Le Top Chef Series: Crockpot Beef Stew

Mmmmmm…stew. For those nights when you want something warm and hearty. It takes some preplanning but it’s a easy, healthy and your family will love it.

INGREDIENTS

   • 2-3 pounds beef stew meat
   • 3 cups water
   • 2 beef bouillon cubes
   • 4 cups diced potatoes
   • 2 cups chunked carrots
   • 2 cups diced celery
   • 2 cups diced onions
   • 2 – 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
   • 1 Tablespoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in crockpot (do not brown meat.) Cook in crockpot on high for 6-7 hours. Parsnips may be substitued for some of the potatoes.

Read Full Post »

Le Top Chef Series: Mini Cheddar Burgers

Perfect activity for little hands, and perfect to eat for little mouths!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Grill: 8 minutes

Makes 12 mini burgers

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2  pounds ground beef (90 percent lean)
• 1  tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4  teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2  teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4  teaspoon black pepper
• 12  small round dinner rolls (such as potato rolls or dollar rolls)
• 24  leaves fresh arugula or other leafy green, cleaned
• 12  slices sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces total)
• 12  slices plum tomato

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat gas grill to medium-high or prepare charcoal grill with medium-hot coals. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion flakes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
2. Shape seasoned beef into 12 small patties, about 1/4-cup mixture for each, forming patties that are 2-1/2 inches across and 1/2 inch thick.
3. Split the rolls in half and toast the cut side on the grill, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large platter. Top buns with arugula leaves.
4. Transfer hamburger patties to the grill and cook 2 minutes. Flip and cook 2 additional minutes or until cooked through. Top burgers with cheese. Slice should be roughly the size of the burger; if not, cut or fold it to fit. Grill until slightly melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Transfer burgers to lettuce-topped buns and place a plum tomato slice on each. Serve warm.

source: parents.com

Read Full Post »

le•top Chef Series: Apricot-Honey Chicken

…An easy main course with only 15 MINUTES of prep time!

Apricot-Honey Chicken
The honey mustard, apricot and ginger give this chicken recipe a wonderful flavor. It will definitely be a hit and is incredibly fast to shop for and prepare.

Serving: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup dijon honey mustard
3 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS
1. Blend mustard, preserves, and ginger. Brush mustard mixture onto chicken.
2. Grill or broil about 8-10 minutes each side or until done, brushing with mustard mixture frequently.
Recipe provided by ivillage.

Read Full Post »

le•top Chef Series: Berry Sorbet Drops with Chocolate Ganache

…A Yummy Dessert in about 20 MINUTES!

Berry Sorbet Drops with Chocolate Ganache
Serving: Ten

INGREDIENTS for BERRY SORBET
1 lb. Frozen Berries*
1 cup Sugar
2 cups Cranberry Juice
*NOTE: If using fresh berries, you must strain the seeds.

INGREDIENTS for CHOCOLATE GANACHE
2 oz. Heavy Cream
4 oz. Dark Chocolate (semi-sweet) squares or morsels

Preparation – Berry Sorbet
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend together. Once blended completely, take the mixture from the food processor and place it in an ice cream machine. Once mixture thickens, place in freezer.
Preparation – Chocolate Ganache
Place double boiler over low heat with water in bottom. Once water begins to heat and lightly boil, place heavy cream and dark chocolate in upper boiler. Stir until both cream and chocolate are mixed and melted together. Be careful not to burn ingredients. Take off heat and set Chocolate Ganache aside.

With melon scooper or spoon scoop small balls of frozen sorbet and dip each ball quickly into the Chocolate Ganache mixture. Immediately place each chocolate-covered ball on a cookie sheet and sprinkle coconut flakes over top of each. Place cookie sheet with completed balls in freezer until ready to serve. Recipe Provided By: EatingWell.com

Read Full Post »

Le Top Chef Series: Easy Fish Fillet with Herb Butter

…In under 15 MINUTES prep time!
(Prep Time: 15 min. 
Cook Time: 30 min. 
Total Time: 45 min.)

