New blog address!

Hi LLOR fans,

Since Erin and I  moved back to the US of A this summer, our blog has moved as well.  Check out www.lunchingladiesstatesiderecipes.blogspot.com to continue following our zany cooking and baking adventures.  And guess what?  You'll find all of your favorite posts from LLOR on LLSR.  Talk about convenience!! 

Enjoy our new, but still the same, blog.

Teresa Back in Texas

Summertime Hiatus

Hey LLOR followers,
Erin and I are proud to announce that both of us will be moving back to the states this summer! Most of you may know this already, but we wanted to formally post it so that you don't think we've abandoned you.

As for new recipes, we will be on hiatus this summer until we're settled in to our new homes. In the meantime, please feel free to send us any new stuff you've tried or any new tips you've picked up. And don't forget to refer back to some of your oldies but goodies recipes that you like. Postings may still appear during the next couple of months, but less frequent.

Happy Summer !
Teresa

Layered Chicken Parm

Chicken parmesan has always been a favorite of mine, but I confess to liking neither the pain of traditional frying preparation, nor the additional calories that come from fried chicken patties. So, this recipe is a toast to a healthier chicken parm creation.

What you'll need:

1-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

small container ricotta cheese

fresh basil

tomato sauce, bottled or fresh (recipe below)

balsamic vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

Italian seasoning, to include oregano, marjoram, parsley flakes

salt and pepper

mozzarella cheese

pasta of your choosing

To start:

Marinate the chicken breasts in a mixture of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I use 1 tbls. vinegar with 2 tbls. of olive oil, adjusting the amount depending on the amount of chicken used, making sure to cover all the breasts with the marinade. Bake the chicken breasts in a 350 F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken's juices run clear. Pull chicken out of stove and let cool down.

Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise in half, essentially slicing them in half so that they are the same length as the original, but are skinnier. In an oven safe dish, place the first chicken breast half. Scoop a dollop of ricotta cheese and place it against the chicken, then add a few leaves of fresh basil. Place the next chicken breast against the basil and cheese, and add another dollop of ricotta cheese with a few leaves of basil. Continue to layer the chicken, ricotta and basil in this fashion until you have used all the chicken breasts.

When you have finished layering the chicken and cheese, smother the concoction with your tomato sauce. Now add a layer of mozzarella, pop into your still warm 350 F oven, and bake until the mozzarella begins to melt, about 20 minutes. In the meantime, boil water and prepare the pasta of your choosing. When the chicken emerges, the ricotta will be soft, the sauce will be bubbling, and your mouth will be watering. Plate the pasta and then serve the chicken over the pasta, using the excess sauce to soak the pasta. You may want to add additional parmesan cheese to the top, but it's perfect just as it is.

Tomato Sauce In a Jiffy

7-8 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped and diced

3 cloves of garlic

4 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 tblsp. butter

1.5 tblsp. extra virgin olive oil

dash salt

dash pepper

fresh basil

3 tsp. sugar

dash balsamic vinegar

When tomatoes are ripe, this sauce is a great use for them. In a sauce pan, melt the butter and then add the olive oil. When heated, crush the garlic cloves and add to the pan. The heat should be medium to low, as you don't want the garlic to brown, but to infuse the oil with its flavor. When the smell of the garlic starts to waft through the kitchen, add your fresh diced tomatoes to the pan and stir. Add the Italian seasoning, the fresh basil, and salt and pepper. Let the tomatoes cook down, and the spices simmer. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar, the sugar, and turn the heat down to low. I let this mixture cook from up to 2 hours before the meal, but I've also made this in a bout half an hour, and it still tastes great. It's an easy alternative to bottled sauce, and tastes really fresh.

Cheers!

Sloppy Joes, Slop, Sloppy Joes....

Ahh, Adam Sandler...you know you love that song.

If you were born in the 70's, you ate sloppy joes for dinner. My mom made these every week and somehow I never got used to the taste. I think it was the green bell peppers which is not one of my favorites. Anyways, this recipe comes from my wonderful Hungry Girl cookbook and I've modified it a bit. The hubby loves these and I think you will too.

