Chorizo Empanadas

These tasty little pockets are very versatile. You can fill empanadas with almost anything. I've done squash as a savory dish and jam as a dessert!

I've used two different dough recipes for empanadas, the first is a more savory dough. It turns out more like pizza dough and works well with the chorizo. The second recipe is basically a pie crust, it has more of a buttery taste and comes out flakier. This would be a more preferable dough to use for a sweet empanada.

Chorizo Empanadas
Makes 24 empanadas

Ingredients:
*Dough*
4 cups flour
2 eggs
5 tbsp vegetable shortening
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup milk
*Filling*
1 1/2 lb chorizo sausage
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup salsa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F

1. Place flour, eggs, shortening, and salt in a food processor bowl. Pulse until well mixed. Add half of the milk and pulse until blended. Add the rest of the milk and pulse until a ball forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Brown the chorizo in a heavy skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is just soft. Drain off any excess fat.

3. Mix in the salsa. Set aside.

4. Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thick on a floured cutting board. Cut out three-inch circles.

5. Place 1 Tablespoon of the chorizo mix in the center of each circle. Fold into a half-circle. Crimp the outer edge with a fork to seal.

6. Bake on lined cookie sheet at 350F for 15-20 minutes.


Alternate Dough Recipe

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
12 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small squares
2 large egg yolks
2-3 tbsp ice water

Directions:

1. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add butter, and pulse a few times to cut the butter into the flour. Add the egg yolk and combine. Continue to pulse while slowly adding water until the ingredients start to gather.

2. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface and gently knead to bring together. Roll the dough into a cylinder about 1 inch in diameter. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about an hour, or for up to one day.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The BEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever made! Usually my cookies turn out flat and hard as a rock. These were picture perfect and tasted amazing! It must have something to do with the extra egg yolk and all the butter.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt
3. In a separate bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.
4. Mix in the flour mixture until just blended.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
6. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
7. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
8. Cook on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

A quick, tasty dinner! Just throw it all in the pot and heat! We cooked two chicken breasts and diced them before putting them in the soup. You could also buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it for this. I went for the less expensive option.

Make this soup vegetarian by omitting the chicken...still tasty!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

Diced up cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken
4 cups vegetable broth (use bouillon cubes for a less expensive option)
4 cups liquid (I use half water, half V8)
2 cups cooked long grain rice
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups chunky salsa
2 cans of black beans
tortilla chips
shredded mexican blend cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Optional Spices to Add Flavor:
Paprika
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder

OR, add a taco seasoning packet

1. Add all ingredients to a Dutch oven or large pot.
2. Let simmer on stove for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
3. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese

Shrimp & Spinach Salad

This is a great light dinner. I love the flavor the shallots add to the dressing, they are one of my favorite bulbs. Sometimes it can be difficult to find good quality shrimp in our area, but I was able to find some shrimp at a local food co-op that came from Oregon.

Courtesy of Rachel Ray

Shrimp & Spinach Salad

1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb shrimp
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp spicy mustard
1 tbsp honey
S&P to taste
8 oz spinach
1/2 cup feta

1. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil at med-high heat. Add shrimp, stir fry 2-3 minutes
2. Whisk together shallot, vinegar, mustard, and honey. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour 1/4 cup olive oil in a slow strem while whisking.
4. Toss shrimp with dressing
5. Place shrimp on spinach, drizzle with extra dressing over spinach.
6. Top with feta

Apple Pear Crisp

Apple Pear Crisp

3 medium pears
3 medium apples
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup butter
canola oil spray

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Peel, core, and thinly slice pears and apples
3. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, vanilla, flour, oats and butter
4. Spray a 2 qt casserole dish with canola oil
5. Spread fruit in bottom of dish
6. Top with sugar mixture
7. Bake for 40 minutes

Cremini Mushroom, Roasted Red Peppers, and Feta on Ciabatta Bread

Thank you to Cheap Healthy Good for the delicious recipe.

