Category: MISC

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In Italian cuisine, a ragù is a meat-based sauce, which is commonly served with pasta. Ragùs are many and varied. The commonalities among ragù recipes are all are meat-based and all are to be used as sauces for pasta.

^{BEEF and CARROT RAGU
1 1/2 pounds stew beef
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 package baby carrots, chopped
3 large Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1 cup red wine
salt and pepper}

• ^{Cut beef into large bite sized chunks. The chunks will cook down quite a bit.}
• ^{Place beef in slow cooker.}
• ^{Top with garlic.}
• ^{Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.} 
• ^{Top with carrots.}
• ^{Top with tomato chunks.}
• ^{Whisk together the wine and tomato sauce.}  
• ^{Pour over top} 
• ^{Cover and cook 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.}
• ^{Serve over egg noodles with a nice crusty baguette.}

PAN SEARED CHICKEN w/ LEMON GARLIC GREEN ONION TAHINI (Lemon Sesame Sauce)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
sea salt and pepper
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
1 JUMBO egg
Baby Spinach
3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup tahini
6 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sour cream
3 green onions, minced

• Spread sesame seeds on cookie sheet and bake until fragrant.  8-10 minutes.
• Shake frequently.
• DO NOT BROWN. COOL!

• Add sesame seeds and oil to a small food processor.  Blend until a smooth paste forms.
• Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, green onions and 1 tablespoon sour cream blending until smooth.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

• Pound chicken breasts thin.
• Beat egg to use as a wash on chicken breasts.
• After egg washing chicken, dredge in Panko crumbs.

• In a large skillet melt butter until sizzling.
• Add chicken pieces and sear on both sides until cooked through.  About 4-6 minutes per side.

• Remove chicken.  Keep warm.
• Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice to pan and spinach.  Saute lightly.
• Plate spinach and then chicken.
• Top with Tahini Sauce.

