Recipe: Shrimp Opelousas

Growing up in South Louisiana, my mom made Shrimp Opelousas a lot and now I know why. I pulled out the recipe card the other day and gave it a try. It was soooo easy and soooo delicious...definitely reminded me of home. So in honor of Mardi Gras this Tuesday, February 5th, here's a great Louisiana recipe.

Shrimp or Crawfish Opelousas

1 lb. shrimp or crawfish, peeled
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
onion tops & parsley to taste
1 1/2 cups rice, washed
1 can beef broth
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 stick margarine
season to taste

Put all ingredients into a rice cooker and mix. Cook as you would be cooking rice about 20-25 mintues. Do not open and stir.

*I tweaked the recipe just a bit. I only added 1/2 of a bell pepper and did not add the mushrooms, because they are not a favorite in our house.

**Like Adrienne said in the comments, it's kind of like a jambalaya.

Recipe: Hash Brown Potato Casserole

If you are looking for a low fat side, skip this one. But if it's comfort food you want, try this Hash Brown Potato Casserole.

1 – 32 oz. pkg. Shredded frozen potatoes
½ stick melted butter (4 Tbs)
1 can cream of chicken soup
12 oz. grated American cheese
1 – 8 oz. carton sour cream
1 tsp. salt
½ small onion, chopped
2 c. crushed cornflakes
½ stick melted butter (4 Tbs)

Mix ½ stick melted butter, cream of chicken soup, cheese, sour cream, salt and onion together in a large bowl. Pour over shredded potatoes in a 9"x13" baking dish. Spread crushed cornflakes over mixture and drizzle with ½ stick melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered. Serves 12.

For a lower fat version, use low fat or fat free soup, cheese and sour cream.

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Recipe: Easy Parmesan Garlic Chicken

One of my favorite things to see in a recipe is the word "easy" in the title. Another is less than 5 ingredients. This one has both. It's from the Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix. You can buy individual envelopes or a small box of 4 envelopes. Here's the recipe for the Easy Parmesan Garlic Chicken:

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs.)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cheese, salad dressing mix and garlic powder.

2. Moisten chicken with water; coat with cheese mixture. Place in shallow baking pan.

3. Bake 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (170 degrees).

Jazz it up: For a golden appearance, after chicken is cooked through set oven to broil. Place 6 inches from heat source. Broil 2-4 minutes or until chicken is golden brown.

Prep: 5 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

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Recipe: Baked Potato Soup

From Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook

Prep: 21 minutes

Cook: 4 hours or 8 hours

Makes: 12 cups

6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 3 1/2 lbs)

1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2cups)

3 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth with roasted garlic - I used 1 with roasted garlic & 2 plain

1/4 cup butter

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons pepper

1 cup whipping cream or half & half

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream (optional)

4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

shredded cheddar cheese

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on high 4 hours or low 8 hours or until potato is tender.

3. Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup in slightly thickened; stir in cream, cheese and chives.

4. Top with sour cream, if desired and sprinkle with bacon and cheddar cheese before serving.

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Pumpkin Pancakes

Why not start a new tradition in your home by making pumpkin pancakes with your kids on Thanksgiving morning.

We featured a recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes a while back, but in honor of Thanksgiving, here it is again. I actually think pumpkin pancakes are better than regular pancakes, because they taste so moist. My family has already eaten them twice this week and we'll have them again tomorrow morning.

1/2 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup milk
2 cups all purpose baking mix (like Jiffy or Bisquick)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I leave out the spice)

1. In a bowl, mix together the baking mix, sugar and pumpkin pie spice (optional).

2. In another bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, oil and milk.

3. Add flour mixture all at once. Stir just until blended.

4. Coat a griddle/skillet with a spray of canola oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.

5. Over medium high heat, cook pancakes until golden brown, turning to cook second sides when pancakes have a bubbly surfaces and slightly dry edges.

