Creamy Chicken Enchilada Lasagna, from Cara

Mix 8oz. of cream cheese with 2/3 of a 16 oz container of light sour cream. Add garlic powder, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, cilantro... like a LOT of this stuff to make it super tasty.

Saute chicken breasts or tenders in a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Shred with 2 forks in pan and add 1 diced red bell pepper, 1 can of diced green chilis, and 1 can of diced tomatoes. Cook until peppers are tender.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray. Layer taco sized whole wheat tortillas with the sauce and the chicken mixture in any order you see fit. When you're done with that dump an ass-load of sharp cheddar on top and bake until it is all melty, about 20 minutes.

Cara's Beef Buns, from Cara

Bun Recipe:
2T yeast
1c plus 2T warm water
1/3c oil
1/4c sugar
1 egg
1t salt
3 - 3 1/2c flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Add oil and sugar and let rest for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients to form a soft dough. Knead dough for 3-5 minutes. Divide into 8 pieces and form into balls. Let rest on ungreased pan for 10 minutes. Bake 8-12 minutes.

For the flour I used 1/2 cup of toasted wheat germ, 1 cup of wheat flour, and 1 1/2 - 2 cups of white flour.

It was the lightest, softest dough when I was kneading it. OMG, so nice. They were so tasty, too.

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Lasagna, from Cara

Mix 8oz. of cream cheese with 2/3 of a 16 oz container of light sour cream. Add garlic powder, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, cilantro... like a LOT of this stuff to make it super tasty.

Saute chicken breasts or tenders in a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Shred with 2 forks in pan and add 1 diced red bell pepper, 1 can of diced green chilis, and 1 can of diced tomatoes. Cook until peppers are tender.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray. Layer taco sized whole wheat tortillas with the sauce and the chicken mixture in any order you see fit. When you're done with that dump an ass-load of sharp cheddar on top and bake until it is all melty, about 20 minutes.

Homemade Buns, suggested by Cara

From "Taste of Home"

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let
• stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a
• soft dough.
• 
  
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about
• 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into
• a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
• 
  
• Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes
• or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.
• Yield: 1 dozen.

Black Bean Burrito Bake, suggested by Cara

From "Cooking Light"

Ingredients

• 1  (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1/2  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
• 1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 1  cup  frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 4  (8-inch) flour tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  bottled salsa
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Remove one chile from can. Chop chile. Reserve remaining adobo sauce and chiles for another use. Combine sour cream and chile in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes.
Place half of beans in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add chopped beans, remaining beans, and corn to sour cream mixture.
Spoon 1/2 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread salsa over tortillas; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Kitchen Notes

Half of the beans are finely chopped to give the filling a thick, creamy consistency. This dish can be made up to 8 hours in advance and chilled; just bring it back to room temperature before baking.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce, suggested by Cara

From "Our Best Bites"
 

Ingredients
2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender.   

Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Stand above the pan (but not close enough to scald your face) and inhale. Ahhh...butter and garlic. Okay, now get cooking again. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.
 

Korean Beef Skewers, AKA Cara Beef, from Cara

Ingredients

• 6  tablespoons  less-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3  cup  sugar
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  sambal oelek (chile paste, such as Huy Fong)
• 1  tablespoon  canola oil
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (1-pound) top sirloin steak, sliced against the grain into thin strips
• 1/2  cup  water
• 8  ounces  wide rice sticks
• 3  tablespoons  thinly sliced green onions

Preparation

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a zip-top bag. Add beef to bag; seal. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove steak from bag; reserve marinade. Thread steak evenly onto 8 (8-inch) skewers. Grill 2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Combine reserved marinade and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute.
3. Soak noodles in boiling water until tender; drain. Place noodles in a large bowl. Pour reserved marinade mixture over noodles; sprinkle with onions; toss. Serve with skewers.

Note from Cara: I just looked at my Korean Beef recipe and realized that I didn't add the sugar when I made it last night. It was delicious anyway and I don't think I would use it next time. Maybe if the things were grilled it would help them to caramelize or something, but for stir fry it was fine without.

Spring Veggie Carbonara, suggested from Cara

From Cooking Light: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001981771

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 12 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 ounces uncooked cavatappi pasta
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
• 1 cup chopped seeded red bell pepper

Preparation

1. Cook peas and asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water; drain. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Combine pasta and vegetables.

2. Combine cheese and the next 3 ingredients (through eggs) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add hot cooking liquid to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan. Add bacon to pasta mixture. Cook bell pepper in drippings for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta mixture; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove pan from heat, and stir in egg mixture. Return pan to low heat; cook for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly, stirring constantly.

