Red Lentil Soup

Original Recipe at: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lentil-Soup-with-Lemon/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=red%20lentils&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page&soid=sr_results_p1i1

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• 
  

• 1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 1 pinch chili powder

Directions:

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Pour half of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.
4. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, then season to taste with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of chili powder to serve.

Hot Mama Notes: This soup is very tasty!  I made the following changes to it.  I didn't have any tomato paste, so I used a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes instead.  I know, not really a similar substitution given the volume!  To compensate, I used 1.5 cups of lentils to suck up all the extra fluid.  This worked really well.  Plus, I used two 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth instead of a 32 oz box, so some of the extra liquid went there, too.  :)  I never did add the lemon juice or cilantro at the end, even though I had both items.  I did not put anything in the blender since I am lazy.  I don't mind a chunkier soup.  This soup is very good.  I will definitely make it again!!! :)  Easy and tasty and healthy, you just can't beat that!! :)

Hot Mama Grade: A

Butter Chicken (Chicken Tikka Masala)

Originally from: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/recipes/r-penzeysChickenTikkaMasala.html

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
  

Sauce:

• 1 TB. ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp. POWDERED GINGER
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1/4 tsp. PENZEYS MINCED GARLIC)
• 2-3 TB. green chilies, finely chopped (roughly 2 jalapeños)
• 3/4 Cup tomato puree
• 2 tsp. SWEET CURRY POWDER
• 2 tsp. GARAM MASALA 
• 1 tsp. GROUND CUMIN
• 1/2 tsp. REGULAR CHILI POWDER
• 4 oz. unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 6 oz. plain yogurt
• 2 TB. fresh cilantro (optional)
  

Vegetarian version:

• 4 medium potatoes, cooked and cubed
• 1 1/2-2 Cups cooked chickpeas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Wash the chicken and pat dry. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 1 hour. 

While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce. Melt the ghee in a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until golden brown. Add the ginger, garlic (if using fresh) and green chilies. Cook for 1 minute before adding the tomato puree. Add the CURRY POWDER, GARAM MASALA, CUMIN, CHILI POWDER and POWDERED GINGER and PENZEYS MINCED GARLIC and cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the butter and cook, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add the yogurt; mix well. Cover and set aside. 

Remove the chicken from the oven and let cool slightly. Remove the meat from the bones and place in a baking dish. Add the sauce and mix. Cover and bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and bake an additional 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro before serving, if desired. 

Vegetarian version: Peel, cube and boil the potatoes. Drain well before adding to the sauce. Add the chickpeas and mix well. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro before serving if desired. 

Prep. time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour for chicken plus 20 minutes baking/sauce making time
Serves: 6

Hot Mama Notes: I used 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts and baked them as directed.  I put salt and pepper on them before baking.  I didn't want to deal with making ghee, so I just used regular old butter in place of it, and everything turned out fine!  I wanted chick pea in addition to the chicken, so I added them to everyone's dish afterwards except my husband's.  I rinsed and drained a can of chick peas.   It's a very rich and tasty dish.  Everyone liked it (both hubby *and* the kids - it's amazing!), and I will be making it again in the future. :)

Grade: A-

I would also like to try this version from Penzey's:

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/recipes/r-penzeysChickenTikka.html

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups boneless/skinless chicken breast chunks (about 1 lb.)
• 1 TB. plain yogurt
• 11/2 TB. minced fresh ginger (or 1 tsp. POWDERED GINGER)
• 11/2 TB. minced fresh garlic (or 1 tsp. PENZEYS MINCED GARLIC)
• 1 TB. GARAM MASALA or SWEET CURRY POWDER
• 1 TB. TANDOORI SEASONING
• 11/2 tsp. GROUND CUMIN
• 2 TB. lemon juice (juice of 1/2 lemon)
• 1 TB. vegetable oil
• 4 tomatoes, diced (or 1 Cup canned tomato puree/sauce)
• 1/2 tsp. PENZEYS FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER
• 4 TB. cream (half & half or whole milk work too)
• 1/4 Cup water
• 1 TB. cashew nut paste (grind 1 TB. cashews with 1 tsp. water in a blender)
• 2 TB. butter
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, yogurt, GINGER, GARLIC, GARAM MASALA or SWEET CURRY POWDER, TANDOORI SEASONING, CUMIN and lemon juice. Mix to combine. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy pan. Add the chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is white and almost cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Add the PEPPER, cream, water and cashew nut paste. Reduce heat to low and cook until the chicken is tender, 5-7 minutes. Stir until the sauce thickens. Add the butter and salt and mix well. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired and serve with Cumin Rice. Prep. time: 15 minutes plus marinating time Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves: 2-4

