I had a lot of fun at the Studio 4, Good Things Utah show today.  They are so nice and they make you feel right at home.

We made the Brazilian style meat loaf on the show.  It is one of the dishes I love because it is so easy to make and you can use your creativity. You can change the ingredients to your liking.  Here is the recipe:

• 2 lb ground beef
• 1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix
• 1 large carrot
• 2 boiled eggs
• 6-8 slices of ham
• 4 ounces shredded cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)
• 1 T mayo
• 3- 4 strips of bacon
• Oil (just enough to spread on your hands)

Mix onion soup mix and ground beef together, set aside.

Put a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter, and lightly coat it with oil. Then, use your hands to gently open the meat mixture. (Just like you would for thin hamburgers.) It should be shaped into a 13×18 rectangle.  You may need to rub a little oil on your hands to make it easier to spread the meat.  You want a nice thin layer.

Then top it with the ham slices, carrots, sliced eggs and cheese.  Starting with the side closest to you, roll the meat. Use the plastic to help you form the loaf.

Transfer it to a cookie sheet (lined with foil).  Spread the mayo on top.  Add strips of bacon over the top, wrapping around the sides of the loaf. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes (or until fully cooked).

Options: You can fill the loaf with any type of fillings. Here are some ideas: Spinach and cream cheese; 3 cheeses; prosciutto artichoke hearts and brie; vegetables (green peppers, red peppers, carrots, spinach, olives); all meat (ham, pepperoni and sausage).

Another option is to use ground chicken, sausage or turkey instead of beef.

Serve options:Brazilian Rice, green salad, and/or vegetables

My son loves pancakes for breakfast! I try to make it once a week deal, but he likes it so much that sometimes it is the only thing he asks for and he is very persistent.  I was very excited when I was contacted by Lehi Roller Mills to try their hotcakes.  When I read the ingredients on the package and the instructions it blew me away. I love when I read the product label and I can recognize what is on there, like 100 % whole wheat flour, milled flaxseed, non fat dry milk, brown sugar and dry egg whites. Heart Healthy Hotcakes features zero grams of trans fats, are low in total fat, have no preservatives and are a good source of fiber. They are made with organic wheat and Omega 3  and the instructions are  easy to follow, just add water.

I was concerned with how it would taste and if it would pass my son’s taste buds…

I love that all you do it add same amount of mix to water. That way I can make only the amount of  hotcake we will eat in the morning.

Then all you need to do is cook them. I only made 1 cup of the batter. 1 cup of  the mix yielded 6 hotcakes. Which is exactly the amount of pancakes on the directions. (Directions say “for 2 cups of mix you will get 12 pancakes), since I made 1 cup I got 6 pancakes!)

I thought it was nice and fluffy. For a whole wheat product, it was not heavy and the calories were not bad at all. (170 for two 4″ hotcakes.) I couldn’t believe it.  I had mine with a little drizzle of  Xagave and some strawberries. It passed my taste buds test! 😉

My son had his usual dollop of doce de leite and strawberries.  He ate the whole thing. It past his taste buds test too. 🙂

I feel much better serving him Lehi Mill’s Heart Healthy Hotcakes over the other mixes out there.

The only thing I wish is that they would develop are other flavors of the hotcakes, like blueberry, or buttermilk.  I also notice that the colder it gets, the chewier the hotcakes get.  So eat it while it is warm, which is true for any type of pancake!  But overall I really like this product. It is healthy and it tastes good.

Now for the better part, Lehi Mill offered to give away some boxes of Heart Healthy Hotcakes for howicook.com readers! I know, exciting right. This way you get to try it too.  There will be 6 boxes given away to 6 lucky readers! The giveaway contest will end on Monday, June 21st, 2010 at 8 pm MST.  Winners will be announced here on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010.  US Residents only please.  The winner will be chosen using Random.org.   You do not want to miss this one. It is just that good!!!!

Here is how you can enter: (one entry per person, just need to do one of the options bellow)

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Leave me a comment on the howicook.com Facebook fan page. for the “Heart Healthy Hotcakes Giveaway” post.

3. Tweet about this post. (make sure to include #howicookgiveway http://bit.ly/a8thGm)

Good luck everyone. I am excited for you!

As part of Lehi Roller Mills 104th Anniversary, the company will be offering a Buy One Get One Free promotion at all Smith’s Food & Drug Stores in Utah during June 6th through July 3rd, 2010.

There is also a $1/2 coupon for Harmons. Good until 06/28/2010. I got this coupon because I signed up with Harmons Local. They will send you local coupons right to your e-mail!