You can also use this mixture to combine with some rice and make stuffed peppers, especially if you are trying to cut the bread out of your diet. I've done it both ways, but think it goes best with a nice sesame seed Mrs. Baird's hamburger bun.

Sloppy Joe's
1lb ground beef
1/2 cup white, yellow, or red onions, diced
1/2 cup of red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1 and 1/4 TBsp of Splenda (This is Hungry Girl's lower cal add in. If you want, use sugar instead)
1TBsp of steak seasoning (I use Head's County which I get from Texas. It's my favorite!!!)
Dash of salt
1TBsp Worcestershire sauce
1TBsp red wine vinegar (I would strongly encourage the use of this type of vinegar only because I think it gives this recipe its 'zing'.)
14 oz tomato sauce
2TBsp tomato paste
Hamburger buns

Heat large pan to medium heat. Break up ground beef and begin to cook. Mix steak seasoning, salt, and Splenda in a small bowl and add to beef. Stir and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add peppers and onion and stir in with beef mixture. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until beef is completely browned. Add Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Stir and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Serve on hamburger type buns.

Easy, huh? So next time your family sings for sloppy joes, give this recipe a try.

Candy Bar Martini

If you were at Festivus de Teresa this year, then you had one of these at the Hayes' house. Blake and I discovered this yum drink at Houlihan's in New Jersey about 6 or 7 years ago. The name there was the Milky Way Martini, but due to that whole branding thing, I've changed the name.

For my overseas folk, if you can't get the liquors at your local liquor store or commissary, check the duty free store. Or, there's always that person headed back from Europe and can probably score you a bottle of what you are missing.

Oh, by the way, these pack a punch (KA-POW) and the effects can creep up on you. Just ask Festivus attendees .

Candy Bar Martini
2 shots of Irish Cream (Bailey's, preferably)
2 shots of white Creme de Cacao (or another milky chocolate liquor)
1 shot of vodka (Absolut is my fave)
2-4 shots of whole milk or 2% milk
Chocolate syrup
Optional: Milky way or 3 Musketeers candy mini candy bars

Combine and mix all liquors and milk. Drizzle some chocolate syrup into the bottom of a martini or margarita type glass. Pour liquor/milk mixture into the glass. Put the candy bar on the rim of the glass by making a small cut into the mini piece. This serves 2 regular martinis or 1 large :).

Shrimp and Vermicelli

I love using baby shrimp in dishes because they are so dang easy and you don't have to remember the night before to defrost anything. How many times have you decided to have brinner (you know you've done it!) instead of painstakingly running water over chicken or ground beef? This is a dish for you :).

You know from previous posts that I'm a big fan of veggies in dishes and the end of the week veggie drawer cleanout. Keep reading...this one is a good one.

Everything is local with the exception of my handy, dandy spices. If you don't have red pepper flake, substitute something spicy such as hot sauce or cayenne or leave it out if you don't like spicy. Also, a piece of ginger can be chopped up into small pieces and added to the dish instead of the powdered variety that I use.

Shrimp Vermicelli

1 tsp olive oil (or other cooking oil)
Dash of red pepper flake
Dash of ground ginger
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup diced red or yellow bell pepper
1/4-1/3 cup of diced carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup diced white, yellow or red onion
1 package rice vermicelli (If you haven't used this before, it's so easy!!! You'll find it in the Asian section of your grocery store.)
3 vegetable bouillon cubes +6 cups of water or 6 cups of vegetable broth (I'd stick with the vegetable broth for this dish as you don't want the dish masked with chicken or beef flavor)
Soy sauce
1/4-1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 cups of baby shrimp, thawed by running cool water over
Asian sauce such as sweet chili and ginger sauce (This is optional and I think it gives the end result a little kick.)

Heat large fry pan or wok on medium. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil and add red pepper flake and ginger. Cook for 30 seconds. Add carrot, bell pepper, and salt to spices and cook for about 5 minutes or until crisp tender. Add in onion and garlic and continue cooking until all veggies are tender. While veggies are cooking, warm veggie broth or water +bouillon cubes in microwave. Add vermicelli and allow noodles to soak, separating noodles from each other as they soak longer. Soak for a total of 5 minutes.

