Oven baked eggs with Spinach

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• milk
• sea salt
• seasoned pepper
• -------------
• bag of fresh organic baby spinach, slightly wilted
• 2-3 organic green onions, sliced small
• butter
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese, such as cave-aged Gruyere cheese, Mexican 4-cheese blend or your choice

Directions:

1. Mix first 4 ingredients as you would to make scrambled eggs
2. Mix last 3 ingredients and sautee on the stovetop for about 2 minutes to get onions soft
3. Place spinach ingredients in bottom of a baking dish coated with spray or butter
4. Cover spinach ingredients with the shredded cheese
5. Pour the scrambled eggs of the top of it all
6. Bake at 325-350 until done to your taste - about 15-20 minutes

Serves 2 

Florentine Omelet

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. canola oil
4 eggs
1 handful organic baby spinach
1/4 small organic white onion, sliced very thin
1/2 cup organic shittake mushrooms
1 tbsp. minced organic garlic
3 tbsp. organic shredded Italian mix cheese
sea salt
seasoned black pepper

Directions:

1. Beat the eggs
2. Stir in spinach, onion, mushrooms, and garlic
3. follow instructions for how you make an omelet - I use an omelet pan - you can also make it in a skillet
4. Add cheese and cook to your preference of doneness.
5. Serve

Chicken with Parsley-caper Pesto

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1/2 pound small red potatoes cut in half
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon
1 cup fresh organic parsley - or dried if not available
1 tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained
sea salt to taste
seasoned pepper to taste
1 tbsp. water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Toss potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste
3. Roast potatoes for 15 minutes on rimmed baking sheet with 2 tbsp. of the olive oil
4. Peel 3 strips of lemon zest
5. Slice remaining 1/2 lemon into thin slices
6. Puree the lemon zest, parsley, capers and water until smooth
7. Add salt and pepper to mixture to taste
8. Cut 1 inch hole in each chicken breast and stuff tightly with the mixture
9. Spread leftover mixture on chicken, then add salt and pepper to taste
10. Coat chicken with remaining olive oil
11. Add chicken and lemon slices to the potatoes
12. Roast 35 minutes - chicken should be done and potatoes golden

Yes, the lemon rinds can be eaten with the rest of the lemon. Cooking softens it.

Chicken Florentine Pasta

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

3/4 tsp. sea salt, divided use

3/4 tsp. seasoned pepper

8 oz. uncooked linguine or pasta of your choice

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 cup fat-free milk

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup. grated Parmesan/Romano cheese

2 cups fresh organic baby spinach

Directions:

1. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 of the salt and pepper
2. Cook in non-stick skillet until done
3. Let cool a bit and slice into bite-sized pieces
4. Cook pasta according to the package and drain
5. Add oil to the skillet
6. Add flour and garlic and cook about 2 minutes - stir constantly
7. Add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk - simmer another 2 minutes
8. Add cheese - continue to stir until cheese is melted
9. Add remaining salt and pepper
10. Add spinach and continue to simmer and stir until spinach in wilted
11. Add pasta and chicken and toss to combine
12. Simmer until all ingredients are uniform in heat.

Amish Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite sized florets
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup organic sour cream
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 lb. beef bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Combine broccoli and cauliflower in a large bowl
2. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream and salt in a separate bowl and mix well
3. Add the mixture to the broccoli and cauliflower then stir to evenly coat 
4. Stir in the bacon and cheese

Most recipes include sugar. We did not like it with sugar as much. Nita said "On a scale of 1-10, this is a 15!"

Yogurt Chicken

Yogurt Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese
• 6 oz. plain Greek yogurt
• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp. seasoned pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Mix last 5 ingredients thoroughly
3. Coat chicken with the mixture
4. Bake 45 minutes
5. Serve

Stove Top Unstuffed Green Pepper

Stove Top Unstuffed Green Pepper

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 15 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. seasoned pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 6 oz. rice, cooked (I used organic with garlic and basil seasoning)

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to instructions
2. Brown ground beef and drain
3. Add onion, garlic, green pepper
4. Add tomato sauce, garlic powder, pepper and salt
5. Add cooked rice
6. Continue to cook until heat is uniform throughout
7. Serve

Makes about 4 servings. On 2nd night, take one green pepper and fill with leftover ingredients, heat in oven until warm, serve.

