A Plethora of tastes...

On Thrusday March 22 2007 at 6pm 8 community kitchen members gathered a Connect to cook. We all divided up into pairs, chose a recipe and got started right away. The following are the recipes we chose for this month....Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals 5-Vegetable Fried Rice with 5-Spice Pork, Gingerbread Waffles, French Onion Soup, and Turkey Bolognese.

Turkey Bolognese
From Cooking Light

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces ground turkey breast
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8-ounce) can no salt-added tomato sauce
4 cups hot cooked penne (about 3/4 pound uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Asiago cheese

Directions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey, and cook 4 minutes or until turkey is browned, stirring to crumble. Add oregano and next 7 ingredients (oregano through tomato sauce); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in pasta; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese)

It was reported by members of the kitchen that this was just delicious!

Gingerbread Waffles
From Cooking Light
Note to self: when making this many waffles (we doubled the recipe), it would be a good idea to use more than waffle maker...it took a lllllllllllllooooooooooooonnnnnnngggggg time with only one.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups fat-free buttermilk
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 large egg yolks
(4-ounce) container applesauce
3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray

Directions
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Combine buttermilk and next 5 ingredients (through applesauce) in a small bowl. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Stir in crystallized ginger.
Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter.
Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray, and preheat. Spoon about 1/3 cup batter per 4-inch waffle onto hot waffle iron, spreading batter evenly to edges. Cook for 5 minutes or until steaming stops, and repeat procedure with remaining batter. Yield: 9 servings (serving size: 2 waffles)

French Onion Soup
From RecipeTips.com

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 large sweet yellow onions, sliced thin
1 leek, sliced thin
5 cups water (dissolve boullion cubes in water)
7 beef boullion cubes
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 slices baguettes, 1" thick, toasted (or French bread)
2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded

Directions
Melt butter or margarine in a large skillet. Add onions, leeks and garlic. Stirring frequently, sauté 30-45 minutes over medium high heat until onions are caramelized and lightly golden brown.
Reduce heat to simmer, add beef boullion, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Cook on low for 20-25 minutes.
Heat oven to 425ºF-450ºF. Ladle soup into oven proof serving bowls. Place 2 slices of toasted bread on top of soup and divide shredded cheese among the bowls. Place filled bowls on a baking sheet with sides. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese bubbles and is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals 5 Vegetable Fried Rice with 5-Spice Pork

Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound thin pork loin chops, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 red bell peper, seeded and thinly cliced
2 small carrots, shredded
1 scallion, thinly sliced on an angle
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
one 2 inch fresh piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1/3-1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth and 3/4 water to a boil. Stir in the rice, cover and cook, over low heat for 18 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread on a baking sheet to cool
2. In a large, deep nonstick skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Season the pork with salt, petter, and the five spice powder; add to the pan and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet, then add the eggs and scramble for 2 minutes. Push the eggs to the side of the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and lower the heat to medium. Add the mushrooms, red bell pepper and carrots, and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the scallion, peas and garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the cooked rice and crip for a couple of minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and reserved pork.