Storified by Lucette Delacroix· Sun, Mar 10 2013 20:12:13
Adapted from Country French Cooking by the editors of Sunset magazine
From the Alsace region of France, this vegetable soup recipe features lemon juice, marjoram, and a little cream.
Melt the butter in a 3 quart pan placed over medium heat. Add the onion, shallot, celery, and mushrooms; sauté until onion is tender. Remove half the mushrooms with a slotted spoon; set aside.
Add the potato, turnip, stock, and marjoram. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, simmering about 20 minutes, or until turnip and potatoes are tender.
Add lemon juice, reserved mushrooms, and the half and half or milk. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives or parsley.
Storified by Lucette Delacroix· Fri, Mar 08 2013 17:37:33
Adapted from Blue Ribbon Recipes from the Old Farmer’s Almanac by Polly Bannister
Although this makes quite a large pot of diet soup recipe, this dish is well adapted to freezing. Divide it up into serving sizes and place in freezer-safe canning jars or plastic freezer containers for later meals.
Place the chicken in a large pot. Pour the stock over the chicken; add water, if needed, so the chicken is completely covered with liquid. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken from the pot and refrigerate overnight. Also refrigerate the pan, with the liquid still in it.
The next day, skim the fat off the top of the stock.
Remove the meat from the chicken and shred the pieces with two forks. Add the chicken meat to the stock. Add the onion, green onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes, parsley, dill, pepper, and paprika. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and partially cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until vegetables are just tender.
Add the noodles and cook until they are tender.
Storified by Lucette Delacroix· Thu, Mar 07 2013 17:56:51
Who says chocolate milk is only for kids? This recipe for chocolate cocoa is a sensual concoction made for adults. There are many ways to spice this up and make it even more sumptuous. Top the hot cocoa drink with whipped cream and sprinkle some cinnamon for an aromatic drink. Or place a cinnamon stick in the cup to flavor the hot chocolate. You can also garnish the drink with fresh mint. Other possible spices you can play around with include nutmeg, pepper, and cardamom. In Mexico and in some parts of South America, hot cocoa can be very spicy and is added with chili peppers and even ginger. If you are not the adventurous type, sprinkle chocolate shavings after topping the drink with whipped cream for a generous and indulgent dessert drink.
Some of the best cocoa comes from South America, particularly in Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela, which are considered as cacao- growing countries. West Africa is also top cacao-producing countries, particularly Côte d'Ivoire (which produced 1.4 million tons of cacao beans a year), Ghana (which produces 600,000 tons a year), and Togo. The Caribbean, Papua New, Guinea and Indonesia are also noted for their cacao production. When it comes to flavor, the strongest and most potent come from Africa while Latin America is known for producing distinctive tasting notes and sophisticated flavor.
In a dry bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients, making a smooth paste by adding a little water to it.
Add the remaining water and allow it to boil for about 10-15 minutes.
Add the milk and boil again.
Turn off the heat and add the vanilla extract.
Pour into your favorite mug and serve with whipped cream.
Storified by Lucette Delacroix· Tue, Mar 05 2013 17:47:21
Adapted from Bistro by Gerald Hirigoyen
This elegant diet soup recipe features chestnuts, onions, celery, and potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
With a sharp knife, cut an X on the bottom of each chestnut. Spread the nuts, single layer, on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the nuts feel tender when pressed. Allow to cool until you can touch them, then remove the shells with a sharp knife. Remove the furry skin. Set aside and learn more cookery videos.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and sauté over medium heat until golden and tender.
Stir in the prepared chestnuts, potato, stock, and cream. Bring to a boil.
Add the salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 1 hour, or until thickened.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Bring to a simmer and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired.
Storified by Lucette Delacroix· Mon, Mar 04 2013 17:55:08
Make a quick and simple vegetable pizza with prepared pizza dough. In this gourmet recipe, you can use either premade frozen pizza dough, which can be bought in the grocery store or you can use homemade pizza dough. The pizza is topped with nutritious and delicious greens including broccoli and Swiss chard, two of the healthiest foods on the planet.
Before topping the pizza with the veggie, you need to cook the vegetables first until they are tender and al dente. Make sure that you do not overcook the vegetables; their color should remain vibrant and green. After cooking the vegetables, use a paper towel to remove all excess moisture. If the vegetables are wet and soggy, they will also make the crust soggy. Instead of boiling the vegetables, you can opt to steam, grill, or sauté them lightly in oil. If you prefer to sauté the vegetables, remove the excess grease with paper towels before using them as topping.
