Beef Satay with Peanut Ginger Noodles

This meal couldn't be quicker and kids love it. I used fresh Udon Noodles. You can find them in the refrigerator case at the grocery store. If you can't find fresh, use ramon noodles. Discard the seasoning packet. Serve this with the cucumber salad below for a delicious weeknight meal.

Serves 4

1 pound skirt steak, cut into thin strips
3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
juice of 2-3 limes
2 tsp sugar, divided
2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup water
1 clove garlic, finely mince
1/2 tsp chili flakes
salt and pepper
3 7oz packages of fresh Udon Noodles
vegetable oi for the grill
1/2 of an English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded, peeled and cut into strips
1/4 cup minced cilantro
4 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
4 green onions, thinly sliced

In a medium sized bowl, mix together half the lime juice,1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, chili flakes, 1/2 of the minced ginger and the garlic. Add the beef and toss to coat. Set aside. If you want to grill this on the bbq, soak some wooden skewers in water. If using a grill pan, you can skip the skewers, just cut the meat into smaller pieces. In a blender, place the rest of the ginger, peanut butter, water, rest of the lime juice,3/4 tsp sugar and 1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce. Blend until smooth, pour into a small bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the grill and brush with vegetable oil. Bring a pot of water to a boil, season with salt and cook the noodles according to the package directions,omitting the seasoning packet. Put the meat on the grill, cooking it for 3-4 minutes on each side. Drain the noodles and toss with half of the peanut sauce. Sprinkle half of the cilantro over the noodles. Reserve the rest of the sauce for dipping if desired.
In a bowl toss the cucumber, pepper, green onion with rice vinegar, salt and pepper and the rest of the cilantro.

BLT Quinoa Salad

I've made a pledge to take fewer frozen meals with me to work and fix more healthful lunches. I love a good BLT, so this recipe went right to the head of the class. It's so yummy you won't miss the bread.

Serves 4
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
salt and pepper
2 avocados, diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 pound turkey bacon, cut into pieces and cooked crisp
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
micro greens

Put the water, quinoa and 1/2 tsp of salt into a sauce pot. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, place a lid on the pot and let it cook for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and let it cool. Cook the bacon until crisp. In a large bowl, mix together the bacon, feta, quinoa, tomaotes, green onion, feta, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil,salt and pepper. Toss. Serve on a bed of micro greens that have been tossed with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of olive oil.

Oat Snack Bars

I've been looking for a cookie-type recipe that I can take along in my lunch. This cookie needs to enough sweetness to taste good but I don't want it to be heavy in the calorie department. I think these will fit the bill. There is little fat and just enough sugar to be sweet but not sugary.

Makes 30 bars

5 cups of rolled oats(not the quick cooking kind)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1 bag semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with baking spray. Place the oats, almonds, cranberries and chocolate chips into a large bowl. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the eggs, brown sugar, honey, pumpkin puree,applesauce, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the oats and mix until all the oats are coated. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole

Easy to make and ready when you walk in the door after a long day at work. Who could ask for anything more? I recommend using a whole wheat or a multigrain pasta in this dish. They have more body to them then the traditional semolina pasta, which will stand up to the long cooking time. Use a thicker shaped pasta. I used rotini.

serves 8-10

1 pd pasta, par-cooked
3 cups of cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighes(I cut mine and browned them)
1 large bell pepper, diced
1 cup diced celery
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 5 oz pkgs of fresh mushrooms,sauted
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 cups low fat small curd cottage cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
butter or margarine

Spray the insert with cooking spray. Place all of the ingredients into the insert and mix thoroughly. Spread out until even and dot the top with the butter or margarine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Do not lift the lid or the top will not have a brown crusty edge.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

This cake is great served with coffee or for brunch.

