Caprese Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe for Mozzarella from here or 1 container of Mozzarella from the store
• 20-25 Basil leaves
• 5 ounces or about 15 Cherry Tomatoes halved
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Place the mozzarella, basil and tomatoes in a bowl. Drizzle with olive olive (1 Tablespoon or less) and Balsamic Vinegar (1 Tablespoon or less) and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. This can also be served on a bed of romaine or spinach as a "Caprese Salad" Salad. This is how we ate it with the Pesto and Pasta with Sautéed Chicken and Vegetables.

Pesto and Pasta with Sautéed Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients for Pesto:
4-6 ounces of fresh Basil, rinsed and patted dry
3/4 cup of Walnuts
4-5 cloves of Roasted Garlic
3/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup of Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
1/4 teaspoon of Pepper

Ingredients for Chicken and Vegetables:
1 pound of Chicken, died or cut into strips
1 small Onion halved, sliced and then quartered
1 Bell Pepper (Red/Yellow/Orange) sliced and cut into small pieces
1/2 box/bag of Orechiette Pasta

First, add all ingredients for the pesto to a blender, food processor or container for immersion blender.   

Blend until all ingredients are combined. Depending on preference, the sauce can be chunky or smooth. The sauce should not be heated.

Bring a pot of water to boil, and cook the pasta. In a separate pot, sauté the chicken until cooked through. Add the onion and pepper and cook until al dente. Add a pinch or two of ground pepper. Add the chicken and vegetable mixture to the hot drained pasta and about 1/3 of the Pesto mixture. Stir until everything is coated with the pesto. If desired, more sauce can be added as well as additional salt and pepper to taste.

"Kashi" Mayan Harvest Bake

I love Kashi. I love Kashi's Mayan Harvest Bake. I do not love paying $5.00 for a frozen dinner (the best frozen dinner that I have ever eaten). Solution: Make it myself. I browsed the internet and noticed some copy cat recipes for this frozen dinner, and I was inspired to take on the copy cat task myself. I just wasn't satisfied with what I was finding. Many of the recipes were missing very important key ingredients that are listed on the back of the box for this dinner. The major ingredients are Amaranth Polenta, Kashi's Pilaf (I purchased this directly from Kashi since my grocer doesn't carry this product), Plantains, Black Beans, Kale, Ancho Chile Sauce and Pepitas (toasted and salted pumpkin seeds). I give the final results two thumbs up. The ingredient list and a picture of the box can be found on Kashi's website... here.
Everything is made separately and then mixed or layered before it is put into the oven to bake.

Amaranth Polenta

• 1 cup amaranth
• 3 cups water
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. ancho chili powder
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Bring all ingredients, except for the cilantro, to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 25-30 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Save the cilantro for the final preparation.

Kashi Pilaf

• 1 1/4 cups Kashi Pilaf
• 2 1/2 cups water

1. Bring the water to a boil and add the pilaf. Cook over medium heat, either covered or uncovered, for 25 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.

Ancho Chile Sauce

• 2-3 dried ancho chilies, re-hydrated and seeds removed (I used a New Mexico chile and a Pasilla chile along with 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, because that's all I had)
• 3/4 of a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 1/2 of a small can of tomato paste
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1/2 of an onion
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1-2 tbs. of olive oil
• 8-12 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/4-1/2 cup of cilantro
• 1 tbs. of ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp. of sesame seeds
• salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until emulsified. If the sauce is too thick, add more broth.

Plantains

• 2 very ripe plantains (black on the outside)
• 1/4-1/2 cup of flour or cornstarch
• oil for frying

Cut the plantains into thirds and then cut each piece lengthwise into four pieces (12 from each plantain). Coat each piece in the flour and then pan fry until golden brown. I sprinkled them with a little salt when finished cooking them.

Sweet Potatoes

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• oil

Lightly coat the sweet potatoes with oil and oven roast for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees, or until cooked through.

Kale

Finely chop about 1/4-1/3 bunch of kale.

Black Beans

One can of black beans, drained and rinsed.

Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)

1/2 cup toasted and salted pumpkin seeds. This can be done by spraying a frying pan with oil, adding the seeds and stirring over medium heat until toasted, being careful not to burn the seeds. Lightly season with salt when they are finished cooking.

