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

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 !!

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

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.

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)

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)

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

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.

4 ounces cream cheese
Three eggs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 cups shredded Italian cheese (mozzarella, romano, parm mix – or your choice)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella
20 slices pepperoni

Preheat oven to 375 degress. In mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in heavy cream, parmesan cheese and spices. Pour 2 cups of cheese into a nonstick, 13 x 9 inch baking pan or equivalent. Add egg mixture on top of cheese and blend together so that the cheese is suspended in the mixture — not concentrated at the bottom of the pan. Bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes; then, briefly remove pan to add on the layers of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Return dish to oven for 10 more minutes, or until dish is bubbly and brown.

To get good results, you need to utilize quality cooking equipment.
A good high quality quiche pan (with removable base): Kaiser Bakeware Noblesse 11″ Quiche Pan

Yields 4 servings

Total Net carbs: 6 grams per serving
Total Net carbs for Day 1 based on a single serving per meal: 10.6 grams

1.  Sangria To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, here is a rather strong recipe for Sangria: * 3 1/4 cups ( 26 fl. oz) dry red wine * 2 cups (16 fl. oz) sparkling apple juice * 4 tablespoons gin * 4 tablespoons citron-flavored vodka * 2 tablespoons sugar * Juice of 1 large orange * Juice of 1 large lemon * 1 small orange, sliced thin crosswise * 1 small lemon, sliced thin crosswise * 1 small lime, sliced thin crosswise Preparation Pour all the ingredients into a large pitcher, mix well, and refrigerate. Serve chilled with ice.

2.   Carnitas 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tsp fresh oregano) 1 Tbsp salt 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 4 – 6 lbs of pork shoulder or Boston butt – cut into 3 inch chunks (not trimmed closely as fat adds to the flavor) 1 Tbsp vegetable oil  (Olive oil works well) 2 Cups chopped onion 6 whole garlic cloves 2 bay leaves 2 Cups water 1 quart milk Corn tortillas Flavor Step: Mix all the seasonings together in a small bowl.  Rub the mixture on all sides of the meat, using up the entire amount. Heat the oil in a deep pot, heavy pot or dutch oven over high heat.  Put in the meat, in batches if necessary, and brown it on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes total.   (If you cooked the meat in batches, return it all to the pot)  Add the onions & garlic; stir well.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions begin to soften – about 5 minutes.  Add the bay leaves and water; cover and simmer for one and a half hours. Pour off the broth and save it to cook beans or to make a soup (degrease it before using).  Pour the milk over the meat and simmer until the milk has curdled and carmelized, and all the liquid has evaporated – about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  The milk will form a golden brown coating on the meat.  Stir the sauce and turn the meat from time to time and lower the temperature if it begins to burn. When the pork is tender and browned, drain the fat off and discard bay leaves.  Serve at once.   To rewarm carnitas, place in oven at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, or until just warmed through.

3.  Lime Mesquite Chicken:  This recipe for grilled chicken, marinated in lime juice, and served with a cilantro infused black bean sauce comes from my dear friend Steve-Anna,  who,  by the way,  lives in Arizona,  and is clearly not afraid of using her grill in the summer desert heat.  Steve-Anna has contributed several recipes to this site, all winners.   Making this tonight, I was inspired to pull out the electric grill which hasn’t been used in years.   We cleaned it, reviewed the instructions, got it all set up, plugged it in, turned it on, and blew out the electricity in half of the house.   So much for the outdoor grill.  Plan B – the cast-iron grill pan – worked just fine.  We used 2 pounds of chicken breasts,  instead of the 1 1/2 the recipe calls for,  and cooked it for 30 minutes versus 20 in the recipe.   The breasts were perfectly done.  The black bean sauce is a must for the chicken.   I think I may add a little sour cream to it next time.   Thank you Steve-Anna, for yet another terrific recipe!   Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce Recipe: Ingredients – Grilled Chicken Ingredients: Juice of 4-5 limes 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup+ (more to taste) chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1 tsp dried oregano leaves 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper 1/2 tsp kosher salt,  1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1 red onion, halved then sliced into 1/4” strips.    Black Bean Sauce Ingredients: 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained, rinsed. 1 quart filtered water 2 bay leaves 2 cloves garlic (minced and crushed – I use a garlic press)  Stems from one bunch of cilantro, chopped into 1/4” bits (approx. 1/2 cup).   Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

1)  Combine the lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, oregano, salt and pepper in a glass bowl and mix well.   Trim the chicken breasts, then add to the marinade. Cover lightly and marinate, turning the chicken occasionally, for 2 hours at room temp  (or overnight in the fridge).
2)  Prepare Black Bean Sauce while chicken is marinating.  Place beans in a large sauce-pan or soup pan, and add all remaining ingredients.   Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer,  uncovered,  for about 1 1/2 hours.  Add additional water if needed.  Remove bay leaves, then transfer the bean mixture to a food processor.  Process well, adding water if needed to make desired consistency. (I haven’t needed to add any, and I like the sauce moderately thick).
3)  Preheat oven to 350° F, and prepare grill (gas or hot coals).  Place the red onion slices in the bottom of a shallow, oven-proof dish, then cover with chicken breasts and marinade.  Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil, then bake for 15-20 minutes (only until the chicken is opaque).  Remove the chicken breasts and onions to a platter (separate them) and set aside.  Save the marinade for grilling.  Optional: If you prefer the onions cooked more, heat a skillet with an additional 1 tbsp of olive oil and cook over medium heat until the onions are very soft.  Drain and set aside.
4 )Place the chicken breasts on the grill over very hot coals or gas flame, and grill until they are thoroughly cooked but still moist (approximately 2 minutes on each side).  Drizzle with remaining marinade while cooking.  Remove to platter when grilled.  Serve the grilled chicken with the red onions, drizzle with the black bean sauce.   Garnish with sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes or fresh cilantro – or serve with a leafy green side salad – as desired.   Serves 4.
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