Confessions of a Foodie

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Monday, January 21, 2019

Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Today's offerings include Slow Cooker Chicken in Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce and Winter Squash and Wild Mushroom Curry. Enjoy!

CHICKEN CHIAQUILES

This is from Delish, and begins, “Use extra-thick tortilla chips (we like Late July and Garden of Eden) which will stay crisp.”

Yields: 4

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 28-oz. can fire roasted tomatoes

2 green onions, sliced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

2 tbsp. oil

2 c. shredded cooked chicken

6 oz. tortilla chips

Radishes, sliced, for serving

Cilantro, for serving

Lime wedges, for serving

1/2 c. sour cream

1 tbsp. lime juice

Directions

Puree tomatoes, green onions, cumin, and salt until smooth. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium; add tomato mixture. Partially cover; cook 8 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in chicken and tortilla chips. Cook 2 minutes, uncovered. Serve with radishes, cilantro, lime wedges, and sour cream mixed with lime juice.

QUICK AND EASY LASAGNA

Okay, you've just gotten home from work or a day of running errands. You're hungry and want dinner as quick and easy as possible, but at the same time, something a little more filling than sandwiches. This lasagna fills the bill, as well as your family.

My youngest son came up with this a while back. He wanted lasagna, but without the long wait time that my full-fledged Vegetarian Lasagna takes, as well as without the onions. (He's not big into onions. But we all have our food preferences!) His version of lasagna if quick, fast, and very satisfying.







16 ounce box of lasagna noodles

Jarred Spaghetti Sauce (1 45-ounce jar or 2 23.5 ounce jars; see note)

12-ounce package of Veggie Ground Crumbles (see note)

8-ounce package of Shredded Cheese (see note)

Taco seasoning pack (optional)

15-ounce can Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce (optional)

Start a pot of water for the lasagna noodles. Once the water starts to boil, add the lasagna noodles and back the heat down just a little so that the water doesn't boil over. (If you drop it to medium heat, you've gone too far.) Cook according to the package instructions.

While the water starts to heat, take another large pot and add the jarred spaghetti sauce, veggie ground crumbles, and the taco seasonings (if adding) and sloppy joe sauce (if adding). Stir together, then start heating on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. If this starts bubbling, stir and back the heat down a little.

As soon as the noodles are done cooking, carefully drain through a colander and rinse the noodles in cool water.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9” X 13” pan, place half the cooked noodles length-wise. You should have three layers across, and use 9 noodles (3 noodles high). Add half of the spaghetti sauce mixture over the noodles, spreading this fairly evenly. Top with half of the shredded cheese. Repeat the process with the remaining noodles, sauce, and cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, remove from oven, and let rest for a minute or two.

Dig in!

Note: With the spaghetti sauce, we tend to use either Prego Heart Smart Traditional or Ragu Traditional, whichever is on sale, but you can use whatever brand you like. Also, we usually put in the larger 45-ounce size sauce, but if you have two of the 23 – 24-ounce size jars (or they're on sale), use them.

With the veggie crumbles, we lean towards Boca's Veggie Ground Crumbles, but you can go with your favorite 12-ounce bag of frozen veggie ground crumbles.

With the shredded cheese, we tend to use shredded cheddar, but have used several other blends of shredded cheese. You can also shred a block of cheddar cheese, if that's your preference, but the bagged shredded cheese saves a little time.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN IN CREAMY SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE

This comes from FamilyTime, and begins, “Mediterranean flavors such as sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, artichoke hearts, white wine and tomatoes simmer together to flavor chicken breasts in this mouthwatering slow-cooker dish.”

Serves: 8 servings; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 420 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup or 2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken with Herbs Soup

1 cup Chablis or other dry white wine

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata or oil-cured olive

2 tablespoons drained capers

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (14 ounces) artichoke heart, drained and chopped

1 cup jarred sun-dried tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (about 2 pounds)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)

2 cups regular long-grain white rice, cooked according to package directions (about 6 cups)

Directions

Stir the soup, wine, olives, capers, garlic, artichokes and tomatoes in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the chicken and turn to coat.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the basil, if desired. Serve with the rice.

Easy Substitution: You can substitute Swanson® Chicken Broth for the wine, if desired.

Easy Substitution: This recipe is also delicious served over hot cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes, instead of rice.

Time-Saving: Or you may cook this recipe on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

ZUPPA DE FARRO

This comes from FamilyTime, and begins, “Farro is a delicious alternative to rice or pasta in this Tuscan-inspired soup, made with chicken broth, pancetta and tomatoes, and seasoned with garlic, basil and thyme. It's easy to make, and it's absolutely delicious!”

