Kiy's Recipe Box

Update 11/03/2008: Made this tonight for dinner. A big HUGE blah. Don't bother, don't waste the ingredients. Not exactly sure what it was supposed to taste like but all we could taste was the ricotta cheese, which we like but it needs something else.

Pasta with Spinach

Original kaboose.com recipe, developed by Wendy Kalen

Garlicky spinach tossed with pasta in a ricotta sauce means a healthy meal in no time.

Ingredients:
1 6-ounce package fresh baby spinach
8 ounces penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic
⅛ red pepper flakes
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

1. Put spinach in colander through which pasta water will be drained. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and leave in colander with spinach.

2. In pasta pot heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; stir 30 seconds or until fragrant. Pour pasta mixture back into the pot. Stir in ricotta, salt and pepper.

3. If creamier texture is desired, stir in reserved pasta water.

Make-Ahead: Pasta can be cooked ahead, tossed with oil and kept in the refrigerator for a few days. To make this dish just heat pasta in microwave and toss with the rest of the ingredients.

Make it Faster: Use fresh rather than dry pasta

Servings per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving: ½ cup cooked pasta
Preparation Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: About 10 minutes
Ready In: About 15 minutes

Spicy Orange Chicken Lo Mein
Juan Carlos Cruz; Show: Calorie Commando (Food Network)

*Updated below*

If you are serving other foods or eating it as an appetizer, this dish serves 8 people. If you are eating this as a main dish, this dish serves 4 people.

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced
1 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed, plus ¼ cup, thawed
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon grated ginger
8 ounces lo mein noodles (Kiy note: I will use linguini, easier for Miss Emi to pick up)
½ cup chicken stock
1/3 cup prepared oyster sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
½ red pepper, thinly sliced
¼ pound snow peas, cleaned
4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch green onions, sliced

In a bowl or baking dish, toss chicken with 1-cup orange juice concentrate, cornstarch, chili garlic sauce, and ginger. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and hold in a bowl of cold water.

Remove chicken from refrigerator and drain into a colander; discard marinade.

In a large skillet, combine chicken stock, remaining ¼ cup orange juice concentrate, and oyster sauce. Cook sauce over medium-high heat until liquids reduce and sauce is thick, about 5 to 10 minutes.

While sauce is reducing, heat 1-tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add red pepper, peas, mushrooms, and green onions. Sauté until tender yet still crisp. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat a non-stick wok or large skillet over high heat. Add remaining 1-tablespoon oil to the pan and heat. Carefully drop 1/3 of the chicken into the wok and stir-fry so that all sides of the chicken get crispy. When the first 1/3 is fully cooked through, remove from pan and repeat with the remaining 2 portions.

Add all of the cooked chicken and sautéed vegetables to the skillet with the sauce and toss to combine.

Drain noodles and then add to pan with sauce. Stir to coat noodles with sauce. Transfer to a large serving platter.

Nutritional Analysis per 8 Appetizer Servings:
Calories: 273
Total Fat: 6 grams
Saturated Fat: 1 gram
Carbohydrates: 37 grams
Fiber: 2 grams

Nutritional Analysis per 4 Main Course Servings:
Calories: 546
Total Fat: 11 grams
Saturated Fat: 2 grams
Carbohydrates: 74 grams
Fiber: 4 grams

*Update: Made this on May 4, 2008: In my opinion, don't bother. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a bah. I don't know if the recipe was posted wrong, but there was no way that chicken was going to stir-fry, too much marinade (or rather, it was too thick). I think he meant it to actually fry ... but I don't fry anything, much less chicken going into a 'healthy' meal. If I were to try this again (and the sauce was quite tasty, so I may play around with this recipe a bit) I'd probably change the marinade to delete the cornstarch and maybe add a bit of water depending on how thick it got. Now I know why I've never heard of the chef, guess his show was canceled? YMMV*

Green Eggs and Ham
Rachael Ray

Kiy Note: I watched this episode last week and just knew I had to try these. The look yummy and totally easy. Plus, any oven recipes I want to do now as it's starting to get hot here (yuck!) and oven cooking is going to cease toot-sweet!

