Artichoke Chicken

4 Chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) - rinsed and patted dry with paper towels

1 cup Mayonnaise

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 sweet onion, minced

1 can large artichoke hearts (in water, not oil) drained and chopped

Put chicken breasts in baking dish and set aside. Mix Mayonnaise, cheese, garlic, onion and artichokes in a bowl. Top the chicken with the artichoke mixture. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes.

Spinach & Blue cheese salad with sliced apples & caramelized pecans

1 apple, chilled

juice of 1 small lemon

8 oz spinach, washed, thoroughly dried, and stemmed

1 small head radicchio (about 3 oz), cut into chiffonade (shredded)

1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

about 1/2 cup of Spago house dressing (recipe follows)

1 cup Spiced Caramelized Pecans (recipe follows - an adaption)

Cut the apple into quarters, remove the stem and seeds, and cut into very thin slices. Sprinkle lemon juice over the slices and set aside.

When ready to serve, in a large bowl, combine apple, spinach, radicchio and blue cheese. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing. Adjust seasoning to taste. To serve, divide the salad among 4 plates and sprinkle with pecans.

Dressing:

3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs. sherry wine (or red wine) vinegar

1 Tbs. dijon mustard

1 small shallot, minced

1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup walnut oil

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp ground white pepper (or black)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the balsamic and sherry or red wine vinegars, the dijon mustard, minced shallot and minced thyme. Slowly whisk in the oils and when emulsified, season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in a covered container. (it will keep for 3 to 4 weeks).

Pecans (This is an adaptation of the recipe that I think is easier):

1 cup pecan halves

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Pam cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Boil pecans in small sauce pan of water. remove with slotted spoon to a bowl and immediately sprinkle over the sugar, salt and cayenne. Stir until well coated. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam then place pecans on cookie sheet. Spray the pecans with another quick coating of Pam. Bake and watch very closely, as not to burn, stir a few times to move around and get them uniformly cooked. Probably will caramelize and toast in 5 - 10 minutes. When you remove the pan, stir again and let cool (you don't want any large clusters of pecans - try to even out while hot).

* This salad also good with grilled chicken.

Macaroni and cheese

6 Tbsp butter

6 Tbsp flour

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 3/4 cups hot milk

4 cups grated cheese

1 lb. short macaroni, cooked

1/2 cup heavy cream - optional (I use whole milk and skip this step)

Additional 2 Tbsp butter for top

preheat oven to 350. melt 6 Tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes (flour mixture must foam as it cooks, or sauce will taste of raw flour). Stir in cayenne and season to taste with salt pepper. Whisk in hot milk, 1/2 cup at a time, and cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Reduce heat to low and stir in 2 cups of cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Combine pasta and sauce in a large bowl, and season with salt. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the bottom of a buttered 8" x 11" baking dish. Place one-third of the pasta in the baking dish, top with 1/2 cup cheese, repeat, layering pasta and cheese, ending with cheese, making three layers in all.

Pour cream over assembled macaroni and cheese. Dot remaining butter over macaroni and cheese. Bake until hot, bubbly and golden, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with grilled chicken or steak and Sriracha hot sauce (below).

BBQ Tofu

2 packages of Fresh, firm tofu (not the one that can sit on shelf, you want to buy from refrigerator section)

1 stick margarine (has to be margarine, do not substitute)

BBQ sauce

salt tt

garlic powder tt

Drain tofu and slice into long, thick spears. Melt margarine in large saute pan, fry tofu until browned on all sides. Remove tofu, drain on paper towels. If there is excess margarine in the pan, pour it out (but you want to have the pan coated with margarine). Return tofu to pan and add a good amount of BBQ sauce, a sprinkle of garlic powder and salt (remember, the tofu is very bland, the bbq sauce is not enough to flavor it by itself). Simmer this mixture until the sauce is quite thick (you want it to cling to the tofu, because it is the sugar in the bbq sauce that will blacken on the grill). 

Now, place tofu on a hot bbq grill, watching and turning  to get black "hash marks". Return to saute pan when complete. To finish, return pan to medium heat and moisten with a little more bbq sauce. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and garlic powder if necessary.

Chicken Noodle Soup

16 cups (4 qts) canned chicken broth

1 3 1/2 lb chicken cut into 8 pieces (or you can buy a rotisserie chicken and chop meat)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 Tbs butter

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

8 oz dried wide egg noodles (I buy Grandma's egg noodles in frozen section of grocery)

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Combine chicken broth and chicken in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to a large bowl. Cool chicken and broth. Discard skin and bones from chicken. Cut meat into bite sized pieces and set aside. Spoon fat off of broth. (If using a rotisserie chicken, skin and bone and cut up meat).

