Pasta Chicken Broccoli Bake

Pasta Chicken Broccoli Bake
Southern Living Jan. 2013

***Susan's note: My mother-in-law made this for a holiday dinner and it was decadent.  Do not skip the 
topping!  The Ritz crackers (or you can use Late July organic crackers) add just the most delicious
touch.  I would probably make it with penne instead of tortellini to save a few calories.  I like that you 
can make everything ahead of time, keep the topping separate, refrigerate and bake the next day
when you are ready to eat it.*****

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter $
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion $
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper $
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth $
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup (4 oz.) freshly shredded Parmesan cheese $
• 1/4 teaspoon salt $
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (20-oz.) package refrigerated cheese-and-spinach tortellini
• 4 cups chopped fresh broccoli $
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken $
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese $
• 15 round buttery crackers, crushed $
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted $

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion and next 2 ingredients, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until tender.
2. 2. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in broth, half-and-half, and white wine. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, 6 to 8 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.
3. 3. Remove from heat; add 1 cup cheese and next 2 ingredients, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in tortellini and next 2 ingredients. Spoon into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
4. 4. Stir together 1/2 cup grated cheese and next 3 ingredients. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly.
5. Note: We tested with Buitoni Mixed Cheese Tortellini.

Southern Living
DECEMBER 2012

Baked Oatmeal

*****Susan's note: I found this recipe in the September 2012 issue of Readers' Digest. My husband was in love at first bite. ;)  I can see baking this for guests or holidays.

Baked Oatmeal
FROM Heidi SWANSON's book
Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen (Ten Speed Press)

2 cups rolled - not instant - oats
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup sugar or maple syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
scant 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tbs unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, sliced into pieces
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, huckleberries, or mixed berries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, with rack in top third of oven. Butter an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. In a bowl, mix together oats, half the walnuts, sugar (if using maple syrup, skip sugar), and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk together maple syrup (if using sugar, skip maple syrup), milk, egg, half the butter, and vanilla.
3. Arrange bananas in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle 2/3 of berries over the top. Cover fruit with oat mixture. Slowly drizzle milk mixture over oats. Gently give baking dish a few whacks on counter-top to make sure milk moves through oats. Scatter remaining berries and walnuts on top. 
4. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until top is golden and oats have set. Remove from oven; drizzle remaining melted butter on top. Serve with extra sugar or maple syrup.

 

Slow-Cooker White Bean Soup With Andouille and Collards

Slow-Cooker White Bean Soup With Andouille and Collards
****Susan's note: I made this with double the sausage, which was perfect.  Make sure you use a spicy sausage.  I also used a little less collards and more broth than called for.



Serves 6 Hands-On Time: 10min Total Time: 8hr 00m
Ingredients
1 pound dried white beans (such as cannellini or great Northern)
1/2 pound andouille sausage links, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch collard greens, stems discarded and leaves cut into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
kosher salt and black pepper
olive oil and bread sticks, for serving
Directions
In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the beans, sausage, onion, celery, and thyme. Add the broth and stir to combine.
Cover and cook until the beans are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total cooking time).
Twenty minutes before serving, discard the thyme stems, add the collard greens, cover, and cook until the greens are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Drizzle with the olive oil and serve with the bread sticks.
By Dawn Perry , Real Simple
March, 2011

Nutritional Information
Per Serving
Calories 393
Fat 8g
Sat Fat 4g
Cholesterol 28mg
Sodium 670mg
Protein 30g
Carbohydrate 51g
Sugar 4g
Fiber 14g
Iron 9mg
Calcium 212mg

Quinoa with Sweet Potatoes, Kale and Pesto

Quinoa with Sweet Potatoes, Kale and Pesto

From Real Simple September 2012

***Susan's Note:  My husband and I have been jumping on the kale bandwagon with this recipe.  It's delicious.  Even when, as my husband says, "it looks kinda gross" when reheating, when you taste it, it redeems itself in every way.  Do not omit the pesto or the walnuts - they make the recipe.  We have used both jarred pesto from Wegmans, or fresh refrigerated pesto from the dairy / sauce section.  If you find it difficult to cut raw sweet potatoes, as I do, go ahead and par-cook them in the microwave wrapped in saran wrap for a few minutes, then cool and cut.  

