Chicken and dumplings

In spite of the fact that even at 11 pm, it's still 90 degrees in mid-September in this balmy oasis, I was in the mood for comfort food last night.  I've made this twice already, and it's so quick and easy, creamy and yummy.  It's basically Rachel Ray's recipe - I think I changed a few minor things, but don't remember what they were.  I know I left out the frozen peas - those have no business in chicken and dumplings, in my opinion.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-and-dumplings-recipe.html

Here goes:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb chicken (breast, thighs, tenders... whatever you like)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (1 turn of the pan)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3 small or one baking-size russet potato, peeled and cubed
• 3 Medium carrots, peeled and cubed or sliced
• 1 Medium onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning (1/3 palm full)
• 2 Tbsp flour (a handful)
• 1 quart chicken broth or stock, canned or paper container
• 2 Cups biscuit mix
• 2/3 Cup Milk
• 2 Handfuls flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Dice chicken into bite size pieces and set aside. Wash hands.
2. Place a large pot on stove over medium high heat. Add oil, butter, vegetables, one handful chopped parsley and bay leaves and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mixture with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir broth or stock into the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.
3. Place biscuit mix in a bowl. Combine with 2/3 cup milk and remaining handful chopped parsley. Drop large tablespoonfuls of prepared mix into the pot, spacing dumplings evenly. Reduce heat to medium low and cook uncovered 10 minutes. Cover pot tightly and steam dumplings 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir chicken and dumplings to thicken sauce a bit. Remove from heat, garnish with chopped parsley and serve in shallow bowls.

And, it goes great with a cold glass of rose on a plastic TV tray!

Pulled Pork Tacos

A twist on my favorite carnitas recipe!  You can use either a slow cooker or a pressure cooker (or a pot, if you want) for this recipe.

Two main components - the pulled pork and the slaw with dressing.  I'll break them down separately:

For the pulled pork:
--2-3 lbs of pork (I use tenderloin because it's lean and easy to cut, but shoulder/roasts work fine)
--28-oz can of tomatillos (similar to canned tomatoes)*
--28-oz can of Rotel*
--1/2 a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (about 3-4 oz)
--Cumin
--Chile powder
--Garlic powder or salt
--~2 tbsp Mexican oregano
--Black pepper
--3 tbsp cooking oil
*If you can't find this stuff, improvise - use fresh ingredients, or just use the same amounts of red and green enchilada sauce.

1.  Cut the pork into large chunks, approximately 3" square.  Season all sides of the pork with the spices (cumin, chile powder, garlic powder, pepper).  Take liberty to add what you want here (cayenne, etc.).  I don't over-coat the meat, but put enough because then you don't have to add much seasoning later on.

2.  In a skillet, heat oil over medium-med. high heat.  When oil is ready, brown the pork on all sides; set aside.  (Pork will still be raw in the middle.)

3.  Place the tomatillos, Rotel, and chipotles in a food processor.  Blend until well-mixed.

4.  Place the browned pork on the bottom of the cooker; then pour the tomato mixture over the top.  Add the oregano.  If using a slow cooker, cook on high for about 6 hours or until the meat starts to come apart.  For a pressure cooker, I used the high pressure setting for 1 hour, then quick release.

5.  After the meat has cooked, shred it with a fork (just tear it all apart).  Leave it in the juice and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Slaw Topping:
--Bag of cole slaw (undressed) or make your own shredded cabbage, about 5-6 cups
--1 cup milk
--1 cup sour cream
--1 package ranch dressing mix
--1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (adjust as you like)
--1/2 cup pickled jalapenos (adjust as you like)

1.  Place everything but cabbage into a blender and mix well. 

2.  Toss this dressing with the cabbage; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Assembly Ingredients:
--Refried black beans, heated
--Quesa fresca, crumbled
--Avocado, cubed

I served them as follows:
--Start with Laurel's homemade corn tortillas
--Spread some warm refried black beans on the tortilla
--Layer the pulled pork in the center
--Top the pork with the cabbage mixture
--Crumble some quesa fresca on top

This can make a pretty thick taco, so you may need to make those tortillas a tad larger!

This amount of pork will feed about 4-6 people.

Mushroom Soup

No pictures, nothing fancy here, just a delicious soup recipe.  I was craving this for some reason, and I think this recipe turned out awesome.  You could just substitute whatever mushrooms you could find, but I think a variety of types adds to the flavor (like don't just use all white or all cremini or something).

