Couscous Salad with Turkey

Couscous Salad with Turkey


3/4 cup orange juice
1 1/3 cups couscous
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded or julienned carrots
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 (1 1/2-pound) piece cooked turkey breast, cut crosswise into thin strips
3 cups torn fresh baby spinach

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in 1/2 cup of the orange juice, the couscous, and the raisins. Cover the pan, then remove it from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the couscous with a fork and transfer the mixture to a large bowl to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of orange juice, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil until it's well blended.

Add the carrots, nuts, turkey, spinach, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the couscous. Pour in the dressing and toss to mix.

Makes 4 servings.

Becki's Oven Barbecue Chicken

Becki's Oven Barbecue Chicken
Source: www.allrecipes.com

Yields: 5 servings

INGREDIENTS:
10 chicken wings
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon onion powder
5 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons prepared mustard (I just use regular mustard, the yellow kind)


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

2. In a small saucepan, melt butter or margarine. Add onion powder, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard; mix well. Dilute ketchup with water and add to saucepan mixture. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

3.Place chicken wings in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour saucepan mixture over chicken. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes.

Tex Mex Shells and cheese

Tex Mex Shells and cheese


Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

1 pound lean ground beef
1 package (12 ounces) Velveeta shells and cheese dinner
1 can (14 ½ ounces) Mexican-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 ¼ cups water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown meat in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Stir in shells, tomatoes with their liquid and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add cheese sauce; stir until blended. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Chicken Couscous

Chicken Couscous
Source: Family Circle Magazine
Makes: 4 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes


Ingredients
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne
8 ounces shredded carrot
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted


Directions
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté 3 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and saute 3 minutes, stirring. Add broth, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne and 1 cup water; bring to a simmer. Add carrot and raisins and simmer another 3 minutes.
.2. Stir in couscous. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve topped with almonds.

Note on Recipe: Manny loved this and it was really fast to make!

Spinach and Hot Ham Fake-Baked Pasta with a Crispy Top

Spinach and Hot Ham Fake-Baked Pasta with a Crispy Top

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings, among big eaters like me and my family *see note

1 pound cavatappi, corkscrew pasta with lines or, macaroni with line in any short cut
Salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive, divided
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole or 2 percent milk
1/2 pound sliced capocollo, hot ham, halve then slice into thin ribbons
1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and excess liquid squeezed out
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a few large handfuls, divided
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground or freshly grated, eyeball it
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, a couple pinches
1 pound ball fresh mozzarella -- buy a piece wrapped, not packed in water, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup plain or Italian bread crumbs
A generous handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped


Preheat broiler.
Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, salt water and cook to al dente, with a bite.


While the water is coming up to a boil for the pasta, heat a medium, deep skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, and the butter. When butter melts into the oil, add onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes then dust the onions with flour and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Gently bring milk to a bubble, allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in the capocola, spinach and 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano. Season sauce with nutmeg and cayenne and remove from the heat. Taste and add a little salt, if you like.


Combine the cooked pasta and the cubed mozzarella with the sauce, stir to coat completely by turning over and over. Transfer dressed pasta to a baking dish.


To make the breadcrumb topping, combine the breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of EVOO and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top to cover the pasta from edge to edge. Transfer the baking dish under the broiler and broil until golden brown and crispy. Garnish with chopped parsley. What a gut-buster! Yum-o!

Note of Recipe: This isn't the most healthy recipe, but it is SO GOOD! Rachael says it is 4 servings, but those are huge servings...when I made this recipes it fits into a 9x13" pan. Manny loves to watch Rachael cook, I think it is because she is so expressive and her kitchen is so colorful.