Turnip "Fries"

For a change why not use turnips instead of potatoes when you make fries?  Or make half and half turnips and potatoes like I did here. (Sometimes you have to ease them into something new right?)

1 turnip
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 shakes worcestershire sauce
salt and garlic powder to taste

Wash, peel and cut the turnip like you would a potato.

Take a plastic bag and toss all the ingredients with the turnip.

Spread them out on a parchment lined baking sheet (alongside the potatoes)

and bake in a 450 F oven for 25-30 minutes.

I think they look better than the potato fries.

Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast

Creamy warm comfort-food breakfast. I made it for a change from oatmeal and cream of wheat.  But it might have just become my new favourite hot cereal!

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups milk
pinch salt
1 tbsp whey powder (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsps honey
1 cup blueberries
2 tsp ground flax
2 tbsps slivered almonds

Rinse quinoa and strain until water runs clear.  Now in a saucepan warm the milk on medium temperature 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the quinoa,  salt and whey if you are using it. Simmer on medium-low about 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, honey and blueberries.

Serve topped with ground flax and slivered almonds.
And a little table cream poured over the top makes it even creamier!

Swiss Chicken and Potatoes

Trying to add calories to a meal is not what I'm used to, but when cooking for someone who is fighting cancer you need to add calories wherever you can. I even added a couple of tablespoons of whey powder to the 14% sour cream.  If you don't want or need the extra calories, no problem, use low fat cheese and sour cream. 

2-3 cups cooked chicken
6 slices Swiss  cheese (or mozzarella)
1 - 1  1/2 lbs sliced potato rounds (4-5 medium)
1 - 10 oz (284 ml) can cream of mushroom soup
1 - 10 oz (284 ml) can cream of asparagus soup
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 cup 14% fat sour cream
2 cups homemade garlic croutons or Stove top stuffing
Sprinkle of bacon bits if you have them

If you are interested, here's the recipe for homemade garlic croutons  http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2015/01/garlic-croutons.html

Put the potato slices in a pot of salted water. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Leave covered for 10 minutes. 
In the meantime stir the chicken, soups and parsley together. 
Drain the potatoes and fold them in too.  
Spray a 13 X 9" baking dish and pour in the chicken mixture.
Toss the croutons or Stove Top stuffing  mix with the sour cream. Spoon on top of the chicken and potatoes.

Lay the slices of cheese over top and sprinkle with bacon bits.

Bake uncovered in a 375 F oven for 25-30 minutes.

Rest 5 minutes before cutting. And surprisingly the potatoes held their shape so a nice piece was easy to cut.  It didn't make a sloppy mess!

Garlic Croutons

1 loaf  stale French or Italian crusty bread
1/2 cup butter (not marg)
1 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Leave your bread out overnight or even better pickup a loaf of day old bread on the clearance rack. Cut into 2 inch cubes. 
Melt butter, salt and garlic in a deep pan like a wok. If you like more garlic, go for it. Once the butter is melted remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bread cubes.  Toss well to evenly coat. See why a wok is a good idea.
Spread the bread out on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake at 375 F for 15 - 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Wouldn't these look and taste great on your next salad? And don't forget to sprinkle those toasty pieces of garlic on too.

And they freeze well too! Just ziplok serving sizes of croutons and defrost as needed. Who knew?

Steamed or Baked Asian Pear

Over the holiday period we received this lovely box of Korean pears from the family of our daughter's boyfriend. (Also known as Asian, Chinese, Japanese or apple pears)

I had only ever eaten one raw, but had never cooked one. 

We were told that in Korea people steam their pears, eaten warm as a remedy for sore throat and cough.
Also tasty served cold as a dessert.

This was my first attempt at cooked Korean pear.

Ingredients:

1 Korean pear
2 tbsps honey
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1  1/2 tbsps chopped nuts, I used cashews
1 tbsp dried cranberries
sprinkle of cinnamon

Every pear comes packed in it's little protective sleeve. (These would be great if you are going to be moving.  Save them for packing cups or other breakables, but I digress)  
Wash the pear and slice the top off.