Serves 12

4 cups flour + 3 tbsp flour
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup softened butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups fresh blueberries
zest of 1 medium lemon
1 1/2 cups sugar

glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a bundt pan with baking spray and set aside. In a large bowl with a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla. Add in the lemon zest. Stir together 4 cups of flour and the baking powder. Add the remaining 3 tbsp of flour to the blueberries and toss to coat. Add half of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture. Then add all of the butter milk and finish with the remaining flour. Fold in the blueberries by hand. Spoon the batter into the bundt pan and spread to evenly distribute. Bake for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 2o minutes. Invert onto a cake plate and let it cool completely. Mix up the glaze in a small bowl and pour over the top of the cake. Let the glaze drip down the sides of the cake. Let the glaze set up before serving.

Bulgar and Chickpea Salad

I'm trying out different salad ideas that I can take for lunch and that will fill me up. This one has protein and fiber with the taste of a Greek salad. Delicious!

Serves 6-8(as a side dish)

1 cup bulgar wheat
2 cups water or veggie stock
salt
pepper
1/2 a seedless cucumber, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans,drained and rinsed
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp greek spice blend, mine had no added salt-McCormick brand
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Bring the bulgar, water or stock and 1/2 tsp of salt to a boil. Cover and turn off the heat. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, drain off any extra liquid and place in a large bowl. Add the garbanzos, onion, cucumber,greek seasoning, lemon juice, salt. pepper, feta and olive oil. Toss to combine and serve.

Fish, Spanish Style

I love Spanish food. It closely resembles Italian but with a few twists. So when I needed to come up with a recipe for Cod, this is what came to mind.

Serves 4

4 large firm white fish fillets like Cod, Tillapia, Baramundi, or Red Snapper
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 15oz can of fire roasted tomatoes with juice
1 15oz can of tomato sauce
1 shallot,sliced
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
3/4 cup flour
salt
pepper
1/2 cups kalamata olives or 3 tbsp of olive tampenade
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
Fresh minced parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 175. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
Lay the fish out on paper towels and pat dry. Season both sides of the fish with salt, and pepper pepper. Pour flour onto a plate. Mix in 1 tablespoon of paprika and dredge the fish in flour on both sides. Heat a skillet and add the olive oil. Immediately follow with the fish. Sear on both sides over medium high heat about 3-5 minutes each side. Turn the fish only once.Remove the fish to the baking sheet and place in the warm oven. Remove the oil from the skillet. Return to the heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive.Add the shallots and garlic and cook until shallots just begin to brown, stirring constantly. Add the wine, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper and remaining paprika.Let the sauce reduce for 5 minutes on rapid boil. Finish with the olives or tampenade. Return the fish to the sauce and turn heat down to gentle simmer. Cover for about 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice, soft polenta or pasta.Garnish with minced parsley.

Spaghetti and Mushrooms in Garlic Cream Sauce

Somehow adding a bit of cream to a veggie pasta dish keeps me from missing the meat. Quick and easy, this is a great week night meal.

Serves 4

1 pound whole wheat pasta, cooked to al dente
1 pound of sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup italian parsley leaves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry thyme leaves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to boil and season it with enough salt to taste like sea water. Following the package directions cook the pasta to al dente. Meanwhile heat the oil on high heat in a large skillet and add the mushrooms. Spread them out in an even layer on the bottom of the skillet. Do not stir the mushrooms. Let them brown in the skillet for about 3-5 minutes. When the mushrooms have browned on one side. Stir them sparingly to flip them over and brown the other side for another 3 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. Stir and add the wine. Let it reduce by half. Add the cream and let it reduce by half again. Add the cooked pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Pour half of the cooking liquid over the pasta and toss until the liquid has reduced again. Serve with parmesan cheese and parsley sprinkled over all.

Baked Chili Rellenos

I love Mexican food. I could eat it at least once a week but I don't love all the calories. Chili Rellenos are one of my favs. The chilies are stuffed with cheese, dipped in an egg batter and then fried before being smothered in a tomato sauce. When I fell across this recipe I thought I was in hog heaven. It is pretty cheesy so I decided to make it a main dish and served it with a salad. I made a few adjustments to the original and it was yummy!

