Veggie & Bean Risotto

Ingredients:

1 c. Rice
1/2 c peas
1tsp oregano
1tsp basil
pinch salt and pepper
4 mushrooms-sliced
2 carrots- sliced
chicken broth
cooking sherry or dry-ish white wine
1 tbsp oil
1 onion-sliced
1 clove garlic-minced
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1 can black beans or garbanzo beans (optional)
A large skillet

The How To:

Saute onion & carrots in oil until onion is clearish.
Add rice and garlic and cook until rice is slightly golden ( about 1-2 min.)
Add broth and wine (broth up to 1 1/2 fingers above rice line and then wine up to the 2 finger above rice line mark.)
Add mushrooms, peas, beans, spices and allow to simmer until almost all broth/wine is completely dissolved.
Add cheese. This dish should have a creamy consistency. Great as a side to chicken or as a stand alone dish. Enjoy!

Orange Spaghetti

Ingredients:

spaghetti-type noodles
1lb ground turkey
1 package onion soup
1 cream of cheddar cheese soup
1 cream of mushroom soup
Peas

The How To:

Cook up the ground meat, toss in all the soups w/ a touch of water and peas. Cook up the noodles and mix well in a large bowl w/ sauce. This is a good meal if you need something fairly quick that at least has some semblance of health to it:)

Baked Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
dry, cooking Marsala or sherry
chicken broth
marjoram spice
salt and pepper
butter (optional)
Spiral noodles or mashed potatoes

The How To:

*Get your hands on a pirex-type pan. Place desired number of chicken breasts in it.
*Pour enough broth and Marsala into the pan to fill it 1/4 in. full. (make it 1/3 Marsala and 2/3 broth). Sprinkle chicken w/ marjoram spice. Add salt and pepper. Throw a little butter in there as well (tbsp). Make sure you coat the chicken in those juices w/ a brush as it cooks. Bake for about 1hour @ 375. You may turn the heat up to 400 if you have less time, but I wouldn't recc. any higher.
*When the chicken is almost done, cook up your noodles or mashed potatoes. Remove chicken from pan and place on a serving plate.
*Pour the remaining broth mixture into a measuring cup. (this will the gravy for your potatoes or light sauce for your noodles.) Serve and devour:)

20 Min Linguini Dish

Ingredients:

long, thin noodles of some sort (cooked up)
1/2 c broth
4 cloves garlic-minced
2 c tomatoes-chopped
2 tbsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
1tsp oil
olives
Parmesean

The How To:

When noodles are almost finished cooking, begin the sauce as follows-- Grab hold of your favorite large skillet, add oil and garlic..cook up just a touch and add broth, basil, salt and pepper. When noodles are finished cooking, add the tomato and olives (amount based on personal preference) and heat through. Serve noodles up and ladle sauce on top. Sprinkle w/ cheese before serving. This is supposed to be a light sauce, just a coating really. It's great for a light, summer meal or you can add shrimp/chicken for a bit more substance:) Enjoy! Also, try it w/ sour dough bread. MMmm.

Pot O' Gold Irish Potato Soup

Ingredients:

3/4 celery- chopped
3/4 onion-chopped
1/4 c. butter
30oz. broth
2 1/3 mashed potato flakes
a 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. cheddar
3/4 tsp garlic salt (or 1-2 cloves garlic-minced)
1/8-1/4 tsp chili powder (optional)
1/2 sour crm.

The How To:

In a large pot cook butter, onion and celery until onion is clearish. Add broth and boil.
Reduce heat, add flakes and stir. Add milk, cheese, garlic, chili powder. Heat and stir until cheese is melted. Just before serving, add sour crm. Heat through. Great w/ a srig of parsley on the side for that nod to the occasion!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts- chopped
2 celery sticks-sliced
1 med onion- chopped
2 med. carrots- chopped
12oz small noodles (penne, egg etc.) -cooked
6cups broth
2cups water
2 Tbsp parsley flakes
salt and pepper(to taste)
2Tbsp oil

Grab a large pot. Throw in chicken and oil. Cook until white and tender.
Meanwhile, cook up the noodles in a separate pot.
Add onion and carrots. Cook until onions are clearish.
Add broth, celery, water and spices.
Allow to simmer for approx. 10min. Serve w/ a crusty bread or crackers.


Tip: At the Roth's in west salem, chicken is currently on sale for 99 cents per pound:)

Oober Healthy (yet somehow still scruptious) Chili

(total time: 40min)

Ingredients:

green sweet pepper (or any bell pepper)- chopped
1 med onion-chopped
3 cloves garlic- minced
1 tbsp cooking oil
approx. 2 cups tomato-diced.
approx 12 oz beer or 2 cups broth
1/2 cup water
1 cup tomato sauce
3ish tsp chili powder
1.5ish tsp oregano
1ish tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
1can black beans
1 can kidney beans
2cups corn
cheddar cheese
1 yellow squash (optional)


Get your hands on a large-ish pot in which you are thinking about cooking:) Throw in garlic, onion, oil and pepper.
Cook until onion is clearish.
Add beer (or broth) water, tomato sauce, spices, corn, squash.
Heat through
Add beans and tomato...heat through, serve. Sprinkle a little cheddar on top for a little extra flavor or a scoop of cottage cheese.

(Tip: buy extra tomato when it's in season or less than a dollar per pound. You can freeze it whole or quartered and salted in ziploc bags. When you defrost them, the skins tend to peel away, leaving a "stewed tomato" without the stewing and canning)

3 Bean Stoup (not soup, but not quite stew)

(total time: 40 min.)

Ingredients:
3 tbsp of some form of cooking oil
1lb potato (thinly sliced)
4 celery sticks (chopped)
2 carrots (shredded)
1 med onion (chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 bay leaf (optional)
4 cups broth
1 cup tomato sauce
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1/2 lb green beans (cut in approx 1in pieces)
1 tsp oregano
1.5 tsp thyme
1.5 tsp basil
pepper/salt

*Grab a large pot. Toss in oil, potato, onion, garlic. Cook until potatoes just barely softened (still a little crisp) and onion is clearish.
*Add broth, tomato sauce, bay leaf, spices, green beans and simmer until green beans are softening.
*Add other beans. Heat through and serve (note: a crusty bread is great w/ this meal. I recommend sour dough or french, though plain butter bread works as well if you don't have the others.)

Black Bean Burritos

(total time: 20min)

Ingredients: 1-2 cans black beans
about 1 cup onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp oil (canola, olive etc- doesn't matter)
about 2 tsp ground cumin
approx. 1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup broth (basically just add enough for a slight juiciness, you don't want your beans etc. floating in it.)
burrito shells
cheese of your choice
2 roma tomato (or whatever kind amounting to 2 roma)

Put oil, chopped onion, minced garlic in skillet. Cook until onion is clearish. Add beans, spices and broth. Heat through and add chopped tomato. Once heated, place on burrito and add cheese. Also good w/ sour cream. lettuce and a few tbsp of fresh salsa (see below)



Fresh Salsa:

8 roma tomato
6 tamatillos
1 onion (white)
approz 1.5 tsp lemon juice
cilantro to taste
salt and pepper to taste.