Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix

Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix Source:Heavenly Homemakers

Ingredients:

5 Tbl dried minced onion
7 tsp parlsey flakes
4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dill (Some recipes don't add dill, but I chose to include it)

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container.

For Dressing: Mix 2 Tbl dry mix with 1 C mayonnaise and 1 C buttermilk. Allow flavors to blend for a couple hours before serving.

For Dip: Mix 2 Tbl dry mix with 2 C sour cream. Allow flavors to blend for a couple hours before serving.

Ranch Oyster Crackers

Most of you probably won't use this one, but my kiddos love them and I want to save the recipe so I don't lose it.

Ingredients:

12-16 oz. plain oyster crackers
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Mix (I wouldn't use my Homemade Ranch mix for this because it is not Buttermilk)
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
1/2-1 tsp. dill (if you really like dill feel free to add a little more :)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4-1 C vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 F.
2. In a large bowl combine vegetable oil and Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix.
3. Add dill, garlic powder and lemon pepper. Stir to combine.
4. Add oyster crackers and stir until evenly coated.
5. Place crackers on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 min.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU LASAGNA

2 eggs
1 container (15 oz) Ricotta cheese
1 cup Cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped, fresh Parsley
2 cups diced, cooked Ham (I'm using diced wham!)
2 cups diced, cooked chicken (veggie chix of course :))
1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 jar (16 oz) creamy garlic Alfredo sauce
6 uncooked (oven ready) Lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh Parsley


Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl beat eggs. Stir in ricotta, cottage and parmesan cheeses and 1/4 cup parsley, set aside.

In another medium bowl, mix together chicken, ham, garlic powder and Alfredo sauce. In an ungreased 9x13 glass baking dish, spread about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture.

Top chicken mixture with 3 uncooked noodles, half of the cheese mixture, half the remaining chicken mixture and half each of the mozzarella and Swiss cheeses. Repeat layer starting with noodles again and ending with Swiss cheese. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake for 1 hour. Let stand 10-15 minutes, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of parsley before slicing and serving!

Champagne Chicken with Parmesan Champagne Linguine

Champagne Chicken with Parmesan Champagne Linguine

Servings:4 to 6
Prep time:10 minutes
Cook time:30 minutes
Total time:40 minutes

Ingredients:
4 chicken quarters -- MSF Chicken Grillers
1 shallot, minced
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup good dry champagne (sub out w ginger ale or club soda w champagne extract)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dry thyme
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh mushrooms (dices)
Salt
Pepper


Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Season both sides of chicken with salt, black pepper, and thyme. Add chicken pieces to hot skillet and cook 5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove chicken pieces and set aside. Add shallots and onion to pan and cook on medium until onions and shallots start to turn brown. Add Champagne/ ginger ale and cook 1 minute. Add broccoli to the mixture. Whisk together heavy cream into the champagne mixture in the pan. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add Parmesan and mix thoroughly. Place the chicken pieces back into the skillet. Simmer 3 minutes, until sauce thickens and chicken pieces are cooked through. Remove chicken from pan adding some sauce onto the chicken.

Fill pot with water, add salt to water. Bring water to a boil. Add linguine and boil until pasta is al dente. Place linguine into the pan, mix with tong making sure pasta has mixed well with sauce. Plate and top with more parmesan if desired.

Bloomin' Onion Bread

I'm getting ready for Super Bowl... can you tell :)

Bloomin' Onion Bread

Ingredients:

1 round loaf unsliced bread (sourdough or other dense bread)
1-2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 C butter, melted
1/2 C green onion, finely chopped
2-3 tsp poppy seeds

Ready for the oven!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Carefully cut the bread in both directions, forming cubes. Do not cut all the way through to the bottom of the crust.
3. Stick pieces of cheese in between all the cuts.
4. Mix together the melted butter, poppy seeds and green onion. Pour over the top of the bread.
5. Completely wrap the bread in tin foil and place on a baking sheet.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, then unwrap and bake for 10 minutes more or until all the cheese is melted.

