Cheap and Easy Cans-in-the-Back-of-the-Cupboard-You-Never-Use Dip

As a college student, you learn to make recipes up when you live paycheck to paycheck and have limited resources. This one my old roommate and I came up with when our cupboards were looking a little sparse. We just called it "dip". It's cheap, easy, a little ghetto, and actually pretty good. Especially when you don't really feel like cooking something. Makes for great leftovers too.

Ingredients:

• One chicken breast (two if you like it more chicken-y) (*also optional for vegetarians)
• One can black beans
• One can corn
• One can rotel
• One cup uncooked rice
• One bag tortilla chips

Cook the rice, in a rice cooker or on the stove, your choice.  Cook the chicken breast to your likening, I normally have frozen chicken breasts so I fry it with a little water, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, whatever seasonings I have in the cupboard that tastes alright with chicken.  Once it's cooked through all the way, shred the chicken into bite size pieces.  In a bowl, add the cooked rice, chicken chunks, can of rotel, can of corn (drained), and can of black beans drained or undrained.  I normally drain off the top liquid from the can of beans, but leave the rest.  It makes all the ingredients stick together a little better, ideal for chip dipping, but drained and rinsed works as well.  I normally add seasonings to taste, like a little cayenne pepper, chipotle seasoning, to add a kick.  Since the rice should still be hot, it warms up all of the other ingredients.  Serve with tortilla chips.  Also works great if you add a little shredded cheese, smoosh some between a tortilla, and fry it up.  Then you got yourself a fantastic quesadilla.

Normally serves about four hungry people.

Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas

Makes two folded 8-inch quesadillas

Use a light hand when seasoning with kosher salt, as the cheese itself is rather salty. Cooling the quesadillas before cutting and serving is important; straight from the skillet, the cheese is molten and will ooze out. Serve the quesadillas with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream. Finished quesadillas can be held on a baking sheet in a 200-degree oven for up to 20 minutes.

Ingredients:


1/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing tortillas
1/3 cup minced red onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 cup black beans (canned)
2 teaspoons lime juice
Kosher salt
2 plain flour tortillas, eight-inch
2/3 cup Pepper Jack cheese (3 ounces)
1 tablespoon minced pickled jalapeños (optional)

1. Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until kernels begin to brown and pop, 3 to 5 minutes; tranfer corn to medium bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering; add red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes; stir in beans and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Return corn to skillet and toss to combine; gently press mixture with spatula to lightly crush black beans. Transfer mixture to now-empty bowl, stir in lime juice, and season to taste with salt.

2. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and return pan to medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Place 1 tortilla in skillet and toast until soft and puffed slightly at edges, about 2 minutes. Flip tortilla and toast until puffed and slightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Slip tortilla onto cutting board. Repeat to toast second tortilla while assembling first quesadilla. Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese, half the corn and bean mixture, and half of jalapeños, if using, over half of tortilla, leaving 1/2-inch border around edge. Fold tortilla in half and press to flatten. Brush surface generously with oil, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside. Repeat to form second quesadilla.

3. Place both quesadillas in skillet, oiled sides down; cook over medium heat until crisp and well browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Brush surfaces with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Flip quesadillas and cook until second sides are crisp and browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer quesadillas to cutting board; cool about 3 minutes, halve each quesadilla, and serve.

*From Cooks Illustrated

Risotto with Tomatoes and Basil

Serves 4 as a main course or 6 as a first course

When the rice is done, stir in a little extra liquid as the sauce will set up a bit when served. Use homemade chicken broth if you have it, instead of the water/canned broth combination.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2 - 4 ounces pancetta, country ham, proscuitto, or other flavorful cured meat, minced
• 2 cups Arborio rice, or medium grain rice
• Table salt
• 1 can low-sodium chicken broth, combined with 3 cups water
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or grated Asiago, plus extra for passing
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaf, shredded

1. Heat oil in a heavy pot, 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Add onions and ham; sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cover and cook over medium heat until tomatoes start to look like a thin sauce, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in rice and 1 teaspoon salt or to taste. Add 3 cups of the broth/water mixture and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until pan bottom is dry when rice is pulled back with spoon, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Add wine, stirring frequently until absorbed. Then add 1/2 cup of the broth/water mixture at a time, stirring constantly until each addition is absorbed; cook until rice is creamy but still somewhat firm in center (add more water in 1/2 cup increments if broth/water mixture runs out), 10 to 12 minutes longer.