Serves 8| Hands-On Time: 30m| Total Time: 35m

Ingredients:

2  cups  quinoa, rinsed

1/2  cup  olive oil

3  small sweet potatoes (about 11/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

kosher salt and black pepper

1  medium red onion, sliced

2  bunches kale (1 1/4 pounds), thick stems removed and leaves cut into bite-size pieces (about 14 cups)

pesto and toasted walnuts, for serving

Directions

Cook the quinoa according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes begin to brown and soften, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the onion to the pot and cook, tossing occasionally, until the sweet potatoes and onion are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add as much kale to the pot as will fit and cook, tossing frequently and adding more kale when there is room, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Reserve half the quinoa and vegetables for tomorrow’s dinner. Serve the remaining vegetables over the remaining quinoa, topped with the pesto and walnuts.

Reheat and serve: Microwave the quinoa and vegetables in a microwave-safe dish covered with a damp paper towel on high for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Nutritional Information

• Per ServingServing Size: 1 serving of quinoa dish, plus 1 tablespoon pesto and 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts
• Calories 528

• Fat 32g
• Sat Fat 5g
• Cholesterol 5mg
• Sodium 416mg
• Protein 14g
• Carbohydrate 52g
• Sugar 5g
• Fiber 7g
• Iron 7mg
• Calcium 254mg

Provencal Summer Vegetable Bake

Provencal Summer Vegetable Bake
Family Circle Aug 2012

What you Need: 

• 2 medium sweet onions
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large eggplant (about 1 pound), ends trimmed, halved lengthwise
• 3 large summer squash (combination of zucchini and yellow squash), ends trimmed
• 1/2 pound russet potatoes
• 3 plum tomatoes
• 4 ounces goat cheese 

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees . Peel and halve onions; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a largesaute pan over medium heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook 8 to 10 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in beans, 1/2 teaspoon of the herbes de Provence and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Pour mixture into bottom of a 9 x 13 oven-safe casserole.

2. Meanwhile, cut eggplant, squash, potatoes and tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices. (To speed things up, use a food processor fitted with a slicing blade or a mandoline.) Toss vegetables with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Arrange vegetables on top of onion-bean mixture in 1 layer; pack tightly.

3. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and crumble cheese on top. Bake 15 more minutes. Cool slightly and slice into 4 servings.

McCormick Rosemary-Baked Chicken with Potatoes

Rosemary-Baked Chicken with Potatoes

**Susan's Note:  My cousin made this for me when I had a new baby and it was delicious.  The only change I made when making it myself is to use organic boneless skinless thighs and they only need 20 minutes to cook.  (Cook your potatoes for 15 minutes, then add the thighs to the pan, then cook for 20 minutes more.)

Makes 6 servings.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon McCormick® Paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Rosemary Leaves, finely crushed
1 teaspoon Sea Salt from McCormick® Sea Salt Grinder
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Black Pepper, Coarse Ground
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder
6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed (about 2 pounds)
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix oil, paprika, rosemary, sea salt, pepper and garlic powder in large bowl. Add chicken and potatoes; toss to coat well. Arrange potatoes in single layer on foil-lined 15x10x1-inch baking pan sprayed with no stick cooking spray.

2. Bake 15 minutes. Push potatoes to one side of pan. Place chicken on pan.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes longer or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, turning potatoes occasionally.

per serving

Calories: 294

Fat: 14 g

Carbohydrates: 19 g

Cholesterol: 76 mg

Sodium: 345 mg

Fiber: 3 g

Protein: 23 g

Slow Cooker French Onion Beef Stew

Slow Cooker French Onion Beef Stew
From Woman's Day Dec. 2011


***Susan's Note: I used organic free range beef from Wegmans for this recipe, and I used applesauce instead of apple juice because that's all I had.  I also added a bag of pre-cut Mirepoix from Wegmans.    I am usually not a slow cooker user because I always have to have the food cook longer than it states on a workday because I am gone up to 10 hours during the day.  This cooked for 9 hours on low and it was delicious.

• 1 can(s) low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup(s) apple juice
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-in. pieces
• 2  onions, thinly sliced
• 1.5 pound(s) lean beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1/2-in. pieces
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
• 4  thick slices country bread
• 4 ounce(s) Gruyère or Swiss cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 tsp leaves

directions

1. Tie a piece of thread or kitchen twine around the thyme sprigs and place them in a 5- to 6-qt slow cooker. Add the chicken broth, apple juice, carrots and onions and mix to combine.
2. Season the beef with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper; sprinkle with the flour. Add the beef and any excess flour to the slow cooker and mix to combine. Cook, covered, until the beef and vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.
3. When the stew has 10 minutes left to cook, heat the broiler. Place the bread on a foil-lined broiler-proof baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cheese and remaining tsp thyme. Broil until the cheese starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon the stew into bowls and top with the Gruyère toasts.

tips & techniques

To make ahead, refrigerate the stew for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw, if frozen, then reheat, covered, over medium heat. Make the toasts just before serving.