From Karen's Kitchen- Petite Steak with Gnocchi

January 25,  2014

Petite Steak with Gnocchi

It's snowing and very cold out so I was in search of something warm, creamy and filling.  I saw a great recipe online for Gnocchi with corn and  arugula in a light cream sauce.  I do not prefer arugula so I substituted it with spinach.  I picked up 3 Petite steaks at La Bonnes Epicure and headed home on some pretty treacherous roads.  This was my first time making Gnocchi and I have to say, I really liked this.
Ingredients

Petite Steak
1 box of De Cecco Gnocchi
Garlic
Baby Spinach

1 bag of frozen corn
1 box of cream cheese
Half and half

Steak
Salt and  pepper.  Grilled until medium rare.

Gnocchi
First I boiled salted water, cooked the Gnocchi for 2 minutes (they float to the top).
Then I took them out and emptied them into a bowl reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
I then add one block of cream cheese, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1/2 cup of half and half, one package of fresh baby spinach, 1 bag of frozen whole kernel corn. Stir until all combined and let it come to a simmer, then while the steaks were finishing up, I put the Gnocchi back into the pot with the sauce and vegetables.  A 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and it was finished.

From Karen's Kitchen- Chicken Tortilla Soup

January 5, 2014
Chicken Tortilla Soup

Happy New Year!!
I decided to make Chicken Tortilla soup tonight.  It's the same recipe as before however,  this time I was excited to use my new cast iron dutch oven that I got for Christmas. 
 My son was at the barn horseback riding in the snow.  This soup was exactly what he needed after being outside on such a cold January day.
I hope you will give this a try.  It's delicious and reheats beautifully.

Ingredients
3 Chicken Breasts
1/2 of a red pepper diced
1/2 of a medium onion diced
3 cloves of garlic
1 bag of frozen corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of red kidney beans
2 cups milk
1 large carton of chicken broth
1 can of Campbell's Healthy Requests Cream of Chicken soup
1 tablespoon of Argo Corn Starch
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 tsp Hot pepper flakes
Shredded cheddar cheese
Reduced fat sour cream
Bag of Tortilla chips

This is a very easy soup to assemble.
Saute onions, garlic and peppers until soft add them to a soup pot
Cook chicken and shred it with knife, add to pot.
Add the beans, corn, chicken broth, 1 cup milk with a Tbsp of corn starch( I mix it well to make sure there are no lumps)
cumin, hot pepper flakes, Cheddar cheese soup and finally 1 cup of milk.

 To serve, I crush up a few tortilla chips and put them in the bottom of the bowl. I add a pinch of cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
        

From Karen's Kitchen Featuring Jim's Meatloaf

November 3, 2013
Sunday family dinners are a lot of fun but are even more fun when I get the night off from cooking.  Who's cooking tonight?  My brother Jim.  He's visiting me for a short while and I am taking full advantage whenever he offers to whip up a good meal.  He makes great pasta dinners, salads and baked goods. However, my most favorite dish he makes is his meatloaf.  It's juicy, tender and just delicious. So today I am honoring him by sharing his meatloaf recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
ground beef
eggs
Italian style breadcrumbs
garlic
onion
salt and pepper
McCormicks meatloaf packet
milk
bacon

Directions
In a large bowl combine
3.19 lbs of ground beef
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup of breadcrumbs Italian style
4 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 large onion (diced)
salt
pepper
McCormick's Meatloaf packet mixed with 1/2 cup milk
arrange in a loaf pan and top with strips of uncooked bacon (my suggestion)

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour

From Karen's Kitchen- Crock Pot Tortellini Soup

September 5, 2013

After taking the summer off from blogging. I decided to kick off Fall with a recipe I found on Facebook.  I love fall because it's when I break out the crock pot and create easy, affordable dinners.

Crock pot Tortellini soup
Ingredients: 1 bag of frozen cheese tortellini
1 small bag of fresh spinach
2 cans of Italian style diced tomatoes
1 box or 4 cups or vegetable broth ( I used unsalted )
1 block of cream cheese (low fat)
1/2 cup of sour cream ( low fat)
put all ingredients in crock pot, cutting up the cream cheese into bite size chunks. 

Cook on low for 5-6 hrs

I put the pasta in about  an hour before serving just so it won't over cook.

From Karen's Kitchen- Beef Kabob's! Happy Father's Day!!

June 16, 2013
Beef Kabob's! Happy Father's Day!!

I thought something grilled would be a nice way to celebrate a special day with  a special dinner.
My husband likes veggies on the grill and steak on the grill so why not do Kabob's?
Super simple and delicious.
I took a pound of Sirloin and marinated it overnight in a Ziplock bag with a cup of Balsamic vinaigrette and steak seasoning.  Then I cut the sirloin into bite size pieces.
To assemble, I cut up a red pepper, green pepper and a Vidalia onion. I alternated between steak, peppers and onions.  Then placed the kabobs on a grill pan in my grill. I turned them every so often until the steak was cooked medium.

For a dipping sauce, I pureed in my food processor, a small jar of roasted red peppers, a 1/2 cup of low fat sour cream, a clove of garlic, a dash of steak seasoning, and 8 basil leaves.

From Karen's Kitchen- Gluten Free Honey Lime Taco Shells

June 14, 2013
Gluten Free Honey Lime Taco Shells

Ingredients
Chicken tenders, roasted and shredded
Mild cheddar cheese shredded ( You can use Monterrey Jack or a Sharp Cheddar if you prefer)
Gluten Free Enchilada sauce
Corn Tortillas
Honey
Lime
Chili powder

I found this great tip on Pinterest.  Take a muffin pan and turn it over. Take a tortilla, warm it and place it in between the Muffin sections.  Put pan in oven on 375 for 15 minutes until tortilla's are crisp.  Let cool slightly, turn it over and you have a Taco shell.

I make the honey lime sauce in a bowl and let it sit for a bit.  1/4 cup of Honey, the juice of a lime, 1 heaping Tbsp of Chili powder.  Stir and let rest for 10 minutes.  Then add the shredded chicken into the marinade and let it rest for a half and hour.

I place a heaping Tbsp of the chicken mixture into the shell, top with cheese, drizzle Enchilada sauce over the cheese.  I repeat this process until I've made the amount of shells I want to serve.  Then place into a 375 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Top with sour cream and cilantro.

From Karen's Kitchen- Italian Chicken Sandwich

May 20, 2013
Italian Chicken Sandwich

It's very warm out tonight in Connecticut.  A perfect night to eat outside and enjoy the weather.  I decided to make sandwiches for dinner with a side of pasta salad.
Ingredients
Ciabetta Bread
Pesto
Part skim mozzarella
Roasted red peppers
Grilled chicken sliced

Slice Ciabetta bread, spread pesto, next layer cheese, roasted red pepper and chicken.
Place under broiler until cheese melts.