Bowtie Crockpot Chicken

4 cans cream of chicken soup
8oz package cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
3 Tbs parmesan cheese
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbs italian seasoning
1 Tbs minced garlic
About 7-8 chicken breasts

Cut up chicken into bite size pieces or strips. Put in crockpot with all ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Serve over bowtie pasta with grated parmesan cheese or mozzarella.

Spinach Feta Florentine Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders
6-8 oz baby fresh spinach
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
3-4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
4 oz container feta cheese
8 oz bottle fat free Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

In greesed 9x13 layer spinach, chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, then feta. Pour bottle of dressing over all of it. Bake at 350 for 30 mins uncovered.

Serve over angel hair pasta.

Frankfurter Casserole

This casserole is so easy and filling, everone will love it. Oh, and it's inexpensive to make, but doesn't taste cheap. I got the original recipe from my new favorite cookbook, Bake Until Bubbly. We had this for dinner last night and I made a few adjustments.

3/4 lbs. macaroni, half-cooked
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cups chicken broth
1 lb. frankfurters, cut-up
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the macaroni with butter and place in an 9x9 casserole dish. Pour broth over macaroni, and place frankfurters on top. Bakee uncovered until the franks are nearly splitting apart, about 25 minutes.

Stir in the sour cream and bake another 5 minutes, then serve hot.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Flautas

Chicken Flutes - Yields 12 flautas

These are as easy to make as a taco salad. And can be quite a filling meal if topped heavy.

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
12 7”-8” flour tortillas
Oil for frying.

Spoon 1 rounded tbsp. of the chicken across bottom of each tortilla. Roll up tightly; secure with wooden picks. Heat 1-in of oil to 350º in a 4-quart Dutch oven. Cook tortillas in oil, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes; drain. Remove wooden picks.

Top with desired condiments:
Salsa, Guacamole, Sour cream, Sliced olives, Chili peppers, Grated Cheese, Shredded lettuce, Chopped tomatoes, etc.

Favorite Salmon Cakes

My kids love salmon cakes! Here's a quick and easy recipe.

Favorite Salmon Cakes

Ingredients
* 1 can salmon
* 1 to 1 1/2 cups stuffing (I use Pepperidge Farms cornbread stuffing--or whatever is on sale! Except Stovetop. Not such a fan of that one. Too salty.)
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup milk (may need more . . .)
* 1 tsp dill
* 1 tsp parsley

Directions

1. Dump salmon into bowl and pick out bones and skin. (This step sounds icky but it's actually really easy). Mix in all other ingredients.

2. Heat skillet or griddle over medium low heat. You can fry these in olive oil or butter, but I don't like fried things so I just spray my pan with nonstick spray.

3. Form little cakes out of salmon mixture and cook like pancakes: a few minutes on one side (until they are golden brown) then flip and do a few minutes on the other! Serve with ketchup or barbecue sauce. You can even use them in place of burgers!

Golden Corn Chowder

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com but made a few modifications. It was a yummy, mellow soup. Just right for a winter evening!

INGREDIENTS

* 4 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 cup diced onion
* 1/2 cup diced celery
* 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 28 ounces all natural vegetable broth
* 6 ears frozen corn--cooked with the niblets cut off
* 1/2 cup chopped carrot
* 1 can evaporated milk
* 3/4 cup skim milk
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 pinch salt
* a few dashes of red pepper sauce (like Tabasco or Cholula)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onions, celery, and carrots in butter 3 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook 6 minutes more, until light brown. Whisk in broth and simmer 10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn,evaporated, milk, nutmeg, pepper and salt. Simmer over low heat 10 minutes more.

Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Curry

For being so easy, this recipe is surprisingly good. It makes for a great lunch the next day too.

1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon ginger
Diced tomatoes (1 if fresh, or a can)
Garlic
Curry powder or paste
2-3 Tbs. oil
water

Saute onions in oil 2-3 minutes. Add ginger, curry powder, and garlic (I didn't include quantities on curry and garlic, it really depends on how strong you like the flavors -- so experiment with different quantities). Add chickpeas, a bit of salt, and water (about a tablespoon). Cook and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes, cook about 5 minutes, adding water as necessary.
Serve with rice, pita, or whatever you like with curry.

Spaghetti Squash With Vegetables & Mozzarella

I bought a spaghetti squash at a garge sale (of all places) last week and we had this recipe for dinner this week. It's really yummy and rather filling on it's own.

1 spaghetti squash
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
3-5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
1 C grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

Serves 6-8
Cook spaghetti squash by your favorite method and remove flesh. I cut mine up and put it in a 9X9 pan in the microwave, covered with a little water in the pan for 5 minutes. It took three batches to cook the entire squash. Preheat oven to 375 F.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the onion, pepper and garlic. Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, basil, and crushed red pepper (if using). Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Mix squash well with the cooked vegetables and put half in the bottom of a large (13 x 9 inch) baking dish. Top with half the cheeses, followed by the other half of the squash mixture, then the rest of the cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Seed of Knowledge. There are also some other recipes for spaghetti squash.

