Bacon Wrapped Date

A favorite for Christmas and New Year's.

Ingredients:

• 24 Large pitted dates (Medjools are favorite)
• 12 slices bacon, cut in half crosswise
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 24 unsalted almonds, toasted

1. Move oven rack to upper third of oven and preheat to 500°F.
2. Stuff each date with an almond, then fill the remaining space with softened goat cheese using a pastry bag.
3. Wrap a piece of bacon around each date and secure with a pick.
4. Place dates on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until bacon is golden and crispy, 6-8 minutes.
5. Set aside to cool briefly before serving.
6. For presentation, insert picks into half a pineapple sliced lengthwise.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

A party favorite from Alton Brown.

Ingredients

• 1 5-ounce box frozen spinach
• 1 9-ounce box frozen artichoke hearts (see note)
• 1 cup water
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Place the spinach, artichokes and water in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat. Cook just until the vegetables are heated through. Drain and squeeze as much liquid out as possible.
2. Heat the cream cheese in a microwave oven for 1 minute, or until hot and soft. Add the drained spinach and artichokes as well as the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and serve hot.

Uncle Bob’s Deviled Eggs

A Christmas Eve tradition. The recipe is not very specific, so it takes some practice to get the flavor and consistency just right. I make the mistake of using too much mayonnaise, which drowns out the mustard, making them too mild. You want the yolk mixture to have a good bit of bite, since the egg whites will soften it somewhat.

Ingredients:

Eggs (at least a dozen)
Mayo
Yellow Mustard
Dried Onion Flakes

Hard boil eggs and peal off the shells

Slice eggs in half and place yolks in a separate bowl

Mash yolks with a fork

Using electric beaters, begin adding mayo and mustard. I don't have any measures for the ingredients. It's a matter of adding them gradually and tasting along the way while at the same time watching the texture. Shake in a goodly amount of onion flakes for flavor.

I usually cook at least a dz+ so I will start with a few heaping tablespoons of mayo followed by a hefty squirt of mustard. You'll want the mixture to be creamy and mustard-taste strong. When added to the egg halves the taste get mellowed.

You can then either piping bag the mixture into the egg halves or spoon it in.

Slow-Cooker Carnitas

An easy crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 cups chicken broth

Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Coat pork with the spice mixture. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.

Cover and cook on Low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 5 hours. When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, and shred with two forks. Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.

Chickpea Mash

Plenty of variations on this recipe, but it makes a great low-carb side dish. I prefer this to cauliflower mash, and it’s quite a bit more simple.

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dash of lemon juice (optional)

Pour chickpeas and chicken stock into food processor or blender and mix until creamy.

In a medium sauce pan, saute minced garlic in olive oil. Add chickpeas and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients.

Braised Lamb Shoulder Chops

A favorite dish for special occasions. Can also use pork chops. We’ve certainly never nearly set the house on fire while cooking this. We prefer it without the lemon (or very little). Reposted from here.

About 25g carbs per serving (one chop)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 shoulder lamb chops
• 1 large sweet onion, cut in half, and each half quartered
• 3 medium carrots, cut in half inch circles
• 3 large celery ribs, with leaves, cut in half-inch lengths
• * 1⁄2 lemon, unpeeled, cut in very thin slices (optional)
• 1⁄2 cup red wine (sherry or port is good) or 1⁄2 cup beef broth
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
• 1⁄8 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 (14 ounce) can tomatoes, diced
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1⁄2 cup cold water
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Trim fat from chops.

Heat oil in large deep non-stick frypan or Dutch oven; brown chops on both sides, about 5 minutes each side; remove from pan, set aside.

In the same pan, add onion chunks, saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, salt and pepper and lemon slices, saute until caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in wine or broth, bring to simmer and deglaze pan.

Meanwhile, empty tomatoes, undrained, into a bowl, add curry powder, cumin, coriander, garlic and soy sauce. Stir to mix, pour tomato mixture into pan; stir to mix with caramelized veggies.

Return chops to pan and spoon mixture over them. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour or until chops are fork tender. Make a slurry of cold water and cornstarch, stir into pan and bring to boil, simmer until juices are thickened.

Serve over mashed potatoes or rice or noodles.

Favorite Enchiladas

Our favorite enchilada recipe. It’s the sauce that makes it! Reposted and adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons chili powder (*not cayenne!)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Enchiladas

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into small 1/2-inch pieces (*or see substitution below for using pre-cooked shredded chicken)
• salt and pepper
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans or lentils, rinsed and drained
• 8 large flour tortillas
• 3 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese
• 1 batch red enchilada sauce, or 1 can store-bought enchilada sauce
• (optional: 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Prepare your enchilada sauce: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk together over the heat for one minute. Stir in the remaining seasonings (chili powder through oregano). Then gradually add in the stock, whisking constantly to remove lumps. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened.

For enchiladas: heat oil over medium-high heat in large saute pan. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add diced chicken and green chiles, and season with salt and pepper.  Sauté for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, beans, chicken mixture, and cheese. Lay out a tortilla, and spread two tablespoons of sauce over the surface of the tortilla.  Add beans in a line down the middle of the tortilla, then add in a spoonful of the chicken mixture, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Roll up tortilla and place in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.  Then spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas, and sprinkle on the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve immediately, garnished with chopped fresh cilantro if desired.