Chicken with Lemon Caper Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
• enough flour to coat chicken
• sea salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. 1. wash chicken and pat dry.
2. 2. add salt and pepper to taste, then coat with flour
3. 3. heat olive oil and butter in skillet
4. 4. cook chicken on medium heat until golden brown on both sides
5. 5. remove chicken and place in oven to keep warm

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. capers
• 3 tbsp. butter

Finishing Directions:

1. slowly add chicken broth to skillet to deglaze
2. add remaining ingredients and blend a few minutes
3. add chicken to the sauce and continue to cook about 4-5 minutes spooning sauce over the chicken

Serve

Fried Dill Pickles

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups sliced dill pickles
• Canola oil

Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a bowl
2. In another bowl, beat eggs and add milk
3. Blot the pickles dry
4. Coat pickles with flour mixture, then dip in the egg mixture, then coat with flour again
5. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet or deep-fryer to 375
6. Fry pickles about 10 at a time until golden brown, turning once
7. Drain on paper towels

I found this recipe on www.tasteofhome.com and modified it only a little.

Cucumber and Vinegar

Ingredients:

• one cucumber sliced thin
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup sugar
• sea salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Simple - just mix it all together, cover and refrigerate. The longer it sits, the better it gets.

At your own discretion, you can add other ingredients such as sliced tomato, sliced green or red peppers, sliced zucchini or just about anything else. You may want to skip the sugar. And the onion can be any type - red, sweet, white, Vidalia. 

Oven Baked Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 3/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Melt butter in 9 x 13 glass baking dish
3. Soak chicken in milk 20-30 minutes
4. Mix all powder ingredients in a large bowl or Zip-Lock bag
5. Shake excess milk off chicken and coat with powder mixture and place in the baking dish
6. Bake at least 20 minutes on each side to your desired doneness

2 servings

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 small cabbage, chopped
• 1 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender.
2. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
3. Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.

Yield: Serves 4 - or two meals for 2 

Sauteed Chilean Sea Bass

Ingredients:

• 1 thick cut filet of Chilean Sea Bass
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 5 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. drained capers
• 3 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a bowl
2. Coat the filet with the flour
3. Heat the olive oil and 4 tbsp. butter in nonstick skillet on medium for 3-4 minutes
4. Add the filet
5. Increase the heat to medium high and saute on each side to your desired level of being done - a minimum of 3 minutes on each side. We like our fish more well done, so I saute longer - until the filet is golden brown on each side
6. In a small frying pan, melt the remaining tbsp. of butter
7. Add capers and cook over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes
8. Pour capers over the filet and serve

Cutting the large filet in 1/2 gives you 2 servings.

Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 lb.salmon filet
• 1 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 tsp. onion salt
• 1 small onion, sliced and cut into rings
• 6 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed

Dill Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. horse radish
• 3/4 tsp. dill weed
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Line a 15" x 10" x 1" baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil
2. Grease lightly - I used olive oil
3. Place salmon, skin side down, on foil
4. Sprinkle with lemon-pepper and onion salt
5. Top with onion and lemon, dot with butter
6. Cover with foil and seal tightly
7. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then remove top foil (carefully)
8. Broil 6" from coils for 12 minutes
9. Combine all the sauce ingredients until smooth

6 servings - Source: Taste of Home 2012

Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. asparagus, woody end removed, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 stalks chopped celery
• 1 chopped carrot
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup milk
• sea salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat
2. Add onion, celery, carrot and cook about 3 minutes
3. Add garlic and cook 1 minute
4. Add asparagus, salt and pepper to taste, and cook 5 minutes
5. Add chicken broth and simmer covered another 20 minutes
6. Add milk and warm without simmering on low

You may want to add a tsp. of lemon juice.

