Weekly Recipe Roundup 4

Another successful week in the kitchen. Could it be that I've finally developed the ability to read a recipe and determine whether or not it will taste good? Let's not get carried away! This week will probably end up being a week of flops. I'm really trying to make an effort to cook with what's in season or what's on sale. I choose an ingredient, this week it was strawberries since they were on sale, and do a search of my recipes to find one that fits. The only problem with this is you have to do even more research ahead of time and in my case, it actually delays my recipe planning a bit until I've had a chance to look at the ads. I doubt I'll be able to curtail my entire weekly menu around this idea but if I can incorporate 1 or 2 meals, I'll be content. Now I need to work on a way to incorporate fresh ingredients from Farmer's Market. That's really a challenge because you never know what they're going to have that looks good, which really makes planning ahead a challenge!

Here are a few keepers from last week:

Roasted Strawberry Salad with Baked Goat Cheese - As you know by now, I'm a big fan of Kevin at Closet Cooking. If I ever go to Canada, I'm going to show up on his doorstep with an empty belly, ready to eat! Kevin made this last summer to utilize some in-season strawberries and I was immediately inspired. What could be better, strawberries, gooey cheese, and toasted walnuts?! The only modifications I made were to add homemade croutons (only because I had them on hand) and I had to add a little more liquid to the dressing because my strawberries didn't produce enough juice. Overall, the warm strawberries with the gooey goat cheese were a perfect addition to a sometimes boring green salad. The roasting of the strawberries gave them a nice soft texture and actually enhanced their sweetness quite a bit. Be sure to use coarse (fresh, if you have them) breadcrumbs so they'll actually stick to the goat cheese. All I had were the superfine kind in a canister. Homemade would have been much better.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas - My search is over for great tasting Mexican enchiladas! I have found THE recipe to beat all recipes and it has even been slimmed down by Cooking Light. I must admit I was a little surprised to see CL at the top of a recipe that called for 1/3 cup butter (and I'll probably cut that some next time) but the rest of the modifications were great and totally unnoticeable. The yogurt provided a great, creamy consistency and we didn't miss one bit of the fat from the full fat shredded cheese. I'm generally not a fan of condensed soups but I'll make the exception over and over again with this recipe. I served it with our favorite Corn and Bean Salad and some local salsa we bought at the farmers market.

Note: The link to the enchiladas isn't directly to the recipe because there appears to be an error on CL's website. If they haven't fixed the link and you're interested, I'll be happy to send it to you from my file, just let me know.

Philly Chicken Sliders - Oh Paula, I love you. And I love you even more when I try one of your recipes that doesn't involve a gallon of butter deep fried in lard! This recipe is quick, easy, and surprisingly healthy - it must not be an actual Paula recipe, rather a write-in from a reader. Whoever it was, it's a great idea. Put anything on a small bun and you've got a fun meal. I couldn't find this posted on her site, so I'll post the recipe below. Try it with any of your favorites. Wes and I think this one needs a little sauce (mustard even) or maybe a Cheese Whiz-type product - I'm vehemently opposed to the stuff so that's not an option for us.

CHICKEN PHILLY SLIDERS

1 T. olive oil

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion

1/2 of a green pepper, sliced (I added this)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

16 small dinner rolls, split, buttered, and toasted (I only used 10 and I didn't butter them.)

8 slices provolone cheese, cut in half (I cut mine in quarters, used 2 per sandwich, and only used 5 slices.)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook for 8 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Add chicken, and cook for 2 minutes, or until heated through.

Place prepared roll halves on an ungreased baking sheet. Top bottom halves of rolls with chicken mixture and cheese. Cover with roll tops. Bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

(Paula Deen Magazine May/June 2009)