Return broth to simmer. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Simmer vegetables until soft, about 8 minutes.

Melt 2 Tbs. butter in heavy large skillet over med-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Add mushrooms to broth, stir in noodles, parsley and reserved chicken. Simmer until noodles are tender. Season soup with salt and pepper.

Serves 12

Great with chopped kale and swiss chard or other greens.

Granola Peanut butter balls

2 Tbs. honey

4 Tbs. peanut butter

2 cups granola

2 to 4 Tbs. milk, or as needed

In a large bowl, mix together honey and peanut butter. Using a spatula, stir in the granola. Add enough milk to just moisten - you want it to stick together. Wet hands and form into balls. Store in the fridge.

Granola

4 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup oil (canola or coconut)

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together. Spread on large baking sheet. Bake about 1 1/2 hrs stirring occasionally. 

Pesto Pizza

1 Boboli crust

Pesto

cream cheese

Parmesan cheese, shredded

spread boboli with cream cheese. Top with pesto and shredded Parmesan. bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes, checking to see when it's bubbly and browned slightly. 

Can add chopped grilled chicken for a main dish.

Bran Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups wheat bran

handful of oats

1 Tbs. ground flax seed (optional)

1 Tbs whole flax seed (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup oil (canola is what I use most often, but coconut is good - must be melted first)

1/2 cup sweetener, generous (I use honey and maple syrup, about half and half)

1/2 cup applesauce (I buy the 6 packs of 4-oz containers for this use)

1 egg beaten

2 cups milk (I use unsweetened Silk)

Preheat oven to 325 and spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl. Add wet to dry and stir enough to mix. Spoon into muffin tin (I usually fill 12 almost to the rim). Bake 30 min.

Green Chile

This is a very easy recipe. That being said, it's easy because I buy a bushel of fresh, roasted chiles in the fall and freeze them in 1 cup bags (for use in this dish). I have seen roasted green chiles in the freezer section of some grocery stores. But that is probably a regional item. i.e.; Jayne, I'm doubtful you'll find in your store.

2 Tbs. Olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup green chiles, chopped

2 Tbs flour

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbs olive oil, or as needed

1 cup stock, hot (beef, vegetable or chicken)

Saute onions in olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft and golden. Add green chiles and saute 2 to 3 minutes more, reduce heat. In a small bowl, mix flour, salt, garlic and pepper. Add olive oil until it is a thick paste - a little thicker then heavy cream. Add this to the onions and chiles and cook 4 - 5 minutes. Add stock and stir. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add more stock until desired consistency.

Quesadillas

Grilled chicken or steak (leftover is best - so easy!)

green onions, chopped

cilantro, chopped

Quesadilla cheese (I buy it in a bag, already grated)

sour cream

fresh jalapeno, chopped

Tortillas (Costco here in Colorado has fresh, raw flour tortillas in the refrigerated section. They are really good)

Pile the cheese, meat, green onions and cilantro on one half of tortilla, fold over and grill in a skillet sprayed with cooking oil until browned and cheese is melted.

Chopped Mango Salad

Amounts of ingredients are up to you. Add as much or little as you like.

Lettuce, chopped (Romaine, red leaf, or green leaf)

Green onions, chopped

Red bell pepper, chopped

cilantro, chopped fine

ripe mango, chopped

pumpkin seeds, raw

Dorothy Lynch salad dressing (this might be regional to the mid-west. I can get it in Denver - it's a sweet dressing, maybe french style)

You could add grilled steak or chicken for a main dish salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)

Marinade: 1 Tbs toasted sesame oil

            1 Tbs chili garlic paste

sprinkle of garlic powder

sprinkle of ground ginger

salt and pepper

*Marinate 30 + minutes and grill (I use my Foreman Grill)

Salad:

Red leaf lettuce

purple cabbage, shredded or chopped very fine

green onions, chopped

cilantro, chopped

cucumber, peeled, sliced and seeded

slivered almonds (could be toasted or untoasted)

chow mein noodles

(shredded or julienned carrots or red pepper are great in this too)

Dressing:

1/4 cup rice vinegar

3 Tbs canola oil

2 Tbs toasted sesame oil

1 Tbs. creamy peanut butter

1 Tbs honey

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp soy sauce

1 egg yolk (I cook mine slightly in double boiler. But I was pregnant when I made for the first time ... I'd eat a raw yolk otherwise)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Whisk dressing ingredients and add Salt and Pepper to taste. Toss with salad ingredients and plate. Top with grilled chicken.

BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad

Amounts on the ingredients in this salad are up to your interpretation.  No measuring necessary - just throw stuff in.

1 head Lettuce (romaine, iceberg are both good - even great mixed)

1/2 container fresh basil, chopped

1/4 jicima, chopped (jicima is a vegetable that you can have your grocer cut in half for you. Sometimes this is necessary, because they can be very large.)

black beans (I usually use about 1/2 a can, drained and rinsed)

White shoepeg corn (again, usually use about 1/2 a can, drained)

shredded montery jack cheese

crushed tortilla chips

Ranch Dressing (I like Marie's from the produce section)

1 Avocado, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 lime wedged - to garnish and serve with salad

2 Grilled chicken breasts, chopped and coated with BBQ sauce

In a large salad bowl, toss lettuce, basil, jicima, beans, corn, chips, cheese and dressing. It's pretty if you transfer to a large platter to serve. I usually edge the platter with tomatoes and top with chicken and avocado.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 large dried Pasilla (negro) Chile, stemmed and seeded - I bought the only dried chiles my store had, somewhere on package it said rista chiles.

One 15-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 med white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 quarts chicken broth

salt

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves cut into 1/2 inch cubes (or a store bought rotisserie chicken, meat pulled from bone and chopped or shredded)

1 large ripe avocado, cubed

1 1/2 cups shredded mexican cheese (I just use quesadilla cheese)

4 cups (about 6 oz) broken tortilla chips

1 lime, wedged

Sour cream

Chopped cilantro

*we add one hot, roasted chopped chile which we have bought in the fall. This year we have nitros and only need less then a tsp. to get very spicy soup. Try adding a dash of hot sauce to replace this ingredient.

quickly toast the chile by turning it an inch or two above an open flame for a few seconds, until aroma fills the kitchen. Break into pieces and put in blender along with tomatoes and their juice. 

Heat the oil in a large (4 quart) sauce pan over med-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 7 - 10 min. Scoop out the onion and garlic and add to blender. Process until smooth.

Return to the pan and put over med-high heat. Stir nearly constantly until the thickness of tomato paste - about 6 minutes. Add the chicken broth, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste (usually needs a generous teaspoon of salt). 

Just before serving add the chicken to the simmering broth. If using the raw, cubed chicken cook until done (about 5 min). if using the rotisserie chicken just stir it in.

Ladle into bowls with chips, cheese, avocado, etc.

Spicy Peanut Noodles

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 Tbs toasted sesame oil

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1 Tbs red chile flakes

1 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

1/2 Tbs ground coriander (recipe calls for 1 Tbs. - I find that to be too much, so I cut in half)

2 Tbs soy sauce

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 lb spaghetti, cooked and drained

Optional additions:

2 grilled chicken breasts, chopped

1 cucumber, peeled, cored and sliced

a few green onions, sliced

1 red bell pepper sliced

1 carrot, diced or julienned

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

In a bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sesame oil, vinegar, chile flakes, sugar, mustard, coriander and soy until smooth. Whisk in the canola oil and check for seasoning (salt and pepper if needed). In a large bowl, toss sauce with pasta, green onions, cilantro and chicken (if using). Check for seasoning. Garnish plate with other veggies.

Notes: This recipe calls for 1 full pound of pasta. But, I find that there's not enough sauce for my taste made that way. Also, I usually am just cooking for two, and this amount is good for us, plus gives us some leftovers. This is even better cold the next day!

One time, Christa and I browned a pound of turkey and tossed in, instead of grilled chicken. That was great too, and possibly even quicker depending on what you have in the house.

Quiche

1 pie crust (I buy in the refrigerated section and unfold, use my own pie dish - looks more homemade)

1/2 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (or you could use broccoli, or leave this out entirely)

1 cup shredded cheddar (or Gruyere, etc)

5 pieces bacon, cooked and chopped (or sausage, or omit)

3 eggs, beaten

1 Tbs. Flour

1 1/4 cup milk

1/4 scant tsp garlic powder

grated Parmesan to sprinkle on top

Salt & Pepper

Heat oven to 350. pre bake pie crust for about 10 min. Mix filling and pour into crust. bake for 45 min. until browned and firm in middle.