Thursday, December 30, 2010

Beer Dip

Beer Dip

Ingredients:
1 package low-fat cream cheese
1 package fat-free cream cheese
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 package ranch dressing
1/2 cup beer

Soften cream cheese.  Add other ingredients and mix very well.  Refrigerate overnight or at least 3 hours.

From here.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

African Chicken Peanut Stew Recipe

African Chicken Peanut Stew Recipe

Use chicken legs, thighs or wings for this recipe. They have more flavor and will hold up better with the flavors of the stew than breast meat.

Ingredients

2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
Salt and black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
 
Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.

Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.

Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.

Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.

Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.

From here.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Slow Cooker Meatloaf

Slow Cooker Meatloaf

Ingredients:

3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bag baby carrots
3 cloves garlic, crushed
28 oz can crushed tomatoes, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano  
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf 
(1 Parmesan cheese rind)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons tomato paste 

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

 

Meatloaf:
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds meatloaf mix (or pork and beef combo)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 large eggs, beaten 


Combine first 8 ingredients in the slow cooker and stir (2 cups crushed tomatoes).  Combine the ingredients for the meatloaf and lay the loaf on top of the ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cook on high 1 1/2 hours, then low for 7 more.  

Heat the butter and tomato paste over med-high heat.  Separate out the liquid and add to pan. Add the remaining tomatoes.  Cook for a few minutes.  Whisk in the cheese.  

Serve.


Adapted from this recipe. 

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Shoyu Chicken

Shoyu Chicken

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 can pineapple chunks, divided
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp minced ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 lb chicken breasts
1 cup frozen edemame
1 bag frozen broccoli florets

Combine the soy sauce though vinegar in the slow cooker, using only the juice from the can of pineapple.  Add the chicken and coat with sauce.  Add the broccoli and edemame.  Cook on high 3-4 hours.  Add the pineapple chunks for the last half hour. 

Based on this recipe.