Once veggies are done cooking, add noodles to veggies in pan. Turn up the heat just a little. Add some of the broth to the pan to keep noodles and veggie mixture from drying out (about 1/2 to 1 cup). Add a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce. Add a little extra chili flake here if desired. After a few minutes, add peas and until warmed through. Turn off heat. Add shrimp, stir in with noodles and cover. Let sit for about 5 minutes to heat shrimp. Top individual servings with a little Asian sauce. Voila!

I had this leftover today and ate it for lunch. It's one of those dishes that you can eat for lunch the next day and it may have even gotten better!

Mom...Meatloaf...now!

In yet another attempt at meatloaf, I decided to take the plunge yet again. Could I do it? Could I make a meatloaf that would taste good and my hubby would eat? Could I make a meatloaf that would be good as leftovers tomorrow?

The answer...yes. Seems that if I follow a recipe for this, it does turn out. Alton Brown has always been a fave of mine on the Food Network. I think I like his science kind of geekyness that he portrays on his "Good Eats" show. Others find it annoying, I find it fascinating. This recipe comes from www.foodtv.com courtesy of Mr. Brown.

Hmmm, I suspect that if you have a fully stocked spice cabinet and also random sauces in your fridge, you can find everything you need. If you don't have Worcestershire sauce, try using soy sauce. While it won't give you that meaty kick, it will give a tang to the sauce topping that you know and love.

Meatloaf
3/4 cup garlic croutons (you can also use bread crumbs here, but I happen to need to use up some stale homemade croutons I had!)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 onion roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic peeled
1/4 red or yellow bell pepper
1 lb ground beef
1 egg

For the glaze:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot sauce
1/2 TBsp honey

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
Combine croutons, pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme and chili powder in food processor. Pulse until a crumb consistency and put into large bowl. Combine onion, garlic, and bell pepper in the processor and pulse until chopped, not pureed. Add veggie mixture to large bowl with ground beef and mix all together with crumbs/spices. After combined, add the egg and mix well, making sure not to squeeze meat.

Shape into a loaf shape. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and move loaf onto parchment lined pan. Put into oven.

While meatloaf is cooking, combine glaze ingredients and brush over meatloaf after it has been in the oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cook for about 30 more minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 155 degrees when placed in the center of the meatloaf.

Pretty easy, huh? This meatloaf tastes great with some mashed potatoes and gravy. Don't give up on meatloaf, readers! This recipe will do you good.

Crunchy Little Croutons

At the end of the week, I inevitably have bread left. Today, it happened to be rolls that hubby and I just couldn't eat up fast enough. One thing I can't get locally is croutons. Raise your hand out there if you DON'T like croutons. Yep, that's what I thought :). Why, what's a Caesar salad without the croutons?

You can add different spices to these, depending on what you like and have. This recipe is for a good ol' standard garlic parm crouton. A classic crouton in my house.

Crunchy Little Croutons

Stale bread (whenever have you seen me use this in a recipe? The staler, the better. It will cut down on baking time

Olive oil (or melted butter)

Garlic salt or powder (be sure to add salt if you are only using powder)

Parmesan cheese (Kraft will work, but use the fresh if you have it.)

Preheat oven to about 325 degrees. Cut the bread into cubes, leaving the crusts on. I prefer larger croutons, but cut to the size you like. Place the bread cubes in a bowl and drizzle in olive oil, lighting coating cubes. Stir with your hand or a spoon. Mix in garlic salt and Parmesan and continue to stir until bread is coated. Place on a jelly roll pan/cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake in oven for 10 minutes and check croutons. They are done when they are toasty brown. Watch the last few minutes so that they don't burn (this has happened to me!!!). Once out of the oven, cool completely. Store in sealed container for up to 1 month.

Next time you're looking for a little crunch in your salad or just need a little something before dinner, break these bad boys out. You'll never buy the packaged kind again.

Hot Toddy

You've tried the DayQuil, the tea with honey, Vicks slathered on your chest and none of it's working to get rid of that cold. Well, I suggest an alternative treatment for you that will warm up your tired, achy bones and put a little spring back in your step.

