Learning to Cook

I have always been surrounded by wonderful cooks and bakers. While this has been delightful for my taste buds, I always wondered if I would ever be able to cook like them. When I lived in Brazil, I was forced to learn how to cook because the ingredients at my disposal were so different. The experience was, at first, frustrating. But, once I began to experiment, the world of cooking opened up to me. My recipe box is now brimming, and I thought others might be interested in trying some of the recipes I have found. I haven’t tried them all yet, but I plan to in the future! I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to add your own suggestions/comments.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Leeks and Apples


Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled Braeburn or Gala apple (about 1 pound)
1 2/3 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 small)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon butter or stick margarine
3/4 cup apple juice
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
4 cups hot cooked wild rice mix (such as Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice )

Preparation


Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add apple, leek, and sugar; sauté 12 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan, and set aside.
Combine cheese, flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in cheese mixture. Heat butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add juice and broth to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook broth mixture until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 7 minutes).

Add cream; reduce heat, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in reserved apple mixture, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 2 minutes. Spoon rice onto each of 4 plates; top with chicken and sauce.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, 1 cup rice, and about 1/2 cup sauce)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 507(22% from fat); FAT 12.6g (sat 6.8g,mono 3.4g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 35.8g; CHOLESTEROL 100mg; CALCIUM 163mg; SODIUM 748mg; FIBER 3.1g; IRON 2.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 63.2g

From: Cooking Light (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=665474)

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Basic Fruit Smoothie


INGREDIENTS
1 quart strawberries, hulled
1 banana, broken into chunks
2 peaches
1 cup orange-peach-mango juice
2 cups ice

DIRECTIONS
In a blender, combine strawberries, banana and peaches. Blend until fruit is pureed. Blend in the juice. Add ice and blend to desired consistency. Pour into glasses and serve.

Fruit Smoothie II

INGREDIENTS
1 cup blueberries
2 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
1 1/2 cups raspberries
3/4 cup seedless grapes
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tray ice cubes

DIRECTIONS
In a blender, combine blueberries, apples, raspberries, grapes, sugar and ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Mongolian Strawberry-Orange Juice Smoothie


INGREDIENTS
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup orange juice
10 cubes ice
1 tablespoon sugar

DIRECTIONS
In a blender, combine strawberries, orange juice, ice cubes and sugar. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.