Updated - ended up being only so-so

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted in microwave and liquids drained
1/3 to ½ cup heavy cream, eyeball it
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
8 slices deli ham or prosciutto di Parma
8 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter and sweat the shallots a few minutes. Add the spinach and stir in the cream, season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Cook the spinach, stirring occasionally, until the cream has thickened, 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to your taste.

Fold each slice of ham or prosciutto in half and line the nonstick cups with 1 slice of meat each. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the cooked spinach into each of the cups, then crack an egg into each, making sure it stays whole (hint - if you're worried about breaking the egg yolk, crack the egg into a small bowl first, then pour it into the muffin cup). Season the tops of the eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bake in the oven until set, about 15 minutes. Allow the baked eggs to cool in the muffin cups for a couple of minutes before removing them from the pan. Serve immediately.

Healthy Macaroni Salad

20 min prep
Serves 4 -6

RECIPE BY: Baby Chevelle
This is a recipe I have been making for about 24 years. I can't remember the lady's name who published the book I got it from, but she was a real stickler about what you feed your kids. I started making this when my boys were preschool age. I would always make sure a had a big batch when they had a sitter, so she didn't fill them up with junk, and they would be on a sugar high when I got home at night. I am still making this today and I enjoy it as a healthy meal or snack anytime. I must say I usually triple this when I make it, as there was 5 of us. It keeps well in frig for a few days, and the boys would eat it for snacks a lot. It made me feel better that they were eating healthy. I used American cheese and I must say on my bowl I would add salt. I love this dish.
Posted on: Dec 12, 2005

Ingredients:
1 cup elbow macaroni
4 cups water
½ cucumber
2 hard-boiled egg, diced
½ cup cheese, diced
½ cup celery, diced
½ cup carrot, grated
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni according to directions on package.
2. Drain and chill, adding lemon juice to macaroni.
3. When chilled add rest of ingredients and refrigerate till serving time.

Baked Angel Hair with Eggplant
Giada De Laurentiis,

Difficulty: Intermediate
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

1/3 cup plus ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 6 Japanese eggplants (about 2 pounds total), cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1-pound mild Italian turkey sausage, casings removed (Kiy Note: I may not use, to have a non-meat night)
1/3 cup dry red wine
3 cups marinara sauce
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces angel hair pasta
1-pound mozzarella, diced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 (17¼ ounce) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the eggplant and toss to coat in the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté the eggplant until it is golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium. Add half of the garlic and sauté until it is tender, about 2 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant mixture to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining ¼ cup oil and the remaining eggplant and garlic.

Add the sausage and wine to the same frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the wine evaporates and the sausage is brown, breaking the sausage into pieces with the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage, marinara sauce, and crushed red pepper to the eggplant mixture, and toss to combine.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until pasta is still slightly crunchy and undercooked. Drain. Toss the angel hair with the eggplant mixture. Cool completely. Add the mozzarella and Parmesan and toss to combine.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out 1 pastry sheet on a floured surface to a 13½-inch square. Transfer to a 9-inch spring form pan, allowing the excess pastry to hang over the rim. Spoon the pasta mixture into the pan. Place the second pastry sheet atop the pasta filling. Pinch the edges of the pastry sheets together to seal. Trim the overhanging pastry edges to about 1-inch. Fold the pastry edges in to form a decorative border. Cut a slit in the center of the top pastry to allow the steam to escape.

Bake until the pastry is brown and puffed on top, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let stand for 20 minutes. Remove the pan sides and serve.

Buttermilk Coleslaw

4 cups shredded cabbage
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon celery salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Dash Garlic Powder
1 cup fresh nonfat buttermilk or plain nonfat yogurt

I prefer cabbage shredded by hand for salads. Some people prefer the convenience of the food processor. To shred the cabbage by hand use a thin sharp knife and cut it into skinny strips. Either way, measure the cabbage after chopping it. When you have a quart of it, dump it into a big bowl. Add the lemon juice, sugar, celery salt, pepper, garlic powder and fresh buttermilk. Stir the mixture together to get the seasonings evenly distributed. Chill until serving time, or for at least 2 hours so the full flavor can come out.

Dry buttermilk doesn't work so well in this recipe. Please only use fresh buttermilk. If you absolutely must substitute for the buttermilk, then use an equal amount of fresh yogurt instead; homemade is fine.

