shopping

the holidays bring

Healthier Sour Cream & Onion Dip

Inspiration:
Good Housekeeping


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoon(s) extra virgin olive oil
2 medium (6- to 8-ounce) yellow onions, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon(s) sugar

salt

Pepper
1/3 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
Snipped chives, for garnish

Instructions:

Line medium sieve set over deep bowl with basket-style coffee filter or paper towel. Spoon yogurt into filter; cover and refrigerate 25 minutes. Discard liquid in bowl.
Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium until hot. Add onions, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook 15 to 17 minutes or until dark golden brown, stirring onions occasionally.
Line plate with double thickness of paper towels. With slotted spoon, transfer onions to plate to drain further and cool. (Onions will crisp slightly as they cool, and a few pieces may stick to paper towel.)
In medium bowl, combine sour cream, strained yogurt, and onions. Stir well. Cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. (Dip is best when refrigerated for a day; flavors develop more fully.) Garnish with chives and serve with fresh veggie

Then:

Savory Spicy Sweet

The Easiest Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

4 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
8 ounces Pepper jack cheese, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 cups salsa
Optional garnishes: shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips, extra salsa, tabasco

Instructions:

Combine the beans, cheese, and salsa in a crockpot. Nestle the chicken breasts into the mixture, and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Remove chicken breasts, shred with a fork, and return to crockpot. Stir to combine, and serve with desired garnishes.

Notes:
I thought that a little more tomato would be good. I'd consider replacing one can of beans with one big can of stewed tomatoes or additional salsa, and I'd maybe add a little cumin. Last year, my New Year's Resolution was to improve my yeast breads. I did pretty well with that and am enjoying homemade pizza and bread rather often.

This year's New Year's Resolution: take lunch to work more often. This will not be difficult to do, as I rarely brought lunch last year. It is too tempting to go out for pho with friends or swing by one of the sandwich places near my office. Now, I have a refrigerator in my office, and I am going to try to bring some sort of pasta/rice/couscous salad every week with some greens for a good midday meal 3-4 days a week. The remainder of the days-- I'll likely be having pho :)


Ingredients:

1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 (16 ounce) package bow tie or similar-shaped pasta
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1 can baby corn, sliced
1/4 diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup julienned carrot
1 cup blanched and sliced snow peas


Instructions:

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds, and cook stirring frequently until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper. Shake well.
Pour sesame dressing over pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Gently mix in chicken, cilantro, green onions, and other vegetables.

Notes:

I made the chicken mixture and kept the pasta separate. The chicken tasted even better after the flavors melded overnight. Each morning, I prepared a to-go pyrex dish with the chicken mixture on the bottom, with pasta and baby spinach leaves sitting on top. This way the pasta didn't soak up all the dressing. I then mixed it right before lunch.

Change up the type and amount of vegetables to your liking. Water chestnuts may be an option if you care for them. I blanched the snow peas in the pot of boiling water, removed them, then boiled the pasta.

For the shredded chicken, I poached two bone-in chicken breasts using The Kitchn's method.

After I took the photo I realized I forgot the sesame seeds and had to re-mix--whoops. It looks even better with all the toasted sesame seeds!

Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta and Collard Greens

Ingredients:

1 (16-ounce) package rigatoni or penne pasta
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound collard greens, washed, drained, and chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Prepare pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Heat butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; sauté onion 5 minutes or until just brown. Add garlic, and cook about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add greens; cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until greens are tender, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle greens with flour. Cook uncovered, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring well. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in cooked pasta, mozzarella, and next 5 ingredients. Place into prepared dish, and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes.


Notes:
I love cooked collards in pasta, and they hold their shape so much better than cooked spinach, which can become mushy. This would be a nice dish for vegetarians, but if you're an omnivore who eats pork, I'd probably suggest Linguine and Collard Greens with Bacon first. :)

Ingredients:

2 thin fresh ginger slices
1 teaspoon apricot jam
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
Ice
2 ounces Irish whiskey
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1 lemon twist

Original Instructions:

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the ginger with the jam and lemon juice. Add ice and the whiskey and Grand Marnier; shake well. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Lindsay's Method:

Put all ingredients in a blender; blend, strain, and serve over ice.