Cut down around the core with a knife, being careful not to cut through the bottom or your finger : )
Then scoop out the core with a spoon.

Put the rest of the ingredients in the cavity of the pear

and sprinkle with cinnamon. Replace the top.

Steam in a double boiler for 1 hour.

It's amazing how it stayed so firm, or maybe I didn't steam it long enough. 

Next I tried a baked pear, similar to how I would normally make a baked apple.

I cut the pear in half. They are incredibly BIG!

The two halves fit perfectly in my 9 X 5 X 3" loaf pan, nice and snug.

Half fill the cavity with raisins, chopped dates or prunes.

Mix together:

2 tbsps brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp chopped nuts (your choice)

Put this mixture in next tapping down gently. And again, sprinkle with cinnamon.

Top with 1/2 tsp butter each. 

Add 3/4 cup of boiling water to the bottom of the pan.

Bake at 375F for 1 hour spooning juices over top.

And it still kept it's shape!

Now what else can I make with Asian pear I wonder?

Tex-Mex Spaghetti Squash

So I finally got around to posting this recipe that I made with the other half of the squash left from my Baked Two Spaghetti Squash found here:
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2014/12/baked-two-spaghetti-squash.html

As with that last squash recipe take the squash half and microwave for 10 minutes.  Cool and use a fork to scoop out the "spaghetti". Reserve squash shell.

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 spaghetti squash
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 tsps chili powder
a couple grinds black pepper
1/2 cup kernel corn
1 cup salsa
1 cup cheese (monterey jack, cheddar or mozzarella)
chili flakes (optional)
2 tbsps fresh parsley 

Brown beef, onion and garlic in a frying pan until the beef is cooked.  Add cumin, chili powder, pepper, parsley and corn.

Mix together the squash with the beef mixture then add 1/2 a cup of the salsa and 1 cup shredded cheese.
Pile it all into the squash shell.  Any extra can go into a sprayed baking dish.

Top with the remaining 1/2 cup salsa and bake at 375F for 30 minutes.

Not too fancy, but tasty.

I was a little pressed for time but you could definitely get a little more creative with the recipe adding black beans and chopped green pepper.  Serving it with sliced avocado and sour cream would be perfect.

Slow Cooker Chili (Vegetarian, Turkey, Beef or au Gratin)

I swear.....this is the last recipe using leftover turkey from last week's Christmas dinner!

Of course you can make this a vegetarian chili too.  Just leave out the meat and use vegetable broth.

1  lb (2 cups) cooked leftover turkey, chopped
        (or 1 lb ground beef)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
olive oil
2 cups broth (vegetable, chicken or beef)
28 oz can diced tomatoes 
1  1/2 - 2 tbsps tomato paste
3 tbsps chili powder
couple pinches cayenne pepper
3/4 - 1 cup cooked quinoa (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp pepper
19 oz can red kidney beans
19 oz can white kidney beans
fresh parsley to garnish

Crush and mince the garlic and set aside.  Chop the celery and onion. In a frying pan heat a couple of tbsps olive oil and add the onion, celery and garlic. At this point if using ground beef, brown it in the pan now.  Add the optional quinoa here.

Cook until the veggies are translucent. (Or if using beef, until there is no more pink and cooked through).

Transfer to slow cooker and add broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Drain and rinse the kidney beans and stir them in as well.

This is a mild chili.  If you want more heat add some chili flakes and more cayenne. 
The cooked turkey goes in now.

Cover and cook 3-4 hours on low.

Serve plain or on toast, topped with sour cream or sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley.  It's your call.

And here it is au gratin.

Add a dutch, sometimes called holland, rusk  to the bottom of an onion soup bowl. (For some reason rusks have become hard to find around here!) Ladle in the warm chili and top with shredded cheese.

I used mozzarella, but a sharp cheddar would be great.

Broil for 2 minutes and serve.