Cold Day...Warm Food

Nothing fits a cold day better than a good soup and sandwich. Making bread is my new obsession. This focaccia was a great bread to whip up for a quick dinner. It comes together quick and makes a perfect bread for paninis. We chose to put grilled chicken, provolone, bacon and ranch on our paninis.

No-Fuss Focaccia

(Source: King Arthur Flour)

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) warm water
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups (14 ¾ ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor, optional 1/4 cup Vermont cheese powder, optional
pizza seasoning, optional (I used Italian seasoning)

1) Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.

2) Combine all of the ingredients, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.

3) Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it’s become puffy.

4) While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.

5) Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.

6) Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with pizza seasoning, and/or the dried herbs of your choice, if desired.

7) Bake the bread till it’s golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

8) Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.



Baked Potato-and-Broccoli Soup

(Source: MyRecipes.com via Southern Living Magazine; Jan 2006)

Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
3 cups peeled, cubed potato (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (8-ounce) block 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
7 teaspoons shredded 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
7 teaspoons fully cooked bacon pieces
7 teaspoons chopped green onions

Preparation:

Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth. Combine remaining chicken broth and next 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.

Stir in milk and 8 ounces shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Top each serving of soup with 1 teaspoon cheese, 1 teaspoon bacon pieces, and 1 teaspoon chopped green onions.

Note - We recommend freshly shredded cheese (versus the pre-shredded variety) for additional creaminess and even melting.

Yield - Makes 7 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Chicken Parmesan

We love chicken parmesan. I have been looking for the perfect recipe for quite some time and while some are good, none of them are perfect. This one is as close to perfect as I can find! The panko breadcrumbs are the perfect coating to get the "fried" feel without actually frying.

Chicken Parmesan (Light Version)

(Source: Cook's Illustrated; The Best Light Recipe cookbook)

Ingredients:

1.5 cups Panko

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 oz. grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1.5 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper

3 large egg whites

1 tbsp water

vegetable oil spray

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded to 1/4 inch thick, or sliced in half to make cutlets)

1 recipe for Simple Tomato Sauce for Chicken Parmesan

3 oz low-fat mozzarella, shredded (3/4 cup)

1 tbsp fresh basil, minced

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475. Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.

2. In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tbsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper together. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.

3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top, and spray the rack with veg oil spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with S&P. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking of excess, then dip into egg whites, and finally coat with the bread crumbs. Press on the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack.

4. Spray the tops of the chicken with the veg oil spray. Bake until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.

5. Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 tbsp. sauce onto the center of each cutlet and top with 2 tbsp. of mozzarella. Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Per serving: 310 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2.5g sat fat, 75mg cholesterol, 20g carbs, 38g protein, 790g sodium

Simple Tomato Sauce

(Source: Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients:

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. olive oil

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tbsp minced fresh basil leaves

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Pulse the tomatoes with their juices in a food processor until mostly smooth, about 10 1-second pulses; set aside. Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil, and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened and measures 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and season with S&P to taste.