Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash + Quinoa

Serves 6  *  Picture & Recipe courtesy of Fearless Homemaker

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded + chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 cups chicken broth
• the meat of 1 rotisserie chicken (about 3-4 cups), shredded (i used both white + dark meat)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup pitted + quartered kalamata olives (i omitted these because of an olive-hatin’ husband, but i’d recommend adding them in for additional flavor + color!)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

• Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. remove half of the squash pieces + set aside.
• Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. mash this squash with the back of a fork. set aside.
• In a large saucepan set over medium heat, add the olive oil. add the onion + cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. add the minced garlic + oregano – cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
• Add the diced tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash, chicken broth, + quinoa. stir to combine. bring to a simmer, cover + cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
• add the shredded chicken, kalamata olives, + salt + pepper. simmer, uncovered, until chicken is heated through + sauce has thickened to your liking. for me, this took about 10-15 more minutes. add more Salt/pepper if needed, to taste.
• Garnish with the fresh parsley + serve.

Tomato-Herb Frittata

Recipe & picture from Southern Living. It does come out exactly like picture.
Serves 6 to 8 * Total time 40 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 (6-oz.) package fresh baby spinach
1 (10-oz.) can mild diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
12 large eggs, beaten*
1/2 cup crumbled garlic-and-herb feta cheese (or plain feta cheese)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Heat oil in a 10-inch (2-inch-deep) ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or just until spinach begins to wilt.

3. Add tomatoes and green chiles, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Add eggs, and sprinkle with cheese. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, gently lifting edges of frittata with a spatula and tilting pan so uncooked portion flows underneath.

4. Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Remove from oven, and let stand 5 minutes. Slide frittata onto a large platter, and cut into 8 wedges.

*1 (32-oz.) carton egg substitute may be substituted. Increase bake time to 16 to 18 minutes or until set.

Note: We tested with Ro-Tel Mild Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies.

Try These Twists!

Tomato-Sausage Frittata: Brown 1/2 lb. ground pork sausage in a 10-inch (2-inch-deep) ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 7 to 8 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; remove from skillet, and drain. Wipe skillet clean. Proceed with recipe as directed, adding sausage with tomatoes and green chiles in Step 3. Hands-on time: 34 min.; Total time: 51 min.

Bacon-Mushroom Frittata: Prepare recipe as directed in Step 1, sautéing 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms in hot oil 2 to 3 minutes or until browned. Proceed with recipe as directed, stirring 3 cooked and chopped bacon slices in with tomatoes. Hands-on time: 24 min.; Total time: 46 min.

Eggplant-and-Olive Frittata: Prepare recipe as directed in Step 1, sautéing 1 cup peeled and chopped eggplant 5 minutes or until tender. Proceed with recipe as directed, stirring 1/2 cup sliced black olives in with tomatoes. Hands-on time: 32 min.; Total time: 49 min.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Farro Salad

• Prep Time20 minutes
• Total Time1 hour
• Serves4

Ingredients

• • 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 medium), scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup semi-pearled farro (about 7 ounces)
  • Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/2 cup radish or arugula sprouts or baby watercress, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide sweet potatoes and garlic between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread into a single layer. Roast, flipping once, until tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cover farro with 4 inches water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Drain; toss with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Season with salt.
3. When cool enough to handle, remove garlic from peels and mash with lemon zest and juice in a small bowl. Add garlic mixture, sweet potatoes, dill, and sprouts to farro; stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with sprouts.

Cook's Note

Keep the skins on sweet potatoes to save time, fiber, and nutrients. When roasted, skins offer a great textural contrast to the creamy flesh.

From Martha Stewart's December 2013 Magazine.

Recipe is a little dry. Maybe need to add butter or olive oil to lemon garlic sauce. 

Sweet Potato, Cauliflower, & Kale Casserole

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Hands-on:55 Minutes
Total:1 Hour, 45 Minutes

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower (1 1/2 to 2 lb.), cut into small florets
1 (8-oz.) package fresh cremini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
3 large sweet potatoes (2 1/2 to 3 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chopped fresh kale, collards, or mustard greens
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 (14-oz.) can butter beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
Easy Cheese Sauce (see below for recipe)
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 475°. Toss together cauliflower, mushrooms, 2 1/2 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl. Spread cauliflower/mushroom mixture in a single layer in jelly-roll pan.

2. Toss together sweet potatoes, 2 1/2 Tbsp. oil, and remaining cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer in another jelly-roll pan.

3. Bake potatoes and cauliflower at 475° for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned and just tender, turning once. Cool on wire racks 10 minutes.

4. Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, 1 minute. Add kale; cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste; stir in vinegar.

5. Layer half each of sweet potatoes, cauliflower mixture, beans (if desired), kale, and 1 1/2 cups Easy Cheese Sauce in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese sauce. Stir together panko, chopped cilantro, and olive oil, and sprinkle crumb mixture over casserole. Note - I only did one layer of each. 

6. Bake at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated, bubbly, and golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.



Easy Cheese Sauce Recipe (You can get away with only making a half of this recipe)

Yield: Makes 3 1/2 cups
Hands-on:25 Minutes
Total:25 Minutes

Ingredients
1/3 cup dry vermouth*
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups half-and-half
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded pepper Jack cheese

Preparation
1. Bring vermouth and garlic to a boil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 7 to 10 minutes or until vermouth is reduced to 1 Tbsp.

2. Whisk together half-and-half and cornstarch. Whisk half-and-half mixture, salt, and pepper into vermouth mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute or until mixture is thickened. Add pepper Jack cheese. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, whisking constantly, 1 minute or until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat, and use immediately.

*Dry sherry may be substituted.

Recipe from Southern Living's January 2014 issue.

Peppermint Pretzel White Chocolate Bark

Makes 12 servings * Hands on time 15 minutes * Ready in 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 (16-oz.) package vanilla candy coating, chopped (Log House CandiQuik Vanilla Candy Coatingrks great)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Parchment paper
1 cup coarsely chopped pretzel sticks
2/3 cup coarsely chopped peppermint candy canes

PREPARATION
1. Microwave candy coating in a 1-qt. microwave-safe glass bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 1 minute; stir. Microwave until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Stir in peppermint extract.
Note - My GE Microwave requires you to change the temperature to medium each time you microwave. Last time I tried doing this without lowering my temperature, it burnt the chocolate so this is an important step to take. It took me 1 minute, plus an additional three 30 second intervals for the chocolate to fully melt.)
2. Spread half of melted candy coating about 1/8 inch thick in a parchment paper-lined jelly-roll pan.You can use a soft rubber spatula to smooth out the coating on the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pretzels and 1/3 cup chopped candy canes over melted candy coating, and press into coating. Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients on another parchment paper-lined jelly-roll pan. Chill 5 minutes or until cool and firm. Break into pieces.

Recipe from Southern Living's DECEMBER 2013 issue

Here are a couple more cool Log House CandiQuick recipes that are ready in 30 minutes or less: Heart Candies (or any other shape cookie cutters you have) and St Patty's Pretzel Rods.

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