365 Favorite Brand Name Casseroles & One-Dish Meals

365 Favorite Brand Name Casseroles & One-Dish Meals is a nice large hardcover with yummy photos. It has lots of chicken recipes and several featuring RICE-A-RONI. It seems like I always have several boxes of it in my cupboard. Just the other day I tried the Spanish Brown Rice version and it was good. It will take me a while to get use to the texture of brown rice but I know it is better for you so I am going to try to eat it more often. These recipes call for the white rice version, but one uses reduced salt.

Lemon-Garlic Chicken & Rice

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package (6.9 oz.) RICE-A-RONI Chicken flavor
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Sprinkle chicken with paprika, salt and pepper. In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook chicken 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside, reserving drippings. Keep warm.
In same skillet, saute rice-vermicelli mix in reserved drippings over medium heat until golden brown. Stir in 2 1/4 cups water, lemon juice and seasoning packet contents. Top rice with chicken; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover; reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes; Stir in red pepper and lemon peel. Cover; continue to simmer 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, rice is tender and chicken is done. Makes 4 servings.

Orange Ginger Chicken & Rice

1 package (6.9 oz.) RICE-A-RONI with 1/3 Less Salt Chicken Flavor
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup orange juice
3/4 pound skinless, boneless, chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
3 cups broccoli flowerets, or 1 1/2 cups short, thin carrot strips
In large skillet, saute rice-vermicelli mix and butter over medium heat, stirring frequently, until rice is golden. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, ginger,red pepper flakes and contents of seasoning packet; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover; reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in broccoli. Cover, continue to simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Makes 4 servings
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Most Memorable Meals- Tomato-Green Pepper Dressing

This recipe is from a Reiman publications book; Most Memorable Meals. The recipes are presented as 48 menus listed by season. In the back index they are listed by regular categories such as soup, salads etc. That is how I found this recipe. There are plenty of the great photos Reiman is known for.

Salad with Tomato-Green Pepper Dressing

"The longer this dressing is refrigerated, the more flavorful it becomes. The bright red-orange is a sharp contrast to salad greens, At my house, it's everybody's favorite salad topping." Virginia Broten

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large green pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 medium onion, cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, halved
1 teaspoon ground mustard
12 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salad greens and vegetables of your choice
In a blender,combine the first 10 ingredients; cover and process until smooth. Serve over tossed salad
Store leftovers in the refrigerator; shake before using. Yields 4 cups dressing.

Food Network Kitchens, Making It Easy- Salami & Provolone Panini

Sometimes I can't believe the bargains at the Friends of Library book store. They always have very nice high quality books that average $1.50. Today I got a like new $24.95 food network kitchens making it easy for $1.50. Here is one of the recipes:

Salami & Provolone Panini

8 slices (about 3/8 inch thick) country-style white bread
1/2 cup prepared onion jam
6 ounces sliced provolone cheese
4 ounces slice hard salami, such as soppressata or cappicola
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, halved
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing the pan
Heat a sandwich press or a grill pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Spread one side of all the bread with 1 tablespoon onion jam. Top half the bread with a few slices of provolone and them some salami. Spread 1 teaspoon mustard over the salami and top with the remaining bread, jam side down.
Rub both sides of each panini with the garlic clove. If using a sandwich press, cook the sandwiches, 1 or 2 at a time, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted about 4 minutes. If using a grill pan or skillet, brush it lightly with olive oil, add 1 or 2 panini, and cook, pressing with a spatula, for about 1 1/2 minutes, then turn and cook pressing, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 1 1/2 minutes more. Halve and serve immediately.

The Quaker Oat Bran Book- Oat n Corn Bread


The Quaker Oat Bran Book is another book I got last week. Oat bran has received a lot of good press for its cholesterol reducing abilities. This book explains a lot about soluble vs. insoluble fiber. After I went to the thrift store I stopped at a local health food market that I have wanted to go to for some time. They have a huge amount of bulk barrels of baking supplies, beans, rice etc. They also have many bulk spice jars. Anyway I bought some oat bran and am going to try some of the recipes in this book.This is their Corn Bread recipe:


Oat n Corn Bread


1 cup oat bran, uncooked
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg white, slightly beated
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray 8 to 9-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray or oil lightly. Combine oat bran, corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; add milk, oil and egg white, mixing well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.


