Black Bean and Mango Salad

Black Bean and Mango Salad

1 can Black Beans, rinse and drain
3 ripe mango's, peel and dice
6 green onions, cut in small slices
1 jalepano, remove seeds and membrane, dice
l red sweet bell pepper, remove seeds and membrane, cut in small pieces
1/4 cup fresh cilentro, remove leaves from stem and chop small
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
salt to taste
1 tablespoon sugar, if you like the sweet/tart flavor

Directions above.  This is a yummy salad that will bring a smile to your family and impress your friends.

Baked Chicken Parmesan

Inspiration as defined by "word monkey" dictionary:  a noun - 1) arousing to a particular emotion or action, 2) arousal of the mind to special or unusual activity or creativity.

The baked chicken Parmesan inspiration came from peering into my freezer and refrigerator just long enough to take an inventory of items available and most importantly needing to be used in my preparation of dinner this day, or used to make dog food tomorrow, or thrown out (an option I prefer to avoid).

I love going to Central Market and purchasing organic vegetables.  Often purchasing more than I can easily use within their shelf life resulting in cherry tomatoes and bell peppers past their time to be included in a salad.  So, I thought, what can I do with tomatoes and bell peppers?  I could make Chili, but I did that last week.  I could make soup, but I am going out of town in a couple of days and I don't want a lot of left overs.  Hm, what else do I have available to me?  Whole wheat pasta, 5 cheese tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, I have inspiration!  Do I want to follow a recipe or make it up as I go?  Make it up!  Now off to the store to get a few more items.

The meal was put together while listening to Jazz streaming from KKJZ,  Los Angeles public radio and drinking a cup of toffee flavored coffee with honey and cream.

Baked Chicken Parmesan

1. Healthy
2. Quick-n-Easy
3. Main Dish

2 pounds (bone in, organic) chicken breast
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons roasted garlic flavored extra virgin olive oil (Garlic Gold)
1/2 cup onion diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper diced
4 cloves fresh garlic
1 cup tomatoes diced
Whole wheat spaghetti
1 jar Bertoli 5 cheese tomato sauce
1/2 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese, grated

Prepare pasta per instructions.  Wash and dry chicken breasts, lay aside.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking dish with foil.  Preheat iron skillet 1 minute, add butter and both olive oils, melt butter and stir together then add chicken breasts and cover.  Saute chicken breasts for about 5 minutes, turning as needed.  Keep heat low enough to not burn the butter.  Remove skillet from heat.  Cover the breasts with Italian bread crumbs, place on foil pan and bake in oven 20 to 40 minutes.  I always slice into the breasts after 20 minutes, if they are juicy but not pink they are done. If you need to return them to the oven, cover them with foil so they can continue baking while retaining their juices.   While the chicken breasts are in the oven, prepare your veggies.  Reheat skillet with oils, add veggies (except the spinach) and saute for about 3 minutes, then add the spinach and saute for one minute, add the tomato sauce and simmer until the chicken is done or about 5 minutes.  Debone the chicken breast by cutting making 1/2 inch slices straight down the chicken breasts to the bone, then run your knife along the bone and you end up with 5 or so strips of meat.  To serve, place the spaghetti on a plate, put your chicken breast on top of the spaghetti then cover both with your sauce mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese and enjoy.

Baked Chicken Breasts

I am on a 6 month sojurn to San Antonio, TX.  I visit my husband every couple of weeks to hold him tight and fill the freezer with food.  On my current visit, he suggested I post some recipe's that he can follow when he wants to cook for himself.  His goals:  taste's great, prepare in 20 minutes, easy clean-up.  So here is the first of many (he hopes).

This chicken is:

1. Quick and Easy
2. Healthy
   

• 2 whole chicken breasts (thawed, rinsed and dryed with paper towel)  Please note:  Do not thaw in the microwave as the chicken will end up tough.  It will not cook properly if you do not dry it.

• large grain sea salt (please not table salt with iodine)

• fresh ground mixed pepper corns to taste

• fresh basil

Think about dinner as you prepare your breakfast and lay out your frozen meat early in the day.  Set your alarm for 2 hours so you can put the unfrozen meat in the refrigerator until you are ready to prepare dinner.

Wash and dry the chicken breasts.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking dish with foil.  Place the chicken breast on the foil and place butter in pats on top of the chicken.  Sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper.  Place basil leaves on top.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.  At the 5, 10, 15 minutes points during cooking, baste the chicken with the melted butter mixture from the baking pan.  Cut the breasts in the thickest point to check that it is not pink.  Yes, it should be juicy, just not pink.  Do not overcook.  Overcooking chicken is a sure fire way to make a delicious chicken breast barely edible.  Serve with salad or open a can of black beans.

Pinto Beans

1. Healthy
2. Comfort Food
3. Economical
4.  

Down home Soul food required Etta James and Beer.


Pinto Beans

• 1 pound pinto beans
• water
• sea salt
• ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• garlic
• onions
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  

• Put the dry beans in a large pot, cover with 2 inches of water and bring to rolling boil. Remove from heat and let soak for one hour. Rinse well in colander, put back into the pot and cover with 2 inches of water again. Bring to rolling boil, remove from heat, let soak for 1 hour. Rinse well in colander. Put beans back into pot, cover with 2 inches of water, bring to rolling boil, cover with lid and reduce heat to med low. Cook for several hours until beans are soft, checking approximately every 30 minutes to see if you need to add water. In a separate saute pan, melt butter and add garlic and onions and cilantro, saute on med low heat until onions begin to turn clear.  Add to beans the last hour of cooking, salt and pepper to taste. When your beans are soft, if you want a thicker juice, just get out a potato masher and mash a few beans right in the pot. This will make your beans thick right away. Great garnished with cheese, sour cream and blue corn chips.
  