Another favorite!  Remember the chicken and sauce for the chicken enchiladas?  We’ll do the same thing but the stuffing will be a little different and we’re stuffing peppers, not tortillas!
Sometimes I change this recipe up a little by taking the stuffed poblano peppers and dredging them in egg and flour and bread crumbs and then frying them before baking and covering with the red sauce.  It’s your choice but the way they are prepared below is a little healthier because it doesn’t include the frying step.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:  The chicken stays very moist if you cook it in a pressure cooker.  Don’t have a pressure cooker?  Then a large dutch oven is fine – but I highly recommend mastering the art of cooking with an old fashioned pressure cooker!
Ingredients:
•    2 pound(s) of chicken breasts (you can use boneless, skinless – or use bone in/skin on and just remove both when cooked and cooled)
•    1 box or large can chicken broth (28 to 32 ounces)
•    2 medium or 1 large yellow onion(s),  diced
•    1 small red onion diced
•    4 slices bacon
•    4 cloves garlic, diced
•    2 tbsp. of chili powder
•    2 cans Rotel tomatoes (mild or original)
•    2 tbsp. of cumin
•    6 tbsp. of flour
•    6 tbsp. of butter
•    1 can tomato soup
•    1 small can enchilada sauce (mild or medium, you decide)
•    1 can black beans
•    8 ounce(s) of Philadelphia cream cheese
•    4 cups(s) of Mexican blend shredded cheese
•    8 large poblano peppers
•    4 tbsp. of olive oil
•    1 salt and pepper to taste
Steps
1.    Roast the poblano peppers in order to get the skins off.  To do this, put the peppers in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss the peppers to coat them.  On a cookie sheet, put the peppers under your oven broiler on high until the peppers start to brown.  Turn and roast other side.  If you have a grill, you can do the same thing on a grill.
2.    When the peppers have browned, place them in a large bowl and seal the bowl with plastic wrap.  Let them stand while you do the rest of the recipe.  This will cause then to “sweat” and the skin will easily peel off.
3.    Cook the chicken.  In a pressure cooker, heat a little olive oil in the bottom.  Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes to render the fat.  Pat chicken breasts dry, salt and pepper and and put them in the bottom of the pressure cooker to brown for a couple of minutes on both sides.
4.    If you don’t have a pressure cooker, just brown the chicken (as above) in a large dutch oven and just cover and cook in that.
5.    Add ½ of diced onion (reserve red onion for later) and ½ of the garlic. Mix.
6.    Pour chicken broth over breasts. Add cumin and chili powder.
7.    Add Rotel tomatoes.
8.    Place lid securely on pressure cooker or dutch oven. In the pressure cooker, bring to a high boil and the weight on the lid will “rock.”  Keep on higher heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam dissipate. Remove lid. Remove chicken breasts to cool. Reserve liquid.
9.    In a dutch oven, bring everything to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and cook  until chicken is done.  Don’t overcook the chicken!  Use a thermometer inserted in one of the breasts if you need to.
10.    Separate chicken and red sauce.  When chicken is cooled, tear/shred with your hands.  Place in a large mixing bowl.  You’ll finish the red sauce later. (step 15)
11.    To make the chicken stuffing, in a large skillet, melt 2 tbl. butter.
12.    Add other 1/2 of the onion, red onion and garlic. Saute.
13.    Add the black beans and 1 drained can of Rotel tomatoes.
14.    Add cream cheese
15.    Add this mixture to the shredded chicken.  Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese.  Mix well.
16.    For the red sauce, in another large skillet, make a roux out of 4 tbl each of butter and flour. Cook until the color of peanut butter.
17.    Add liquid from cooked chicken a ladle at a time mixing well between each.
18.    Add the can of tomato soup
19.    Heat oven to 450°.
20.    Take the “sweated” poblanos and peel off the skins.  I keep the stems on but slit each pepper down one side.  Take out the membrane and seeds.
21.    Stuff each pepper with the chicken mixture.
22.    Spray a large casserole pan with cooking spray.
23.    Place stuffed peppers in casserole dish.
24.    Repeat until bottom is covered.
25.    Ladle the red sauce over the peppers.  Cover the peppers about halfway. You may have red sauce leftover.  You can either reheat it when serving the peppers so your guests can add more or freeze the excess to use in a later recipe!
26.    Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top.
27.    Bake 15 or 20 minutes until bubbly.

• Preheat oven to 350˚.
• Whisk together the jam, soy sauce, green onion and vinegar.
• Put half of the sauce in a shallow bowl and coat each piece of chicken.
• Set the other half aside.
• Place chicken pieces in a greased baking dish.
• Sprinkle almonds over chicken pieces.
• Drizzle with butter.
• Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes until cooked through.
• Serve with reserved sauce.

**I used honey roasted from the salad toppings section of the produce section. 

• In a small food processor blend all ingredients together until smooth.
• Refrigerate 24 hours before using.

• Whisk together and heat in microwave 30-60 seconds to blend.

• 2-3 dozen+ chicken wings ~ We prefer drumettes (with a little meat on them) to actual wings, but it’s your choice.
• 1-2 cups Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• PURE

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Wash and dry the chicken pieces.
• Add flour and seasonings in a plastic ziploc bag. Using a ziploc bag makes it easy to throw away the whole mess after dredging all the chicken pieces and it helps you coat every possible spot of the chicken pieces.
• Add chicken a few pieces at a time and coat them well. Set chicken pieces aside.
• While you’re doing this, have the butter melting in the pan. Start with 1 stick and add as necessary, but make sure you don’t run out.
• Once all the chicken has been dredged, start frying. After you have the pan full, pepper the pieces again. Don’t turn the chicken until you can see blood. You only need to turn the chicken one time. Brown evenly and then set aside on paper towels until all pieces have been fried.
• Spray a cookie sheet with PURE.
• Dip each piece of chicken into the BBQ sauce mixture and put on cookie sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Serve hot with my homemade sauce and celery sticks if you’d like.