Guest Chef Michele

Thursday August 25, 2011:   Chicken Fajitas

Guest Chef Michele:  I'm happy to report that we had our air conditioning fixed since the last Cooking with Marilee. However, Michele and I definitely stirred up some heat in the kitchen. Michele practices eating low carbs, so this recipe has very few carbohydrates. However, it is not low in flavor. It is too bad you can't smell this blog because with the chicken and the onions cooking, it sure smelled wonderful. After putting this recipe together, I'm convinced that I need to get a garlic press, lime squeezer and a salad spinner. *hint, hint*

Cracking Garlic

Mincing garlic with the garlic press

Things I learned:  You would have thought that I had learned all about garlic last week with John and Eric. But Michele had more garlic hints for me. She showed me how to crack the garlic by pressing on the garlic clove with the side of the knife blade till it snaps. Then the peeling comes off much easier. Then she put the clove in the garlic press and minced it in a flash.

The fajitas recipe called for 3 tablespoons of lime juice so Michele also showed me a how to use the lime squeezer. She had this great tip for lime juice:

Michele's Lime Juice Tip (click on the video)

Ingredients for Chicken Fajitas

Chicken: 

1-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 T olive oil
3 T lime juice
2 cloves garlic
1 C packed cilantro leaves
1/2 seeded jalapeno pepper
salt/pepper to taste
1 lg. onion, peeled and cut in strips
1 green pepper seeded and sliced
10 low carb tortillas
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Salsa

1) Flatten chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thick (put chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or rolling pin)
2) Place flattened chicken in glass baking dish.
3) In blender combine 2 T olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, salt and pepper.

Cilantro makes it green

4) Blend until smooth and pour over the chicken. (It will be very green)
5) Let marinate for 30 minutes

(while chicken is marinating blend up your favorite margarita mix)

Vegetables:
6) Slice the chicken into strips
7) Cook in skillet, grill pan or on the grill
8) Heat 1T oil in skillet and add onions and green peppers, cook till tender.
9) Heat tortillas

Pulling off the cilantro leaves and packing them in the measuring cup

Cooking the chicken, onions and green peppers

For an added bonus: Make your own Low Carb Chips

1) Cut one package of tortillas chips into quarters

2) Lay the pie shaped pieces out on a cookie sheet

3) Pour some olive oil over the top and brush oil over both sides of each piece

4) Bake in 350 degree oven until browned

 

Build your fajita on a tortilla with chicken, onion, green peppers, cheese, sour cream and salsa

Roll the tortilla around the filling and enjoy

It was also my mother's 70th birthday so we celebrated with fajitas, chips and margaritas.

Happy Birthday Mom 

Guest Chefs John and Eric

August 17, 2011

Wheat Berry Lasagna

Guest Chef's John and Eric:  My brother-in-law John and his son Eric came to show me how to put together a terrific lasagna with a sauce we made ourselves. I did realize that if I would like to encourage men to guest chef, I really do need to get some new aprons. My grandma's aprons are really not suitable for the guys. It was an interesting evening, since my air conditioning went out the day before we planned to cook and the repair man couldn't come until the day after. As a result, we had to cook in a rather hot kitchen. We invited Jeff's family and ended up with a clan of 14. This one pan of lasagna actually fed all 14 with 3 pieces to spare. The 3 layers made it nice and deep. If you want to wow your family give this recipe a whirl. It looks fabulous and tastes like gourmet. We began unloading the groceries at 4:15 and set the food out for feasting at 6:30. Thanks guys it was molto eccellente.



garlic cloves



Things I learned: Since this recipe used some items I was not accustomed to using, I did learn a number of things. I have always shied away from buying fresh garlic, because believe it or not, I had never seen anyone break off the cloves or cut them up. I really did not know how to mince a garlic. I'm pretty sure many of my non-cooking friends have not minced garlic either. After watching John break off the cloves and cut each of them into small pieces, I wondered why it had seemed so daunting. I also learned that making my own sauce was not that difficult and tasted amazingly better than the jar sauce I generally use. The sauce required only a little chopping and sauteing. Not so tricky after all. The lasagna recipe called for soft wheat berry which I had never heard of. John explained that it is sold at the health food store. Including wheat berries in the lasagna made me curious about them which prompted me to go to the internet and look them up.

I found out Soft Wheat Berries are actually the wheat kernel before it is ground into flour. It literally is the "whole wheat." Anyone with a home mill can actually buy the berries and grind their own flour. They have fiber, protein and iron. If you like sprouts, the berry can be used to grow sprouts which have vitamin E, antioxidants and magnesium for healthy bones and muscles. The berries add texture and gave it a wheat and nutty flavor. They are often used in stir fry or salads. They can also be substituted for or added to rice. It is necessary to boil and simmer the wheat berry before adding to recipes. Truly a cute little addition to lasagna to make it tasty and nutritious.

John's Tip for his lasagna: (click on the video)

Wheat Berry Lasagna

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a small saucepan combine 3/4 cup soft wheat berry and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and then simmer while preparing the vegetables.