I love this dish. It is a nice meal in which the kids help out in the kitchen (…if you are brave. Just kidding). I think allowing kids to help out in the kitchen lets them feel like they are part of decisions and it also helps them to not be afraid to experiment with food later on.  My son is two and he has been cooking with me since he was able to hold his head up. 😀  I would hold him in one arm and cook with the other hand and tell him all about what I was doing.  Needless to say he loves to be in the kitchen with me.  This is the first time we made cutlets together and he was so proud after it was done. It was adorable.

For the Chicken Cutlets:

1 large chicken breast

1 egg

1 1/2 c of bread crumbs

salt and pepper

Cut the chicken breast in little pieces. Line them in a cutting board.  Cover them with plastic wrap and pound them thin. Salt and Pepper each little cutlet.

Beat the egg with a little splash of water.  Put it into a plate or bowl that is large enough to dip the chicken in.  In another bowl or plate add the bread crumbs.

Traditionally you want to first dip the chicken into some flour, then egg then bread crumbs.  This technique makes the breading nice and crusty.  For today I skipped the flour and just dipped the chicken cutlets into the egg wash, then the bread crumbs.  Here is where your child can help out.  Give them a spoon and let them cover the chicken with the bread crumbs. My son just loved it.  Yes, it is messy, but well worth it. Nothing that a rag won’t clean, right?

In a frying pan, add about 1 T of oil, then fry the chicken cutlets. They are very thin so they fry quickly.

Tip: After each batch of chicken you will see some black crumbs. What I like to do it clean the pan with a paper towel (be careful since the pan it HOT). Then add new oil. It will make your next batch just as nice as the first.  Otherwise you might get some burn marks on the second batch.

I like to keep my oven at a low temperature. Mine has a setting for keeping food warm.  After I removed the cooked cutlet from the stove, I put it in the oven until everything is done. 😉

These are great. There is so much you can do with chicken cutlets.  Here are some ideas:

Cut them to top a salad (see Quinoa Salad idea)

Line them in a baking dish top with your favorite spaghetti sauce and cheese. Bake until cheese is melted. Also good with Alfredo sauce.

Good to serve as finger food.  Make dips and enjoy. (I love a BBQ, honey mustard or ranch dip)

Top your favorite pasta dish with the chicken cutlets (they go very well with Alfredo)

Use it for sandwiches

1 lb Ground Beef

1 T Olive Oil

1/2 Onion diced

2 clothes Garlic (minced)

Salt and Pepper

1 cup cooked Rice (I used brown rice)

1/2 cup cooked Corn

1/4 c Shredded Parmesan Cheese (optional)

1 can diced Tomatoes

2 T Green Onions (cut)

Parmesan Cheese Shavings

4-6 Green Pepper (depends on the size)

Cut Peppers length wise, remove the seeds found on the inside. Wash it very well.  Set them inside of a baking dish.

Season the peppers with a little salt and pepper. I like to open the tomato can and pour the juices on the bottom of the baking dish.  Set aside.

Brown ground beef with onions, garlic and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a mixing bowl, rice, beef, corn, shredded Parmesan,tomatoes and green onions.

Fill each pepper with this mixture. Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. Or until peppers looks cooked.

Top with Parmesan Shavings and enjoy!

1 (6 oz) log of President brie (click here for $3 off coupon)

1/2 c shredded cheese (cheddar, or parmesan)

1 t Italian Seasoning

8 thin slices of london broil (you can also use chicken)

4 slices of Prosciutto

Salt and Pepper

Oil to brown the beef

Microwave brie for about  1- 1 1/2 minutes. You just want to soften it a little bit. Add shredded cheese and Italian Seasoning. Set aside.

I like to put all the meat side by side, salt and pepper thin slices of beef.  Then top with half slice of Prosciutto and about 1 Tablespoon of cheese mixture.  Roll it tight and secure it with a tooth pick.

Fry the meat rolls in a frying pan with a little splash of oil   Since the beef is so thin it won’t require much time.   You just want to give a little color to the outside. I would say between 2 or 3 minutes per side.  Put meat rolls into a oven safe dish and bake for about 20 minutes at 250 degrees.

Don’t forget to take tooth pick out before you eat it 😀  Enjoy!

4 cloves of Garlic (sliced very thin)

1/2 Onion (diced)

1 T Olive Oil

1 T Sun Dried Tomato paste

4 Fillets of Cod

Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup Chardonnay (you can substitute chicken broth)

1 T Lemon Juice

1 (14.5 oz) can of diced Tomatoes

Basil (fresh or dried)

In a sauce pan,  sautee onions and garlic in olive oil. Add sun dried tomato paste.

