Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

Prep Time: 2 1/2 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cost: $5

These individual cakes have a gooey inside. They are great with ice cream because they make their own chocolate sauce. These turned out more like a souffle in the center. I loved them though because they weren't too sweet.


You'll Need:
12 tbs butter
3 oz. quality milk chocolate, chopped
3 oz. quality dark chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cornstarch, sifted

In the microwave, melt chocolate and butter in a bowl, stirring occasionally to reduce clumps. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, sugar salt and vanilla. Add cornstarch until well blended. Gradually add in chocolate mixture to egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
In a muffin tin (springform muffin tin works best), fill each cup about 3/4 full. Fill remaining cups with water for even cooking.
Bake for 10 minutes before turning pan, then cook another 10 minutes or until cakes appear muffin-like. Use a knife to loosen edges from pan and place cakes immediately into serving bowls. Serve with ice cream.

Tortilla Soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Funds: $25
This recipe is compliments of my sister, Rachael. We served this when 4 friends came over and still had plenty left for the next couple of days. We served it with a romaine lettuce salad with black beans and cilantro ranch dressing (literally cilantro and ranch dressing food processed).

You'll Need:
2 large cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro
2 1/2 cartons chicken broth (approx 40 0z.)
5-7 chicken breasts (raw), cut into strips
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tbs cumin
1 tbs garlic salt
1 tbs salt
1 tbs pepper

Toppings:
Mozzarella Cheese (part skim, low-moisture)
Chopped Cilantro
Sour Cream
Tortilla Strips (refer to taco salad recipe)
Chopped Avocado pieces

Sautee onions and garlic in a frying pan until onions appear translucent. Then puree in food processor with cilantro (3/4 of bunch). Add 1 1/2 cans tomatoes and blend again. Once blended, transfer mixture to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until tomato, onion mixture appears to be a darker red.
In a crockpot, mix tomato mixture with chicken broth. Add seasonings. Allow to simmer for 2 hours. Add raw chicken 30-40 minutes before serving.
Add more seasonings to taste.

Serve with cheese, chopped cilantro, tortilla strips and avocado pieces.

Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Pork Chops

Time needed: 30 minutes
Money, honey: $12
All I have to say is...AMAZING! I got this recipe directly from Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network website. I saw her make it one day and I decided to try. Seriously, its not very hard to make, but so rich and good. I served it atop wild mushroom couscous from a box!




You'll Need:
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese
1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Warm the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese and the cream cheese. Stir to combine and set aside.

Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the spinach and sun-dried tomato mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mustard.

Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a side dish and tent with foil to keep warm. Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the chicken broth simmers. Reduce the broth by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. Spoon some sauce over the pork before serving.

Serves 4