What you'll need:

6 oz. of boiling water

slice of lemon

2 tsp. brown sugar

healthy shot (or two) of rum (preferably spiced)

Set a tea pot on to boil and when the whistle blows, pour water in a mug, dissolving the brown sugar in the hot water. Stir the sugar water, and add the slice of lemon (I used a lemon from my bergamot lemon tree in the back yard and it was perfect for this occasion). Then, add the rum. Let cool, sip, and enjoy.

You may even invite your perfectly healthy husband to sit and have one with you. It's a great way to warm up on a chilly night. Cheers.

Scratch Brownies

When it comes to baking or cooking for an event, I'll take baking any day. Maybe it's because I have a major sweet tooth, but I prefer it since in my earlier young adult days, stuff from the oven always came out better than from the stove top. Ask my hubby. I was making my Mint Brownies(check them out in my earlier post) and didn't have a brownie mix. What's a girl to do? Find a good brownie recipe.

This one comes from http://www.allrecipes.com/ and I believe it's the best from scratch batch that I've tried in the past year. The two things that you may not be able to find locally (or of good quality) is unsweetened cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Sub in what you can, and pray to the baking gods for the best! By the way, these are not for those of you on a diet out there as you will see from the first couple of ingredients.

Most Awesome Brownies
1/2 cup of butter (that's 1 stick :) )
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8X8 pan. In a large saucepan, melt the butter slowly. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder (I used a hand mixer for this, but you can mix by hand). Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake in preheated pan for 25 to 30 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness and be sure not to over bake. Remove from oven and cool.

If you are ever out of box mix, give these brownies a shot.

Chicken Soup

I said I wouldn't do it, and I did it. I'm posting about chicken again. I wish it weren't so. But the sad truth of things is this: when it's cold, gray and rainy, a little chicken soup goes a long way. And while everyone can open a little can of Campbell's, I think there's something to be said for going the extra mile to put on a pot of your own home-made chicken loveliness.

Suggestion: if ever you see a whole chicken on sale, grab one and stick it in the freezer. You never know when you might need it. Today I opened the freezer and was so grateful to see my little chicken stash, as the rain pelted the windows and the heater was struggling to keep the house warm.

What you'll need:

1 whole chicken, on the bone with skin

rosemary

or

thyme

or

sage

or all of the above

salt

pepper

water

pasta noodles

Remove frozen chicken from freezer and place chicken in a stock pot. Cover the chicken with water, and set on stove to boil. Add whatever herbs you have on hand; if fresh, a sprig of rosemary, thyme, or sage. If dried, add a pinch of one or a combination of all three (based on your preference). Salt and pepper the water, cover with lid, and bring to a boil. You may add carrots, celery and onion, if you like, but even without veggies, the broth is still tasty and rich. When the broth boils, turn down the heat to simmer. Let cook for 2-3 hours, or until the chicken meat begins to fall off the bones. When the meat separates from the bone, remove the entire chicken, and let cool. Remove the skin and bones, and set aside. At the same time, in a separate stock pot, ladle in chicken broth and bring to a boil. When broth boils, add a package of your favorite small noodles (mini farfalle, mini penne, tiny chicarinna, etc), and cook the pasta thoroughly. When the pasta is ready, do not drain. Add the deboned chicken to the broth/pasta, and incorporate evenly. The broth will become thickened by the pasta.

Spoon into bowls, season with salt and pepper, and pair with good crusty bread or some crunch crackers. This simple, hearty soup will take the cold edge off any winter day. And frankly, nothing makes a home smell homier than one with chicken soup cooking on the stove.

Awesome Lettuce Wraps

You know 'em. You love 'em. If you are an Asian food lover like me, you have eaten at P.F. Chang's in the states and ordered their lettuce wraps. Well, I found a healthier version in my Hungry Girl cookbook (check out http://www.hungry-girl.com/ for ideas on how to trim some calories on your favorite dishes), but changed it up a bit due to what I found at my local grocery store. These turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

I think the key to this dish is having an Asian section at your grocery store. Even in Tunis, we have one with the basic sauces, noodles, etc.. The recipe is for how I made it, which is different from Hungry Girl's. This is definitely something your family will love. This makes enough for 2 people for a dinner.