Yield: 10 pancakes.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I usually don't like recipes with more than five or six ingredients, but this soup is so easy that I don't mind the longer list. Just dump everything into the slow cooker and let it cook.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken or 1 pound raw chicken, shredded halfway through
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Top with shredded mexican cheese, green onions, sour cream & tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

2. To serve, top each bowl of soup with shredded cheese, green onions, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips.

Quick tips:

• Try tossing in two or three raw chicken breasts and shredding halfway through instead of going through the trouble of cooking the chicken first.
• Replace 2 cups of water with an extra can of broth.
• Add a can of black beans.
• I like to freeze individual servings of the leftovers for quick meals.
• Double the recipe so you can freeze even more leftovers.

Recipe: Baked Ziti

Here's an easy recipe that we love. It's a lot like lasagna, except you don't have to deal with difficult lasagna noodles. I like to freeze some of the leftovers in individual serving ziploc bags for easy hot meals on busy days.

16 ounces ziti pasta (you can substitute rigatoni or penne)
1 pound ground beef
32 oz. jar chunky garden-style pasta sauce
1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, divided
8 ounces shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, divided
16 oz. container low-fat cottage cheese
2 egg whites
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Cook pasta according to directions; drain. Cook beef 6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain. Combine beef, pasta sauce and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning.

3. Stir cooked pasta into meat sauce. Spread half of mixture evenly in dish. Top with half the mozzarella cheese.

4. Combine cottage cheese, egg whites, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese and remaining Italian seasoning. Spread over mozzarella in pan.

5. Spread remaining pasta mixture over cottage cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.

6. Bake 35-40 minutes or until hot and cheese is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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Recipe: Pizza Pinwheels

Here's a follow up to Melissa's request on our forum for toddler party foods. I suggested making turkey and cheese pinwheels which got Melissa thinking. She went to allrecipes.com and found an easy and delicious recipe for Pizza Pinwheels.

1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
24 slices pepperoni
1 (14 ounce) can pizza sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. On a large baking sheet, pinch the 8 crescent roll dough triangles into 4 rectangles. Layer each rectangle with 6 slices of pepperoni and even amounts of mozzarella cheese. Roll tightly lengthwise and slice each into 4 or more pieces.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Melissa said, "The kids and adults loved them! I doubled the recipe and still returned home with an empty dish. Allrecipes.com is a fabulous website for finding recipes. There are several search options. My favorite is one where you can type in the ingredients you have on hand and it will provide you with a list of recipes that call for those particular ingredients."

Now that's the kind of recipe finder I need. Thanks for the update, Melissa!

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Recipe: Squash and Tomato Salad

I had this salad at a friend's party and had to get the recipe. It's a great alternative to hot veggies as a side dish during the summer and a great dish to bring to a party. It's also healthy for the little ones...if they give it a try.

3 ½ cups sliced yellow squash
1 pint grape tomatoes (cut in half )
½ cup purple onion (thin vertical slices)
¼ cup fresh basil chopped (less if you use dried basil)
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

1. Blanch squash (instructions below). Combine with tomatoes, onion, feta cheese and basil. Set aside.
2. Combine remaining ingredients - vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic in a separate bowl. Stir well.
3. Pour over vegetables. Toss gently.
4. It's better if you let the salad marinate for 12-24 hours.

How to Blanch Squash
I had to google it, so I figured I'd provide blanching instructions for you.
1. Put sliced squash in basket and lower into boiling water. Cover and return to boil.
2. Boil for three minutes.
3. Remove basket and plunge into ice cold water for about three minutes.
4. Drain all excess water.

Picky Eater: Pumpkin Pancakes

Here's another sneaky recipe for picky eaters. This one is for pumpkin pancakes. According to wikipedia, pumpkin is botanically a fruit, referring to a plant part which grows from a flower; however, it is widely regarded as a vegetable in culinary terms, referring to how it is eaten.

