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free bizy day recipes
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Here are some recipes, from soup to nuts, designed for those busy days when there's isn't time for what you think you 'should' prepare.  Some are even 'make ahead.'  They're all wonderfully delicious and sooooo easy.  No one will suspect you didn't spend enormous amounts of time in the kitchen!

SOUPS

Broccoli Garden Soup

1 x Ground Pepper to taste

Simmer the yams, covered, in two cups chicken broth 10 minutes or until soft; puree in food mill or processor. Set aside. In large pot with cover, saute the onions and garlic in oil until the onions are translucent and starting to brown. Add celery. Saute a few minutes, Add broccoli and remaining chicken broth. Simmer, covered, eight minutes or until tender-crisp. Stir in puree; add seasonings. Serve immediately or serve chilled. Top each portion with 1/4 cup chopped watercress. Makes 11 one-cup servings. 

Roasted Corn & Lobster Chowder

4 ears fresh sweet corn, brushed lightly with butter and grilled until toasted on all sides 
(about 2 cups cut corn)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
2 celery stalks, diced
1 leek, split, cleaned, and diced
1 large sweet red pepper, diced
2 to 3 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 quarts hot chicken stock
1 (2 pound) lobster, tail hacked into sections, claws cracked, body tied in cheesecloth
1/2 cup creme fraiche

Cut the roasted corn off of their cobs, reserving the corn to add later. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot. Add the corn cobs, the onion, celery, leek and peppers, and saute until the vegetables are soft, but not browned. Add the cumin, coriander, vanilla, salt and cayenne and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to release the flavors. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the reserved corn cobs along with the lobster body that has been tied in cheesecloth. Cook 40 to 45 minutes, remove the cobs and the lobster body. Add the hacked lobster and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes before stirring in the creme fraiche. Serve immediately.  Yield 1 1/2 quarts chowder.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

SALADS

Caesar for Two

        1 ea Clove garlic, minced
          1 ea Tin anchovies

Seasonal Salad With Herb Vinaigrette


2 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar, or a combination
1 small garlic clove, peeled
Salt
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pepper
6 large handfuls salad greens, about 3/4 pound

Measure the vinegar into a small bowl. Crush the garlic clove and add it to the vinegar, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. After 10 minutes or so, whisk in the olive oil and a little freshly milled pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Make the vinaigrette no more than a couple of hours before serving.

Pick over the salad greens, discarding any tough outer leaves, or any that are wilted or blemished. (If you are using young head lettuces, trim the root ends with a sharp paring knife to free the leaves.) Fill a large basin with cold water and gently submerge the greens, allowing sand and grit to sink to the bottom. Lift the lettuces from the water and drain them in a colander, then dry them in a salad spinner. Wrap the leaves in clean cotton toweling and refrigerator in an airtight container.

To serve, put the greens in a wide salad bowl and season with a small pinch of salt. Remove the garlic clove, whisk the vinaigrette, toss the greens lightly with just enough dressing to make the leaves glisten. (Your hands make the best salad-tossing tools.) Serve immediately with garlic toast or croutons.  Yield: 6 servings

Dieter's Taco Salad

1 lb Ground beef, lean
 1 x Onion, medium
1 x Green pepper, large, chopped
8 oz Tomato sauce, no-salt
1 tb Vinegar
1 ts Mustard, dry
1/2 ts Pepper, red, crushed
1/2 ts Basil, dried, crushed
1 tb Water
4 x Tortillas, 8-inch
12 x Tomatoes, cherry, halved
1 x Carrot, medium, shredded
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook beef, onion, and 1/4 cup of green pepper till beef is brown; drain. Add next 7 ingredients. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes. Warm foil-wrapped tortillas in a 350F oven for 10 minutes. Spray 4 10-ounce casseroles with nonstick spray each. Bake in a 350F oven for 15 minutes. divide lettuce among 4 plates. Place a tortilla on each plate. Spoon beef mixture into tortillas. Top with remaining green pepper, tomatoes, carrot, and cheese. 

