SWORDFISH A LA SICILIANA

Ingredients

* 3 ounces raisins
* 5 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 small onion, minced
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, diced
* 10 green olives, pitted and minced
* 2 ounces pine nuts
* 1/4 cup capers
* 2 pounds swordfish steaks
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Soak raisins in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet over high heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in raisins, tomatoes, olives, pine nuts and capers. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and cover with the cooked sauce. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until steaks are firm.

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STACKED ENCHILADAS

Ingredients:

Red chili sauce
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese
2/3 cup chopped, pitted ripe olives
1 1/2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

Directions:

Cook beef in 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up beef into small pieces, until no longer red, 6 to 8 minutes. Add onion; saut? until onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Spoon off fat. Add garlic, salt and 1 cup red chili sauce to skillet; mix well. Heat over medium heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until mot of the liquid has evaporated and meat is moistly coated with sauce, about 5 minutes.

Heat remaining 3/4 cup oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Fry tortillas, 1 at a time, just until limp and blistered, 5 to 10 seconds per side. Drain on paper toweling. Remove oil from skillet; wipe clean.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 cups chili sauce in medium skillet over medium heat until hot; remove from heat. Dip 1 tortilla into chili sauce to coat both sides; remove, draining off excess sauce. Place on broiler-proof individual serving plate. Spread tortilla with slightly rounded, 1/4 cup meat mixture; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese and 1 tablespoon olives. Add second dipped tortilla and meat, cheese and olive layers; top with third dipped tortilla. Repeat procedure to assemble 3 more stacks. Pour any remaining chili sauce over stacks and sprinkle with remaining cheese, dividing evenly.

Place stacks under broiler so that tops are 4 inches below heat source. Broil until cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle tops with remaining olives, dividing evenly. Garnish with lettuce.

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ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP

Ingredients

* 1 pound Italian sausage
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
* 1 cup sliced carrots
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
* 2 small zucchini, cubed
* 2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
2. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
3. Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

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POZOLE

Ingredients:

2 (16 ounce) cans yellow hominy
1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 (4 ounce) can green chiles, seeded and chopped, or 2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped, or if you like it spicy 2 whole jalapenos, chopped
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon good chili powder or fresh ground
1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream
1 cup Pepperidge Farm Cornbread stuffing or bread crumbs

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except for stuffing or bread crumbs and place in a 2-quart oiled casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake in 375 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes. After baking, more Monterey jack cheese can be sprinkled over the top and melted under the broiler.

For a "meatier" dish add 1 pound browned, drained ground beef and 2 cups cooked pinto or garbanzo beans. I play with this recipe a lot and add this and that to it.

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STRAWBERRY-BLUEBERRY TRIFLE

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 (3 1/2 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 pint whipping cream, whipped
4 cups pound cake cubes
1 pound strawberries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

In large bowl combine sweetened condensed milk, water, lemon rind; mix well. Add pudding mix and beat until well blended. Chill 5 minutes.

Fold in whipped cream. Spoon 2 cups pudding mix into large clear glass bowl; top with half the cake cubes, the strawberries, half the remaining pudding mixture, the remaining cake cubes, the blueberries and the remaining pudding mix (spread to 1-inch of edge of bowl). Chill at least 4 hours. Garnish as desired.

You can substitute peaches for the strawberries, etc.

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CHICKEN TORTELLINI ALFREDO

Ingredients

* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 3 skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch pieces
* salt and pepper
* 1 tablespoon dried or fresh tarragon or thyme (optional)
* flour for dredging
* 2 1/2 cups Newman's Own All-Natural Alfredo Sauce
* 10 ounces cheese tortellini, prepared according to package directions
* chopped parsley for garnish

Directions

Saute onion in butter until limp and set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Add tarragon or thyme, if desired. Dredge in flour and saute in pan used to saute onion for about 5 to 7 minutes. Add onions, Alfredo sauce, and tortellini. Stir together, heating thoroughly for 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and diced peppers as desired.

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MEXICAN MANICOTTI

8 manicotti shells
1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup cooked chicken
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup sliced or chopped ripe olives
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook and drain manicotti according to package directions.

In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, chicken, onions, olives, red pepper, cilantro and garlic. Mix well. Fill manicotti with mixture and place in a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Combine salsa with tomato sauce, mixing well. Spoon over manicotti. Cover tightly and bake for 10 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired and bake 3 minutes longer until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

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SUMMER LEMON POPPY SEED POUND CAKE

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (or loaf pan).