The key to a crispy and chewy perfect crust is a very hot oven. Preheat the oven at least 30 minutes before cooking the pizza. If you are using frozen pizza dough, you should allow it to come to room temperature before using it to make the pizza. Leave the frozen pizza dough in the refrigerator overnight to thaw completely. When you are ready to make the pizza, leave the chilled dough in room temperature for thirty minutes. The dough will be a bit stiff so knead it gently but not overly or the gluten will develop and the crust will become tough. Punch it down with your knuckle and stretch the dough incorporating air pockets so that it comes out fluffy and airy when baked. Spread the pesto evenly and thinly, as it can be greasy if you put on too much.
Storified by Lucette Delacroix· Sun, Mar 03 2013 18:19:53
Taquitos are addictive party food that is so easy and quick to do. Crunchy, meaty, and tasty taquitos are versatile snacks or appetizers that will stand out in almost any occasion. Leave them on the table in a room full of people and they will be gone in no time. They’re perfect for pool parties, graduation, birthdays, or even cocktails. Both adults and children will have a blast eating this with an ice cold beverage.
This recipe for easy taquitos is made with shredded beef. What’s great about this dish is that you can make this when you have leftover meat and don’t know what to do with it. Simply shred the meat into pieces, wrap it in the tortilla with some peppers, top it with grated cheese, cook it in the oven, and voila! You have a quick and satisfying snack. If you want something heavier, pack the tortilla with beans and vegetables for a full and healthy meal. If beef is not your meat of choice, you can still make this easy taquito recipe with almost any kind of meat you prefer, whether chicken, pork, fish, turkey, or duck. You can also make a vegetarian version of this recipe by loading the tortilla wrapper with sweet roasted bell peppers, different kinds of mushrooms, onions, corn, and beans.
Technically, taquitos are made with corn tortillas. If you make this recipe using flour tortillas, then they are called flautas. Another brilliant thing about this appetizer is that it can be assembled and stored in the freezer, so it is great for making in advance if you have a party coming up and have little time to prepare an elaborate spread. Serve this with salsa or marinara sauce and some guacamole for a Mexican-themed dinner or lunch.
Boil beef until tender. Shred apart.
Mix spices into a small amount of olive oil and heat in a pan, lightly baste shredded beef.
Individually heat tortillas for 20 seconds in microwave or for a minute or two in an iron skillet. You can also toast them in a toaster.
Place beef and chopped jalapenos in the tortillas and wrap. They should make neat little rolls.
Sprinkle cheese on the prepared rolls and heat for 2-5 minutes in oven until nice and hot and cheese is melted. Serve very warm.
Storified by Lucette Delacroix· Fri, Mar 01 2013 18:47:17
Baking bananas bring out their natural sweetness and make them taste even more delicious. In this home cooking recipe, bananas are flavored with butter, sugar and lemon juice and baked until soft and silky. This quick and simple dessert recipe makes an elegant dish served with some vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with chopped pecans or almonds. You can also put whipped cream on top and chocolate shavings or for a healthier alternative, top this with yogurt and enjoy for a luxurious breakfast.
There are many kinds of bananas available in the market and varieties differ in texture, size and flavor. Yellow bananas are available the whole year round and exotic varieties can be bought at ethnic food markets. There is a lot of diversity in Hispanic, Thai and Philippine markets where bananas are grown abundantly and exported around the world. There are red bananas, plantains, Lady Fingers, and burro bananas. You can use a variety of bananas to make this recipe even more fun and tasty or you can try different kinds of bananas each time you make this recipe.
After they are harvested, bananas develop and ripen further so they can be picked while they are still green. This allows them to be shipped to far places with little storage problem. Bananas are sensitive to cool temperatures, however, and bruise easily below 55 degrees F. When storing bananas, never keep them inside the refrigerator. 60 to 70 degrees F is the ideal temperature for allowing bananas to ripen. Higher temperatures will cause them to ripen too quickly.
When buying bananas, choose those that are firm with a bright appearance and have no signs of injury or bruises. Bananas with green tips are not fully developed and should be allowed to ripen for a day or two or more when the solid yellow color is specked with brown.