MAIN DISHES

Mexican Lasagna

You can prepare this ahead of time and just pop into the oven to heat.

You will need:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 pound cheddar cheese (grated)
picante sauce (your temp)
1 l6 oz. can refried beans
8 flour tortillas
Choice of toppings

In a large skillet, brown together the ground beef and taco seasoning mix. Pour off any grease.

In another pan, heat together 1/2 C picante sauce and the refried beans.

Layer in a baking dish as follows:  on the bottom put 1/3 of the meat mixture, then 2 flour tortillas, another layer of meat, 2 tortillas, all of the bean mixture, 2 tortillas, 1/2 pound grated mild cheddar cheese, 2 tortillas the balance of the meat mixture and top with the balance of the grated cheese.

Bake at least 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Cut into pieces.  Serve on a bed of lettuce and top with olives, sour cream diced tomatoes and guacamole.

MMMMMM Good!

Chili Bean Casserole 
(Low Fat)

1 cup raw rice
1 cup no fat plain yogurt 
1-2 T chopped fresh cilantro (see note) 
1/4 cup tomatillo (green) taco sauce 1 onion, sliced several/many cloves of garlic, minced with a splash of white wine 
2 cups frozen or canned corn thawed/drained 
1 4oz can of sliced black olives, drained 
1 medium zucchini, sliced 
1 (approx 14 oz) can of chili spiced beans (see note) 1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Put rice on to cook. Mix yogurt with cilantro and taco sauce. Set aside. Saute onions and garlic in wine till soft. In a casserole dish spritzed with PAM layer: corn, cooked rice, olives, zucchini, onion/garlic. Pour beans over all. Cover and cook in 350 oven for 30 minutes or until heated thoroughly. Sprinkle tomatoes over top and drizzle with yogurt mixture. Serve. Serves 4 as a main dish. Notes: Buy fresh cilantro, wash, dry completely, chop and freeze spread out on a piece of wax paper. Store in a zip lock baggie and then you can have fresh cilantro anytime. I bought the grocery store brand of "Mexican style chili beans." They have little/no fat in them. Variations: scallions: shredded lettuce on top with tomato, mushrooms sauted with onions, etc.

Sweet and Sour Chicken


Crock pot: Put vegetables in bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle tapioca over vegetables. Place chicken atop vegies. Combine all other ingreds. except rice in a small bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover crock pot and turn to low and cook for 8 10 hours. Before serving make rice. Serve over rice. Leftovers can be reheated in microwave. Oven: Put vegetables in bottom of a greased pan. Sprinkle vegies. with tapioca. Add chicken to pan. Combine all other ingreds. except rice in a small bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake in 300~ oven for 2 hours. Serve over rice. Leftovers can be reheated in microwave. Serves four.

Tomato and Leek Casserole
(Low Fat)

5 or 6 large leeks 
2 lbs firm tomatoes ff grated cheese (amount optional according to taste) 
bread crumbs red wine vinegar marjoram, 
thyme, sage, pepper, rosemary

Slice leeks and tomatoes. Layer in casserole dish (leeks on the bottom so the juice from the tomatoes helps cook them :). Sprinkle with red wine vinegar. Add cheese. Add layer of bread crumbs. Spice according to taste. (Repeat layer if desired). Cook at 375 until bread crumbs are golden. The amounts of ingredients in this one can be varied. Some ppl prefer more tomatoes, while I am allergic to them so tend to skimp there :) The lack of cooking time is due to the origination of the recipe. I learned it in Holland and the oven temps there are far different from here. We usually made it in some old nearly broken down toaster oven so the time varied with each attempt.

