(Raspberry) Fruit Cobbler

Definitely not a light recipe, but it was delicious! Might have made a mess of the oven when the raspberries boiled over, but.... :) Made this with some raspberries from Jerry's garden and some that we picked behind the house- they are everywhere this year!! (Not my pic- this appears to be blueberries...?)

Fruit Cobbler

Make a batter of:
1 stick butter 
½ cup sugar
¾ cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp vanilla

Put fruit (any fruit) in bottom of a 1 quart pan. Pour batter over fruit.

Mix together 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water. Pour over top. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour. Serve with vanilla ice cream, optional.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Finally tried it! Very yummy! We skipped the asparagus, sesame seeds and wontons, and used breaded chicken. The dressing had a zip to it and the 6-8 servings was probably accurate.

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• Ingredients
• 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• 2 navel oranges (see notes)
• About 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 4 fresh wonton wrappers, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips (see notes)
• 6 cups finely shredded cabbage 
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• Spicy soy-ginger dressing (recipe follows)
• 1 large avocado, cubed
• 4 green onions (including green tops), sliced diagonally
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

1. 1. In a 2- to 3-quart pan over high heat, bring about 1 quart water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, then plunge asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
2. 2. Cut off and discard ends from oranges. Following the curve of the fruit, cut off peel and outer membrane. Slice oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, then cut these rounds into quarters. Set aside.
3. 3. Pour the vegetable oil into a 3- to 4-quart pan (the oil should be about 1/2 inch deep) and set over medium-high heat. When oil reaches 350°, add wonton strips and fry, stirring, until golden brown on both sides, about 30 seconds total. Lift out with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain.
4. 4. In a large serving bowl, toss the cabbage, chicken, and asparagus with the dressing. Top with avocado, orange slices, and wonton strips, then garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
5. Spicy soy-ginger dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Asian red chile sauce (such as Sriracha), and 1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup vegetable oil or grapeseed oil, whisking constantly. Season with salt to taste.
6. Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.
7. Notes: To save time, you can use store-bought crispy wontons or chow mein noodles instead of frying your own. You can also substitute one 11-ounce can of mandarin oranges for the fresh orange slices.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving (6-8 Servings)

• Calories: 308
• Calories from fat: 56%
• Protein: 15g
• Fat: 19g
• Saturated fat: 3.1g
• Carbohydrate: 20g
• Fiber: 4g
• Sodium: 317mg
• Cholesterol: 36mg

Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Mango Salad

• Found this recipe in the May 2013 edition of Cooking Light and we made it for dinner tonight. It was delicious!! Great flavors. Served it with the wonton crisps as suggested in the magazine. Definitely would make it again. 
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• Pretty much followed the recipe. I used the freeze dried cilantro in place of fresh and skipped the mint and cilantro leaves in the salad. I bought ball tip steak at the suggestion of the meat guy and it was good- not too chewy- just like I like it. :) 
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• 
  
• Ingredients for Steak Marinade and Salad
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 5 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
• Cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons lime juice 
• 2 tablespoons water 
• 1 tablespoon reduced-fat peanut butter 
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage 
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1 mango, peeled and diced

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. 2. Combine chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add beef; let stand 15 minutes. Remove beef from marinade; reserve marinade.
3. 3. Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with reserved marinade. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill; cover with foil. Let stand 5 minutes; cut across grain into thin slices.
4. 4. Combine lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, peanut butter, remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, and pepper in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add lettuce and next 4 ingredients; toss to coat. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates; top evenly with mango. Serve with beef.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 285
• Fat: 8.4g
• Saturated fat: 2.8g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.4g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.4g
• Protein: 28g
• Carbohydrate: 26.4g
• Fiber: 3.8g
• Cholesterol: 70mg
• Iron: 2.9mg
• Sodium: 489mg
• Calcium: 81mg

Ingredients for the Wonton Crisps

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• 6 wonton wrappers
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Cut wonton wrappers in half diagonally. Arrange triangles in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush evenly with dark sesame oil. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds and salt. Bake at 425° for 4 minutes or until browned.
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Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 60
• Fat: 2.8g
• Saturated fat: 0.4g
• Sodium: 143mg

Shrimp and Broccoli Stirfry

Simple and tasty!! We used the whole bunch of green onions, cuz we love onions. :)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1/4 cup (1-inch) diagonally cut green onions 
• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Preparation

1. 1. Combine shrimp and cornstarch in a medium bowl, tossing to coat. Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shrimp; stir-fry 4 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan; place in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic to pan; stir-fry 45 seconds. Add onion mixture to shrimp.
2. 2. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add broccoli; stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in shrimp mixture, soy sauce, and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done and broccoli is crisp-tender.

