Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Recipes from TV spot today (not slowcooker, but still good tasting food!)

Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients:
  • 6 baking potatoes
  • 1 package (16 ounces) bacon, cooked until crisp and broken into pieces
  • 1 cup light sour cream
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar, plus more for garnish Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken strips
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake potatoes for 1 hour, until tender. When cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half lengthwise, scoop out inner potato, leaving a 1/4-inch shell and transfer to a large bowl. Add bacon, sour cream and Cheddar and mix until blended. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Spoon mixture back into the shells. Sprinkle with a little more shredded Cheddar. Arrange stuffed shells on a baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, until golden brown.

To make chicken strips, coat chicken all over with Dijon mustard. Place Parmesan in a shallow dish or plastic bag, add chicken and turn (or shake bag) to coat. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes per side, until cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine tomato sauce, lemon juice, chili powder, hot sauce, and black pepper. Set pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Serve chicken with sauce and baked potatoes on the side.

Cashew Lime Chicken with Rice
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups hot rice, cooked according to package directions
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 cup salted dry roasted cashews, garnish
Method:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ginger and garlic. Stir for 1 minute to not burn garlic. Add chicken and cook and stir until chicken is cooked on all sides. Add salt, pepper, broth, hoisin sauce, lime juice, and zest. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Serve over hot rice and garnish with cashews. Served with a salad of fresh spinach, mandarin oranges and a vinaigrette.

Sweet and Sour Kielbasa
Ingredients:
  • Sauce:

  • 2 cans (11 ounces each) chopped or crushed pineapple
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1 (16 ounces) kielbasa sausage
  • 2 bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 package stir fry vegetables
  • Hot cooked rice
Method:

Combine the undrained pineapple, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan and turn on medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, partially covered. When done, set aside. Slice sausage, place in a skillet and cook on medium high heat for 4-6 minutes. Add bell peppers and stir fry vegetables. Continue to cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until veggies are tender. Pour sweet and sour sauce over sausage mixture and serve over rice.

Frozen Lime Pie
Ingredients:
  • 1 (8 ounces) container light Cool Whip, softened
  • 1 (14 ounces) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup lime juice (fresh is best, but the bottled works well) Graham cracker crust (I used the mini size)
Method:

In a medium bowl combine the Cool Whip, milk and lime juice until smooth. Spoon the mixture into graham cracker crusts. If you have extra filling, spoon it into glass cups. Freeze until firm, about 6 hours or overnight.

Sugared Wonton Wrappers and Oranges
Ingredients:
  • 12 wonton wrappers (round are very pretty)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 cup Cool Whip
  • 1 (11 ounces) can mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange wonton wrappers on a cookie sheet and spray them with a cooking spray. Sprinkle them evenly with granulated sugar, then bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove them from oven and arrange 4 of the wontons on a serving platter or individual serving dishes. Top each with 2 tablespoons Cool Whip and then 4 mandarin oranges. Top each with a second wonton wrapper and repeat with all layers. Sift the powdered sugar over the top and serve.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

TV Spot for July...

I will be on KSL Studio 5 again on July the 9th. They want me to do a cooking segment featuring the use of grocery coupons, and I will be presenting 3 meals you can prepare for a family of 4-6 people for less than $15.00 each.
The show airs at 11:00am (only here in Utah, on KSL Channel 5), and the recipes I present will be posted on KSL.com later that day. Please watch and then make some comments both here and on the KSL website.

*I will also post the recipes here once I have finalized them. They may not be slowcooker recipes, but still, who wouldn't want a cheap meal idea!