Artichoke and Chili Pepper Dip

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped

½ cup plain non-fat yogurt

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons canned, diced green chili peppers, drained

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed

Stir together artichoke hearts, yogurt, mayonnaise, cheese, chili peppers, and Italian seasoning in a medium-sized bowl.

Spray a 9-inch pie plate or an 8-inch round quiche dish with nonstick coating. Turn artichoke mixture into pie plate.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm with Pita Crisps and/or sweet red bell pepper wedges.

Pita Crisps: Cut 6 pita rounds in half horizontally; cut each half into 6 wedges. Place wedges in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp.

Savory-Rubbed Roast Pork Chops with Apple-Sage Chutney

6 pork loin chops (1 to 1 1/4-inch thick)

olive oil

Savory Rub

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion salt or garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Apple-Sage Chutney

1/3 cup thinly sliced onion

2 1/2 pounds tart apples, coarsely chopped with the skin (about 7 1/2 medium sized apples)

1 cup apple cider or apple juice

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup chopped dates

6 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage

2/3 cup green and red bell peppers, coarsely chopped

1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a roasting pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Drizzle pork chops lightly with olive oil, then rub both sides of each pork chop with the Savory Rub and place in foil-lined pan. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until done; or grill. Serve with warm Apple-Sage Chutney on the side.

To prepare chutney:

In a large stockpot combine all ingredients except sage. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat and simmer until thick, a little less than an hour. Stir in sage and simmer 5 minutes longer. (Makes 4 cups)

Spicy Chinese Riblettes

1 cup hoisin sauce
6 Tbsp. rice wine or white wine
½ soy sauce
1 cup sugar
½ cup tomato paste
¼ cup finely minced garlic
2 Tbsp. Tabasco
3 pounds pork baby back ribs, cut into 1" riblettes

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium-size mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients, except the riblettes, until smooth. Taste and set aside. Place the riblettes in a large roasting pan, and bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, pour the sauce over the riblettes, and toss to coat. (at this point you can place the riblettes in a bag, cool to room temperature and freeze). Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 45 minutes. Toss every 10 minutes so that the riblettes stay well coated with sauce.

Freezer Preparation:
Thaw riblettes in refrigerator for 24 hrs. Poor riblettes with sauce in to a roasting dish and bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes, tossing in sauce every 10 minutes.

Tortelloni, Chicken and Tomato Pesto

1/3 cup pine nuts
2 cups shredded roasted chicken
1 pt. (12oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
2 pkgs (9 oz each) fresh four cheese tortelloni
¾ cup prepared pesto sauce


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes; set aside. Place chicken and tomatoes in large pasta bowl. Cook pasta in boiling water according to directions. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup cooking water. Add to pasta bowl with pesto sauce and reserved cooking water, toss. Sprinkle with pine nuts over top and serve immediately. Serves 6.


Frozen adjustments:

Bring pine nuts to room temperature before toasting.
Thaw chicken in refrigerator and then warm slightly in either a skillet or microwave.
Thaw pesto in refrigerator before using.


Pesto

2 c. basil, packed
2 cloves garlic
¼ c. pine nuts
2/3 c. olive oil
½ c. Pecorino Romano
Sea salt & Pepper, to taste

Pulse basil, garlic and pine nuts in food processor until coarse. Add olive oil and pulse until combined. Add cheese and pulse to combine. Add sea salt and pepper to taste and finish with a touch more oil.

Chicken Pot Pie

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth

2 cups fresh mushrooms

2 medium carrots, cut into 1" long pieces

2 stalks celery, cut into 1" long pieces

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 bay leafs

1 can fat-free Cream of Chicken soup

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

3/4 tsp poultry seasoning

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

4 sheets Pillsbury unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll pie sheets and let sit at room temperature. Pie sheets work for standard pie plate and 8x8 square pans. Set aside.

In Dutch oven combine chicken broth, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add cream of chicken soup and chopped chicken; cook for 5-10 minutes. Add poultry seasoning and pepper; heat thoroughly. Add peas, cook for 5 more minutes.

Carefully unroll pie crust and line baking dish. Pour 1/2 of the chicken filling, distributing evenly between pans. Don't fill completely to the top, as the top will need to be added and pinched at the edges. Carefully unroll second pie crust and cover pie. Pinch edges to liking, making sure edges are secure.

Pierce top of crusts and bake for 30-45 minutes; if edges start to brown too quickly, cover with foil. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting. Makes 2 (6 serving each) pies.

To Freeze: Follow all steps excluding baking. Cover pie, flash freeze (approx 3-5 hours), then cover with foil.

Serving Day: Thaw 24 hours in the fridge. Bake according to directions. Remove plastic wrap and foil before baking.