Nutrition Info:

4- 1 cup servings

• Calories: 201
• Fat: 10.1g
• Saturated fat: 0.8g
• Monounsaturated fat: 5.6g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2.7g
• Protein: 18g
• Carbohydrate: 10.5g
• Fiber: 1.7g
• Cholesterol: 143mg
• Iron: 1.3mg
• Sodium: 571mg
• Calcium: 96mg

Greek Seasoned Steak Sandwiches

Found this recipe in the August 2013 edition of Cooking Light and gave it a shot. Not bad. :) We used the leftover meat and sauce on a salad the next day. 

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 12 ounces flank steak, trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 3/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons plain fat-free Greek yogurt 
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 4 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves
• 4 thin red onion slices
• 1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced 
• 1 tomato, cut into 8 slices 

Preparation

1. 1. Combine 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon oil, garlic, and oregano in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak to bag; seal. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes, turning once.
2. 2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove steak from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle 3/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper evenly over both sides of steak. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place steak in pan; grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from pan; let stand 10 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into thin slices.
3. 3. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, yogurt, and mustard in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.
4. 4. Cut off one-third of each pita; discard or reserve for another use. Arrange 1 lettuce leaf, 1 onion slice, one-fourth of cucumber slices, 2 tomato slices, and one-fourth of steak in each pita; top each sandwich with 1 tablespoon yogurt mixture.
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Nutrition:

• Calories: 313
• Fat: 11.9g
• Saturated fat: 3.3g
• Monounsaturated fat: 5.8g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.2g
• Protein: 23.3g
• Carbohydrate: 29g
• Fiber: 4.5g
• Cholesterol: 51mg
• Iron: 3mg
• Sodium: 517mg
• Calcium: 48mg

Greek Layered Dip

I have made this recipe a ton of times. :) It is good both as a layered dip, and also deconstructed in pita pockets as a meal! Another good one from Food Network.

We always substitute the ground lamb with turkey or chicken. I buy my own pita chips, but have to make the Greek seasoning and Tzatziki sauces. And I skip the olives, cuz olives are nasty. Hehe



Ingredients
1 14-ounce package pita bread
Olive oil cooking spray
4 teaspoons Greek seasoning
1 pound ground lamb
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 16-ounce container prepared hummus
1 1/2 cups tzatziki (gyro sauce)
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
2 medium roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 diced red onion
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 4-ounce container crumbled feta cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with foil. Cut the pita rounds into eighths. Split each piece in two and place on the prepared baking sheet(s), with the inside of the bread facing up. Spray with the olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the Greek seasoning. Bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until golden.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground lamb with the garlic salt and the remaining 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning. Drain and set aside. In a shallow 1 1/2-quart dish, spread the hummus on the bottom. Top with a layer of ground lamb, then the tzatziki. Layer with the lettuce, tomatoes, onion, olives and feta. Serve the dip at room temperature with pita chips.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/greek-layered-dip-with-pita-chips-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback



Here is a recipe for Greek seasoning:

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
1/4 tsp dried minced garlic

And here is a tzatziki sauce recipe:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tb olive oil

juice of one lemon

2 cloves minced garlic

1 small seeded and peeled cucumber

1 1/2 tsp fresh dill

Chicken Gyros

Found this recipe in a Penzey's catalog that Deb L. had. I guess Penzey's is a great spice store in the Cities and once you buy from them, you get a monthy magazine/catalog full of recipes. This one looked delish, so we tried it, and weren't disappointed. :) Even the boys ate the chicken and pitas. Tucker devoured the chicken!

