Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

This old WW recipe is a snap to make and freezes well. Watch out if you use a hand blender: this one can spray.

1 head broccoli (about 4 cups)
2½ cups chicken or vegetable stock (or one can broth, reconstituted)
½ cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup grated “light” old cheddar (2 oz)

Peel the broccoli stalks and rough chop. Combine with stock in a saucepot and simmer until broccoli is quite tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Purée soup in blender or with a hand blender until smooth. Soup can be strained through fine mesh sieve if desired (I never do). Return to pot.

Stir in milk, salt, and pepper. Simmer until heated through; remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted.

Chicken with Stewed Tomatoes

Every time I am invited to a recipe exchange, this is the first recipe I think of. It's fast, easy, and light.

1. Dredge boneless skinless chicken breasts in flour with a bit of salt and pepper mixed in.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, fry on medium-high with a bit of oil or butter until lightly browned, about 4 min each side.
3. Dump a can of stewed tomatoes on top; bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered, on low until chicken is done, about 20 minutes. Use about one can of tomatoes per pound of chicken, or more if you like a lot of tomatoes.
4. Serve with rice or other starch.

Recipe notes:

Cut cooking time down by cutting chicken breasts in half horizontally, so you have two wide thin pieces. Reduce fry time to about 2.5 to 3 mins and simmer to about 10 to 12 mins.

Any flavour of stewed tomatoes will work, my favorite is Aylmer original flavour; the petite cuts work best. I do not recommend home-brand or no-name tomatoes.

If you have one, put a splatter screen over the tomatoes.

Fancy it up with buttered or garlic croutons served on top of the tomatoes (with original flavour tomatoes).

The Kid’s Specialty: Pepperoni Double-Mushroom Pizza

Yeah, I’ve tried going authentic and making my own pizza dough. And sauce. And designing my own cheese blend. Then one day I was tired and the kid wanted to help make dinner and I decided to be easy on myself: I bought all the base ingredients pre-prepared and let the kid have at it. The result: we don’t take out from Pizza Hut any more.

Everything in this recipe is found at Metro.

olive oil or cornmeal
1 bag sun-dried tomato-basil pizza dough by Fresh to Go
¾ can garlic basil pizza sauce by Primo
¾ bag pizza blend shredded cheese by Selection
2 cans sliced mushrooms, well-drained
½ bag thick-sliced pepperoni
other toppings as desired

Preheat the oven to 500F (if you don’t have an oven thermometer, allow at least 20 minutes to preheat, even if you have a new oven that tells you it’s ready in 8, because, well, it’s lying to you). If you are using a pizza stone or cast iron, stick it in there until it’s quite warm to the touch.

Prepare the stone or pizza pan with oil or cornmeal. To create a Pizza Hut-style pie, use a pizza stone or a cast-iron pan and a generous amount of oil. For a drier crust, use cornmeal. You can roll out your dough directly on the stone if using oil, or transfer it after rolling if using cornmeal. If you can toss pizza dough, good on you! But, why are you reading this recipe?

Once your dough is rolled out, layer on the sauce with the back of a spoon or ladle, then cheese, then mushrooms, then pepperoni. Don’t be shy about crowding on the pepperoni slices: they are going shrink up in the oven.

Bake on the middle rack 12-16 minutes; watch for cheese browning at the edges. Let pizza rest for a few minutes before slicing.

Save the leftover sauce and cheese for pita pizzas or whatnot. The pepperoni will keep in the freezer for a couple months.

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground chicken
1 onion, diced
1 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 dash ground cayenne (or red pepper flakes)
1 bag mature spinach, chopped (or one box frozen, thawed and drained)
½ cup raisins or chopped apricots
2 tbsp mint, chopped fine (or 2 tsp dried)
½ cup water
butter to taste (optional)

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Cook chicken, onion and garlic, stirring to crumble the meat.

Stir in paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne, and cook for a minute. Add spinach and cook until wilted.

Add remaining ingredients and cook until water is mostly absorbed and raisins are plumped. Season with salt and pepper if desired and finish with a bit of butter.

