Heart of the Kitchen

Crockpot Pork Chalupa

This is a recipe that has been modified from one in the Fix it and Forget it Cookbook

3 lb. boneless pork roast
2 cloves garlic
1 TBLS. cumin
1 TBLS. oregano
2 TBLS. chili powder
1 TBLS. salt
4 oz. can chopped green chiles
16 oz can pinto beans

Put roast in crockpot with spices and enough water to cover the roast.  Cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 6 hours.  (You can cook it longer if you need to.  The longer it cooks, the easier it is to shred.)  Shred, return to slow cooker.  Add beans and their liquid.  Cook on high for 1 hour. 

Serve over shredded lettuce, top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream if you'd like. 

Also good rolled up in tortillas!

Broccolini

1 head broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces

2 10 oz. cans chopped clams

1/2-1 cup butter

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. rigatoni or ziti

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2-1 cup grated Romano cheese

Cook and drain broccoli firm.  Drain clams; melt butter in large skillet; add garlic, broccoli and clams.  Simmer 10-15 minutes.  Meanwhile cook and drain pasta; return to hot kettle and mix in eggs thoroughly.  Pour in serving dish;add broccoli and clam mixture and mix together.  Sprinkle grated cheese over top and serve HOT.

Greens are Cropping Up All Over

Aside from using them in salads, there are many delicious recipes that make use of greens.  I will be posting some recipes that contain these nutrient dense foods in the upcoming days.  Greens are often an early crop for many farms and gardens.  Usually, you can substitute spinach, kale, chard, collards in cooked recipes according to your tastes.

Fresh Greens Pasta Pie-Crystal Lake Gardens 

10 ounces vermicelli

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

5 eggs

2 teaspoons cooking oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups chopped fresh spinach or other greens

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozarella cheese

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/8 tsp.  ground nutmeg

several shakes of hot pepper sauce (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a large pie plate.  Cook vermicelli according to package directions; drain.  Stir butter and Parmesan cheese into hot vermicelli.  Beat 2 of the eggs and stir well into pasta. Spoon mixture into pie plate and use a spoon to shape vermicelli into a pie shell.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake 10 minutes.  Set aside.  Heat oil in a small skillet, add onion and saute until tender.  Beat the remaining 3 eggs and combine with spinach, mozarella, milk, seasonings, and sauteed onions.  Spoon spinach mixture into pasta shell.  Cover pie with aluminum foil.  Bake 35minutes; uncover and bake and additional 5 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.  Six servings.

This is an attractive dish and tastes really delicious.  There is a fair amount of protein and fat due to the eggs so I use this as a main dish with the following salad.

Mixed Greens Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Red and Green Leaf Lettuces

Mustard greens (very tasty raw--spicy flavor)

Grape tomatoes

Cucumber slices

Dried Cranberries

Roasted Pecans (can be roasted in a dry skillet until hot)

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

2 T.  red wine vinegar

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, pressed

salt and pepper to taste

6 T. olive oil

1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese

Beat together vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.  Slowly beat in olive oil, then stir in blue cheese.  Chill.  (will keep up to 4 days refrigerated)

 

Mike’s Chicken Enchiladas

Here is Mike's favorite dish...we are having it for his birthday dinner with cornbread and a green tossed salad.

Ingredients:

1 1/2-2 lbs. chicken breast or tenders, cooked and shredded

4 green onions, sliced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

3 cans green enchilada sauce

8 tortillas (corn or regular)

1 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup salsa

2 cups lettuce, shredded

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tomato, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9 x 13" baking dish with cooking spray.  Lightly coat a large skillet and cook onions, cilantro and jalapeno for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add shredded chicken and 1 can enchilada sauce, cook until heated through.  Pour remaining 2 cans of enchilada sauce in a bowl, microwave until warm.  Dip each tortilla in sauce and fill with 1/8 of chicken mixture.  Roll up and lay in baking dish, seam side down.  Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake about 15 minutes until hot and cheese is melted. 