Baked Tilapia with Lemon Basil Cream Sauce

1. Healthy
2. Quick-n-Easy
   

I love fish fillets of all kinds. Tilapia (perch) have long been a staple of my diet. They are inexpensive, especially when you can talk your children into catching a large group of them. My musical accompaniment tonight was Tony Bennett and I am still in the mood for wheat beer. I served the fillets with fresh tomatoes in a basil, balsamic vinegar dressing and sauteed yellow crook neck squash with onions and garlic, two of my favorite side dishes.

• 1 pound tilapia fillets (wash and dry)
• 1 teaspoon garlic flavored olive oil
• 1 teaspoon citrus dill salmon rub (Colorado Spice, available at Central Market)

Wash and dry the fish fillets, wet with oil, lay on foil lined pan, cover with salmon rub and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

• 2 cups thinly sliced yellow crook neck squash
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, presses or diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

melt butter until golden on med low heat, add oil, garlic onion saute for 5 minutes, add squash and saute another 5 minutes, cover and set aside.

• for sauce, 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime or lemon juice

melt butter in small saute pan, add flour and saute on low for approximately 5 minutes. Do not brown, just saute for awhile, this will get rid of the pasty taste of the flour. Add the basil and half and half and simmer until mixture thickens, add lemon juice and remove from heat.

• dice three fresh medium ripe tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil diced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• sea salt to taste

combine ingredients above, let set for about 10 minutes and serve.

Coconut Curry Thai Pork

The evening called for "Spicy", so out comes the Thai Seasonings. Chris Botti and I made a great one pot/one dish coconut curry that satisfied everything we wanted it to. Our drink of choice was beer (surprise).

• Comfort Food
  
• Healthy (not too much rice)

Coconut Curry Thai Pork

• 1 1/2 cups pork tenderloin cut into bite size pieces (remove membrane and fat)
• 1/4 cup safflower oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1 cup diced sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves pressed
• 1/2 cup celery diced
• 1/2 cup broccoli bite size
• 1 cup snow peas, strings removed
• 1/2 cup bell pepper
• 1 container Coconut Curry Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Garlic, Pepper Sauce
• 2 cups cooked rice

Prepare all ingredients ahead of time. In wok, stir fry pork in oil for approximately 5 minutes (high heat), drain oil add 2 tablespoons butter, melt and return meat to brown on medium heat (do not overcook pork) about 5 minutes. Pork and Chicken will become tough when overcooked. Add all of your pre-cut veggies to the meat and butter mixture and stir fry on high to med high for 5 minutes. Add your coconut curry sauce and your garlic pepper sauce, cover and simmer until warm. If mixture is too thick for your liking, add some chicken broth. Serve over rice in bowl. Makes 4 servings.

Chili with Tomatoes and Black Beans

Don and I love chili. I have almost as many different recipes for chili as I do shoes (and that is a lot)!

My music choice for this dish is "Delbert McClinton", a little blues, a little soul and a whole lot of dancing going on.





This chili is:

1. Healthy (high protein/low carbrohydate),
   
2. Quick-n-Easy (I can cook and serve in 45 minutes)
3. Comfort food (Don and I both grew up eating chili

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 pound ground lean beef
• 1 quart broth
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic minced or through press
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can Ro Tel tomatoes original flavor
  
• sea salt (to taste)
  
• fresh ground pepper (to taste)
• 2 packages Williamson Chili Mix (must be this brand)

Brown the meat in a large pot, add 1/2 cup broth and put a lid on it, stir frequently if the meat is very lean, you may have to add a little oil, but I prefer to add more broth.
Once the meat is brown, do not overcook, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for one hour, or less if you are hungry. My husband ate this chili with saltine crackers. I ate it with a dab of sour cream and some chopped cilantro.

Southwest Texas Stew

This Stew is:

1. Healthy - if you don't serve the cheesy tortillas
2. Comfort - Tummy Warming on a cold night
3. Quick-n-Easy - 2 versions below, choose "easy" or "better"
   

Southwest Texas Stew [Easy] or (Better) A Bi-Difficult Recipe
(be sure to choose easy or better then only add those ingredients not both.

• 2 cups raw chicken cut into bite size chunks (it is easier to cut chicken when partially frozen)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
• 4 tablespoons oil
  
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 cups potatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• [easy] 1 can (approximately 2 cups) diced tomatoes
• (better) 2 cups diced homegrown delicious red tomatoes
  
• [easy] 1 small can original Ro-Tel tomatoes
• (better) 1 serrano pepper cut in half and take out the membrane and seeds, then chop as small as you can.
• (better) 2 tablespoons diced fresh cilantro
• (better) fresh sea salt and ground pepper to taste
  
• 1 quart chicken broth

On medium heat add oil to large skillet, saute garlic, celery and onion until clear then remove from skillet. Increase heat to medium high, add chicken to skillet, cover and saute for about 5 min until golden, add potatoes and 1 cup broth, cover and simmer on low until potatoes are tender to a fork but not mushy. Return garlic, celery, onions, to the chicken and potato mixture in the skillet. Add both cans of tomatoes(or better ingredients) and remaining chicken broth. Simmer for about 30 min and serve. (I like to take corn tortillas, spread a little oil on them and brown on one side in skillet, flip and fill with a couple tablespoons of sharp cheese, fold over and set aside, be sure to keep warm by wrapping in foil envelope, serve with stew).