Chef Robin's Tastes to Date: April 2013

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Making Another "My Whole Food Life" recipe!

Here it is... I am subbing finely chopped walnuts for the almond flour and using vanilla & almond extract in lieu of ground vanilla:) smells yummy!

http://mywholefoodlife.com/2012/10/17/maple-vanilla-almond-granola/

Monday, April 29, 2013

FamMenu for This SPRINGYweek!

Here's What's New....Straight Off The Chef's Knife!

Yayayay it's ALMOST May!!! Woot woot! One month closer to Summer, I like it! I like it a lot!
Last week our menu went off without a hitch! The Baked Penne recipe I ended up using was the bombdiggity! I added some Italian chicken sausage, used fresh baby spinach, and added some fresh grated nutmeg, as well. Yum. (((Gotta love Pinterest!)))Here's the link to that recipe:
http://simple-nourished-living.com/2012/02/skinny-artichoke-spinach-baked-pasta/
Here is what's planned for this week!

SUNDAY: (yesterday, that is!) we had Nana Rose's Old World Italian Meatballs in homemade sauce with whole wheat spaghetti, rolls & fresh fruit.

MONDAY: I'm twisting things up by making last nights leftovers into spaghetti pie!!! I'll post the recipe once I master it! Spinach salad with feta. Strawberries, walnuts & wild blueberry balsamic vinaigrette. Leftover rolls.

TUESDAY:Chicken Noodle Soup,Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup with some Cheddar garlic bread on the side!!! (Making a double batch- some for a friend & her Fam- as she is having surgery on her shoulder!!! It's always nice to share, and I think I'll whip up some cookies, too:))

WEDNESDAY: Chinese Chicken & vegetable stir fry- with broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas & celery over jasmine rice. Orange wedges for dessert.

THURSDAY: Ethiopian Wat- made with lamb, served over warm polenta with Parmesan cheese, Tzatziki sauce & apple chutney- and some homemade pita bread(classicaly ethiopian would be served with "Injera" a spongy sourdough flatbread) this is CERTAINLY a "melting pot" type meal!!! A little Ethiopean, Indian, Greek & Italian!

Here is a great Wat recipe I've found:

http://www.food.com/recipe/ethiopian-spicy-beef-stew-key-wat-436458

FRIDAY: pizza!

SATURDAY: bacon corn chowder, corn muffins, veggies & dip, fresh fruit.

SUNDAY: steak, topped with blue cheese rosemary butter(yum), sautéed spinach with garlic,

tomatoes & crushed red pepper, smashed potatoes

That's my FamMenu for the week. What are YOU eating???

RAW garlic Vs. garlic powder

Yup, it's Way better for you, the RAW stuff! Here's proof:

http://www.prevention.com/which-healthier-raw-garlic-vs-garlic-powder?cm_mmc=Flat-Belly-Diet-Nonmember-_-1276390-_-04292013-_-Raw-Garlic-Healthier-Powdered-Copy

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Nana Rose's Old World Italian Meatballs

They are delish. Here is how I made them tonight!
Soak 1/2 loaf stale Italian bread in warm water, squeeze water out and add bread "pulp" to a mixing bowl.
Add in the following:
2 eggs
1 1/3 lb. ground beef (nana used veal & beef)
1/2 -1 C grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 C fresh chopped basil
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste.

Nana made them into balls and fried them on the stovetop- so they had a nice crispy coating- I took the easy way tonight by using a large scoop to portion them out, rolled them and placed them in a 9x13 pan and baked in a preheated oven at 375 for 30 minutes. Add them to your fave sauce& pasta, and whammo, delish dinner!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Sweet Potato Black Bean & Corn Flauta mixture!

Smells yummy in here!!!

Sunday, April 21, 2013

BBQ sauce a' brewing!

1 C coffee
1 C ketchup
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C honey
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C prepared mustard (any kind you like!)
2 T smoked paprika
1/4 t black pepper
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
Being all ingredients to a simmer in a small pot on the stove. Reduce to about half or to desired consistency. Makes about a pint of delish sauce!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Gotta Love Real Simple!

http://www.realsimple.com/m/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/quick-easy/quick-recipes-dinner-00100000077597/index.html?xid=dailyrecnews-04-19-2013

The FamMenu is back to attack!!!

