Crockpot Stroganoff Soup

I've been on the hunt for easy meals in preparation for my maternity leave.  My husband is back on the Paleo diet, which makes it harder to find meals that work.  Fortunately I ran across this idea for stroganoff soup!

Ingredients:
1 can beef broth
2 cans chopped mushrooms, drained
1/2 onion, diced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of paprika
1 pound ground beef or turkey
4 ounces cream cheese, chopped into small pieces

Directions:
1.  Add all ingredients except beef and cream cheese to the crockpot.  Stir until well combined.
2.  Stir in the ground beef.  Cook on low for 4 hours, stirring after two hours to ensure even cooking.
3.  Add the cream cheese pieces and turn the heat up to high for 10 minutes.  Stir the soup to help dissolve the cream cheese and serve in bowls.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

**Note: If you're like me and don't care for eating large chunks of mushrooms, try chopping up half of the mushrooms into smaller pieces.  You'll barely notice them!

Sparkling Sunrise Mocktail

So in case you're wondering why my food posts have been few and far between, I am partially blaming a little thing called PREGNANCY.  Yup, there's a baby coming to the War Kitten household, and I've been too busy/tired growing a small human being to come up with many recipes.

I've always loved experimenting with new cocktail recipes, but being prego has put a temporary hold on that.  Instead, I've tried to come up with some fun non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy during parties.  Here is my newest favorite, which reminds me of a mock Tequila Sunrise.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
A few ice cubes
4 oz orange juice
4 oz lemon-lime soda (I used "Diet Twist Up," which is caffeine free)
1/2 shot grenadine

Directions:
1.  Place ice cubes in a pint glass.
2.  Add remaining ingredients.  Oooh, pretty!  Now stir the mocktail and enjoy!

Curry Pork Loin and Rice

Before last night I had absolutely zero experience in cooking raw pork.  I had bought some for a BBQ and it didn't get used, so I spent a while thinking of what to do with the meat.  Thankfully my husband suggested a curry- using those awesome premade curry sauces you can find in the grocery store.  I am pleased to report that "project curry pork" was a success, so I'm recording my recipe to share with you fine people.

Ingredients:
1 cup white or brown rice
Water for rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Curry powder
1 lb boneless pork loin chops
1 jar curry sauce (we used Korma Simmer Sauce from Fresh and Easy)

Directions:
1.  Cook rice in a pot according to package directions.  Once it's done, remove from heat and cover to keep it warm until the rest of the food is done.
2.  While rice is cooking, heat olive oil in a large frying pan.  Season both sides of the chops with curry powder, then place them in the frying pan.  Cook them until the surface on both sides begins to brown, about 3 minutes each side.
3.  Add curry sauce to the pan and heat to bubbling.  Continue cooking the chops in the sauce for 10-15 minutes, flipping them over every few minutes.  Remove chops and cut them down the middle to check for done-ness.  If they are still very pink in the center you can return them to the pan and cook for a few more minutes.
4.  There are two ways to serve this.  First, you can keep the chops whole (aside from being cut in half in the previous step) and serve them on a bed of rice, pouring some sauce on top of them.  A different option (the one I used) is to chop up the pork loin once it's fully cooked, return it to the curry sauce pan and add the rice, stirring until well combined.  You can then scoop the mixture into bowls.

**Note: I would recommend using tongs to flip the chops over.  This will reduce the "splatter" of sauce everywhere, which happened when I tried to use a spatula.

Enchilada/Taco Chicken

Also known as "Mexican Chicken" by some.  This is an easy baking dish that's packed full of flavor and cheesy goodness.  Serves two, but can be doubled to serve more.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 packet taco seasoning
1/4 onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 cup green enchilada sauce
4 taco sized corn tortillas, chopped
2 oz shredded cheese (we used Mexican blend)
Salsa
Sour cream

Directions:

1.  Brush the chicken breasts with a little olive oil.  Take a few pinches of the taco seasoning and sprinkle over both sides of the chicken.  Grill chicken for about 6 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink.  Keep an eye on them because over-grilling = dry chicken.

2.  Remove chicken from grill and set aside.  Place the red pepper and onion at the bottom of an 8 by 8 inch glass pan in an even layer.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the pan in the oven while it is preheating.  This will make the veggies more tender and less crunchy.

3.  Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Add chicken, enchilada sauce and 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.  Once the oven is preheated, remove the pan and stir the veggies into the chicken mixture.  Be sure to use oven mitts with the hot pan!

