Couscous with Spring Veggies

We made this as a side dish for our parmesan and sage crusted pork chops.  We got the beautiful summer squash in our CSA box this week and I thought it would make a nice side for the pork.  We also decided on couscous, and then I thought, well why not mix the two together?  So often couscous can be bland and plain, which is nice as a base for a dish with a spicy sauce, but the pork did not have that quality.  So I decided to saute up the veggies and then mix the couscous in at the end to give it a little more flavor.  I like to cook couscous in chicken broth instead of water, again it helps add another layer of flavor.  I used to use the boxed couscous mixes, you know kinda like rice-a-roni, or the packets of noodles and sauce.  But, once I realized how much cheaper it is to just buy a larger container of couscous, those boxes were history.  Also, we like to eat whole wheat options when possible, and you can get whole wheat couscous in bulk, but they don't use it in those box mixes!

Couscous with Spring Veggies

an original recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup couscous

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 small summer squash (or zuchinni), quartered and sliced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

• Bring chicken broth to a boil.  When boiling, add couscous, stir.  Cover pot and remove from heat.  Let stand 5 minutes and then fluff with fork.  
• While waiting for the broth to boil heat the olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet.  add in onion, bell pepper and squash.  Saute 1-2 minutes, add salt, pepper and oregano.  Saute 4-5 minutes more. 
• When the veggies are tender-crisp, add couscous to the pan along with butter.  Stir to combine and serve!

Fontina and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Chicken

This is another recipe from The Best of Cooking Light.  It caught my eye right away since it was originally entitled Brie and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Chicken.  I am a recent convert to Brie cheese and definitely wanted to try this recipe right away.  We put it on the menu for the next week.  When we were shopping at the store though, the Brie was in larger chunks.  The recipe only calls for 2 ounces, and I knew if we had that extra Brie sitting around it would do damage in our efforts to lose weight,  So, I decided to use Fontina instead since we already had some at home from a previous recipe.  That's the only change I made to the recipe, besides scaling it down to make two chicken breasts instead of four.  It was very good, and felt much more rich than just 220 calories.  I would definitely make it again, both in my modified version and tro try again with Brie.  

Fontina and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Chicken


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 3 tablespoons sauce)


Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups sliced onion
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2/3 cup dry white wine, divided
2 ounces Brie or Camembert cheese, rind removed and cut into small pieces (about 2 tablespoons)  (I used shredded Fontina.)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 3/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
Sage sprigs (optional)


Directions:

• Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion; sauté 30 minutes or until golden brown. Add sliced garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup wine; cook 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Spoon onion mixture into a bowl; let cool. Stir in Brie, salt, and pepper.

• Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the onion mixture into each pocket.

• Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sauté 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet. Set aside; keep warm.

• Add 1/3 cup wine, minced onion, sage, and minced garlic to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil, and cook 7 minutes or until reduced to 3/4 cup. Return chicken to skillet; cover and simmer 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve sauce with chicken. Garnish with fresh sage, if desired.

Nutritional Information 
Calories:220 
Fat:7.1g 
Protein:30.8g
Carbohydrate:7.1g
Fiber:1g
WW Points: 5

Mac and Chee -- Baked Macaroni and Gouda

This is by far our favorite mac and chee recipe. I picked up 'mac and chee' from my sister. She says that the macaroni gets abbreviated to mac so the cheese should get abbreviated too. I can't argue with her logic. This came from a Rachel Ray magazine. It was one of those recipes that I read and that day went to the store to buy the ingredients to make it that night. So good! We like to use fun shaped pastas instead of macaroni, and whole wheat when possible. This particular version we left out the italian sausage, but it's excellent with it as well. We've also done bacon instead of the sausage and it's phenomenal! Also, we always use smoked gouda and it's awesome. I dream about this mac and chee -- mmmmmmmmmmmm!

Baked Macaroni and Gouda

from EveryDay with Rachael Ray

8 Servings

Prep 40 min

Cook 1 hr

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound macaroni

1-1/2 pounds uncooked sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1-1/2 cups caramelized onions

1 quart whole milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons flour

3/4 pound aged Gouda cheese, grated (about 4 cups)

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl and wipe the saucepan clean.

Add the pasta and 1 cup caramelized onions to the sausage and stir to combine. In a medium saucepan or a microwave oven, heat the milk until steaming.

