Scallion and Mozzarella Biscuits

So, I was making more ranch dressing and noticed my buttermilk is nearing it's date. When I bought it, they didn't have any more of the smaller containers, just the half gallon, so I had only used half of it! Not wanting to waste my money on allowing it to spoil, I decided to bake! My first adventure was to make biscuits, which, I have to admit, I haven't made before. They were super good, though!!

If you want to stuff your face with these (I don't want to mention how many I ate! Behbeh ate a few, too, though! I'm not the only pig!!);
This recipe takes about 20 minutes to prep and bake!

1 2/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unalted margerine, diced and chilled
6 scallions very thinly sliced
3/4 cup buttermilk
cooking spray
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Sift flour, baking powder, soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add butter and use your fingers to work into flour until pieces no larger than peas remain. Stir in scallions and buttermilk until just combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather into a ball and knead a couple of times. Press down dough until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out biscuits with a 2 1/2 inch cutter, or a glass (I lucked out and have a glass that exact width at the top! Place onto an ungreased, foil lined baking sheet. Press scraps together, press down to 1/2 inch thickness, and cut. Continue until you no longer have enough dough to make a full biscuit (I rolled the remaining into a ball and made a donut hole looking biscuit! I don't want to waste!!). Spray the tops with butter flavored cooking spray and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Bake until biscuits have risen and are just golden on the bottom, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve warm!

This recipe made me 16 biscuits, but will differ based on how big you cut them.

These were super delicious!! What I did with the extra was seal them in a ziplock and refrigerate over night, then popped the bag in the freezer in the morning. This way, I won't get as many large ice crystals, and I can have biscuits ready to heat in the microwave whenever the mood hits!!

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

I love, love, love chicken pot pies, so I was super excited while making it! It was so so good!! My little man sucked his down, and loved watching the "Paw Pies" bake in the oven! I served it with a super simple salad of chopped red leaf lettuce tossed with a balsalmic v1negarette I made (1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 3 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar, salt and pepper) and topped with some shaved parmesean. Mmmmmm!!


Ya, I'm not gonna feed my two year old out of a ceramic ramekin, so I dished his out like this! And, look! You can see what the filling looks like! Genius, I am!
















To put this in your belly;
This recipe takes about 50 minutes to prep and cook.

cooking spray
1 pound chicken breasts or thighs, whichever you prefer, cubed
salt
pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrot, diced (3 or 4, size dependant)
1 cup celery, diced (4 or 5 stalks, depending on size)
1 medium potato, cubed
2 1/4 cups milk
1 can 99% fat free, low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 tablespoon chicken buillon (or 1 cube if using cubes)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 sheet puffed pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large pot or dutch oven sprayed with cooking spray, cook the chicken over meduim heat until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add onions and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Stir in carrots and celery and cook until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in potato, milk, soup, buillon, nutmeg, and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until potato is soft.

Meanwhile, roll out the puffed pastry to about half it's original thickness. Lay a ramekin, top side down, and, using a paring knife, cut the pastry 1/2 inch wider than the ramekin. When needed, roll the pastry into a ball and roll back out until you have made enough rounds to cover all ramekins (I was able to make 6 rounds out of mine.)

Add peas. With a fork or whisk, in a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Add in a few spoonfulls of the liquid from the pot to bring the temperature of the slurry up. Stir the slurry into the pot pie filling, bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer until thickened. Stir in parsley.

Ladel the filling into each ramekin. Wet your finger and dampen the edges of the pastry round. Lay on top of the filled ramekins and press the edges down so they stick to the sides of the ramekin and form a seal. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet (Or 2 if they weigh down the pan too much), spray with butter flavored cooking spray, and sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Cut a slit or three in the tops of each pastry and bake for 15 minutes, until the pastry puffs up and turns a pretty light golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes so you don't render yourself unable to taste!

Place each ramekin on a plate (Since it's hot and no one wants to touch hot bowls!), and sprinkle the top with some freshly grated parmesan. Enjoy!! Be careful, it's hot!!

This recipe makes 6 to 12 pot pies, depending on ramekin size!

I made mine with 8 oz ramekins, because it's what I have and I'm into the smaller portion size, so it made 12 for me, but if you have 10 oz ones, it will probably make 8.