Serves 6-8

4 7oz cans of fire roasted chilies
1 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes with juice
3 oz tomato paste
2 tsp smoked paprika
3 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
5 eggs, separated
1 can low fat evaporated milk
4 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 325. Spray a 2 quart oblong baking dish with cooking spray. Drain the chilies and remove any seeds. Lay on paper towels to dry. In a small bowl mix together the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic powder and paprika. Lay half of the chilies in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with 1 cup of cheese. Lay the rest of the chilies on top and cover with another cup of cheese. Beat the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl whisk the yolks, evaporated milk, salt and flour together. Add the egg yolk mixture to the whites and fold together. Pour the egg mixture over the chilies in the baking dish. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is puffed, golden and set in the center. Remove from the oven and spread the tomatoes and the remaining cup of cheese over the top. Bake for another 7 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Snickerdoodles

I think this cookie rates right up next to chocolate chip cookies where my kids are concerned. Perfect for those back to school lunches. They are buttery with just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar. Reminds me of Cinnamon Toast.

Makes about 36

1 cup butter, softened(2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon

extra cinnamon and sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheets with silpats or parchment paper. In a large bowl with a mixer beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla and blend well. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon and baking soda. Add to the butter sugar mixture with the mixer on low, then adjust the speed to medium until dough just comes together. Place 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon in a pie plate and stir to combine. Using a large cookie scoop, scoop up a walnut sized ball of dough. Roll it in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, remove from the oven and let them set up on the cookie sheet for about 3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Too Good To Be True Chicken

I found a recipe on Pinterest for Man-Pleasing Chicken. Though the recipe appealed I felt it was missing something. I was rummaging around in the frig trying to see what I had and stumbled upon a jar of fig preserves. I thought- why not? This particular jar had a tangy sweet flavor that I thought would go well with the rest of the ingredients. I was right! The recipe turned out way better than I expected. The whole thing goes together in about 10 minutes and my motley crew gave it a thumbs up. We'll be doing this again real soon.

Cook's Notes- I took the drippings in the bottom of the pan and brought them to a boil with 2 tbsp of cornstarch dissolved in a cup of chicken broth to make a sauce.
Serves 4

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup fig preserves
1/8 cup maple syrup(the real macoy)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar(I had a fig infused one but the plain will be just fine)
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450. Line a baking dish with foil and lay the thighs in a single layer on the bottom. Sprinkle the thighs with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, preserves, maple syrup and vinegar util smooth. Pour over the chicken and bake for 45 minutes. Serve.

Oven French Toast with Blueberries and Peaches

Thank the good Lord for the A/C. Otherwise there would be no food coming out of this kitchen. My children have reminded me that I haven't made breakfast for dinner in quite some time. I wracked my brain for a meal that would require little if no effort and this cam to mind. You can make this french toast with just about any fruit, I just happened to have some berries and peaches I needed to use up.

Serves 8

1 loaf of King's Hawaiian Bread, sliced into thick slices
1 cup fat-free half and half
2 cups 1% milk
2 cups eggs(this is about 6 larges eggs)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla
2 pints blueberries
2 large peaches, cut into slices.

Two hours before baking, spray an oblong baking dish with cooking spray. Lay as many slices of bread as possible on the bottom of the baking dish. I usually cut some of the pieces to fit. Beat the eggs and add the milk. half and halt, sugar,vanilla, and nutmeg. Whisk all together. Sprinkle the berries over the top and lay the peach slices over all. Pour the custard base over the bread and fruit. Cover and let sit in the frig for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 325. Bake the french toast for 1 hour or until the custard is set in the middle. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

This dish couldn't be easier. I recommend you make this when you plan to stay near the slow-cooker. This dish takes about 6 hours from start to finish and you need to be around for at least the last hour of cooking.

Serves 8

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced into rounds
1 large onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 28oz can of fire roasted tomatoes with the juice
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pound extra large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails left on
1 3/4 cup long-grain brown or white rice
parsley for garnish

Cook's Notes- If you are using white rice, add it 30 minutes before finishing time. If you are using brown, check the cooking time on the package and double it. Also select a brown rice uses the same amount of liquid as white rice. I use brown rice but the cooking times vary. For this dish I used a Jasmine brown rice that cooks for 30 minutes. I therefore, added the rice an hour before serving after I raised the heat to high on the slow cooker.