Makes 6 servings.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 36 Calories; 1g Fat (11.9% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 183mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Kiy Note: My plan is to use the packaged shredded cole slaw, I don't chop cabbage! :)

Quick-and-Easy Quiche

Ingredients:
1 cup egg substitute (Kiy Note: I usually just use 3-4 eggs, depending on how many folks I am feeding)
1 cup water (Kiy Note: when using eggs, I omit this)
½ cup low-fat buttermilk biscuit and baking mix (Kiy Note: I use reduced-fat Bisquick)
½ cup instant nonfat dry milk powder (Kiy Note: I use regular milk, not dry milk)
½ cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons (½ ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon hot sauce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
¾ cup diced low-salt, reduced-fat ham
½ cup chopped green onions
Vegetable cooking spray
Cherry tomatoes (optional)
Green onion slices (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place first 8 ingredients in a food processor, and process 1 minute or until smooth. Combine egg substitute mixture, cheddar cheese, ham, and green onions in a medium bowl; stir well. Pour mixture into 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onion slices and cherry tomatoes, if desired.

Cooking Light, MAY 1996

Kiy Note: I use this recipe as a base, but tend to add different ingredients as the mood strikes (and what we have on hand). This week it’s bacon, spinach and onions.

Kiy Note: (2/22/2008): This recipe just didn't turn out like I was expecting. The noodles were better than the chicken, so I might make the noodles again. Just seemed to be a lot of fussing for the end result. Just my opinion, your mileage my vary!

Funky Chicken with Sesame Noodles

This has to be one of the most amazing chicken dishes I have ever made or eaten. It's really scary to watch people just attack this dish and practically inhale it in one breath. Brush up on your Heimlich Maneuver, people do get a little over-enthusiastic over this. Prep time includes marinating time.

Time to make 3½ hours (3 hours prep)

Sesame Noodles
1 lb spaghettini (get the thinnest spaghetti you can find)
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sesame oil (some reviewers have said that ½ cup of oil is too much and have halved the amount, so use your own judgment)
1/3 cup sugar (Kiy Note: I use Splenda with great success)
3 scallions, thinly sliced
¼ cup sesame seeds (or more)

Funky Chicken
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup teriyaki sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced (jarred works for me!)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped (or ¼ teaspoon dried) (I do use fresh here, but you could use jarred)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
sesame oil, for sautéing

Sesame Noodles:
First make the sesame noodles: Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain (I also rinse).

In a jar, add the soy sauce, sesame oil and the sugar. Shake until well blended and the sugar has dissolved. Pour this over the pasta.

Toss with scallions and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Set aside while you marinate and then cook the chicken.

Funkying the Chicken:
In a bowl mix the soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, garlic, brown sugar and the ginger. Make sure the sugar has pretty much dissolved. Add the chicken, making sure it's all coated with the sauce.

Cover and stick in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, and toss out the marinade left at the bottom of the bowl.

Heat the sesame oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the chicken in batches and sauté for about 10 minutes, or until done, adding more sesame oil as needed. Remove the chicken from the pan and let cool slightly. Slice the chicken diagonally into thin strips.

Serve the chicken over the sesame noodles.

Stand back and watch your guests/children/loved ones inhale this dish.

Almond Chicken Salad
Taste of Home

My mother used to prepare this salad for an evening meal during the hot summer months. It also serves well as a delicious but quick luncheon or potluck dish. You can't beat the tasty combination of chicken, grapes and almonds. -Kathy Kittell, Lenexa, Kansas

SERVINGS: 6-8
TIME: Prep/Total Time: 15 min.

Ingredients:
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1½ cups seedless green grapes, halved
1 cup chopped celery
¾ cup sliced green onions
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon paprika
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced, optional

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, grapes, celery, onions and eggs. In another bowl, combine the next nine ingredients; stir until smooth.
2. Pour over the chicken mixture and toss gently. Stir in almonds and serve immediately, or refrigerate and add the almonds just before serving. Garnish with kiwi if desired.

