Raspberry Sorbet

The raspberries the last few weeks have been out of this world.  I have to try this recipe...freezers are currently full.  I might have to defrost stuff and do extra cooking...it will be SO worth it.

1/4 C. plus 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
3 3/4 C. fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries
2 1/4 C. powdered sugar

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients; cover and process until smooth.  Transfer to a freezer container and freeze until firm.

6 servings: 216 calories, trace of fat, cholesterol 0, 1mg. sodium, 55g. carbs, 5g. fiber, 1g. protein.

20 Minute Chicken Enchiladas

I found this in Cooking Light July 2013.  How depressing is it when traditional enchiladas can be 1000 calories per serving??  Those must be some cheesy enchiladas with extra sour cream!

1 C. chopped onion
1 C. chicken broth
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 15oz. can unsalted tomato sauce
3 C. shredded boneless skinless rotisserie chicken breast
1 15oz. can unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained
12 6-inch corn tortillas
Cooking spray
3oz. shredded Mexican blend cheese (about 3/4 C.)
1 C. chopped tomato
1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro
6 tbsp. sour cream

Preheat broiler to high.

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk.  Bring to a boil over high heat; cook 2 minutes or until thickened.  Reserve 1 1/2 C. sauce mixture.  Add chicken and beans to pan; cook 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.

Stack tortillas; wrap stack in damp paper towels and microwave on HIGH for 25 minutes.  Spoon about 1/3 C. chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; roll up.  Arrange tortillas, seam sides down, in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Top with reserved sauce and cheese.  Broil 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly brown and sauce is bubbly.  Top with tomato and cilantro.  Serve with sour cream.

Serving size=2 enchiladas and 1 tbsp. sour cream; 374 calories, 13.2g. fat, 31.2 g. protein, 35.2g. carbs, 6.2g. fiber, 100mg. cholesterol, 2.3mg iron, 569mg. sodium, 189mg. calcium

Churrasco with Chimichurri

Churrasco is a Portuguese word for grilled meat.  Who doesn't love grilled meat?

This appears to be similar to Arancharra.  If it tastes half as good it will be a summer staple.

Of course I'll need to watch the sales on beef tenderloin!

2 bunches curly parsley, thick stems discarded
1/3 C. garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 C. plus 3 tbsp, extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2lbs trimmed center cut beef tenderloin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

In a food processor, combine the parsley, and garlic with 3/4 C. olive oil and the vinegar and pulse until smooth.  Refrigerate the chimichurri for at least 2 hours.

Using a sharp chef's knife, make a 1/4 inch lengthwise cut in the top of the tenderloin.  Turning the tenderloin and rolling it out as you go, spiral cut the meat until you have a long rectangular piece about 1/4 inch thick.

Light a grill.  Season both sides of the tenderloin with salt and pepper.  Rub all but 1/3 of the chimichurri over the meat and grill over moderately high heat, turning once about 4 minutes for medium rare meat; let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, in a bowl mix the remaining chimichurri and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and serve with the meat.

Cherry Tomato and Basil Salad

Found this in the Summer 2013 issue of Kraft Food and Family.  I have plenty of basil already...my plant is doing so much better than last year.  Of course, it hasn't been as hot as the center of the sun here yet this "summer".

2 C. each red and yellow cherry tomatoes
2 C. grape tomatoes
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 C. ranch dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Cut some tomatoes in half; place in a large bowl.  Add remaining tomatoes and basil; mix lightly.  Mix dressing and garlic until blended.  Add to tomato mixture, toss to coat.

Sprinkle with pepper.

Tater Tots Cooking Class

OK, I am not going to share a recipe for tater tots in this post.  Tater tots is what they call kids ages 4-6 at the Chopping Block cooking school.  Last week I took the boy to a class on picnics.  At first he seemed a bit nervous but it appears that he gets his cooking prowess from his aunt and not his mom.  Here are the recipes and some photos from class.  It was a great time for me to watch the boy concentrating so hard on his knife skills and he told me that class was a lot "funner" than he thought it would be.  That's a ringing endorsement if I ever heard one.

Pasta Primavera Salad was our first recipe.  The kids showed off their knife skills cutting the veggies to be roasted.

1/2lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red or yellow pepper, sliced
1/2 bunch asparagus, tough ends removed and cut into 1/2 inch slices on the bias
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh oregano, rough chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2lb. short noodles of your choice (we used elbows)
1/2 C. fresh mozzarella cheese, medium dice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the vegetables with the olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Spread out on a parchment lined sheet tray and roast until they are golden brown around the edges and tender, about 15 minutes.  Set aside.

While the vegetables are roasting, bring a pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt.  Boil the noodles until they are al dente.  Drain well and transfer to a bowl.

Toss the roasted vegetables with the cooked noodles and stir in just enough Pesto (recipe to follow) to coat.

Fold in the mozzarella cheese and serve warm or at room temperature.

I wish I could have gotten a photo of the boy when he tried pesto for the first time.  I could tell from the look on his face, when he put the spoon in his mouth, that he didn't want to like it.  Then he looked at me and said, "It's good!"  I just about fell over!

Pesto

2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp. Romano cheese, grated
2 C. fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Turn on a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Drop in garlic cloves through top opening and process until finely minced.

Turn off the processor, add pine nuts and cheeses and process until finely minced.

Add the basil, and while the food processor is running, add the oil in a steady stream through the feed tube.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate until use, up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.

For our picnic dessert, we made brownie bites.  Each kid got to crack an egg and stir the big batter bowl.  This recipe is certainly richer than what comes out of the Betty Crocker box I use all the time.  Sorry Betty.

2 sticks unsalted butter
6oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 C. brown sugar
1 1/2 C. granulated sugar
6 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
6 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 C. all purpose flour
6 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

Place the butter, chocolate chips and sugars in a saucepan.  Place over low heat and stir until the mixture is melted.

Remove from heat and stir in the eggs and vanilla extract.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.  Gently whisk into the chocolate mixture until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester, when inserted into the center, comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then cut into desired shapes.

Roasted Veggies

So, it's June 2nd and it's 50 degrees in Chicago.  Makes you want to grill out, right?  Or not.

Last week, I took my nephew to a cooking class for kids.  More on that later.  We roasted veggies in class and afterwards I had a taste for roasted veggies.  I bought some zucchini, yellow squash, baby bella mushrooms, red, yellow, and green peppers, grape tomatoes, and purple onions.  I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and cut the veggies to relatively uniform sizes...don't give yourself a nervous breakdown about that.

I put all of the veggies in a bowl and tossed them with some good olive oil, then poured them onto a jelly roll pan.  I salted and peppered the veggies and put them in oven for about 22 minutes; stirring gently after 15 minutes and checking the largest veggies for tenderness.

I served these tonight with NY strip steaks (cooked on the indoor grill), baked potatoes, corn on the cob and spinach arugula salad.