Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe is from a Bosch web site. I use the large Mixer Method but need to share the bread with neighbors as we can not eat that much bread, but this is really yummy whole wheat bread as Kent, Jordyn, Brandon, Ali and I will attest to. (I use a hard white wheat that I got from the church cannery)

Hand Method: (yields 2 loaves)
1/3 C honey
1/3 C oil
2 1/2 C Warm Water
1 1/2 TB Saf Instant Yeast
2 1/2 tsp Real Salt
6-7 C Fresh whole wheat flour
1 1/2 TB Dough Enhancer

or
Large Mixer Method: (yields 5-6 loaves)
2/3 C honey
2/3 C oil
6 C warm water
3 TB Saf Instant Yeast
1 1/2 - 2 TB Real Salt
16-20 C fresh whole wheat flour
3 TB Dough Enhancer
1/3-1/2 Cup Vital Gluten
or
Zojirushi Bakery Supreme (Auto Baker Method)
2 TB honey
2 TB oil
1 1/2 C water (90 - 100F)
1 1/2 tsp Real Salt
3 1/2 C fresh whole wheat flour
2 tsp Dough Enhancer
3 TB Vital Gluten
1 1/2 tsp Saf Instant Yeast

Combine the warm water, yeast, and 2 Cups of fresh whole wheat flour in a large mixing bowl. Allow to sponge for 15 minutes. Add the honey, oil, dough enhancer, salt and 4-5 C (12-16 C if using the Mix N Blend or (Bosch) additional flour until the dough begins to clean the sides of the mixing bowl. Do not allow the dough to get too stiff (too dry). Dough should be smooth and elastic. It is a common mistake for the beginning bakers to add too much flour.
Knead the bread by hand 7-10 minutes or until it is very smooth, elastic, and small bubbles or blisters appear beneath the surface of the dough. Six to ten minutes of kneading by electric mixer (Use speed 1 on the Bosch Universal, and use speed 4 on the Mix n Blend - or use the Auto-Knead function) should be sufficient to develop the gluten if you are using fresh flour. If you are kneading by hand, be sure to add the minimum amount of flour to keep the dough soft and pliable by using a tsp of oil on your hands and kneading surface.
Form the dough into 2 loaves if using the hand method or 5-6 loaves if using the Mix N Blend or Bosch Universal, method. Place the dough into greased loaf pans. Allow to rise in a slightly warmed oven or other warm place until doubled in size (about 30-60 minutes).
Bake loaves for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Bread is cooked through when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, and when the top and sides are a golden brown color.

Easy Artisan Bread

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough

3 C lukewarm water (about 100 degrees)

Cornmeal.

(You can easily double or half the recipe. For Thanksgiving I made a full batch and got about 20 rolls from it).

1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into water. Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches (I always do this by hand, but you can use an electric mixer). Dough will be quite loose and wet. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife (To make the rolls I cut off a smaller piece of dough). Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel or cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Refrigerate any unused dough.

3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.

4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan (rather than use the broiler pan, I just throw a cup of water against the side of the oven, making sure not to hit the dough—it's easier and you don't get burned) and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes for a loaf (or about 20 minutes for the smaller rolls). Cool completely.

Yield: 4 loaves.

This recipe comes from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and is an amazing cookbook! They've got all sorts of variations on this recipe and everything I've made from the book is absolutely delicious! I definitely whole-heartedly recommend it!

http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291064479&sr=1-1

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

It always seems around this time of year I get really tired of what we have for dinner.  So I have been trying a lot of new things and this one is definitely a keeper.  I got the recipe here but modified it slightly.

• Meatballs 
• 1 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 eggs
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoons granulated sugar

• Sauce
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained with juice reserved
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

I didn't think there was enough sauce so I doubled it (Using chicken broth instead of pineapple juice) but that was too much so maybe 1 1/2 times would be perfect 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a large, shallow baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs and onion. Sprinkle with ginger, seasoning salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and sugar and mix in. Shape into one inch balls.
3. Place meatballs in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes; set aside. I turned them halfway so they didn't get burned on the bottom.
4. To make the sauce, mix enough water with the reserved pineapple juice to make 1 cup. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the juice mixture, 1/3 cup water, vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Stir in cornstarch, ginger and seasoning salt, until smooth. Cover and cook until thickened.
5. Stir pineapple chunks, carrot, green pepper and meatballs into the sauce. Gently stir to coat the meatballs with the sauce. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked. I found that after 20 minutes the green peppers were still pretty hard so I would maybe cook it a little longer.  Also we used celery instead of carrots.  