4. Stir in cheese. Serve on a wide platter or individual plates, garnish with basil, and pass additional cheese separately.

*From Cooks Illustrated

Pumpkin Granola

I really like this healthy pumpkin granola.  Healthy because there is no fat in it.  Of course there is sugar, but it is not too sweet and crisps up as it cools.  Your home will smell delicious while you bake it!  Hopefully you have a little leftover pumpkin from baking pies or pumpkin monkey bread.  If not, pumpkin puree freezes well.  This recipe comes from the blog two peas and their pod but I have adapted it slightly.

• 5 cups old fashioned oatmeal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries

Stir together first five dry ingredients in large bowl.  Stir together next five ingredients and add to dry ingredients.  Combine thoroughly.  Stir in almonds.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large rimmed cookie sheet/jelly roll pan.  Pour granola onto pan and press down evenly.  Bake 20 minutes and then stir.  Bake 20 more minutes and remove from oven.  Add cranberries and cool.

Easy Irish Brown Bread

This bread tastes fairly close to what we ate in Ireland...plus it is seriously easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbs sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 Tbs cold butter or margarine

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1/4 cup regular or quick-cooking rolled oats

1-1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt

milk

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture forms fine crumbs. Stir in whole wheat flour and oats.

2. Add yogurt; stir gently. If mixture is too dry to hold together, stir in milk, 1 tsp at a time, just until dough holds together (it should not be sticky).

3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 5 times to make a ball. Set on a lighlt greased baking sheet. Pat into a 7 inch circle. With a floured knife, cut a large 'X' on top of loaf.

4. Bake in a 375 degree oven until well browned (40 mins). Cool on cooling rack. Serve warm or cool.

Moroccan Chicken Soup

* taken from America's Test Kitchen: Best Simple Recipes

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:

1 Tbs vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped fine

2 tsp garam masala (if not available at the grocery store: substitute 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, then measure out 2tsp)

5 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

2 16oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup plain couscous

1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded

Directions:

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Cook onion until lightly browned (5 mins). Stir in garam masala and cook until fragrant (30 secs).

2. Add broth and tomatoes and bring to simmer. Stir in chickpeas, zucchini, and couscous and cook, covered, until couscous is tender (8 mins). Stir in chicken. Season with salt and peppper. Serve.

*this can easily be made into a vegan recipe by subbing the chicken broth for vegetable broth, and omitting the chicken

Pumpkin Monkey Bread with Maple Glaze

This recipe originated at www.laurenslatest.com if you would like to check it out. I adapted it slightly. Further, I made it in a bundt pan, but if you use an angel food cake pan with a removable bottom, make sure to wrap the bottom of the pan in foil first so butter and sugar do not leak out and make a mess of your oven. This monkey bread (as most monkey breads, I would guess) is best eaten while still warm. Hey, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it! Enjoy...we sure did!

Ingredients:

for the dough-
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup warm milk
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 2/3-3 1/3 cups bread flour

for the coating-
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

for the glaze-
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons half & half {or milk}
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In large stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, stir milk, water, yeast and sugar together.

Stir in salt, egg, butter, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and half the flour and mix. With mixer on, pour in remaining flour bit by bit until dough pulls away from the sides and is sticky but when touched doesn’t really stick to your hands. {For me, that was 2 tablespoons shy of 3 cups of flour.} Once you reach this stage, turn mixer on for 4-5 minutes to knead. Lightly grease dough and bowl and cover to rise for 1 hour. Stick it somewhere warm and draft-free.

Lightly grease a bundt or angel food cake pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. Create a coating station by placing sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and melting the butter in another bowl. Punch down dough and remove from bowl. Cut dough into small pieces about 1 tablespoon in size. Roll in butter, coat in cinnamon sugar and place into prepared pan. Repeat until no dough remains. If there is extra butter or sugar, pour over the top of the dough pieces in the pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and let rise another hour in a warm spot in your kitchen.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake monkey bread for 25 minutes or until the top begins to brown slightly. Remove from oven and cool 20 minutes.

While monkey bread is cooling, prepare glaze by mixing powdered sugar, maple syrup, half & half and vanilla together in a small bowl until smooth.

Remove warm pull aparts onto serving dish and drizzle with glaze. Serve warm.