4 servings

Chile-garlic spinach

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, sliced or crushed
• 10 oz. (10 cups) baby spinach
• sea salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium-high 
2. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds
3. Add spinach and cook until wilted - about 1-2 minutes - tossing constantly
4. Season with sea salt and lemon if desired

Tuna Pasta Salad:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups pasta of your choice
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper
• lemon juice
• 30 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 stalks celery, diced small
• 1 can (12 oz.) chunk white albacore tuna (packed in water - no other ingredients)
• 1/2 cup grated cheese (Parmesan, Romano, Reggiano or a mixture)
• 2 hard-cooked eggs and shredded or diced

Directions:

• Cook the pasta according to the package - drain and place in a large bowl
• Add the olive oil
• Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice
• Drain the tuna and add to the bowl
• Add cheese and mix well
• Chill

This actually gets better in a couple days - good leftovers

Breakfast Scramble

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 8 eggs
• 4 oz. grated cheese of your choice (cheddar, Italian or Mexican all work)

Directions:

1. In a large non-stick skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink
2. Add salt, pepper and tomatoes, cook about 5 minutes longer
3. Scramble the eggs and pour over ground beef mixture
4. Cook until eggs are set, mix in the cheese and cook until cheese is melted and thoroughly mixed in

4 servings - we like it as a leftover, too, so I fixed it on Sunday, then reheated it on Wednesday when Nita was off work

Potato Gratin

Ingredients:

• 2 russet potatoes, sliced very thin
• 3/4 cups heavy cream (see note below if not available)
• sea salt
• pepper
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 lb. sliced gruyere cheese
• butter

Directions:

1. Melt butter and coat glass baking dish well - bottom and sides
2. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
3. Layer potatoes in dish, overlapping
4. Combine cream, salt, pepper and garlic and heat to a simmer. (I rarely have heavy cream in the refrigerator, but I often have sour cream that I have left over with no plans. I have found that by mixing sour cream with milk, I have an equivalent to heavy cream that does just fine)
5. Pour mixture over the potatoes to just cover them.
6. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake about 30 minutes.
7. Lay slices of gruyere on top and put under low broil until melted

Makes 4 servings - good for 2 people for 2 meals.

Okra Fritters

Ingredients:

• 2 cups canola oil
• 1/2 cup okra, diced small, tips discarded
• 1/2 cup flour
• sea salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1/4 yellow onion, diced small
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk (can use cream or buttermilk

Directions:

1. Heat oil on medium in a large, heavy non-stick skillet
2. Combine all ingredients and mix well
3. Drop the mixture in 2 tbsp. segments into the oil
4. Cook until golden brown on each side - flipping once

Serves 2

Asparagus and Gruyere Frittata

Ingredients:

• 6 Asparagus spears cut into 1/2 inch segments
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/3 lb. Gruyere cheese cut into 1/4 inch squares

Directions:

1. Preheat oven broiler on high
2. Heat olive oil in oven proof skillet on medium
3. Saute asparagus about 10 minutes to your desired crispness or tenderness
4. Add garlic and continue to saute for 1 minute
5. Whisk eggs with salt, pepper and milk
6. Add eggs to skillet and cook 5 minutes until eggs are nearly set
7. Spread cheese over the eggs and transfer to broiler
8. Broil until eggs are fully set and cheese is melted and golden brown

2 servings

Increase proportionately for a brunch serving guests.

Cheese-stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (regular or panko) or flour
• 1 tbsp. parsley
• 2 oz. cheese, cut into small squares - goat, feta or other mild white cheese
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler to high
2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl
3. Cut a horizontal slit deep into each chicken breast
4. Stuff 2 tbsp. of cheese mixture into each slit
5. Close opening with wooden toothpicks
6. Sprinkle chicken with salt
7. Heat large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat
8. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil
9. Brown each side of chicken breasts
10. Arrange chicken on baking sheet
11. Broil to your taste - 8 minutes or more

Serves 2 and goes well with the creamed spinach I posted yesterday.

