West by Midwest

Recipes and thoughts from the West by Midwest kitchen

Cream of Italian Soup

Ok, weird name, but oh so good and pretty easy, healthy-ish and great for fall or winter. Pretty easy to make too! The name comes from the Italian sausage that flavors the creamy soup. Ingredients: 1 pound package of Hot Italian Sausage 2 tablespoons Olive Oil (or vegetable oil is fine) 1 Onion, chopped 1 Red or Green Pepper (or Orange for that matter) 2 cloves of Garlic, or a teaspoon of Powdered Garlic 4 Potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into medium chunks 4 cups Chicken Broth (or 2 cans) 1-2 cups of chopped Kale (I like more and it cooks down) 1 tablespoon Flour 1 Cup Cream (or non fat half and half works if you want to cut the calories like I did) Salt ... read more

Flatbread Sandwich Wrap

This is a good way to use leftovers to make a great sandwich. I made mine with a lot of sauces and veggies I had in the fridge and this one is more Mediterranean. You can substitute meats, cheeses, sauces, veggies etc. Ingredients Flatbread Thinly sliced leftover meat (tri-tip, chicken, pork....) Hummus Tsatsiki Mango Salsa Shredded Carrots, Cucumbers and Red Onion marinated in rice wine vinegar Marinated Beets (if you like them and have them) Feta Cheese Lettuce, Spinach or Arugula Steps: Lay out the flatbread and spread which ever sauces you like. Sprinkle on the meat, cheese and vegetables and roll tightly for your sandwich.  Simple, tasty, fresh ... read more

Tandoori Naan Pizza

Almost all of the ingredients in this are from Trader Joe's (TJ's).  Easy to make, easy to substitute other ingredients, fun for a party to let people make their own. Ingredients: TJ's Tandoori Naan (they also have garlic and plain) TJ's Satay Peanut Sauce Peanut Butter Chopped Baby Spinach Sliced Grilled Chicken Breast Chopped Apricots or Mango Goat Cheese Chopped Chili Lime Cashews  Ingredients: Mix 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter into 1/4 cup Satay Peanut Sauce (I like more peanut taste than they have in the sauce) Spread on the Naan, then sprinkle whichever ingredients you like.  Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes. The Naan is also great to have ... read more

Grandma Sally’s Steak Vermouth

The original recipe fed 9 (including 6 boys), so I've cut it back to serve 4 with some leftovers.  My husband made this for me right before we left for our "Engagement Encounter Weekend"...I think it was the first time he cooked for me.  If HE can make it, anyone can. Ingredients: 2 Lbs. Round Steak, cut into thin strips, fat removed 1 Tbsp Butter or margarine 3/4 Cup Dry Vermouth 2 Cans Campbell Cream of Mushroom soup 1/2 envelope of Lipton Onion Soup (use the rest mixed with Sour Cream for an appetizer dip) 8 oz. sliced Mushrooms (optional if your name is Rachel) 1 Cup of Rice uncooked (cook according to directions 30 minutes before serving dinner, this can also ... read more

Irish Day After Pancakes

We love corned beef so I always make more than we need for dinner. This was an experiment with the leftovers from St. Patrick’s Day. Good for the day-after breakfast/lunch. Ingredients: 1 Cup finely diced corned beef 2 Cups cold leftover real mashed potatoes (I haven’t tried this with the buds in box variety) 1 Egg 2 green onions (you can use chives or even some other sautéed onions) Salt and Pepper to taste 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil Steps: Mix everything except the oil in a bowl.  Heat a frying pan or pancake pan. Heat the olive oil over medium heat and drop heaping soup spoon size pancakes into pan, flattening them out a little. Let them cook until brown on the bottom, 4-5 ... read more

Slow Cooker Chicken with Orange Sweet Potatoes

    Award Winner!  Paula Deen chose this one for her slow cooker contest! This takes a little prep, but is really good and low calorie too! Ingredients: 8 Chicken Thighs, skin removed 2 TBPS Olive Oil Salt and Pepper 1 or 2 Poblano Peppers (the big dark green ones) 1 Onion (I use yellow) cut into medium sized chunks 2-3 cloves of Garlic, smashed or chopped 2 heaping tsp. ground Cumin 1 can of Diced Tomatoes 1 cup Chicken Broth 1 cup Orange Juice 1 tsp. Salt and add pepper to taste. Stems from one bunch of Cilantro, chopped finely 1 Sweet Potato, (the darker fleshed, red skin kind) 2 TBSP. Tabasco Chipotle Sauce Salt and ... read more

Easy, Cheesy Leftover Chili Dip

I made a WHOLE lot of turkey chili on New Years Day for a few hangovers and then had leftovers. What to do with it?  I had Crema Mexicana (below) and some Cotija and Cheddar cheeses so I experimented.   I poured some of the Crema Mexicana (about a cup) into a sauce pan and warmed in up over a low heat.  I added some shredded Cotija (about 3/4 Cup) and some shredded Cheddar (about 1/2 Cup, maybe more) and stirred it until the cheese melted. Rachel walked in, saw some chips and tasted it, then just wanted a spoon!  That was BEFORE I mixed in some leftover Chili (about 1 1/2 Cups). Serve it warm with tortilla chips OR Mix in some Macaroni or other pasta to stretch it even ... read more

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This one is great for cutting back the carbs and using some leftovers, spiced up with some chorizo type sausage. Quinoa is high in protein so a nice replacement for rice or pasta. Quinoa Stuffed Peppers 1/2 cup Quinoa (rinsed) 1 cup Chicken stock 2 Red Peppers   2 Tbls. Olive Oil (I always use it, other oil is ok too) 1/2 red onion, diced 2 stock of celery, diced 4 oz of mushrooms, diced  5-6 oz of Longaniza sausage (this is a cured chorizo, just use chorizo if you can't find it in the mexican section of the market) Use more if you love the taste and want more meat in the mixture. 1 cup of leftover chicken, diced (or any other meat you might want to add, this ... read more

Stuffed Mushrooms and Spinach Salad

I made some stuffed portobello mushrooms for a family that included some vegetarians.  I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes for the boys and stuffed mushrooms for the girls. I didn't try them, but my dog got one and he really liked it!  I had some leftover quinoa a few days later and used it to stuff mushrooms for us...and kept these away from Milo. These are the two versions I made: Stuffed Mushrooms with Quinoa, served with Spinach Salad 6 medium sized Portobello Mushrooms or 2 large, remove and set aside the stem and use a spoon to scoop out the black "gills" from the inside of mushroom. Place on a lightly oiled casserole dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, ... read more

Sweet Potato Velvet Soup

  Just in time for Lent, I created this because I had sweet potatoes to use and need some meatless meals for Rachel.  She gives up meat for Lent every year so I need to get creative to give her good options. It is good with and without the coconut milk.   2 Sweet Potatoes (the redder version) I put potatoes in the microwave and cook until they are softened, let cool a little and scrape flesh from the skin.  Set aside. 1 Tbsp. Butter (or Olive Oil) 1 small Onion, diced 2 Garlic Cloves, minced In a large saucepan, melt the butter and then saute the onion for about 5 minutes until it is softened, add the garlic and let cook for another minute 1/2 tsp. ... read more