Tuna Dinner Salad, from Cara

1 large head red or green leaf lettuce, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
4-6 oz. colby cheese cut into chunks, optional
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can tuna, drained (can be tuna in oil or water)

Toss all ingredients with red wine vinaigrette.

red wine vinaigrette
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced OR 1 t. garlic powder
1 c. olive oil

Whisk together the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. While whisking, add the oil in a thin, steady stream until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Rosemary and Creamy Tomato Penne, from Cara

1 lb. penne pasta
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, minced
4 T. olive oil
1 1/2 c. tomato puree
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Cook the penne in water until al dente. In the meantime, saute the rosemary in the oil in a saucepan over low heat for 3 minutes. Add the tomato puree. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Pour in the cream and Parmesan, stirring until heated through. Drain pasta and toss with cream sauce.

Yields 4-6 servings.

This dish goes great with sauteed chicken (seasoned with rosemary, s & p, and fresh lemon juice) either served on the side or sliced and added to the pasta.

Korean-Style Beef Skewers w/Rice Noodles, an idea from Cara

From cookinglight.com

Find the noodles and sambal on the ethnic aisle at the supermarket or in an Asian market.

Price: $2.49 per serving

Pantry Checklist:

• Less-sodium soy sauce
• Sugar
• Sambal oelek (chile paste, such as Huy Fong)
• Canola oil
• Fresh lime juice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

Preparation

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a zip-top bag. Add beef to bag; seal. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove steak from bag; reserve marinade. Thread steak evenly onto 8 (8-inch) skewers. Grill 2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Combine reserved marinade and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute.

3. Soak noodles in boiling water until tender; drain. Place noodles in a large bowl. Pour reserved marinade mixture over noodles; sprinkle with onions; toss. Serve with skewers.

Note from Cara: We don't have skewers, so I cut the strips shorter and stir fried them.

Another note from Cara: I just looked at my Korean Beef recipe and realized that I didn't add the sugar when I made it last night. It was delicious anyway and I don't think I would use it next time. Maybe if the things were grilled it would help them to caramelize or something, but for stir fry it was fine without.

Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light, MAY 2010

Black Bean Burgers, suggested by Cara

Spicy Black Bean Burgers
Adapted from "Recipe of the Week: Burgers" by Sally Sampson

Ingredients
4 cups cooked, rinsed and drained black beans (about 2 ½ 15-ounce cans)
1/2 cup Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
4 scallions, both white and green parts, minced
3 tablespoons (a small handful) chopped basil or cilantro, or a combination
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2-2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method
Place 2 cups of the black beans in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chunky.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining whole black beans, plus panko, eggs, scallions, fresh herbs, garlic, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes and mix until well combined.

Using a dough cutter, portion mixture into patties about 1 inch thick. Suggested diameter: 3 inches; otherwise, the patty will be difficult to flip when cooking. KOD extra step that's worth doing: Place patties on a plate or tray and chill for 15 minutes so they can set up.

When ready to cook, remove patties from refrigerator and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a cast-iron skillet over high heat, without any fat; when it is hot but not smoking, add burgers to dry pan.

Cook for about four minutes on first side or until well seared and with a flipping spatula, turn onto second side and allow to cook for an additional five minutes, over medium heat.

Serve immediately with fixins': Monterey jack, cheddar or queso fresco, lettuce, fresh tomato slice, pico de gallo or jarred salsa, sour cream, avocado. Good on a soft bun or by itself.

Makes four to six burgers.

Note from Cara: I got seven 3" burgers that were 1" thick and 1 thinner burger for Konrad. I used a biscuit cutter to make the patties... put it on a cutting board and spooned the mix into it. I would go with more like 30 minutes of refrigeration before cooking, they were pretty squishy. We just did lettuce and tomato topping, but I think I would do some kind of seasoned sour cream topping next time as well.

Flourless Fudge Cake, by Cara

Flourless Fudge Cake
serves 10 - prep time 30 minutes - total time 6 hours

2 sticks of butter (16 T.), cut into pieces
unsweetened cocoa powder for pan
2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
3 T. orange liqueur (I omitted this)
6 large eggs, separated, at room temp
4 T. granulated sugar
confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat over to 300. Butter the bottom and sides for a springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper (I used waxed paper), butter parchment. Dust paper and sides of pan with cocoa, tapping out excess.
2. In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in liqueur. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg yolks with 2 T. of granulated sugar until pale and doubled in volume, about 6 minutes. Temper the egg mixture by adding about a cup of the chocolate mixture at first and mixing thoroughly, then stir in the rest of the chocolate mixture.
3. In another bowl, with mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually add remaining granulated sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. Whisk 1/2 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the rest.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan, bake until cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and the center is just set, 45 to 50 minutes. On a wire rack, cool completely in pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. To serve, run a metal spatula around the edge of the pan and unmold cake. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

I also served the cake with fresh raspberries and whipped cream. Maybe it was because I used waxed paper instead of parchment, but my cake kinda stuck to the bottom of the pan a little, I just ran a knife around the edges and unstuck it, it looked fine.