Recipe prepared by Mary; adapted from Amy

Beef Tamales with Red Chili Sauce

Filling:
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound beef stew meat
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground dried red New Mexico chili
16 large dried cornhusks

Dough:
3 cups masa harina
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 cup water

Remaining ingredients:
16 long thin strips dried cornhusk
1 cup Red Chili Sauce (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare filling, heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Add beef; sauté 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Stir in 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring mixture to a boil. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender.

Transfer beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Pour drippings into a glass measure. Add enough water to drippings to equal 1 cup. Wipe pan with paper towels.

Shred beef into bite-sized pieces. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Return beef to pan; sprinkle with flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in ground chili; stir in drippings mixture. Reduce heat, and cook 7 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring often. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.

Place whole cornhusks in a large bowl; cover with water. Weight husks down with a can; soak 30 minutes. Drain husks.

To prepare dough, combine masa and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add butter and oil; stir well. Add broth and 1 cup water; stir until a soft dough forms.

Working with one husk at a time, place about 1/4 cup masa dough in the center of the husk; press dough into a 4 x 3-inch rectangle. Spoon about 2 tablespoons beef mixture down one side of the dough. Using the corn husk as your guide, roll tamale up, jelly-roll style; fold bottom ends of the husk under. Tie 1 corn husk strip around tamale to secure; stand upright in a vegetable steamer. Repeat procedure with the remaining whole corn husks, masa dough, beef mixture, and corn husk strips. Steam tamales, covered, 50 minutes, or until the dough is firm. Remove tamales from vegetable steamer; let stand 5 minutes. Serve with Red Chili Sauce, if desired.

Freezer preparation:

Once tamales are steamed and cooled, wrap individually in celophane and freeze in freezer bag. To warm, place, standing up, in steamer and steam until warm (make sure to check steamer periodically to make sure water has not cooked out).


Serves 8, two tamales each

Nutritional Information

Calories: 145 (27% from fat)
Fat: 4.3g (sat 1.4g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.9g)
Protein: 7.9g
Carbohydrate: 19.9g
Fiber: 2.2g
Cholesterol: 20mg
Iron: 1.4mg
Sodium: 268mg
Calcium: 49mg

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2007

Red Chili Sauce

Makes 4 1/2 cups...scale back ingredients if making one batch of tamales.

15 large dried chilies (such as Anaheim, New Mexico, California, or pasilla...I used New Mexican Chilies)
4-5 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons olive oil or melted shortening
1/2 cup salsa, pureed

1. Remove stems and seeds from dried chili peppers.
2. Place peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Roast in 350°F oven for 2 to 5 minutes or until you smell a sweet roasted aroma, checking often to avoid burning.
4. Remove from oven and soak in enough hot water to cover for about 30 minutes or until cool.
5. Put peppers and 2 1/2 cups of the soaking water into a blender (save the remaining soaking water).
6. Add garlic, cumin and salt.
7. Cover and blend until smooth.
8. In a 2-quart sauce pan, stir flour into oil or melted shortening over med heat until browned.
9. Carefully stir in blended chili mixture.
10. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. (If sauce gets too thick, stir in up to 1 cup of the remaining soaking water until you reach the desired thickness)
11. Stir in salsa puree.

Note: When working with chilies, use rubber gloves to protect your skin, and avoid contact with your eyes. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water to remove all of the chili oils.

Pork Cassoulet

1 lb dried Great Northern Beans or 5-6 canned beans

2 bacon slices

3 lbs boneless pork loin, cut into 1" cubes

1 lb turkey Kielbasa, cut into 1/2" pieces

2 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup sliced carrots (1/4")

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp thyme

1/4 cup water

2 tbls tomato paste

1 can chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup sliced red bell pepper

1 1/2 cups coarse French bread crumbs (can omit if desired)

1/3 cup Parmesan

Sort and wash beans. Cover with water in Dutch oven 2" above beans. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain beans and return to pan. Cover with water again and bring to boil; reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes, drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Brown bacon over medium heat until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon. Increase heat to medium-high and add pork, cook 5 minutes until browned. Remove with slotted spoon. Add kielbasa and cook 5 minutes until browned. Remove with slotted spoon. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and thyme; saute 4 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup water, tomato paste, broth, and tomatoes. Return beans, bacon (torn into pieces), pork, and kielbasa; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, transfer to 9x13 baking dish. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and scoop out 1 cup of beans & vegetable mixture with slotted spoon. Process until smooth. Return to baking dish and stir. Stir in wine, salt, and pepper. Arrange bell peppers over top. Combine bread crumbs and cheese. Sprinkle on top of bell peppers. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

To freeze: Prepare entire recipe according to directions. Cool. Cover, seal, and freeze.

To Serve: Thaw 24-48 hours. Preheat oven to 350 and heat until hot.