Eggplant Parmesan

I used a recipe from here but modified it quite a bit for our family.  The recipe called for 3 eggplants, I used 1 and it made about half a 9x13 pan so 1 1/2 to 2 is probably plenty.
eggplant peeled
eggs
Italian bread crumbs
Spaghetti Sauce (I used the recipe from Brandon and Ali's chicken Parm)
16 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried basil

1. First you prepare your eggplant. Peel it and slice it.  Then "sweet" it to take out the bitterness.  You sprinkle it with salt and let sit for 30 minutes.  Then rinse well and dry.
2. Next dip the eggplant in beaten egg and cover with bread crumbs.  Place in single layer on greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes on each side at 350 degrees.
3. In a 9x13 dish spread bottom with spaghetti Sauce.  Place a layer of eggplant in the sauce and sprinkle with cheeses.  Repeat with remaining eggplant ending with cheeses on top. Sprinkle with basil.
4. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Killer Artichokes

Since we started getting Bountiful Baskets we have been trying a lot of different things. Some we have had before, broccoli, cabbage, peaches, pears plums... some were new to us: okra, asian pears, cauliflower, green plums...either way I have been searching for new recipes to cook these fruits and veggies in new ways. So far this is my favorite. I love artichokes (I forgot how much since it has probably been 15 years since I have had one fresh) and this is the best artichoke I have ever had. I got the recipe at allrecipies.com here.

2 artichokes, halved and choke scraped out

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 shallot chopped*

1/2 cup butter

*I didn't have a shallot and substituted an onion. It was still really good.

1. Preheat outdoor grill for low heat

2. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the artichokes into the boiling water, add salt and pepper. Throw in half of the garlic and half of the shallot. Boil for about a half hour, or until a fork is easily inserted into the stem of the artichoke. Drain and set aside.

3. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in the remaining garlic and shallot. Cook just until fragrant then remove from heat.

4. Place the artichokes on the preheated grill. Brush some of the melted butter on them. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes brushing with butter occasionally until lightly toasted. Serve with remaining butter as dipping sauce.

BRISKET

1 tsp. celery salt
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bottle liquid smoke
1/2 bottle barbecue sauce or use recipe below

Sprinkle onion, garlic, and celery salt on both sides of brisket. Place brisket in low roasting pan with fat side up, pour liquid smoke over brisket. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator over night.

Sprikle salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce over both sides of brisket, cover with foil and bake in oven for 7 hours at 275.
Remove foil and cover with barbecue sauce and bake uncovered 45-60 minutes longer. or
shred and serve with barbecue sauce on the side.


ROCKY MOUNTAIN BRISKET BARBECUE SAUCE
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 14 oz bottle catchup
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp liquid smoke
4 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. celery seed
6 Tbsp. butter

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve with sliced or pulled brisket.

Sesame-Orange Shrimp

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds (white, black or a mix)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp (21-25 per pound)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup dry sherry (see Note)
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (GF Tamari Sauce)
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Whisk sesame seeds, egg whites, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half the shrimp and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the rest of the shrimp.
3. Add orange juice, sherry, soy sauce and sugar to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced by half, 4 to 6 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately, with scallion sprinkled on top.

Tips & Notes

• Note: Sherry is a type of fortified wine originally from southern Spain. Don’t use the “cooking sherry” sold in many supermarkets—it can be surprisingly high in sodium. Instead, get dry sherry that’s sold with other fortified wines at your wine or liquor store.

• What I did for sherry: mix together 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water and 1 tsp. sugar.
  

SEA FOOD CASSEROLE

From a cook book I bought in James Town called Recipes from Old Virginia

This is really good but kind of strong flavored so maybe instead of the main dish serve as a side.

4 Tbs butter
4 Tbs flour
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash of red pepper

Cook until thick and add 2 beaten eggs and 4 ounces sharp cheese in small cubes. Stir until cheese is melted.

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
4 ounces sharp cheese
3/4 cup or small can crab meat
3/4 cup or small can shrimp

Add crab meat and shrimp. Pour into one large or 6 to 8 individual buttered casseroles. Top with buttered bread crumbs and grated cheese if desired. Bake at 450 until brown and hot through.
May be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen. In this case, add crumbs just before putting into oven and bake at 350.