Serves: 6 servings (about 1 3/4 cups each); Prep Time: 100 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes

View this online here.

Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons uncooked whole cereal farro grain or pearl barley (about 8 ounces)

4 ounces pancetta or deli ham, chopped

1 small onion, sliced (about 1/4 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural Goodness® or Certified Organic)

2 medium plum tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

Place the farro in a large bowl. Add water to cover and let soak for 1 hour. Drain the farro in a strainer.

Place the farro and 8 cups of water in a 6-quart saucepot and heat over medium-high heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Add the pancetta, onion, garlic and thyme to the saucepot and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the pancetta is well browned. Add the farro, broth, tomatoes, basil and black pepper and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve with the cheese, if desired.

WINTER SQUASH AND WILD MUSHROOM CURRY

This is from The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, “This is comfort food, Indian-style, adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey. It's also vegan, and perfect for a fall evening. Use a mixture of cultivated mushrooms; they come in all shapes and sizes. Look for royal trumpets, a large, meaty type of oyster mushroom; shiitakes, and small portobellos. Use some wild mushrooms too, if you can, like golden chanterelles, lobster or hen of the woods. You can make this as spicy as you wish, but be sure to include some cayenne and green chile, to complement and play off the creamy coconut milk sauce. Serve with basmati rice, rice noodles or mashed potatoes.”

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in “A Warming Curry for Fall”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

10 ounces butternut or other winter squash, peeled and diced in 1/2-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 or 2 small whole green chiles, such as jalapeƱo or serrano

3 medium shallots or 1 small onion, finely diced

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Handful of fresh or frozen curry leaves, optional

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Pinch of cayenne

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 pound mushrooms, preferably a mix of cultivated and wild, trimmed and sliced 1/8-inch thick

3/4 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons lime juice

Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Preparation

In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add squash cubes in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, letting cubes brown slightly, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to lift squash out, and set aside.

Cut a lengthwise slit in each chile to open it, but leave whole. (This allows the heat and flavor of the chile to release into the sauce without making it too spicy.)

Add shallots to skillet, salt lightly and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves and let sizzle for 30 seconds, then add garlic, coriander, cayenne, turmeric and chiles. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds more.

Add mushrooms to pan, season with salt and toss to coat. Continue to cook, stirring, until mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Return squash cubes to pan, stir in coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium and simmer for another 5 minutes. If mixture looks dry, thin with a little water. Taste and season with salt.

Just before serving, stir in lime juice. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with cilantro leaves.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARS

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, “A little-known fact: Creamy chocolate-covered peppermint patties are not hard to make at home. Here, the minty filling and chocolate coating are layered onto a cocoa-imbued shortbread base, which adds a cookie crunch to each bite. These keep well, so you can make them a week ahead; store airtight at room temperature. They also freeze well. The coconut oil makes the chocolate coating slightly shinier and a little more brittle in a good way, so use it if you have it. But if you don't have it on hand, you can omit it.”

Yield: 36 squares; Time: 1 hour 10 minutes, plus chilling.

This was featured in“Peppermint Patties Worthy Of Dessert” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Shortbread:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cupgranulated sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)

For the Peppermint Filling and Chocolate Top:

3 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 1/4 teaspoons/10 milliliters peppermint extract, or to taste

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 60 percent cocoa solids), chopped

1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (optional)

Preparation

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches of paper to hang over the sides.

Make the shortbread: In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add butter and process until a smooth dough forms. Press dough evenly into the bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake until firm to the touch, and sides of the crust are beginning to pull away from the pan, about 25 minutes. Cool completely.

Make the filling: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine confectioners' sugar, butter, cream and peppermint extract. Beat until mixture forms a thick, smooth paste. Press filling evenly over shortbread. Chill to set the filling for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Use parchment paper overhang to lift the shortbread and peppermint out of the baking pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares (there should be 36 squares). Place squares on a rack placed over a parchment-lined sheet tray, and let them come to room temperature for about 15 minutes.

In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt 7 ounces chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat, add remaining 2 ounces chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.

Add coconut oil, if using, and stir the chocolate until smooth. Spoon 1 teaspoon chocolate on top of a cut peppermint square, using the back of the spoon to spread chocolate to the edges. Be sure to fully cover the top of the square with chocolate. (Leave the sides exposed, though it's O.K. if some of the chocolate drips down.) Repeat with remaining squares.

Let squares sit at room temperature until chocolate is set, at least 1 hour.

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