No-knead Dinner Rolls

Reposted from Pioneer Woman. Delicious dinner rolls, though they take a long time to rise.
Ingredients:

• 4 cups Milk
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 9 cups Flour
• 2 packages (4 1/2 Tsp.) Active Dry Yeast
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 2 Tablespoons Salt

Pour 4 cups of milk into a stock pot or Dutch oven. Add one cup of sugar and 1 cup of vegetable oil. Stir to combine. Now, turn the burner on medium to medium-low and “scald” the mixture (bring it to just before a boil.) Cool to lukewarm (between 90 and 110 degrees). 

Before the mixture boils, turn off the heat. NOW. Very important stuff here: walk away. Walk away and allow this mixture to cool to warm/lukewarm. The mixture will need to be warm enough to be a hospitable environment for the yeast, but not so hot that it kills the yeast and makes it inactive. I don’t usually use a thermometer, but if you’d like to, a good temperature is between 90 and 110 degrees. I usually feel the side of the pan with the palm of my hand. If it’s hot at all, I wait another 20 minutes or so. The pan should feel comfortably warm.

When the mixture is the right temperature add in 4 cups of flour and 2 packages of (4-1/2 teaspoons) of active dry yeast. After the yeast and flour are nicely incorporated, add another 4 cups of flour. Stir together and allow to sit, covered with a tea towel or lid, for an hour. After about an hour it should have almost doubled in size. If it hasn’t changed much, put it in a warm (but turned off ) oven for 45 minutes or so. When it had risen sufficiently add 1 more cup of flour, 1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder, 1 scant teaspoon of baking soda and about 2 tablespoons of salt. Stir (or knead just a bit) until combined.

Butter 1 or 2 muffin pans. Form the rolls by pinching off a walnut sized piece of dough and rolling it into a little ball. Repeat and tuck three balls of dough into each buttered muffin cup. Continue until pan is full. Cover and allow to rise for about 1 to 2 hours.

Bake in a 400-degree oven until golden brown, about 17 to 20 minutes.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Reposted from Barefoot Contessa

Serves 12

8 split chicken breasts (bone in, skin on)

Good olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound asparagus, ends removed, cut into thirds diagonally

2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded

4 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally

2 tbsps white sesame seeds, toasted (dry sauté pan for 5 min over med-high heat or until brown)

Dressing:

1 cup veg oil

¼ cup good apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp dark sesame oil

1 tbsp honey

2garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp peeled, grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted

½ cup smooth peanut butter

4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Roast for 35-40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked.  Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin and shred the chicken in large, bite-sized pieces.  

(Alternatively, use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Rub with a little oil and sparingly with salt and pepper.  Place next to each other on aluminum foil and seal into a packet (make 2 or 3).  Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes until chicken is just cooked through. Open packets and set to cool.  Shred chicken into large, bite-sized pieces.)

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes, until crisp-tender.  Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking.  Drain,  Cut the peppers into strips about the size of the asparagus pieces.  Combine the shredded chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.  

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables.  Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Healthy Taco Casserole

A recent family favorite. Low in carbs (21g/serving), and high in protein (19g). Reposted and adapted from HASfit. The recipe is pretty adaptable—can use chicken in place of beef; if I don’t have a green pepper, I’ll use a can of green chilies; I sometimes add a few handfuls of lentils along with the quinoa (or in place, if I’m out of it).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef (or chicken)
• 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• ½ medium onion diced
• 1 can black beans (do not drain)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 tablespoon each of  garlic powder, cumin, chili powder
• Chopped cilantro
• ½ cup cheese (or more!)

Preparation:
Over a medium high heat brown meat and add onion and bell pepper allowing them to soften. Add in spices and allow to sauté for 2 minutes.
Add in beans, tomato, and add in 2-3 tablespoons of broth or water if the mixture seems dry.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and add cilantro. Remove from heat and stir in the uncooked rice.

Pour the mixture in an 8X8 casserole dish, top with cheese and additional cilantro. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Serve and enjoy!

Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh Brussels sprouts
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 juiced lemon (=2 to 3 Tbsps)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375º. Cut sprouts in half. Mix ingredients in large bowl and toss until well coated. Spread evenly on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper, and bake 15–20 min, tossing sprouts halfway through.

Mama Moo’s Mostaccioli

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella (2 c. on top)
• 1 ½ lbs. Italian sausage, cooked
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce (I use Rinaldi’s Marinara; whatever you like though is fine) – mix some in with mixture; put most on top
• 16 oz. cooked mostaccioli noodles

Mix above as noted.  Bake at 375º in 9x13 pan for about 30-45 minutes.

If frozen, takes about an hour to 1 ½ hours to heat (uncovered).

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Tenderloin

Beef tenderloin recipe that’s as delicious as it is simple. Great with au gratin potatoes and asparagus.

Ingredients:

• 1 beef tenderloin (3 lbs)
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350º. 

Combine soy sauce and melted butter.

Place roast in a shallow glass baking dish and pour soy sauce and butter over.

Bake for 10 minutes. Turn roast over. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, basting regularly (every 10 to 15 minutes). Remove when internal temperature reaches 135º (for medium rare).

Let meat rest for 10 minutes before carving.