Monday, February 25, 2008
For lean protein, serve fish
Fish is one of the leanest sources of protein available. For the most health benefits, avoid batter-coated, fried products, such as fish sticks and choose fresh fish or fish that’s frozen when fresh (nonprocessed).
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Tilaipa Veracruz
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
2 tablespoons sliced pimento-stuffed green olives
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
4 5-ounce fresh or thawed tilapia fillets, about 1/2-inch thick
2 teaspoons olive oil
Hot cooked rice, optional
In a medium bowl stir together tomatoes, olives, lemon juice, and garlic; set aside. In a large skillet, heat oil; add fish. Cook for 3 minutes; turn fish. Pour tomato mixture over fish. Cook until fish flakes with a fork and sauce thickens slightly, about 2 to 5 additional minutes. Serve with hot cooked rice if desired. Makes 4 servings.
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Maple Salmon
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound salmon
In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper. Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered until easily flaked with a fork, about 20 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
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Almond-Topped Fish
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 6-ounce fillets fresh or thawed cod or haddock
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise, regular or fat free
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in a 13x9-inch baking dish; place in oven until melted. Spread butter over bottom of dish; cover with onion. Arrange fish over onion; sprinkle with salt, dill, and pepper. Combine the Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, parsley, and lemon juice; spread over fish. Bake, uncovered, until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 18 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds. Makes 4 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
To toast almonds, place almonds in a small saucepan over low heat. Toast until lightly browned, tossing frequently, about 5 to 10 minutes.
The doneness of fish can be tested with a meat thermometer. Fish is done when the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
The Practical Pantry ©2008 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com
Monday, February 18, 2008
Make movie snacks for Oscar®
Whether you cheer on your favorite nominees alone or with friends, snacks during the Academy Awards are almost as important as snacks during the movies themselves.
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Pizza Popcorn
2-1/2 quarts popped popcorn
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place popcorn in an ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Melt butter in a small saucepan; add cheese, garlic salt, oregano, basil, onion powder, and salt. Pour over popcorn; mix well. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Makes 10 servings.
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Caramel Popcorn
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place popcorn in a large bowl. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil, without stirring, 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces. Makes 20 servings.
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Mock Ice Cream Sandwiches
2 cups fat-free whipped topping
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
8 whole chocolate graham crackers
In a bowl, combine whipped topping and chocolate chips. Break graham crackers in half. Spread whipped topping mixture over half of the crackers; top with remaining crackers. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour. Makes 8 servings.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
1 11.5-ounce package milk chocolate chips, divided
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Trim 12 paper muffin cup liners to half of their height. Place 1/2 chocolate chips in a microwave-safe container. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spoon melted chocolate into muffin cups, filling halfway. With a spoon, draw the chocolate up the sides of the cups until evenly coated. Cool in the refrigerator until firm.
In a small bowl, mix together peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt; divide into the chocolate cups. Melt the remaining chocolate; spoon over peanut butter and spread to edges of cups. Makes 12 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
For easy snacks for the Academy Awards, set up a buffet of movie snacks such as popcorn, Raisinets, and Twizzlers.
The Practical Pantry ©2008 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com
Appetizers and Snacks • Desserts and Treats • (0) Contributions • Permalink
Monday, February 11, 2008
Blanket your pasta in red
Whether you’re making a meal for Valentine’s Day or a regular evening dinner, pasta with sauce makes a delicious meal. For a special dinner, serve pasta with a salad and thick slices of bread.
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Marinara Sauce
2 14.5-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup white wine
In a food processor place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce and white wine. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes 8 servings.
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Blended Pasta Sauce
1 16-ounce can whole tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 16-ounce can crushed tomatoes
8 ounces tomato paste
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
In a blender chop the whole tomatoes with juice and garlic until chunky. In a medium size pot, heat oil on medium-high heat. Put onion and mushroom in and sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Place in pot the blended tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, green peppers, oregano, and basil. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces to desired thickness, about 1 to 2 hours. Makes 4 servings.
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Meaty Pasta Sauce
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
2 6.5-ounce cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the sausage, beef, onion, and garlic until well browned; drain fat. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Mix in sugar and season with basil, fennel seed, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Makes 16 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
When serving sauce on pasta, leave a little cooking water clinging to the pasta. This helps the sauce coat the pasta more evenly.
The Practical Pantry ©2008 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com
Monday, February 04, 2008
Make it with ground turkey
Turkey isn’t just for holiday meals anymore, especially since ground turkey can be substituted for ground beef in many recipes to make leaner and healthier versions.
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Quick Turkey Meatballs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 20-ounce package ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with the olive oil; place the pan in the oven while preheating. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, egg, and bread crumbs. Form the meat into meatballs the size of golf balls. Carefully place about 1 inch apart in the hot baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn them over and continue baking until done, about 5 more minutes. Makes 18 servings.
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Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
3 large potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
1 large carrot, shredded
1 4.5-ounce can sliced mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil potatoes until tender. Mash potatoes with butter and milk; season with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté onion in olive oil until soft. Stir in ground turkey, carrot, mushrooms, thyme, garlic, and bouillon. Add pepper if desired. Cook and stir until meat is cooked through. Drain; stir in flour. Transfer meat mixture to a deep-dish pie pan or casserole. Spread potatoes over meat. Bake until potatoes are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Makes 10 servings.
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Turkey Joes
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 20-ounce package ground turkey
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 kaiser rolls, split, toasted
Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Crumble turkey into skillet; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato sauce, Worcestershire, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until sauce thickens, about 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon mixture onto rolls. Makes 5 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
Ground turkey that is at least 85% lean is made from dark meat or a blend of white and dark meat. Ground turkey up to 99% fat free is made from breast meat.
The Practical Pantry ©2008 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com