Whisk together flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter and granulated sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and poppy seeds and mix until just combined.

Transfer batter to cake pan, smoothing top, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then invert onto rack.

Whisk together confectioners sugar and lemon juice in a a bowl until smooth. Pour glaze over warm cake, spreading it with a spatula to drizzle over edge. Let stand until glaze is set, about 15 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

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JAPANESE FUSION GUACAMOLE

Ingredients

* 2 large avocados - halved, peeled, and pitted
* 1 lime, juiced
* 1 onion, minced
* 2 jalapeno peppers, or to taste, seeded and minced
* 10 shiso leaves, chopped
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
* 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
* 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
* 2 drops hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®)
* 1 tomato, chopped
* salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Place the avocados, lime juice, onion, jalapeno pepper, shiso leaf, ginger, wasabi paste, white pepper, and hot sauce into a bowl. Mash until no large pieces of avocado remain, or to your desired consistency. Gently fold in the chopped tomato and season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

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THAI SPRING ROLLS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

1 pound pork tenderloin (500 g)

Garlic Marinade

3 tablespoons fish sauce (50 mL)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons honey (25 mL)
1 (5 ounce/150 g) package thin rice noodles,
softened in water and then drained
2 large carrots
1/2 cup fresh mint, shredded (125 mL)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, shredded (125 mL)
24 rice paper wrappers
1 small head Boston lettuce

Place pork on foil-lined baking sheet; brush on garlic marinade. Roast in oven for about 25 minutes or until pork is slightly pink inside. Let cool; cut into thin 1 1/2?inch long slices.

In large bowl, toss together pork, rice noodles, carrots, mint and cilantro.

Fill wide shallow pan with hot water and spread dish towel out on work surface. Dip rice wrapper into water for about 3 seconds, until softened, and place it in front of you on towel.

Place lettuce leaf on lower third of rice wrapper. Arrange 2 tablespoons (25 mL) of the noodle mixture on lettuce. Fold bottom edge over the filling, tucking in sides; roll up into a tight cylinder. Place roll on platter and cover with a damp towel to prevent from drying out. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

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CARNITAS

Carnitas is a very famous Mexican dish. It consists of braised pork and can be eaten by itself (and tortillas, a chili sauce) or as the filling in tamales, tacos and burritos (yuk). The pork is first simmered for a long time to make it really soft and then braised in the oven to make it crispy. Since the recipe is very simple and does not involve any chili sauces everyone likes carnitas. You can add the heat on your own as you eat it.

2 lb (16 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder
1 tablespoon chopped coriander (cilantro)
1 tablespoon cumin (comino)
Corn tortillas
2 bay leaves
1 onion, quartered
Chili sauce, such as Pico de gallo, chipotle or whatever you like

Pre-cooking: Cut the pork meat in chunks and discard big pieces of fat, leave some fat as it adds to the flavor. Chop the cilantro if you need to.

Cooking: Set tall frying pan over mid-high heat. Add the pork, cilantro, cumin, onion and broth. If necessary, add water so that the meat is covered. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3-4 hours or until the meat is very soft and pulls apart easily. Remove the meat and place it in a roasting pan, discarding the onion and broth, break apart the meat in smaller chunks. Bake for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees F, until the meat is brown and crispy.

Heat the tortillas and enjoy, you can serve it with your favorite chili sauce, chopped onions and cilantro.

Tips:

A pressure cooker really helps here. If you like making dishes like this one often you should consider the pressure cooker. It will cut cooking time to a half hour.

Heating tortillas on a microwave: To heat tortillas you can wrap them in a kitchen towel and put them inside a container. Microwave 15 seconds per tortilla.

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PASTITSIO (BAKED MACARONI)

Ingredients:

1 pound macaroni
1/4 pound butter
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or beef
1/2 can tomato paste
6 ounces grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Sauce

4 cups warm milk
5 eggs
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup (1 1/2) sticks butter

Directions:

Cook macaroni (but not well done) in boiling, salted water and drain. Saut? onion in a little butter. Add ground meat and stir until brown. Add tomato paste, thinned with a little water. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook until meat is done. Melt butter; pour over drained macaroni, mixing carefully. Spread half of the macaroni on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch pan. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese on top. Spread entire meat mixture on top. Cover with remaining macaroni and remaining grated cheese.

