Erin's Recipe Roundup

This is a Peruvian dish called tallarin saltado. It can also be made with chicken or shrimp.

Prep and cook time: 35 min
Makes 4 servings

1/2 lb fusilli pasta
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 lb beef sirloin, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 in slices
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and cut into wedges
3 cups broccoli florets
3 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS Siracha (Asian red chili sauce)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TBS cornstarch
3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1 in thick wedges

-Cook pasta (5-10 min) drain and set aside.

-Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add beef and cook until it starts to brown, about 3 min. Stir and let it continue to brown 2-3 min more. Transfer beef to a plate, reserving oil, and set aside.

-Add onion to the pan and cook, stirring often, until it begins to brown, 2-3 min. Ad broccoli and cook until bright green, 2-3 min. Add soy sauce, Siracha, pepper, and cornstarch. Cook and stir continuously until sauce thickens, about 3 min. Add tomatoes and reserved beef and cook 3 min longer. Add pasta and cook until heated through.

Tips: Slicing the beef is easier if it has been chilled for 20 to 30 min in the freezer. For a less spicy sauce, decrease or omit the Siracha. Other veggies that are good to include: snow peas, zucchini, mushrooms, and yellow squash.

Louisiana Barbeque Shrimp

Makes 4 servings

1.5 Lbs shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 TBS Creole seasoning
2 to 3 TBS olive oil
2 TBS chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup beer
3 TBS lemon juice
3 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS brown sugar
1.5 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
salt and pepper
1 TBS butter
cooked rice

-Combine the shrimp and the Creole seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

-Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the oil, and when hot add the rosemary and garlic and saute until lightly browned (don't let it burn). Add the shrimp and cook about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove and keep warm.

-Add the beer to the skillet, raise the heat and deglaze the pan, being sure to scrape up the any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire, sugar, thyme, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer to reduce and thicken the sauce.

-Return the shrimp to the pan and stir in the butter. Serve over cooked rice.

This recipe would probably also be good with shrimp or fish.

1 pound sea scallops (not bay scallops)
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley (or 1 TBS dried)
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/3 cup sweet red wine

-Heat large skillet to medium high; add olive oil.

-Rinse scallops and pat dry; salt and pepper to taste. Lay scallops in pan and cook about 2-3 minutes per side, until opaque (depends on the size of your scallops. Don't over cook them! They will get very chewy.)

-Remove scallops from pan and keep warm. Add sliced mushrooms (optional) and cook for a few minutes (add more olive oil if necessary.) Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

-Add wine and degalze bottom of pan. Add parsley and cook until sauce is reduced by half. Add scallops back to pan to heat through. Serve scallops on plate and pour sauce over them. I serve them over rice (but what don't I serve over rice!)

Ok, so I like these, but they may not be your cup of tea if you are looking for a really chocolatey, rich brownie. I like them because they are not as sweet as your everyday brownie; just don't come crying to me that they aren't fudgy enough. Hello, they're called guilt free for a reason! (I'll post the "bad for you" triple chocolate brownie recipe later.)

Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Servings: makes 16 brownies
Calories: 140

4 oz semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
1 (2.5 oz) container prune puree (1/4 cup)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of 9x9 pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Set aside. (I haven't decided whether to spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray or not. Further tests are needed.)

-In a small saucepan bring an inch of water to a simmer over low heat. Place chocolate and butter into a medium heatproof bowl; set bowl over pan. Stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat.

-Immediately whisk in sugar, eggs, prune puree, vanilla and salt until smooth.

-In a medium bowl, sift together flour and cocoa. Stir into chocolate mixture until just incorporated.

-Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until top is firm (a toothpick inserted in the center will come out with a few moist crumbs,) about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan.

-Using foil, lift brownies from pan. Turn over and peel off foil from the back of the brownies (spraying the foil may make this step easier; I haven't tried yet.) Using a serrated knife, cut into 16 squares.

Yum! I make this all the time. You can also use combinations of different fruit; strawberries and peaches is my favorite.

Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 1 hour 40 min
Servings: 8
Calories: 242

Oatmeal topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (you can also use whole wheat)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 TBS granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
4 TBS cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the filling:
1 (12 oz) bag frozen mixed berries
5 ripe pears, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
3 TBS granulated sugar
2 TBS all purpose flour (I prefer corn starch)

-Prepare the oatmeal topping: In a large bowl, mix flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in oats. Using your hands, incorporate the butter into flour mixture until large moist clumps form. Refrigerate.

-Prepare filling: Spread berries in a single layer on a paper-towel lined baking sheet. Thaw 30 min. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine pears, lemon juice, thawed berries, sugar and flour (or corn starch). Toss well. Transfer to a shallow 2-quart baking dish (a 9x13 dish works).

-Sprinkle evenly with chilled oatmeal topping.

-Bake until fruit is tender and bubbling and topping is golden, about 45 min. Cool for at least 20 min before serving.

The best chicken marsala recipe I have found yet.

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced (I am lazy and just use bacon)
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup sweet marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tbs unsalted butter
chopped parsley (optional- I prefer it without the parsley)

-Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat mallet until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow pan and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

-Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken in flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the chicken into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden (turning once). Do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in single layer and keep warm.

-Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto (or bacon- I chop up the bacon into little pieces) to the drippings in the pan. Saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the marsala wine in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley (optional).

I love these! Thanks for the recipe, Mom!

6 Tbs butter
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Orange glaze (optional)

Servings: 2 dozen bars

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Melt butter in microwave. Add butter to a bowl and stir in sugar, applesauce, egg and vanilla.

-In another bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the applesauce mixture and blend well. Stir in raisins and nuts. Spread mixture into a 9x13" baking pan.

-Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool briefly in a pan on a rack. If desired, spread with glaze while still warm. Cut into bars or squares.

Orange glaze:
-Stir together 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar and 1 Tbs orange juice until smooth.

No more dry pork chops! The secret to juicy chops: buy thick chops (1-1 1/2 inches), season the meat, sear it, make a sauce as you deglaze the pan, and finish the meat in the sauce.

Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 365

2 thick center-cut loin pork chops (I prefer boneless)
1 garlic clove, cut in half
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 cup seeded, diced roma tomatoes (I am lazy and use canned, crushed tomatoes)
1/3 cup chicken broth
sprig of thyme
1 tsp orange zest

-Pat any moisture from the surface of the pork chops. Rub both sides of each chop with the cut garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

-Heat the butter and olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. add the chops and brown both sides, about 5 minutes on each side. During last minute of cooking, turn chops on end and sear the edges. Remove chops from the pan to a plate, cover and keep warm.

-Add minced garlic to the pan and saute for about 10 seconds. Add tomatoes, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

-Stir in the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Add the thyme and orange zest. Bring to a simmer and cook 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the chops, with any drippings, back into the pan. Simmer 5 to 8 minutes stirring the sauce occasionally, until the chops are still pink in the center.

I serve this over rice. You could probably substitute fish or chicken if you don't like shrimp.

serves 2

1 Tbs minced fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp pepper
10 large shrimp (I like 5 shrimp per person, depending on the size of the shrimp.)
2 Tbs butter
Rice (optional)

-In a bowl, combine the thyme, lemon juice, 1 Tbs olive oil and pepper. Add shrimp and toss. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours (Not necessary if you are short on time. You can let it sit there for 15-20 minutes while you prepare other things if you are in a hurry.)

-In a large pan over medium heat, add 1 Tbs olive oil and then melt butter. Pour in shrimp and marinade mixture. Cook shrimp until opaque (about 2-3 minutes per side.) Lay shrimp on rice and Pour a little of the butter/marinade over it.