Chicken Curry-Family Fun Magazine

I got this recipe from familyfun.com; they provide our family with yet another keeper! Their caption stated, "A great way to introduce kids to international food. This simple, fast curry is made rich and creamy by adding canned unsweetened coconut milk (available in the international section of most supermarkets.)"

Our kids already like the flavor of curry so I thought we'd give it a try seeing that I had all the ingredients on hand minus the fresh spinach which I simply substitute another great "green" broccoli which my kids love. It was a SUPER QUICK throw together kind of meal. Jack really liked it and said it is probably his new favorite out of the curry dishes, "because it is lighter" he tells me. I would have to agree with him. The texture is creamy, the meal light, but filling. The kids weren't crazy about it but still ate it well (maybe snacks were to late today or something!?) We will definitely be trying this recipe again soon.

Chicken Curry (from Family Fun Magazine or .com)

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced (I use sweet onions they are my fav!)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 can (12-14 oz) unsweetened coconut milk

1 can (14 ox) diced tomatoes

2 Tablespoons tomato paste (freeze the leftovers in the can for the next time)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 cups packed fresh baby spinach (we used Broccoli)

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and the salt. Cook until softened, about 7 minutes, stirring often. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Stir in the coconut milk, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Cook for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken, stir well, and cook 5 to 6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in the spinach and cook for 3 minutes or until wilted, stirring occasionally. (Broccoli doesn't take that long to become fork tender either). Season to taste with salt. Serve over rice.

Makes 4 servings

**We ate this for at least two meals so the serving sizes must be huge! Or they are adult size servings. We always seem to stretch the meals by adding a side salad. This dish really could be eaten by itself because it has the carbs, protein, and veggies all in one.

Our Homemade Lasagna

I got this recipe from my friend Lisa F. in Lake George, NY. She is allergic to eggs so this lasagna is made without them (lower-fat content a plus). We have made our own modifications to the recipe as well so here it is:

LASAGNA

Sauce:

1 lb pound lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 gloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil, or 1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil, chopped when you have it

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes or stewed. (If you use the stewed chop up the tomatoes a little)

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

12 dry lasagna noodles

Cheese Filling:

1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese (cottage cheese small curd works too)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 lb Mozzarella cheese, shredded (I don't know if I have ever used the full lb. Maybe more like 3 cups)

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

In a skillet brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain off fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until al dente (best to follow package instructions here); drain. Lay noodles flat on towels, and blot dry.

In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and parsley and 1 teaspoon salt.

(* Sometimes I just through the mozzarella cheese in with this mixture. It takes out one step of layering in the assembly process. **IF you want to ADD EGGS add 2 eggs, beaten to this mixture-we never have and it is wonderful lasagna)

Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a prepared 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

* This recipe easily feeds 4 Adults and 3 children at least twice. I can't say that I have ever frozen it because I usually make it when I have a crowd. I don't see why you couldn't put it in 2- 8x8 dishes and freeze one for later.

Garden Vegetable Soup

We love soup and this recipe called for fresh tomatoes and Basil which I just happened to have because I transplanted my basil plant and brought it in side (so far it is still a live) and my green tomatoes that finally turned red in their box were screaming, "we are on our way out lady!". . I am pretty confident that using dried alone would produce the same flavor because I had to add some to get it to taste right. (I don't think my fresh basil leaves were big enough.) My kids enjoyed this recipe and it hit the spot for me the day of and then the next as leftovers.

Garden Vegetable Soup (Found this recipe on Parents.com)

1 Leek, white part only
1 small onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 of medium Zucchini (I doubled the recipe so that I could use a whole Zucchini)
6 green beans (I left them out!)
1 medium carrot (I always double or triple the carrots in my soups because they are the boys favorites)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
1 1/2 Tablespoons water
4 cups no-salt added Chicken Stock (I used my Chicken Base added to water)
3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded (I used medium size)
15 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried (mine were small and it didn't seem to taste right so I added 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon dried basil. If you don't have fresh I would use 1-2 teaspoons dried basil to taste.)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced

Cut all the veggies into 1/4-inch pieces. In a large pot, mix half the olive oil with the water. Add veggies; saute on medium-low until the water evaporates. Don't let the veggies brown. Add stock, bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, at a gentle boil for 30 minutes. Meanwhile puree tomatoes, basil, garlic, and remaining oil. Stir puree into soup. Don't let it return to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.

We enjoyed this soup with crackers or toast.

Jill's Minestrone Soup

I made this soup back in June and I am now just getting around to posting it. I know soup in June sounds awful, but it was good and I was trying to find ways to use up my homemade stewed tomatoes and some of our garden fresh green beans and zucchini. Now it is soup weather, so it just might make the menu again soon. This soup is adapted from a recipe I found on familyfun.com

Minestrone Soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, sliced

3 onions, sliced

3-5 carrots, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced, diced, or cubed (personal preference)

1/2 lb green beans, 1-inch pieces

1/2 head cabbage, shredded (cheat and buy it already done!)

1 (16 oz) can tomatoes, or 1 cup tomato sauce, or 1 quart HOMEMADE Stewed Tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

1 can white beans of choice (or 2 cups cooked)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup elbow macaroni

Grated Parmesan Cheese

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the garlic, onions, carrots, zucchini, green beans, and cabbage. Do it one by one as you chop them. Stir to coat the vegetables with oil and cook 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes or sauce, chicken broth, and water to the pot, breaking up the tomatoes as you do so. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer partially covered for at least 30 minutes. Add the white beans and simmer 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper (to taste).

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water. When you are ready to serve the soup, put a spoonful of the macaroni in each bowl and spoon the soup over it. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

*Freeze the remaining soup with macaroni separately!

Bruschetta Salad

It seems as if my life in the kitchen is finally picking up again.  There were a couple of weeks where everything I tried didn't really do anything for us!  We tried lots of new recipes and didn't find any we really enjoyed--that really makes me burn-out with cooking in a quick hurry. No one likes to slave over dinner only to be disappointed.  

Then the past week we have had some really big hits. One that is quick and refreshing is this salad. I love salad and I can't wait until we have our home grown tomatoes and basil to add to it.

1/2 cup Tomato, chopped (Roma or Plum tomatoes have less juices inside) More tomatoes makes it better so add more if you wish!

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Basil

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (We like Newman's)

10 oz torn Romaine Lettuce (I like to mix it with Iceberg too.)

1 cup Croutons

6 oz Grilled Chicken Breast

2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese

Combine the tomatoes, basil, and dressing; set aside.

Place the lettuce in medium serving bowl; top with croutons, chicken, and tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately. Serve with a nice roll.

** Not everyone is a big fan of Balsamic dressing or maybe even tomatoes so I forgo mixing the tomato, basil, and dressing together an serve them seperately so that everyone can build their salad to their liking. If you like bruschetta you are going to love this refreshing salad!