1/2 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup milk
2 cups all purpose baking mix (Jiffy or Bisquick)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1. In a bowl, mix together the baking mix, sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
2. In another bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, oil and milk.
3. Add flour mixture all at once. Stir just until blended.
4. Coat a griddle/skillet with a spray of canola oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
5. Over medium high heat, cook pancakes until golden brown, turning to cook second sides when pancakes have a bubbly surfaces and slightly dry edges.

*On our forum, shedrick suggests adding wheat germ to anything with flour or baking mix such as cookies, pancakes or muffins, since it's an excellent source of vitamin E and folic acid.

Yield: 10 pancakes.

See our other Picky Eater posts: V8 Splash, Triple-Stuffed Potatoes, Chocolate Pudding, Blueberry Muffins.

Picky Eater: Blueberry Muffins

Shannon has posted some great recipe suggestions (to get healthy food into picky eaters) on our forum. Here's a nutritious recipe from her for Blueberry Muffins.

1 3/4 cup all purpose baking mix or self rising flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup milk

Heat oven 375˚. Mix to good wet consistency. Use ice cream scoop to scoop into muffin pan (sprayed with nonstick spray or lined). Cook 12-15 mintues until brown.

Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants such as vitamins E & C. Wheat germ is an excellent Source of Vitamin E and Folic Acid.

To get some other great tips or share some of your own ideas, check out our forum thread on Picky Eaters.

See our other Picky Eater posts: V8 Splash, Triple-Stuffed Potatoes, Chocolate Pudding, Pumpkin Pancakes.

Picky Eater: The Sneaky Chef - Part 2

A couple of days ago, I gave you the recipe for Triple Stuffed Potatoes from The Sneaky Chef cookbook. Now for dessert. How about Store-Bought Chocolate Pudding with Green Juice (yep, that's spinach)?
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Make-Ahead Recipe #5: Green Juice
3 cups raw baby spinach leaves (or 2 cups frozen chopped spinach, or frozen chopped collard greens)
1 cup water

If using raw spinach, thoroughly wash it, even if package says "prewashed." Bring spinach or collards and water to boil in a medium pot. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour into a fine mesh strainer over a container or bowl, pressing the green "pulp" with the back of a spoon until all the liquid is released.

The liquid released makes about 1 cup of Green juice. Double the recipe if you want to store another cup of juice. Store in refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.
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Chocolate Pudding

1 Tablespoon Green Juice (see make-ahead recipe above) per 1/4 cup of chocolate pudding
Store-bought Chocolate Pudding (pre-made in containers or from a box)

This looks very strange at first, but keep mixing and the green will completely disappear into the brown color of the pudding.
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Result: Jack ate the chocolate pudding (rich in vitamins A, K, C, manganese, folate and iron) with no problem! He loves pudding and obviously could not tell the difference. I can honestly say that I didn't taste the spinach in it either. Although it is a little hard to swallow when you know there is spinach juice in your chocolate pudding.

To share your own ideas or ask for advice, check out the Picky Eaters section on our forum.

See our other Picky Eater posts: V8 Splash, Triple-Stuffed Potatoes, Blueberry Muffins, Pumpkin Pancakes.

Picky Eater: The Sneaky Chef - Part 1

Recently on the The Today Show, I saw a chef who was preparing some recipes from her cookbook titled The Sneaky Chef. Missy Chase Lapine hides healthy foods in kids' favorite meals. I was so excited to buy the cookbook, but when I actually flipped through it, I realized that these recipes are great if your kids actually eat mac n' cheese, pizza, hamburgers, spaghetti. But, like I said, Jack is VERY picky. He doesn't eat any of that!

I tried a couple of recipes (including the Triple-Stuffed Potatoes below) that I thought had the best chance of success and other than making a huge mess in my kitchen, I would have to say that it was fairly successful. I'm going to continue experimenting with more as he starts to eat the things that all kids like...mac n' cheese for one.
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Make-Ahead Recipe #4: White Puree

2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
2 small to medium zucchini, peeled and rough chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary

Steam cauliflower in a vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water, using a tightly-covered pot, for about 10 to 12 minutes until very tender. Alternatively, place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with water, and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until very tender.

