This Week's Produce and Some Yummy Recipes

My produce of the week:

· Strawberries
· Blueberries
· Mangos
· Bananas
· Spinach
· Broccolini - Baby Broccoli
· Eggplant
· Rainbow Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
· Onions
· Garlic
· Green Leaf Lettuce
· Avocados
· Beet Roots
· Cucumbers
· Broccoli

How would you use these? I'm especially interested in the beets. You can't see them too well in this photograph but there are 3 large beet roots - something I have never cooked before! Annie has a recipe for Can't Beet Red Velvet Cupcakes that I might try! I just can't even fathom the idea of beets in cupcake batter!

Last night I made two fantastic side dishes using produce from last week that must share!

Using the kale that I recently received I made Sauteed Kale by Bobby Flay, as listed on FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water (I actually used chicken stock b/c that's what I had on hand)

Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (ever added this b/c I forgot to)
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, but not colored. Raise heat to high, add the stock and kale and toss to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar.

Next, I made Perfect Fingerling Potatoes by Alton Brown, as listed on FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds kosher or rock salt

2 quarts water
2 pounds small fingerling potatoes, cleaned
4 tablespoons butter, optional
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives, optional
Directions
In a large pot, combine the salt, water, and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the pot to a cooling rack and let stand for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve as is or with butter, pepper, or chives.

I was very convinced that the potatoes were going to be ridiculously salty, but they weren't. I mean, yes, they were salty, but tasty, salty. Like a good potato chip. We didn't add anything to them as we ate (no butter or anything!)

Hope you get the chance to try out these recipes. They were such a hit!

Free for me Friday - Yummy Chicken!!

As you read earlier this week, I received a recipe box for a wedding shower gift. The box was chock full of recipes written by friends and family. Much to my surprise I received 2 identical recipes! Two cousins (sisters of each other) who were not able to attend, sent me with their gifts the recipe for Pollo Tete (Tete Chicken). They had no idea that they had written up the same exact yummy dish that they had learned from their aunt!

With two recommendations for the dish, I made it and LOVED it! It's perfect for family dinners, dinner parties, storing as leftovers! Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

• 8 skinless/boneless chicken breasts
• 8 slices of Swiss cheese
• 1 cup of dry stuffing
• 1 stick (1/4 cup) butter cut into squares
• 1 can of Campbell's Chicken Mushroom soup
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• salt & pepper

Directions: Preheat over to 350. Salt & pepper chicken and arrange in glass 9x13 pan (pyrex.) Place one slice of cheese on each piece of chicken. In a bowl, mix soup and wine. Pour mixture to cover chicken. Sprinkle stuffing on top of everything. Place butter squares on top.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

I've tweaked the recipe before based on ingredients I had available - different cheese/soup...and it ALWAYS comes out so yummy!

I would love to get some reviews! Please let me know what you think!!!

Don't forget to participate in Munchkin Monday! Email your Munchkin's photo, 1st name, birthday, likes and dislikes to be featured next week to SmartyPantsMama @ gmail . com !

To see last week's Munchkin click here:
http://smartypantsmama.blogspot.com/2008/04/munchkin-monday-baby-david-gabriel.html