Creamy Clam Chowder

This recipe is adapted from EMC Lifestyle Ottawa. I recently seen this recipe and instantly thought of my friend Nicole at Algonquin College. She orders it religiously every week. I thought this would be a great recipe for her to try at home.

CREAMY CLAM CHOWDER

142 gm (5 oz.) can clams

1 1/2 cups water

3 1/2 cups diced potatoes

1 small onion, diced

1/8 tsp. thyme

4 slices bacon

2 tbsp. butter (or 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. margarine)

3 tbsp. flour

2 cups 2 % milk (or 1 cup light cream and 1 cup milk)

salt, pepper to taste

Drain the liquid from the clams into a large saucepan. Set the clams aside. They'll be added near the end of the cooking time.

To the clam liquid, add the water, potatoes, onion, and thyme. Cook until the potatoes are tender.

Use the microwave to cook the bacon until it's crisp. Place the bacon on a microwave-safe rack or plate lined with paper towels. Cover the slices with another paper towel.

Microwave on High for 2-3 minutes, then check. Getting the bacon really crisp may take longer depending on the thickness of the slices. If necessary, cook on High for another 30-45 seconds. Once the bacon is done, set it aside on a clean paper towel.

When the bacon has cooled, crumble it into small pieces. It will be used to garnish the finished chowder and to add extra flavour.

In another large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then whisk or stir in the flour. Cook the mixture, on medium, for one minute, stirring so that it doesn't burn.

Slowly stir the milk (or milk and cream) into the butter-flour mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring steadily, until the sauce thickens.

The continuous stirring is what makes the chowder so creamy. Also, the milk is less likely to burn on the bottom of the pan.

Drain the cooking liquid from the potatoes into a large bowl so that you can pour it easily. Stir this liquid into the white sauce, then add the clams and the cooked potatoes.

Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until heated through (don't let it boil). Salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the hot chowder into soup bowls, and sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top.

Serves 4.

Spinach Quiche Squares

This recipe is adapted from EMC Lifestyle Ottawa. I had a recipe from the South Beach Diet that was similar to this recipe that I quite enjoyed. However, I lost it. The diffenences that I can remember is that the recipe used Egg Beaters instead of fresh eggs and had some finely chopped green onion.

SPINACH QUICHE SQUARES

5 eggs

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

about one cup cooked spinach, drained and chopped

2 tbsp. vegetable oil or melted butter

1 tsp. dried tarragon or basil

1 cup cottage cheese

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Mozarella cheese

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then stir in the flour and baking powder.

Drain the cooked spinach by placing it in a large sieve. Press it with the back of a spoon to force out the excess liquid, then chop it.

Add the spinach and the remaining ingredients to the egg mixture.

Pour into a lightly greased 8" square baking pan. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350F and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. The dish will be done when the top is lightly browned and the center is set.

Let the quiche cool for about 20 minutes before cutting it into squares.

For appetizers, cut the quiche into one-inch squares. For a brunch or light supper, cut into larger squares.

This makes 30 small appetizers, or 6 to 8 servings cut into 3" squares.

Mock Kit Kat Bars

I seen this recipe last night while surfing around the web and I thought it was interesting

Mock Kit Kat Bar Cookies

84 Ritz Crackers — (about 2 1/2 sleeves)
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
3/4 c brown sugar
1 c sugar
3/4 c butter
1/3 c milk
1 c butterscotch chips
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c peanut butter

Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment or non-stick foil. Put a layer for Ritz crackers across the bottom.

In a saucepan, stir together graham crumbs, sugar, butter and milk. Turn heat to medium and bring to a boil. When mixture begins to boil, set timer for 5 minutes and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour half of this mixture over the Ritz crackers, then lay another blanket of Ritz over the graham cracker stuff. Pour remaining graham cracker stuff over second layer of Ritz, then top with one last layer of Ritz.

In a saucepan, combine butterscotch chips, chocolate chips and peanut butter. Melt, over low heat. Spread melted mixture over top.

Let this cool at room temperature for a while and then transfer it to the refrigerator for about half an hour or as long as it takes for chocolate/butterscotch/peanut butter layer to set. When it has set, remove from refrigerator by lifting whatever it is you’ve used to line the pan. Place on a cutting board and cut into bars.

Chili Non Carne

Chilli Non Carne

This recipe was given to me by Deborah Brehme. She had us all over to lunch Monday past. It was delicious. She added a few personal touches though. She used vegtable stock instead of water, added some cilantro, chipolte chili pepper, and used Miso instead of yeast extract.

4 oz. (115g) green lentils

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 ½ oz. (100g) mushrooms, sliced

1 tin red kidney beans

½ tsp. chilli powder or more to taste

2 tsp. cumin powder

1 tin chopped tomato's

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 small tin sweet corn

1 tsp. yeast extract

Salt and Pepper

Boil the lentils separately for 10 minutes and drain.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions, carrots and garlic for a few minutes. Add the peppers and the mushrooms to the pan.

Add the remaining ingredients except the yeast extract, and enough water to cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add water if necessary.

Add the yeast extract, salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 3 to 4

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Bake

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Bake

A great prepare-ahead dish that makes meals easy. Nice for potlucks too. Mixture can be assembled the day before and refrigerated. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

4 cups cooked chopped broccoli

4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced

¼ cup butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed

2 cups homogenized milk

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

S & P

Paprika

Put broccoli in a 9" square baking dish. Arrange chicken on top. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually add bouillon cubes, milk and mustard. Heat stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and is thickened. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375 F. for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through.