Yogurt marinated Chicken Satay with peanut sauce

My whole family loves Thai food! We have a favorite Thai restaurant here in Saint Paul, where we order take-out once in a while, but the other day I decided to make my own chicken satays. There are many different recipes out there, but I like Taylor Florence and decided to go with his version.

Onion Tart

The past weekend was filled with good times spent with friends, and lots of cooking and good eating. I always feel like I have to "detox" after the weekend, and I put in some extra time on the treadmill this morning to jump  start my body back to reality. The latest issue of Cooking Light magazine was in  the mailbox on Friday and that is always such a treat for a foodie like me. There are many good-looking recipes in this issue, and some will undoubtedly be featured here. In fact, I immediately fell in love with the Onion tart and decided to try it right away. We had been invited to a dinner party at a friends house and had been asked to bring an appetizer. I had already decided to bring an artichoke dip (recipe to come), but I thought I'd bring both. The feedback was great. Everyone loved it, especially my husband, who asked me to make it again soon. I followed the original recipe which called for feta cheese, but when I make it again I will use goat cheese, which I think will be equally as delicious. I also thought that for serving smaller slices, the crust was a little overloaded with onions, so I have adjusted for that. You can of course serve it as a main dish of larger slices served with a side salad (Cooking light suggests an arugula and walnut mix with a simple red wine vinaigrette). Whatever you choose, I think you are going to love it!


Onion tart
1 T olive oil

Lots and lots of onion!

2 large onions, sliced

2 T chopped fresh thyme

3/4  t salt

1/4 t black pepper

1/2 (14.1-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough

(such as Pillsbury)

1/4 cup (1 ounce)

crumbled reduced- fat feta

or goat cheese

1/4 cup (heaping) shredded reduce-fat

Swiss cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, thyme, salt and pepper; cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Roll dough out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle feta (or goat cheese) in center, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border; top with onion. Sprinkle with Swiss cheese. Fold piecrust border up and over onion mixture, pleating as you go. Combine egg and 2 tablespoons water; brush over dough. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden. Cool for 10 minutes. 

Serves 8 as an appetizer, 4 as a main course.

(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, April 2011)

Kids favorite, Pasta roll-ups

These little pasta rosettes are so fun to make and  to serve. They look so fancy but you will be surprised as to how quick and easy they are to make.

Greens with apples and pomegranate seeds

I served this simple salad alongside yesterday's omelet/frittata. It is sweet and tangy and the pomegranate seeds add so much color and just the right amount of crunchiness. All ingredients to make something simple, wonderful.

Winter wedge salad

Dressing: 1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

2 T red wine vinegar

1/2 t soy sauce

Salad:

1 red apple, cored, quartered cut into slices

I head romaine lettuce, torn into large pieces

1 shallot, separated into rings

1/4 cup pomegranate seed

In small bowl, thoroughly combine first 4 ingredients, add apple slices to bowl, stirring to completely coat with dressing. In a large serving bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Top with apples. Drizzle with additional dressing.

Recipe based on idea from Kowalski's magazine, 2011

Deep dish omelet

This deep dish omelet is very similar to what we in the US refer to as Frittata (in our house we refer to it by its Norwegian name, "ostepanne"). It is a great way to empty out your fridge and use leftovers of veggies and cheese. Except for the leek, I had all the ingredients already in my fridge. I make a version of this on a regular basis, and  the beauty of it is that it is always different, depending on what I have available. This is the first time I have put potatoes in it (an idea I got from looking through my Ina Garten cookbook, Back to Basics). I left them unpeeled and it turned out great! My son was lamenting that there was no meat in it, and of course sausage or bacon or ham would be great, but I am staying true to my pledge of having one vegetarian day a week, so I left the meat out (he ended up eating three pieces anyway). As a side I made a really good salad using apples and pomegranate seeds (recipe to come).

Deep dish omelet with potatoes, broccoli and leeks

Lovely veggies!

1 T olive oil

8 large eggs

6 T milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup broccoli florets

1 heaping cup leeks, sliced thin

2 cups grated cheese (I used 1 cup Swiss and 1 cup cheddar)

1 t dried oregano

1 T butter

Beat eggs and milk together in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a medium skillet, over medium heat, heat oil and saute potatoes and peppers, until potatoes are tender about 12 minutes. Add broccoli saute another 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, over low heat, melt butter and add egg mixture. Sprinkle cooked vegetables evenly over the eggs. Add leeks and top with cheese. Sprinkle oregano over top. Cook covered, over low heat until egg has set, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 6-8

Recipe by, For the love of dinner, 2011



Fiesta chicken Chili Bianco

Tired of your usual chili recipe? Try this white version with chicken. This recipe was past on to me by a vendor that visited Cooks where I work. She had adapted it from it's original feature in one of our local newspapers, and I have made my own adaptation as well. More proof that a recipe certainly is a living thing. I used chicken in my version, but turkey (chunks or ground) works well too. I am always looking forward to making and eating this chili. I just know it is so good. In fact, my son asked me recently when I would be making it. So for him and all of you, here it is!

Ingredients:

Fiesta

1 1/2 T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 T cumin

1 t oregano

1/4 cup flour

20 oz. low sodium chicken broth

2 cups diced , cooked chicken breast

1 4oz. can chopped mild green chillies

1 large can (14oz) Great Northern beans, rinsed
1/4 t cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Toppings:
Sliced green onions
Minced fresh cilantro

Preparation:
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, saute first 7 ingredients until slightly browned and softened. Dust the flour over the vegetables, stir to incorporate completely.
Slowly add the chicken broth. Continue by adding the chicken and next 3 ingredients. Season to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Add cheese and sour cream. Stir until cheese is melted and  chili is heated trough.
Garnish to taste.

I served this with black bean tortilla chips and guacamole on the side.

My favorite toasted sub sandwich

This weekend I made these tasty sub sandwiches for lunch and I just love them so much I wanted to share them with you all.