4 1BEEF CHEESE SOUP

4 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 1/4 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato (about 10 ounces)
Cooking spray
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) can beer
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Simmer 2 cups broth and potato in a small saucepan. Cook 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Transfer potato mixture to a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid spills). Blend until smooth. Set mixture aside.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, celery, and carrot to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, remaining 2 1/2 cups broth, and milk in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick; stir constantly with a whisk. Add potato mixture, sharp cheddar cheese, and next 5 ingredients (through salt) to pan; cook for 1 minute or until cheese melts, stirring constantly. Add beer to pan; bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with black pepper, if desired.

GARLIC ROASTED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken, cut into breasts and legs, skin removed
6 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Rub each chicken breast and leg with olive oil, salt and pepper. Finely chop the garlic cloves and cover the chicken with them.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees. Serve.

Serves 4-6.

SPRING GARLIC BRUSCHETTA

INGREDIENTS
1 demi baguette, cut into 12 1/2″ slices 3 plum tomatos or tomatoes on the vine, seeds scraped out (don’t worry if some remain) 4 spring garlic cloves, outer layers peeled away if necessary 2 tbsp olive oil Salt Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Roast the spring garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. Allow to cook, and chop roughly. Dice the tomatoes into similarly-sized pieces, and mix with the garlic and olive oil. Add salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon the mixture onto the slices of baguette, and cook at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until the bread has browned on the edges. Serve warm.

CEPHALONIAN BEEF STEW

• 3-4 large shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 very small, or half a large green pepper, cored, deseeded, sliced
• 200g stewing braising steak
• half a small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
• a handful of sultanas
• 3-5 cloves
• a splash (capful) of red wine vinegar
• 400ml beef stock
• a heaped tsp of crushed coriander seeds
• 1 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
• cooked tagliatelle, tossed in marscapone and nutmeg to serve

1. Brown the beef in a medium suacepan (I needed to split it into 2 batches). Remove the heat and set aside.
2. In the same pan sautee the peppers until soft. Remove and set aside.
3. Add the shallots to the pan and allow to soften.
4. Return the beef to the pan and stir in the spices.
5. Add the beef stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
6. Stir in the chopped squash, vinegar and and simmer for another 30-40 minutes until the beef is tender and the squash soft.
7. Stir the peppers back into the pan
8. Taste and season and serve over the tagliatelle.

TURKEY ROLL-UPS

Back when I used to leave the house for work everyday, I packed lunch. I made turkey roll-ups all the time, because they were easy, tasty, and I didn't have to think about it. But I don't really eat them anymore, because I don't really pack lunch anymore; which is fine, because frankly, I was pretty burnt out on turkey roll-ups.

For some reason though, I've been craving them lately. And I thought Wookie would really dig them, so today, we made a turkey roll-up, and split it for lunch. She didn't eat as much of her half as I would have liked, but we'll definitely try them again sometime. 1 tortilla 1 tablespoon cream cheese handful of baby spinach 1/2 medium carrot, grated 2 slices oven roasted turkey breast Spread the cream cheese all over one side of the tortilla. Layer the baby spinach and grated carrots over 2/3 of the tortilla, so part of the cream cheese is still exposed. Put the turkey on top of the veggies, and roll it all up. The cream cheese will help hold the turkey roll together.

MAKE CARROT BUNDT CAKE WITH MAKE CARROT BUNDT CAKE WITH RUM GLAZERUM

Bundt Cake has evolved! This decadent version of a perennial favorite is simply divine, with it's moist carrot cake and rum-buttermilk glaze. Perfect for a Holiday dinner, to take to a party, or anytime you want something sweet. Carrot Bundt Cake with Rum Glaze


INSTRUCTIONS:


PREPARE INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grate Lemon Zest. Peel and grate carrots. Butter Bundt pan or spray with PAM. Separate eggs (yolks in one bowl, whites in another)

MAKE THE GLAZE: Combine Glaze ingredients in a small mixing bowl and beat until well blended and smooth. Set aside.

MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: Mix sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix until well blended.

MIX WET INGREDIENTS: Beat together oil and egg yolks. Add carrots and nuts.

BLEND WELL: Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and blend well into a batter.

1. BEAT EGG WHITES: Whip egg whites in a clean bowl (any grease on the bowl or beaters will keep whites from peaking) until stiff peaks form. Gently FOLD egg whites into the carrot batter until well mixed. DO NOT BEAT!

2. BAKE THE CAKE - Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hour. Remove from oven when a toothpick, inserted into the center, comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Loosen sides gently. Invert cake onto a platter. Spoon glaze over cake while cake is still hot. Let cool completely before serving.

HOW TO MAKE FISH TACOS

Adding fish instead of beef or chicken to your daily diet is a healthful alternative to your everyday meals. This recipe is for authentic deep fried fish tacos.

1. Cut fish into 1-inch strips.
   Mix flour with salt and pepper, add other spices such as garlic and chili powder. Add beer and mix until well blended. For non-beer drinkers whisk two eggs in a bowl and add enough flour to form a thin batter.

2. Step 2

   Wash and dry the fish, add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Let fish sit for 5 min.

3. Step 3

   Heat oil until it reaches 350 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer you can test oil by placing a drop of the batter in oil after a few minutes of heat; if the batter cooks quickly, you are set.

1. Step 4
   
   
   

   Dip fish strips into batter and place in the pan. Try to not over fill pan, you don’t want the strips to be touching each other. Fry fish until golden brown, about 2-3 min on each side. Place fish on paper towels.

2. Step 5

   Shred cabbage. Prepare the sauce by combining plain yogurt, mayonnaise, cilantro, jalapenos and onions in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can serve this sauce in the side or mix with cabbage. If you decide to mix sauce with cabbage, I suggest doing this step first, and letting it all marinate while you prepare the rest of the meal.

3. Step 6

   Finally heat tortilla in the oven or microwave and serve by placing one or two pieces of fish on a tortilla followed by sauce and cabbage.

4. Step 7

   Serve with rice, beans and salsa. Enjoy!

GRILLED RACK OF LAMB WITH SAFFROM RICE

RICE

cooking spray 1 cup diced onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup uncooked basmati rice 2 cups chicken broth ¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crushed 1 bay leaf

LAMB
*¾ teaspoon kosher salt *½ teaspoon ground cumin *½ teaspoon ground cinnamon *½ teaspoon paprika *⅛ teaspoon ground coriander *⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom *⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper *1 ½ pounds French-cut rack of lamb (8 ribs) *1 teaspoon olive oil


Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add rice and next 3 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Keep warm.

PREPARE GRILL.


Combine salt and next 6 ingredients (through pepper). Brush lamb with oil, and rub with salt mixture. Place lamb on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes, turning once or until a thermometer registers 145° (medium-rare) to 160° (medium). Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into chops. Serve lamb with rice.

HOT CHICKEN SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cup cooked chicken, diced 1 cup celery, diced 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced 1 tbsp onion, minced 1 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp rosemary, crushed 1/4 tsp pepper 8 oz water chestnuts, drain, slice 1 cup rice, cooked 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1 can cream of chicken soup, undil 3 tbsp margarine 1/2 cup cornflake crumbs 1/2 cup almonds, slivered
PREPARATION:

In a large bowl, combine chicken, celery, mushrooms, onions, lemon juice, spices, water chestnuts and rice. Blend mayonnaise and soup; toss with chicken mixture. Spoon into a 2 qt. casserole. In a skillet, melt butter and combine with the cornflakes and almonds. Cook until lightly browned. Top casserole with crumb mixture. Bake at 350f for 30 minutes.