Layer plates with lettuce and a portion of enchiladas on top.  Top with salsa, sour cream and tomatoes. 

Orzo with Spinach

Ingredients:

1/2 c. Orzo

1 TBL. Butter

1/4 c. Fresh Basil, sliced in strips

1/2 C. Grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 TBL. Olive oil

2 Medium zucchini, quartered

2 1/2 c. Sliced mushrooms

1 lb. Spinach, chopped (can also use 10 large leaves swiss chard)

2 Cloves garlic, chopped

Instructions:

Boil water.  Cook orzo 10-12 minutes, drain.  Add butter, basil, cheese and lots of freshly ground pepper.  Set aside.  In large skillet heat oil, zucchini and mushrooms.  Saute until almost tender.  Add spinach and garlic.  Cook until zucchini is soft.  Toss vegetables with orzo.  Add salt to taste and more parmesan cheese on top.  Serve hot!

Pineapple Glazed Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 TBL. Oil

1 LB. Shrimp

1 Bag Frozen Sugar Snap Peas

2 Tsp. Minced Garlic

1 C. Chicken Broth

5 1/2 oz. Can of Pineapple Chunks with 1/3 cup juice

2 TBL. Corn Starch

1/4 TSP.  Ginger

Hot Cooked Rice

Cooking Directions:

Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat until hot.  Add shrimp, cook until pink.  Add snap peas and garlic.  Cook and stir until vegetables are hot.  Combine broth, pineapple juice, cornstarch and ginger in a small bowl and blend well.  Add pineapple chunks and cornstarch mix to shrimp mix.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add sliced almonds if desired.  Serve over rice. 

Black Bean Chili

Here is a recipe that I acquired from Roseann LaDue, who so graciously delivered this meal to our family after my second son was born.  Serve it with spinach salad (below) and some crusty bread and you've got a hearty, delicious meal. 

1 large onion, chopped

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 TBLS. chopped jalapeno (optional)

10 mushrooms, quartered

6 small tomatoes (I use Roma), cut in chunks

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cumin (but more is yummy!)

1 TBLS. chili powder

4 cups canned black beans, rinsed

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 bag baby spinach

Spray skillet.  Add onion, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, corn and spices.  Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.  Transfer to soup pot, add beans and broth.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Take 1 1/2 cups and puree in blender or food processor.  Return it to the pot.  Add spinach.  Cook for 10 minutes or so until spinach is wilted.  Can be served alone or with shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream on top. 

Spinach Salad with French Dressing:

Assemble the salad...

One bag baby spinach

Mushrooms, uncooked and sliced

Water Chestnuts, sliced

Bacon, fried and crumbled

Mandarin Oranges, small can

For the French dressing you'll need:

1/3 cup ketchup

1 t. salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 small onion, quartered

1 c. vegetable oil

Mix in food processor or blender until smooth

Grandma Fitch’s German Spaetzle

My grandmother made these homemade noodles or "spaetzle" quite often when I was a child. She served them with kielbasa and sauerkraut. There are many commercial spaetzle makers that form uniformly shaped noodles but, instead, my grandma scraped her dough off a cutting board into the boiling water by hand. This is the way that her little German grandmother made them.

This recipe makes enough spaetzle for two people to eat as a side dish. We make four batches for our family's dinners.

In a large soup pot, bring several quarts of water to a boil. Add a couple of slices of onion and a pinch of salt to the water.

Prepare the spaetzle dough as follows:

One cup all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur brand unbleached white)
One egg
Enough water to make a sticky dough (about 1/3 cup)

Mix ingredients , turn dough out onto a small cutting board.
Using a sharp knife, scrape a small amount of dough (about the size of a nickel) into the boiling water. Continue until all dough is used, spooning out the cooked spaetzle as they float to the surface. Butter and serve.

You can also add spaetzles to homemade chicken or turkey soup. We add them to the bowls after the soup is fully cooked. They soak up all of the broth when added directly to the soup pot.