Creamy Mushroom Soup

1 tbsp coconut oil
1.5 cups chopped onion
1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms (I could only find a blend of porcini and other types)
1 tsp minced fresh tarragon
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp seasoned black pepper
4.5 cups water
8-oz white mushrooms
8-oz shiitake mushrooms (could sub cremini, bella, etc.)
1 slice whole wheat bread
1 chicken bouillon cube (or equivalent of powder)
2/3 cup skim milk
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

1.  Heat coconut oil in a large, deep skillet to medium-high.  Add onion, porcini mushrooms, tarragon, bay leaf, and thyme.  Saute until onions are lightly browned and wilted.  Add garlic; cook 2 minutes.  Add wine, scraping browned bits off pan.  Add salt, pepper, and remaining mushrooms.  Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionaly.

2.  Put slice of bread in food processor and pulse until crumbled.  Add breadcrumbs, water, sherry, and chicken bouillon.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  Process the soup in either the same food processor or a blender, whatever you have and is easy.  Place the soup back in the pot on medium-low heat, just to warm it back before eating.

4.  Immediately before serving, stir in milk.  Taste it and add any salt/pepper if it needs it.  (Mine didn't.)  Serve with a sprinkling of chopped chives on top.

Taking a Leek...

I love this soup; it's more of a chowder, really, and it is a bit healthier than a typical potato-leek soup because of all the cauliflower!  It has been chilly here, so it's a great supper to warm your bones!

Potato-Leek Chowder

Ingredients:

2-3 large leeks
3 cups of cubed potatoes
3 cups of cauliflower florets
5 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of milk
1 14.5-oz can creamed corn
Salt & pepper to taste
Bacon, crumbled

1.  Clean the leeks well and remove all dirt; cut off the dark green tops so that only the white section is left.  Slice the whites thinly, using enough for 3 cups of leeks.
2.  Saute the leeks in a bit of oil for about 10 minutes, until softened.  Do not brown; set aside.
3.  Fill a pot or deep skillet with broth, potatoes and cauliflower; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer about 25 minutes or until potatoes are softened.
4.  Using a blender or food processor, puree the potato-broth mixture until smooth.  Return to pot.
5.  Stir in the leeks, creamed corn, salt/pepper, and milk.  (I didn't use any salt and about 1 tbsp of seasoned pepper.)  Warm until heated through.
6.  Serve warm, and garnish with crumbled bacon.  (I used a lot of bacon!)

If you like Green Enchiladas...

...and getting caught in the rain...  If you're not into yoga; if you have half a brain...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVdhZwK7cS8&feature=related

Okay, sorry...bad pun.  :)  Well, I DO like green enchiladas - or, enchiladas verdes - you know, chicken with the tomatillo sauce on top.  This stew is a dead ringer for that flavor, and it is so easy.  This would make enough to feed 4-6 people, or 2 with leftovers!  I changed the name a bit to reflect what I really think it tastes like, but it's heavily based on a recipe from Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2011.

Enchiladas Verdes Posole

Ingredients

--2 Anaheim peppers

--1.5 lbs tomatillos

--1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

--1.5 tsp ground cumin

--1 tsp dried oregano

--2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided

--2 tbsp olive oil, divided

--1.5 cups finely chopped onion

--1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery

--1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrot

--12 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper

--3 tbsp whole wheat flour

--4 tsp minced garlic (about 6-8 cloves)

--1.5 lb skinless, boneless chicken*, cut into 1.5" pieces

--3/4 tsp sea salt

--1/2 tsp black pepper

--30-oz can of hominy (or 2 15-oz cans), drained and rinsed

--Optional:  sour cream, cilantro, lime, avocado, cheese for garnish

*To save time, I like to buy the pre-cooked rotisserie chickens from the grocery store and de-bone them, then add the chicken to the stew.  Saves time, and I think it has a better flavor.

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to broil on high. 

2.  Halve/stem/seed the Anaheim peppers.  Line a pan with tin foil, coat with cooking spray, and broil the chiles until they are charred, about 5 minutes.  Bundle up the tin foil after roasting to contain the chiles; let them sit for 15 minutes.

3.  While peppers are sitting, skin and wash the tomatillos.  Arrange tomatillos on the same pan and broil until blackened, about 14 minutes, turning once.

4.  Combine the Anaheim peppers, tomatillos, cumin, cilantro, oregano, and 1 cup broth in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth.  Pour the tomatillo mixture in a bowl and set aside.

