Ingredient: Olive Oil

Mama D’s Cali-Itali Stuffing

Mama D's Cali-Itali Stuffing
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Use this for your holiday dinner. Make it your own by adjusting the flavors to your family's taste.
Servings
12
Servings
12
Mama D's Cali-Itali Stuffing
Print Recipe
Use this for your holiday dinner. Make it your own by adjusting the flavors to your family's taste.
Servings
12
Servings
12
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until it is well browned. Turn and break apart as needed.
  2. Remove the sausage from the pan and drain on a paper towel. Pour off most of the drippings. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and add the onions and garlic. Saute stirring frequently until the onion is golden and the garlic is fragrant, 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add the artichokes and spinach to the pan and continue to cook for another 3 - 5 minutes. The artichokes should have a little color and the spinach should be wilted.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread cubes, sausage, and the vegetables from the pan (include all the drippings, too). Toss to combine.
  5. Add the seasonings that you are using along with the cheese and toss again to combine.
  6. Pour in the eggs and blend well. Add the chicken stock. Use enough so that the stuffing is very moist, but not mushy. Taste and make any necessary adjustments to the seasonings. Add a little salt if you think it needs it.
  7. Grease a large rectangular baking dish. Add the stuffing and smooth out evenly. Do not pack it down. Cover with foil and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes.
  8. Combine the remaining olive oil and the melted butter. Remove the stuffing from the oven. Take off the foil and drizzle the butter/olive oil mixture over the top. Return to the oven for another 15 - 20 minutes until the top of the stuffing is golden brown.
  9. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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Stock in a Box on Steroids

Stock in a Box on Steroids
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Stock in a Box on Steroids
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Chop off the root and and the dark green top of the leek. Cut it in half lengthwise then slice thinly into half moons. Place the pieces in a bowl of cold water and let them sit for 5 - 10 minutes without disturbing them. Carefully scoop the pieces out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium low heat. Add the leeks, garlic and herb sprigs (count them). Sweat until the leeks are very soft and the garlic is fragrant.
  3. Pour in the box of stock and stir to combine everything. Bring to a boil. reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or so. The stock should smell wonderful and the herb stems should be bare of their leaves.
  4. Remove the pot from the heat and fish out the herb stems. Make sure you have the same number of stems you put in (your immersion blender will thank you).
  5. Using an immersion blender process the stock until it is smooth (how smooth is up to you and there will be some herb flecks)
  6. Your "bulked up" stock is ready to use in your recipe.
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Chicken Enchilada Soup

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Chicken Enchilada Soup
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A lighter version of a wonderful Winter soup. Make it as spicy as you dare and feel free to experiment to your warm hearted content.
Servings
5
Servings
5
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Print Recipe
A lighter version of a wonderful Winter soup. Make it as spicy as you dare and feel free to experiment to your warm hearted content.
Servings
5
Servings
5
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Season the chicken with the herb seasoning and add to the pot. Cook and stir 5 -7 minutes until the chicken is lightly browned. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pot.
  2. Add the onions to the pot and stir to coat with the drippings. Cook for 3 minutes and add the garlic. Cook for 3 minutes more.
  3. Add the colored and poblano peppers to the pot and cook stirring frequently for five minutes or so.
  4. Return the chicken to the pan and add the corn, enchilada sauce, RoTel, and the chicken stock. Bring everything just to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 -30 minutes.
  5. Add the drained beans and heat for a few minutes longer.
  6. Mix the masa harina with 1/2 cup of the evaporated milk until a smooth paste forms. Set aside. Pour the rest of the milk into the soup and stir to blend.
  7. Mix a little more of the soup liquid into the masa harina paste and add it to the soup pot stirring well. Continue to cook for 5 minutes or so until the soup thickens. Adjust the amount of masa to achieve the thickness that you want.
  8. Gradually add the shredded cheeses to the pot stirring until the cheese melts.
  9. Ladle into soup bowls and top with tortilla chips, a little crumbled queso fresco and avocado cream. Serve.
  10. Avocado Cream: Mash 1/2 of an avocado with a couple of spoons of light sour cream. Add enough fat free half & half to make it a cream consistency. Add a little chili powder and ground cumin and drizzle a bit on each bowl of soup
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Pork with Squash, Apples and Cranberries

