Chicken Pilau

1 3/4 lb frying chicken, cut up
2 quarts water
1 clove garlic
2 tsp salt, divided
3 Tbsp oil
2 onions, minced
2 1/2 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
1/4 cup chopped parsley

1. Combine chicken, water, garlic, and 1 tsp salt in a large kettle.
2. Saute onions in oil in a small skillet.
3. Add onions to chicken and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
4. Add brown rice. Cover and simmer 40 minutes, or until chicken and rice are done. Remove chicken to a platter.
5. Stir raisins, curry powder, 1 tsp salt, honey, and lime or lemon juice into rice.
6. Mound rice around chicken and garnish with almonds and parsley.

Source: More-with-Less

Try #1 - July 28, 2012
This was delicious!  We all liked it.  I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs.  Next time I could halve the amount of chicken and it would be just as good.  This recipe's a keeper!

Yellow Squash Muffins

1 pound yellow summer squash, cut into 1-inch slices
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Place 1 in. of water in a saucepan; add squash. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash; stir in the butter and egg. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the squash mixture just until moistened.
2. Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 1 dozen.

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Yellow-Squash-Muffins

Try #1 - July 23, 2012
Mmmmm, these were a hit with the family!  I think I used too much squash (I used a fairly large yellow eight ball squash), so the muffins were literally heavy and kind of goopy on the inside, but they were still yummy. As Nathan said, "a delicious way to eat squash!"  I think you could reduce the sugar and still have a good tasting muffin.  Best when still warm.

Try #2 - August 7, 2012
This time I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour.  Still turned out fine.  I reduced the sugar slightly.  I also weighed the squash this time (we just bought a kitchen scale), and the consistency of the muffins was much better.

Creamy Coleslaw

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 lb green cabbage, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced (8 cups)
3 medium carrots, shredded

Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined well, then toss with cabbage and carrots. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature, tossing occasionally, until wilted, about 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Cooks' note:
Coleslaw can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Creamy-Coleslaw-109746

Try #1 - July 22, 2012
This was a good, basic coleslaw.  I mixed green and red cabbage, which turned the sauce a pinkish color, but other than that, it was good.  I threw in a couple of radishes too.  I made it a day ahead of time, which gave time for the flavors to blend well.  The kids didn't really like it, but I didn't really expect them to.

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Onions

3 lbs green Swiss chard (about 2 large bunches)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped


1. Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Stack chard leaves and roll up lengthwise into cylinders. Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch-wide strips.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook onions and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften, about 8 minutes.
3. Add chard stems and ribs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until stems are just tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Add chard leaves in batches, stirring until wilted before adding next batch, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl.

Cooks' notes:
· Chard can be washed, dried, and cut 2 days ahead and chilled in sealed bags lined with dampened paper towels.
· Chard can be cooked 4 hours ahead and reheated over low heat on stove or in a microwave oven.

Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Swiss-Chard-with-Onions-240560

Kiev Borscht

3/4 cup dried white beans
1 1/2 lb pork ribs, cut into pieces (optional: mixed pork, beef, chicken, or lamb)
1 whole onion
3 carrots
1 medium-sized parsley root
Salt
3 medium-sized beets, sliced into strips
2 Tbsp lard
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1-2 Tbsp wine vinegar
1/2 celeriac root, sliced into fine strips
2 bell peppers, cut into strips
2 large tomatoes, sliced
3 medium-sized potatoes, diced
8-9oz white cabbage, shredded
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic
2 oz fatty bacon (salo)
Pepper
About 1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 bunch each dill and parsley, finely chopped
4 Tbsp sour cream

1. Soak the dried white beans in cold water overnight, then drain and boil in unsalted water until just soft. Set aside.
2. Wipe the meat and cook together with the onion, one whole carrot, and the parsley root in about 3 quarts of salted water until just soft, skimming off the foam from time to time. Remove the cooked vegetables from the meat stock.
3. Saute the peeled and sliced beets in 1 Tbsp lard, add the tomato paste and vinegar and sweat for 10-15 minutes.
4. In another saucepan lightly fry the celeriac and the remaining carrot, finely sliced, in 1 Tbsp of the lard. Add the peppers and tomatoes and sweat everything together for about 10 minutes. Add the beans, potatoes, the carrots, celeriac and vegetable mixture, and the cabbage to the meat stock, then add the sauted beets and bay leaf.
5. Grind the garlic with the bacon and one pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar and add to the soup. Bring everything to a boil, season with salt, pepper, and sugar and leave the borscht to cook over a very low heat for about another 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the herbs and serve with pampushky and sour cream.

Source: Culinaria Russia

Try #1 - July 20, 2012
Yum!  We like borscht.  I made several changes to this recipe, but that's the nice thing about soup - it doesn't really mess it up!  I used smoked beef sausage, omitted the parsley root, used a 15-oz can of beets (which is probably closer to 2 beets than 3), butter instead of lard, celery instead of celeriac root, and omitted the bacon.  I didn't have any fresh dill, so I just add some to the soup itself, instead of sprinkling it on top with the fresh parsley.  This was a good soup, although it did take a few hours because of all the chopping.  Even my mom liked the soup, and she doesn't like beets.

Red Chard (or any veggie) Risotto

5 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cups coarsely chopped red chard leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Additional grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring broth to simmer in medium saucepan. Cover and keep war.
2. Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add rice and chard and stir until chard begins to wilt, about 3 minutes.
4. Add wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.
5. Add 4 1/2 cups hot broth. Simmer until rice is just tender and risotto is creamy, stirring frequently and adding remaining 1/2 cup broth by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry, about 20 minutes.
6. Mix in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer risotto to medium bowl. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately.

Source: Tiny's Organic Newsletter, July 18, 2012

Try #1 - July 25, 2012
This was a good, creamy risotto - the kids gobbled it up!  I think you could add almost any veggies you want - in additional to the chard, I added zucchini and radishes.  Next time I might add some spinach as well.  I didn't have any white wine, but it was not a problem - I just upped the amount of chicken broth.  This is a good alternative to soup when you're trying to use up the vegetables in your fridge!

Try #2 - August 21, 2012
I used zucchini and carrots as my vegetables this time.  I also used brown rice instead of white, and increased the cooking time to 40 minutes.  Turned out great!

Basil Chicken with Feta

2 pounds chicken thighs
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/4 cup tightly packed basil leaves
8 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Place the chicken into the bottom of your cooker, and add the entire can of tomatoes, and toss in the rinsed garbanzo beans. Sprinkle on green olives, add the basil leaves (can leave the leaves whole) and crumble on the feta cheese. Cover, and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for about 3 hours. If you'd like to use frozen chicken, increase the time about 45 minutes or so.

Source: A Year of Slow Cooking

Whole Grain Spaghetti with Garlicky Kale and Tomatoes

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/whole-grain-spaghetti-with-garlicky-kale-and-tomatoes-00000000051131/index.html