Good Eats: Jambalaya

Friends, this on the common cook list in the Dunn household.  I think Babes would attest that it is his favorite dish that I make…. of course when I don’t make it too spicy.  This recipe is adapted from here. I have left out some stuff and subbed some stuff, so here is my version below.

Jambalaya

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 Andouille Sausages (can sub for a mild tasting sausage)
• 2 cups of small shrimp, shelled
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup bell peppers, chopped
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 2/3 cup long-grain rice(we have used several different kinds, jasmine, white, and basmati and all of them work great!)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spices (perhaps less depending on how salty yours is)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 bay leaves

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet.
2. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper until tender.
3. Add canned tomatoes with liquid, rice, thyme, basil, Cajun spices, cayenne pepper, chicken broth, Andouille sausage, Tabasco and bay leaf.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Let simmer for about 15-20 or just before rice is tender; add shrimp, cook for approximately 2-3 minutes or until shrimp is pink.

 

Enjoy

-jen

Freezer Dinner Swap

This week, I got to participate in my first dinner swap! It was awesome. In fact, the day after we did all of this, we ate one of those freezer meals…. no use in wasting time.

How it worked:

There were 4 of us that made 6 of the same dish.  We made a standard of size, since not all of us had the same number of family members.  We got together one night and swapped meals.

So break down:

• 4 people
• Each person makes 6 recipes of the same meal (which sounds like a lot but is really cost efficient and when you make something in bulk, it is quite easy)
• Serving size was 4-6 people
• A nice night of swapping

 

I made my Chicken Tortilla Soup.

I came home with:

• Taco Soup(check out Betsy’s blog here).
• Buttermilk Chicken, Corn muffins, and Broccoli
• Spaghetti Casserole

 

You should try having one with some of your friends! It saves money, time and lets you try different recipes!  If you have done one, pass along some recipes!  I am sure we will be doing this again, and it’s hard to decide what you want to make 6 of.

-jenny

Multi-Grain Bread

We made a lot of our Christmas presents this year.  Remember back in October when Babes and I went apple picking?  And then we made Apple Butter… well then we gave them away for Christmas.

Well you know, I am technically from both Pennsylvanian and Oklahoman (half my family is from each) and in PA they eat a lot of apple butter but in OK they don’t, so I didn’t know if people would know what to eat it with.  So….. I made some bread.  or should I say a truckload of bread.

Anyway, this bread was outstanding.  I made five batches and of those five I got to taste at least two and they were both very moist on the inside!  So here it is…modified from Martha Stewart herself…..

Multi-Grain Bread

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (two 1/4-ounce envelopes)
• 2 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees)
• 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons honey
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for bowl, pans, and brushing
• 3 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup rye flour (kingarthurflour.com)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and dusting
• 4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/3 cup bulgur
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 pint flaxseeds
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 egg white

Directions

1. Soak 1/3 cup bulgur in 1/2 cup warm water for 20 minutes; set aside.
2. Sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup water. Add 2 teaspoons honey. Whisk until yeast dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
3. Whisk all flours with salt.
4. Transfer yeast to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle or dough-hook attachment. Add butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups water and 3 tablespoons honey. Add 3 cups of flour to yeast. Mix on low speed until smooth.
5. Mix in soaked bulgur, 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup flaxseeds, and 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds. Add remaining 4 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing until dough comes away from sides of bowl and forms a ragged, slightly sticky ball.
6. Butter a large bowl.
7. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball. Transfer to prepared bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
8. Let dough stand in a warm place until it doubles in volume (it should not spring back when pressed), about 1 hour. Butter two 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pans. Punch down dough; divide in half.
9. Shape 1 dough half into an 8 1/2-inch-long rectangle (about 1/2 inch thick). Fold long sides of dough in to middle, overlapping slightly. Press seam to seal. Transfer dough, seam side down, to pan. Repeat with remaining dough.
10. Brush tops of loaves with egg wash (beaten egg white mixed with water) and sprinkle with oats and sunflower seeds. Dab tops with egg wash to help adhere.
11. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drape loaves with towel. Let stand until dough rises about 1 inch above tops of pans, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake, rotating pans after 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown, about 45 minutes.
12. Transfer to wire racks. Let cool slightly; turn out loaves. Let cool completely before slicing.

