Christina's Curried Chicken and Mushroom Spring Rolls

from McCormick

1 tablespoon red curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 cups thinly sliced cooked chicken

2 tablespoons oil

1 pound assorted wild mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster and cremini), sliced (or whatever you have)

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

3 ounces fresh snow peas, cut into thin strips (about 1 cup)

12 round rice paper wrappers (8 1/2-inch)

Asian Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Heat large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add curry powder and garam masala; cook and stir 1 minute or until fragrant. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture to season mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining spice mixture over chicken in medium bowl. Toss to coat well. Set aside. 

2. Heat oil in same skillet on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and reserved spice mixture; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or just until tender. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper and snow peas to skillet; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until tender-crisp. Remove from skillet. 

3. To assemble Spring Rolls, fill 9-inch pie plate with warm water. Dip 1 rice paper wrapper in water to wet completely. Place on work surface. Blot dry with paper towel. Arrange 1/4 cup of the mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture and 2 tablespoons of the chicken in center of the rice paper wrapper. Fold bottom edge of rice paper wrapper over filling ingredients. Fold in sides, then gently roll tightly to enclose filling. Place spring roll on platter or tray. Cover with damp paper towels and plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining rice paper wrappers and filling ingredients to make 12 spring rolls. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Serve with Asian Dipping Sauce.

Asian Dipping Sauce: Mix 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in small bowl until well blended. Stir in 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion.

Christina's Tortellini Emilia

from Better Homes and Gardens

1 9 oz package dry cheese tortellini
1 1/2 TBSP finely chopped red onion
1 TBSP finely chopped shallots
1 TBSP butter
1 C half-and-half or cream
1 egg yolk
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 C Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated
1/4 C walnut pieces
1 oz prosciutto, ham or bacon, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, cook onion and shallots in hot butter until tender. Stir in cream and bring to just boiling. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, beat egg yolk. Slowly add 1 C hot cream to yolk, beating until combined and then return all to saucepan. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in Parmesan, sage and pepper.

Transfer 1/2 of tortellini to 9x9 baking dish and top with half of cheese and sauce. Repeat later and top with walnuts and prosciutto. Back 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Christina's Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

from Our Best Bites

Not gonna lie, this tastes more Chinese than Thai due to the sesame oil in the salad dressing, but it's still yummy!

8 oz Linguine Fini, regular Linguini, Spaghetti or Angel Hair

4 C shredded greens: napa cabbage, romaine lettuce, spinach or whatever you have
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 medium cucumber, halved and sliced
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
3 C diced grilled chicken
honey roasted peanuts (about 1/2 cup--optional)

Thai Peanut Salad Dressing (save some time and make this part ahead!)

Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Add a spoonful of salt and then add your pasta. Drain when al dente and rinse with cold water. Add some dressing and stir to coat.

When you're ready to assemble the salad, place noodles, veggies, and chicken in a large bowl.

Pour the Thai Peanut Dressing over everything, stirring as you go until you have enough to coat.

Ben and Christina's Fish Tacos

Just found this after it sitting in my drafts for 10 months. Oops. We were inspired to try fish tacos after a recent episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Since we decided to make the attempt on a Sunday, we just had to use what was in the house, but we think they turned out pretty great!

Fish Batter--use whatever recipe you want

Cabbage Slaw

1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lime
1 TBSP minced garlic
cabbage
red onion
carrot

1 cup pico de gallo

1 1/2 pounds tiliapia filets, sliced lengthwise
corn tortillas

Fry up the fish and fill each tortilla with fish, slaw, pico de gallo and eat! I also think some crumbled cheese (like Cotija) would be fantastic. Yum!

Christina's Sliced Beets in Creamy Mustard Sauce

adapted from Greene on Greens

11/2 pounds beets, scrubbed, trimmed and peeled
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely minced shallot or red onion
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons prepared Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Place beets in a small roasting pan with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake until beets are easily pierced with a sharp knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on size. Slice the beets in half; cut each half into 1/4-inch wedges.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot or red onion; cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in the stock, milk, and mustard. Cook and stir the
mixture until slightly thickened.

4. Remove the skillet from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley.

5. Rewarm beets and serve with sauce on the side. 

CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza

from the Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 pizza crust 

1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 C barbecue sauce (try this one; we love it!) plus more for crust
olive oil, for drizzling
kosher salt for sprinkling
16 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced (or just normal mozzarella works fine)
1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced
cilantro, chopped, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt chicken breast on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breast and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. Roll/stretch out pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion. Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut and serve immediately.

Christina's Steak and Mango Salad

from Our Best Bites

1lb steak (the original recipe said flank steak... I don't know the difference between the cuts, so I used whatever we had and it was good)
1 head romaine lettuce or green-lettuce mix 
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 mangoes, sliced
2 avocados sliced
cilantro sprigs for garnish
1/2 C caramelized macadamia nuts (optional, I left them out and they were fine)

Dressing and Marinade


Side note: I thought this made a great marinade, but was lacking as a dressing. I think I would add some grated onion, more brown sugar, orange zest and maybe even a little teriyaki sauce (just a little!) to the dressing. I think pineapple juice could also be good.