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

* 3 TBS olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 TBS ground cumin
* 2-3 cloves garlic
* 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans black beans
* 2 cups chicken broth or 2 cups vegetable broth
* salt and pepper
* 1 small red onion, chopped fine
* 1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped or finely chopped (whatever you prefer)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 25 mins

1. Saute onion in olive oil.
2. When onion becomes translucent, add cumin.
3. Cook 30 seconds, then add garlic and cook for another 30 to 60 seconds.
4. Add 1 can black beans and 2 cups vegetable broth.
5. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
6. Turn off heat.
7. Using a hand blender, blend the ingredients in the pot, or transfer to a blender.
8. Add the second can of beans to the pot along with blended ingredients and bring to a simmer.
9. Serve soup with bowls of red onion and cilantro for garnish.
10. I add a bit of cilantro to the pot, too.
11. Can be doubled or frozen.

Salsa Verde

Endless applications. Lasagna, enchiladas, boiled fingerlings, on top of a chicken sandwich smothered with queso..... endless applications.

Mexican salsa verde

• a small bunch of fresh cilantro
• a small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1–2 fresh red or green chillies, seeded
• 4 large scallions, trimmed
• 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• juice of 1–2 limes

Directions:

To make your salsa, get yourself a good knife and a big chopping board. Set aside a few of the coriander leaves, then chop the top of the bunch, stalks and all, with the mint leaves, garlic, chili, spring onions and tomatoes until it’s all very fine – watch your fingers here! Sprinkle over a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then add most of the lime juice and a good lug of extra virgin olive oil. Mix together on the board, taste it, season with more salt, pepper, lime juice or chili, and put it into a bowl ready to go.

Vegetable Lover’s Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

Vegetable Lover’s Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small zucchini, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 lbs ground meat substitute-- the orig recipe calls for ground turkey. I'm using burger crumbles this time, maybe ground poultry tvp next time.
• 1 cup panko (coarse Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, garlic paste and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are almost soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the egg and fresh herbs in a large bowl. Add the turkey, panko, grated cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and the cooled vegetables; mix until just combined.

Gently press the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in a small bowl; brush the mixture over the entire loaf. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Per serving: Calories 270; Fat 14 g (Sat. 4.2 g; Mono. 6.3 g; Poly. 3.1 g); Cholesterol 104 mg; Sodium 451 mg; Carbohydrate 16 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 20 g

Cabbage Stew

Cabbage and Bread Stew

Serves: 6

* 3 to 4 cups cubed (about 1 inch) Italian or sourdough bread
* 2 TBS olive oil
* 2 large onions, quartered and thinly sliced
* 3 to 4 cloves garlic
* 5 cups water
* 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
* 2 large or 3 medium potatoes, diced
* 4 cups coarsely shredded green cabbage
* 1 medium green or red bell pepper, diced
* 1 16oz can salt-free diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained
* 1/4 cup dry red wine -- I'm using heavy veggie beef stock
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin
* 3 TBS lemon juice-- I'm skipping this bc DH doesn't care for sweet n sour
* 3 TBS natural granulated sugar-- skipping this too - no sweet n sour for DH
* Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crisp, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions and garlic and sauté over medium heat until golden, about 10 minutes.

Add the water, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, bell peppers, tomatoes, wine/broth, paprika, and cumin. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in the lemon juice and sugar. There should be a subtle sweet-sour balance. If you’d like it to be more pronounced, add more lemon juice and/or sugar to your liking.

Season with salt and pepper, then simmer over very low heat for 10 minutes longer. If time allows, let the stew stand off the heat for an hour or two, then heat through before serving.

When ready to serve, divide the bread cubes among the serving bowls and ladle the stew over them. The bread will absorb much of the liquid and add a tasty, textural element to the stew. Remember, if you don't use a good crusty loaf, you're gonna get nothing but a flavorful soggy stoup :)

Hoppin' John

* 1 cup sliced celery
* 1 medium onion
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon oil or 1 tablespoon butter
* 4 cups water
* 2 1/2 cups veggie chicken broth
* 16 oz black-eyed peas (fresh or frozen, thawed)
* 1/2 lb cut up vegetarian sausage or wham (The wham is wonderful in this!!)
* 1/4 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper
* 3 bay leaves
* 3 cups cooked long-grain rice

Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 1 1/4 hr

1. Saute the first 3 ingredients in hot oil or butter until tender.
2. Add water and next 5 ingredients.
3. Bring to boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 min or until peas are tender.
4. Remove and discard bay leaf.
5. Serve over rice.