Slowcooker Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce

(Adapted from "Better Homes and Garden 

Slow Cooker for Family Dinners")

Ingredients:

2lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts
8 ozs. white mushrooms, chopped
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Worchestershire Sauce
1/4th cup butter & 2 -3 pats of butter
1 0.75 oz package of Italian salad dressing mix
1 10.75 oz. can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of dry white wine
4 ozs. of cream cheese with onions and chives (the tub variety works best)

Fresh chives, chopped for garnish

Procedure:

1. Sauté garlic and shallot in pats of butter with Worchestershire Sauce, then set aside; sauté mushrooms in butter and place in bottom of slow cooker. Place chicken breasts on top.

2. Melt the half-cup of butter in a medium saucepan; stir in Italian dressing mix. Add mushroom soup, cream cheese, and wine; heat over medium heat and stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour over chicken; likewise pour sautéed shallot and garlic over as well.

3. Cook on low for 4 - 41/2 hours; serve over rice or noodles, sprinkled with fresh chives.

Spicy Syrian Lentil Soup

adapted from "Bean by Bean: 

A Cookbook" by Crescent 

Dragonwagon, Workman 

Publishing, 2011)

Ingredients:

1 cup split red or yellow lentils

2 tablespoons uncooked rice

1 carrot, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jalapeno or serrano chili, deseeded and chopped

3 -4 large cloves of garlic, chopped

8 ozs. diced, fireroasted tomatoes

8 ozs. coarsely chopped sweet fireroasted pimento or other peppers

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

For garnish:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

lemon slices

finely chopped fresh cilantro

sour cream or yogurt

Procedure:

1. Combine lentils, rice, and carrot with 2 quarts (8 cups)

of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Then lower 

heat to simmer and cook covered for 10 minutes or so.

2. Meanwhile, heat large frying pan with the olive oil over

medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until they

become translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Then stir in

chili and garlic and continue to cook for another 5 minutes

or so.

3. Stir onions, chili, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers into the

soup and add the spices. Simmer covered about 15 minutes.

4. Remove soup from stove and pour into food processor,

pureeing the ingredients. Alternatively, use an immersion

blender to puree the soup.

5. Return pot and reheat, stirring in the lemon juice. Serve

garnished with cilantro, thin lemon slices. If desired, add a

dollop of sour cream or yogurt to each bowl, then serve.

NOTES:

1. The finished soup is quite thin; personally, I prefer a much

thicker, almost stew-like consistency myself, so just before

serving I stir 2 - 4 heaping tablespoons of cooked rice into each

bowl.

2. I think I'm going to use vegetable broth instead of water then next

time I make this soup, for some additional body and flavor.

3. Since only 1 pepper is used, this soup is only mildly spicy; upping the pepper count would make for a spicier soup.

Black-Eyed Pea and Lentil Soup

A thick, hearty soup for colder weather

(Adapted from "1.001 Delicious Soups and

Stews" by Sue Spitler & Linda Yoakam)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive or peanut oil

6 - 8 cups of vegetable broth

3/4 cup dried black-eyed peas

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups dried lentils

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Sauté carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in oil in large saucepan for 6 or 7 minutes. Add 6 cups of broth and stir in black-eyed peas and herbs; heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 45 minutes to one hour, until peas are almost done.

2. Add lentils and simmer, covered, 30 to 45 minutes, until peas and lentils are tender. Add additional broth if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf before serving.

NOTES:

1. The soup holds over in the refrigerator for several days but thickens; add a small amount of broth when reheating.

2. A variant version calls for adding 10 ozs. of diced, fire-roasted tomatoes when the lentils are added.

3. A spicier version can be made by including a teaspoon of hot paprika, cayenne paper, or red paper flakes. Or one could use a deseeded and finely chopped jalapeno or serrano pepper or a fire-roasted Hatch pepper.

4. This is the vegan version of this soup; one could use chicken stock instead.

Karniyarik (Turkish Meat-Stuffed Eggplant)

Karniyarik
4 small eggplants
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup hot water with 1 tbsp crushed tomato

Filling:
3/4 lb.  ground lamb or ground beef
1 small onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, put aside 4 thin slices, dice the rest
1 small cubanelle pepper, put aside 4 thin slices, chop the rest
1-2 garlic cloves, sliced
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp crushed tomato
3/4 cup hot water

Peel alternating strips of skin lengthwise for each eggplant. Sprinkle salt on top and put aside for about 20 minutes. Squeeze, wash and dry them with a paper towel. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and fry every side until nicely colored. Cut a slit in each eggplant and scoop out most of the seeds, making sure they don't fall apart. Place them in a clean pan.

Meanwhile cook all the filling ingredients in a small pot on medium heat. All the water should evaporate. Stir constantly towards the end.

Fill the eggplants equally with the filling using a teaspoon. Place the sliced tomato and green pepper on each eggplant. Pour 3/4 cup of hot water with 1 tbsp crushed tomato into the pan from the side. Cover the lid. Cook on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes.

