Amy's Recipe of the Day

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Location: Texas, United States

Friday, April 27, 2007

Barley Pilaf with Artichoke Hearts

2 cups warm water
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 (14-oz) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 tsp bottled minced garlic
2 Tbsp commercial pesto (I use reduced fat)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup (2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese


Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until tender. While barley cooks, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add artichokes and garlic. Saute 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir pesto, lemon juice, and chickpeas into the cooked barley. Serve artichoke mixture over barley; top with cheese. Makes 4 main-dish; probably 6-8 side dish servings.

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Thursday, April 26, 2007

Monterey Jack, Corn, and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto


1 3/4 cups water
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup uncooked Arborio or other short-grain rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
3/4 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers

Combine water and broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep broth mixture warm over low heat.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice, cumin, coriander (if desired), and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup broth mixture; cook 2 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of liquid is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Stir in the onions, cheese, hot sauce, corn, and bell peppers; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup) (I thought this was more than 4 servings.)

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Amaretto Apple Crisp

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
7 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 3 pounds)
1/3 cup amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur) or apple juice

Preheat oven to 375°.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and sugars in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly. Add almonds; toss well.
Combine apple and amaretto in a bowl; toss well. Spoon apple mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish or 1 1/2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 9 servings

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Monday, April 23, 2007

Green-Chile Ravioli


Ravioli:
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup minced green onions
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained
1 large egg white
16 won ton wrappers
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Cooking spray
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Sauce:
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

To prepare ravioli, combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Working with 1 won ton wrapper at a time (cover the remaining wrappers with a damp towel to keep from drying), spoon about 1 tablespoon green chile mixture into the center of each wrapper. Brush edges of wrapper with water, and bring 2 opposite corners together. Press the edges together firmly with fingers, forming a triangle. Place the ravioli on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add ravioli, and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Add broth; cook, covered, 1 minute. Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon. Keep warm.
To prepare the sauce, combine cilantro, vinegar, tomatoes, and black beans in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Spoon sauce over ravioli.

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Sunday, April 22, 2007

Mac-A-Taco


From the Kraft website. Too weird for adults, but good for toddlers because it doesn’t spill out of the taco shell.

1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg macaroni and cheese dinner (Kraft box or equivalent)
1 ½ cups water
½ cup salsa
8 taco shells
½ cup 2% milk shredded cheese
½ cup chopped tomatoes

Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add dry macaroni, water, salsa, and cheese sauce mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon into taco shells. Top with cheese and tomatoes.

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Saturday, April 21, 2007

Easy Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna

I bought the “no-cook” noodles, but the veggies provide so much water that I don’t think it’s necessary. The recipe just calls for regular noodles. You can make it healthy if you choose low fat pasta sauce, fat free cottage cheese, and very low fat or fat free mozzarella. I did not do that. Sorry, but we forgot to take a picture.

3 cups pasta sauce (I used a tomato alfredo blend; you can use whatever)
16-24 oz cottage cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
8 oz low fat mozzarella
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
2 medium tomatoes, sliced thin
1 zucchini, halved and sliced
Sautéed fresh mushrooms (I sauteed half a package of fresh)
½ to 1 green pepper, finely chopped
(you can use any veggies you like for the zucchini, mushrooms, and green pepper)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, combine cottage and Parmesan cheese. Spray a 12 X 8-inch pan with cooking spray. Place 3 uncooked noodles in the bottom of pan.

Cover noodles with 1 cup spaghetti sauce, 1/3 cheese mixture, and ½ mozzarella.. Spread spinach leaves, tomatoes, and other veggies on top of cheese.

Repeat layers twice more with noodles, sauce, cheeses, and vegetables. (I only did 2 layers of veggies because I ran out, so I ended w/ cheese). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

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Family Gathering Potatoes

I have taken this recipe and quartered it. It is supposed to serve 60-65 people. This one serves 15, but it’s yummy, so I think it might serve a few less!

1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ pound Velveeta, cubed
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup butter, divided
1 tsp seasoned salt
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp pepper
5 pounds of potatoes, peeled, cubed, and cooked
½ cup crushed Club crackers

In Dutch oven or soup kettle, combine soups, cheese, and sour cream, 4 Tbsp butter, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Add potatoes; mix well. Transfer to greased 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until bubbly. Melt remaining butter; toss with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over potatoes. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until topping is lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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Sunday, April 08, 2007

Tamale Casserole


4-6 cups tortilla chips
8 cooked tamales (any flavor)
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 ½ cups frozen corn
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ cups cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 large green onion (or 2 small), chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break half of tortilla chips coarsely and cover bottom of 2-qt casserole dish. Slice 4 tamales and put slices on top of tortilla chips. Sprinkle half of frozen corn and half of tomatoes. Pour on half of enchilada sauce. Cover with half of cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle green onions on top. Bake about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is warm throughout.

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