Stromboli Sandwiches

Usually I'm not a big fan of Rachel Ray, many of her recipes have long lists of ingredients which I usually don't have. I also find her use of the phrases "Yum-O" and "EVOO" and cutesy recipe names (ahem... sammies...) a bit annoying. My sister, however, is a big fan. And, I must admit, this recipe was awesome. I had everything I needed on hand, it came together in 25 minutes (including the 15 minutes baking time), and it impressed my guests. So in this case, way to go Rachel Ray!

Stromboli Sandwiches

Adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray

One 16-ounce loaf semolina bread

Spinach or other mixed greens (I used a 50/50 mix)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound chicken sausage or tofu crumbles

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

2 cups shredded provolone cheese

1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (3 generous handfuls)

8 thin slices mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Cut off the top quarter of the bread lengthwise and scoop out the bottom piece.

In a medium skillet, heat oil t over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling with a spoon, until browned. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if using.

Sprinkle bread shell with provolone cheese, add a layer of greens, then sausage mixture.

Finally, top with the parmigiano, mozzarella and bread lid.

Wrap the sandwich in foil and bake until the cheese is melted, 15 minutes.

Cut into thick slices to serve.

One more thing, I would love to know what kind of recipes you all want to see. If you could take a sec and vote in the poll in my side bar, I would be supremely grateful!

Thanks, can't wait to hear what you all think!

Happy Eating!

I'll be linking up to Mouthwatering Monday and Your Recipe, My Kitchen, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Keeper, and Rook #17

Cheddar Veggie Pot Pie in a Jar

My little sister was the first one to introduce me to the pie in a jar concept. She made me a batch of pot pies. She didn't cook them but gave them to me frozen in their little jars (so cute!). The instructions were just pop in the oven at 325 and a little over a half hour later, steaming hot, single serving pot pie. It is so comforting to come home after a long day at work and know that I can have a delicious home cooked pot pie in a flash. No work involved (well I do have to move it from the freezer to the oven, but that I can handle!) This weekend I made a batch of these yummy little treats to freeze (and a few to eat right away). I am anticipating a busy week at work, and having these on hand will be a life saver! I didn't have my sisters original recipe, so I used a cheddar chicken pot pie recipe from taste of home's website (I changed it a bit and made it vegetarian). For the pie in a jar part, I used tips from Our Best Bites. The cheese in the filling makes it extra creamy, and you could really use any variety of veggies you like. I did forget to season with salt and pepper so my filling was a bit more bland than I would have liked, but if you follow the directions, something I apparently can't do, your filling will be more flavorful. I was very happy with the crust, it turned out flakey and crisp. Just the way a good pot pie crust should be. Great comfort food!

Cheddar Veggie Pot Pie in a Jar

Adapted from Taste of Home's Cheddar Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

Pie Crust (I used this recipe) for double crust pie.

FILLING:

1-1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1.5 cups peeled cubed potatoes

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup peas

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups milk (I used rice milk)

3/4 shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

For filling, Place broth in a pot; bring to a boil.

Add vegetables. Reduce heat; simmer 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stirring occasionaly. While this is simmering, start prepping the jars.

Cut circles out of dough using the jar ring. Set aside.

Using the rest of the dough, line jars. You can just take pieces and press them into the jar until it reaches the top. Set jars aside.

In a small bowl, combine flour and milk; stir into broth mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly.

Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Heat until cheese melts.

Spoon filling into jars, filling 3/4 full. Top with crust circles.

Make several slits in center of crust for steam to escape, I used my nifty pie crust cutters. At this point you need to decide if you want to bake and eat right away or freeze for later. To freeze, just let cool, put the lid on, and stick in the freezer. When ready to bake (or if you choose not to freeze), bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool and dig in!

It is cute, no?

Pie in a jar tips click here

Side note! If you are worried about the glass baking if you are baking them after freezing, put them in a cold oven and let them sit in there while it preheats, that way there is no chance of the glass breaking due to temperature change.

Another good tip from the Baking Bites web site: Line your baking tray with a slip pat so the jars don't slide around as you are trying to remove them from the oven.

Magazine/Cookbook Monday: Orzo Alfredo with Bacon and Peas

Happy Monday! This is going to be a quick post as I am writing from my hotel room and have to be up VERY soon to catch my flight. I got the basis of this alfredo recipe from an old Food & Wine magazine I found at my doctor's office (don't worry I asked before tearing it out!) I neglected, however, to write down the issue month or year. The original recipe is for Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus. I didn't have any fettuccine noodles or asparagus so I subbed orzo for the fettuccine and threw in some peas and bacon to transform it into a complete meal. The sauce turned out perfect; rich, creamy and cheesy. It may seem strange to combine orzo with a fettuccine sauce, but I LOVED how it turned out. Orzo is a hearty pasta and can hold its own with this sauce, which is pretty thick as far as alfredo sauces go. The peas and bacon added great texture. I will definitely be making this dish again, I bet it would be equally satisfying with chicken, or a different combination of seasonal veggies. Hope you all enjoy it and have a great week!

Orzo Alfredo with Bacon and Peas

Sauce recipe: Food & Wine Magazine

Ingredients

3 main dish servings

(Note, in the picture, I photographed nutmeg and garlic which I ended up leaving out)

1/2 pound orzo

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/4 cup peas

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

5 slices of bacon (cooked and crumbled)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Cook orzo according to directions on box.

