Suzanne’s Chicken

2 bunches of jews (okra) cleaned, washed, dried and chopped (big pieces)

3 pounds of chicken tight

1 head of minced garlic

1 bunch of cilantro cleaned and chopped

1 cup of lemon juice

1 cup of vinegar (red wine vinegar or apple)

1 big diced onion

1 1/2 cups of rice (Uncle Ben's or basmati)

2 teaspoons of butter

2 teaspoons of salt

1 loaf of pita bread

 

How to prepare

 

Boil the chicken until its tender, save the broth, and clean the chicken from the bones. Put the broth in a pan, and set aside 3 cups. In a sauce pan, put the garlic and add 1 teaspoon of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the cilantro and stir about two minutes, then add to the broth. When it's boiling add the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt. Then add the jews and stir occasionally. It takes about 30 minutes to well done. After that it is your choice, you can add the chicken over the jews and mix with them or your can serve it over the plate when you want to eat.

 

How to serve the plate

Put one spoon of rice in the bottom and add jews over the rice, then add chicken over the jews. Add the backed crunchy bread some pieces (as you like). Mince the onion and the vinegar together, and add about 2 tsp over the bread.

 

Bon Appetite!

Corinna's Zucchini and Sweet Potato Mini Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill Organic)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup applesauce or Greek yogurt (can be a combination of both)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ to 2 cups grated zucchini
1 ½ to 2 cups grated peeled sweet potato

Preparation- one batch makes approximately 4 dozen mini muffins 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla to blend in large bowl. Mix in zucchini and sweet potato. Add dry ingredients and stir well. Transfer batter to prepared mini muffin pan. I spray them with Baker’s Joy or you can use butter and flour. Fill batter almost to the top and bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. If the pan is well prepped, the muffins generally come out without a problem, but you can run a knife around the edge if need be. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.

Mika's Olive Penguins and Cakes

Mika's Angry Bird Cakes

Olive Penguins

Olive Penguins

18 jumbo black olives, pitted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
18 small black olives 1 carrot

Directions

Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak. Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.

Mika's favorite kale salad

Sadie’s kale salad
By Jim Ray

• 1 bunch of kale
• 1/4 cup good olive oil (4 tbsp.)
• 4 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. shallots, diced
• 1/2 cup aged gouda, grated
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a small pan on medium-low and slowly toast the pine nuts, about 4 to 6 minutes, shaking occasionally. Keep an eye on them as they will burn quickly.
2. Add the diced shallots to a small bowl with a pinch of salt, and lemon juice. Mix with a fork to combine.
3. Slowly pour a thin stream of olive oil into the shallot/lemon juice while whisking to emulsify the dressing.
4. Grate the cheese.
5. Separate the kale leaves from the tough stems. Chiffonade the leaves by stacking 4 to 5 at a time, rolling them tightly, then cutting them into thin slices.
6. Add the leaves to a large mixing bowl, whisk the dressing again, slowly pour about 2/3 of the dressing around the edge of the bowl then mix the salad. Add more dressing if it seems dry.
7. Add about 1/2 of the grated cheese, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper to the salad, mix to combine, then repeat.
8. Add half the raisins and toasted nuts, turn once, then top with the remaining. Alternatively, plate the salad before adding the raisins and nuts then dole those out individually. Serves 4-6

Mika's Bean Soup with Kale

Recipe by USA WEEKEND columnist Jean Carper

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cups chopped raw kale
4 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, undrained
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped parsley

Directions

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft. Add kale and saute, stirring, until wilted. Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans, and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Stir into soup to thicken. Simmer 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley. Recipe by USA WEEKEND columnist Jean Carper