 

Enjoy

-jenny

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I am not a huge soup fan….

but my roomie says I should not say that as really I like soups just hardy soups.  So here is my favorite soup of all time.  I have told many of you about this soup, and I really think this should be a staple in everyone’s kitchen!

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless chicken, cooked and shredded (easiest way to cook and shred is to blanch it)
• 1 (15 ounce) can rotel
• 1 (15 ounce) can unseasoned black beans, rinsed
• 1 (10 ounce) cans red enchilada sauce
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 medium onions, chopped, 1/2 c dry minced onion can be substituted
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon bay leaves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon dried cilantro
• 2 cups water  (or less depending on how soupy you like your soup)
• corn tortilla strips or chips
• Monterey jack cheese or Monterey jack pepper cheese, shredded
• sour cream

 

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in greased 4 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker
2. Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.
3. Top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and sour cream.
4. Serve with tortilla strips or chips.

 

-jenny

Lime Chicken Linguine and Roasted Zucchini

Photo by lazyme on food.com

This is one of my favorite dinners.  It’s kind of high maintenance but will make you feel like a chef when you taste the end result.

Chicken Marinate

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

 

For the Pasta

• 1 (8 ounce) packages linguine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved

 

For the Zucchini

• 1 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

 

For the Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

 

Directions

1. Whisk together 1/4 cup lime juice, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a gallon baggie; add the chicken breasts. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, turning the chicken occasionally.
2. Cut zucchini, clean and chop cilantro, garlic, green onions, and cherry tomatoes.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cilantro and garlic, cook and stir 1 minute. Pour in the wine, chicken broth, and 2 tablespoons lime juice, and return to a simmer. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the sauce pan and stir in the cream and green onions; bring to a boil and remove from heat. (For a less fattening alternate to the heavy cream, add about a tablespoon and a half of corn starch to 1/2 cup of milk before in place of the cream)
4. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.
5. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the linguine, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes.
6. Drain well and transfer linguine to a large mixing bowl; add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the Parmesan cheese, and the quartered cherry tomatoes; toss until the pasta is evenly coated in oil.
7. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts, turning once, until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
8. Meanwhile, lie the zucchini on a baking sheet and coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil with a pastry brush. Place zucchini on middle rack in the oven, and bake, turning every 5 minutes, until nicely browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Return Cilantro Cream sauce to the stovetop and re-heat.
10. Lie the zucchini pieces side by side on a serving platter; lie the chicken breasts on the zucchini; pour the cilantro cream sauce over the chicken. Serve with the pasta on the side.
11. If there is some extra sauce, toss it into the pasta — it’s delicious! I found I had pasta left over, so I just re-heated it for lunch the next day 🙂

 

-jenny

Salmon and asparagus orzo

I got to see my best friend this weekend, and we were talking about good food because we both love it.  She was asking me if I had any recipes using cooking wine because she had recently discovered how good it was.  So here’s one of my favorite recipes that I have tailored significantly from the one I found ">online.

Salmon and Asparagus Orzo

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup orzo
• 2.5 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch of asparagus, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb. of baked salmon (drench in lemon juice and garlic; bake for approx. 11-12 at 325)
• 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese (or some other kind of sharp white cheese)
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/2 T butter
• salt & black pepper to season

Directions:

1. Heat the stock in a pan.
2. In another pan, heat the olive oil, add the onions and garlic and fry very slowly for about 10 minutes until soft but not colored.
3. Add the orzo and turn up the heat, keep stirring
4. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the wine and keep stirring.
5. Allow wine to reduce and alcohol flavors to evaporate.
6. Once wine has cooked into the orzo, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt.
7. Turn down the heat to a simmer so the orzo doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside.
8. Keep adding ladles of stock, stirring to release the creamy starch from the orzo, allowing each ladle to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes. Taste the orzo if not cooked carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.
9. Add the asparagus and season, not too much salt though as the cheese is salty. Stir through.
10. Add the Parmesan, lemon zest, butter and salmon and stir briefly.
11. Place a lid on the pan and rest for a few minutes before serving, this lets the cheese become gooey.