For the Sauce, boil 3 cups of the milk with 1 1/2 sticks butter. Add flour to remaining 1 cup milk and blend well. Add flour mixture to boiling butter and milk. Thicken and cool. After this has cooled, add 5 beaten eggs, or drop small amounts of the milk mixture into the eggs while stirring constantly. Once the egg mixture gets warm to hot, add the remaining milk. Pour sauce over the macaroni. Shake the pan and insert a knife to penetrate thoroughly. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.

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CHIKEN CHILAQUILES

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh tomatoes or tomatillos
2 large cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
1/3 small onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 to 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 (6 or 7 ounce) bag tortilla chips
Sour cream (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make salsa by washing and halving tomatoes (remove husks from tomatillos). Cut jalapeno in half and remove seeds and stem. Place tomatoes (tomatillos), garlic, jalapeno, onion, salt and pepper in blender and blend until smooth. Place in saucepan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 20 minutes. Add additional salt to taste, if desired. (NOTE: If not using a blender, peel tomatoes and chop all ingredients well before combining in saucepan. Start cooking on lower heat to prevent scorching; as juice forms turn the heat up to medium and continue as above.) If salsa is too thick, thin with a little chicken broth. Set half the salsa aside.

Mix half the salsa and half the cheese with the chicken.

Toss tortilla chips with remaining salsa. Layer the salsa and chips with the salsa and chicken mixture in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes to melt cheese.

Serve with sour cream.

NOTES: Use approximately 1 1/2 to 2 pounds tomatoes or tomatillos (this is equivalent to about 14-15 medium tomatillos or 4-6 large tomatoes). The first 6 ingredients and the first step may be replaced with 24 oz. jar commercial salsa for speed and convenience, but the taste will be different.

Serves 6 to 8.

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SHREDDED BEEF CHIMICHANGAS

Ingredients:

4 flour tortillas, 12-inch diameter
1 recipe Shredded Beef
4 avocados, skinned and seeded
1 cup sour cream
2 pickled jalape? o chiles, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons vinegar from jalape?o can
1/4 cup cilantro, minced

Directions:

Soften tortillas and wrap them in a towel to keep them warm. Place about 2 cup to : cup of Shredded Beef on each tortilla. Chop 2 of the avocados and apportion them equally on top of the Shredded Beef. Fold the tortillas and fry one at a time until crispy. Drain on a paper towel, then remove to a serving plate. Meanwhile, mash the remaining 2 avocados; then stir in the remaining ingredients to make a thick, smooth sauce. A food processor makes quick work of this task.

Place the cooked chimichangas on individual serving plates and top them with the avocado sauce.

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EASY MAC AND CHEESE MUFFINS

Ingredients

* 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 cup milk
* 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
* 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
* 2 teaspoons olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, olive oil and salt; set aside. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook for about 8 minutes, it should still be a little bit firm. Remove from the heat, drain and return to the pan; stir in the butter and egg until pasta is evenly coated. Reserve 1/2 cup of sharp Cheddar cheese and stir the remaining Cheddar cheese, milk and mozzarella cheese into the pasta. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the reserved cheese and the bread crumb mixture over the tops. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the topping is nicely browned. Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan. This will allow the cheese to set and they will hold their muffin shape.

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SHRIMP IN CREAM SAUCE



Ingredients:

1 pound medium-size shrimp
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped, peeled ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon pickling sauce from 1 can of chipotle chiles
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

Clean shrimp, leaving the tip of the tail on. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven and stir fry shrimp for 3 minutes. Add the remaining oil, onion and tomatoes and stir fry 2 more minutes. Add cream.

Mix mayonnaise with chipotle sauce and add to cooked shrimp. Sprinkle with cumin. Taste for seasoning. Serve over steamed white rice or pasta.

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GREEK-STYLE LASAGNA

Ingredients:

9 lasagna noodles
8 ounces lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 (10 ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach, squeezed dry
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup sliced pitted black olives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, divided
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium tomato sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a medium baking dish with vegetable cooking spray; set aside. Cook noodles according to package directions, but do not add salt. Drain. Meanwhile, spray a medium nonstick skillet with vegetable cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. Add beef and onion. Cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Place mixture on a paper towel-lined plate; drain. In a medium bowl, combine spinach, ricotta cheese, feta cheese, olives and 2 tablespoons mint. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in prepared dish. Top with 3 noodles. Spread some spinach mixture over noodles. Top with some beef mixture. Spoon 1/4 cup tomato sauce over beef mixture. Continue layering with remaining noodles, spinach mixture, beef mixture, and sauce. Cover with foil. Bake until filling is heated through, about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining mint. Serve immediately.

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