Foods to warm the soul

Winter Food Ideas
During the winter many of us crave warm soups, noodle casseroles, and crock pot favorites.  I have included some new recipes for tasty alternatives this winter season.

Normandy Chicken with Apples
3 1b. chicken
4 T. unsalted butter
Salt & pepper
3 apples (granny smith or golden delicious) cored and cut into wedges
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup Calvados (apple brandy)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Heat 2 T. butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and brown evenly on all sides (7-10 minutes)  Remove chicken from skillet.
Saute apple wedges in the pan drippings until crisp-tender.  Remove apples and reserve.  Add remaining butter to pan and saute onion until golden.  Return chicken to pan with chicken stock,  and the brandy.  Simmer 20 minutes, add apples and simmer and additional 10 minutes.  Strain off cooking liquid.  Arrange chicken, apples and onions on serving platter.  Return cooking liquid to skillet, add cream, and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to medium and cook until thickened.  Spoon sauce over chicken, and garnish with chopped walnuts and fresh chopped thyme.
Green Bean Almondine
1 lb. fresh green beans
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup slivered almonds
salt and pepper to taste
In large stock pot bring 2 quarts water to a boil.  Add green beans and cook for 5-10 minutes (depending on desired crispness of the green bean.)  Strain beans in colander, rinse with cool water, and set aside.  In stock pot warm olive oil, add onion, garlic, almonds, salt, & pepper.  Saute 5 minutes until the onions brown.  Stir in green beans and warm thoroughly.
Serve with Normandy Chicken.
Ginger Catfish with Tomato Soy Sauce
3 T. peanut or sunflower oil
2 onions finely chopped
2 T minced fresh ginger
2 T. soy sauce
4 organic vine ripened tomatoes, chopped fine
1/2 tsp. minced lemon zest or lemon grass
2 T. rice vinegar or white vinegar
1 minced fresh chile
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 lb catfish fillets
serve with steamed rice
In large skillet add oil, ginger, and garlic.  Saute 7-10 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except the catfish.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until thick, 20 minutes.  Add fish fillets over sauce, cover pan, and cook until fish is opaque, (3-5 minutes.)  Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro.  Serve with steamed rice.
Tahitian Orange Salmon & Orange Fried Rice
6 salmon steaks thawed
2 oz. Tahitian Orange Spice
1/2 cup sesame oil
8 oz. pineapple juice (small can)
4 cups cooked rice
1 can mandarin oranges, juice reserved for cooking
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. soy sauce
1 egg whipped
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup minced carrot
1/8 cup minced red bell pepper
1 hand full chopped fresh cilantro
Marinate salmon with spice, pineapple juice, and sesame oil over night in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 350°.  Prepare salmon steaks in baking dish and let come to room temperature.
In large skillet add oil, peas, and carrot, saute for 5 minutes on medium heat.  Add soy sauce, bring to a boil, and then stir in whipped egg.  When egg is cooked  add bell pepper, mandarin oranges, mandarin  juice, and rice.  Stir thoroughly.  Cover pan then take off heat.
Bake salmon steaks for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve with steamed vegetables.
Place rice down first on the plate.  Top with steamed vegetables.  Top vegetables with salmon.  Garnish the plate with cilantro.
Curry Recipes
Chicken or Smoked Turkey Salad
1 lb. cooked cubed chicken or smoked turkey
1 c. minced onion
½ c. minced celery
1 T. minced garlic
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
½ c. red seedless grapes, quartered
½ c. lite mayo
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 T. Curry powder (Sweet Curry Powder or Thai Red Curry)
1 tsp. celery salt
1 T. Dijon mustard
- Stir together all ingredients, and refrigerate two hours before serving
Serve on bread, toast, or with crackers.