Creamed Spinach

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. baby spinach
• 1/4 small onion, minced
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tbsp. flour
• 1/4 tsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt or sea salt
• dash black pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Wilt spinach and drain well (squeezing by hand is best)
2. Chop spinach very finely
3. Saute onion and garlic in olive olive oil
4. Add flour and mix
5. Add salt and pepper
6. Blend all thoroughly
7. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until thickened
8. Add spinach, continue to warm until all mixture is warm

Two servings

Breakfast Frittata with Asparagus

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 6 oz. asparagus, cut in 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup diced red pepper
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup diced Fontina cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Saute asparagus and red pepper in broiler-safe skillet in the butter for about 6 minutes
2. Whisk eggs with 1/2 the Fontina cheese
3. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste
4. Add the egg mixture to the skillet and cook until almost set
5. Sprinkle remaining cheeses over top evenly
6. Broil until puffed and cheese turns golden - 3-4 minutes
7. Cut into wedges and serve

Makes 2 servings

Pesto Cauliflower Pasta

Ingredients:

• one small head of cauliflower
• 6-8 oz. pasta - I used angel hair, but most any will work
• 1 jar basil pesto
• 1 oz. grated cheese - I used Roman/Parmesan
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. capers
• red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

1. cook the pasta according to the instructions
2. clean and cut the cauliflower - then pulse in a food processor until it is about the consistency of couscous 
3. When pasta is done, drain and put in a large bowl
4. Add all other ingredients, mix well and serve

4 servings

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1 medium turnip
• 1 medium parsnip
• 2 leeks
• 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts
• 1 head garlic
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Prepare turnips and parsnips by peeling and cutting into 1 inch squares, cut squash into 1 inch squares,
3. Cut off dark green and base of leeks and toss out, cut rest into 1/2 inch slices
4. Peel outer leaves of Brussels sprouts, cut each in half
5. Peel and dice garlic
6. Add all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat everything with olive oil, salt and pepper
7. Place veggies on rimmed baking dish in a single layer
8. Roast for 30 minutes, flipping veggies over after 15 minutes

I had to keep quiet about the ingredients before serving or Nita wouldn't have wanted to taste it. She loved it and has raved about it to many people. Her volunteers at work said it smelled wonderful, but she didn't let them taste it :)

Creamy Chicken, Spinach and Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 can (10 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup brown or long grain rice
• 1 package baby spinach, wilted and dried
• 4 skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. cook rice according to instructions, but only 1/2 the time indicated
2. preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. spray 7 x 11 glass baking dish with non-stick spray
4. combine the soup, water and mayonnaise and mix well
5. sprinkle rice over the bottom of the baking dish
6. layer the spinach over the rice evenly
7. cover the spinach with half of the soup mix
8. cover the soup mix with the chicken breasts
9. cover the chicken with the rest of the soup mix
10. sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top
11. bake, uncovered for an hour - cheese should be golden brown and bubbly

The came out much better than expected. Nita and I each had 2 meals from it. I think tuna could also be used in place of the chicken, but I haven't tried that yet.

Roasted Cauliflower w/cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into medium florets
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheese - cheddar, mixed Italian or your choice

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees
2. Toss cauliflower with olive oil to coat well
3. Place cauliflower in single layer on cooking sheet
4. Add salt and pepper to taste
5. Cook about 20 minutes, tossing halfway through
6. Push all cauliflower into the center of the cooking sheet and top with cheese
7. Cook about 2 minutes to melt the cheese

4 Servings

Easy Breakfast Strata

Ingredients:

• 2 flour tortillas
• 4 oz. Ro*tel or Hatch diced tomatoes and chilies
• 3 slabs beef bacon, cut into bite-size pieces (other types of bacon can be used but we like the beef best)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 2 cups grated cheese of your choice - I used mixed Italian once and Cheddar once

Directions:

1. lightly butter or otherwise coat an 8 x 8 baking dish
2. arrange 1 tortilla in the pan
3. top tortilla with 2 oz. chilies
4. top chilies with 1/2 the bacon
5. top bacon with 1/2 the cheese
6. repeat the layers
7. beat the eggs with milk, salt and pepper
8. pour eggs over the layers

(steps 1-8 can be done the night before and placed in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours)

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. bake for 50-60 minutes until puffed and golden brown

Top with salsa or your choice of other toppings

serves 2 - if appetites are small, you may have leftovers

Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 head cabbage, cored, slice and roughly chopped
• 1 can white beans, drained
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced thick
• 4 spears celery, diced thick
• sea salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in large stove top cooking pan
2. Simmer an hour

Easy and plentiful. Can freeze leftover soup. Great on a cold day. I have seen a lot of variations, adding other vegetables like green beans