So here it is for NEXT week:

SUNDAY: BBQ Chicken drumsticks-homemade bbq sauce, but of course! (I'll post the recipe on the blog Monday!), twice baked potato salad (recipe ON the blog!), veggies & penzey's ranch, fruit salad (yummy~ yummy, c'mon old school WIGGLES fans, I know you're out there!!!:-)

MONDAY:Buffalo Chicken Chili(Look for this recipe to be posted by next week, too!) with kettle chips and Da Bomb dip

TUESDAY: Roast Pork with sage & apples, mashed taters, green beans, corn & rolls

WEDNESDAY: Baked Penne Pasta with Italian sausage, spinach salad, italian bread

THURSDAY: black bean, corn & sweet potato Flautas (follow this link http://www.peasandcrayons.com/ ) , tortilla chips with guacamole & salsa, fruit

FRIDAY: PIZZZA!!! It's Family Movie Night! (any suggestions?)

SATURDAY: Lumberjack Vegetable Soup (foolw this link: http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-recipes/9-healthy-crockpot-recipes-try-winter ) I will be substituting something else for the rutabaga, as I don"t have any on hand!)

Look for all these recipes and more next week! Enjoy your Fam Friends and GOOD food! Bon Appetit!

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Buffalo Chicken Chili

My fam loves to eat buffalo wings, so I decided to make that flavor into chili. I end up topping this spicy bowl of yummy stuff with “da’ Bomb!” dip and kettle style potato or tortilla chips, for a yummy salty crunch.

Chef Robin Gourmet Cooking Classes, 2010.
Serves 8

½ C. butter
2 C. finely chopped onion
1 C. finely chopped celery
1 C. finely chopped carrot
4 cooked chicken breasts cut into small chunks
4 C. chicken broth
1 C. Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1-29oz. can tomato puree
1 can light red kidney beans

In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add chopped onion, celery & carrot. Saute until vegetables are soft. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, for 30 minutes. Serve piping hot, topped with the dip n’ chips. Yum, it’s got a nice kick!

"Da Bomb Dip"

Organic Kaleriffic Salad

From Chef Robin

Serves 4-6

½ C thinly sliced red onion

1 T raw apple cider vinegar

2 C boiling water

2 packages organic baby kale

2 C fresh porteenie mushrooms,

cleaned & thinly sliced

¼ C. extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

¼ C wild blueberry balsamic vinegar

For garnish: ¼ C toasted pine nuts &

1 C. fresh or 1/3 C. dried organic

blueberries

Place the sliced red onion in a small

bowl with apple cider vinegar and

boiling water. Allow to soak 10-15

minutes. Rinse & squeeze out excess

moisture. Place kale & criminis in a

large bowl. Drizzle with oil and

sprinkle with salt. Massage the

mixture with your hands until the

kale turns a deep green and wilts

slightly. Add onions and balsamic

vinegar to kale mixture. Toss, adjust

seasoning to your taste and serve

garnished with some toasted pine

nuts & blueberries.

Kale provides you with 868% RDA of Vitamin K, 261% of Vitamin A, 170% of

Vitamin C, 33% of Manganese, as well as 12% of Calcium, Copper & Vitamin B6

HEALTHY SNACKS FOR KIDS

Kids need healthy snacks to fuel their energetic days and growing bodies. Here are some healthy, kid pleasing snacks that will make their engines rev all day long!:

Pretzel rods dipped in melted dark chocolate and rolled in crushed nuts or unsweetened coconut- salty, sweet and full of antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated fats!

Lowfat cheese cut into squares paired with whole wheat crackers- let them build a tower with this fiber, whole grain & calcium packed snack!

Homemade Veggie Ranch Dip: mix together 1 Cup canola mayonnaise or "Veganaise", 1/2 Cup Greek yogurt, 1 clove fresh garlic, smashed, 1 Tbsp. each fresh parsley, chives & dill (or 1 tsp. each, dried), 2 T buttermilk, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and sea salt & pepper to taste. Use yummy carrot sticks, sugar snap peas, fresh green beans and other veggies to dip like crazy!

Fruity sensations-give the kids slices of apples, wedges of oranges, halved grapes and berries, sliced mangoes, you name it, and let them go to town creating edible art!

Green eggs & Ham: put a drop of green food coloring in some Vanilla Greek yogurt, mix together and top with a canned apricot or peach half. Pair with a mini whole wheat tortilla slathered with cream cheese, raspberry preserves and a slice of your fave deli ham- kids love this "Seussical" treat!