Lettuce Wraps
1 and 1/2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into chunks
1/2 cup of carrots, cubed
1 cup of bean sprouts, drained (Yep, I found this at Carrefour)
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (If you can get the low sodium type. I think mine came from the commissary or from my original stash from the states.)
1TBsp brown sugar (I'm a baker, so I always have this on hand. If you can't get it, I would suggest using honey or regular sugar)
1TBsp of sweet chili sauce (The original recipe calls for garlic chili sauce, but I couldn't find it.)
1 clove garlic, minced (If you use the sweet chili sauce)
Sprinkle of ginger powder (Or 1 tsp grated fresh)
Shake of chili flake (Use if you like a little extra kick)
1/2 cup of green onions, sliced into small pieces
Several medium washed lettuce leafs
Extra sweet chili and peanut satay sauce (These are extra, but I was going through my fridge and needed to get rid of these misc. sauces. Hubby and I both thought the wraps tasted better with a little bit on top of each wrap.)
***The original recipe calls for 1 cup of water chestnuts, cubed. I was unable to find these ANYWHERE and I subbed in the carrots to give a little crunch. Please, please, please use them if you have them. ***

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, sweet chili sauce, garlic, ginger and chili flake in a small bowl. Mix well to make your sauce. I ended up making double BECAUSE my Asian recipes never have enough sauce. In a wok or large fry pan, combine cooked chicken, bean sprouts, carrots, and soy sauce mix (and water chestnuts if you are using 'em). Heat through for about 4-6 minutes. Throw in green onions another minute. Serve hot in the lettuce leaves and top with peanut satay sauce or extra chili sauce. Makes about 6-10 leaf servings.

Hope you enjoy this one as much as hubby and I did!

Toll House Pie

For those times when you want a taste of chocolate chip cookies, but don't want to slave away in the kitchen, awaiting each batch, this pie is for you. It's super simple and is always a pleaser. I've essentially swiped the recipe from the TollHouse site, so please forgive copyright infringement.

What you'll need:

2 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup soft butter

1 cup chocolate chips (or chocolate bar broken into chunks if no chips available)

1 cup nuts

1 frozen pie crust (if you have access; if not, try our pie crust recipe posted earlier)

Line a pie plate with the crust, crimping the edges. In a mixer, beat the eggs until they are foamy. Then, add the granulated sugar, followed by the brown sugar, and blend well. Add the soft butter until the mixture is smoothly emulsified. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts, and once incorporated, spoon mixture into the pie shell. Bake at 325 F for 55-60 minutes, or until pie is set. Cool on wire rack; eat warm.

Bon dessert!

Baked, But Not Fried Taters

French fries are a necessary evil. Back in the states, there is debate among which fast food chain has the best. Here in Tunisia, I rely on Ma Maison for fries, a la Ma Cuisine. For those of you who are non-Francophiles, I make them in my kitchen. You can get 'pommes frites' in restaurants locally, but most of the time they are by no means of the Mickey D's or Wendy's variety.

This one's easy, and a combination of a couple of recipes and a technique that I saw on the Food Network. Dust off your spices, people. If you can get potatoes, you can make this recipe. And the best part, they aren't fried.

Baked Fries
3 Medium Potatoes (This will make about 1 cookie sheet of fries. If you can find potatoes that are longer, you can make long 'steak' type fries.)
1-2 TBsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and cut potatoes. I'd suggest cutting them in longer, thicker pieces to accommodate the heat and baking time (more like a steak fry). After cutting, throw cut pieces into a bowl and rinse/soak 2X with cold water. Pat fries dry. The rinsing/soaking gets rid of the starch'on the fries and drying the fries allows the olive oil to stick better. Though I have read this is a technique to get better fried results, I believe it helped with this batch of baked ones.

Mix olive olive with all the spices. Drizzle onto fries in a bowl and toss, being sure to coat all the fries. Lay in single layer onto cookie sheets and sprinkle on a little salt.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning fries 1/2 through baking time. Fries are done when they have a deep golden color.

If you are like me and are looking for a healthier way to make fries, try this out. Your family won't know the difference except for the golden arches packaging.

Who you calling shrimp salad?

Eat too many chocolates for Valentine's? Yep, me too. This recipe will get you back on track with eating right.

