Pho Ga

aka: Vietnamese Chicken Soup
from Everyday Food- tastes like the soup at Saigon Noodles in Madison

* I was craving this a couple weeks ago, and I found a quick, simple recipe that tasted pretty close. For sure not the real thing, but it did my taste buds some good.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces vermicelli rice noodles
• 10 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups shredded chicken
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce, plus more for serving
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, very thinly sliced crosswise (or just dump in some dried ginger)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (I omit these)
• Lime wedges and lots of bean sprouts, for serving

Directions

1. Soak noodles according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine broth, fish sauce, soy sauce, and ginger and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until ginger is fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in chicken and rice noodles and cook until warmed through, 2 minutes. Divide soup among six bowls; top with scallions, cilantro, basil, and jalapeno. Serve with lime wedges and bean sprouts.
   

Incredible Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

 

from Everyday Food

Not your ordinary grilled cheese, but it's so delicious. Original recipe is great, but here's the one I've tweaked and found is my favorite.

Preheat your skillet to medium or medium low. Take your bread and drizzle or brush olive oil onto the outside. Then press grated parseman onto it. Put this side down on the warm skillet (sounds odd, but trust me). Then put your favorite cheese (mine happens to be havarti or cheddar) and ham if you like followed by some tasty greens (I prefer arugula or spinach). On the second piece spread some yummy dijon mustard and smashed avocado on one side, then on the other do the same olive oil parmesan thing. Put it on top of the sandwich, oil and cheese side up. Let it get melty and flip when the parmesan on the bottom side is all crusty and delicious.

Cottage Cheese Enchiladas

from Everyday Food

I hate cottage cheese, but love these. Healthy yet creamy. Takes about 20 minutes start to finish.

Ingredients

• 2 cups low-fat (1 percent) cottage cheese
• 1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 16 corn tortillas
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 large white onion, diced small (1/2 cup reserved for serving)
• 4 teaspoons chili powder (I omit this)
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato puree
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, process cottage cheese until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in black beans. Season with salt and pepper. Wrap stacked corn tortillas in a damp dish towel and microwave until softened, 2 minutes. Working with one tortilla at a time, lightly spray both sides with cooking spray, place 2 rounded tablespoons cottage cheese mixture down center of each, then roll tortilla around filling. Place, seam side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake tortillas until heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Whisk in vinegar, tomato puree, and broth; bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). To serve, divide enchiladas among eight plates, top with 1/3 cup sauce, and sprinkle with onion and cilantro.
   

Chocolate Mousse Torte

from a French cookbook

Our family's Christmas Eve tradition

(a great gluten free option- but not fat free or sugar free by any means!!)

For the chocolate cake:
10 oz. semisweet choc. chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut up
8 eggs, separated
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
chocolate curls to decorate

For the ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. semi sweet chocolate, chopped
2 TBSP unsalted butter, softened.


1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter two 8-9 in. springform pans or loose based cake pans and line the bases with buttered wax paper. (Do you not have these? You could using regular-- I've just never made this recipe, so I'm not sure if it would come out ok)

2. Melt choc. and butter in saucepan over low heat, stirring lots. Remove from heat and whisk in egg yolks until blended. Pour into large bowl.

3. In a clean bowl, using a mixer, beat the egg whites slowly until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed and continue beating until they form soft peaks, then stiffer peaks that just flop over a little at the top.

4. Stir a large spoonful of white into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining white until they are just combined (a few white streaks do not matter).

5. Divide about two-thirds of the mousse between the two prepared pans, smoothing the tops evenly, and tap gently to release any air bubbles. Chill remaining mousse.

6. Bake for 30-35 min. until puffed; the cakes will fall slightly. Cool on a rack for 15 min. then remove the sides of the pans and let cool completely. Invert the cakes on to the rack, remove the cake pan bases and peel off the paper. Wash the cake pans.

7. To assemble the cake, place one layer, flat side down in one of the clean pans. Spread the remaining mousse over the surface, smoothing the top.  Top with the second cake layer, flat side up. Press down gently so the mousse is evenly distributed. Chill for 2-4 hours or overnight.

8. To make the ganache, bring the cream to a boil over med-high heat. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate all at once, stirring until smooth. Beat in the softened butter. set aside for about 5 min. to thicken slightly (it should coat the back of a spoon in a thick smooth layer).

9. Run a knife around the edge of the assembled cake to loosen it, then remove the sides of the pan.  Invert the cake onto a wire rack, remove the base and place the rack over a baking sheet. Pour the warm ganache over the cake all at once, tilting gently to help spread it evenly on all surfaces. Use a spatula to smooth sides, decorate the top with the chocolate curls, then allow to set. YUMMMMMO

Green Posole

No picture yet.. my camera battery died. But boy was this delicious, and the kids ate it up.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fresh tomatoes (I used small heirloom)
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced medium
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
• 1 ounce baby spinach leaves (1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) hominy, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Coarse salt
• Grated Monterey Jack cheese, for serving

Directions

1. Put tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, spinach, cumin, oregano, allspice and two cups of broth in a blender. And blend until smooth.
2. Pour mixture into a large pot; stir in 4 cups broth, hominy, and black beans. Bring to a boil over high; reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 45 minutes. To serve, stir in lime juice, season with salt, and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro.
   

Roasted Chicken & Butternut Squash Soup

From Everyday Food Magazine

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and diced medium
• 1 small yellow onion, diced medium
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I used lime juice and really liked it)
• Fresh cilantro (optional- but highly recommended!)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet, toss together chicken, squash, onion, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and roast until squash and chicken are cooked through, about 30 minutes.
2. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool. Transfer squash and onions to a medium pot and add broth, cumin, and coriander. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. With a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon, mash some vegetables until soup is thick and chunky. Discard skin and bones from chicken; cut meat into small pieces and add to soup. Stir in lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, top with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Breakfast Quinoa

I don't remember where I found this, but it's one of  my favorite breakfasts.

2 C. milk
1 C. quinoa, rinsed
1-3 TBSP brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
dash of cinnamon
1 C. fresh blueberries
toasted wlanuts (optional, but ups the nutrition)

1.) Bring milk to a boil. Add quinoa, return to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered about 15 minutes.
2.) Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Continue simmering, covered for about 8-10 more minutes, or until the grains have soaked up all the milk.
3.) Add the blueberries and stir.