Chicken with Corona Lime Sauce, Chili Lime Corn, and Baked Potatoes

Husband's cutter came into port for the weekend, and he had 3 days off, so I was able to pick him up and bring him home! He wanted chicken, corn, and a baked potato for dinner, so I went through my fridge to figure out how to jazz it up! This is what I did!

This was really really good! You can't see the seasoning on the corn in the picture, but when you make it, you can see it!!

To make the chicken;
This recipe takes about 20 minutes to prep and cook.

2 chicken breasts, halved diagonally (I know the picture shows a full breast. Hubbs wanted a whole one!)
cajun seasoning
cooking spray
1 bottle Corona
1/4 cup fat free, low sodium chicken stock
1 teaspoon lime zest
juice from 1/2 of a lime
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour, if desired
chopped cilantro

Season chicken on both sides with cajun seasoning. Spray a large pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat, and cook chicken until no longer pink, about 10 to 12 minutes, flipping once. Remove from skillet and either tent with foil or place into a warmed oven.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour in 1/2 cup of the Corona. Stir, scraping up the brown bits off the bottom. Stir in the chicken stock and lime zest, and simmer until reduced by half, around 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice, and 2 tablespoons more Corona (To give the sauce a fresh beer flavor.), and season with salt and pepper. If the sauce isn't thick enough for you, whisk in the flour, bring to a boil, and reduce back to a boil to allow the flour to thicken the sauce. Plate the chicken and spoon sauce over. Squeeze with a little bit more lime juice, garnish with some cilantro, and enjoy!

Okay, mine didn't have cilantro, because I was all out and also had run clear out of parsley! But if I had some cilantro, I would have put some on there!

This recipe serves 4.

For the super yummy Chili Lime Corn;
This recipe takes about 5 minutes to prep and cook.

3 cups frozen corn (You could also make this with 4 whole ears of corn!)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
lime juice

Heat a pot of water to a boil. While you're waiting for the water to boil, make the seasond butter. To do that, in a small bowl, mash together the butter, lime zest, salt, chili powder and cayenne with a fork. Refrigerate until ready to use. When the water has reached a boil, add the frozen corn and boil for about 2 to 3 minutes, until heated but not soft. If you're using ears, boil for 5 to 7 minutes.

When the corn is done, drain and add back to the pot, and toss with the butter (If using ears, slather the corn with butter). Squeeze a little lime juice over the top and serve!

This recipe serves 4.

For the baked potatoes;
This recipe takes 40 to 50 minutes to cook.

4 baking potatoes
Whatever you like in your potato!


Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Scrub and dry the potatoes. When your oven is ready, place them in the oven, directly on the rack. Don't prick or rub with oil, just toss them in there! Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until tender in the middle. Cut it open in an X shape and load it up however you like!

This recipe serves 4.

Roasted Veggie Frittata

As much as I do like breakfast tacos, I get bored of eating the same thing over and over, so I decided to make a frittata! Oh, lord, it was so good!!



To have this on your table;
This recipe takes about 25 minutes to prep and cook.

1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen stir fry vegetables
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh basil, sliced into a chiffonade, divided
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Thaw the vegetables in a collander under cold running water, tossing occasionally with your hands. This should only take a couple of minutes. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread out the vegetables in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes, stir, then bake another 10 minutes, stirring once.

In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the onion and garlic over medium heat until tender, 3 minutes. In a small bowl, beat together eggs, buttermilk, salt and pepper. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the basil.

Add roasted vegetables to the pan and spread evenly. Add in egg. As mixture sets, run a apatula along the edge of the skillet to allow uncooked eggs to run underneath. Continue cooking and lifting edges until mixture is almost set and still moist on top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

If your skillet's handle isn't oven safe, wrap it in a couple of layers of aluminum foil. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the top is set and cheese is melted. Run a spatula around the edges of the frittata and invert onto a large plate, then flip, cheese side up, onto a cutting board. Cut into 4 wedges and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and reserved basil.

Enjoy! It is super delicious!!

This recipe serves 4.