Ingredients and Instructions:

Bacon-Balsamic Deviled Eggs

Savory Deviled Eggs


Notes:
These were a HUGE hit! I was of course expecting the bacon recipe to be the favorite, but surprisingly the dill eggs were even more popular. I made 24 deviled egg halves for 8 people, and I should have made more. These will be something I'll make often.

onion dip healthier

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoon(s) extra virgin olive oil
2 medium (6- to 8-ounce) yellow onions, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon(s) sugar

salt

Pepper
1/3 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
Snipped chives, for garnish

Instructions:

Line medium sieve set over deep bowl with basket-style coffee filter or paper towel. Spoon yogurt into filter; cover and refrigerate 25 minutes. Discard liquid in bowl.
Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium until hot. Add onions, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook 15 to 17 minutes or until dark golden brown, stirring onions occasionally.
Line plate with double thickness of paper towels. With slotted spoon, transfer onions to plate to drain further and cool. (Onions will crisp slightly as they cool, and a few pieces may stick to paper towel.)
In medium bowl, combine sour cream, strained yogurt, and onions. Stir well. Cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. (Dip is best when refrigerated for a day; flavors develop more fully.) Garnish with chives and serve with fresh veggie crudités.

Ellen's Eclair Ring

Inspiration:
My sister Ellen made this for us over the holidays using the recipe of a family friend.


Ingredients:

Dough
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour

4 eggs
Filling

2 3-oz packages instant French vanilla pudding
1 9-oz Cool Whip
1 t vanilla
2.5 cups milk
Topping

2 squares semi-sweet chocolate (melted)
2 T butter
2 T milk
1 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla

Instructions:

Make dough-- heat butter and water to rolling boil. Stir in flour at once over low heat. Beat until ball is formed, and take off heat. Beat in eggs one at a time with mixer. Spoon onto a cool pizza pan to form circular shape with a hole in the middle. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Cool away from drafts.
When cool, split horizontally and fill with filling. Place top layer on filling and spread with topping.


The Easiest Chicken Chili

Inspiration:
The last week of regular season NFL football
and
Pink Parsley's recipe


Ingredients:

4 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
8 ounces Pepper jack cheese, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 cups salsa
Optional garnishes: shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips, extra salsa, tabasco


Instructions:

Combine the beans, cheese, and salsa in a crockpot. Nestle the chicken breasts into the mixture, and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Remove chicken breasts, shred with a fork, and return to crockpot. Stir to combine, and serve with desired garnishes.

Notes:
I thought that a little more tomato would be good. I'd consider replacing one can of beans with one big can of stewed tomatoes or additional salsa, and I'd maybe add a little cumin. Tim was completely satisfied with the recipe as written. It's so easy, I think he can make it next time!

Sesame chicken salad

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 (16 ounce) package bow tie or similar-shaped pasta
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1 can baby corn, sliced
1/4 diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup julienned carrot
1 cup blanched and sliced snow peas


Instructions:

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds, and cook stirring frequently until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper. Shake well.
Pour sesame dressing over pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Gently mix in chicken, cilantro, green onions, and other vegetables.

Notes:

I made the chicken mixture and kept the pasta separate. The chicken tasted even better after the flavors melded overnight. Each morning, I prepared a to-go pyrex dish with the chicken mixture on the bottom, with pasta and baby spinach leaves sitting on top. This way the pasta didn't soak up all the dressing. I then mixed it right before lunch.

Change up the type and amount of vegetables to your liking. Water chestnuts may be an option if you care for them. I blanched the snow peas in the pot of boiling water, removed them, then boiled the pasta.

For the shredded chicken, I poached two bone-in chicken breasts using The Kitchn's method.

After I took the photo I realized I forgot the sesame seeds and had to re-mix--whoops. It looks even better with all the sesame seeds.