Asian Chicken Stir-Fry

I'm sure you could add garden zucchinis to this one. It is a "throw-in-any-veggies-you'-ve-got" with an easy sauce. And, with it all done in one frying pan (and a rice cooker), it doesn't heat the kitchen too much on a hot summer night.

1 Tbls Vegetable Oil

1 Lb. Chicken Strips

1 can (10 3/4 oz) "Golden Mushroom Soup"

3 Tbls Soy Sauce

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 bag frozen veggies

(or whatever: i.e. 1 cup broccoli, 1 fresh green pepper,

1 sliced/diced zucchini, 1 white onion)

4 Cups hot cooked Rice

Heat: Oil in Skillet

Brown: Chicken

Add: Soup, Soy Sauce, Garlic Powder

Heat to a Boil

Add: Veggies

Cook: until tender-crisp

Serve over Rice

Oven Roasted Vegetables

Another delicious roasted vegetable recipe:

1 medium zucchini
1 medium summer squash
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1 pound fresh asparagus
1 red onion
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 450 F. Cut all vegetables into bite-size pieces. Place in a large roasting pan. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to mix and coat. Spread in a single layer in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

Roasted Vegetable & Orzo Salad

Salad:
1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 lb orzo (just over 1 cup, uncooked)

Dressing: **
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

To assemble:
3/4 lb feta, 1/2 inch diced
15 fresh basil leaves, shredded
4 scallions, minced
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 425 F. Toss eggplant, peppers, onion, and garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula. Boil orzo in salted water 7-9 minutes. Drain and put in serving bowl. Add vegetables to orzo, scraping drippings from baking sheet into bowl. Dress and cool. Add feta, basil, nuts, and scallions.

** I recommend cutting the dressing recipe in half, though I am sure the Barefoot Contessa would disagree...

Veggie Spaghetti

I love quick pasta dishes, here is one of our favorites! This is a great dish to make if you have all manner of veggies languishing in your fridge that you need to do something with. Basically it goes like this:

Cook a pkg. of spaghetti according to directions. Make the amount that your family usually eats.

In a large saucepan, heat a few tbs. of olive oil. Add:

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 onion, sliced to make long strips

1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped to 1 inch pieces

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 red, orange or yellow pepper, diced.

1/2 can olives

1 bunch spinach

stir fry the veggies, adding oil as needed. Towards the end sprinkle with balsamic vinegar over all for some sweetness. Also season with salt, basil, and fresh cracked pepper. When the veggies are tender, add the cooked pasta and stir to combine all those delicious juices. When ready to serve, drizzle with a bit more oil and vinegar, and top with about a half cup fresh grated parmesan cheese. 

Now take a bite. Mama mia,  that's good!

*note about the veggies: These are just what we like, but feel free to mix it up with your favorites, almost anything will work- mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini- skip the tomatoes if you are a crazy person who doesn't eat them! It's very versatile for whatever you have in your fridge/garden. Also, keep some plain spaghetti and a jar of Prego handy for little kids- they just don't appreciate the good stuff!

East Indian Vegetable Casserole

▪ 1 medium green pepper, chopped

▪ 3/4 cup chopped onion

▪ 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

▪ 1 cup uncooked long grain rice

▪ 3/4 cup thinly sliced carrots

▪ 3/4 cup thinly sliced celery

▪ 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

▪ 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

▪ 2 cups beef broth

▪ 3/4 cup raisins

▪ 1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

Place the green pepper, onion and butter in a 2-qt. microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes, stirring once. Stir in rice, carrots, celery, cardamom and nutmeg; set aside.
Place broth in a 2-qt. microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until boiling. Add raisins; let stand for 1 minute. Stir into rice mixture.
Cover and microwave on high for 11-14 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring twice. Sprinkle with peanuts. Let stand for 3 minutes before serving. Yield: 4-6 servings. Note: This recipe was tested in a 1,100-watt microwave.

*I don’t have cardamom, so I’ve never used it. One time I made it I didn’t have peanuts and sprinkled sunflower seeds on top instead. My microwave is 700 watt, so it took twice as long to cook.