Trail mix- who can resist trail mix? Make it healthy with unsalted nuts and seeds, air popped popcorn,whole grain mini crackers (like cheddar fish) and alphabet pretzels- add in some dried cranberries or blueberries for antioxidants and yummy semi-sweet chocolate chips for a little monounsaturated fat too!

Whole Grain Mini Pizzas- whole wheat English muffins or bagels split & topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and veggies-perfect made in a toaster oven!

Bean & Cheese Quesadillas- serve them up with vegetarian re-fried beans and 2% milk cheese. Serve with your fave salsa- and add in some chunks of avocado and corn, YUM!

Creme Brulee

A classic French Bistro dish, this dessert has an amazingly short list of ingredients, and with a bit of careful cooking, you can have this decadent treat at home! Chef Robin Gourmet Cooking Series, 2010. Makes 8- 6 oz servings

1 Qt. heavy cream

1 vanilla bean

½ C. sugar or vanilla sugar

6 egg yolks

Brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300. Place cream in a heavy saucepan. Split vanilla bean down the middle and scrape seeds out. Place beans & pod into cream. Heat until just boiling, then cover & set aside to steep for 15minutes. Meanwhile, Whisk egg yolks & sugar together. Strain cream into egg yolk mixture. Mix well. Pour custard into ramekins, then place them in 9 x 13 pans. Pour boiling hot water into the pan going half way up the ramekins. Bake for 40 minutes, or until custard is set, but quivering when jiggled. Remove from oven and cool to room temp. Cover & refrigerate for up to 2 days. A few hours before serving, sprinkle cold custard with brown sugar and place under a low broiler. Broil for about 2 minutes, or until sugar liquefies…watch like a hawk! Sugar BURNS very quickly! Return to fridge, then serve garnished with fresh berries and a refreshing sprig of mint.

French Onion Soup

A Yummy Bistro fave made from the humble & affordable onion! This delish pot of savory broth is fun to serve to company! Makes 8-10 servings.

Chef Robin Gourmet Cooking Series

4 medium sized sweet onions, peeled & sliced fine

2 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped

4 T. butter

1 t. salt

½ t. dried thyme

1 t. sugar

½ C. sherry or brandy

8 C. beef broth

Pepper, to taste

Croutons

Gruyere cheese, grated

Smoked provolone slices

In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and allow to S_L_O_W_L_Y caramelize. (hint…leave them be!!!) Don’t stir the onions for a good 10 minutes. This allows them to melt down into velvety sweet strands of yumminess! Stir a few times over a period of 30 minutes, until the onions are nicely browned. (you can add a splash of water if they start to stick to the bottom of the pan) Add garlic, salt, thyme, sugar & pepper, stir to combine. Add sherry and allow to cook for 5 minutes, and then add broth. Bring soup to a boil, then turn down to a simmer & allow to do so for 30 minutes.

Turn broiler to hi heat. Fill 6 to 8 oz. bowls with soup, leaving about a ¼ inch rim on the top. Top with a handful of croutons, a few tablespoons of gruyere and a slice of provolone. Place bowls on a pan and place under broiler for 1 minute, or until golden and bubbly. Serve.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These yummy lil’ cakes are moist, chocolatey and topped with the cream cheese frosting they are sooo good! Chef Robin Gourmet Cooking Series, 2010.

Makes 24 standard cupcakes

4 eggs

1 C. oil

2 C. sugar

2 t. vanilla

I small can pumpkin

(14.5-15 ounce, or half of a 29 ounce can)

2 C. flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

3 t. pumpkin pie spice

2 C. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together eggs, oil , sugar, vanilla & pumpkin n a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients, including chocolate chips, add to wet ingredients. Bake in lined muffin tins for 25- 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack, until cool to the touch. Meanwhile, make frosting:

¾ C. softened butter

8 oz. softened cream cheese

24 oz. powdered sugar

2 t. vanilla

Garnish

½ C. chocolate chips

Cream together butter & cream cheese, add powdered sugar, little by little, then add vanilla, beat until smooth in texture. Grate chocolate chips in a handheld cheese grater, set aside. Frost cool cupcakes, and “dip” the tops of the cupcakes in the grated chocolate as garnish. Keep cupcakes refrigerated, yummy good!

Weller-Black Wine Celebration