4.  Line the bottom of the pan with the tortilla pieces, then pour the chicken mixture on top of it.  Spread the mixture into an even layer and top with shredded cheese.

5.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

6.  Spoon into bowls.  Add sour cream and/or salsa, according to your preference.

Note:  I'm sure you will have leftovers of taco seasoning, enchilada sauce and tortillas that haven't been used.  Just store them for next time or use them in a different Mexican recipe.  Enjoy!

Panini Party!

Another post that's more of a great idea than a recipe, but I figured after searching the web (and other food blogs) I'd make a post about my own customized panini party!

I did a buffet-style party so my guests could build their own tasty sandwiches.  Then we set up a couple panini grills (or George Foreman-style grills) to toast them up.  Here are the ingredients I used, but you can change and add according to your personal tastes.

Ingredients:
Thick sliced bread- sourdough, rye and a few ciabatta rolls
Meat- sliced turkey and roast beef, plus some chopped chicken breast pieces and bacon
Cheese- sliced cheddar, pepper jack and provolone
Veggies- salad greens, chopped tomato, quartered artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers
Spreads- mayo, mustard, Dijon mustard, ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, roasted garlic, chipotle aioli and avocado spread (recipes for the last three can be found below)

Directions:
1.  Set up a buffet table where guests can build their own sandwiches.  Plastic knives and spoons are a big help for the veggies and spreads.
2.  Brush the top and bottom of each sandwich with a little melted butter or olive oil (to make it crunchy).  Place one or two sandwiches in the grill and cook until cheese has melted.
3.  Carefully remove sandwiches, cut them in half and serve with chips, pickles, pasta salad or potato salad.  Yum!

***Roasted Garlic: Cut the tops off 4 heads of garlic so that the cloves are a little exposed.  Remove the outer layers of skin until you have only a thin skin covering the cloves.  Wrap each head in tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.  Let cool until you can handle them with your hands, then squeeze the innards out of each clove.  Stir together with a little olive oil and voila- instant spread.

***Chipotle Aioli: Add 1/2 cup of mayo with one chipotle pepper (the ones that come canned with adobo sauce) in a food processor.  Pulse and blend on low until fully mixed.  Add another pepper or some adobo sauce if you want more spicy flavor.  Use a spatula to spoon mixture out into a bowl.

***Avocado Spread: Scoop out 3-4 avocados like you are going to make guacamole.  Add a dash of fresh lime juice, then mash with a fork until it's spreadable.

Loaded Stuffed Chicken

I was browsing the web looking for Paleo recipes and I ran across this recipe.  It was a good start, but I wanted to push it further with more flavors. So I finally ended up with this, my loaded stuffed chicken!  Recipe serves two but can be doubled.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, pounded thin to about 1/4 inch thickness
Olive oil
Garlic Pepper
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 shallots, diced
3 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
1 handful of fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with tin foil and place chicken breasts next to each other on the foil.
2.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil onto the chicken and spread it around with the back of a spoon.  Sprinkle garlic pepper over the oil, then layer half of the parmesan cheese, shallots and bacon on each of the chicken breasts.  Finish with enough spinach to cover each breast and 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese.
3.  Take one of the shorter ends of a chicken breast and roll it up lengthwise, as tightly as possible.  Tuck in any ingredients that may have spilled out, and repeat with the other breast.  Skewer each breast with a couple of toothpicks or bamboo skewers to hold them together.
4.  Top the chicken breasts with the remaining cheddar cheese and a few spinach leaves.  Cover the baking sheet loosely with a piece of tin foil.
5.  Cook for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.  Remove the toothpicks, slice and enjoy!

Mediterranean Chicken

My husband and I are once again on the lookout for low carb recipes.  We came across one for chicken with artichokes, added a few twists, and voila: Mediterranean Chicken!  It tastes a lot like warm spinach dip, plus the great flavors of sun dried tomatoes and spices.  Recipe feeds two, but it can be doubled for a larger dish.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon garlic pepper
1 tablespoon Italian herbs
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 pinch of salt
1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves cut into two-inch pieces
2 ounces sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and spices.

3. Place chicken, artichokes and tomatoes in an ungreased 8 by 8 inch baking dish.  Stir in the mayonnaise mixture until well combined.

4. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.

Note:  If you want more veggies, try adding chopped mushrooms and/or chopped olives to the mix.