Turkey Chili and Buttermilk Cornbread

So, okay, I have to admit, I am TOTALLY one of those Texans who does not believe beans belong in chili. Texas chili came from a Mexican chili made of simmered peppers. Being Texans, they had to add meat! I did put beans in this recipe because it helps stretch the meat, and when you're trying to save money, you want to stretch out your protein as far as you can. It was really good, I must admit! I still prefer beanless chili, but this really was a great dish! The day I made it, I had a leftover roll from the BBLT's I made(http://http//awesomenoshin.blogspot.com/2010/08/broccoli-and-cheddar-soup-with-bblt.html), so I hollowed it out and made a bread bowl. I took the bread I scooped out and seasoned it, then baked it off to make rough croutons. I also made more cornbread using the same basic recipe I did when I made it with the Roasted Corn and Crab Chowder, but I changed it up some!

This is really good, both in a bread bowl and in a soup bowl with cornbread!!

If this is causing you to salivate, here is how to alleviate that problem;
This recipe takes about 30 minutes to prep and cook.

olive oil cooking spray
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground 93/7 turkey breast
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 can red kidney beans, rinced and drained, or 1 frozen package, thawed, keeping liquid
1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices.
1 1/2 teaspoons siracha sauce
2 teaspoons Tobasco sauce
1 tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 red onion, minced
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup grated pepper jack cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a dutch oven coated with cooking spray, cook onion and garlic over medium heat until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the turkey, bell peppers and jalapeno and cook until peppers start to soften, about 3 minutes. Drain off any fat. Stir in chili powder and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the beans and tomatoes and let come to a simmer. If you used canned beans, add 1 1/2 cups fat free, low sodium chicken stock. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in siracha and Tobasco.

Ladel chili into bowls and top with tomato, avocado, red onion, cheeses, and cilantro. Serve with cornbread and go to town!

This recipe serves 6.

For the cornbread, follow the recipe here;
http://awesomenoshin.blogspot.com/2010/07/roasted-corn-and-crab-chowder-and.html

But make these changes;
Add 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to the dry ingredients, omit jalapeno and chipotle pepper. Substitute the cheddar cheese with Pepper Jack and bake. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley and serve alongside the chili!

I hope you like it as much as my son and I did! He annhialated his bowl!!

Huevos Rancheros

So, yesterday I had run out of soup for lunch, and I didn't want to make what I was making for dinner that night, so I searched my kitchen for what I had to figure out what to make for lunch, and ended up on Huevos Rancheros! Yummy! I love spicy fried eggs! I have eggs drenched in tobasco every morning, usually in the form of an omelette or scrambeled for tacos or quesadillas. That's how I use up leftover veggie side dishes, or extra raw veggies I have. I always sautee them up and either fold them into an omelette or use them in a ta co or quesadilla. I'm not terribly creative in the morning. I used to make a lot of waffles, I just haven't in a while for whatever reason. Probably because a breakfast of egg, veggies, a bread and some milk is more balanced. When I have waffles, I only eat waffles, not fruit or protein, just 2 enormous waffles! If I make them with fruit in them or a fruit topping there's fruit in there!

Anyway, I digress. Here is my huevo lunch!!



Here's how to get this on your table:
This recipe takes 15 minutes to prep and cook.

cooking spray
5 corn tortillas
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped, plus extra for garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
4 eggs
salt or cajun seasoning
pepper
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese

Thickly spray cooking spray into a small pan and heat over medium high heat. When hot enough to sizzle the tortillas, add them, one at a time. When the bottom has crisped, about two minutes, spray the top of the tortilla and flip. Cook until crisp and remove from skillet on to paper towels. Blot and keep 4 warm on a baking sheet in a 300 degree oven. Reserve the 5th tortilla.

For salsa, cook onion and garlic in a pan sprayed with cooking spray over medium-high heat until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor. Tear reserved tortilla into pieces and add to blender. Cover and process until it becomes a coarse puree.

Coat the skillet with additional cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Carefully break eggs into the pan, sprinkle with salt or cajun seasoning and pepper. Fry to desired doneness.

Place a tortilla on each of 4 plates, top with an egg and spoon some salsa over. Sprinke with cheese and reserved cilantro.

This recipe serves 4.

