Hawaiian Haystacks with Mushroom Gravy

Despite the random assortment of canned fruits and vegetables, I really love Hawaiian Haystacks. Somehow the combination of flavors and textures just works. It is a great meal to feed a crowd with minimal preparation too. I used to make gravy with chicken broth and diced chicken breasts, but I've since decided I prefer it meatless, so I make this gravy instead. Dave does however like his chicken so I grill up a thigh or something for him to throw in or open a can of cooked chicken. I'm also thinking about experimenting by adding garlic and onions.

Mushroom Gravy

Melt  2T butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add 8oz finely chopped mushrooms and saute until tender. Add 2 T. all-purpose flour and stir well until mushrooms are well coated. Continue to stir about 2 minutes to cook out the flour taste. Slowly add 2 cups vegetable broth (made with my favorite veggie broth concentrate, or chicken broth, or beef broth). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, stirring constantly. Thin out with more broth or milk if you want it creamier

To make a Haystack: Start with cooked rice and top with gravy and any or all of the following:

Fresh or canned pineapple (or mandarin oranges, or marachino cherries)

Fresh or canned tomatoes

Shredded cheddar cheese

Green onions

Chow mein noodles (the crispy ones you buy in the Asian aisle of the grocery store)

More mushrooms

Chopped bell pepper

Chopped celery

Slivered almonds

Anything else that sounds good...

Liz's Egg Rolls

1/2 pound ground turkey or pork
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 C. shredded cabbage
1 small onion, shredded
1 shredded carrot
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. cornstarch

1 package egg roll wrappers

Cook meat until no longer pink. Add seasonings. Let meat cool then combine the rest of the ingredients (except wrappers).

Fill and roll wrappers.

Fry in 1/2 inch hot oil (350 degrees) until brown and crispy.

Texanista Red Enchilada Sauce

Jessica posted this picture on her blog this morning and I immediately knew what I wanted for dinner. Luckily, she called and I was able to procure the recipe given to her by Aunt-In-Law Lidia, a true Texanista and master of Southwest/ Mexican cuisine.

Red Enchilada Sauce

1/4 cup oil (I used olive)
1/4 cup flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt (I may reduce this next time)
2 Tablespoons red chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
3 cups broth (I made it from my favorite veggie broth ever)

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Whisk in flour and cook until it is browned. Add garlic and saute until tender. Add cumin, pepper, salt, chili powder, and oregano. Slowly add broth while whisking. Bring mixture to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened.

Tonight I was feeling lazy so I mixed up some shredded cheese, sour cream, and shredded zucchini for the filling (kind random, but it was tasty). Then I stuck individual enchiladas in the micro as kids got hungry, but here are the instructions for Lidia's.

Lidia's Enchiladas

Cook and shred fryer chicken. Combine chicken with 1/2 cup of red enchilada sauce. Warm corn tortillas in hot oil in a shallow pan on the stove. Dip tortillas in red sauce. Fill with chicken mixture and roll. Place in casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

I haven't tried this rice yet, but I surely will. Tonight I mixed some leftover quinoa with some of the enchilada sauce and it was great.

Mexican Rice

1 T. oil
1/2 green onion, sliced lengthwise (you will remove this before serving)
1/2 green pepper
2 T bouillion
2 C. water
8oz tomato sauce

Heat oil in saute pan. Add onion pepper and rice. Saute until rice is lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until rice is tender and water is absorbed.

Broccoli Cheese Rolls

This is the result of my experimentation with the homemade pizza pocket. My attempts at calzones-like meals in the past generally become an oozy mess when they go into the oven so I was trying out new forms as well as other fillings. These broccoli cheese versions were a hit at dinnertime. They are as my six-year-old said, "Like cinnamon rolls, but with broccoli."

1 prepared pizza crust, uncooked
2 small crowns of broccoli, steamed, well-drained, and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine broccoli, cheeses, and spices in a medium bowl.

Roll out pizza crust in large rectangle, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch think. Spread broccoli mixture evenly over rectangle, leaving a half inch of dough at the top to seal later. Starting at bottom long end, roll up the dough jelly roll style and seal tightly. Cut into 1-1/2 inch segments, like cinnamon rolls. Place on greased baking sheet, not touching each other. Let rise for 20 minutes.

Bake for 25 minutes, until rolls are browned.

August Menu

Oriental Chicken Salad
Fish tacos
Eggplant melts
Beans and Rice
Shepherd's pie
grilled potatoes
wild rice stuffing with green bean wraps
tacos of some kind

Menu June

Cukes, artichokes, celery, lettuce, broccoli, fava beans

BLTs and broccoli salad

Fried Asian Cucumber Crinkles

PW Sour cream enchiladas with red sauce, Best bites black beans and mexican rice

Roasted Cabbage wedges

Fettucine with fava beans (sub spinach for escarole)

Stuffed Peppers (obb?)

Bean curry with pitas

Uncle Mike's Spaghetti Sauce

2 Medium Onions, diced
8 oz mushrooms chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs hamburger
2 tsp oil
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato puree
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 cups water
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 tsp parsley flakes
2 TBS butter

in saucepot brown hamburger until well done. In a separate frying pan place oil, onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute for 4 minutes. Combine and cook for 5 minutes.

Combine with tomato sauce, puree, and pater. Add all of the seasonings and butter. Bring to a boil .

Reduce heat to low and cook for 3-4 hours.