1/2 C fresh squeezed orange juice
6 T fresh lime juice
6 T soy sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 T fresh ginger or 1 1/2 tsp dried ginger (I used dried since I don't like ginger chunks.)
3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 C olive oil

In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic (and any extra ingredients you might be tossing in). Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling in the olive oil until combined. Reserve about 3/4 C* (you could also just choose to add any ingredients to this reserved mix as it will be the dressing) and place the rest of the mixture in a zip-lock bag.

*Important note: Make sure when you're pouring out the 3/4 C you are constantly mixing the mixture to assure even distribution of ingredients.

Lightly score the steak in a diagonal pattern on both sides. Place steak in the zip-lock bag with marinade and leave in fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Caramelize the macadamia nuts, if you want to add them. Basically you saute them in 2 T brown sugar, 1/2 T light corn syrup, 1/2 T butter and 1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional) for about 5 minutes or until they smell fragrant. Like I said, I didn't do this. No nuts and no time. 
Remove steak from fridge about 30 minutes prior to cooking and leave at room temperature. You'll want to let the dressing portion to sit at room temp during this time as well. Heat grill (or grill pan for those of us without grills) to med-high heat. Remove steak from bag and let any excess marinade drip off if cooking on a grill. If using a grill pan, cook it right in the marinade. Cook steak for about 5-8 minutes on each side or until done. In order to stay tender, steak should still be pink in the middle, but nicely seared on the outside. When done, remove from grill and wait at least 5 minutes before cutting to let the juices redistribute. Then slice into thin slices.

Divide lettuce onto plates and top with slices of mango, avocado, and red onion. Add steak slices and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle macadamia nuts on top and garnish with cilantro.

Christina's Greek Pizza

original recipe

1 batch pizza dough
2 T Greek viniagrette dressing
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1/2 tub of crumbled feta cheese (2 ounces)
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch rounds and roasted (45 minutes in an oven at 450 degrees)
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced into rounds

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Press the pizza dough into a rimmed cookie sheet. Brush Greek vinaigrette onto dough. Top with all toppings except the tomato. Bake 15-20 minutes or until crust is browned. Take from oven, cut into slices and top each with a slice of tomato. Enjoy!

P.S. I am not an olive fan, but for those of you who are, I think this would be good with some olives on top. Also, I added some mozarella chunks because I had them leftover in my fridge from making rice balls and it was great, so if you have some mozarella feel free to add it!

Christina's Spinach Mandarin Poppyseed Salad

from Our Best Bites

8 oz. (1/2 bag) of baby spinach

1/2-1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 thinly sliced medium red onion

1 large avocado, cubed

8 oz. mozzarella or Swiss cheese, shredded

1 12-oz. package bacon, cooked and crumbled--I used ham instead and it was great!

1 large can Mandarin oranges, drained--Blech. I used fresh mandarins instead.

Poppy Seed Dressing, to taste

Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss with desired amount of salad dressing and serve immediately.

Christina's Asparagus and Green Bean Salad

from Rachael Ray

1/2 pound green beans
3/4 pound regular or pencil asparagus
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 cup fresh basil or 1 1/2 TBSP dried basil
1 small clove garlic or 1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 plum tomatoes, seeded then thinly sliced lengthwise

Bring 1-inch of water to a boil, add salt then green beans, cover and cook 2 minutes, then add asparagus and cook 3 minutes more. If using pencil asparagus, blanch for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain well and cold shock vegetables in ice water to stop cooking process. Drain the vegetables on clean kitchen towels to dry completely. Thinly slice the green beans lengthwise on an angle; pile them together and run your knife through them cutting them into 2-inch pieces. Halve the asparagus lengthwise if thicker, leave in spindles if thin, then cut the spears into 2-inch pieces on an angle. Combine the beans, asparagus, 1/2 cup of parsley and onion in a shallow bowl.

Combine the lemon zest and juice, remaining 1/2 cup of parsley and herbs in a food processor with cheese. Turn processor on and stream in extra-virgin olive oil. Season the dressing with salt and pepper and pour over the salad. Season the sliced tomatoes with salt and garnish salad with them.

Christina's Fennel-Crusted Roast Pork

4 small red onions (10 oz total), each cut into 6 wedges
3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lb boneless pork loin, trimmed and tied
2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Garnish: fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush onions with 2 teaspoons vinegar in a lightly oiled shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Roast in middle of oven, turning over halfway through roasting and keeping wedges intact, until browned and tender, about 15 minutes. Cover to keep warm. Reduce temperature to 400°F. Coarsely grind fennel seeds, salt, and pepper to taste with a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee/spice grinder, then spread on a plate. Roll pork in fennel mixture, coating all sides evenly. Roast in a flameproof small shallow roasting pan in middle of oven until a thermometer inserted 2 inches into center of pork registers 155°F, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate and let stand, covered, 15 minutes. Add broth to roasting pan and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Transfer broth to a small saucepan and simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Add remaining teaspoon vinegar and simmer 1 minute. Stir together cornstarch and water and stir into broth. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and stir in butter. Serve pork with onions and sauce.