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, mix cream, peas, butter, Parmesan, and bacon. Heat over medium low heat, whisking constantly until Parmesan and butter have melted.

Combine with orzo, season with salt and pepper and serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese.

Happy whisking,

Coconut Chicken CURRY!

So my good friend Lauren (you may be familiar with her adorable blog) came over for a girls night last weekend. We had a GREAT time, watched Devil Wears Prada (I got inspired to get my bangs cut like Ann Hathaway... we'll see how that goes), and we made an absolutely divine coconut chicken curry. It is really pretty easy, just takes a bit of time cause it has to simmer. That was perfect for us though, while it was simmering away, filling my apartment with delicious smells, we had time to gab and have some good girl time. Once it was finished cooking though, the talking stopped for a good ten minutes as we stuffed our faces with this delicious concoction. I served it over rice and we also had a lovely crispy baguette Lauren had brought from Grand Central Bakery. I know rice is the traditional accompaniment to curry and it was nice, but I think that the bread was a better complement to the rich sauce. So, I recommend you serve the curry over a nice crusty whole wheat baguette. That being said, either way you choose to serve it, this curry is a definite keeper!

Coconut Chicken Curry

from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder (cayenne)

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 red potatoes, cut into chunks

1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet over medium-low heat for two minutes, until fragrant (but don’t let it burn).

Turn the heat up to medium and stir in onions and garlic. Cook ten minutes more, or until onions are very clear (mine took about 15 minutes).

Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through.

Add potatoes, then add coconut milk, tomatoes (lightly crush the stewed tomatoes with your fingers before adding), tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan. Stir to combine.

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 50 minutes, until sauce thickens. Serve with rice or a hearty wheat baguette. Makes great leftovers the next day too!

Have a lovely, stress-free weekend!

Family Food Fridays

Crockpot Salsa Chicken with Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

This week I was having a few friends over for dinner on an evening that I knew I was going to get off work late. I also realized the night before that I really hadn't planned anything for dinner and I had almost no ingredients on hand.... what's a girl to do? Turn to that fabulous invention known as the crock pot. I threw in a jar of salsa, a few chicken breasts and set it on low and slow! When I arrived home that evening, I was greeted by the glorious smell of the chicken cooking. All I had to do was boil some whole wheat penne pasta and serve it up with some Monterrey jack cheese and a green salad on the side. Such a delicious, savory meal! My friends thought I had been slaving away over a hot stove all evening.... little did they know I had spent about fifteen minutes total pulling the meal together... but that will just be our little secret ☺

Crock pot Salsa Chicken with Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

Ingredients

3 good sized chicken breasts, frozen

1 jar of your favorite low-sodium salsa, I like Green Mountain Gringo Fire Roasted Chili Salsa (try and select the lowest sodium salsa you can find or else your chicken will turn out too salty!)

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta

Ingredients to top:

Monterrey jack cheese (shredded)

Sour cream

Coat inside of crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Place frozen chicken breasts in crock pot. Pour one jar of salsa over chicken breasts. Place lid on cooker and set on low. Cover and allow chicken to cook for 8-10 hours. I did ten and mine turned out perfect. After chicken is completely cooked, boil pasta until tender. Remove chicken from crock pot and shred with two forks. Toss pasta with chicken and left over cooking liquid from the crock pot. Sprinkle with cheese and spoon on a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Whisked Away Wednesday: Chili Relleno Casserole

Exciting news! I leave for Mexico tomorrow! Yay! I am going to visit Jose (my boyfriend) for an extended weekend. So, in honor of my trip to Mexico, I am sharing the recipe for a luscious, layered, chili relleno casserole. It is composed of roasted Anaheim chilies, melty cheese, creamy black beans, ground turkey, and olives, which are then smothered in green enchilada sauce and topped with more cheese. Mouth watering yet?

Recipe courtesy of For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients

3 - 5 Anaheim chilies (I used 3 but recommend using 5, the more the better, no?)

3 eggs

3 tbsp flour

3 tbsp sour cream

1 3 oz can of sliced black olives

2 cups of low fat Mexican blend cheese

1 can black beans, rinsed & drained

1 1/2 cups ground meat (I used turkey cause I'm healthy like that ☺)

1 can green enchilada sauce

Optional Toppers, take your pick:

Sour cream

Diced green onion

Salsa

Cheese

Avocado (or guacamole)

Rinse chilies and place on a baking sheet covered in foil. Move oven rack to very top of oven and broil chilies for about 5 minutes on each side or until skin is blackened.

Remove from oven and place in a Ziploc bag. Close bag and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Remove chilies. Skin and remove veins and seeds. Cut into strips.

Preheat oven to 350℉. Combine eggs, flour, sour cream, olives, salt and pepper to taste then mix thoroughly. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

Add a layer of the chilies.

Then egg mixture, then cheese, then black beans, then ground meat; repeat layers until gone.

I ended up making one large casserole and one small one with the extra.

Top with enchilada sauce and a more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Serve with optional toppings and lots of napkins!

P.S. The mini casserole I made, I refrigerated and took for lunch the next day. It was even more sabroso (delicious, flavorful) after resting for a day in the fridge. As I was heating it up my coworkers were definitely struck with lunch envy ;)