Pork with Squash, Apples and Cranberries
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This is a skillet dinner that is all about Fall. Inspired by and adapted from Cooking Light Magazine.
Servings
4
Servings
4
Pork with Squash, Apples and Cranberries
Print Recipe
This is a skillet dinner that is all about Fall. Inspired by and adapted from Cooking Light Magazine.
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Place the squash and cranberries in the basket of a steamer pan. Add water to the pan, cover and steam for 7 - 10 minutes. The squash should be tender and the cranberries slightly plumped. Set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Season the pork slices with onion herb mixture and dredge lightly in the flour. Add the slices to the skillet and cook, turning once until browned on both sides. This should take about 5 minutes. Place pork in a low oven to stay warm.
  3. Add the broth to the pan. Scrape up any brown bits and cook over medium heat until reduced by half. Set aside.
  4. In a medium fry pan, melt the butter. Add the apple and onion pieces, pepper flakes, and sugar. Toss to coat everything and let it cook for 4-5 minutes. The apples and onions should begin to soften.
  5. Add the squash and cranberries to the pan. Toss to coat and cook for a minute or two. Add the reduced chicken broth and any yummy bits stirring to combine. Let this cook for another minute.
  6. Add the pork slices and any accumulated juices and let everything get happy together for several more minutes.
  7. Divide among four plates and serve.
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Sausage and Lentils on Spaghetti Squash

Everyone loves a big bowl of pasta smothered with their favorite sauce. It’s filling, comforting, not to mention tasty, but at times it can also be more than a little heavy. Spaghetti Squash is a nice alternative to pasta. This isn’t a replacement. It’s like comparing apples and oranges or vegetable and pasta to be more precise. They are different, but can both perform a similar function in a dish.

To me, the taste of spaghetti squash is somewhere between zucchini and acorn squash. It starts crisp and light like zucchini, but has a distinct winter squash flavor. The best of both worlds so to speak. It can be roasted in the oven or boiled on the stove. It can even be cooked in the microwave. The result is always threads of golden goodness that create a perfect canvas for almost anything.DIGITAL CAMERAThis go round I used it as a base for a simple sausage and lentil sauce that came together quickly with ingredients I had on hand. I had some lentils, but not enough to stand alone in a dish. I cooked them up with some vegetable stock and garlic until they were “al dente”.DIGITAL CAMERAThey were joined by chicken sausage. I have to say that I love this stuff. It’s available everywhere it’s precooked and comes in lots of different flavor combinations. For this dish I used Buffalo Chicken Sausage. It was flavored with hot sauce and pepper jack cheese. Any variety would work in this dish, so use what you have or love. Because it is pre-cooked, it heats quickly and has slightly less fat than a fresh variety (though the added cheese may negate some of that benefit). It’s a great ingredient to keep on hand and at less than $4.00 a (12 ounce) package it’s a cheap protein source.

Back to the sauce. Onions and garlic were present of course and canned fire roasted tomatoes brought the sauce together. I chose to let the lentils, sausage, and tomatoes speak for themselves, but fresh or dried herbs would make an excellent addition. A sprinkling of cheese wouldn’t hurt, either.

So once again, the pantry shared its bounty and the recipe muse visited and an easy, delicious and healthy dinner was born.DIGITAL CAMERA

Sausage and Lentils on Spaghetti Squash
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Sausage and Lentils on Spaghetti Squash
Print Recipe
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cook the Spaghetti Squash: It can be microwaved or boiled whole. Make sure to pierce in several places to avoid explosions To oven roast; cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Brush cut sides with a little olive oil and place cut side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Roast at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Once the squash is cooked and has cooled enough to be handled, scrape the flesh with a fork to loosen the strands of squash. Drizzle with olive oil and add some freshly ground pepper. Keep warm .
  2. Rinse the lentils and drain them. Place in a medium sauce pan. Add 1-1/2 cups of vegetable stock and half the garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until almost all of the stock is absorbed. Set aside.
  3. Heat a large fry pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for several minutes until they begin to soften and turn translucent
  4. Add the sausage and the remaining garlic to the pan and continue to cook until the sausage begins to brown and the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the cooked lentils to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes to let everything get comfortable.
  5. Pour the canned tomatoes into the pan and stir everything up. Add a little of the remaining vegetable stock to loosen things up. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes or so. If things get too thick, add more stock. The mixture should reduce slightly and the flavors should come together.
  6. Spoon the spaghetti squash into four pasta bowls. Top each bowl with a portion of the sausage and lentil mixture and serve.
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