TEXAS SHEET CAKE

1. Bring to boil
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of water
3 - 4 TBS cocoa

2. in a bowl combine
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. salt

3. mix with beaters the wet and dry ingredients

4. add
2 eggs - beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanila

pour onto greased and floured sheet pan and bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes.


Frosting

bring to boil
1 stick of butter
1/3 cup milk
4 TBS cocoa

stir in 1 lb powdered sugar.
pour on brownies while still hot.

CRAB CAKES

We found this recipe at Healthy Meal Makeovers; this is also where I found the recipes for the shrimp/artichoke and the chicken with grapes shish-ka-bobs. We really enjoyed the crab cakes. Sorry I forgot to take a picture before we ate them. I'll post one the next time we cook these.

1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup green onions (all parts)
1 jalapeno
2 clove of garlic - chopped
grated ginger root (about 1 TBS)

Saute for about 30 seconds and remove from heat.

In a bowl mix together:
1 lb crap meat
1 egg - beaten
1 cup panko
1 TBS Mayonnaise
zest 1 lime
juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro
touch of salt

mix in chopped vegetables, make into patties (about 8)
roll in panko flakes, place on cookie sheet. Spray top of crab cakes with cooking spray. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes. (no temperature was given for the recipe, we started at 350 but increased it to 400 because it hadn't browned after 10 minutes)

here is a link to the video we watched.

Chicken Skewers with Grapes

Chicken:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast; cut into 3/4 inch pieces

Marinade:
2 TBS olive oil
zest lemon (about 1 tsp.)
1 TBS lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix marinade and add chicken. Marinade about 2 hours.

soak wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes to avoid burning.

load chicken and green grapes on skewer alternately.

Cook on grill or indoor grill pan 3 to 4 minutes each side.

We served this with grilled vegetables. Seasoned with butter, salt and pepper.

Asian Pork Chops

Marinade: 1/2 cup soy sauce (GF Tamari Sauce)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Pork: 4 center-cut boneless pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 Fire & Flavor oak grilling plank, soaked (we did not use the plank)

In a bowl combine marinade ingredients. Set aside 1/3 cup for serving and pour the remaining mixture over the pork chops; allow to marinate for 20 minutes.

Preheat grill to high heat. If using charcoal, heat coals on one side of grill only.

Remove pork from marinade and discard remaining marinade. Sear on grell for 2 minutes per side, transfer pork to a plate, and cove loosely with foil. If using charcoal, utilize the cooler side of the grill for planking. Reduce grill temperature to 350 degrees.

Place plank on grill, close lid, and heat for 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip plank and place pork on heated side of planks. Close lid and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until interal temperature of pork registers 145 degrees.

Remove pork from grill and tent loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This is the best and DEADLIEST homemade ice cream recipe ever.

5 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 pints half & half
1 quart milk
1 pint whipping cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbs vanilla

Separate 3 eggs, beat egg whites stiff. Beat egg yolks and 2 other eggs. Add sugars, cream, vanilla. Fold in egg whites. Add milk. Freeze in an electric ice cream maker.

Make one gallon.

My mom also used to add it additional things like chocolate chips, etc.

Crunchy Chicken Bake

The Elders asked for this recipe, so I thought I'd pass it along! It's a yummy twist on oven-baked fried chicken.

2/3 cup cornflake crumbs

1 T all-purpose flour

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp packed brown sugar

3/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 onion powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground coriander

4 skinless boneless chicken-breast halves

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

2. Combine the cornflake crumbs, flour, paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and coriander in a large ziplock bag. Spray the chicken lightly with nonstick spray and place 1 piece in the bag. Shake the bag to coat the chicken evenly; then transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken breats.

3. Bake until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 40-45 minutes.

Serves 4 (or more for us, because the kids don't each much..)

I usually serve it with "favorite"/"funeral" potatoes and salad, but the cookbook I found it in also said it would be good sliced in a mixed-green tossed salad.

Mexican Rice

This rice was so good and simple.

3 TBS vegetable oil

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup tomato sauce (GF)

2 cups chicken broth (GF)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Carne Asada

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce (GF Tamari Sauce)

4 cloves minced garlic

2 limes, juiced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

Mix together all ingredients. Use as a marinade for carne asada meat, or flank steak. Marinate for 1 to 8 hours. Overnight is probably best.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Use the meat for tacos, or eat plain with rice.