Easy Fish Fillets with Herb Butter
An easy seafood main dish with a fast 15-minute prep time, leaving you some time to spend with your kiddies while it bakes!
Serves: 6

2 lbs fillet of sole
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. fresh tarragon leaf, coarsely snipped
1 tbsp. fresh chives, snipped
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Brush fillets with 2 tablespoons of the butter.
2. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Arrange in greased 13 X 9 X 2 baking dish
3. Cover dish with foil. Bake 30 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with fork.
4. Combine rest of butter with tarragon, chives and salt.
5. Heat slightly. To serve, put fillets on platter; pour warm herb butter over them.
SUBSTITUTION TIP: Frozen fish may be substituted. Cod is great too!
Source: ivillage

Read Full Post »

Le Top Chef Series: Arugula and Tomato Frittata

…In under 30 MINUTES!
(not including bake time)

Perfect for springtime brunches, great for baby showers and other midday events where you’re expecting many guests and want a beautiful table presentation. Conveniently make this in advance and serve at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS:
10 large eggs
1/4 cup cream
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping cup cubed (1/2 inch cubes) day-old sweet batard or Italian bread, with most of the crust removed before chopping (see Note)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup small-diced onion
1 bunch arugula, thick stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes, stemmed

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350°.

Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk together with the cream, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the bread cubes and let soak while you chop and saute the vegetables.

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the arugula leaves a little at a time until wilted, then saute until any stems are mostly tender, 3 minutes. Season vegetables well with salt and pepper to taste.

While still on medium heat, add the butter and stir around until foamy, then add the egg mixture and spread out the bread cubes and vegetables evenly, then dot the top with the cherry tomatoes, pushing down any that aren’t mostly submerged in the egg mixture. Let the frittata brown on the bottom for 5 minutes. It should bubble lightly in only a few places.

Place in the oven and cook until almost completely set with just a little liquid on top, 20 minutes. Increase heat to broil and place on a rack a few inches under the broiler until browned and puffy, about 5 minutes.

Slide a thin spatula around the sides of the frittata and gently under the bottom, then slide out onto a large plate. Serve right away or at room temperature.

Serves 6

Note: If you don’t have stale bread, toast bread cubes in a 300° oven until slightly dry, about 10 minutes.

PER SERVING: 235 calories, 12 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 17 g fat (6 g saturated), 373 mg cholesterol, 158 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

Recipe from the San Francisco Chronicle Food and Wine Newsletter

Read Full Post »

le•top Chef Series: Sweet Potato Biscuits

…In under 20 MINUTES!

Another recipe submission by my friend, Dawn. I asked her why she had all these quick recipes if she didn’t cook, and she replied, “Did I say I actually used the recipes?” Thanks for sharing these great, quick recipes, Dawn!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Ingredients:
•    1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
•    2 heaping tablespoons sugar
•    4 teaspoons baking powder
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
•    1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter
•    2 to 4 tablespoons milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate, large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time to mixture and continue to cut in. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth. Evenly roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and coat tops with melted butter. Bake for about 15 minutes. (Watch your oven: If the biscuits are browning too fast, lower the temperature.)

Read Full Post »

Le Top Chef Series: Artichoke Spread

…In about 5 MINUTES!

One of my dearest, long-time friends in Logan, Utah shares this recipe with us. Dawn proclaims she is not a cook, but I’m thinking she says that so her friends (like me!) will cook for her! 😉

Artichoke Spread

Ingredients:
1 – 13.5 oz can/jar Artichoke Hearts in oil, drained
1 to 2 – 4.0 oz. can chopped Green Chilies (these aren’t very hot chilies, so 2 cans is for flavor preference)
2/3 C Mayonnaise (normal or low fat)
2/3 C Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 t Seasoned Salt

Directions:
Pulse all ingredients in a Cuisinart – couple seconds (not going for baby food puree!). If you don’t have a Cuisinart, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts and then add remaining ingredients and mix. Pour into glass baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until bubbling. For the FAST version, microwave for 3 minutes – you forego the crunchy edges for speed!

Read Full Post »

le•top Chef Series: Homemade Mac & Cheese

for busy moms and dads…IN ABOUT
15 MINUTES!

Who doesn’t love this luscious comfort-food-of-all-comfort-foods?!? (sweetie is going to just swoon over this one…watch out!). This recipe is submitted by le•top’s own Kristin, who is a self-proclaimed non-cook (although I suspect she made this for the office party!) and doesn’t like spending more than 15 minutes in the kitchen at a time. Good thing this recipe only takes about 15 minutes start-to-finish:

1 box of macaroni shells
1/4 stick of butter
1/3 C Milk
4-5 slices of Kraft American Cheese (torn up into little pieces)
1/2 T Dried Mustard (approx. to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the macaroni shells as called for on the box. Melt butter with milk in pan on low. Drain macaroni and put back into pan with milk and melted butter. Slowly add cheese bits into pan, stir until melted. Add dried Mustard, salt and pepper to taste.

(With apologies to Jamee and Sharon for taunting this not very GD-friendly carbo recipe…!!)

Read Full Post »