April's Inspirations » Recipes

After School Snack Ideas

aprillaw — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:33:08 +0000

Edamame: Heat frozen edamame in a microwave for two to three minutes, then sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
Frothy milkshake: In a blender, blend low-fat 1 percent (or fat-free) milk, chocolate powder, 1 teaspoon of flax seed or wheat germ with ice cubes.
Fruit smoothie: Blend low-fat vanilla yogurt, cut-up fruit of your choice and ice cubes. You can also use plain yogurt and add a little pure vanilla extract.
A handful of whole wheat crackers or pretzels

Homemade trail mix: Mix a medley of raisins, nuts, dried cranberries and semisweet dark chocolate chips (try not to go too heavy with the chocolate chips).
Milk shake: Blend low-fat milk with cut up fruit (try strawberry or banana and ice cubes and a teaspoon of sugar, if needed). This is also great when you use vanilla soy milk or plain soy milk; add a little bit of honey or agave nectar when using plain soy, which you can find at stores that sell health food.
Low-fat popcorn: If your children are over the age of 3, a fun activity is to pop popcorn the old-fashioned way—with a little oil and whole kernels in a pot. Sprinkle the popcorn lightly with salt or Parmesan cheese.

Sparkling juice mix: Combine 1/2 cup of pure fruit juice with 1/2 cup of sparkling water.
Pizza bagels: Coat a mini bagel with tomato sauce, shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese and a sprinkling of garlic powder and oregano.
Fizzy drink: Combine seltzer with splash of juice of your choice.
Yogurt sundae: In a parfait glass, layer several times low-fat vanilla yogurt, berries (in season or defrosted) and a sprinkling of low-fat granola.

information from the Oprah website

All-Purpose Marinated … You Fill In The Blank

aprillaw — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:43:00 +0000

Use this delicious citrus marinade with fish, chicken, pork or beef.

Ingredients

Chicken breast, thighs, and legs (alternatively, use halibut, one inch-thick pork chops, or flank steak)
2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
10 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stems and chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Zest and juice of 1 orange

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Preheat grill to medium-high.

In a gallon plastic bag or a high-sided baking dish mix, whisk together the orange, lemon, and lime juice and zest, thyme leaves, grainy mustard, and EVOO. Place meat into the marinade and let sit for at least 15 minutes. If using all the meats and fish, place into separate containers making sure the different types of meat aren’t touching. Use the plastic gallon bag for easier cleanup and storage.

When your grill is ready, take the meat and/or fish out of the marinade and discard the rest. Place on the grill and cook until desired doneness. (halibut – 3 minutes on each side; pork chops – 5 minutes per side; chicken breast, thighs and legs – 4-5 minutes per side; flank steak – 4 minutes per side) Take meat off the heat and let rest for about 3-5 minutes.

information from Rachael Ray website

Spanish Style Pork Chops with Chorizo and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Green Beans

aprillaw — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:28:52 +0000

Spanish Style Pork Chops with Chorizo and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Green Beans

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, plus some for drizzling
4 large, boneless center-cut pork chops, 1 1/2-inches thick
1/2 tablespoon paprika or smoked sweet paprika, half a palm full
Salt and pepper
1/4 pound chorizo, casing removed, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves, 4 sprigs
1 (16-ounce) jar pequillo peppers or roasted red peppers, drained
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, a couple of generous handfuls
1/4 cup dry sherry or dry white wine, eyeball it
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed, available ready-prepped in sacks at many markets
1 lemon
Marcona almonds or sliced almonds toasted in butter, your choice
Cheesy Rice, recipe follows, optional
Crusty bread, to pass at table

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Season the chops with paprika, salt, and pepper. Place chops in skillet and sear meat to caramelize, about 2 minutes each side. Transfer the chops to a cookie sheet and place in the oven to finish off, 8 to 10 minutes, or until meat is firm to touch, but not tough. Remove from the oven and let the chops rest covered with a piece of aluminum foil for a few minutes.

While the chops are in the oven, return the skillet to the cook top over medium heat. Add the diced chorizo and cook stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook meat and onions for about 3 minutes.

Bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a boil in another skillet with a lid.

Grind the peppers and parsley in a food processor until smooth. Add the sherry or wine to the sausage and onions and stir, then stir in the ground peppers. Cook another minute or 2 or until the peppers are heated through.

Place green beans in boiling water. Salt it and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and dress with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.

Place a chop on each dinner plate and top with the chorizo-roasted pepper sauce. Serve with green beans, garnished with Marcona or toasted almonds, Cheesy Rice and/or crusty bread, for plate-mopping.

Manchego Cheesy Rice:
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cups chicken stock
Handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 cup grated Manchego cheese
Salt and pepper

Melt butter over medium heat in a medium sauce pot. Add rice and toast in butter 2 minutes. Add stock and bring rice up to a boil. Cook rice 17 to 18 minutes until tender and liquids are absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff rice with fork, then stir in the parsley and cheese. Season the rice with salt and pepper, to taste.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ease of preparation: easy

to see a picture of this lovely dish visit

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_36232,00.html

information retrieved from the Food network website (30 min meals)

Strawberry Ricotta Flowers

aprillaw — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:20:53 +0000

Strawberry Ricotta Flowers

Ingredients

10 strawberries
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 tablespoons honey
Zest of 1 orange
10 mint leaves

Yields: 5 servings

Preparation

Hold a strawberry with the stem side in your hand. With a knife, make an X in the bottom of the berry, cutting almost 3/4 of the way into it. Make one more cut right through the middle of the X so it looks like a star.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, mix up the cheese, honey and orange zest. Scoop the mixture into a re-sealable plastic bag and snip off one corner to resemble a pastry bag. Gently squeeze the cheese mixture in the middle of the star shape slice you have made in each berry so it looks as if it has little petals. Garnish each berry with a mint leaf.

