Because I am always trying to find new recipes, I thought it would be fun for cooking club this month to be new recipes. Experiment a little and make something you have been wanting to try and never made before. And don't worry, if none of the dishes turn out like we planned we can just order pizza :)
Main Dish: Dayna (coconut chicken curry...for now)
Drink: Lisa
Side: Sarah (Roasted Garbanzo Beans)
Side: Mickelle
Side: Amber
Side: Kristen (garlic parmesan edamame)
Salad: Erin
Salad: Natalie (Green Salad)
Dessert: Hillary (Fried Banana Ice Cream)
Dessert: Torrie (Pie)
Roasted Chickpeas (Salty)
1 (16 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt
garlic salt (optional)
cayenne pepper (optional)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Drain and rinse chickpeas, blot with a paper towel to dry them. In a bowl, toss chickpeas with olive oil, and season to taste with salt, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper, if using. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until browned and crunchy. (Shake every 10-15 minutes.)Watch carefully the last few minutes to avoid burning.
Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas
1 (16 oz can) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Drain chickpeas and rinse them under cold water until starch is removed. Place chickpeas on a paper towel to dry. You can peel of the skins if you wish.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, cinnamon, and sugar. Place chickpeas in bowl and stir until all of the chickpeas are evenly coated. Spread out the chickpeas on a large baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until chickpeas are crunchy and no longer soft in the middle.
Place hot, roasted chickpeas in a small bowl and coat evenly with honey. Spread chickpeas back out on baking sheet and allow to dry. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. (oops, I didn't do this last step, that's probably why mine were sticky...)
Note: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
Califlower Soup
2TB butter
1 medium onion
1/4 C. sifted flour
3.5 C. of Fat free half and half
1 Head of Cauliflower
1 C. shredded sharp cheddar (more for toppings)
1 C. Pepperjack cheese
1.5 TB of Dijon mustard
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
In a heavy saucepan (at least 3 quarts) melt 2 TB butter and add 1 chopped medium onion. Cook and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes until golden brown and tender. Add 1/4 cup sifted flour and stir while cooking 2 minutes. Then add 2 cups chicken broth (or 1 14 oz-ish can) and 3.5 cups fat free half and half. Add a head of cauliflower, chopped into 1″ chunks and then bring the soup to nearly boiling before you turn it down to a simmer. Cover the pot, and simmer for about 15 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Stir this while the cauliflower cooks so the milk doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. When the cauliflower is soft, blend it either with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender. Return soup to the stove and bring back to a simmer, then add 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese and 1 cup shredded pepperjack. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp salt (to taste) and 1 good squirt (1.5 TB maybe?) of dijon (or honey dijon) mustard, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg (two good shakes). Stir soup until cheese has all melted and serve with extra shredded cheddar on top. Serves 6.
Coconut Chicken Curry
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 chunks.
1 tsp salt and pepper or to taste
1 1/2 T vegetable oil
2 T curry powder
1/2 onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic crushed (i just grated the garlic)
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed diced tomatoes
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
3 T sugar
1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper
2. Heat oil and curry powder in large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook one minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
3. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar into pan and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Makes 6 servings.
Caramel Ice Cream Crunch
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
Mix together and add 1 cup of melted butter.
Pat in jelly roll pan, and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. (until golden brown)
Cool and crumble.
Put 1/2 mixture in pan.
Soften one gallon of your favorite vanilla ice cream. I used Breyer's. Layer over crust.
Put one jar of caramel-butterscotch ice cream sauce over top. Add rest of crunch on top.
Cover and freeze.
When serving, drizzle Hershey's chocolate syrup on top.
Enjoy!
Citrus-Pomegranate Quinoa (keen-wah) Salad
(From Our Best Bites)
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 medium red onion, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley (I used cilantro)
1 cup pomegranate arils
1 can garbonzo or great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup quinoa (I found this in the 'health' section at Hyvee)
2 cups water (or chicken or vegetable broth)
1-2 avocados, cut into small cubes
salt and pepper
Dressing
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2-3 tsp sugar, honey, agave, or Splenda
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
1 clove minced garlic
Rinse quinoa in water for about 5 minutes, drain and then cook with 2 cups water (bring to boil, simmer, covered for about 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed). Cool.
Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
Combine diced cucumber, minced onion, chopped cilantro (or parsley), pomegranate seeds, and drained and rinsed beans in large salad bowl. Toss with quinoa. Drizzle the dressing over the mixture and toss to combine, then chill until ready to serve. Before serving, add diced avocado and eat immediately.
Click here to learn how to de-seed a pomegranate!
Spinach and Goat Cheese
Bisque*
1 T
plus 1 tsp olive oil
2
yellow onions, chopped
½ tsp
salt, divided, plus more to taste
2 T
plus 2 cups water, divided
1 tsp
dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh
1
large Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
2 T
cream sherry or Marsala
4 cups
vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
24
cups gently packed spinach, tough stems trimmed (about 1 1/4 lbs)
Pinch
cayenne pepper
¼ tsp
ground nutmeg
½ cup
crumbled goat cheese (2 oz) plus more for garnish (I will substitute feta)
2 T
butter
1 T
fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
Soup
croutons for garnish
*I used apple juice in place of sherry; sweet potato instead of yukon gold, and feta in place of goat cheese.
Heat
oil in large skillet over high heat. Add
onions and ¼ tsp salt salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin
to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat
to low, add 2 T water and thyme and cover.
Cook, stirring frequently until pan cools down, and then occasionally,
always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a
deep caramel color, 25-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the remaining 2 cups water and ¼ tsp salt in large
soup pot; add potato. Bring to a
boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer
and cook until very soft, 12 to 15 minutes.
When onions are caramelized, stir sherry into them; add them to the pot
along with broth. Return to a
simmer. Stir in spinach, cayenne, and
nutmeg; cover and cook, stirring once, until the spinach is tender but still
bright green, about 5 minutes. Remove
from heat, stir in goat cheese, butter, and 1 T lemon juice; allow the butter
and cheese to melt. Puree the soup in the
pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth or in a regular blender in
batches. Taste and add more salt and/or
lemon juice, if desired. Serve garnished
with a large soup crouton and crumbled goat cheese, if desired.
To
make 8 soup croutons: Slice ¼ of a whole-grain baguette into 8 slices ½ inch
thick. Melt 1 T butter; lightly brush on
both sides of each slice. Place the
slices on a baking sheet. Bake at 350
until edges are crisp and golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes, keeping an eye on
them so they don’t burn.
Garlic Parmesan Edamame
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen edamame in shell (I used shelled)
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c Italian-seasoned bread crumbs (I used panko)
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
Steam edamame in microwave until slightly warm and not frozen, via microwave steamer/ sealed ziploc bag with about a tbsp of water (leave small opening for steam), microwave on high for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a small food processor, combine olive oil and garlic. Process until well-combined. Heat a wok over medium high heat. Add edamame and toss for a few seconds. Add garlic oil and saute for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Add breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and salt and toss until well coated. Serve immediately.
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