Many times, I'm left with bits of vegetables at the end of the week prior to grocery shopping. Not enough to make anything substantial, but just enough to enjoy. My Spicy Shrimp Salad puts all those good veggies to work. The best thing about this salad is that it's low in Weight Watchers points, but high on flavor.

Only 2 things in the recipe I bought at the commissary or had shipped to me. However, you may have canned black beans at your local supermarket. The salsa is important as well, as we'll use this to make a dressing. If you absolutely cannot get salsa, try some canned tomatoes, canned chilies or something else that is low in calories.

Spicy Shrimp Salad - makes1 good sized serving
Lettuce, chopped/shredded
1/4 cup cucumber, diced
1/4 cup red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4-1/3 cup tomatoes, diced (the tiny grape sized ones are in season here right now and are especially good for this recipe)
1/4 cup of canned or frozen corn, rinsed (I prefer the canned variety on the local market since it tastes fresher)
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed (Fiber, fiber, fiber)
1/2 cup medium frozen shrimp, thawed and diced
1/4 avocado, peeled and diced
1 piece of turkey bacon, crumbled (Yeah, yeah...I had some leftover from the weekend. Who can resist avocado and bacon?)
1 TBsp of sour cream and 2 TBsp of salsa, mixed

Combine everything. The sour cream and salsa serve as the salad dressing. If you want, use low fat or fat free sour cream for even more dressing. The salad is 7 Weight Watchers points.

Hope you enjoy this one because I certainly have :)!

Yummy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Gotta love when the scale tells you that you need to 'scale' back your portions and eat a little better. One step that I usually take to start eating healthier is to eat soup. It makes a GREAT lunch with a side salad or all in itself. A recipe that has worked for me over and over again is out of Hungry Girl's recipe book (check out her website at www.hungry-girl.com ) for her Chicken Tortilla Soup. Oh, and by the way, I can't buy canned soup here, so this is a real winner!

I was able to get most of the ingredients here, with the exception of the Mexican seasoning. However, staying true to my Texan roots, I keep a steady supply of taco seasoning on hand and use it anytime the recipe calls for any sort of TexMex, chili, fajita or other miscellaneous mixed seasoning. Thanks Mom, for the use of your Sam's Club card!

Oh, and one other thing...if you are on Weight Watchers, this soup is only 2 points per cup and it turns out to be a hearty 2 points at that! I'll show some optional throw-ins should you choose to beef it up a little. This recipe makes about 4 - 1 cup servings.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 - 4 ounce breast of chicken, poached and shredded
1/2 cup of diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TBsp of fajita or other Mexican seasoning (trust me, taco seasoning works great if that's what you have in stock!)
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
3 cups of fat free chicken broth (you can substitute in water with bouillon cubes like I did or use vegetable broth)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of canned corn (you can also defrost frozen corn)
1 TBsp lime juice (I used lemon...it worked great)
1 TBsp of jalapeno pepper, chopped finely (I ended up throwing in some chili flakes because I forgot to buy this item at the store. You can also leave it out if you are scared of a little heat.)

On medium/high heat, saute onion, garlic, seasoning, and spices in a soup pot for about 3 minutes until onions are soft. Add the broth and and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and canned tomatoes. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Finally, add chicken, jalapeno, and lime juice and simmer for about another 5-10 minutes.
Optional add ins: 2 crushed tortilla chips (what is tortilla soup without the chips?), 2TBsp of Shredded cheddar cheese, 1 TBsp sour cream or creme fresh, chopped green onions, 1/4 cup black beans (this adds great fiber and is very filling), more corn

Promise, promise, promise, you will love this one. Soup's on!!

Hummus, My Nemesis No More!

Hummus is awesome. I used to buy the stuff out of the refrigerated section at Wegman's (ahh, Wegman's) in Fairfax, VA. Despite the fact that I am in the Med region now, hummus is not something normally made in Tunisian cuisine, though you can find it at Cafe Beiruth, my local Lebanese joint in Berges du Lac.

The chickpea (or pois chiche) has haunted me since my arrival in Tunis. I tried on several occasions to make hummus from both canned and fresh chickpeas and could not for the life of me get it right!!! I even asked for guidance of my friend Chantal on what I was doing wrong. Then one day, about 2 or 3 months ago, I got it right. Now, I make no claims that my hummus is the best or even close to Chantal's, but I'm confident that this recipe is good to serve to friends and my husband, who, bless his heart, has been with me through the trials of hummus batches over the past 18 months.

