Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 whole roasted chicken, shredded
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cans chicken broth
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatos
2 cans Rotel tomatos and chilli, mild
1 cup corn, frozen or canned
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Garnishes:
avocado
cheddar cheese, grated
sour cream
cilantro
tortilla chips, crushed

Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno and bell pepper until soft. Add everything else up to and including black beans. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 mins. Top with garnishes.

Seared Scallops with Warm Tuscan Beans

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 1/2 pounds sea scallops

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup prechopped onion

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle scallops evenly with salt. Add scallops to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove scallops from pan; keep warm.

2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add pepper and garlic; cook 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 1 minute or until most of liquid evaporates. Stir in broth and beans; cook 2 minutes. Add spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Remove from heat; stir in basil.

Grilled garlic bread is great for dipping into the brothy beans. Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil evenly over 4 (1-ounce) slices French bread. Add bread to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Rub one side of each bread slice with cut sides of a halved garlic clove.

Chili Beef Skewers

ingredients

• 8 wooden skewers
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp grated orange zest
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 lb lean beef sirloin, cut into 1/8-inch strips
• 1 each red, green and yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
• Vegetable oil cooking spray

Dipping sauce

• 1/2 cup lowfat mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp fish sauce

preparation

Soak skewers for 30 minutes. Puree cilantro, garlic, soy sauce, orange zest, sriracha, fish sauce and sugar in a food processor. Transfer marinade to a resealable plastic bag; add beef. Seal bag, toss and set aside up to 30 minutes. Combine dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl. Thread 4 pieces of pepper and 2 beef strips on each skewer, alternating beef and peppers. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; heat grill to high; cook until meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

Prosciutto and Basil Wrapped Prawns

1 bag large prawns 16/20 count

200g thinly sliced prosciutto

1 bunch fresh basil

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 lemon, quartered

Thaw and peel prawns, leaving the tail on. Soak the prawns for about 20 mins in some cold salted water. Drain and pat dry.

Slice each piece of prosciutto into 2 or 3 lengthwise slices. You want to keep the slices long for wrapping.

Separate the basil leaves from the stems, keeping the largest and reserving the smaller for another use.

Combine the panko crumbs, parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and pepper in a small bowl.

Pour olive oil in a small bowl. Dip your fingers into a little olive oil and start to wrap the prawns, basil first then prosciutto. The oil should help things adhere and enable you to get a nice snug wrap.

Brush or rub a little more olive oil on the wrapped prawns and roll and press them into the crumb mixture.

Place all the prawns in a container, tightly packing them, sprinkling with any remaining crumbs.

Cover the container with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.

Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan to medium high heat. Saute the prawns, turning once until golden brown on both sides. About 3 mins on each side.

Serve right away with lemon wedges.

Caesar Salad Dressing

We make this a lot, especially in the summer. Adding grilled chicken to this salad is really good. This is a Cook's Illustrated recipe that I've modified a bit.

Caesar Salad Dressing

2 large spoonfuls of mayonnaise
Juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 small garlic clove, minced fine or pressed through a garlic press
1 can of flat anchovies, including oil
1/4 cup olive oil

Add everything to a food processor (I use a mini-prep) and blend until emulsified and/or well mixed.

Cioppino

This has become a tradition for New Year's Eve. Any mixture of seafood can be used but this is what the recipe calls for. I think that I got this recipe from Epicurious.com.

Cioppino (Serves 6)

4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon dried pepper flakes
1 green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
28-32 ounce can tomatoes, pureed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
12 mussels
1/2 pound shrimp
1/2 pound scallops
1 1/2 pounds white fish
1 1/2 cups white wine

In a heavy, large pot, cook garlic in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden. Add onion and cook, stirring until softened. Add pepper flakes and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened. Add vinegar and boil until evaporated. Add wine, oregano, and bay leaf and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato puree and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add seafood to mixture and simmer until done (about 5 to 10 minutes)

Ribs

I've been making this rib recipe for a while. Very easy.

EJ's Simple Ribs (from the Food Network)
Serves 4

2 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
Coarse salt
2 slabs baby back ribs (about 2 pounds total)
BBQ sauce (I used Bull's Eye brand)

1. In a small bowl, combine mustard powder, paprika, celery salt, onion powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, celery seed, and 1 teaspoon salt. Rub slabs on both sides with the spice mixture and refrigerate, loosely covered, for 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Stack slabs on a double layer of aluminum foil; tightly wrap. Place on a rack on a baking sheet. Cook until the meat pulls away from the bone and is easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 2 hours or even longer (I think that I've cooked them up to 3 hours in the oven).

3. Remove ribs from foil, pouring off any liquid. Brush generously on both sides with BBQ sauce and grill on BBQ 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve ribs with any leftover sauce.