Serve with plain rice. To make it fancy, layer the meat pilaf-style between rice in a buttered pan and cook on low until the rice forms a browned “crust” around the edges.

Note: Ground lamb can be substituted for the chicken.

Apple-Cherry Oatmeal

I don’t like oatmeal; I find it somewhat bland and thin. But steel-cut oats are in a different category: they have a complex nutty flavour plus some serious chewiness. And they fill you up like no other. In the GTA, steel-cut oats are widely available under the Bob’s Red Mill and PC Blue Menu brands.

This is my favorite oatmeal combo; I make it in bulk and eat it three to four times a week. For my WW friends: one serving is 3 Points excluding syrup, nuts, and milk.

1 slightly heaped cup steel-cut oats (180 g)
3 cups cold water
1 cinnamon stick
pinch salt
½ cup dried cherries*, loosely packed (85 g)
2 golden delicious apples, cored and chopped
½ cup unsweetened applesauce (110 g or one snack cup)
maple or pancake syrup
optional: toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped
milk or cream

Place oats, water, cinnamon, and salt in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat, then simmer on low for 20 minutes. Uncover oatmeal and cook for a couple more minutes, until excess water has boiled off and desired consistency is reached. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, place cherries in 1-qt microwave-safe bowl with just enough water to cover. Microwave on high for a couple minutes, until water is absorbed and cherries have softened. Place apples on top and cook on high for 4 to 5 minutes until apples are tender-crisp, stirring halfway through.

Discard cinnamon stick. Stir in cherries, apples, and applesauce. Divide into five servings. Top with syrup and nuts to taste, and serve with milk or cream.

Note: Oatmeal can be frozen in individual serving containers (without milk) and then reheated in the microwave. I actually prefer frozen oatmeal as it further softens the oats and blends the flavours.

*1 cup canned cherries can be substituted for the dried, but I find they don’t carry the same flavour punch. They do not have to be cooked before adding them to the oatmeal.

Souvlaki

I tried about half a dozen souvlaki recipes before perfecting this one. The marinade can be made in bulk and frozen in ice cube trays, then stored in a doubled freezer bag; use about 50% more frozen than you would fresh. And yes: there really is no lemon in this recipe.

Marinade
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced (do NOT substitute dried oregano)
¾ tsp ground pepper
½ tsp salt

Kebabs
¾ lb boneless meat, large cube: lamb leg, chicken thigh, pork loin or tenderloin or shoulder
2 yellow peppers, kebab cut
2 zucchinis or summer squash, kebab cut
1 red onion, kebab cut
16 cherry tomatoes

Greek-style pitas
Tzatziki sauce

Combine the marinade ingredients. Marinate meat and vegetables in fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Thread onto presoaked skewers and barbecue until done and browned, rotating to cook evenly, 5 to 10 minutes. Alternately, place on a broiler rack and broil 6 inches from heat until done, 6 to 15 minutes. In a pinch, everything can be pan-fried on high heat, but the meat and veg should be kept separate.

Optional: grill pitas to warm and crisp them a bit, about 30 seconds on each side. Pitas can be effectively warmed on the grill, an electric burner on low, over an oven vent, in a dry pan, or under the broiler.

If you want to skip the grilled veggies: increase the meat to 1½ lb.

Serve souvlaki with pitas, tzatziki sauce, plus Greek-style salad and rice or potatoes.

Greek-style Salad

This is a salad recipe without measurements; I put it together by eye. Start with equal-volume portions of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, green pepper and carrot. Add the remainder of ingredients to taste.

iceberg and/or romaine lettuce, bite-size
cucumber, sliced or chunk
tomato, grape or wedges
green pepper, chopped (optional)
carrot, shredded or sliced (optional)
red onion, sliced
kalmata olives
feta cheese, crumbled
Renée’s Mediterranean Greek vinaigrette, or your favorite Greek salad dressing
* If using Renee’s dressing: add ½ tsp red wine vinegar per serving