Carrot Zucchini Muffins

Charlie loves these muffins. I do too! They are yummy and a great way to get kids to eat veggies.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 tsp skim milk
3 Tbs oil
2 egg whites
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini (1 small)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray, or line muffin cups with paper baking cups and spray paper cups with nonstick cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; mix well.

In small bowl, combine milk, oil and egg whites; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in carrots and zucchini just until blended. Spoon batter evenly into sprayed muffin cups.

Bake at 400 degrees for 16 to 21 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai)

(from Far East Café: The Best of Casual Asian Dining by Joyce Jue, page 70)

This is our favorite soup and very spicy.

8 kaffir lime leaves or the zest of 1 regular lime
2 cans (13 ½ fl oz each) coconut milk
2 cups (16 fl oz) chicken stock
6 fresh or 4 dried galangal slices, each about 1 inch in diameter
4 lemongrass stalks, cut into 2-inch lengths and crushed
4 small green chili peppers, halved
1 Tbs Thai roasted chili paste (nam prik pao)
1 whole chicken breast, boned, skinned and cut into ½ inch cubes
½ cup (2 ½ oz) drained, canned whole straw mushrooms
½ cup (2 ½ oz) drained, canned sliced bamboo shoots
¼ cup (2 fl oz) Thai fish sauce
Juice of 2 limes (about 6 Tbs)
¼ cup fresh cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves

1.Place 4 of the lime leaves or half of the zest in a large saucepan. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, galangal, lemongrass and chilies. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan. Discard the contents of the sieve.
2.Bring the strained stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium so that it boils gently. Add the remaining 4 kaffir lime leaves or the remaining half of the zest, roasted chili paste, chicken, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and fish sauce. Boil gently until the chicken is cooked throughout, about 3 minutes.
3.Sitr in the lime juice and cilantro leaves. Ladle into warmed soup bowls and serve hot.

Serves 6 - 8

Pork and Green Beans with Ginger Sauce

(from The Complete Stir-Fry Cookbook, p. 72)

¾ cup (185 ml/6 fl oz.) soy sauce (I recommend low-sodium soy sauce)
4 tablespoons white or rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of dried chili flakes
3 teaspoons cornflour
600 g (1 ¼ lb) pork fillet, trimmed and cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons peanut oil
350 g (11 oz) green beans, cut into short lengths
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1.Place the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chili flakes, cornflour and 1/3 cup water in a bowl and mix well. Add the pork and toss to coat well.
2.Heat a wok over high heat, add half the oil and swirl to coat the side. Drain the pork (reserving the liquid for later) and add to the wok. Stir-fry over high heat for 1-2 minutes, or until brown. Remove the pork from the wok.
3.Heat the remaining oil, add the beans and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Return the pork and any juices to the pan and add the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Serve with steamed rice.

Jambalaya

(from One-Dish Collection by Publications International, Ltd., p. 58)

This is a favorite whenever we have guests, especially missonaries! It’s a little on the spicy side.

1 tsp vegetable oil
½ lb smoked deli ham, cubed
½ lb smoked sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped (about 1.5 cups)
3 ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10.5 oz) chicken broth
1 cup uncooked rice
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground red pepper
1 package (12 oz) frozen ready-to-cook shrimp, thawed
Fresh chives (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add ham and sausage. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned on both sides. Remove from skillet and place in prepared dish. Place onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic in same skillet; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add to sausage mixture.

Combine tomatoes iwht juice, broth, and rice, Worcestershire, thyme, salt and black and red peppers in same skillet; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Pour over sausage mixture and stir until combined.

Cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes or until rice is almost tender. Remove from oven; place shrimp on top of rice mixture. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes or until shrimp are pink and opaque. Garnish with chives, if desired.

Festive Tossed Salad

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp poppy seed
 
10 cups torn romaine (I use 1 bag of romaine hearts)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1 apple, cored and cubed
1 pear, cored and cubed
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 to 1 cup chopped cashews
 
In a blender combine the sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, onion and salt.  Cover and process until blended.  With blender running gradually add oil.  Add poppy seed and blend. 

In a salad bowl combine other ingredients, except nuts.  Drizzle with dressing, add cashews, toss to coat.  Serve immediately.  8 to 10 servings..

Chicken Tandoori

(adapted from The Book of Yogurt, page 55)

1 3-lb chicken, quartered (I use skinless, boneless chicken breasts)
1 cup unflavored yogurt
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1-1/2-inch piece ginger root, peeled and grated
1-1/2 tsp ground coriander
¾ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cardamom or aniseed
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
¼ cup freshly squeezed and strained lime or lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbs butter, melted
Paper-thin rings of mild onion (optional)
Thin slices tomato (optional)
Lime or lemon wedges (optional)

Dry the chicken with paper towels. In a large bowl combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, lime juice, and salt and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat them thoroughly with the mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 12 hours, turning the chicken pieces from time to time.

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and arrange on a greased racking in a shallow baking pan. Roast in a preheated 400 F oven 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown all over but still tender inside, basting occasionally with the butter. Or broil the chickens over charcoal about 30 minutes or until tender, turning and basting frequently.

Transfer onto a heated serving platter and garnish with the onion rings, tomato slices, and lime wedges. Serve at once.

This is one of our favorite Indian dishes. I usually omit onion, tomato, and lemon. It goes well with curried rice and some steamed vegetables.

Cashew Chicken Casserole

(from Taste of Home’s 2001 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes book, p. 140)

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
3 cups cooked chicken
½ cup cubed process American cheese
1 small onion, chopped
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 can (8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 1/3 cups milk
1 can (14 ½ oz.) chicken broth
l/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2/3 cup crushed saltines (about 20 crackers)
¾ cup cashew halves

In a greased 13-in. x 9-in.x 2-in. baking dish, layer the first seven ingredients in the order listed. In a bowl, combine the soups, milk and broth. Pour over water chestnuts. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Toss butter and cracker crumbs; sprinkle over casserole. Top with cashews. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: You can prepare and refrigerate this the night before. Save crackers and cashews until ready to bake.

Roasted Green Beans

This is the most yummy way to eat greeen beans!

1 lb. fresh raw green beans
3 to 4 cloves garlic minced
1/4" ginger minced
2 tsp sesame seed oil
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Mix everything except green beans together. Spread green beans on cookie sheet, sprinkle with 1 TBS olive oil and toss. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook beans 10 minutes. Spoon mixture over beans, mix it up and put back in oven 10-15 minutes.