Homemade picnic buns

1 1/2 c. lukewarm milk
1/4 c. sugar
2 t. salt
2 pkgs. yeast (4 1/2 t.)
1/2 c. water
1 egg
1/4 c. shortening
7 - 7 1/2 c. flour

Mix together lukewarm milk, sugar, salt.

Proof yeast in 1/2 c. lukewarm water for 5 minutes, then add to mixture.

Stir in egg and shortening.

Add flour in 2 additions, using the amount necessary to make it easy to handle. Roll dough 1/2" thick and cut into 3 1/2" rounds. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover with damp cloth, let rise until double (30-45 minutes).

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Sautéed asparagus and peas

Sautéed Asparagus and Peas
(Sadly, I can't remember where I found this recipe. If you know the source, please let me know!)

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup minced shallots
1 bunch thin asparagus spears, ends trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces on a diagonal*
1 cup thawed frozen or fresh peas
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon honey

Directions

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

2. Add asparagus, ¼ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring frequently so the shallots don't burn, for about 5 minutes or until al dente. Add peas and honey and cook about one minute more until the peas are warmed through. Add more salt and pepper to taste (I usually add about 1/8 teaspoon more salt and a few twists of pepper) and serve.

Coconut Shrimp

This is from Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner blog

Shrimp: 

28 large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
 Cooking spray

Salsa: 

1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup pineapple preserves
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare shrimp, peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Rinse shrimp in cold water; drain on paper towels until dry.

Combine cornstarch, salt, and red pepper in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes). Place coconut in a shallow dish.

Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge in cornstarch mixture. Dip in egg white; dredge in coconut, pressing gently with fingers. Place shrimp on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining shrimp, cornstarch mixture, egg white, and coconut. Lightly coat shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning after 10 minutes.

To prepare salsa, combine pineapple and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to combine.  4 servings (serving size: 7 shrimp and about 1/4 cup salsa). Sometimes I use a pineapple salsa from Costco instead of making my own.

CALORIES 397(26% from fat); FAT 11.4g (sat 8.4g,mono 0.7g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 29.9g; CHOLESTEROL 194mg; CALCIUM 80mg; SODIUM 753mg; FIBER 2.2g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45g

from Cooking Light magazine 

Chicken Tamale Casserole

• 1 cup (4 ounces) pre-shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 whole egg)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy) 
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• Cooking spray
• 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso) (I sometimes use green)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast 
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream 

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. 2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. 3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2008

Kristi's Las Cruces Halloween Burritos

My friend Kristi has fond memories of eating these burritos at her town Halloween carnival.

1 lb of ground beef
1 small can of green chilies
1 chopped white onion
2 shredded potatoes (peeled first) I use a cheese grater
grated mozzarella

Sauté ground beef and onion, then add shredded potatoes, green chiles, salt and pepper. (I added a little garlic powder and cumin as well.) Spoon mixture into a flour tortilla and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Then individually wrap into tin foil and place in oven 350 for about 20 minutes. This steams each burrito and melts the cheese. These are great to send with family the next day for lunch. (You can also freeze the foil packages before baking and bake some at a later time.)

I got 9 medium burritos from the recipe as is. You can stretch this recipe by adding more potatoes. 

Coconut toasted brussels sprouts

This recipe comes from the How Sweet It Is blog.

Coconut Toasted Brussels

serves 2-4

1 pound brussels sprouts, stems removed and quartered

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

pinch of nutmeg

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons lite coconut milk

2-3 tablespoons toasted, shredded coconut

Add quartered brussels to a bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Drizzle with coconut oil and toss to coat.

Heat a skillet oven medium-high heat and once hot, add brussels. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until toasted and charred. Reduce heat to low and stir in coconut milk. Stir in 2 tablespoons toasted coconut, then transfer to a bowl to serve. Top with remaining toasted coconut.

Cauliflower pizza crust!

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It comes from the Fat Girl in a Skinny Body blog, you can check it out here.

I had tried another recipe for cauliflower crust that was a total fail—it didn't stay together at all and I couldn't get it onto a plate without the whole thing turning into a pile of mush. This one promised to be a better cauliflower crust and it really delivered. We love it and it's a great substitute for a dough crust if you're cutting down on carbs.

Cauliflower Crust
Makes 4 individual pizzas

2 eggs
2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 cups riced cauliflower (grate the cauliflower on a cheese grater)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh julienned basil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, spray with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine riced cauliflower, basil, eggs and mozzarella. Divide into 4 amounts and press evenly on the parchment paper (you can omit the basil or substitute it for others herbs of your choice).

Bake the crusts at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
(I like 15 minutes.)

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and add desired toppings.

Fat Girl in a Skinny Body recommends marinara, sliced zucchini and onions, and basil ricotta. Check her post for details.

I've made it this way and it was quite good, but Marc wasn't really a fan of the ricotta on top. So this time, I made a Thai chicken version:

1 T. sweet chili sauce on each pizza; red onion strips; diced, cooked chicken; peanuts; more mozzarella on top; and a little cilantro sprinkled on after it bakes. Yum! I'm going to make a barbecue chicken or Hawaiian version next time.