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

Originally from: http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/05/soft-and-chewy-nutella-white-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
heaping 1/3 cup Nutella (stir well before adding)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

DIRECTIONS:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, Nutella, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the white and chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 11 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly. Tip - Strategically place a few chocolate chips right on top of each mound of dough by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.
5. Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
6. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked and glossy in the center; don't overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don't use a rack.
7. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Hot Mama Notes: Instead of 1c white chocolate chips and 1c semisweet chocolate chips, I split the 2c of chocolate chips roughly equally between milk chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips, and peanut butter chocolate  chips.  These cookies are VERY rich.  Good, but rich.  I am a dessert monster, and I found that one cookie (or even half a cookie!) was enough.  Which is good, I guess, since out of this batch, I made about 1.5 dozen cookies.  The cookies are very soft, too, which I liked.  However, next time, I think I would use only 1c total of chocolate chips instead of 2c total.  I didn't have white chocolate chips on hand (since I don't much care for them), and that is why I substituted in the peanut butter chips.  I am sure it is a different taste and experience from using white chocolate, but the cookies did turn out good.  I am glad I followed the directions for refrigerating the dough.  I did the minimum time of 2 hours.  I also made sure to let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing them.  Otherwise, the cookies tend to fall apart when you move them.

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Pear & Pineapple Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 c   Fresh, cubed Pineapple
1      Medium Bartlett Pear, quartered and cored
1 c   Spinach
1 c   Kale
1      Small ripe banana
1/2c Orange or apple juice
1 c   Ice cubes

Blend together and enjoy!

Hot Mama Notes: I used orange juice.  I detest bananas in smoothies, so I added 1/2 c of honeydew instead.  Still, my kids were not impressed with this smoothie.  I think it's because we don't like kale no matter what we do with it.  :(  It was not too sweet, but it just wasn't especially good.  We probably won't make it again.

Hot Mama Grade: B

Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup walnut

Directions

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Hot Mama Notes: These cookies are fantastic for healthy cookies.  They are very tasty and great for breakfast.  That being said, don't expect them to replace your favorite dessert cookie.  They are not sweet like that.  Nonetheless, my family loves them, and we continue to make them again and again.  I substitute grated carrot for the carrot baby food.  My sister in law uses apple sauce.  I might try that next time; maybe that will make them more moist.  I use regular whole wheat flour and light brown sugar (unless I happen to have dark brown).  I substitute milk chocolate chips for raisins and omit the nuts.

Tater Tot Casserole

Original Recipe:

1 lb Ground Beef
1 can Peas, drained and rinsed
1 can Corn, drained and rinsed
1 can Cream of Celery (or Mushroom or whatever) soup
1/2 c Milk
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg Frozen Tater Tots

Preheat oven to 350F.  Brown and drain ground beef.  Add corn, peas, soup and milk.  Mix together and add most of the cheese (set aside a handful).  Put in a casserole dish (you can use a 13x9x2 pan or a couple of casserole dishes, anything will work!).  Scatter the remaining cheese on top.  Cover with frozen tator tots.  Bake at 350F for 45 minutes to an hour.  Enjoy!

Modified Recipe:

1 to 2 lbs Ground Turkey

2c+ Frozen Peas

2c+ Frozen Corn

1c Broccoli (frozen or fresh)

1 can Cream of Asparagus (or whatever) soup

1/2c Milk

1c shredded cheddar cheese

1c shredded mozzarella cheese

1 pkg Frozen Tater Tots

Sue's Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
4      Eggs
1 can Pumpkin
1c    Milk
1c    Oil
2/3c Water
4c    Sugar
3.5c Flour
2t     Baking Soda
1t     Salt
1T   Nutmeg
1T   Cinnamon
1t    Allspice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix all wet ingredients.  Combine all dry ingredients together and add to wet ingredients.  Grease loaf pans (2 or 3 standard loaf pans, or many small/mini loaf pans).  Bake 45-50 minutes for a standard loaf pan, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.  30 to 35 minutes for small loaf pans.

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: I make this with 3 cups sugar, and that is PLENTY.  This is our favorite pumpkin bread.  So moist.  The family *loves* it.  :)   With the recipe above, I fill 3 standard loaf pans, and it works quite well.  If you use the same amount of batter in two pans, they are overly full and may spill over.  And I hate oven messes! :P  I also like to use freshly grated whole nutmeg.  YUM.