Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Calzone

In an attempt to use up the last of my Easter ham leftovers, I tried this recipe from www.goodlifeeats.com.  It was really good!  I doubled the recipe so that I could freeze half and pull out for a quick dinner later.  I like calzones because my kids think they're cool (we sometimes call them pizza pockets) and because they are an easy hand-held, on-the-go food if you're in a hurry.  I didn't have the pizza crust yeast so I substituted instant rise yeast with good results.

Makes 8 calzones

Ingredients:

No Rise Calzone or Pizza Crust:
1 1/3 cup warm water
2 packets Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
For the Calzone Filling:
1 3/4 cups diced ham
1 3/4 cups small broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 c. (6 oz.) mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 green onions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons flour
10 ounces milk
1 cube or 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon sour cream

Directions:

For the Calzone Crust:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, whisk in the olive oil.
Meanwhile, combine sugar, salt, whole wheat, and 2 cups of all purpose flour in a bowl. Reserve the remaining 1 cup all-purpose in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the water 1 cup at a time while mixing with the stand mixer's dough hook until a soft dough is formed.
If dough is still sticky, add the reserved flour 1/4 cup at a time (while still mixing) until desired consistency is reached. Dough should be soft and moist, but not sticky.
Dough does not need to rise, but keep it covered while you mix up the filling.
For the Calzone Filling:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Prepare the ham, broccoli, cheese, and green onion. Stir together in a medium-large bowl. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until it has absorbed the butter. Slowly add the milk, whisking vigorously as you pour, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the bouillon and stir until dissolved. Season with pepper and, if desired, salt. Stir in the sour cream. Add the sauce into the ham mixture and stir to combine.
Divide dough into 8 equal portions and roll them into balls. It helps if you have a kitchen scale.
Roll each ball into an 8 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Top each circle with approximately 1/2 cup of the filling mixture. Pull edge of lower crust over top to form a half circle. Press the layers together to seal.
Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Transfer calzones to a greased baking sheet or a parchment lined pizza stone. If desired, brush with olive oil or an egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, beaten). Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-20 minutes, until browned and puffy. Transfer to cooling rack to keep bottom crust crisp to sit until cool enough to handle.
Note: To freeze - cool completely, then store in a freezer safe ziploc bag in the freezer for up to a month. Defrost in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven or toaster oven at 300 degrees F.

Bow Ties with Peas and Ham

This has been one of our family's favorite pasta dishes for several years.  I cut it out of a magazine (I think it was Everyday Food) years ago because it seemed simple and like something my kids would eat.  It is also the perfect meal to make after Easter when you have a lot of leftover ham.  It was the perfect dinner tonight when I needed something fast!  It has great flavor with very few ingredients and comes together in a snap! 

Bow Ties with Peas and Ham

1 lb. bow-tie pasta (farfalle)
3 T. butter
1 diced onion
10 oz. (2 c.) frozen peas
1 c. half and half
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 lb. cooked ham, cubed
grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions.  Drain pasta; return to pot.
2.  Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion; cook, stirring, until soft, 3-4 minutes.  Add peas and half and half; season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Simmer until slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes.
3.  Add ham to sauce; cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes.  Toss sauce with pasta.  Serve with grated Parmesan.

Ham, Asparagus, and Jarlsberg Crustless Quiche

This is one of the recipes I used this week to use up leftover Easter ham.  It was really delicious.  I substituted Jarlsberg cheese for Gruyere and a small onion for the leek since that's what I had around.  We ate it with crescent rolls and fruit on the side.  Fast and yummy!

Crustless Quiche with Ham, Asparagus, and Jarlsberg
adapted from www.pinchmysalt.com

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 ounces ham, cubed, about 1 cup
2 large eggs
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
3 ounces shredded Jarlsberg cheese, about 1 cup

1. Butter a 10-inch pie plate or quiche dish.  Position oven rack to center position and preheat to 400 degrees.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter and swirl to melt butter.  Add onions, and cook, stirring, for a couple minutes until softened. Add asparagus, and cook, stirring, for 5 – 8 minutes, or until just tender. Turn off heat. Add ham and toss together with asparagus.  Scrape ham and asparagus mixture into the buttered quiche dish.  Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over the top.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg substitute, half and half, salt, and pepper.  Pour egg mixture over the ham, asparagus, and cheese.  Place quiche in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until quiche is set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Baked Southwest Egg Rolls with Chipotle Dipping Sauce

In an effort to entice my children to at least try this new dinner last night I started joking with them that this was a meal that could have many names.  Since I didn't think "Southwest Egg Rolls" would do much for them other than inducing turned up noses, I told them that these were "Baby Burritos".  After that my daughter came up with the name "Fat Taquitos" and we also added "Rainbow Rolls" to the list (because of the many colors of veggies inside).  Our renaming game worked too!  My children went from complaining about eating these to actually trying them and (gasp!) liking them!  One of my daughters actually took two in her lunch box today!  In my book that is definitely a victory.