Cilantro Pesto

Another cilantro-intense recipe. Yummy, Yummy! Sorry, we've been watching a lot of Wiggles lately. Another allrecipes. View the original here.

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package farfalle pasta
1 bunch fresh cilantro
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
salt to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and return water to a boil. Cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain well.
In an electric food processor or blender, blend cilantro, garlic, vinegar, Parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper, nuts, and salt. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and blend the pesto. Add more olive oil until the pesto reaches your desired consistency.
Pour pesto in a small saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring constantly, until pesto begins to simmer. Pour over cooked pasta and toss.

Meatball Stew

This stew is one of our favorites, and it’s really colorful. If you don’t feel like making the meatballs, you can also use store bought ones. Just heat them up according to the package directions and add to the stew at the end.

Oven 350F      Prep 10 min.    Bake 20 min.    Cook 20 min.

8oz. Lean hamburger
1 slice bread, crumbled
1 egg while
1 Tbs. Dry minced onions
¼ tsp. garlic powder

3 ½ C. water
1 can Garbanzo beans/chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes
1 4oz. can sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. beef bullion
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
½ cup bowtie or other small pasta
5 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1. Heat oven to 350F. Mix hamburger, bread, egg white, onions, and garlic powder together in a bowl. Shape into ¾ inch balls, place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, heat water, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, bullion and Italian seasoning on stove to boiling. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm. Add spinach and meatballs. Heat through. Makes about six cups (4 main dish servings).

Black Bean Burgers

This is one of our favorite finds in our vegetarian cookbook! They're not exactly hamburgers, but they make a pretty decent hamburger-like sandwich. (I usually buy dry beans and cook them myself, and then add spices.)

1 can black beans with cumin and chili spices, undrained
1 can chopped green chilies, undrained
1 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Place beans in food processor or blender. Cover and process until slightly mashed; remove from food processor. Mix beans, chilies, bread crumbs and egg. Shape mixture into 5 patties, each about 1/2 inch thick. Coat each patty with cornmeal.
2. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook patties in oil 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until crisp and thorougly cooked on both sides.
3. Serve on hamburger buns with toppings of your choice!

Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Mango Basil Salsa

I love fresh basil in dishes and this one is full of it! The salsa is a must, bringing in a sweetness that is very good with the spicy shrimp. Overall, it's a fairly simple dish that cooks up fast but it takes a lot of prep work.


Salsa:
1 mango, peeled and finely diced
3 scallions, sliced
5 basil leaves, julienned 1 lime, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shrimp:
2 fresh jalapenos, sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2--inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 lime, zested
1/4 cup coconut milk
Small handful basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
15 grinds pepper
1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
Cooked rice

For the salsa: Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Make up to a day in advance. Keep covered in the refrigerator.

For the shrimp: In a mixing bowl, combine jalapenos, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime zest, coconut milk, basil, vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours, refrigerated.

Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat. Use tongs or a fork to remove the shrimp from the marinade and place in an even layer in the pan, reserving the marinade.

Cook the shrimp until well browned on each side, turning once, about 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked shrimp to a serving plate.

Add remaining marinade to hot skillet and cook until thickened. Pour over shrimp.

Serve salsa and shrimp together with warm rice.

When I'm feeling ambitious I make coconut lime rice. You just replace about half of the water with coconut milk (I usually end up adding a little more water too). Cook the rice as normal until tender. Then stir in fresh lime zest and serve.

Bush's Black Bean Burgers

Cami was telling me about her black bean burgers and said she would post the recipe up here. She didn't and so I was forced to scour the internet for something else. Here's one that I tried and liked. It was a little more pancake-y than I expected but it was good. They actually tasted better the next day. We don't have a grill so I cooked them on my stove.

2 cans (15 ounces each) BUSH'S BEST Black Beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup chunky salsa
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Hamburger buns

Place beans in food processor; process until fairly smooth. Add flour, cornmeal, salsa, cumin and garlic salt. Process until well combined. Spoon mixture into 6 balls on a large plate and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours before cooking.

Heat barbecue grill or ridged grill pan over medium heat. Coat grill or pan lightly with oil. Form each ball into a 4-inch patty about ½-inch thick. Place the patties on the grill or in pan and cook until browned and heated through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings.

Koula's Best Ever Chicken Gyros

Here's another one from allrecipes. It's probably against some cosmic law to make gyros with chicken, but when it's all you got, it's all you got! These were so good, though!

INGREDIENTS
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch strips
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, or to taste
4 pita breads, cut in half
2 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup plain yogurt

DIRECTIONS
Place the chicken strips side by side in a broiling pan. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the ketchup, olive oil, white wine vinegar, oregano, mustard powder and curry powder. Pour over the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate while you preheat the oven's broiler.
Broil uncovered for 15 minutes with the meat about 6 inches from the heat. Just until the chicken is cooked through, but not browned. If left too long, it will turn stringy and dry.
Place hot chicken into pita pockets and spoon some of the juices from the pan over it. Top with salad greens and plain yogurt.