Three things that I learned about making hummus:
1. The tahini paste makes the difference. I was buying the wrong stuff when I got here. Make sure that yours is not sweetened with a lot of sugar, often labeled as "Nature" here in Tunis. I finally found the stuff that works, thanks to Stefanie!!
2. Food processor, food processor, food processor. It will save you loads of time, and get the hummus to the right consistency.
3. Taking the skins off the chickpeas. What?? Yep, I never knew this either. Though a little bit of a time intensive process, I found that I can take the skins off while waiting for something else to boil/cook/bake. The chickpeas blend into a smoother consistency when you take this step.

Yes, this one is all local ingredients. Nothing from the commissary, nothing from mail order or the states. Let's get started.

Hummus
2 cans of chickpeas
1 lemon, juiced
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped into fourths
salt
2 TBsp tahini paste (again, make sure that it doesn't contain much sugar.)
Water
Olive Oil
A couple of 'dollops' of sour cream, unsweetened yogurt, or creme fresh (Ah ha! This is a trick that Chantal told me about. It will smooth out the hummus a bit and give it a little bit of a kick.)

Rinse chickpeas. Take skins off by rolling or pinching them between your thumb and pointer finger. Discard skins.

Place chickpeas into food processor along with 1 TBsp of lemon juice, tahini paste, sprinkle of salt, 1 garlic clove, and a little water (about 2-4TBsp). Pulse repeatedly. Scrape sides of food processor and pulse a couple of more times. Add sour cream and pulse some more. If you like your hummus a little more garlicky, go ahead and add the second clove. Stream in some olive oil, and run food processor for about 10-20 seconds. The hummus should start to have a dip like consistency. Add more lemon juice, water, sour cream, or olive oil to taste and when the consistency is a little thicker than sour cream. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, or cut up veggies (carrots, celery, red/yellow pepper strips).

It's easy, right? For me, it was all about learning from my mistakes and asking a few friends. Happy hummus making!

Curry Chicken Dippin' Strips and Fried Rice

OK, so Erin and I have been on a chicken kick lately. Like she said, it's easy and you usually can't go wrong with it. I would say that hubby and I have chicken at least 3 times a week, which tells you a lot!

These dishes came from http://www.foodtv.com/ and I made a couple of changes. It's actually 2 recipes (BONUS), and will accommodate protein, starch, and veggies into the meal. Gotta love that.

Oh, and what would a LLOR recipe be without a RANDOM KITCHEN APPLIANCE ALERT!

Chicken Curry Dipping Strips
1 pack of chicken breasts, sliced into strips (usually 3-4 chicken breasts)
1 small container of plain yogurt (I use Activia Nature. It's the closest to non-fat unsweetened.)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 -2 tsp of yellow curry (I have no curry in my spices, believe it or not. To make do, I pulled a small bag of yellow spice that my maid keeps here when she cooks and decided that it kind of smelled like curry. Winner!)
1/2 tsp dried ginger (If you have the real stuff, use it!)

Mix yogurt and spices together and place the cut up chicken in the mix. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1.5 to 2 hours. To cook, lay chicken strips on grill pan, OR use your George Foreman grill like I did. Cook strips through until no longer pink inside and grill marks appear.

I had a jar of peanut satay sauce in my cabinet from Carrefour that I used as a dipping sauce (can you believe it??). Try other sauces from your fridge...get creative!

Fried Rice
2-3 cups of rice, cooked (white or brown, depending on your preference)
4 medium mushrooms, sliced thin (use more or less, depending on what you have)
olive oil
1 egg, slightly beat
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup of carrot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of red chili flake
1/2 tsp dried ginger (use the fresh if you have it!)
2 TBsp soy sauce
1/2 cup of frozen peas, defrosted, at room temperature

Put a little olive oil in a large fry pan or wok and cook egg with a dash of salt. Remove and cut up egg into square pieces. Wipe out pan and heat up 1 TBsp of olive oil. Cook carrots and green onions in oil for about 1 and 1/2 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, chili powder, ginger, and stir fry for another minute. Add soy sauce, 1TBsp of olive oil, and rice and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes. Finally, add egg and peas and cook until peas are heated through.
For the fried rice, if you have sesame oil or peanut oil, you can use that. I just find that I always have olive oil on hand....especially in Tunisia where it's so inexpensive :).