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup with a BBLT (Better BLT!)

Hi, all! I'm sorry I have been bad about updating my blog much! I've had a lot to do around the house with Hubby being gone. I'll try better, I promise!!

So I made a really yummy Broccoli Cheddar Soup! It's not like most, where the soup is really just liquid cheese with a skant amount of broccoli floretts tossed in. This is mostly veg with some cheese stirred in at the end of cooking. So it isn't the vibrant yellow you usually see, but it is super yummy! I actually think it's better, because you can taste both the broccoli and the cheese, instead of it all being the cheese. I call the BLT a Better BLT because I use a white bean dip instead of mayo, and instead of loading up with a quarter pound of bacon per sandwich, I just use two slices. Don't worry, you can still taste the bacon and pick up that nice crunch! If you want to make it even healthier, use turkey bacon or veggie bacon. I prefer pork, and pork bacon saves me money! I'm not the biggest fan of veggie meat, I don't find it very good, but if you do, then go for it, your arteries will thank you! Of course, I use whole wheat rolls inestead of white. It's not only a Better BLT because it's healthier, but it's also tastier than one loaded with mayo on tasteless white bread!

When I make recipes calling for canned beans, I make my own. For the cost of a can, I can buy a pound of beans (Actually, dry beans are cheaper.), and make enough beans for 4 cans! What I do is soak them over night when I bring them home and cook them the next morning while I make breakfast. I let them cool slightly and put the beans and liquid into 4 quart sized zip top bags. I measured it up, by putting beans and liquid into a can and seeing how much of each fits. A 15 oz can of beans equals 1 1/2 cups of beans, and 1/2 cup liquid. Then I write on the bag the type of bean, since color isn't always the best clue, and refrigerate all day. Before I go to bed, I flatten out the bags, and pop them in a single layer in my freezer, and stack them up the next morning once they're frozen hard. When I need to use them, I just pull them out of the freezer into the fridge the night before when I'm moving my meat. Not only does this save money, but it helps you control the sodium level of your beans. I don't salt them when I cook them, so that when I cook with the beans, I can better control the overall saltiness of my dish. It's not inconvenient, so why not save a little money and a lot of salt?


Okay, the soup is not the prettiest thing ever, but it is awesome!!

So, if you want to make the soup, here is what you do;
This takes about 20 minutes to prep and make.

cooking spray
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 heads broccoli, florets cut into bite-sized pieces and stems chopped
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, diced
2 red potatoes, diced
3 cups low fat, low sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
salt
pepper

In a saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook onion and garlic over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes

Add broccoli, potatoes, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer, covered, until the broccoli and potato are softened, about 7 minutes.

Transfer 1/2 to 3/4 of the soup into a blender. Cover with a dish towel and puree until smooth. Return to the saucepan. Add the cheese, reserving just enough to garnish, and the buttermilk, and cook over low until the cheese melts, but do not allow to boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladel into bowls and top with the reserved cheese.

This recipe serves 6.

That BBLT is fantastic and you need it in your belly, so here is how you do it!
This recipe takes 10 minutes to prep and cook.

4 whole wheat rolls
1/4 cup white bean dip (recipe follows)
8 leaves red leaf lettuce (Or you can use watercress or arugula!)
2 carrots, grated
8 slices bacon
1 avocado, sliced
8 thick slices tomato (1 or 2 tomatoes, depending on size.)

Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large skillet until crispy. Transfer to paper towels and blot off excess grease.

Halve the rolls. In a dry pan, toast, cut side down, over medium heat until crispy and slightly browned. Spread with the white bean spread, then top each bottom with 2 leaves lettuce, 1/4 of the carrots, 2 clices of tomato, 1/4 of the avocado, and 2 slices of bacon. Top with the other half of the bread, and enjoy!

This recipe serves 4.

White Bean Dip
This takes 2 minutes prep and make.

1 large clove garlic, coarsley chopped
1 can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons coarsley chopped parsley
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

In a blender or food processor, add garlic, beans, parsley, and lemon juice, and pulse until pureed. With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve it warmed up, at room temperature, or chilled! This is also great with veggie dippers and pita bread!

This recipe makes about 1 cup.