Black Bean Avocado Salad

I got this one from allrecipes.com. It's easy and nutritious. I think it works great as a vegetarian main dish (just add some rolls or biscuits on the side) or if you want meat, just throw in a handful of diced chicken.And, um, yes, I do like black beans this much. MMMM, fiberific!

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11 ounce) can Mexicorn, drained
1 1/3 cups chopped peeled avocado
1 cup chopped seeded cucumber
1 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon lime juice

DRESSING:
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and toss to coat

Eggplant Parmigiana

I would always see eggplants on sale at the grocery store but wouldn't know what to do with them, until I found this recipe by Mario Batali. It's simple enough but looks rather fancy and tastes yummy. I use one eggplant to feed my family and adjust recipe from there.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 large eggplants-about 1 lb each
salt and pepper
3 cups basic tomato sauce (I use jared pasta sauce)
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves removed and cut
1 pound mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch think slices-you will need 12 slices
1/2 cup fresh grated parmigiano
1/4 cup lightly toasted bread crumbs
1 pkg spaghetti noodles

Preheat the oven to 450. Oil a baking sheet with olive oil.

Cut each eggplant into 6 slices. Lightly season each disk with salk and pepper and place on oiled sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until deep brown on top. Transfer to a large plate and let cool. Lower oven temperature to 350.

Arange the 4 largest disks in a 9x13 baking pan, spacing them evenly. Spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce over each disk, and sprinkle each with a teaspoon of basil. Place one slice of mozzarella over each and sprinkle with 1 ts of parmigiano. Top with 4 more slices of eggplant and repeat layers. Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs over the top.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and tops are lightly browned. Cook noodles and warm remaining sauce.

Serve eggplant with noodles and sauce.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

This is a family recipe from my Grandpa, or rather his sister-my great aunt Farida. I just love Arabic food, I guess it's in my blood, and this is one of the recipes that we make a few times a year and it makes me think of grandpa. This year we are doing it for Easter along with some other Arabic dishes.

1 jar grape leaves (found by the pickles in some grocery stores. Safeway carries them)

1 1/2 cups ground meat, raw--traditionally lamb but I use beef
1 c rice (uncooked)
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cinnimon
2 tbs butter (use if you are using a lean meat)

Mix the above ingredients together well. This is your filling for the grape leaves.

Remove all the grape leaves from jar carefully, unfold, separate, and rinse leaves. Remove stems, place 1 tsp of filling near base of leaf fold in sides and roll up the leaf like a cigar. Should be very tight or it will come unrolled while cooking. Place in a large sauce pan, add 1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce and water to cover the rolled leaves. Sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Cook covered on low for 50 minutes, checking to make sure there is still water and they are not buring on the bottom. Check to make sure the rice is cooked in the leaves. Add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice and heat through. Serve warm or they are good cold too.

Grilled Turkey Burgers

These are delicious! This recipe can be made ahead, doubled and frozen. Need a quick dinner idea? Defrost in microwave and grill them up.

Patties:
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
4 green onions, diced
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 lbs. ground turkey

On Hand:
1/4 cup orange marmalade
10 hamburger buns, split
10 Swiss cheese, slices
10 red onion, slices
10 tomato, slices
1 cup lettuce, shredded

Assembly Directions:
Combine the first seven ingredients. Crumble over ground turkey and mix well. Shape into 1/4 pound patties. Layer the patties onto wax paper. Divide into airtight plastic freezer containers; date and label with serving directions; then freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw. Prepare grill. Grill the patties, uncovered, over medium heat for 8-10 minutes; turn and brush with the marmalade. Grill 8-10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170°.
Grill buns cut side down for 2-4 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve burgers on buns with cheese, onion, tomato and lettuce.

One recipe makes 10 burgers.

Easy Tomato Baked Chicken

A quick fix dinner with showy results. This is a Taste of Home Cooking School recipe. I tried this after their presentation in the fall of 2007 and loved it. An easy recipe to adjust for what you have on hand.

(I typically use extra onions, home-canned tomatoes with a fresh tomato chopped and sprinkled on top, a mix of balsamic vinaigrette & favorite Italian spices.)

1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup light balsamic vinaigrette reduced fat dressing
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place onions in bottom of 13x9 baking dish; top with chicken.

Combine tomatoes, dressing and garlic powder; pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Makes 4 servings.

Creative Leftovers: Store drained liquid from tomatoes in the freezer to use in soups and stews at a later date.

Chandra's Hawaiian Haystacks

This is my best friend's mother's recipe. It's super easy and makes a great use for leftovers and can be quite filling.

2 cups shredded chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
Cooked rice

Toppings: broken almonds, cheddar cheese, chow mein noodles, diced celery, diced tomatoes, pinapple chunks, raisins, shredded coconut, soy sauce, etc.

Mix chicken, soup, broth and water over medium heat.

Pour over individual servings of rice. Top with desired toppings.