Thai Curry Peanut Sauce
1 1/2 cup peanut butter whipped with 1/2 cup hot water, 2 T. soy sauce, and 2 T. Thai Curry Spice
Dice up 1/2 cup each: cucumber, red bell pepper, onion
1 T. minced fresh cilantro
Stir together and let flavors mingle 5 hours or over night.
Thai Rice Curry
1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed
1 15 oz can cubed pineapple, liquid drained
1 onion chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
2/3 cup chopped celery
2 T. Thai curry spice
2 T. Rice wine
1 T. sesame oil
Minute rice- enough for 6
Saute all but rice on medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add ½ cup water, sauté for 10 more minutes, stirring often.  Prepare water for minute rice, bring to a boil.  Add veggies, cook 10 minutes.  Add minute rice, stir, turn off heat, and then cover.  Allow to sit for 5 minute before removing lid.  Serve with chopped green onions as garnish.
Tandoori Chicken Salad
1 lb. cooked cubed chicken
1 c. minced onion
1 c. minced celery
1 c. diced red bell pepper
1 T. prepared mustard
3/4 c. lite mayo
1 T. Tandoori Spice
1/2 c. dried fruit such as: mango, pear, apple, pineapple, or plum
- Stir together all ingredients, and refrigerate two hours before serving
Serve on bread, toast, or with crackers.
Crisp Pork Roast
1 pork picnic shoulder or 5-8 lb. pork roast
2 T. Geera (Caribbean Cumin Spice)
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 T. olive oil
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup minced garlic
1 tsp. hot sauce or red chile paste
(paste made by crushing 1 red chile with a dash of oil)
Sea salt to taste (1-2 T.)
Puree spices, oil, chile, and juice.  Cut slits into pork, rub paste over the roast.  Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.  Let come to room temperate before baking.
Heat oven to 325°.  Roast pork, basting every 1/2 hour, until meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers at 160°, about 3 hours.  Let sit 15 minutes before carving.
Herb Roasted Chicken with Mushroom Vegetable Medley
4 T. butter
1 ½ T. Herbs de Provence
1 T. honey
2 cup white wine
1/2 cup olive oil + 1 T.
1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
1/2 cup minced garlic
1 4 lb. chicken
l yellow onion chopped into wedges
1 lemon cut into slices
3/4 lb. button mushrooms
1 lb baby red potatoes, rinsed
3/4 lb. brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/2 lb. carrots (I use snack carrots)
Heat oven to 375°.  Melt butter and Herbs de Provence in pot.  Take off heat and whisk in honey.  Cover and let herbs steep in liquid for 20 minutes.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Put half of the lemon, half of the garlic, and 1 T. olive oil in the cavity of the chicken.  Place chicken in roaster.  Around chicken place mushroom, potato, brussel sprouts, and carrots.  Stir together remaining garlic, olive oil, fennel, wine, then pour over vegetables, and chicken.  Brush butter mixture over chicken and then scatter onions over everything.
Roast 1 hour.  Baste chicken and vegetables with juices.  Continue cooking until meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers at 165°, 25– 30 more minutes.  If vegetables aren’t thoroughly cooked return to oven while carving the chicken.
Creole Prime Rib
2 stick butter
1 28 oz. can of stewed tomatoes
1 chopped large onion
2 cup chopped green pepper
2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp gumbo file powder
1 tsp thyme
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 5 bone beef standing rib roast (10-12 lb.)
2 T. sea salt
1 ½ dry mustard powder
1 ½ freshly ground black pepper
2 T. dry red wine
Stir together wine, sea salt, pepper, and mustard.  Rub mixture on beef.  Wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 days.
Remove beef from refrigerator 3 hours before roasting and allow to come to room temperature.  Roast on lowest rack of oven at 450° for 20-25 minutes, rib side up.
Sauté first 7 ingredients for 5-10 minutes in butter, pour over beef.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Reduce temperature to 325° and continue roasting until meat thermometer registers 120°, about 2 more hours.
Remove roast from oven and let sit (covered)  25-30 minutes before carving.