Add wine and lemon juice to onions.  Salt and Pepper both sides of cod fillets.  Lay fish on top of  sautéed onions.   Cook fish about 5 minutes in one side.

Turn fish and  add diced tomatoes.  Cover and let it cook for another 5-8 minutes or until fish it flaky. 

Sprinkle with fresh Basil.  I like to serve this with Rice, or Quinoa.  The sauce is very good, but not very thick.  So you want something that will catch the sauce. (like rice, quinoa or bread).  You can always take fish out of pan and thicken the sauce with 1 T of cornstarch dissolved in about 2 T water.

This is a favorite at our house. It is so easy to make and it looks like you spent hours making it.  😉

1.5 lb sliced ham (ask them to slice it thin)
1 lb sliced cheese (I like Swiss, but any cheese will work)
1 box angel hair pasta (cooked al dente)
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 c shredded cheddar or parmesan
Spaghetti Sauce
Alfredo Sauce

Cook angel hair pasta as directed on the package.  Just make sure cook it al dente. Drain the pasta and add the olive oil , salt, pepper and the 1/2 c shredded cheese.
Take one slice of ham, top with one slice of cheese and  a little of the pasta.

Roll it tight and cut the roll in half.  Stand them cut side up and put them into a casserole dish that has been lined with a little bit of the spaghetti sauce (only 2 or 3 tablespoons)

Keep making rolls until you fill your dish.  Top with Spaghetti sauce and Alfredo sauce. Bake at 350 until it is nice and bubbly. About 30-45 minutes.

I usually have some ham and cheese left over.  It all depends how thin the store will slice them for you. I ask them to slice it thin (both the ham and the cheese). They need to be thin enough to be able to roll well, but not too thin that they won’t hold the pasta inside.

1 lb ribeye steaks (sliced thin)

¼ c soy sauce

2 t sugar

1 t sesame oil

1 t vinegar

2 garlic clothes (minced)

1 t minced ginger

2 t red pepper flakes (if you don’t like spicy food only use 1 t)

Mix all ingredients.  Slice meat thin, and marinate on the sauce for about 30 minutes.

In  a HOT frying pan with a little bit of oil, add beef , cook rapidly .  Top with green onions,and toasted sesame seeds.

1 medium size Cabbage (take out the hard part in the middle)

In a big sauce pan, boil some water and then put the whole cabbage inside. This will help the cabbage to start opening. As it starts to cook, take the leaves off.  You can do this in one of two ways:

1. Take leaves off inside the pan as the cabbage starts to cook. It might get hot 😉

2. Take whole cabbage out of the pan (using a fork) then with your fingers pull the leaves that are cooked. Keep putting cabbage in the hot water until all the leaves are out.

You want the leaves to be nice and pliable.

In a mixing bowl, mix the following: (tip, it is easier to mix if you use your hands)
1 lb ground beef or ground lamb (for this one I used lamb)
1 c rice (not cooked)
1/2 onion (cut)
2 t garlic (chopped)
Salt
Pepper
1 can tomato (cut into small squares) or you can use 2-3 fresh tomatoes
Green onions
1 T chicken bouillon
1 T olive oil

Now you will get one of the cabbage leaf and put some of the rice mixture in the middle (if the leaf has a little bit of the steam left, make sure you cut that off)

Then roll it tight.(just like a taco)

Make sure you tuck in the corners. Do this until all the leaves are used.

In a large sauce pan, sautee 1/4 c onions ,1 T garlic in 1 T of oil.  Arrange the cabbage rolls very closely together.  Open side down.  Cover with water and add another tablespoon of chicken bouillon. Since I used a can of tomatoes I also added the tomato liquid inside the can.   I used a small plate on top of the rolls. This will prevent them from unrolling.

If you have any rice mix left over, make small balls and add on top. Same if you have cabbage, just add leaves on top. (you can see some of that in the bottom of the above picture.)Put a lid on, and let it cook until there is no more water. About 30 minutes or so.

Ingredients:

One nice piece Salmon (cut into slices of 3-4 fingers big)

1/4 cup Butter

Salt and Pepper

1 T Olive Oil

2 cloves of Garlic

2 lime (juice)

2-3 T Capers

Use 1 T of butter and melt it in a frying pan. Add the fish and cook on both sides until it gets a nice color.  Make sure to salt and pepper both sides of the fish.  Set it aside.

In the same pan, add olive oil and smashed garlic. Cook for about 1 minute.  Add the rest of the butter let it melt and come together.  Add lime juice and then capers.  You might not need to add salt, since capers are a little salty.  Just make sure to try the sauce for seasonings.

Pour sauce on top of fish and serve!