5.  Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 tsp olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.  Add onion, carrot, celery, and bell pepper; saute for 2 minutes.  Stir in flour; saute 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add garlic; saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Place onion mixture in another bowl.

6.  (At this point, you can cook your own chicken if you'd like in the pan.  Add olive oil, and brown cubes/pieces of chicken in the pan.  I prefer the de-boned rotisserie...)  Add chicken pieces to onion mixture.

7.  Add remaining 1 cup broth, tomatillo mixture, onion mixture (with chicken), and hominy in the skillet over medium-high heat; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce, and simmer fof 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

8.  To serve, ladle posole into deep soup bowls.  Garnish with slices of lime and avocado, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprig of cilantro.

The recipe in the magazine says it's only 322 calories, without the avocado.  Delicious! 



Wait lentil you try this!

I can't compete with you ladies in the photography department, so please bear with me on that front!  This is my go-to, easy-to-remember-all-the-ingredients-and-improvise-if-you-don't-have-something, delicious Italian soup.  Compliments of Giada De Laurentiis (with a few minor modifications):

Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes (I used a big Mason jar of stewed tomatoes - about 3 cups - because that's what I had!)
1 pound lentils
11 cups low-salt chicken broth (I used less because I added more tomatoes)
4-6 fresh thyme sprigs (I didn't have this so I just sprinkled dried Italian spices on the veggies)
2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
1 cup shredded Parmesan
(and I added a package of turkey pepperoni, chopped, some crushed red pepper and chopped parsley)

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrots, and celery.  Add the garlic, salt, and pepper (and I sprinkled in some dried Italian seasoning) and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5-8 minutes.  Add the tomatoes with their juices.  Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.  Add the lentils and mix to coat.  Add the broth and stir.  Add the thyme sprigs.  (Throw in the turkey pepperoni, if you're using it.)  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the pasta.  Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper, to taste.  Sprinkle on some chopped fresh parsley if you like.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and enjoy!

I make this all the time - it makes a huge pot, and it freezes well too.  I put about 1 1/2 cup portions in Ziploc freezer bags and freeze them flat (they thaw more quickly that way).  Hope you like it!

Beef & Butternut Heaven

I made this for dinner tonight, and it took 1 hour - INCLUDING a trip to the grocery store.  It is amazingly fast and delicious if you like Moroccan food.  I highly recommend it!  And as you'll notice as we continue this blog...you can't go wrong with cilantro.  This recipe doesn't require any fancy kitchen equipment, but you can also use an actual tagine or dutch oven to cook this.  I left out the couscous to cut back on the carbs, but it was still so great.  The recipe is from the January/February 2011 edition of Cooking Light magazine.

Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 lb of beef roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
4 shallots, quartered
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 lb)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Directions:
1.  Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; toss beef to coat.
2.  Heat oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat.  Add beef & shallots; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.
3.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
4.  Stir in broth & tomatoes; bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.
5.  Add squash; cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until squash is tender.

Serve in shallow bowls; top with cilantro and green onion.

Optional serving suggestion:  Mix 3/4 cup of low-sodium chicken broth and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil in a saucepan.  Add 1 cup uncooked couscous; remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.  Fluff couscous with a fork and serve with beef tagine.



Chicken Tortilla Soup

We're doing it! This is the first official post of K&L's recipe-sharing blog. We're always exchanging our favorite recipes across the miles so what better than to create an official archive. Maybe one day when we're old and gray we can even make this into a book...? Awwww, Cinnamon and Gravy! 

This first recipe is one that my Mom sent me the other day. Now that they are back in Kazakhstan she was wistful about good ole fashioned Tejas cooking so she made tortilla soup, an old fav and a great comfort food for those chilly winter days. Thought it was an appropriate start to our little collection. Bon Appetit y'all!

Taste of Home Chicken Tortilla Soup

(sent from Mom, she can even make it in Kazakhstan!)

Ingredients:

1 pound cooked, shredded chicken

1 (15 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed

1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce (optional)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers (or fresh)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 (14.5) oz can chicken broth

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 (10 oz) package frozen corn (or canned, drained)

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)

2-3 dashes of Tabasco

2-3 dashes of chili flakes

Soup Directions:

Place all the ingredients above in a large pot and put on the stove and cook on a medium heat for about 2-3 hours (stirring often).

Topping:

7 corn tortillas

Vegetable oil

Grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 deg F, lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil.

Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet. Bake in oven until crisp, 10-15 minutes.  Salt while hot. To serve sprinkle tortillas over soup.

Garnish with grated cheese.