Egg Rolls

**Kiy Update below**

From Recipe: A mom of a Korean student we know came and showed us how she makes her egg rolls. She called it her "American version" and we love it. To complete the meal I often buy takeout egg drop soup ($4.00) and a container of fried rice ($3.25). Even then this meal ends up being around $10.00.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 20 egg rolls
Cost: approx. $4.25

20 egg roll wrappers ($1.99)
1 pound ground beef or turkey ($1.87)
1/4 of a head of cabbage finely shredded ($.25)
1 carrot grated ($.25)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp Hoison Sauce
2 Tbsp Peanut butter

Brown meat with garlic and drain. When cooled add cabbage, carrot, sauce and peanut butter. Stir well.

Spoon onto wrappers and fold. Seal edges with water.

Bake on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper at 400 for 15 minutes or until edges begin turning golden brown.

**These can be easily frozen after baking and then reheated in the microwave. They loose may loose their crunch, but they taste just as good.**

Tips from the comments:

1. I used the filling (about 1/2 recipe) for 24 wontons - delicious (I put them in my mini muffin tin)!!! I will totally be making them again. I had mild sausage in the fridge so I used that instead of the beef or turkey and it was really good. My kids even ate them.
2. Heat them back up in the oven instead of the microwave and the crunch will return!

**Kiy Update, July 27, 2008: I made these and they were just so-so. The filling was 'okay' but nothing to rave too much about (guess we are spoiled) and the egg roll wrappers didn't really finish cooking or something. They were still pretty doughy and tasted too much like flour to us. I never was able to get them crisp, maybe a higher cooking temp? Maybe brushing with egg white or something before baking? I will probably try these again at some point, as we loved the idea of having Chinese app's for dinner!

**Kiy Update Below**

Egg Drop Soup

(Kiy Note: Not sure where I found this one!)

4 servings
Prep: 10 min
Cook/make: 20 min

4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
4 eggs
1 egg yolk

1. Reserve ¾ cup of chicken broth, and pour the rest into a large saucepan.
2. Stir the salt, ginger and chives into the saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil.
3. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth.
4. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together using a fork.
6. Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the boiling broth mixture.
7. Egg should cook immediately.
8. Once the eggs have been dropped, stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency.
   

**Kiy Update, July 27, 2008: This was NOT a hit, at all. All we could taste was the chicken broth. Most definitely something missing or too much chicken broth. Going to keep looking for a better recipe.

*Kiy Note (7/5/2008) After making this this week, I am moving it to the So-So file. While we didn't much care for it, others might. I do think next time, should I attempt it again, I would not cut up the chicken breasts or use bone-in chicken. The taste was okay, but seemed to need ... something.

Slow Cook Thai Chicken

PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 5 Hrs
READY IN 5 Hrs 20 Min

INGREDIENTS:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into ½ inch strips
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup lime juice
3 green onion, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup chopped roasted peanuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the chicken breast strips, bell pepper and onion into a slow cooker. Pour in the chicken broth and ¼ cup of soy sauce, then season with cumin, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir to blend, then cover and cook on Low for 4½ to 5 hours.

2. Remove 1 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker, and mix this with the cornstarch, peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and lime juice. This should blend into a fairly thick sauce. Stir the sauce back into the slow cooker, and place the lid on the pot.

3. Cook on High for 30 minutes. Garnish with green onions, cilantro and peanuts before serving.

Kiy Note: (7/5/2008) Another so-so dish. It cooked up nice, but just didn't seem to have any flavor (to us). Not sure what else it needed. I am bummed as it was super easy and was hoping this would be a keeper (I did add about a tablespoon of lemon juice towards the end, but it didn't really help all that much).

Chinese Lemon Chicken

The Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces or equivalent
½ cup flour (or Pamela's)
1 T kosher salt
6 oz (½ can) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3 T brown sugar
1 t balsamic vinegar
3 T ketchup
olive oil for browning chicken

The Directions:

1. Cut chicken into strips or largish chunks
2. Dredge in flour and salt, shake off excess
3. Brown chicken in a skillet with a bit of olive oil (you are not trying to cook the chicken--just give it some color and get the flour mixture to stick a bit)
4. Place into crockpot
5. mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over the top of chicken pieces
6. cover and cook on high for 4 hours, low for 6-8

Serve over rice, drizzle with remaining sauce.

This tastes amazing all on it's own, but next time I might add a bit of red pepper flakes to the grown-up portions for a bit of a kick.