 

-jenny

The start of freezer meals?

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos.  Had some last night :). Delicious

Seriously what the kitchen looked like after cooking four meals…

Some of you may have seen that I haven’t been feeling very well lately, and I’m not sure why.  Well I am trying everything as far as structure goes in my life to at least make my sugar better, so that I’m not feeling terrible all the time.  Seriously, it was wonderful last night to be able to get something out of the freezer and just warm it in the pan.  But also to know what went in it.

Here is the best website that I have found so far.  I stole recipes from her as well as her other tips because I was nervous.  But I think I am understanding the concept, so now I may be able to just freeze some of my older recipes.

It was a lot of work for about 3 hours but then so rewarding when you have to do nothing to prepare a good tasting meal.  And probably in the long run saves time.  Here are the steps that helped me (and yes some of these are obvious)

O yes…. a good thing to have is these pans for freezing and then transferring to the oven.  They are cheap and will keep your normal pans from being in the freezer constantly.  Wish I would have seen these before I went and bought more Pyrex.

1.  Decide what you are going to make.  If you are new at this, either use other people’s recipes or read to figure out what freezes well and how far to cook things.  Also, something else to keep in mind if you like to save money I do!, Base your menu off of the meat that is on sale that week, otherwise you will find yourself spending $20 on beef when it is a lousy $3.50 a pound.  The lady from the blog above suggested doing 2 recipes and making double batches as it will save time in the end.  So really if you do this once a week, then you will have 4 nights a week (after the first month) that you don’t have to cook… Seriously!  I mean but lets be real; if I plan to do it once a week, it will happen every two weeks.  So that’s my plan.  Once a week.

2. Make a list and go to the store.

3. Get to cooking. 

These are the two recipes that we used:

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

Snacks for the Hypoglycemic

Here’s the list that I created for snacks that I would want to eat and things that are also semi-healthy.  Remember though these aren’t healthy for everyone.  My diet has to be one of high protein because proteins sustain my blood sugar. If you are like me, these get old real fast; try eating a few of these or mixing them to keep it interesting.

• Cheese and whole wheat crackers– fats and complex carbs
• Hummus and veggies (I will post my hummus recipe. it is super easy)
• Greek yogurt(one that is low in sugar and high in protein, Chobati is good) and peaches or other desired fruit
• Banana and peanut butter on a tortilla (if you are concerned about fat, get a pb with low saturated fats…unsaturated fats are a lot better than saturated)
• Peanut butter and honey on a tortilla
• Cheese quesadilla – quick and easy and always tastes good
• Sugar free pudding – not healthy at all but always tastes good and will hold you off for a while
• Hard boiled eggs
• Edamame with salt – get in the frozen section, steam in the microwave for a couple min— quick, easy, delicious and full of protein
• Apples and peanut butter
• Almonds (these get old to me but maybe pair them with some fruit)
• Apples and cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Popcorn – this does not fill me up fast enough but if you catch it before you are low then this is good.
• Hard Salami and provolone – alright for real, high in fat but if ya have to, do it.
• Beef Jerky – try to get one that is low in sodium and high in protein

 

Do you all have any ideas?  Please pass them along, cause I’m desperate here.

Recipe Organization

When I went to college, my mom made me a family recipe book with all of the recipes she used to make us. When I actually got to college, I found A LOT of recipes online, and it didn’t make sense to print them off and put them into an album. 

And then I met this guy. :D  He is a computer genius. I mean really Babes knows so much(ps. if you want to know more from him go to his website, garettmd.com)  He told me about this organizational tool called Microsoft OneNote.  Unfortunately it is not free, but if you have Microsoft Office you probably also have that included.  I didn’t even know I had it, honestly. 

Here is a screenshot of my Cooking Notebook.

