Barb's Recipes

For the last few days I have been visiting my sister in Spokane, Washington. I decided to make the trip before the weather got bad! My daughter and her husband came from Seattle for the weekend and one of my sister’s sons was also there so we had a good time talking and cooking and of course eating! Some of the recipes my sister and her husband made follow. - It is so nice to have someone else cook for me! - Thanks Barb and Phil!

Black Bean & Rice Salad
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c. lime juice
1 t. ground cumin
1 1/2 c. cooked basmati rice, cooled
1 (15 ox.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. finely diced carrots
3/4 c. raw corn kernels
3/4 c. raw corn kernels
3/4 c. finely chopped tomato
1/4 c. minced Italian parsley
1/4 c. minced fresh cilantro
2 T. finely chopped red onion
Salt
Pepper
In a serving bowl, stir olive oil, lime juice, and cumin to blend. Add rice, beans, carrots, corn, tomato, parsley, cilantro, and onion. Stir gently to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lemon Chicken Breasts
1 T. canola oil
1 T. garlic pepper
1 T. sugar
1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
2 t. fresh thyme
2 t. finely grated lemon rind
1/4 t. salt
4 (14 oz.) bone-in chicken breasts
Basting Sauce:
2 T. olive oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
2 t. honey mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper, coarsely ground
Combine first dry ingredients, add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Prepare basting sauce. Preheat grill. Place chicken on grill and grill 16 minutes. Turn, baste. Grill 8 minutes. Turn baste. Turn, baste, Turn, baste until thermometer register 165ºF.

Banana Torte
Crust:
1 Cup flour
1/2 cup margarine
1 Cup chopped nuts
Combine and bake in 9” x 13” pan at 400° for 10 minutes. Cool
2nd Layer:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 Cup powdered sugar
6 oz. Cool Whip
3rd Layer: Slice over cream cheese layer.
3 bananas
4th Layer: Prepare and pour over bananas
1 large instant vanilla pudding mix
5th Layer: Top with remaining
6 oz. Cool Whip
Refrigerate for 3 hrs.

Red Beans and Rice
1 # dry red beans (kidney beans okay)
2 ham hocks
2 1/2 c. finely chopped celery
2 c. finely chopped onions
2 c. finely chopped green bell peppers
5 bay leaves
2 t. white pepper
2 t. dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 . garlic powder
1 1/2 t. dried oregano leaves
1 t. ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
1/2 t. black pepper
    1 T. Tabasco sauce
1 lb. smoked sausage (Polish Kielbasa, low fat), cut diagonally into 1/4-inch pieces
Cooked rice
Cover the beans with water 2 inches above beans to which has been added 1 tsp. baking soda. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover and allow to soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse.
Add about 6 c. of water and the ham hocks to the beans. Add celery, onions, bell pepper and seasonings, stir well and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer about 3 hours. Remove ham hocks from pan, cool and add meat to beans. Stir in sausage and simmer additional 1/2 hour.
Serve over rice. Makes enough to feed about 6 good eaters. Serve with fried okra, rice and corn bread.

Buttermilk Corn Bread
1 1/2 c. yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 400º F. Butter 9x9x2 baking pan. Mix first 5 ingredients. Whisk remaining ingredients. Add dry ingredients. Bake about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Store at room temperature.

Apple Burritos
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. unsweetened apple juice
8 c. sliced, peeled tart apples
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. grated lemon peel
1 t. vanilla
2 T. cornstarch
2 T, lemon juice
10 flour tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese sour cream or plain yogurt
Ham slices
Dissolve sugar in apple juice over low heat. Add apples and spices. When apples are slightly tender (about 3 minutes) stir in paste of cornstarch and lemon juice. Cook, stirring gently over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens and apples are tender-crisp (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat. If made ahead, cool, cover and chill. Just before filling, warm mixture over low heat until heated through.
Wrap 10 flour tortillas in foil and heat to soften. Spread butter or margarine on one side of each warm tortilla, turn over and place about 3 Tbs. filling down the center. Roll up tortillas to enclose filling and place burritos, seam side down, in a greased 9x12 baking dish. Bake uncovered at 400º for 20 minutes. Brush with butter and broil to brown. Serve with cheese, yogurt and slices of browned ham.

Crock-Pot
Bourbon Baked Beans
2 (16 oz) cans baked beans
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/2 c. chili sauce or salsa
1/2 T. molasses
1/4 c. bourbon
1/4 c. strong coffee
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple
2 T. brown sugar
Combine all ingredients in a greased crock-pot. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook 6 hours removing cover the last 1/2 hour to thicken.

Meal in a Bundle
2# lean chuck, cut in 1” cubes
6 medium potatoes, cut into 1” cubes
6 T. chopped onions
6 carrots, cut into 1/4” slices
1/2 c. chopped parsley
2 (10.5 oz.) cans condensed golden mushroom soup
salt
pepper
tabasco
Place all ingredients in a foil bundle and cook on barbecue grill, or in a casserole dish and cook for 1 hour at 350º.

Sweet Pork Fried Rice
1/2 c. hoisin sauce
1/3 c. sherry
1 T. shredded ginger
1# pork tenderloin (can already be cooked)
soy sauce
6 c. cooked rice
2 T. oil
4 green onions, sliced
1 t. chili flakes
1 c. sliced baby bok coy
Place hoisin sauce, sherry and ginger in frying pan over medium heat. Allow to boil for 2 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Add the pork, stir for 5 minutes or until cooked through and coated with sauce. Set aside. Make rice. In wok or large frying pan add oil, onions, and chili and cook for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Add the bok choy and cook for 3 minutes. To serve place rice on plate or in bowl and spoon rice mixture over. Serve with soy sauce on the side. Serves 4.

Chinese Chicken Salad
1/2 # asparagus, cut diagonally into 1” pieces
11 oz. can mandarin oranges
Chow mein noodles
Salad greens
1 large avocado, cubed
4 green onions, including green tops, sliced diagonally
2 T. toasted sesame seeds
2 c. cooked chicken, cubed
Blanch asparagus 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and allow to cool. Toss ingredients with “Spicy soy-ginger Dressing”

Spicy Soy-ginger dressing:
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
2 T rice wine vinegar
2 T brown sugar (or honey)
1.5 T soy sauce
1 T Asian red chili sauce (such as Sriracha)
1.5 tsp grated fresh ginger
Slowly drizzle in ¼ vegetable or grape seed oil, whisking constantly. Season with salt to taste. Print this post