I didn't measure the seasonings for the chicken breasts- just sprinkled some on, but I know I didn't use nearly as much mint or oregano. A light sprinkle was perfect! I used regular mint (not sure if it was spearmint), and regular oregano.

For the tzatziki sauce, I just squirted a little store bought lemon juice (didn't measure). I also didn't measure the mint or dill. I know I used way less mint (thought it would be a bit overpowering). Not sure how much dill I added- but I used freeze dried so I wasn't sure if I should go with the dried or fresh measurements. Sprinkling to taste seemed to work just fine. :)

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp pepper
2-3 tsp spearmint
2-3 tsp Turkish oregano

1 Tb olive oil

4 pieces of pita bread
1 c baby spinach
1 thinly sliced red onion
1 tomato, diced
1 cup crumbled Feta cheese

Season the chicken breasts with the salt, pepper, oregano, and mint. Let marinate in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, if possible. Cook the chicken in a pan with the olive oil. Slice into strips. Serve in the pita with the spinach, onion, tomato and Feta. Top with Tzatziki sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce ingredients:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and minced
1 lemon- 1 tsp zest and 1/4 - 1/2 cup juice
salt to taste
1/4 tsp pepper
1-2 tsp Dill weed
1 Tb olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp spearmint

Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges

I had been craving sweet potatoes- weird since I've never liked them!- and we've been very in to grilling veggies lately (kolarabi [sp??], beets, green beans- whatever comes out of Dad's garden!), so we figured we'd find a recipe to grill the sweet potatoes. Again, the first real appetizing one that popped up in our Google search was a Food Network recipe. Gotta love Food Network. :) They turned out pretty yummy, though I had to stop after a while- too much sweet! I say I have been craving sweet potatoes, but I actually bought yams because Mary says they are better. Not sure I would know the difference, but the yams were good!

Our changes:
- yams instead of sweet potatoes
- substituted Montreal Steak seasoning for the poultry rub

The recipe calls for cooked wedges before grilling, so I followed the instructions on another site and cut the potatoes into wedges and boiled them for 5-7 minutes. Worked well!

Ingredients
3 sweet potatoes, cooked through, cut into wedges
Canola oil, for brushing
1 tablespoon Bobby Flay Poultry Rub
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 to 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Directions
Brush the potato wedges with oil and season with rub, salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, until nicely marked.

Whisk the syrup with the mustard. Brush the potatoes with the glaze and turn a few times to caramelize.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/grilled-sweet-potato-wedges-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Dang Cold Asian Noodle Salad

We made this for dinner a few weeks ago with some teriyaki chicken breasts and pineapple. Dave wanted an Asian-y salad for dinner and, as usual, we guessed we couldn't go wrong with a Guy Fieri recipe. :) "The Neighbors" came over for dinner, as well, and my father (of course) added some of the Sauce for Spring Roll to the salad. We all decided that it was actually a good addition, and if I make it again, I would probably add it to the recipe! Overall, I pretty good salad. :)

Besides adding some Sauce for Spring Roll, I made these changes:

- Spaghetti noodles (1 box) instead of soba (couldn't find the soba noodles at the store, but the pic looks just like spaghetti anyway!)

- Sriracha sauce instead of hot chili oil (apparently we were out of chili oil!)

- We added TONS more cabbage and bok choy. Seemed like a waste to use only a tiny bit and there were a lot of noodles

- We skipped the cilantro and bean sprouts

- Forgot to add the sesame seeds and peanuts, but I would try them next time, if I remember!

Ingredients
1 package soba noodles
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot chili oil
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, thinly sliced or julienned
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced or julienned
5 green onions, bottom 4 inches, thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced napa cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced or julienned
1/2 cup julienned bok choy
1 cup bean sprouts, optional
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish
4 tablespoons unsalted peanuts, for garnish
Directions
In a medium stock pot, boil water, add salt and cook noodles. When finished, place noodles in an ice water bath to cool. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine, sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, hot chili oil, hoisin and extra-virgin olive oil. Mix thoroughly and then combine prepared vegetables and noodles.