To see a picture of this lovely dessert please visit

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/strawberry-ricotta-flowers/

information from the Rachael Ray website…

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

aprillaw — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:16:34 +0000

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus additional for drizzling
3 to 4 large onions, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pizza dough, store-bought or from your favorite pizzeria
Cornmeal or flour, for sprinkling
2 cups (a few generous handfuls) shredded provolone cheese
1/2 pound deli-style roast beef, roughly chopped or torn

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. If you’re using fresh dough from a pizzeria, take it out of the fridge and bring it up to room temperature before stretching it out.

Place a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add EVOO. Add the onions to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until caramelized, about 15-20 minutes, stirring every now and then so the onions don’t burn. When caramelized, remove from heat and reserve.

Sprinkle some cornmeal or flour on the baking sheet so it doesn’t stick on the bottom then roll out the dough and stretch it to make it fit the pan. Brush it with EVOO and bake for 10-15 minutes, until almost cooked through.

Spread the caramelized onions out over the dough to cover. Add the torn pieces of roast beef and cover with cheese.

Bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese bubbles and brown up.

information from the Rachael Ray website

Almond Cookies

aprillaw — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:27:07 +0000

Robin McGraw’s Almond Cookies

Ingredients

1 pound (4 sticks) margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup blanched sliced almonds, finely chopped
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar

Yields: About 4 dozen cookies

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250°F.

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine margarine, sugar, vanilla extract and chopped almonds using a rubber spatula.

Fold in the flour – you want the dough to be dense enough to handle with your hands. Sometimes it will take more flour to make this happen, so start with 3 1/2 cups and add flour as necessary.

Roll spoonfuls of the dough into balls about the size of a small walnut and arrange them on a cookie sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the cookies are no longer doughy and are cooked through.

Remove the cookies from the oven and, while still hot, roll and toss around in a bowl with the powdered sugar. Once coated, allow to cool. And then they’re ready to eat!

these cookies are really tasty and easy to make, hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

information from the Rachael Ray website

Green Salad With Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

aprillaw — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:21:01 +0000

Green Salad With Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 teaspoons strawberry jam
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chopped romaine or mixed greens of any kind
6 strawberries, sliced

Yields: 2 servings

Preparation

Place jam in a medium bowl and whisk in the vinegar then EVOO. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Add greens to the bowl and toss to coat evenly with dressing. Garnish with sliced strawberries.

I enjoy this salad alot so, I figured I would share it with you. I am usually not a big fan of vinaigrette dressings, however with this salad I enjoyed the whole salad greatly!!

Information from the Rachael Ray website

Buffalo Chicken Chili Mac

aprillaw — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Buffalo Chicken Chili Mac

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 pounds (about 4 to 6, depending on size) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bits
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
5 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce, depending on how hot you like it
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 scallions, root ends removed and thinly sliced

Yields: 6 servings

Preparation

To make cutting the chicken easier, place it into the freezer for about 15 minutes until it firms up slightly but isn’t frozen through. This will let you cut it up quickly into small pieces.

Preheat broiler and place a large pot of salted water over high heat to bring up to a boil for the whole wheat elbow macaroni.

Place a large pot over medium-high heat and add 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the chicken bits and brown them, about 5-6 minutes. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, bay leaf and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the veggies, stirring frequently, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the hot sauce and crushed tomatoes, and bring up to a bubble. Simmer the chili for 8-10 minutes to let the flavors come together and thicken it slightly.

While the chili is simmering, toss the pasta into the boiling salted water and cook until al dente according to package directions. Once cooked, drain the pasta and toss it into the chili, then transfer everything to a casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the top and place it under the broiler until the cheeses have melted and the top is golden brown, 2-3 minutes.

Sprinkle the chopped scallions over the top and watch this one disappear in no time.

Information from the Rachael Ray website

Veggie Cleaner Spray

aprillaw — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:07:22 +0000

Sophie Uliano’s Veggie Cleaner Spray

If you can’t buy organic produce, you need to make sure you wash it thoroughly. Use this spray to make sure your fruit and vegetables are squeaky clean.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 Tbsp. baking soda
20 drops of grapefruit seed extract*

Combine all ingredients in a large container. Then, transfer to a spray bottle with a pump. Spray mixture on produce, and rinse thoroughly after 5 to 10 minutes.

*Grapefruit seed extract is available at your local health food store.

Bunny Spread

aprillaw — Sun, 25 May 2008 22:48:46 +0000

Bunny Spread

Ingredients

1/2 cup shredded carrots (store-bought is fine)
1 celery rib, finely chopped
3 tablespoons salad olives with pimiento, finely chopped
2 scallions, green and white parts finely chopped
8 ounces low-fat or regular cream cheese, softened at room temperature

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Here is a quick, simple way to get the family eating some veggies, use this on toast, bagels, crackers, basically anything you like

Information retrieved from the Rachael Ray website