simple salad w/ roasted carrots and pear vinaigrette

i had a salad sort of similar to this in a restaurant a while back and this recipe has come the closest to what i had there.  delicious and easy to make!  the vinaigrette recipe comes from allrecipes.com.

ingredients
your favorite greens
roasted carrots
roasted pepitas
shaved parmesan

for the vinaigrette
1 pear, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 C white wine (or substitute)
1 clove garlic
2 t dijon mustard
1/4 C white balsamic vinegar
1 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
1/2 C olive oil

rosarita enchiladas

my children absolutely LOVED this recipe.  i'm sure it tastes nothing even remotely close to something authentic, but if i can get (one kid in particular) to ask for seconds and even thirds, it makes me VERY happy.  glad i opted to try this "lazy" version!

ingredients
1 pound ground sirloin beef (90% lean)

• 1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
• 1 can (29 oz each) Rosarita® Enchilada Sauce
• 12 corn tortillas (6 inch)
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend (2 cups = 8 oz)
• Sour cream, optional

directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook beef in large skillet over medium heat 7 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Add drained tomatoes and 1 cup enchilada sauce; blend well.

Place tortillas in damp paper towels; microwave on HIGH 1 minute or just until flexible. Place about 1/3 cup beef mixture evenly on each tortilla. Top each with about 1 tablespoon cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and remaining 1 cup cheese, spreading evenly and covering tortilla edges.

Bake covered 30 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

authentic enchiladas verdes

i have committed to fixing more mexican for my family because they love it, but i never tend to make it because i'm allergic to peppers.  i found this recipe at allrecipes.com.  the original recipe calls for 5 serrano peppers, but after making it once and finding that it was almost too spicy for everyone to eat, i reduced the pepper amount to 3-4.

ingredients
2 bone-in chicken breast halves
2 C chicken broth
1/4 white onion
1 clove garlic
2 t salt
1 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed
3-4 serrano peppers (depending on how hot you want it)
1/4 white onion
1 clove garlic
1 pinch salt
12 corn tortillas
1/4 C veggie oil
1 C crumbled queso fresco
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

directions
In a saucepan, combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, and then boil for 20 minutes. Reserve broth, set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.

Place tomatillos and serrano chiles in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Bring to boil, and continue boiling until tomatillos turn a different shade of green (from bright green to a dull, army green). Strain tomatillos and chiles, and place in a blender with another quarter piece of onion, 1 clove garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pour in reserved chicken broth, so that liquid just covers the veggies in the blender by about an inch. Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed. Pour salsa in a medium saucepan, and bring to a low boil.

Pour oil in a frying pan, and allow to get very hot. Slightly fry tortillas one by one in hot oil, setting each on a paper towel afterwards to soak some of the oil. Finally, dip slightly fried tortillas in low-boiling green salsa, until tortillas become soft again. Place on plates, 3 per person.

Fill or top tortillas with shredded chicken, then extra green sauce. Top with crumbled cheese, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro.

nerds popcorn

such a fast, crowd-pleasing treat!

ingredients
8 C popped corn
1 box (1.65oz) nerds--any flavor works, but the pink and purple is my personal favorite
1/3 C sugar
3 T butter
1 T light corn syrup

directions
combine nerds and popcorn (in a bag or in a bowl--i use a bowl).  you might salt it, too, if you're into salty/sweet treats.  combine the rest of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium.  boil 1 minute.  pour over popcorn and mix up fast before it sets.

banana/date cookies

a recipe from one of the very sweetest women i know!  AND, so easy AND healthy...er.

ingredients
3 ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats, you can pulse in a blender for a few seconds if you like
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup oil, I used olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
Optional: chocolate chips and nuts as you like

directions

Oven 350 degrees.  Mash bananas. Stir in Oats, dates, oil and vanilla. Let sit for 15 minutes. Drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I use parchment. Bake approx. 15 minutes, to barely browned.

hearty soup-dipping bread

i liked this recipe because it was sturdy enough to dip in soup, but soft enough to still use for the kids' sandwiches the next day for lunch.  and it's super hearty.  nice and soft with a little bit of crunch.  found it at eatingwell.com.

ingredients

• 2 packages active dry yeast, (2 tablespoons)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 2-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour, divided
• 3/4 cup rolled oats, (not instant)
• 3/4 cup bulgur
• 3/4 cup wheat bran
• 3/4 cup sunflower seeds, ground
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

 

directions

 

1. Stir yeast and honey into lukewarm water in a large bowl. Let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes. With a wooden spoon, stir in 1 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour, oats, bulgur and bran. Beat for 100 strokes. Cover with plastic and let rise for 1 hour in a warm, draft-free place. 2 Stir in ground sunflower seeds, salt, remaining 1 cup whole-wheat flour and enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to make a firm, soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding additional all-purpose flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.
2. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch the dough down, cover and let rise again for until doubled, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, refrigerate the dough, let it rise overnight, then allow it to return to room temperature.)
3. Divide dough in half and shape each portion into an oval loaf, about 8 inches long. Places loaves at least 3 inches apart on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush the tops of the loaves lightly with water. With a serrated knife, make 3 diagonal slashes about 1/4 inch deep across the tops. Bake the loaves until tops are golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped, 25 to 35 minutes.

truffled gnocchi with peas and chanterelles

this was such a rich, delicious, earthy-tasting dish.  chanterelles are in season right now so it's the best time of year to try this out.  it feels like a fancy comfort food. 
 
i didn't fuss with making the gnocchi from scratch--it can be found at world market.  instead of boiling, i cut mine in halves or fourths and browned them over medium high heat before mixing them in right at the end.

i found it at saveur.com

ingredients

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

10 oz. mushrooms, preferably chanterelles, roughly chopped

2 cups heavy cream

³⁄₄ cup peas, fresh or frozen

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tbsp. finely chopped chives

 

directions

Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until light brown, about 5 minutes. Raise heat to high; add cream, peas, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until cream reduces by half. Season mushroom sauce with salt and pepper and remove skillet from heat. Boil gnocchi in the salted water until they float, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to mushroom sauce, add chives, and toss to combine.