Enjoy this meal. It was a real winner the other night!!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I know, enough with the chicken already. But, really, chicken is about as much a staple in my kitchen is as flour. It's cheap, easy to work with, and keeps a hungry family happy. This recipe is one of my go-to entrees and doesn't take too long to get on the table. It also delivers a whole lot of American appeal, as it smells like something I'd eat in my Aunt Virginia's kitchen. She might serve it with a plate of bread and Oleo, some jello salad, and finish things off with her amazing chocolate chip cookies....but I digress.

What you'll need:

1-2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups of chicken stock (made from bullion, or from a can--if you're really lucky)

3 carrots, peeled and diced

a few stalks of celery (if you can find them), roughly chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 package of pre-made pie crust (I use Pillsbury when the commissary stocks it)

1-2 tblsp. corn starch

fresh or frozen peas, optional

What to do:

In a small pot, place the diced potatoes and cover with water. Cover pot with lid, turn heat to high and wait for the water to boil. At the same time, in a stock pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil and add whole chicken breasts, carrots and celery. Turn heat to low, and let simmer, poaching the chicken until fully cooked. After about 10 minutes, check the chicken, and if no longer pink, remove from the broth and set aside. Check the potatoes from time to time and poke with a knife until soft. Once potatoes are finished, drain the water and add potatoes to the broth. In a small bowl, add about 1/2 cup of broth to 2 tblsp. of corn starch, whisking with a fork until smooth. Turn up the broth with the carrots, potatoes and celery and add the corn starch mixture. Stir the corn starch into the broth, making sure to incorporate it completely into the broth without lumps. When fully incorporated, turn down to medium to low heat. As the broth starts to thicken, chop the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the broth. Add peas, frozen or fresh at this time and let the broth simmer for about 5 minutes.

While the broth is thickening, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Take a pie plate or a 9 x 13 dish and 1) pour chicken broth mixture directly into the pan or 2) line the plate/dish with a pie crust, and then pour the chicken broth mixture over the crust. For those who really like the pie angle of the Pot Pie recipe, this is a good choice. Once the chicken broth is in the plate/dish, take a(nother) pie crust and stretch it across the top of the dish. Crimp the edges and then cut in a few slits on the top to allow hot air to escape. (And if you have some extra pie crust, maybe use some cute cookie cutters to cut out shapes in pie crust and affix to the top of the crust.)

Place the pot pie in the hot oven and let cook for about 30 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown. Once browned, pull from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve immediately. This makes a great weeknight winter meal and is great for lunch left-overs. My children won't eat veggies on their own, but those veggies seem to become invisible once hidden inside pie crust. I find myself making this recipe whenever I feel homesick. It's great comfort food.

Herbed Barley!!

Ahh, I see you decided to try it! Barley is a great alternative to rice and if you are a fan of brown rice, you'll like it as well. I pulled the idea for the spices from http://www.foodtv.com/ since I had never cooked barley before and really had no clue on what to put it in.


You can use fresh herbs instead of dried, but I was limited in my choices. This recipe makes enough for 3 -4 people. As I mentioned before, I purchased the barley locally from Carrefour (ahh, just like Super Walmart, but you can't find any Dallas Cowboys gear).

Herbed Barley
3/4 cup barley
2 and 1/4 cups water
Thyme
Parsley
Salt
1 Bay leaf
2 tsp olive oil


Rinse barley thoroughly in a strainer to remove any extraneous grit. I found the step necessary with the barley purchased locally. Put barley and water in a pot. Add bay leaf, some parsley, thyme, and salt to the water and set to boil. Upon boiling, reduce heat and simmer barley for 30 minutes or until tender. If water remains after barley is done, strain water. Add 2 tsp of olive oil. Serve with Chicken and Mushroom dish.

Try this LLOR fans. I think you'll enjoy this dish, even by itself. For more nutritional information on barley, go to www.nutritiondata.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5680/2