NOTES:

1. Ground lamb is more common in the actual Turkish recipe, but ground beef works fine, too.

2. I personally like the meat filling with the addition of 1 or 1.5 tablespoons of freshly chopped dill and an equal amount of Italian parsley or cilantro.

3. Any kind of green pepper will do just as well as cubanelles, depending on personal tastes. I'll be using Hatch peppers in the batch I'm making tonight.


4.  They can also have cheese on top during the final stage of cooking; mozzarella or fontina works nicely for this, I've discovered.


5.  Using yogurt as a dipping sauce adds another flavor to the mix; I've also sometimes mixed  a dash (a teaspoon or so) of harissa with the yogurt to spice things up a bit.

Grilled Peaches with Balsamic Glaze

Grilled Peaches with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients:

2 fresh peaches, halved and pitted but not peeled

3 tablespoons white sugar

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

crumbled bleu cheese

Procedure:

1.  In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and pepper.  Simmer until liquid has reduced by 1/2; it should become somewhat thicker.  Remove from heat and set aside.

2.  Place cut sides of peaches down on lightly-oiled grill surface.  Cook for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat or until flesh is caramalized.  Turn peaches, brushing the cooked surface lightly with the balsamic glaze, and cook curved surfaces for another 2 - 3 minutes.

3.  Remove peaches from grill; peel should slip off easily at this point.  Place on serving dishes, drizzle more of the balsamic glaze over them, and sprinkle liberally with crumbled bleu cheese.

Black Bean and Smoked Sausage Soup with Peppers

This is another good soup for

lunch on frosty winter days.

* * *

Ingredients:

3/4 to 1 lb. of smoked sausage (either beef or pork)

2 14.5 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chopped white onion

2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 to 1 red (or green) bell pepper, finely chopped

3 Hatch peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded, and

chopped into small pieces

1 cup beef stock

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried, crushed oregano

Sour cream

Italian parsley

Procedure:

1. Cut sausage into bite-size pieces and fry in skillet

over medium heat until it browns a bit; remove from

skillet and set aside.

2. Sauté onion and garlic in skillet with sausage

drippings for 5 minutes; remove from pan and set aside.

3. Place beans, sausage, onions, garlic, bell pepper,

Hatch peppers, beef stock, water, salt, and oregano

in covered 3 qt. pan and heat to boiling; remove lid

and lower temperature, simmering until soup thickens

to desired consistency.

4. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling

of freshly-chopped Italian parsley.

NOTES:

1. The Hatch peppers I used were rather spicy, so I

didn't need to add any other seasoning but salt. You

could use other types of peppers (serranos, for instance)

or season with cayenne pepper or hot pepper sauce.

Or you can make a milder version without hot seasoning,

substituting regular pepper, thyme, oregano, or other

spices to taste.

2. I imagine one could use turkey sausage instead of

pork or beef; it's better, I think, to have a smoked variety

as that enhances the flavor of the soup.

3. Chicken or vegetable stock can be used instead of

the beef stock if desired, or one can replace it altogether

with water, although I think the stock helps give the soup

a richer flavor.

4. Afterthought: It's just occurred to me that one could

easily substitute one can or whole kernel corn for one

of the cans of black beans for an even more Southwestern

kind of soup.

Corn and Bacon Chowder

(Whoops! I accidently let a whole year slip by without updating

here; I hope to do better starting now with a recipe that I came

up with by combining a couple of different ones and adding a

twist or two of my own. Enjoy.)

Ingredients:

8 - 12 bacon strips

1 cup chopped white onion

2 medium potatoes

1/2 - 1 minced red bell pepper (Optional)

2 14.5 oz. cans whole kernel yellow corn

2 cups of whole milk (+ about 1/2 cup for mashing potatoes)

1 cup heavy cream

6 - 8 ozs. shredded cheddar cheese

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Peel and microwave the potatoes; mash, mixing with

enough milk to make them smooth. Set aside.

2. Cook bacon in frying pan over medium heat; remove

when crisp, drain on paper towels, then crumble. Pour off

about half of bacon fat.

3. While bacon is frying, add corn, milk and heavy cream

to a large saucepan.

4. Sauté onion and red pepper in remaining bacon fat until

tender. Transfer to saucepan.

5. Heat saucepan contents to simmering, stirring in bacon

and cheese; add salt. Stir in enough mashed potatoes to

begin to thicken the mixture. Let pan simmer without boiling

for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chowder

thickens the desired amount.

6. Remove from heat and serve.

NOTES:

1. Instead of whole milk and heavy cream, 2% milk and

half-and-half can be substituted.

2. The amount of mashed potatoes will vary; just use

what seems best to you for the thickness you'd like.

3. Pepper can also be used, although personally I

don't use it in this recipe. Also, if you want a somewhat

spicier chowder, you can easily add some hot paprika,

cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes; I'll most likely

use one of those the next time I make this chowder.

4. This chowder keeps well in the refrigerator.