RECIPES

Basic Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

• Whole Chicken 4-5lbs
• salt and pepper to tast
• 1/2 cube butter; cut into pats

Directions

Carefully separate skin from breast meat but do not remove

Place pats of butter between skin and meat; spacing out to cover as much area as possible. Place some pats inside of the cavity.

Sprinkle liberally with garlic salt and pepper.

Slow Cooker Directions

Place whole chicken in slow cooker and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or until internal temp is 165°

Oven Directions

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450° (do not remove chicken); bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in meaty part of leg registers 165°. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 10 minutes.

Traditional Tabouli Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of raw bulgur wheat
• 3 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup of minced fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup of diced scallions
• 1/2 cup of lemon juice
• 1/2 cup of sesame or olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh (or 2 teaspoons of dried) mint
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt a pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients and marinate them in the refrigerator for about six hours. Then adjust the seasonings to taste, and serve the tabouli on a thick bed of lettuce leaves or sprouts. (As an alternative, you could chop up the greens and toss them in with the salad, pile the whole mixture on a platter, garnish it with black olives and sprigs of parsley and let four hungry people scoop it up — Middle Eastern style — with whole lettuce leaves.)

Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oi
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small red onion, dice
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste (optional)

Directions

Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Super Cheesy Kale and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 1 pound bow tie pasta, cooked al dente
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
• 1 large roasted red pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 pound kale, ribs discarded and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce, I used my classic marinara
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
• Parmesan cheese for sprinkling, optional

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and set aside. Don’t over cook pasta or your final result will be soggy noodles.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium flame. Add onions, peppers, and kale, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the kale has softened and the onions have lightened in color. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in marinara sauce, then remove pan from heat.

Preheat ovens broiler.

Stir cooked noodles into the sauce mixture, then pour mixture into a very large, deep, baking dish. Spread ricotta cheese over the top of the noodle mixture, then sprinkle with mozzarella. Place baking dish in the oven on the middle rack, and broil for 5-6 minutes, or until the lid of cheese is melted and lightly golden.

Spoon pasta mixture onto plates, sprinkle with parsley and parmesan, and serve once!

Courtsey of bakerbynature.com

Baked Kale Chips

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.

With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.

Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Simple Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups non-fat cottage cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 egg
• 8 ounces lasagna noodles

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large pot over medium heat saute spinach, onion, oregano, basil and garlic in the olive oil. Pour in spaghetti sauce and water; simmer 20 minutes. In a large bowl mix cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and egg.

Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan. Place 4 uncooked noodles on top of sauce and top with layer of sauce. Add 4 more noodles and layer with 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheese mixture, noodles and repeat until all is layered, finishing with sauce.

Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 55 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Baked Shrimp with Tomatillos

Shrimp can be cooked either shell on or shell off. Cooking with the shell on will result in better flavor, but can be fussy to eat, as you have to pick off the shells as you eat them. Shelling and deveining the shrimp before cooking can add a good 10 minutes to prep time, but the resulting dish is easier to eat. This is a one pan dish, going from stovetop to oven, so use an oven-proof pan. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
• 1-2 jalapeno chiles, seeded, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 lb tomatillos, chopped
• Salt
• 1/2 cup clam juice OR 1/4 cup water*
• 1 lb shrimp, cleaned, deveined
• 1 cup Cotija queso seco cheese (can substitute feta or chevre)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Lime juice
• Black pepper
• An oven-proof sauté pan or cast iron pan

Directions

1. Heat oil in the pan you will use for baking. Add the onions and jalapeños, cook for 5 minutes on medium high until the onions begin to brown. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the tomatillos, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, until the tomatillos are cooked through, but still hold their shape. Sprinkle salt over the tomatillos as they are cooking.
2. If using clam juice, add to pan, turn up the heat and reduce by half. If using water, just add the 1/4 cup of water without reducing.
3. Add the cheese and shrimp. Cook in a preheated 425°F oven for 10 minutes.
4. Remove pan from the oven. If using a pan with a handle, such as a cast iron frying pan, I recommend cooling the handle with ice for safety; it's so easy to forget that pan has just come out of the oven, and you grab the hot handle by mistake. Right before serving, mix in the cilantro and sprinkle with lime juice and freshly ground black pepper.

Simply Recipes http://www.simplyrecipes.com

Turnip Greens with Cornmeal Dumplings

Recipe courtesy Paula Dean Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound smoked meat (smoked turkey wings are excellent)
• 4 quarts water
• 1 teaspoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 bunch turnip greens with roots
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional; may be used if greens are bitter)

Directions

Place smoked meat in water along with House Seasoning, bouillon, and ginger. Cook over low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Strip turnip leaves free of the big stem that runs down the center of each leaf. Wash in a sink full of clean water. Drain and wash twice more, since greens can often be sandy. Peel and slice or quarter roots. Add greens to meat; cook for another 30 minutes, stirring often. Add roots and continue to cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until roots are tender. (Reserve 2/3 cup turnip liquid for the dumplings.) Add butter and sugar. Serve with dumplings.

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
• Cornmeal Dumplings
• 1 cup all-purpose cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup liquid from cooked turnips

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Dipping by teaspoonfuls, gently roll batter in the palms of your hands into approximately 1-inch balls; drop into boiling turnip liquid Make sure each dumpling is completely covered in liquid by shaking the pot gently; do not stir. Boil for about 10 minutes.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Recipe courtesy of Robin Miller Serves: 4 servings, plus leftovers

Ingredients

• 2 medium butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 4 teaspoons butter
• 4 teaspoons brown sugar
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place butternut squash halves on a large baking sheet flesh side up. Place 1 teaspoon butter in the middle of each squash. Sprinkle brown sugar over each squash. Season with salt and black pepper. Roast 25 minutes, until flesh is fork-tender. Reserve 2 halves for future meal.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Recipe courtesy of The Neelys. Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• Oil
• 4 green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch rings
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch paprika
• Buttermilk Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

1. In a deep-fryer, preheat oil to 350 degrees F.
2. Season tomatoes, on both sides, with salt and pepper. Place flour and garlic powder in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, beat eggs with the milk. In another dish, mix bread crumbs with cayenne and paprika. Dredge tomatoes through the flour, then the eggs, and then through the bread crumbs. Add only a few pieces to the fryer at a time, so they can cook evenly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve with Buttermilk Dipping Sauce.

Directions

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Neelys BBQ sauce
• 1 lime, juiced
• 4 scallions, sliced thin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the apple cider and brown sugar. Allow to reduce until thick and syrupy. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, add buttermilk, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce and lime juice and whisk well. Add in the scallions and the apple cider mixture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve with Fried Green Tomatoes.