Besides their yummy taste and my children's thumbs up, I love that this recipe is healthy (baked not fried), packed with veggies and a terrific make-ahead meal (I made mine during my son's naptime and just pulled them out to bake for dinner).  I also love that it made enough that I could serve 12 for dinner and freeze 12 for a quick lunch or dinner another time, another major victory!

To simplify this recipe further I used some cooked and pre-measured (2 c.) shredded chicken I had previously frozen.  After defrosting, Ijust added it in with the remainder of the ingredients after the red pepper had sauteed a couple of minutes.

*from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

Makes about 2 dozen

Rolls:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow or red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 (about 1 1/2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 green or red pepper, diced small
1 jalapeno pepper, membranes removed, seeded and finely minced or 4 pickled jalapeno rounds from the jar
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
10 ounces frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and liquid squeezed out
1 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded cheese, such as Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack or Cheddar
2 dozen small, fajita-size flour tortillas

Chipotle Dipping Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup salsa
1 teaspoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (if you are opening a new can to only use 1 teaspoon, freeze the remainder in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and pull out and thaw as needed)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the dipping sauce ingredients. Mix well and set aside or refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the cubed chicken breasts and peppers and cook over medium or medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the rinsed and drained black beans, spinach, corn, cilantro and seasonings. Mix well and cook until the mixture is heated through. Add the cheese and stir well, cooking, until the mixture is hot and cheese is mostly melted.

Warm the tortillas. I place 5-6 between two damp paper towels and microwave for about 45 seconds. Place some of the filling (approx. 1/4 c.) on each tortilla and roll up tightly, egg-roll style, folding in the edges. Place seam side down on the prepared baking sheets .

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, until the rolls are lightly browned and heated through. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

from epicurious.com

• 2 cups quinoa
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• 1 1/2 cups cooked corn (cut from about 2 large ears)
• 1/2-1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 pickled jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
• 1/4-1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander

For dressing

• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-and-Black-Bean-Salad-12245#ixzz1G8dYBsHH

Rocky Road Brownies

Adapted from Eating Well magazine

1 cup less 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 regular-size marshmallows
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper or foil coated with cooking spray.
Thoroughly whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan until sizzling. Remove from the heat and stir in cocoa, then sugar. (The mixture will look like a mass of very dark brown sugar.) Add egg, egg whites and vanilla. Stir briskly until smooth and glossy. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Then stir briskly for about 50 strokes. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. The batter will be very shallow in the pan. If you have time, cover the pan and refrigerate for a few hours or up to 12 hours. (This hydrates the cocoa powder and flour and brings all the flavors into sharper focus.) Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking; preheat oven to 350°F.
Quarter marshmallows with an oiled knife. Distribute the pieces over the batter, pressing them in. Sprinkle chips over the top.
Bake the brownies until the marshmallows are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for about 2 hours. Cut into 16 brownies (190 calories each).

Asparagus and Gruyere Tart

(Recipe from Martha Stewart.com)

1 sheet defrosted Puff Pastry
2 cups (about 5 1/2 oz) shredded Gruyère cheese (Fontina works too)
1 1/2 lbs medium to thick asparagus spears
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper
flour, for work surface
parchment paper

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  On a floured parchment paper, roll out the puff pastry to about 16×10 inches.  Trim any uneven edges and move the whole thing, parchment and all to a cookie sheet.  With a sharp knife lightly score the dough about an inch from the edge all the way around (don’t cut through it, just leave an impression of a line).  Use a fork and pierce the dough inside the marking at 1/2 inch intervals.  Bake 15 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven.  Its going to be a little puffy but don’t worry it will deflate itself over the next couple minutes.
2.  Cut about 1 1/2 inches off the bottoms of the asparagus spears making sure they will fit inside the tart shell.  Sprinkle the cooked pastry with cheese and arrange the asparagus in a single layer on top.  Brush with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese is completely melted, the asparagus is tender when pierced and the pastry is a rich golden brown.  Remove and serve immediately.