The book says you can replace up to half the flour in a quick bread recipe with oat bran. This is their banana loaf recipe:


Banana Bran Loaf


1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1/3 cup skim milk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup oat bran, uncooked
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 8x4-inch or 9x5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil cooking spray or oil lightly Combine bananas, sugar, margarine, egg whites and milk, mix well. Add combined flour, oat bran, baking powder and baking soda, mixing just until moistened. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

Globe Mini Mag- Slimming Soups

These recipes are from a Globe Mini Mag- Slimming Soups. Those are the little 3x5 inch magazines you see at the checkout counter. This booklet has a lot of quick and easy homemade soups. Only a few start with a canned soup base.

Vegetable Cheese Soup

"Amazingly, this soup has only 1 gram of fat and 71 calories per serving."

1 package frozen mixed vegetables (thawed)
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoons flour
1 cup water
1 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon chicken-flavored bouillon granules
1/4 cup shredded low-fat processed American cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Spices, to taste: salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning
In a saucepan, combine vegetables and onion. Combine flour, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper stirring well; add to vegetables and stir to coat. Combine water and milk; add bouillon granules, stirring until granules dissolve. Add to vegetable mixture, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly (5 minutes) or until mixture is thick and bubbly. Reduce heat to low, add cheese and mustard, stirring to blend. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Red Rice Soup

This soup has only 2 grams fat.

4 cups vegetable stock
6 plum tomatoes, diced
1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
1 green pepper, diced
3 tablespoon sesame oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine 2 cups stock and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add rice and green pepper. Stir to combine. Return to boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. While rice is cooking, add sesame oil to a large stock pot. When hot, add onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin and coriander. Cook over medium heat until onions are transparent and spices are aromatic. Add remaining vegetable stock and cilantro. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer. Add cooked rice to stock mixture. Stir to combine and simmer gently for 5 minutes to combine flavors.

Muffin, Scones and Cakes- Chocolate Carrot Cake


Wow I really hit the cookbook jackpot last week! There is a Salvation Army store about four blocks from my house and I pop in about once a week in hope that I will find some bargains. Usually I am disappointed. Their book and jewelry selection has really gone down in the last year. Las week we stopped in on the way back from the grocery store with only six dollars cash between us. I could not believe the amount of great cookbooks they had. Of course my husband had to go to the bank next door to the store to get more cash. But the best thing is that all hardcovers are only $1.50 and softcovers are less. Someone must have unloaded their collection. We got a bunch of Taste of Home annuals, Bon Appetit annuals, BHG annuals plus other assorted Reiman publications. These are all real nice hardcovers. Some of them have that new book cracking sound when you open them. We also got a Chicken Soup for the Soul Cookbook which I have not seen before. We also got a slow cooker book, Wok book and really too many more to mention. My husband said it was like having Christmas again. I like to make muffins and quick breads so I also picked out a little booklet Muffin Scones & Cakes. This is a recipe from that:

Chocolate Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch ground allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup shredded coconut
3 eggs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
4 ounces milk chocolate, melted
3 cups shredded carrot
Icing
6 ounces cream cheese
3 ounces milk chocolate, melted
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda, and spices. Stir in walnuts, raisins, and coconut. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, brown sugar, and oil till well combined. Whisk in melted chocolate. Fold in shredded carrot. Fold into flour mixture. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven about 45 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in center comes out clea. Cool in pan on a wire rack. For icing, in a large bowl beat cream cheese till smooth. Beat in melted chocolate. Beat in sugar till smooth. Chill icing till cake is cool. Spread over cake. Garnish with carrot sliver, if desired. Cut into squares to serve.

Green Giant Rush Hour Recipes- Lasagna Skillet Dinner


Green Giant Rush Hour Recipes & Quick Dinner Ideas is a really nice book to have if you are trying to eat more vegetables every day. Of course the recipes are for their frozen varieties. But not many of us have the time to shop at the local farmers market and then prepare fresh vegetables dishes daily. I know I can only eat so many meals of plain seasoned vegetables before I get sick and tired of them. These are some of their ideas for adding veggies to your diet:

Stir peas into pasta salad.
Add corn to salsa for a chunkier version.
Add peas or broccoli to Macaroni and cheese.
Liven up tomato or chicken noodle soup with carrots, corn peas, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower florets. (I did this just this week. I added some veggies brought home from a restaurant meal to some canned chicken soup, it was very tasty.)
Top baked potatoes with Green Giant vegetables in cheese sauce.
Microwave Green Giant frozen corn-on-the-cob for a healthy afternoon snack.


This is little variation on the skillet dinner theme:


Lasagna Skillet Dinner


6 oz. (3 cups) mini-lasagna noodles (mafalda)
1 pound ground beef
1 (16 oz.) package Green Giant American Mixtures Santa Fe Style Frozen Corn, Broccoli and Red Peppers
1 14 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
3 oz. (3/4 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cook noodles to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; keep warm. In large skillet, brown ground beef; drain. Stir in frozen vegetables and spaghetti sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked noodles; cook until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand until cheese is melted. 4 to 5 servings.