Cranberry Sauce, by Cara

1 pound frozen cranberries 2 cups orange juice 3 cups ginger ale 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 orange, zested Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Carefully puree with stick blender or blender until smooth. Check for seasoning and serve in small ramekins.

Easy Breezy Pasta Sauce #2, by Cara

Easy breezy pasta sauce #2 (roasted method)...
1# of fresh tomatoes cut in 1/2 (any kind you like and they don't have to be perfectly ripe or in season),
salt and pepper,
fresh basil/rosemary/oregano (any one or combo is fine), f
resh minced garlic,
red pepper flakes if desired,
olive oil.

Preheat oven to 350. Place a layer of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Lay tomatoes cut side up on the tray and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with fresh herbs, garlic, and pepper flakes as desired. Roast tomatoes in the oven for 30 minutes (?) or until they smell really good and they are really soft, then they are done. Pick up aluminum foil and dump tomatoes into blender/food processor and blend away. Voila, you have sauce!

Easy Breezy Pasta Sauce #1, by Cara

2 cans crushed tomatoes,
salt and pepper,
fresh basil/rosemary/oregano (any one or combo is fine),
fresh minced garlic,
red pepper flakes if desired,
olive oil.

Heat olive oil over medium flame in a saucepan. Add seasonings and fresh cut herbs and garlic. So you have everything but the tomatoes heating up in the olive oil. After you have all of that warmed up and the garlic cooked through, add the cans of tomatoes and heat through. Add additional seasonings as needed after adding the tomatoes. Allow it to cook while you cook your pasta, that's it. It tastes really fresh and light.

Potatoes and Smoked Sausage, by Cara

We bought some yummy smoked sausage from a stand at the farmer's market this afternoon. This dish has 5 ingredients...

cubed potatoes,
sliced smoked sausage,
salt, pepper,
and water.

Put potatoes into a frying pan, add about 1/2 inch of water and lots of pepper and a little salt. Cook with the lid on until potatoes are mostly cooked, then add the sliced sausage and heat through. Takes like 15-20 minutes total, since the sausage is smoked and just needs to be heated up. You can also use Kielbasa or fresh sausage like Bratwurst as well. Obviously cook the raw meat longer. Simple and YUM!

Intro to Cous Cous, by Cara

Inspired by Houston's

The portions of each ingredient are up to you:
cooked plain cous cous (takes like 5 minutes max to cook and you can even microwave it, i think)
lemon juice
a teensy amount of olive oil
chopped mint leaves
raisins (or currants or golden raisins - we get a mixed bag of cherries and golden raisins)chopped apple
roasted peanuts
mix it all up in a bowl and serve as is or chilled

Chocolate Mousse, from Cara

Two-ingredient Chocolate Mousse... 1/2 pint of whipping cream, ummm, whipped. about 1/4 pound of good bitter-sweet or semi-sweet chocolate, shaved and melted. slowly fold the melted chocolate into the whipped cream. tonight we served it with fresh sliced strawberries, but raspberries would be yummy as well.

Pasta with Meat Sauce and Garlic Bread, from Cara

Pasta with Meat sauce:
1 whole boneless chicken breast
1 pound ground beef
1/4 pound pepperoni
Italian seasoning
S & P
fresh basil and garlic
olive oil
2 cans crushed tomatoes

I cover the bottom of my stock pot with the olive oil, just a thin layer. Once it is warm, I add the minced garlic (3 cloves), Italian seasoning (who knows how much), and some fresh chopped basil (you decide how much you want, I guess I used about 1/4 cup). Then I put in the chicken (which I have sprinkled with the S & P) and beef, and cook that thoroughly. Remove the chicken and add the cans of tomato. Shred up semi-cooled chicken with fingers and add back to the pot, add pepperoni and additional 1/4 cup of basil or so and more Italian seasoning and S & P as needed. Tonight it cooked for about 2 hours on the stove on low. It was yummy served with campanelle type pasta noodles, they are cute.

Garlic bread... 1 softened stick of butter mixed up with 3 minced cloves of garlic and some parsley. Spread over sliced store-bought Italian bread and broiled in the toaster oven.