Return the large saucepan to the stove, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk, 1/4 cup at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thick and comes to a simmer. Add 2-1/2 cups cheese, remove from the heat and whisk until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta mixture and stir to combine.

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and add the pasta mixture in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup caramelized onions and 1-1/2 cups cheese on top. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Caramelized Onions

These are the caramelized onions used in the Baked Macaroni and Gouda recipe. Once you get these made though, you will realize they can go in just about anything -- pasta dishes, pizza topping, on burgers, in eggs, on a sandwich, the possibilities are endless!

Caramelized Onions

from EveryDay with Rachael Ray

Prep 10 min

Cook 30 min

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2-1/2 pounds onions, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the sugar and cook, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan frequently, until the onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Bacon Bit and Smoked Gouda Burgers with Steakhouse Onions

This is not the greatest picture, but it is a fabulous recipe! I found it first in one of Rachael Ray's cookbooks, but then found it in an issue of her magazine as well. Even though I had made it from the cookbook, I typically use the magazine cut-out since it's smaller and now filed in my recipe collection. Smoked Gouda, caramelized onions, bacon, what isn't there to love?? These three ingredients are also the base of our favorite mac and cheese recipe, also from an issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray.

Bacon Bit and Smoked Gouda Burgers with Steakhouse Onions

EveryDay with Rachael Ray, April-May 2006

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 yellow onions, 1/4 finely chopped and 1 3/4 thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
4 crusty rolls
4 slices smoked Gouda cheese
1/4 cup steak sauce


Directions:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the bacon and a drizzle of olive oil and cook until the bacon is crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate and drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet.
• Return the skillet to medium-low heat and sweat the finely chopped onion in the bacon fat for 2 to 3 minutes. Combine the onion with the reserved bacon in a small bowl and let cool.
• In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the olive oil is hot, add the thinly sliced onions and cover them with a lid that fits inside the skillet. Cook until browned, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the onions are cooking, place the sirloin in a large bowl and top with the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and grill seasoning. Stir in the cooled chopped onions and bacon until evenly combined. Divide the meat into 4 even sections and form 4 large patties.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook for 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare and 6 minutes on each side for medium-well.
• Toast the split rolls. Place the patties on the bun bottoms and top with the smoked Gouda. Stir the steak sauce into the smothered onions. Top the burgers with the onions and set the bun tops in place. Transfer to plates and serve.
  

In the cookbook version of the recipe, it also includes a quick spinach salad. I used the salad dressing recipe and used the other salad fixings we wanted. It's basically 1/4 cup of steak sauce whisked with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and then a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Quick and easy!

French Onion Soup with an Italian Attitude

This recipe is from Express Lane Meals by Rachael Ray. I thought it had great flavor for a 30 minute soup. Zach would add more balsamic vinegar and onions next time. I thought it was a fun twist on a classic soup and a very filling meal!









French Onion Soup with an Italian Attitude


4 Servings


1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 medium onions, thinly sliced
salt and black pepper
leaves from one sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
10 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup grated paremsan cheese
4 thick sliced crusty bread -- I used croutons instead, a big handful for each bowl
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup white wine
6 cups beef stock
8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese -- I used a shredded Italian 6 cheese blend

• Preheat broiler (I used the oven at 450, because that was the highest suggested temperature for my bowls.)
• Heat a deep pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter to the pot. When the butter melts start adding the onions as you slice them.
• Season the onions with salt, pepper and the rosemary. Cook the onions for 15-18 minutes, until tender, sweet and caramelized, stirring frequently. If they start to burn add a splash of water and continue stirring.
• While the onions are cooking, make the topping. In a small bowl, combine the grape tomatoes, basil, grated cheese, salt and pepper.
• Under the broiler toast the bread until golden; rub each side with the garlic clove. (I used croutons so I skipped this step.)
• Once the onions are done, add the balsamic vinegar and white wine, stirring up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. add the stock and over the pot to bring to a quick boil.
• Arrange 4 soup bowls or crocks on a cookie sheet. Once the soup reaches a boil, ladle it into the bowls. Float the brea (or croutons) on the soup and cover with a mound of the tomato mixture. Top with two slices of the cheese. Slide the cookie sheet under the broiler until the cheese melts and bubbles.