Fish-in-a-Sack

From Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals for Kids


4 Pieces of Parchment Paper
2 Zucchini
4 Green onions
1 Carrot
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
Parsley
4 portions Cod
1 Lemon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (evoo)

Preheat over to 375.
Place parchment on baking sheets. Two pieces of parchment on each sheet works well.
On each piece of parchment place sliced zucchini (approximately 8 slices), a sprinkling of green onion, a little shredded carrot, a few cherry tomatoes, a little chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
Place one serving of cod on each pile of veggies. Place two lemon slices (thinly sliced) on each piece of cod. Drizzle a little evoo over the whole thing.
Make a little pouch out of the parchment around the fish and veggies.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Each person gets one pouch. Serve pouches on dinner plates.
Open and ENJOY!
I served ours with garlic toast.

Edamame "Hummus" and Spiced Pita Chips

From HERE
Or try traditional hummus.

2 cups frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions
1 cup Silken tofu, drained
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch white pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice

Set 1 Tbsp edamame aside for a garnish.
Place the rest of the edamame in the food processor with the tofu, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Process about 2 minutes. Garnish with edamame and sprinkle of cumin.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
6 whole-wheat pitas cut into 8 wedges

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all ingredients and toss (I used a large Ziploc. The recipe called for a bowl.) Spread out, in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, flipping 1/2 way through. Cool before serving.

Mac & Cheese

Finally, an easy Mac & Cheese recipe that reheats well. The kids love it.

Original recipe found HERE.

4 c elbow macaroni
3 T all-purpose flour
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper (I use more)
2 1/4 c milk
1/4 c softened cream cheese
1 t Dijon mustard
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t minced garlic, soaked in olive oil
1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese


Cook pasta. Drain and set aside.
While pasta is cooking, put flour, salt, and pepper in a large pan. Add milk, stirring with whisk until blended. Drop cream cheese in by teaspoonfuls into milk mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer 2 min or until thick and cream cheese melt, stirring occasionally. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire, and garlic; simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a large bowl; toss well.

Shrimp Etouffee

From Penzeys

1-2 lbs 30-50 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning, divided
4 Tbsp Butter
1/2 cup flour
1 onion chopped
1 cup celery chopped
1 red bell chopped
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp. thyme
3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
3 cups water with 2 tsp. seafood soup base
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
Cooked rice

Season the shrimp with 1 Tbsp of the Cajun Seasoning and set aside to marinate.
Melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook 10 minutes stirring consistently until the flour becomes about the color of peanut butter.
Add the onion, celery, and bell. Cook till onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
Stir in 1 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning, thyme, garlic, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Cook 5 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes.
Add a small amount of the stock and stir well to form a paste. Add the remaining stock gradually, stirring constantly so it will be smooth.
Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
Add shrimp and green onions. Cook 10 minutes.
You can add salt, pepper, hot sauce, or 2 Tbsp lemon juice at this point. I forgot the lemon juice. Might try it on the leftovers.
Serve over rice.
The picture below was taken while I was waiting for it to come to a boil.

Toffee Crunch

From Rice Krispie Box.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings says 18 (I can guarantee it won't stretch that far)

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups cereal (Rice Krispies, Cheerios, Corn Flakes)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, melted
1/4 cup toasted, chopped nuts (they recommend almonds, I used walnuts today)

Directions
1 Line bottom and sides of 9x13 pan or baking sheet with sides with foil. Set aside.
2 Cook butter and brown sugar in saucepan over medium heat until bubbles, stirring constantly. Continue cooking 30 seconds. Pour into prepared pan, tilting to coast bottom. Sprinkle with cereal. (If you are using Cheerios, you won't use the full two cups, most likely.)
3 Bake at 375 degrees for 11 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with nuts. When it is cool break apart and enjoy. If it gets cool enough and there is any left, store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Naan

From All Recipes.com

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast(2 1/2 t.)
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
(You can add 1/2 t. baking soda and cook with a lid if you want bubbles.)

2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. (I kneaded with dough hook.) Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. (I put garlic in butter.) Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. (I made 24 balls.) Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat. (I used a non-stick cooking pan.)

4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. (Mine took about 1 minute on each side.) Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

This was SO GOOD and easy. The recipe does make a lot and they don't reheat very well.

Chicken Tikka Masala

From Real Simple January 2012.

15 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T tomato paste
2 t. garam masala (Indian spice blend but if you don't have it- 1/2 t. cumin, 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. coriander, 1/4 t. black pepper, 1/8 t. ground cloves, 1/8 t. nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 cup basmati or some other long-grain white rice
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a 4- to 6- quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, 3/4 t. salt, and 1/4 t pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, vober, and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with the lemon juice and 1/4 t. each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.

Just before serving, stir the cream into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over the rice with the cucumber relish. And naan!!!