Garnish with sesame seeds and peanuts.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/dang-cold-asian-noodle-salad-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Sweet and Spicy Baby Back Ribs

For the second year in a row, we made these ribs from Food Network Magazine for Father's Day. They are the best ribs ever! We use the Sauce for Spring Roll as our sweet chili sauce. We used a different sauce once and they were VERY spicy! They are pretty spicy with the Sauce for Spring Roll, even. We baked these in the oven for about 2 hours and then finished them on the grill. The sauce takes about twice as long to boil down, even with using less water, though....

 

Ingredients

• 3 1-pound racks baby back pork ribs
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup lager-style beer
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
• 1 cup Thai sweet chile sauce (such as Mae Ploy)
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Put the ribs meat-side down on a cutting board. Insert a paring knife between the membrane and the bones on one end of each rack, then loosen the membrane and pull it off. Rub the ribs with the lemon juice and sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place the ribs bone-side down in a large roasting pan, then add the beer. Cover tightly with foil, transfer to the oven and roast until the meat pulls away from the bone, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add the chile powder and cook 1 minute. Stir in the chile sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced by half, about 40 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the oven; increase the temperature to 400 degrees F. Uncover the pan; carefully pour out the cooking liquid. Stir 1/4 cup cooking liquid into the sauce, then discard the rest of the liquid. Generously brush the ribs with the sauce. Return the pan to the oven and continue roasting, uncovered, until the ribs are golden brown and tender, about 35 minutes.

Transfer the ribs to a cutting board and slice, then return to the roasting pan. Pour the remaining sauce on top and toss.

Blackened Shrimp Tacos

The second delicious Mexican recipe we made this week from the May 2013 Cooking Light was Blackened Shrimp Tacos. They were amazing!! We didn't have canola mayo or buttermilk, but substituted with whole milk and regular, light mayo. We also used white corn tortillas. Sawyer and Dave used some leftover tortillas to make a quesadilla for Dude. :)

Ingredients                               

2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise (such as Hellmann's)    

2  tablespoons buttermilk                           

Click to see savings

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Cooking spray                               

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1/2 cup diced plum tomato

1 ripe avocado, peeled and roughly mashed

Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Combine paprika and next 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add shrimp to bag; seal and shake well to coat. Remove shrimp.
3. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp; cook 2 minutes per side or until done.
4. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, heat tortillas over medium-high heat directly on the eye of a burner for about 15 seconds on each side or until lightly charred. Divide shrimp evenly among tortillas; divide tomato, avocado, and sauce evenly among tacos.

Nutritional Information:  4 Servings, 2 tacos each

Amount per serving

• Calories: 287
• Fat: 13.5g
• Saturated fat: 2.1g
• Monounsaturated fat: 6.6g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2.4g
• Protein: 17.9g
• Carbohydrate: 26.7g
• Fiber: 6.4g
• Cholesterol: 120mg
• Iron: 1.2mg
• Sodium: 372mg
• Calcium: 130mg

Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Quesadillas

This past week we made two great Cooking Light Mexican recipes from the May 2013 edition. The first was a chicken quesadilla we made with some leftover rotisserie chicken. We also topped it with an avocado. Yum!!

 

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves                               
• 1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 small orange bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
• Cooking spray                               
• 3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
• 4 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream                               
  
  

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Rub paprika mixture evenly over chicken; let stand 10 minutes.
3. Arrange chicken, onion, and bell pepper on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Cook vegetables 4 minutes on each side or until tender. Cook chicken 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken and vegetables from grill; coarsely chop vegetables. Let chicken stand 5 minutes; thinly slice chicken.
4. Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons cheese over half of each tortilla; divide vegetables and chicken evenly over cheese. Fold each tortilla in half over filling; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas in pan; cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until cheese melts and tortillas are lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 2 wedges; serve with sour cream.

Nutritional Information: 4 Servings

Amount per serving

• Calories: 310
• Fat: 13g
• Saturated fat: 6.1g
• Monounsaturated fat: 4.1g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.1g
• Protein: 26.8g
• Carbohydrate: 20.4g
• Fiber: 1.9g
• Cholesterol: 79mg
• Iron: 1.9mg
• Sodium: 552mg
• Calcium: 228mg