Super Simple Speedy Orzo Salad

Ingredients

1 lb orzo pasta

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup minced red onion

1 cup grape tomatoes cut in halves

3 oz feta cheese cubed

1/4 cup fresh basil chiffonade (that just means cut into ribbons)

S&P to taste

Directions

Cook pasta to package directions - drain, cool with cold running water and transfer to a large bowl. Combine all other ingredients...yes that's it!

Chicken Francese

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 to 1.5 lbs)

1 cup flour

S&P

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon cut into rounds

1/2 a lemon juiced

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter rolled in the flour

1/4 cup choped flat leaf parseley

Directions

Take a knife and slice the breast in half so you end up with 4 thin chicken breasts. Put the flour in a pie tin or other shallow platter. Add a generous amount of fresh cracked pepper and salt to the flour. In a bowl whisk the eggs with the red pepper flakes.

Dredge the cutlets in the seasoned flour and then dip them in the eggs to coat. Heat oil in a large skillet. When oil is good and hot add the cutlets and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and set aside.

Toss the lemon slices in the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine, broth and lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the butter with the flour on it. Reduce heat to medium and add the cutlets back to the pan for 2 - 3 minutes. Garnish with parseley before serving.

Pork Stir Fry with Whole Wheat Fettucini

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of coarse ground mustard
1/4 cup Tamari (if you can't find that use soy sauce)
1/2 cup veg or ck stock
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 boneless center cut pork chops thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 carrot cut into match sticks
1 lb of whole wheat fettucini
16 shitake mushrooms sliced
3'' ginger root minced (ginger and garlic also come in tubes already minced - I use that)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 red bell pepper seeded and sliced
4 scallions chopped on an angle
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds (if you can't find them you can use toasted sesame)

Directions

Large pot of water on high to boil.

Combine with whisk mustards, tamari, stock and sesame oil in a bowl and set aside.

When water begins to boil add the carrots to blanch for one minute - remove with slotted spoon. Then add the fettucini to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. At the same time heat a wok/large skillet over medium high to high heat with the vegetable oil and red pepper flakes. Once heated add the pork and season with S&P for 2 minutes. After that add the blanched carrots along with the rest of the vegetables and ginger and garlic.

Add the drained pasta to the work and pour in the tamari mixture so the noodles soak it up - about one more minute. Serve with the black sesame seeds as garnish.

Chili for my Veggie Peeps

I made some chili con carne a few weeks ago when it was still a bit chilly (bad pun intended...lol). I hear it's way cold back east today...so here's something to warm you. I was chatting with my favorite bisexual vegetarian insomiac late last night and she inspired this recipe post (thanks girl!)

Ingredients

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

4 cups reduced sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock for the vegetarian purists)

1 (15 oz) can black beans (drain and rinse thorougly all cans of beans)

1 (15 oz) can white (cannllini) beans

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans (I like the dark red, but you can use the light red)

1 cup frozen corn (some people would use lima beans - I hate them, so I substitute with the corn)

1 red onion chopped (I use red because that's always in my kitchen, you can use a spanish onion)

1 orange bell pepper chopped (you can use green bell, I just don't like the strong flavor)

4 cloves garlic minced (I get tiny cloves in my grocery store - if you get big ones then only 2)

1 tablespoon minced pickled jalapeno (I omit this as my house doesn't like a lot of heat)

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 -2 teaspoons hot sauce

1/3 cup of cous cous

1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1/3 chopped fresh cilantro

S&P to taste

Directions

My sister bought me this fab slow cooker...so I'm using it today (thanks Lala). Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker except for the cous cous, cilantro, cheese and S&P. Cover and cook on the low setting for 6 hours. If you don't have THAT much time, well then cook it on the high setting for 3 hours.

5 - 10 minutes before it's done (depending on the temp you set the slow cooker) add the cous cous. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top each bowl with cheese and cilantro.

For My Veggie Friends

Here's somthing that I absolutely love...it's refreshing, crunchy and full of protein too.

1 can (15 oz) black beans

1 cup frozen yellow corn

1 cup frozen white corn

1 red bell pepper seeded and diced

1/2 red onion diced

1.5 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons of hot sauce

1 lime juiced

5 TBS of veg oil

3 TBS red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon cilantro finely diced

S&P to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes for all the flavors to marry. The frozen corn will defrost and chill the rest of the dish. YUM!

Road Trip Tuna Salad

This dish has traveled with me and my friends to Palm Springs and Lake Tahoe. I plan on taking it with me to many more destinations over time. This is one of those small comforts that brings smiles to my friends faces. That is what brings me joy...those smiles.

Dressing:

1/2 cup dijon mustard
4 TBS apple cidar vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 TBS chopped fresh tarragon
4 TBS honey
6 TBS sour cream

The Solid Stuff:

4 (6 oz) cans of tuna
1/2 lb tricolor fusilli cooked to package directions
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup rough chopped bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup pan roasted almonds (in a small pan heat them on high heat just for a few minutes...soon as you start to smell them take them off the heat)

Thoroughly whisk together all wet ingedients in a large bowl. Then add the Tuna and the remaining ingredients.

I'll see about posting a picture of it when it's done. For today I am making a variation of this. Tuna Melt not made for a Road Trip: Substituting the pasta with 2 additional cans of Tuna (pasta on bread doesn't sound good to me). Putting the tuna atop ciabbata bread...put a little butter on the bread first. Top the Tuna with a few slices of American cheese. Preheat oven to 350 and cook for about 10 minutes, then turn on the broiler at high for 2 minutes - just until cheese is melty and bubbling.

Home Made Chicken Soup

Stock

1 4-5 lb Chicken
2 TBS EVOO
2 carrots diced
1 red onion chopped into eighths
2 celery stalks diced
1/2 cup sliced muchrooms
S&P to taste
sprigs of rosemary, thyme and sage
4 cracked cloves of garlic (no need to peel paper)
4 bay leaves
1 TBS peppercorns
4 QTS water

Sautee onions for 2 minutes, then add the carrots and celery for an additional 8 minutes. Take out all the crap inside the bird and discard. Push all the veggies off to the sides and add the bird to the bottom of the pot. Brown for 5 minutes then add the water and all the herbs. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn down so it just simmers for 45 minutes. Remove chicken from the pot - set aside until it's cool to the touch. Strain the soup into another large pot discarding all the veggies and verbs. Pick/tear chicken off the bone - that's the yucky part...but it's the only way!

Soup

2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery (not the leafy part)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (baby bellas are good)
2.5 cups egg noodles uncooked
3 TBS chopped parsely
1/3 cup sherry
2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary

Bring stock to a boil. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Add the celery and cook and additional 5 - 10 minutes. Add the egg noodles and cook according to package directions. When noodles are done add the shredded chicken, mushrooms, sherry and rosemary. Cook for another 5 minutes and then you are done!