Taste of Home Annual 1994- Broccoli with Red Pepper

This is a healthy vegetable recipe I found in one of my new thrift store finds, Taste of Home Annual 1994. I love the Reiman publication books because they have great food photos and the recipes are practical not far out. Last week the grocery store had red bell peppers for only 50 cents each I was amazed considering it is winter. This seems like a good recipe to use them. When we served hot lunch at my day care center the only way we served broccoli was stir-fried with garlic. The kids loved it, they would gobble it up and ask for more. They always called it little trees.

Broccoli with Red Pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups broccoli florets
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger or 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into strips
1 can (8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained
In a skillet, heat oil over high heat. Stir-fry broccoli, ginger and garlic until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add red pepper and water chestnuts; stir-fry just until heated through. Serve immediately. 4 servings.

Oriental Cooking by Kikkoman- Chinese-Style Pot Roast Chicken

I found this recipe the other day and thought it would be ideal for a cold weather meal. It is fairly simple to make and sounds flavorful. It is from Oriental Cooking by Kikkoman one of the Favorite All Time Recipes series. These are the small spiral bound books sometimes found at the checkout counter.

Chinese-Style Pot Roast Chicken

3 pounds frying chicken pieces
1/4 cup Kikkoman Soy Sauce
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices
2 green onions and tops, cut into 1-inch lenghts
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towel. Rub chicken thoroughly with 1/4 cup soy sauce; let stand 15 minutes. Heat oil in Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat; add chicken and brown slowly in hot oil. Add sherry and garlic; cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until tender. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add celery and green onions to pan; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Combine water, cornstarch, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and sugar; stir into pan and cook until thickened. Serve sauce and vegetables over chicken

BHG'S A Passion for Chocolate

It is threatening rain today so I went out to the post office and grocery store before it hit. Of course I also had to make my stop at the Salvation Army and see if they had any more good cookbooks like last week. Got about six today. A Passion for Chocolate is a BHG's book but a new fancy edition with spiral binding, a large cut out on the cover, and yummy photos. This recipe sounds delicious and extremely rich. I guess that is why it serves 8 to 10.

Nut and Chocolate Chip Tart

1 recipe for single crust pie
3 eggs
1 cup light-color corn syrup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped salted mixed nuts
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces (optional)
1 tablespoon shortening (optional )
Prepare pastry for single-crust pie . Ease pastry into a 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim pastry even with the rim of the pan. Do not prick pastry.
For filling, in a large mixing bowl beat eggs slightly with a fork. Stir in corn syrup. Add brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in nuts and the 1/2 cup chocolate pieces. Place pastry-lined tart pan on a baking sheet on the oven rack. Pour filling into pan. Bake pie in a 350 degree oven about 40 minutes or until a kmife inserted near the center comes out clean; cool.

Cooking With Style- Women's Circle Home Cooking

This recipe is from a Women's Circle Home Cooking book- Cooking With Style. These are the paperback books that you see quite often in thrift stores. They are compiled from reader submitted recipes in Home Cooking magazine.

Chinese Roll-Ups with Hot Mustard Sauce

1 pound ground beef
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 package onion and mushroom soup mix
1 tablespoon beef bouillon
3 packages crescent rolls
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons horseradish
Brown ground beef. Add next 5 ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Place 1 tablespoon meat mixture in center of each crescent triangle. Pull corners over meat mixture; pinch together to seal. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until browned. Combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Refrigerate until serving time. Serve hot mustard sauce over roll-ups while still warm. May be frozen for use later.

Around the World Low-Fat Meals in Minutes

This recipe is from Around the World Low-Fat & No-Fat Meals in Minutes. As the name implies this book has recipes that are a little different than the standard low-fat cookbooks.
This particular recipe is supposedly from Indonesia but it doesn't seem too authentic to me. It does sound like it would be good though.

Pineapple Coconut Bread Pudding

Nonstick cooking spray
3 cups cubed white bread
15-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained, reserve juice
3 eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut juice (note: it calls for juice not milk)
Lemon yogurt for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10"x6" baking dish with cooking spray. Place bread cubes in the pan. Spread drained crushed pineapple over the bread. In a medium mixing bow, beat eggs until they foam. Stir in brown sugar, lemon peel, cinnamon, salt, pineapple juice, and coconut juice. Pour over the bread cubes and pineapple. Bake for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly, then cut into 12 squares. Garnish with a dab of lemon yogurt, if desired. 162 calories per serving