Tuscan Veggies on the Side

Contrary to what my children will tell you, occasionally we do have a really good, juicy hamburger.  We don't eat a lot of red meat, maybe once every month or two, so when we do have it we really live it up.  My husband hinted, after watching this new Richard Blais show on the Science Channel "Blais Off"(yes, Science Channel!  He tries to see if science in the kitchen can improve traditional favorites like pizza and hamburgers--we're hooked!) that a brioche bun sounded really good for the next time we had hamburgers.  While I'm not willing to go 80% "lean" beef like Blais, I did look for a good brioche recipe on Tastespotting.  It turns out that the secret to great brioche is refrigerating the dough for 24 hours.  24 hours?!?  What, am I supposed to plan ahead or something?

So tonight we had some great cheeseburgers under the broiler (it is below freezing outside so the grill was out), with sides of farfalle pasta and tuscan vegetables.  I made up the recipe for the tuscan vegetables on the spot because these were the vegetables I had on hand.  I like to serve at least two types of veggies every night so the question to the kids is, "WHICH veg to you choose?"  Not, "please, please, please eat this vegetable!"  They are used to choosing one, and sometimes they even eat both without being prodded.
It turned out great, try it for yourself!  It's great over the pasta as a sauce, or on the side as it's own dish.

Tuscan Veggies

1 thinly sliced sweet onion
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1tbsp minced garlic
1.5 cups sliced white mushrooms
1 can rinsed cannelini beans
3-4 tbsp fat free chicken broth
2 cups fresh baby spinach
optional shredded parmagiano reggiano

Heat oil over med high heat, add onions and cook until golden, about 5-10 minutes, add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add mushrooms and chicken broth and cook until mushrooms are softened (about 5 minutes).  Add cannelini beans and top with spinach and steam spinach with remaining liquids at the bottom of the pan, about 3-5 more minutes.  Serve topped with parmagiano reggiano.

Empanadas

As a family we have always eaten simple, quick, mexican meals frequently.  The kids love creating their own meals with tortillas, rice, shredded chicken, black beans, fresh spinach, chopped tomatoes, fresh and homemade salsas and cheese.  While this will probably always be in the repertoire for soccer nights, we have discovered....

EMPANADAS!

Everyone loves them, it is quite possibly our QUIETEST meal with everyone munching!  They are great with black beans and fresh salsa and spinach on the side (or your favorite crunchy green salad), and they are fabulous with a cold margarita or my infamous sangria on the side.  I found these on Evil Shenanigans, but they were beef and I made up my own delicious shredded chicken filling.

A word of warning, these are NOT for quick dinner soccer nights.  Filling these babies takes awhile but it is worth it!  If you do have any left over, they heat up wonderfully and are very portable for taking to work or school the next day.

Chicken Empanadas

For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup lard, or vegetable shortening
3/4 cup warm milk
1 egg, beaten

For the filling:

1/2 sweet onion, diced VERY small

1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp minced garlic

2 cups shredded chicken

1-2 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

3-4 tbsp finely grated sharp cheddar or mix cheddar and jack

In a medium bowl combine the flour, cheese, salt, and baking powder until well mixed.  Add the shortening and, with your fingers, work the mixture until the shortening is well distributed and no pieces remain.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the warm milk.  Stir until the mixture forms a ball.  You may need to add additional flour if the mixture is too sticky.  Cover and allow to rest while you prepare the filling.

Heat the oven to 375 F and prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a skillet over med high heat add the oil and onions and cook until translucent.  About 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook additional 2 minutes.  Add shredded chicken and spices, heat through.  Remove from heat and add cheese, mix, and you are ready to fill your empanadas!

Divide the dough into four pieces, and on a floured surface roll it out until it is very thin (about 1/8 inch thick).  Cut out 3″ circles of dough. 

Brush the top edge of the dough with egg wash then add a teaspoon of the meat filling.   Fold the dough over and press to seal.  Crimp the edges with a form.  Repeat until you have filled the first pan.  Brush the tops with egg wash then bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until puffed and lightly golden.

Basic Shredded Chicken

A lot of our "fast" meals in the week, meaning meals after piano or soccer or other curve balls that get thrown into our schedule, are based on shredded chicken.  My kids love shredded chicken in almost anything, and if you have it already in the fridge you can whip up Pho Ga, quick Mexican night, chicken sliders, or a hundred other recipes that everyone will love.

Here's the basic slow cooker recipe:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Add fat free chicken broth on top of the chicken in the slow cooker until is ALMOST covers the chicken.  Put the lid on and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Shred.

It couldn't be easier and it stores great in the refrigerator for up to a week.

French Onion Soup

This blog came about this evening as my family sat around our table slurping up our favorite french onion soup recipe, sopping it up with french rolls and feeling content and warm as the freezing wind railed outside our dining room window.

My husband, Dan, and my 5 and 7 year old kids, Julia and Ryan, have come a long way back to eating french onion soup on a cold night. Dan and I always enjoyed cooking and eating out before we had kids, enjoyed fine wines and tasting menus, and soups that cooked all day. We tried to make our own Ethiopian injera after a particularly good meal at a local restaurant, and roasted our own peppers over a gas flame to make a great antipasto. Then came the kids.

After our firstborn came into the picture we more than a few miserable dinners where I would cook for hours and dinner lasted about 90 seconds before meltdown. We simplified, kept great ingredients, tried not to eat steaming soup over a newborn's nursing head at the table. And then came the "Terrible Three's." My son who devoured any vegetable or fruit that came his way decided that he would eat nothing with a "speck" on it. That included grill marks, pepper, or any variation in color of any kind. He also decided that he loved peanut butter sandwiches, but couldn't bear to eat the crusts. He wanted the crusts, separately, after eating the crustless sandwich. I started buying chicken nuggets to serve him while we ate "good" food. I was a failure. Serving my child junk, and continuing to eat dumbed down food to include my one year old in our family dinners.

I finally decided we were all going to eat the same thing. And we were NEVER going to eat reheated chicken nuggets. I was going to figure out how to CREATE adventurous eaters, and our family was going to eat great food.

I have some ideas that might help some families, and if anything helps another family get out of the terrible three's bad eating habits I'll be happy! So my first post will be my recipe for French Onion Soup, adapted from a Cooking Light Recipe from over a decade ago that has copied over several times in my well used recipe book.

Roasted Vidalia Onion Soup

3-5 large Vidalia onions cut in wedges
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
32 oz fat free chicken broth
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
a shake of ground red pepper
finely shredded gruyere or swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F. Place 13x9x2 inch roasting pan in oven to preheat with oven.
Add onions, sprinkle with oil stirring to coat. Bake uncovered until golden and tender, stirring twice, about 50 minutes.
Stir in garlic, bake 2 minutes. Add broth and spices, stir, cover tightly with foil, bake 20 minutes.
Remove foil and bay leaf. Transfer to large bowl and blend with stick blender until pureed.
Serve hot with rolls or toast points and a bit of the shredded gruyere. YUM!