Two-Bean Soup with Kale

We tried Bountiful Baskets last week and the basket had kale in it.  I've never tried kale before so I just googled some recipes and we ended up liking this one a lot.

Two-Bean Soup with Kale

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil  
• 1 cup chopped onion
• ¼ - ½ cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth, divided
  

• 7 cups chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat a large pot oven over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and carrot and sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until kale is crisp-tender.
2. Place half of kidney beans and remaining 1 cup vegetable broth in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add pureed bean mixture, remaining kidney beans, black beans, remaining salt and pepper to soup. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Philly Style Pizza

This is just slightly altered from the recipe in the last Simple and Delicious.  It is super yummy!

Philly-Style Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp Italian salad dressing

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup shredded Colby cheese

1 cup shredded provolone cheese (or torn slices)

½ cup shredded chicken

barbecue sauce

1 (8 oz) pkg mushrooms, sliced

¼ onion, diced

1 tsp oregano

Make pizza dough. While dough is rising, saute onions until soft. Place chicken in a bowl and marinade in barbecue sauce. With hand mixer, blend cream cheese, Italian salad dressing, and garlic until smooth. After crust is spread on a pizza pan, spread cream cheese mixture over pizza dough. Top with cheese other toppings. Sprinkle with oregano. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Dilly Cucumber Salad

I love this salad. It's even better if you have all the stuff from your garden. You know, if you can get things like onions to grow...

Dilly Cucumber Salad
3 c. thinly sliced cucumbers
1 small bell pepper, julienned
1/2 c. very thinly sliced onion (I like sweet onions)
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed (or just chop some fresh stuff until you think it's enough)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally (or flipping back and forth if it's got a tight lid).

Recipe altered from Quick Cooking

Hummus

This is a yummy hummus recipe.  It doesn't taste very strong the first day it's made, so I like to make it a day ahead.


Hummus
printed from melskitchencafe.com
*Note: The prepared hummus can be prepared and refrigerated 5 days in advance . When ready to serve, stir in 1 tablespoon hot water to loosen up the texture of the hummus, if needed.
*Makes about 2 cups
3 tablespoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons tahini, stirred well
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne


Combine lemon juice and water in small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons oil in second small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish, if desired (I processed all the chickpeas in with the hummus).
Process chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through feed tube; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas (if using), cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve. Best after a day or two. **To freeze, pour into muffin tin for individual servings. Thaw in microwave then top with a bit of olive oil.

Creamy Mint Oreo Milk Shake

This pretty much speaks for itself.  Chocolate.  Mint.  Ice Cream.  Need I say more?

I actually made this w/out the chocolate syrup and it's still delish.  Mmmmm.....

Creamy Mint Oreo Milkshake

3 tbsps of chocolate syrup

10 Cool Mint Creme Oreos
1/2 cup of milk plus more, if needed
2 cups of vanilla ice cream

Blend together 2 tbsps of chocolate syrup, 8 Cool Mint Creme Oreos, milk, and vanilla ice cream.  Add additional milk, if needed, until shake is to your desired consistency. Take 1 tbsp of the chocolate syrup and put it on the bottom of the glass. Next, pour the milkshake in the glass and crumble 2 mint Oreos on top.

(We split it up between the 5 of us for a nice, just-right sized treat, rather than one big shake for one person.)  : )

Cake Mix Bar Cookies

I clipped this out of the paper once upon a time. I needed a really quick bar cookie to make today so I gave it a try. They turned out really good and chewy (mmm!). The puff up quite a bit when you cook them so don't worry if it looks like there isn't enough batter. You could do different flavored chips and/or nuts if you wanted too.

Cake Mix Bar Cookies
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs
2 T. honey
1/2 c. chocolate chips


Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips, with a mixer. Once mixed, stir in chocolate chips. Batter will be very thick.
Spread batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and cut. 


Yield: 16-20 bars

Rice with Sour Cream and Green Chiles

We all loved this rice and Justin said "Why don't you take a picture of it and type about it on the computer!"
So I did!