Turkey Burgers With Brie & Grilled Apples

2 pounds freshly ground turkey
Four 1-inch cubes of Brie cheese, 1/2-inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large granny smith apple, cored and sliced 1/2-inch thick crosswise
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Four rolls

To prepare the burgers:
Shape the meat firmly into 4 round uniform patties about 1 1/2-inches thick. Make a small indentation in the center of each patty and place 1 cube of the cheese in each. Knead the meat slightly to cover the hole. Brush both sides of the burgers lightly with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Cook the burgers to your liking. Brush the apples on both sides with the vegetable oil. Grill (in a grill pan) until golden on both sides. Place a burger on the bottom of each roll, top with 1 or 2 apple slices and a dollop of ketchup.
Yield: 4 servings

DESSERTS

Strawberry Ice Cream Soda

1 cup strawberry syrup
1 cup seltzer
1 cup milk
1 pint vanilla or strawberry ice cream
Fresh strawberries to garnish, if desired

In each of four tall glasses put 1/4 cup syrup, 1/4 cup seltzer and 1/4 cup milk. Stir a bit and add 1 to 2 scoops of ice cream. Garnish with a whole strawberry if desired. Serve.
Yield: 4 servings

Poached Apples With Vanilla Cinnamon Syrup 

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled with the stem on
2 vanilla beans, split and scraped
4 cinnamon sticks
3 cups sugar
1 lemon, juiced
2 quarts water

In a roomy 1 gallon pot place peeled apples, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice. Cover with water then bring to a simmer over medium to low heat for 20 minutes. Pierce with a knife to check if apples are soft enough. Remove the apples with a slotted spoon to a holding plate. Reduce poaching liquid to a light syrup, then place the apples back in sauce pot and hold on warm until ready to serve.
Use 4 small serving bowls with matching underliner plates then place one apple in the middle of each bowl. Pour warm syrup over each apple and then garnish cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans.  Yield: 4 servings

$250 "Urban Legend" Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Neiman Marcus Famous Cookie Recipe)

  • 2 cups butter
  • 5 cups oatmeal
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 24 ounces chocolate chips
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 8-ounce Hershey Bar, grated

Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream butter, add both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add chips and candy bar. Roll into a ball shape and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for 6 to 10

Lemon Sherbet

1 3/4 cups sugar
Rind of 3 lemons, removed with a vegetable peeler
2 cups water
1 cup strained fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 large egg white

In a saucepan combine the sugar, the rind and 2 cups water, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and simmer the syrup for 5 minutes. Let the syrup cool, strain it into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Chill the syrup, covered, for 2 hours, or until it is cold. (The syrup may be made up to one day in advance and kept covered and chilled.) Freeze the syrup and an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions until it is almost frozen but still mushy. In a bowl beat the egg white until it holds soft peaks, add it to the sherbet and freeze the sherbet in the ice-cream freezer until it is frozen but not firm. Remove the dasher and freeze the sherbet, covered, until it is firm. (The sherbet may be made up to 3 days in advance and kept covered tightly and frozen.)  Yield: 1 quart

Baby Ruth Cookies

Deep Chocolate Scooters
(Let the kids help with this one)

1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons brandy
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 teaspoons finely ground espresso beans
2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine the raisins and brandy in a small saucepan and warm over low heat. Set aside to cool.
Combine the unsweetened and bittersweet chocolates with the butter in a heavy saucepan and place over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and espresso.

Pour in the melted chocolate and fold to combine. Then fold in the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips and raisins. The dough will be quite loose.

Spoon about a tablespoon of batter for each cookie onto the lined cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, until the tops are cracked and shiny and the cookies slightly puffed. Let cool on the cookie sheet and then transfer to racks.
Yield: 26 cookies

Baked Apples

4 Rome apples, cored and top sliced off
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup apple cider or water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon juice and zest. Stuff apples with mixture and place in small baking dish. Add 1/2 cup cider or water and bake for 30 minutes or until tender.  Yield: 4 servings


EXTRAS

Salsa Fresca

4 medium ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 red onion, minced
2 jalapeno chilis, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients. Stir and toss well. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator no more than 1 day.  Yield: 2 cups.

Artichoke Spinach Dip

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