Pantry Purging Recipes

Only two weeks left and we. are. outta. here!! I have officially begun the pantry and refrigerator clean-out process. I hate this part - especially seeing all our half-used condiments and opened goods going down the drain. We try to use or give away as much as possible, but not many people need a half-full bottle of teriyaki sauce!

Here are some yummy recipes we have sampled lately using the majority of items we already had stocked in the pantry but I think they are delicious!

Corny (like me!) Soup
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced deli ham - cut extra thing (about 1/4")
3 cups fresh corn kernels - about 4-5 ears depending on size
1/4 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin (or more, to taste)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white kidney/cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
28 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
1 (4 oz) can fire roasted diced green chilis (or 2 cans regular)
Plain Greek yogurt
Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Heat oil in dutch oven (or heavy-duty pot) and add in onions and ham. Sauteé until onions are soft and ham begins to turn golden, about 5-8 minutes.

I love my dutch oven! I got it as a wedding gift and use it all the time. 

Add in remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Cover and let simmer until warm or ready to serve.

Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, Greek yogurt and cilantro.

I have a strong love affair going with Greek yogurt right now. I can't even remember the last time I used sour cream! 

Garlic cheddar biscuits
From the Reduced-Fat Bisquick cookbook

I love Bisquick. I grew up on it! From pancakes, to waffles, to biscuits and more, I have nothing but fond memories coming from that little box. These biscuits are super yummy and even easier to make.

Ingredients: 
2 cups Reduced Fat Bisquick baking mix
2/3 cup skim milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbs margarine or butter
1/4 tsp garlic powder
*I usually add chopped chives or green onions, but the refrigerator fairy failed to supply this time.

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 450°
Stir Bisquick, milk and cheese until soft dough forms. Drop dough by spoonful onto a lined or greased baking sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Melt butter in microwave safe dish. Stir in garlic powder. Brush over biscuits. 

The hubby tends to eat these by the dozen! 

Mexican Pizza

I'm afraid I don't have any pictures of this dish...we gobbled it up too quickly! Ian didn't even save any for his lunch :) 

Ingredients:

Boboli or ready-made pizza crust 

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

Taco seasoning (I like the reduced-sodium kind)

1 can Ro*tel Diced tomatoes with green chilis

1 can refried black beans (regular refried beans will work fine)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar/Mexican cheese

1/4 cup sliced onions

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

 1/4 cup sliced black olives

Greek yogurt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°

Brown and drain meat and add taco season according to package directions. Stir in Ro*tel tomatoes. Cover and keep over low heat to remain warm. 

Brush pizza crust with olive oil and place in oven for approxmately 5 minutes, or until crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove crust from oven. 

In microwave safe bowl, heat refried beans. 

Spread beans on crust, followed by a layer of meat and then cheese. Top with chopped tomatoes, onions and olives. Return to oven and bake for 5-8 minutes until cheese is melted and heated through. 

Slice and top with a dollop of greek yogurt. (Told you we rarely use sour cream!) 

*I think fresh avocadoes on top would be yummy too and I will have to try next time. 

Recipe Organization Tips

So here's the deal. I love to cook. I love cooking blogs. I love recipe websites. I love food magazines. However,  I'm running into the problem of always trying out new recipes, that I find myself easily forgetting about yummy ones I cooked in the past.

How do you "foodies" organize your recipes? Binders? Online database of some sort? Excel sheets? I would love a run down of how to best keep track of the recipes we like!

Thanks and happy eating!

Recipe Round-Up

Hi all. Throughout the past month or so I have been asked to share the recipes for some assorted dishes I often make. Without further ado, here are what I can remember being asked to share!

Phyllo Pizza with Feta, Basil, and Tomatoes
Ian specifically requested this dish for his birthday dinner, so I know that it at least passes his test!

Ingredients

1/2 c shredded part-skim mozzarella 

1/2 c crumbled fat-free feta cheese (you can use any desired fat level you wish)

1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

1 tbs chopped fresh oregano or thyme (whatever you have on hand) 

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

10 (18x14") sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

cooking spray or olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced plum tomatoes (regular or cherry tomatoes work fine too) 

1/3 c finely sliced green onions

1/4 sliced fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Combine first six ingredients in a bowl 

3. Cut phyllo sheets in half crosswise (*note, some brands are already cut to this half size). Take five layers and place on greased baking sheet. Cook phyllo dough with cooking spray or brush on oil. Sprinkle with a layer of cheese mixture. Add two more layers of dough and repeat process. Continue about 3 more times or until desired thickness. On top of last layer of cheese arrange sliced tomatoes, followed by onions and basil. Top with an extra sprinkle of mozzarella and feta. 

4. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until golden. 

Enjoy! 

Edamame Risotto (adapted from this Real Simple edamame recipe) 

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 c Arborio rice (Italian rice) 

1 c dry white wine

4 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth (vegetable broth may be used as well) 

1 can drained, sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 c shelled edamame, thawed and warmed slightly in microwave

2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 tbs fresh basil, sliced

1 c grated parmesan 

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes

2. Meanwhile, in a second pot, heat chicken broth through

3. Add rice to onion and cook, stirring constantly for two minutes. 

4. Add wine and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed. 

5. Stir in broth, 3/4 c at a time. After each addition, stir the rice occassionally until broth is absorbed. This entire process should take approx. 25 minutes. Rice should be very creamy. 

6. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Top with another sprinkle of parmesan.  

Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms 

Ingredients (for chicken)

1/2 c non-fat plain Greek yogurt

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 tbs lemon juice 

zest of 1 lemon

salt and pepper 

4-6 chicken breast cutlets (depending on size) 

Ingredients (for veggies) 

1 tbs olive oil

1 sweet potato, thinly sliced

1/2 lb button mushrooms, sliced

1/2 lb cremini/baby 'bella mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp fresh thyme

1 tbs balsamic vinegar (red wine or sherry vinegar may be used)  

Directions

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients into a bowl and coat chicken cutlets. Marinade in fridge for 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 450. Place the potatoes, mushrooms, and thyme on baking sheet. Toss with olive oil. Roast, tossing veggies once, for approx 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. 

3. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Wipe off extra marinade from the chicken and place in pan. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with veggies and a side salad. 

Here are some other links to some other yummy recipes! 

Avocado and mango salad with lime vinaigrette 

So far, I have made this recipe exactly as it follows, but I think adding fresh blackberries and/or toasted walnuts or almonds might be in order next time! 

Green bean salad with tomatoes, goat cheese, and almonds

This salad I actually play around with a lot, depending on what I have in my kitchen. I generally use feta instead of goat cheese, red onions instead of shallots, walnuts instead of almonds, etc. Use what suits your mood! 

I hope you enjoy all these! :-) 

Channeling Grandma's Cookin'

Some of my fondest memories of growing up are not only eating my grandma's yummy comfort food, but also of helping her make it! It seems I spent countless hours in their kitchen, especially during the summer, baking with her. It was a rare day if Grandma wasn't making cupcakes, cookies, brownies or the like. And something was always simmering on the stove for dinner! Tonight I made a meal inspired by Grandma...Split pea soup and snickerdoodles! The soup is not her traditional recipe, I will admit I don't even know what a ham hock is let alone where to get one! But I think my version is a close substitute. But the cookies are straight from her kitchen.  So I thought I would share a little bit of my Grandma with you...enjoy! :-)

"Easy Peasy" Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
-1 1/2 C chopped carrot
-1 1/2 C chopped celery
-1 C chopped onion
-2 cloves chopped garlic (or 2 tsp jarred minced garlic)
-2-3 links diced andouille sausage (chorizo works well too)
-1 lb. split green peas
-8 C low-sodium chicken stock
-2 bay leaves
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Let cook for approx. 8 hours. (I have found that you can play with the heat settings for a faster or slower cooking time). Remove bay leaves before serving.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 C butter or margarine

1 C sugar

1 egg

1/8 C milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 tbs sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Heat oven to 375. Stir together flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. In separate bowl, beat butter with electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add 1 C sugar and beat until fluffy. Add milk, egg, and vanilla and beat well. Slowly incorporate flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat until well blended. 

Shape into rounded teaspoon size balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture (ration of cinnamon to sugar can be adjusted to suit your preference). Place on a greased or parchment-covered baking sheet and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake for about 8 minutes. Remove from baking sheets and place on a cooling rack. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Note: Snickerdoodles tend to burn easily, so when in doubt, take out of the oven. I have found using parchment paper to cover my baking sheets have significantly helped prevent burning. 

(I thought cookies and milk would help Ian study for his big test tomorrow!)

The next picture is of the actual mixer my grandma used and passed on to me. Just looking at it brings back a ton of memories! Although I will admit, I used my KitchenAid standing mixer for these, I will NEVER get rid of Grandma's mixer!