Ingredients                                      
3/4 cup soft wheat berry
1 onion chopped
3-4 garlic cloves minced
1-2 T olive oil
1/2 lb hamburger
1 28 oz can large diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 10 oz pk frozen spinach
1 pk wheat lasagna noodles
1 lb shredded mossarella cheese
1 lb ricotta cheese
1-2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
2 large sliced tomatoes

In a small bowl combine these spices

1 1/2 T sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 heaping tsp basil

2 heaping tsp oregano

1 heaping tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp pepper

2 T parsley

1/2 tsp baking soda

Chop onion and mince garlic
In a skillet heat olive oil                                             
Saute the onions and garlic until soft
Add and cook the hamburger until brown (omit if you'd rather go vegetarian)
Add canned tomatoes and tomato paste
Stir in the frozen spinach
Add the bowlful of spices and the soft wheat berry
Stir and simmer until well blended

To layer the lasagna

 

Spray the pan with a non stick spray to prevent sticking                            

Layer 1: Line the bottom of the pan with sauce

Place 3-4 raw lasagna noodles over top of sauce

Dob 1/2 the ricotta cheese on top of the noodles and spread around

Cover the ricotta cheese with 1/2 the mozzarella cheese

Layer 2: Put on another layer of sauce

Add a few slices of fresh tomato

Place 3-4 raw lasagna noodles over layers and press down to fit

Dob with second 1/2 of ricotta cheese and spread around

Cover with second 1/2 of mozzarella cheese

Add a few slices of fresh tomato

Layer 3: Place 3-4 raw lasagna noodles over layers and press down

Cover with remaining sauce

Shred the parmesan cheese on top

Place several fresh tomato slices on top

                  

Bake uncovered for an hour

                                          

Eric and John also made Italian Sausage with Pepper and Onions to go along with the lasagna.The recipe can be found on cooks.com.  We heated up some  baked wheat bread to go along. I threw together a spinach and strawberry salad and set out some fresh melon and pineapple. To top off our italian night, for dessert John and Eric dished us up a taste of chocolate and raspberry sorbetto.

Guest Chef Peggy

Sunday August 7, 2011
Breakfast Pizza (casserole)

Guest Chef Peggy: This is my little sister. She came all the way across town (8 blocks) to cook with me on a Sunday afternoon. We invited our mother to show her that we do know how to cook. We both have very demanding jobs and no little children anymore so cooking has gone by the wayside. She dove back into the recesses of her memory banks and remembered this recipe that she used to make for her kids. She called it Breakfast Pizza. I've seen similar recipes in cookbooks and they call it Breakfast Bake or Breakfast Casserole. I think Breakfast Pizza makes it sound more appealing so we are calling it breakfast pizza here today. We certainly made the kitchen smell scrumptious as we cooked the meats.  Lucky for us, the Breakfast Pizza not only smelled great it turned out famous. Peggy couldn't remember for sure how many eggs to use whether it should be 6 or 12 so we went with 12 (6 servings). She decided after me made it that she probably only used 6 in the past so that the sausage and bacon would be the focus instead of the egg. I love eggs so I liked it done with 12 eggs. So if you want it to be more like pizza I say use 6, if you want it more like a casserole then use 12. Either way, it will taste great.

Things I learned: Food can actually be very attractive. All three of the guest chefs have created very pretty food. I honestly never looked at the meals I made as a work of art before. I do think this is what I have been missing all along. Peggy suggested using the red peppers for nutrition as well as color to make it more attractive. She always was the artsy, creative one. She also suggested mixing everything the night before, covering and putting it in fridge. Then baking the next morning. I have always disliked frying bacon in a skillet due to over crowding and then having to pour the grease into a smaller container for disposal.  Peggy showed how to fry it on the griddle which proved much easier to lay the strips on, fry them individually and clean up the grease as it went right into the tray.

Peggy's Tip for a great Breakfast Pizza: (click on the video)

Breakfast Pizza Recipe just as we made it (for one 9 by 12 pan/baking dish)

Preheat oven to 350%

You'll need:

6 slices of bread

12 eggs beaten

1/2 pound (Oscar Myer) bacon

1/2 pound (Bob Evans) sausage

a couple of hand fulls of shredded cheddar and Colby cheese

1/4 onion chopped

1/4 red pepper chopped

salt and pepper to taste

First: Spray 9 by 12 pan with non stick spray

and arrange bread over the bottom of the baking dish

Then:

Mix eggs with whisk and pour over bread.

Let set while cooking and chopping the remaining ingredients.

Brown and Chop:

Brown Sausage and bacon

Chop onion and red pepper

  

Layer: sausage, bacon, onion, red pepper 

Salt and pepper

Top with cheese

Bake: Cover and bake for 30 minutes

Uncover and bake 10 minutes more 



So cute in grandma's apron



If you decide to make it with fewer eggs cut down on the baking time. You could omit the meat and add more vegetables if you prefer vegetarian. You could also substitute any other meats or cheeses. Use your favorites or what ever you have on hand. 

Add a little more cheese just before serving to freshen it up.



Serve with diced potatoes and fruit



Who thought my little sister could actually teach me anything. Thanks Peg another fabulous Cooking With Marilee day. We really should do this every Sunday.