Tortilla Hold the Soup- RR

JoElle and I were watching Rachel Ray's talk show together and saw this recipe, instead of using the noodles, we subbed corn tortillas, salsa, and pickled jalapenos. It was delicious! Oh yeah, we omitted the peas Rachel used, the fam does not like peas!!

Since becoming vegetarian, I have taken out the "chicken"

Tortilla Hold the Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 to 3 carrots, cut into matchsticks
4 to 5 ribs celery from the heart, cut into matchsticks (including the leafy part)
2 small zucchini, cut into matchsticks
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound extra-wide egg noodles (or corn torillas!)
1 tablespoon margarine (no lactose allowed for family meals in our house!)
1/2 cup (about a handful) flat-leaf parsley, chopped (cilantro if you are making Mexican style soup)


Preparation:

Bring a large pot of salted water over high heat for the egg noodles.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan, and cook until the veggies begin to get tender, 3-4 minutes. Toss the zucchini into the pan along with some salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook another 2-3 minutes until all the veggies are tender.

While the veggies are cooking, drop the noodles into the boiling water and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain the noodles and return them to the pot they were cooked in. Add the butter and parsley to pot and give everything a good toss to melt the butter and coat the noodles.

To serve, spoon some noodles into bowls and top with the chicken and veggie mixture.
(For Mexican-style: warm the tortillas in the microwave, spread with margarine, cut up and add veggie mixture, salsa and jalapeno peppers to serve)

Chocolate Chip Muffins

JoElle has been begging me all week to make something with chocolate chips- she finally decided they should be cupcakes rather than cookies, so we found this recipe and we are making it right now!


Chocolate Chip Muffins
(12 servings)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light-brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter -- melted and cooled
2 eggs - beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package (12 oz) chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans -- chopped
Preheat oven to 400 F. and grease up twelve muffin cups.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla until blended. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add milk mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Spoon batter into muffin cups; bake 15-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove muffin tin to wire rack; cool 5 minutes and remove from tins to finish cooling.

Serve warm.

Chinese Dumplings- My Dad's recipe

Also known as "Potstickers"

My dad taught me how to make these when I was a teenager by taking me to the store with him, helping me shop for the items, and then having me chop everything and then we would assemble them together. When Tim was over, he would help us, also!

Ingredients:

1 bunch of green onions (use all parts)
1 head of Bok Choi
2 cans of water chestnuts
2 large portabello mushrooms
2 lbs of ground pork, ground turkey, or ground sausage (any combo of the three, whatever is
avail)
little bit of sugar
pinch of salt
several shakes of teriyaki sauce
several shakes of oyster sauce
some cornstarch
Raviloi wrappers / wonton wrappers or eggroll wrappers (will have to cut these into 4's)

Chop all ingredients finely, preferably in a food processor (much faster!), add sugar, salt cornstarch and sauces in with veggies and meat in a large bowl and mix together with your hands.

Set out 15 wonton wrappers on counter, add dollop of dumpling mixture and bring up all sides to partially close the dumpling. Set into bamboo steamer that has been sprayed with Pam or wiped down with margaring. Steam over boiling water for 15 minutes. Stack two bamboo steamer's full of dumplings.

For sauce:

half part teriyaki sauce mixed with half part of soy sauce, add some sugar and 1-2 jalapenos, deseeded for less heat.

Serve dumplings with sauce and enjoy!!!