Recipe Review from 7/21/14

Not much to say about the week, it was pretty uneventful.  Weather was beautiful, we got to work in the garden and yard, got out for a long bike ride, got to a baseball game, and enjoyed life sitting on the porch. 


The Meal Plan
Sun (B) Italian Sausage and Onion Quiche (S) leftover turkey
Mon (Yoga) BBQ Kielbasa (using venison polish)
Tues - leftover BBQ bolish
Wed - Chickpea and Veggie Tagine
Thurs (yoga) leftovers
Fri (Huskies Baseball Game)

Lunches - Greek Wraps, fruit, chips, nut cups, the usual...


Barbecue [Polish]  (Taste of Home via Pinterest) gluten free**

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

photo from tasteofhome.com

1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)

1 pound Kielbasa Sausage or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices  

1 cup ketchup  (I used chili sauce)

1/3 to 1/2 cup packed brown sugar  

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce** check for gluten

 
In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. If desired, serve over rice.  

Yield: 4 servings.

Greek Style Chicken Wraps  (Ckng Lght Aug 2014)  gluten free option**
Warm weather finally came to visit and I wanted something other than traditional sandwiches for lunch.  This fit the bill perfectly - in fact, ended up making them for dinner one night because I didn't want to heat up the kitchen.   A bit putzy on the assembly, which was probably compounded by my extra steps: I made my own hummus (which is super easy, but does add to the dishes), chopped my own olives (cheaper to by them whole/pitted), added some freshly harvested Swiss Chard,  cucumbers for the Husband and zucchini for me.

I didn't toss everything together - I kept the hummus separate and used more as a thick base paste, zucchini/cucumbers were kept as rounds so we could add what we wanted, then I tossed the chicken, feta, olives, tomatoes, and oregano together.  The gluten free option would be either gluten free wraps or eat as a salad over fresh greens.

Photo from cookinglight.com

• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 3 tablespoons pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 4 ounces shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (about 1 cup)
• 2 1 Kirby or small cucumbers, chopped  (or sub zucchini)
• 6 tablespoons plain hummus
• 6 (8-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas 

1. (See my notes above for assembly...) Place tomatoes, olives, feta, juice, oregano, oil, pepper, chicken, and cucumber in a large bowl; toss to combine. Spread 1 tablespoon hummus over 1 side of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with about 1/2 cup chicken mixture. Roll up wraps; cut in half.

Chickpea and Vegetable Tagine (CkngLght, July 2014)  vegetarian, gluten free
Husband made this dish so I can't comment too much on assembly.  He did have it ready in about half an hour so that was pretty close to as written.  He also admitted the cinnamon got doubled, but if he hadn't said anything, I honestly wouldn't have noticed (and that was with Penzey's cinnamon - pretty potent stuff).

I loved the flavors of this dish, a bit spicy, nutty, and fresh.  Perfect for a summer dish served warm or cold.  This made enough for two of us for three meals - and I did make extra quinoa.

• 1 cup water 
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained

  

  photo from cookinglight.com

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 cups Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring 1 cup water, quinoa, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 13 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
2. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes; cook 2 minutes or until tomatoes begin to release their liquid. Add chickpeas and zucchini. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Serve zucchini mixture with quinoa.

No-Bake Peach Pie  (CkngLght, August 2014)
Not my usual dessert since I normally eschew whipped topping, but peaches have been delicious and I do love me a lightened cream cheese-y type dessert.  This was a super simple recipe that I simplified even more.  I used a pre-made pie crust because I didn't want a box of graham crackers sitting around getting stale.  I skipped the whole "peach sauce" part because I didn't want a jar of peach sauce sitting around and I'm not even certain if I have any peach schnapps in the house!

I did add one ripe peach, cut into chunks to the pie filling, and refrigerated overnight.  I ended up not adding more peaches to the top, but that would make for a nice presentation. Result was still a delightful, light, creamy summer dish, hinting at the sweetness of peaches without being cloying heavy or sweet.  I would make this again, but maybe substitute fresh raspberries, blueberries or strawberries.  Blackberries would be divine too! 

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 5 cookie sheets)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

  

  Photo from cookinglight.com

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 1/2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
• One 9" prepared graham cracker crust
• 5 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
• 2 tablespoons seedless peach spread
• 1 tablespoon peach schnapps
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 medium peeled peaches, 1 peach pitted and cut into chunks.  1 peach pitted and cut into wedges. 

1. Combine crumbs and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a food processor; process until combined. Place butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 30 seconds, stirring until chocolate is smooth. Add to processor; pulse until combined. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Freeze 20 minutes or until set.
2. Place cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gently fold in whipped topping. Carefully spread filling over bottom of crust. Place fruit spread in a large microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 30 seconds or until bubbly. Stir in remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, schnapps, and juice. Add peach chunks; fold to combine. Arrange the peach wedges over pie. Chill for 3 hours before serving.