We cooked the steak whole on the grill then ate it with Mexican rice.

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
4-6 Medium tomatoes
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped onion
1/4 C. Grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 C. Seasoned stuffing (dry)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Cook bacon until crisp, then crumble. You can use the pre-cooked "bacon bits", but I think freshly cooked bacon is better. Cook the onions and green peppers in a little oil or bacon grease over medium heat until tender. While things are cooking, wash the tomatoes and slice off the tops. Carefully scoop out the pulp, leaving a 1/2 inch wall. Finely chop the pulp and place 1/3 of it in a medium mixing bowl. You can discard any remaining.
Mix the bacon, onions, peppers, cheese and stuffing into the tomato mixture. Salt and Pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into the hollowed out tomatoes. Place stuffed tomatoes into a prepared baking dish. I like to use 4 tomatoes, which will leave a little bit of the stuffing mix left over. I think just spoon this into the baking dish as well. The kids eat it better outside of the tomato. If you don't want to do this, use 6 tomatoes. Sprinkle the tops of the tomatoes with a little parmesan cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until heated through.

Veggie & Noodle Stir-fry

I haven't made this recipe yet, but I plan to try it as soon as my garden gets going. I found it in a magazine I was reading.

Cut two zucchinis into long, thin sticks. Heat 4 tsp. sesame oil in a pan; add 1 onion, chopped, and saute for 2-3 minutes, until it softens. Add 1 tsp. grated ginger, 1 crushed garlic clove, zucchini, and 1 cup green beans; cook 3-4 minutes. Mix in 1 Tbs. reduced-sodium soy sauce and a little chopped parsley. Toss in 3 cups of cooked Chinese egg noodles or linguini.

Serves 4.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

This is my new favorite dinner recipe. It is so delicious! I found the original recipe on Allrecipes.com, but have made a few changes. You can see the original here.


Ingredients

DOUGH
1 C. Warm Water
1 package yeast
2T. Olive Oil
1T. White Sugar
1/2t. Salt
1/4t. Dried Rosemary
1/4t. Garlic Powder
3 C. Flour

SAUCE
4T. Butter
1/4t. Salt
1 dash black pepper
4T. Flour
1 C. Milk
3/4 C. Parmesan Cheese

GARLIC BUTTER
2T. Butter
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
1 pinch dried Rosemary
1 pinch Salt

TOPPINGS
1 Chicken Breast Half, cut in small pieces and cooked
Season with Rosemary, Thyme, Garlic powder, Salt and Poultry Seasoning. Or, you can season the chicken however you want.
1 Red Pepper, cut into slices
1/2 C. Mushrooms, sliced
1 Roma Tomato, diced
1/4 C. Fresh Basil, diced

DIRECTIONS
1. To Make the Dough: Pour the warm water into a small bowl and stir in the yeast until dissolved. Allow to rest until the yeast foams, about 5 minutes. Mix the oil, sugar, salt, rosemary, and garlic powder together in a mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture, and gradually stir in the flour. Gather into a loose ball and knead until a smooth ball forms. Cover, and let rise 1/2 hour. If kneading in a KA, use the dough hook and knead for about 6-8 minutes.
2. Carmelize your red peppers by cooking them on low/medium heat in about 1T. Butter. I start these at about the same time I do the dough and let them cook until I'm ready to put them on the pizza. Make sure to stir them often so they don't burn.
3. To Make Sauce: Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Blend in salt, pepper and flour, then stir in the milk and Parmesan cheese. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
4. To Make the Garlic Butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Blend in garlic, rosemary and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is tender but not browned. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
5. Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Spread dough out on a pizza pan. Top with cooled garlic butter, cover the entire crust. Next spread the Sauce on top, leaving crust edges. Top with the chicken, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and basil.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until bottom crust is lightly browned. Remove from oven and let set for 2 to 3 minutes before cutting.

Soft Pretzels

1 1/8 cup warm water

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3 Tbs corn syrup

3 cups bread flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 quarts water

1/2 cup baking soda

Mix yeast and water and let sit. Add corn syrup. Mix in flour and salt. Kneed for about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl and let rise until double about 1 hour.

Punch dough down and divide into 8 balls. Roll each into a 20 in long rope and form into pretzel shape. Let rise about 5 minutes.

In sauce pan bring 2 quarts water and baking soda to a boil. Drop pretzels two at a time into boiling water and boil for 10-15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula and let drain on a clean towel.

Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 415 degrees for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Spritz or lightly brush with butter and sprinkle with your favorite topping, garlic salt, cinnamon and sugar, salt etc. Serve warm. Pretzels to not keep or reheat well so eat them while they are hot!

Shrimp Scampi and Artichoke

Ingredients:

2 TBS Olive Oil
1/4 C Shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 to l lb shrimp, shelled and divined
11 oz. frozen artichoke thawed
1/3 C. dry white wine (I used white grape juice)
1/2 lemon

Directions:
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat,
add shallots, cook for a minute add garlic cook for 2 - 3 minutes careful not to over cook.
stir in shrimp, mix through
add artichoke, stir through
add wine and juice from lemon
let simmer 3 to 4 minutes until shrimp are cooked through

add 2 TBS chopped parsley for color and flavor

serve with simple salad and hunk of whole grain italian style bread

simple salad
Open bag of prepared salad

Dressing:
in small dish mix:
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS red wine vinegar
Pinch of: Basil, salt and pepper

pour over salad and serve

Mini Beef Wellingtons

Ingredients:

8 small beef tenderloins steaks, cut 1-inch thick (4 oz. each)

4 TBS olive oil

1 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped

6 TBS dry red wine (I used cranberry juice)

6 TBS green onions, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed

1 tsp. salt divided

1 tsp. pepper divided

12 phyllo dough sheets, defrosted

cooking spray

directions:

1. Heat oven to 425

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender.

3. Add wine; cook 2-3 minutes or until liquid is evaporated.

4. Stir in green onions, thyme, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper. Remove from skillet; cool completely.

5. Heat same skillet over medium heat until hot. Place steaks in skillet; cook 3 minutes turning once. (Steaks will be partially cooked. do not over cook.)

6. Season with salt and pepper, as desired

7. Create 2 stacks o 6 phyllo sheets on flat surface, spraying each sheet thoroughly with cooking spray.

8. Cut stacked sheets lengthwise in half, then crosswise in half, making 8 equal stacks.

9. Place about 2 TBS mushroom mixture in center of each phyllo stack, spreading mixture to diameter of steaks. Place steaks on mushroom mixture.

10. Bring all four corners of each philly stack together; twist tightly to close, lightly spray each bundle with cooking spray; place on greased baking sheet.

11. Immediately bake in 425 oven 9 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. let sit for 5 minutes. serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings

Found on Jenny Craig site - loved it anyway.

cut recipe in 1/2 as there are only 2 of us.

Korean-Style Beef Bowl

This recipe is super easy and easily one of Kurt's favorite dishes I make. It's from the Pampered Chef 29 Minutes of Less cookbook -- which is even better for me, because I'm really bad at planning ahead. :) However, if you do plan ahead the steak would probably be even tastier if you started marinating it earlier in the day.

Steak & Marinade:
2 green onions w/tops, divided
1 lb skirt steak - also called flank steak (we've tried other cuts of meat and they don't work as well)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vegetable oil (I used Olive oil)

Rice & Vegetables:
1 cup uncooked jasmine rice (I usually use our Japanese white rice, either would work)
2 medium carrots
2 cups bean sprouts

1. For steak & marinade, thinly slice green onions, reserving 1 tbsp of the tops for garnish; place remaining green onions into bowl.

2. Cut steak crosswise into 2-in (5-cm) pieces. Slice each piece into thin strips, cutting against the grain; add to bowl. Press garlic over beef. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper &; sugar; mix well. Cover & refrigerate until ready to use.

3. As beef marinates, cook rice.

4. Meanwhile, for vegetables, peel carrots; discard skin. Continue peeling carrots to make long ribbons. Place ribbons into ice water until ready to serve

5. To finish steak, add vegetable oil (or what ever type of oil you want to use) to (12-IN/30-CM) SKILLET; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add beef to skillet in a single layer and cook undisturbed 2 minutes or until beef is brown. Stir; cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Remove from heat.

6. Divide rice among serving bowls and serve with beef, carrots and bean sprouts. Garnish with reserved green onion tops.

Yield: 4 servings

US Nutrients per serving: Calories 410, Total Fat 20gt, Saturated Fat 7g, Cholesterol 70mg, carbohydrate 29g, Protein 28g, Sodium 790mg, Fiber 2g

US Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 starch, 3 medium-fat meat, 1/2 fat (2 carb)