January 23, 2011
10-Second Recipes: Winning Winter Ways
(10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare) By Lisa Messinger Food and Cooking  at Creators Syndicate If you use a winning strategy, even if you turn your kitchen into a winter wonderland of tempting treats, you can still have plenty of time leftover to play with your family in a real snowy one outside. That's because it's nothing more than a myth that cold-weather, hearty meals - like soups, stews and casseroles  - need either long preparation or cook times.  When compatible, bold flavors are combined they meld quickly, and the many pre-sliced, pre-packaged fresh vegetable options available as ingredients today also mean that getting the dish ready is a high-speed joy rather than a long chore. Potato patch soup is a perfect example. It is a blend of packaged mashed russet and sweet potatoes deliciously seasoned with onions, garlic, thyme, curry powder and Cajun seasoning blend and thickened with half-and-half. An innovative Italian stew is swimming with luscious store-bought ravioli. Pick a pear and add it to a one-of-a-kind casserole that's hearty with Italian turkey sausage and sweet from, not only the pears, but golden raisins as well. Cooking can be easy, nutritious, inexpensive, fun - and fast - as these menus of split-second family-friendly sensations prove. They take just 10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare . The meals are delicious proof that everyone has time for tasty home cooking and, more importantly, the healthy family time around the kitchen table that goes along with it! Another benefit: You effortlessly become a better cook, since there are no right or wrong amounts.  These are virtually-can't-go-wrong combinations, so whatever you - or your kidlet helpers - choose to use can't help but draw "wows" at the family dinner table. SOUPS A Perfect Potato Patch In a saucepan, combine packaged mashed potatoes, packaged mashed sweet potatoes, olive oil, chopped onions, pressed garlic, chicken broth, half-and-half, thyme, salt and pepper, curry powder and Cajun seasoning blend. Cook, covered, until hot, stirring occasionally. Sip an Italian Turkey Meatloaf Brown and then drain Italian turkey sausages that have been removed from casings until fully cooked. Add the cooked sausage to a saucepan with canned diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, finely chopped onion, fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese and store-bought spaghetti sauce. Cook, covered, until hot, stirring occasionally. Potpie by the Bowlful Prepare chicken pot pies according to package directions. Carefully shave off top pastry and reserve, covered, in oven on low temperature. Pour contents of pies into saucepan. Add a package of thawed frozen vegetables, chicken broth, half-and-half and diced cooked ham. Cook, covered, until hot, stirring occasionally. Place in serving bowls, topped with pieces of the warm pot pie pastry. STEWS Ravioli for the Ravenous In a saucepan, combine a can of drained corn, can of diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning blend, bite-sized chunks of garlic bread, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, until hot, stirring occasionally. Add store-bought ravioli and gently fold in, heating until fully cooked and gently stirring occasionally. Gourmet Peanut Butter and Jelly In a saucepan, combine small cooked pieces of boneless leg of lamb or shoulder of lamb, chopped lemongrass, cilantro, mint jelly, smooth peanut butter, sliced zucchini and carrot, dark grape juice, salt, pepper and pressed garlic. Cook, covered, until hot, stirring occasionally. Superb Super Bowl Stew Cook knockwurst or hot dogs according to package directions and carefully slice into coins. In a saucepan, combine knockwurst or hot dogs, chunks of cheddar cheese, bite-sized pieces of thawed frozen broccoli, thawed thick-cut packaged French fries cut into thirds, store-bought spaghetti sauce and ale. Cook, covered, until hot, stirring occasionally. Serve topped with lightly buttered popcorn (instead of crackers or croutons). CASSEROLES Getting to the Root of It Roast turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes and leeks. Place in a casserole dish. In a bowl, combine half-and-half and flour, stirring until it somewhat thickens and then adding some apple cider, pressed garlic, salt and pepper and melted cheddar cheese. Pour over vegetables and gently combine. Bake, covered, at 375 F until hot and bubbling, checking so as not to overbake. Baked Pasta Perfecto Cook whole-wheat penne pasta in a pot just slightly less than package directions note. Drain and place in a casserole dish. In a bowl, combine canned pumpkin puree, ricotta cheese, spaghetti sauce, bite-sized pieces of thawed packaged cauliflower, ground sage, ginger, nutmeg, pressed garlic and chopped candied pecans. Pour over pasta and gently combine. Bake, covered, at 375 F until hot and bubbling, checking so as not to overbake. Pare Down with Pear Casserole Coat a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Layer with soft pears (like Bartlett or Anjou) that have been cored and sliced, golden raisins, chopped walnuts, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, Italian turkey sausage that you've removed from its casing cooked in a skillet and drained, mascarpone and ricotta cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Bake, covered, at 375 F until hot and bubbling, checking so as not to overbake. QUICK TIP OF THE WEEK:  Mindless eating can be good. Although world-renowned food researcher Brian Wansink, Ph.D., director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, has found that most of us make more than 200 decisions regarding food a day and that many of them are mindless and can lead to obesity, he notes that switching from the wrong type of mindless eating to the right type can be even more beneficial than being too strict and making too many nutrition decisions per day. The author of "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think," recently out in paperback from Bantam ($7.99), suggests making just three decisions that could save 100 calories each and repeating them daily until they become rote. Some examples: Measuring 1 tablespoon of salad dressing each time rather than pouring from the bottle, substituting water for soda and replacing granola or sweet cereal with oatmeal. Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food and nutrition writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the National Council Against Health Fraud and author of seven food books, including the best-selling  The Tofu Book: The New American Cuisine with 150 Recipes   (Avery/Penguin Putnam) and  Turn Your Supermarket into a Health Food Store: The Brand-Name Guide to Shopping for a Better Diet (Pharos/Scripps Howard). She writes two nationally syndicated food and nutrition columns for Creators Syndicate and had been a longtime newspaper food and health section managing editor, as well as managing editor of Gayot/Gault Millau dining review company. Lisa traveled the globe writing about top chefs for Pulitzer Prize-winning Copley News Service and has written about health and nutrition for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Reader's Digest, Woman's World and Prevention Magazine Health Books. Permission Granted for use on Dr.Laura.com.

Posted by Staff at 9:40 PM