While waiting for the cauliflower to finish steaming, start to pulse the raw peeled zucchini with the lemon juice only (no water at this point). Drain the cooked cauliflower. Working in batches if necessary, add it to the pulsed zucchini in the bowl of the food processor with one tablespoon of water. Puree on high until smooth. Stop occasionally and push contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the second tablespoon of water to make a smooth (but not wet) puree.

Makes about 2 cups of puree. Double recipe if you want to store even more, which can be done in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.
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Triple-Stuffed Potatoes

3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 to 1/2 cup White Puree (see make-ahead recipe above)
3/4 cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional extra boost: mix in 1/2 cup chopped broccoli or peas

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prick potatoes several times with a fork and place them directly on oven rack. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until tender. Remove potatoes from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Turn oven to high broil.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl, leaving some potato in the skin to keep sheels intact. Mash potatoes lightly with a fork, adding the White Puree, 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, butter, sour cream and salt. Refill the shells with the potato mixture, mounding slightly. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar among the potatoes and top each potato half with aobut 1 tablespoon of the grated cheddar. Place on a cookie sheet and broil, about 6 inches from the heat, for 8 to 10 minutes until bubbly brown. Serve immediately.
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Here are my results. Jack will sometimes eat baked potato with cheese, so I figured he might like these. He didn't eat them for dinner that night, but I'm not giving up. I thought it was delicious! If I would not have known what was in it, I would have thought it was just a regular potato.

TIP: I scooped the leftover white puree into an ice tray (2 cubes=1/4 cup), covered it with saran wrap and put it in the freezer. When it was frozen, I removed the cubes from the tray and put them in a freezer bag for use later. Now, I can just pull out what I need for the next recipe that uses the white puree.

Stay tuned for Store-Bought Chocolate Pudding with Green Juice (yep, that's spinach) in it.

See our other Picky Eater posts: V8 Splash, Chocolate Pudding, Blueberry Muffins, Pumpkin Pancakes.

Picky Eater: V8 Splash

I have a 20 month old who is a VERY picky eater, so I decided to do a "Picky Eater" series of posts with some advice I've received and some things I've already tried. Feel free to post any advice or questions on the Picky Eater thread on our forum.

Jack would eat bread, cheese and ice cream at every meal if he could. My husband tells me not to stress about it, but I say that's easier said than done. I put new food on his plate all the time and try it over and over again to see if one day it might be a success. But even if it's a success one day, it's not a guarantee that he'll like it the next day.

On the forum Kerri said, "I found an easy way to add veggies to my kids diet! I let Page pick out what juice she wanted at the grocery store and she picked out one of the V8 Splash varieties. They love it and the #1 ingredient is carrot juice!"

Thanks, Kerri! I tried the V8 Splash Tropical Blend and he loved it. I even made popsicles out of it and he was so excited about his refreshing tropical treat.

Feeding a picky eater is definitely a challenge. This is just one of the tips I've learned to get healthy food into my picky eater. There's more to come...

Recipe: Chicken Salad

Bridget is in a recipe rut, so she asked for some good summer recipes on our forum. Here's one I have for chicken salad.

3 cups cubed, cooked chicken (about 1 1/2 lbs.; see cooking instructions below)
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. onion salt
handful of toasted almonds

Mix mayo, sour cream, salt and onion salt in a bowl. Add the chopped chicken and mix together. Top with toasted almonds. Serve with crackers, on wheat bread or over a bed of mixed greens.

To boil chicken breasts:
· Add 1 ½ lbs. boneless chicken breasts to pot of water
· Bring to a boil
· Reduce heat and cover
· Cook 9-14 minutes
· Take off heat; drain water

Feel free to share some of your favorite recipes on our forum.