Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 2-10-17

Recipes
Breakfast:
lunch: Valentine’s Day Beet Salad
6 large beets, trimmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (8 ounce) package baby spinach leaves
2 tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 avocados - peeled, pitted, and cut into bite-sized pieces 1/2 red onion, chopped, or to taste
1 (4 ounce) container crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, or more to taste
Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place the beets into a large bowl, and drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Lay out 2 large squares of aluminum foil on a work surface, and place 3 beets onto the center of each sheet. Fold the aluminum foil into 2 envelopes, sealing the beets into the packets; place the packets into a baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check for tenderness after 1 hour by piercing a beet with a fork. Open the foil, and allow the beets to cool until they can be handled; peel, and slice.
Lay out the spinach leaves on an attractive oblong-shaped serving platter. Sprinkle pieces of tomato and avocado over the spinach leaves, and top with chopped red onion. Lay the sliced warm beets over the salad, and top with crumbled feta cheese.
Whisk together balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and Dijon mustard until smooth; pour over the salad to serve.
Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast
12 slices home-style white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes, divided
2 (8 ounce) packages cold cream cheese, cut into 1- inch cubes
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups half-and-half
12 large eggs
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
Sauce:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sliced fresh strawber- ries
1 tablespoon butter
Directions: Generously grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Evenly distribute cream cheese cubes over the bread cube layer; sprinkle 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries atop cream cheese layer.
Layer the remaining bread cubes over strawberry layer.
Pour half-and-half into a blender; pulse for a few seconds. Blend eggs into half-and-half until fully incorporated. Add maple syrup and blend until smooth. Pour mixture evenly over
bread mixture.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate 8
hours or overnight.
Remove baking dish from refrigerator 45 minutes before bak-
ing.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake the covered casserole in the preheated oven for 30 min-
utes.
Remove aluminum foil and continue baking until French
toast is puffed and golden brown, about 30 more minutes. Stir sugar, water, and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Mix 1 cup sliced strawberries into the sugar mixture; cook and stir until strawberries are soft-
ened, about
10 minutes. Add butter and stir sauce until butter is melted.
dinner: Valentine’s Meatballs
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
2 pounds lean ground beef or ground chicken 2 (1 ounce) envelopes dry onion soup mix
Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, toss together the cheese and mushrooms. In a separate bowl. mix together the ground beef and onion soup mix. Divide the beef into 12 to 16 balls, then form them into small, thin heart shaped patties. Press an indention into the center of half of the hearts, and fill with the cheese and mushrooms. Place another patty on top, and press to seal the hearts around the fill- ing. Place in a shallow baking dish.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until meat is well done, and filling is hot.
Hot Date With A Chicken
1/4 cup dates, pitted and chopped
1 small apple - peeled, cored, and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped dried apricots
2 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
2 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions: Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine the dates, apple, apricots, raisins, orange zest, and orange juice in a small bowl. Season with cayenne pepper, cardamom, and mace; mix well.
Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound the chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Mound the fruit filling on the flattened breasts and roll up, tucking in the ends. Secure the chicken with toothpicks.
Heat the vegetable oil in an oven proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts, and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Place in the preheated oven, and continue cooking the chicken breasts until the filling is hot and the juices run clear, 20 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer in- serted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
“ The fresh red root veggie... roasted beets over a bed of baby spinach with tomatoes, avo- cados, onions and feta cheese drizzled with a balsamic dressing... yummy and nutritious.
"These heart shaped meatballs will turn all hearts to mush. Great flavor."
PAGE 10-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2017