurri Sauce
2 servings of Your Favorite Side-dish
2 servings of Your Favorite Vegetables

PREPARATION:
Lightly coat the chicken breast with olive oil, salt and pepper on both sides. Grill over a medium heat, pre-heated char-grill with wood chips added just prior to adding the chicken or a charcoal grill with wood chips added. Grill for 6-7 minutes per side, while flipping it over twice during the grilling; the chicken is done when 165-170°F on a meat thermometer or the juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Serve immediately with warm roasted pepper sauce drizzled with chimichurri and your favorite sides. Enjoy!!

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
¼ cup Yellow Onions
2 tsp Chopped Garlic
1 cup Roasted Red Peppers, rough chopped
2 cups Heavy Cream
Pinch of Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Water, cold tap

PREPARATION:
Add oil to a sauce pan and heat to medium. Add onions and garlic sauté until they loose the raw appearance. Add red peppers, cream, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl. Add slowly to the boiling sauce while stirring. Simmer for 2 minutes then cut heat. Puree sauce using a kitchen blender. Serve warm.

Source:
BahamaBreeze.com

Tuna Steak with Green Olive Salsa & Roasted Peppers

This steak can be a grilled tuna steak or a broiled tuna steak

For the Tuna:

1 pound of fresh tuna, about 1/2 inch thick

1 T. fresh lemon juice

Splash of olive oil

1 T. minced fresh savory or 1 tsp. dried

1 tsp sesame seeds

2 roasted red bell peppers (*See Note below)
(thinly sliced)

For the Salsa:

1/2 C. pitted green olives

5 Scallions, chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled

1 T. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. olive oil

2 T. tomato-based salsa

To make the salsa, combine the olives, scallions, vinegar, garlic, olive oil, and tomato salsa in a food processor or blender. Whiz until coarsely pureed; the salsa should be slightly chunky. Set aside.

Preheat the broiler or prepare the grill. Rub the tuna with the lemon juice and olive oil, then sprinkle on the savory and sesame seeds, pressing them into the flesh. Broil or grill the fish until cooked just through, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve warm, drizzled with the salsa and sprinkled with the sliced peppers.

Makes 4 servings. 195 calories per serving, 5 grams fat, 25 percent of calories from fat.

*NOTE: To roast peppers, halve, core and seed them. Broil skin side up until the skins are black and charred. Transfer the charred peppers to a bowl & cover with a cloth napkin until they cool, at least 20 min. Then, scrape off and discard the charred skin.

Taken from “The Good Herb” by Judith Hurley.

1 can of black beans (15 oz)
(rinsed and drained)

1 1/2 cups cold cooked long grain rice

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (about 4)

4 green onions (chopped)

1 celery rib, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach

2 T. minced fresh cilantro

1/2 C. fat-free Italian salad dressing

1 C. crumbled feta cheese (4 oz)

In a large bowl, combine the beans, rice, tomatoes, onions, celery, spinach and cilantro. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Sprinkle with cheese just before serving. Yield: 6 servings