Spray the insert of the slow cooker with cooking spray. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the chicken thighs,sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides.Place the chicken into the slow cooker with the onion, pepper, celery, sausage, tomatoes, chicken broth, paprika, thyme and bay leaves. Deglaze the pan with the wine and add that to the slow cooker. Stir well and add 1 tsp of salt and 1/12 tsp of pepper. Cover and let cook for 5 hours on low.At the 6th hour, raise the heat to high for the last hour. Add the rice (see cook's notes for time). Then add the shrimp the last 15 minutes of cooking. Stir the shrimp into the dish so that they will cook.

Tex-Mex Chicken

The majority of ingredients is for the marinade. If you don't have something don't sweat it or if you don't like something, leave it out.
Cook's notes- If you burn your chicken on the grill, like I usually do, here's a little trick to prevent that. Bake your chicken at 375 for about 45-50 minutes then take it out to the grill and finish the cooking over a low gas grill until you have those fabulous grill marks. If you are using charcoal, move the coals to the side and cook over indirect heat.

Serves 12
12 pieces of chicken with bone and skin (thighs,legs, breast on bone)
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
juice of 3 limes
Zest of 3 limes
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 jalapeno seeded and diced
½ cup Tequila
1 tablsp chili powder
2 teasp cumin
½ teasp pepper
1 teasp salt
¼ teasp ancho chili powder
½ teasp chili flakes
3-4 tablsp honey
Mix all of the above together
Place your chicken pieces in large zip lock bags. This will easily do 6-8 pieces of chicken. This method works best for chicken with skin on and bone in.
Marinate at least 2 hours. Grill

The “ Make it look like you know how to grill chicken” method
If you burn your chicken like I do when grilling here’s a fool proof method
Place your chicken pieces on a well greased baking rack over a jelly roll pan.
Bake in oven at 375 for 30 minutes. Just before serving, fire up your grill and finish the chicken off. Leave on until skin is crispy and golden.

Serve with
Cowboy Caviar or Corn on Cob
Baked Chili Rellno Casserole
Ranchero Beans

Coconut Poke and Pour Cake

My mom used to make Poke and Pour Cakes back in the day. If my memory is correct she used jello that had been dissolved in warm water to pour over a freshly baked white cake. Lemon seemed to be the popular flavor. But in reality, just about any flavorful sugar syrup could be poured over the cake. So today I made mine with Cream of Coconut.
I made my cake from scratch but if a scratch cake makes you nervous, you could use a boxed cake mix instead.

3/4 (1 1/2 sticks)of softened butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1tbsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
5 egg whites, whipped until stiff
1 cup Cream of Coconut(this is not coconut milk. I find mine in the liquor section of the store. It is often used to make Pina Coladas)

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a 9x13 inch oblong baking pan with baking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Place the baking powder and flour in a small bowl and stir to combine. With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture, then add all of the buttermilk, finish with the rest of the four. Fold in the whipped egg whites and pour the batter into the pan.Bake for 25-30 minutes. While the cake is still warm, poke holes all over the top. I use a wooden chop stick for this. Pour the Cream of Coconut over the top and let it soak up the liquid. Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkle of shredded coconut over the top.

Skinny Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones

Our son, Chris, thinks Sunday Morning is my cue to fix breakfast after church. What could I make that not very time consuming and required little clean up? These scones came to mind. They taste like a giant chocolate chip cookie without the cookie guilt. A serving has 199 cals and 8 grams of fat. Not bad for a sweet breakfast treat.

Serves 12

3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp cold butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a baking sheet with baking spray or line with a silpat.
Combine the egg, buttermilk, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter, incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles small peas. Stir in the mini chips. Add the buttermilk mixture stirring until the dough just comes together. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured board and kneed until the dough comes together in a ball. About 4-6 times. Lay the dough onto the baking sheet and pat into a 9 inch circle. Cut the dough into 12 wedges. Brush the top of the scones with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve warm.