Thursday, April 30, 2009

Baked Elbow Macaroni with Italian Sausage and Peppers

I tried this tonight and it was so good I recommend it to all.

Ingredients:
13.25 oz Heartland Whole Wheat Elbow Macaroni
3 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers diced
2 red bell peppers diced
1 T dried and chopped
4 cups spaghetti sauce
1 lb. Italian sausage cooked
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese grated, divided

Directions:

1. Cook the Macaroni according to package directions
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the sausage until cooked then add garlic, onion, peppers
and basil and saute 3 minutes, add the sauce and simmer 5 minutes
4. Spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture into the bottom of a 13X9 pan. Layer 1/2 of the elbow macaroni, 1/2 of the sauce mixture, 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Repeat
5. Bake 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving
Serves 5-7

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Mango BBQ Sauce

  • Mango Barbecue Sauce:
  • 1 mango, peeled, pitted and mashed
  • 1 jalapeƱo peppers, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups bottled barbecue sauce
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • Hot sauce (optional)
  • Pulled Pork:
  • 2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3 pound boneless pork loin, cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 mango, peeled, pitted and mashed
  • Additional Ingredients:
  • Soft rolls
  • Mango Slaw (optional)

Instructions:

Prepare the sauce by stirring together all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

For the pork, stir together spices in a medium bowl; add pork and toss until coated. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot. Add pork and cook until browned on all sides (in batches if pot is narrow). Remove from pot. Heat remaining oil and add onion; cook and stir over medium-high heat for 5 minutes to brown. Add pork back to pot with mango and 1 1/2 cups mango barbecue sauce (reserve extra sauce for serving); cover and cook over low heat for 2 1/2 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

Serve shredded pork on rolls with a drizzle of barbecue sauce. Great with a spoonful of Sweet Mango Slaw on top or served on the side.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Fresh Tomato Dressing

In blender, puree:
  • 1 small tomato, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Stir in 1 Tbsp clipped fresh chives and 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano leaves after blending.

Makes about 3/4 cup.

Garden-Fresh Chopped Salad with Herb-Ranch Dressing

Total Time 30 min
Makes 8 side-dish servings or 14 cups

1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-in. pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 green onion, minced
Salt and pepper
8 oz. hearts of romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
4 pts. red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, each cut in half
2 red, orange, and/or yellow peppers, cut into 1-in. pieces
2 avocados, peeled and cut into 1/2-in. chunks

  1. Heat 3-quart saucepan of water to boiling on high. Add green beans and cook 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain beans in colander and rinse under cold running water ro stop cooking.
  2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayo, vinegar, chives, parsley, green onion, 1/2tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper until blended; set dressing aside.
  3. In 4-quart or larger cylindrical glass bowl or trifle dish, place half of lettuce, then half of tomatoes; top with all of beans, all of peppers, remaining lettuce, then remaining tomatoes. Arrange avocados on top. Spoon dressing over avocados to cover completely. If not serving right away, cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate salad until ready to serve or up to 4 hours.
  4. If serving bowl is not large enough for mixing, transfer salad to very large bowl and toss until well coated with dressing.

Notes: Very yummy salad. The dressing is especially good. We only made half the recipe and it was still a lot of salad. Do the full portion of the dressing though.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Strawberry Sorbet Ice Pops


Strawberry Sorbet Ice Pops

2 Tbsp suprefine sugar

8oz strawberries, halved

Juice of 1 medium orange (about 1/4 cup)

• Put the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan and boil until syrupy (about 3 min). Allow to cool.
• Puree the strawberries with a handheld electric blender and combine with the cooled syrup and orange juice, then pour this mixture into 4 large ice pop molds. Freeze until solid.