Preparation

1. Combine the amaranth polenta and the Kashi pilaf together. Add the cilantro. Layer on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Layer the chopped kale onto the polenta/pilaf mixture.
3. Layer the black beans onto the kale.
4. Layer the sweet potatoes onto the black beans.
5. Pour the ancho sauce over the entire dish (Not all of the sauce has to be used, but does add a lot of flavor. You'll probably add more after it has finished cooking).
6. Lay the fried plantains over the sauce.
7. Sprinkle the entire dish with the pepitas.
8. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

There is quite a bit of preparation that goes into making this dish. It was well worth it in my opinion. I will definitely be making this again. This makes quite a few servings, maybe 8-10. I took the leftovers and put them in the freezer to make my own frozen dinners.

White Whole Wheat Bread

I've tinkered with this one, as bread can be difficult to make sometimes. It's the result of a combination of recipes I've tried.

• 3 1/2- 4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 tbs. of wheat gluten
• 1/4- 1/3 cup dry milk
• 2 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/3- 1 1/2 cups warm water

Combine the warm water, oil, honey, salt and yeast in a small bowl; let sit for 5 minutes. In a larger bowl (or stand mixer bowl) combine the flour, wheat gluten and dry milk. Slowly pour the liquid mixture into the flour. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour...if it is too dry add 1/2-1 tsp. of water at a time until the dough is manageable. Knead the dough, or use the dough hook on a stand mixer for 5-10 minutes; the dough should be like a ball. Lightly grease a bowl and the dough, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. After the dough has risen, press on it to release some of the air. Lightly roll/knead the dough and shape into a a loaf. Place the loaf into a greased loaf pan, cover and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Place the bread into a preheated 350 degree over for 45-50 minutes. If the bread starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil.

Guacamole

 

#2 requested item for gatherings...can anyone guess what the #1 requested item is?

• 4 ripe avocados
• 2-3 tbs. finely diced red onion
• 1 clove garlic finely diced
• 1 finely diced jalapeno, de-seeded
• 1-2 medium sized tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
• 1/3 cup or more of fresh chopped cilantro
• 3-4 tbs. lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix the red onion, garlic, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice in a container with a lid. Add a few dashes of salt and pepper, making sure not to add too much. Let the flavors meld for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. When it is almost time to eat, add the avocados along with additional lime juice, salt and pepper if necessary. Stir until some of the avocado breaks down a bit, but leaving chunks of avocado so it isn't too mushy. If you prefer more heat, add hot pepper flakes to the vegetable base the night before.

Tip: I prefer cutting the avocados in half and then scoring them on the inside (vertically and horizontally) and then scooping out the insides with a spoon. This will result in a bunch of small avocado squares and a guacamole with a good consistency.

Serve With:
Chips
Sandwiches
Veggie Sticks
Mexican Food

Oreo Dirt Cake

The #1 requested item at gatherings...Dirt Cake!

• 1 package oreo cookies- finely crushed
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 cup/8 ozs. softened cream cheese
• 1 1/2 large boxes instant vanilla pudding
• 4 cups milk
• 1/4- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (depending on desired sweetness)
• 1 small container whipped topping

Mix together butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar together in a large bowl with a hand or stand mixer. While mixing, slowly add the milk and then the pudding. Once these items are thoroughly mixed, fold in the whipped topping. Take a large bowl, and begin to layer the cookies and pudding mix, starting with the crushed cookies and ending with the cookies. Depending on the size of the bowl, there should be at least 3-4 layers of the pudding mixture. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Chili

Really, any type of meat or meat substitute can be used. I have a recipe that doesn't use Chili-O (this is the lazy version), that will be posted at a later time.

• 1 lb. ground buffalo (other meat/meat substitute/or no meat at all)
• 1/2 red onion diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic diced
• 1 jalapeno diced (optional)
  
• 1-2 packets of Chili-O seasoning
  
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies added (or regular diced tomatoes if you prefer less heat)
  
• 3 cans of beans (kidney, chili beans, red beans, black beans...whatever is your fancy)
• 16-24 oz. of water or broth

Lightly spray/coat pan with oil. Over medium heat saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno until lightly golden. Add the meat/meat substitute and cook until browned, stirring to make sure nothing burns. Add 1 packet of Chili-O mix to the meat mixture and stir. Add the tomatoes and the beans. Depending on the eater's preference add 16+ ounces of water so that the chili is the desired consistency. If necessary, add additional Chili-O to taste. Let the chili simmer at least 30 minutes before eating. To make this a vegetarian chili, a variety of vegetables can be sauteed along with the onion mixture...carrots, squash, bell peppers, corn...and additional beans can be added.

Serve with:
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Pasta
Crackers