Scallop and Shrimp Chowder

Coming soon!   Green Pea Soup

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Scallop and Shrimp Chowder

This hearty soup made a wonderful meal served with a small salad and a wee dessert. (My delight was a piece of peach cheesecake.) As I have said before, “Variety IS the spice of life!”

This chowder is one of my favorite soups.

Serves 4

1½ tablespoons olive oil  

1 cup diced onion

½ cup diced celery

 ¼ teaspoon black pepper

3 cups organic chicken broth

1 bay leaf

4 small potatoes cubed   (2 cups)

¾ cup diced carrots

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup lowfat milk

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 pound sea scallops (halved if large)

½ pound shrimp (cut into small bite sized pieces)

¼ cup light sour cream

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

In a heavy large saucepan over medium high heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking. Sauté onion, celery, and pepper until the onion is soft.   

Add the chicken broth and bay leaf.  Simmer the liquid covered for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.

In a blender, purée the onion/broth mixture and return it to the pot.

Add the potatoes, carrots, red pepper flakes and salt. Bring the liquid back to a boil, reduce it to low and simmer it for about 12 minutes, (until the vegetables are tender)

In a small bowl, blend the milk and cornstarch and slowly stream it into the broth while stirring. Add the scallops and shrimp and simmer 3 or 4 minutes or until the seafood is cooked.

Return 1½ cups of the chowder to the blender.  Purée the mixture and return it to the cooking pot. This enhances both the color and flavor of the chowder.

Stir in the sour cream and lemon juice.  Enjoy!

Shrimp and Scallop Chowder

Quick and Savory Spaghetti and Meatballs

 Quick and Savory Spaghetti and Meatballs

I’ve been making homemade spaghetti sauce for years and believed it was necessary to simmer it for hours for the best taste. This recipe cuts that cooking time by about  66% and yet the taste is still superb.

When making this recipe for my granddaughter I put the diced tomatoes through the blender because she doesn’t like to see the pieces.

Serves 4

Meatballs

1 pound regular ground beef

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup minced onion

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

 Sauce                                         

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of olive oil  

½ large onion, diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3 large cloves of garlic finely chopped

½ cup diced green bell pepper

 ½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon dried rosemary

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

 ¾ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1- 28 oz. can of Organic diced tomatoes 

8 ounces of spaghetti

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

 Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

 In a medium bowl, mix together the beef, parsley, onion, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into small meatballs. Place the meatballs on a broiler rack and bake until cooked through about 10 minutes, turning once at halfway point.

In a heavy large saucepan over medium high heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking. Sauté onion, mushrooms, garlic, and green pepper until the onion is soft. Stir in the basil, oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes, and heat it 30 seconds to enhance the flavor.

Add the tomatoes, salt, and sugar. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer on low for 20 minutes. Add the meatballs to the sauce and continue cooking as you prepare the pasta.

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and serve spaghetti topped with sauce, meatballs, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

 Enjoy!

Fruit and Walnut Muffins

I love munching on a nutritious breakfast muffin with an 8 oz. glass of skim milk as I gaze at the morning sunrise. I follow this with a steaming cup of fresh coffee as I savor the sweetness of a new day.

Fruit and Nut Muffins

1 cup quick cooking oats

11/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup raisins

2 grated apples

1 large grated carrot

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup low-fat butter milk

½ cup dark brown sugar  

1/3 cup light oil

1 large egg lightly whisked (Or 2 small eggs when there are two little helpers)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the 12- cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. (I’ve found the foil ones “release” the muffin better than the paper ones.)

In a large bowl mix together the oats, flour, baking powder and salt. Add the raisins, apple, carrots and walnuts and mix well.

In a medium bowl beat together the butter milk, brown sugar, olive oil, egg, and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir just until blended. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin pan.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out dry.

My Cookbook Notes: “Tess and Grandma baked these on February 23, 2009.” She was 2 years old at the time and we just made another batch last week with her younger brother.

My kitchen was a mess but we all had a ball. The kids are cracking eggs, measuring, and stirring, as memories of Grandma’s Kitchen are being locked away for future reference.

Cabbage Rolls in Tomato Sauce

Cabbage Rolls in Tomato Sauce                                   

Growing up, there was never a Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving, when my mother didn’t have a huge bowl of Cabbage Rolls on the dinner table. The aroma and taste of this dish still floods me with sweet childhood memories. 

For a smaller quantity that serves 4:

1 medium head of cabbage                               

1 tablespoon olive oil                                            

½ large onion, diced

1 small yellow chili pepper diced

 1 cup of long grain white rice

½ pound ground pork

½ pound ground beef  

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 medium cans of Campbell's condensed tomato soup

2 cans of water

Tomato juice (optional)

Pour boiling water over the rice and let it stand while preparing the cabbage.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Prepare the cabbage.

Remove any spoiled outer leaves. Cut around the core.  Blanch the cabbage just enough to soften the leaves. Using two forks continue to gently remove the outer leaves as soon as they become pliable and set them aside to cool. Be careful not to overcook the leaves. As the leaves cool pare down the center ridge.

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking. Saute diced onion and yellow pepper until soft.

In a bowl mix the pork, beef, drained rice, onions, salt and pepper.

Form a cylinder shape with an egg-sized portion of the meat mixture and place it on the thickest part of the cabbage leaf. Roll the meat in the cabbage and then use your finger to tuck the extra cabbage into the ends of the roll. This secures the roll to hold its shape.

Arrange the rolls in a large heavy saucepan and add 2 cans tomato soup and 2 cans of  water. 

Cover. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a gentle boil for 60 minutes. Check periodically adding  water or tomato juice if the sauce is too diminished. Taste to ensure the rice is cooked. Continue cooking another 10 - 15 minutes if the rice is still hard.

Serve cabbage rolls with sauce.

I love a cucumber salad and pickled beets with this dish.

Chicken and Dumplings

Hungarian Paprikash Chicken with Dumplings (Paprikáscsirke)

Kicking up the Nutrients

Poultry is an excellent source of protein. It is also good source of vitamin A, the B vitamins, and minerals. Ounce for ounce, peppers are a better source of vitamin C than citrus fruits.

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

½ large onion, diced

1 large celery stalk

½ red bell pepper, diced

1 small yellow chili pepper

2 tablespoons Sweet Hungarian Paprika

2 cups chicken broth

6 chicken drumsticks (or your favorite pieces)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup fat free sour cream

1tablespoon flour

Dumpling:

2 large eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup flour (less for small eggs)

1 tsp salt

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking. Sauté onion, celery, and peppers until soft and the onions just start to brown. Add Paprika and stir thoroughly. Add chicken broth, black pepper, and salt. Cover. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a gentle boil for 40 minutes.

Prepare Dumplings

Boil water with 1 tsp salt.

Mix salt and flour into the beaten egg. Dough will be firm. Dip clean spoon in hot water. Use the edge of the spoon to “carve out” half a spoonful and immerse it into the water shaking off the dough. Cook dumplings uncovered 3 min.

Drain and set aside.

When chicken has cooked thoroughly gently remove the pieces to prepare the sauce.

In a small measuring cup mix the fat free sour cream with the flour. Add ½ cup of the hot cooking juices to the sour cream and stir until the mixture is smooth. Add this back to the pot with the dumplings and stir until dumpling are heated through. Plate chicken and pour over the sauce and dumplings.

Left over sauce is heavenly over steamed broccoli!

Suggested serving: 2 drumsticks with 6 dumplings and sauce.