Cremini Mushrooms, Roasted Red Pepper, and Feta on Ciabatta Bread
Serves 2

1 red bell pepper
Huge ciabatta roll, about the size of 4 pieces of sandwich bread
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 (8-ounce) package cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, chopped into 1/4-inch slices
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A few pinches fresh thyme
3 tablespoons reduced-fat crumbled feta

NOTE: If roasting your own pepper, you can do it while everything else is cooking, and it should time out pretty well. First, preheat your broiler. Wash and dry bell pepper, taking care to peel off any stickers. Place pepper on a baking pan or broiler pan. Broil, turning every 2 to 3 minutes (with tongs), until all sides of the pepper are charred and black. Once finished, remove pepper from broiler and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl. Let is sit for a few minutes, until it’s cool enough to handle. Cut off top and remove seeds. Peel charred skin away from flesh. Slice pepper into three or four large strips.

1) Heat a large pan over medium-high. Using a serrated knife, thinly slice the top and bottom crust off the ciabatta roll. (Save sliced bits for breadcrumbs.) Slice the ciabatta roll into four thin pieces of sandwich bread. Brush one side of each piece with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Place oil-side down on hot pan. Heat until golden.

2) Once golden, remove bread from pan and on to plate. On their untoasted sides, sprinkle 2 pieces of bread each with 1 1/2 tablespoons feta. Set aside.

3) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Once mushrooms have released their moisture, add thyme. Continue cooking until all moisture has evaporated, stirring frequently.

4) When mushrooms are finished, immediately divide them between the sandwiches, placing them directly on top of the feta. Layer red peppers on top of mushrooms. Top with other piece of bread. Serve.

Monkey Bread

A tasty breakfast treat. Monkey bread is a fantastic Christmas morning treat.

Note: This recipe can also be turned into a savory treat by rolling pepperoni & mozzarella into each quarter biscuit.

Monkey Bread
Serves 8-10

1 (10 oz) pillsbury regrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2-1 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp water
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts onto bottom of greased bundt pan.
2. Quarter biscuits
3. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a gallon ziplock bag
4. Shake biscuit pieces in sugar mixture until covered.
5. Melt margarine, brown sugar and water; boil 2 minutes and pour over biscuits.
5. Bake for 25 minutes.

When I made this recipe it took closer to 45 minutes to bake. The center will not be done completely, it is supposed to be a little chewy still.

Greek-Style Turkey Burgers

H made these the other night and they are delicious! They don't need many toppings, they are tasty by themselves.

Courtesy of RecipeZaar
Greek-Style Turkey Burgers

1 lb ground turkey
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
ground black pepper, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl

2. Form into 4 patties, then grill.

Granola Bars

These are a great alternative to store bought. I like to throw in whatever nuts and dried fruit I have in the cupboard.

Courtesy of Recipezaar


Kashi Golean Granola Bars

3 Cups - Kashi Golean cereal
1 Cup - oats
1/2 C - dried cranberries
1/4 cup -raisins (golden or otherwise)
1 cup - sliced/roughly chopped almonds
3/4 cup - honey
1/4 cup - brown sugar
3/4 cup - peanut butter
1 tsp - vanilla

1. Line a 9x13 inch sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside
2. Mix oats, cereal, craisins, raisins, and almonds in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan, mix honey and brown sugar. Bring to a boil while stirring. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir just to blend well.
4. Pour over cereal and fruit mixture. Stire and mix well. Press mixture FIRMLY onto pan. Let cool and cut into bars.

Store in an air-tight container.

Panzanella - Summer Favorite

We found this recipe when searching for a filling, cool dinner for the summertime. My favorite part about this recipe is the ability to add and subtract veggies based on what's fresh at the farmer's market.

Panzanella
serves 8 - 10

For the salad:
2 Tablespoons good olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 loaf of crusty bread sliced into 1-inch cubes
1 pepper, red or orange, chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, chopped and held in a bowl of cool water - takes away some of the bite
2 - 3 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 - 3 Tablespoons capers, rinsed and minced - I always exclude the capers
8 ounce ball of mozzarella, cubed
3/4 cup (roughly) basil leaves, julienned

For the dressing:
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 - 5 Tablespoons champagne, red wine, or balsamic vinegar
1/4 - 1/2 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a skillet or sauce pan large enough to hold all the bread cubes, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and the cubes of bread, and toss to coat. Stir every few minutes until the bread is golden on all sides and crispy.

Drain the red onions from the water. Combine the bread with all the other salad ingredients in a large serving bowl.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. When first making this dressing, start with the lowest amounts given and work your way up to taste. Whisk all the ingredients until they have formed an emulsion and the dressing is slightly thickened.

A half hour before serving the panzanella, toss the salad with the dressing (re-whisk if necessary) and let sit so the flavors combine.