 

As you can see on the left-hand bar, you can have different notebooks.  This one is entitled “Cooking”.  Near the top arrow, you can add different tabs by pressing the little star tab at the right end of the line.  On the right-hand bar, is where all your recipes are stored.  My comfort foods tab is kind of a store all (perhaps this is what we call American food??).  Because I have a lot of different kinds of recipes in this tab, I have separated them into the different kinds of meats or no meats for the veg 🙂.

Really you can choose how you want to organize them.  You can have two entirely different notebooks, one for cooking and one for desserts. You could organize all of the tabs by meat if that makes shopping and meal planning easier.

I also like to add comments and links next to the recipe, like this one:  

Another feature that I just love about this program is that it is WAY easier to give recipes to people.  You can email them straight from OneNote by going to file>send.  This will send it using Microsoft Outlook, so you will want to have that set up with your email account (if you need help with this, send me a message and I can help).  It also prints the recipes beautifully, if you are more of a paper person.

Well this is by no means a tutorial on how to use the program but just a highlight of the different things that are useful in my recipe book.  I hope you find it as useful as I do. 

Do you have other ways to organize your recipes?

New Roots for Refugees

This organization is perhaps one of the coolest efforts for sustainable living for our Bhutanese(Nepali) refugee friends as well as Burmese and Liberian refugees in the area. 

How it works is Catholic Charities(basically refugee-integrating master around here) puts on a sort of schooling, teaching them how to build a business using their innate skills of farming.  After the training, they eventually move onto their own plot of land and operate independently.  During those years of training, the farmers sell shares of their crops to people like us in order to make a sustainable living and have a consistent income.   They also have farmer’s markets every week to sell the rest of what they are harvesting.

As for us, we are so excited just to have some fresh vegetables and some even new vegetables to experiment with.  We have already found some new recipes that we loved and excited just to see what we get every week.

Here is the website for the organization in case you are interested in signing up for the CSA or even just going to a farmer’s market (of course if you are in Kansas City, and if you aren’t start something like this….). http://www.newrootsforrefugees.blogspot.com/

Here is what we received last week in our lot:

-Kale

-Beets (greens and roots)

-Radish(anybody know of any good recipes, because we aren’t really crazy about them….)

-Basil

-Bok Choy

Here are some recipes that we tried. (I have altered them to our tastes :))

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Kale, Apple and Bacon Salad

 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 slices bacon, baked and diced
• 1/4 cup Salad vinegar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small head radicchio, shredded (didn’t use because I didn’t have but I bet it would be good)
• 1 8-ounce bunch kale, stems discarded, leaves shredded
• 2 tart yet sweet apples, sliced into thick matchsticks
• 3/4 cup pecans, toasted if desired (used walnuts because I am cheap)

Directions:

1. Bake bacon in a 400 degree oven for about 15 min or until crispy. Mix the vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

2. Combine the radicchio, kale, apples and pecans in a large bowl. Toss while adding the dressing, little by little, until salad is well dressed. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with crispy bacon.

Adjusted from this recipe.

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Velvet Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each | Active Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick bite-size slices
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, divided
• 2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons Shao Hsing rice wine (see Note) or dry sherry, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil, divided
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 6 cups water
• 2/3 cup chopped scallions, divided
• 1 tablespoon finely julienned or minced fresh ginger (see Tip)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 8 cups (trimmed into bite-size pieces) baby bok choy (about 12 ounces)

Directions:

1. Combine chicken, egg white, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoons rice wine (or sherry) and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir until the cornstarch is totally dissolved and no clumps are visible. Add 1 tablespoon oil and stir to combine. Marinate in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine broth, soy sauce, white pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons rice wine in a small bowl.

3. When the chicken has 10 minutes to go, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Reduce the heat to low. Carefully add the chicken to the barely simmering water; gently stir so it doesn’t clump together. Cook just until opaque but not cooked through, about 1 minute. Carefully drain the chicken in a colander and shake to remove excess water.

4. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add 1/3 cup scallions, ginger and crushed red pepper; using a metal spatula, stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add bok choy and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir-fry until the bok choy is almost crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken. Stir the broth mixture again, swirl it into the wok and stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through and lightly coated with sauce, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Serve sprinkled with the remaining 1/3 cup scallions.

Originally from here.