1 cup regular rice (not instant)
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles
1/2 pound of shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (I used the Fiesta mix)
1 3/4 cup sour cream (I had non-fat sour cream and it worked great)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Cook rice according to package directions.  Heat oven to 350.  Combine rice, chiles, about three fourths of the cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.  Place in a 2 quart casserole.  Sprinkle top with remaining cheese.  Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes, or until golden on top.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

These are super tasty and a bit different than the usual.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

6 Tbsp honey

4 ½ Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp chili powder

½ tsp garlic powder

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

8 flour tortillas

2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 (10 oz) cans green chili sauce

sour cream

shredded lettuce

sliced tomatoes

Mix honey, lime, chili, and garlic together with chicken. Let marinade stand for at least 30 minutes. Pour ½ can of green chili sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Roll chicken up in tortillas with a little cheese and place in pan. Pour chili sauce over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

Lasagna

The original recipe for this was called "Turkey Lasagna" but the turkey Italian sausage was expensive and regular Italian sausage was on sale, so I went with the regular.  I like the goat cheese in this recipe - it just adds a little something to the flavor, but it's not overpowering.   Oh, she also doesn't use much cheese on top -  I covered the lasagna in mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Mmmmm.....tasty!  One more thing - if you have a Sam's or Costco near you, it'll probably be a lot cheaper to buy the goat cheese there, and it freezes well. 

Lasagna

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds regular or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound lasagna noodles

15 ounces ricotta cheese

3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 - 2 pounds shredded mozzarella, plus extra for topping the lasagna

Preheat the oven to 400°.
Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and browned.

Recipe adapted slightly from Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook

Brazilian Cheese Buns - Pão de Queijo

These are similar to the scrumptious cheese bread that you get at Rodizios or Fogo de Chao.  Soooooo good!  When I mixed up the dough, it was too "runny", so I added more of the flour, as directed....but I added it too quickly and therefore added too much, which made these a little dry and stiff.  So if you need to add extra flour, just do it a little at a time.  The dough should be about like cream puff dough.  The flavor is excellent. 

Brazilian Cheese Buns

(Pão de Queijo )

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup milk

3/4 teaspoon table salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups tapioca flour or gluten-free tapioca starch

2 teaspoons minced garlic

heaping 2/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan, Romano, or aged Asiago cheese

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a mini muffin pan.

2) Put the butter, water, milk, and salt in a saucepan, and heat till the butter has melted and the mixture has come to a full boil. While the mixture is heating, put 2 cups of tapioca flour into a mixing bowl.

3) Pour the boiling butter mixture over the tapioca flour, beating to combine. Beat at high speed till the mixture becomes smooth and elastic-looking; this will happen very quickly.

4) Beat the garlic and cheese into the dough till well combined.

5) Stick your finger into the dough. If it's uncomfortably hot, let it sit for a couple of minutes to cool a bit; you don't want to cook the eggs when you beat them in. If it seems hot but not burning hot, continue with the next step.

6) With the mixer going, gradually dribble in the beaten eggs, beating till well combined and smooth.

7) Fill the mini muffin pan - each can be filled to the top.*

8) Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes, till they have a freckled appearance (from the browning cheese), and they're beginning to color a bit. Remove them from the oven, and serve hot.

Yield: 18 to 20 buns.

*The original recipe said to use a cookie scoop to drop the dough in balls about the size of a golf ball  onto a greased cookie sheet.  So you can do that instead, if you don't want to use a mini muffin pan.
*A note from the website:
We’ve found that tapioca starch/flour varies in its absorption capabilities. If you’re gotten this far and the batter is thinner, more like cake or pancake batter, beat in additional tapioca flour/starch till it’s thick enough to hold its shape when you scoop some onto a baking sheet. It should be the approximate consistency of cream puff batter: when you plop it onto the pan, it should settle slightly, but not spread into a puddle.

Any left overs can be warmed in the microwave before serving.

Recipe from kingarthurflour.com

Snickerdoodle Blondies

These blondies are delish.  They're best served warm.  And a little vanilla ice cream on the side is never a bad thing.  : ) 

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan (mixture will be somewhat cookiebatter-ish.) Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm, cut into bars with a sharp knife.

Recipe from dozenflours.com

Cheesy Garlic Bread

This is the best garlic bread I've ever had - I'm definitely not going to use garlic powder anymore.  It takes a bit of extra work, but it is worth it.  So yummy!

Cheesy Garlic Bread

5-6 garlic cloves, finely minced
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt, heaping
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 18-20-inch baguette or loaf of french bread, sliced in half horizontally
3/4 cup shredded cheese (a blend of Parmesan and mozzarella)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400.

In a small nonstick skillet, cook the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the butter and water over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is straw colored, 7-10 minutes. It is important to keep the heat low or the garlic will burn and turn bitter. The garlic should be lightly browned but not burned!

In a small bowl, place the remaining 7 tablespoons softened butter and the salt and pepper. Mix in the hot garlic mixture with an electric hand mixer. Using a rubber spatula, spread the butter mixture on the cut sides of bread. Sandwich the bread back together and wrap the loaf in foil. Place the wrapped loaf on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and turn the oven to the broil setting.

Sprinkle the bread with the shredded cheese. Broil until cheese has melted and bread is crisp, 1-2 minutes.  Cut into angled pieces and serve.

I got this from mel's kitchen cafe (I think).