Entrees

2 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned, flattened to ¼-inch thickness

1 slice Swiss cheese, halved

1 thin slice prosciutto or smoked ham, halved

3 tablespoons fine, dry breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (may use canned Parmesan)

1 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

Pinch of dried tarragon

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Place each breast half on sheet of waxed paper. Place a piece of Swiss cheese and prosciutto in center of each piece of chicken. Roll up lengthwise and secure with wooden toothpicks.

Combine next 5 ingredients, stirring well. Melt butter in microwave.

Dip each chicken breast in butter; roll in crumb mixture. Place rolls, seam side down, in 1 quart shallow casserole. Cover with wax paper and microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes or until chicken is fork tender, rotating dish after 2 minutes.

Note: I have used chicken strips instead of chicken breast halves, and they work well. Reduce the amount of cheese and ham per portion as the chicken rolls will be much smaller.

Yield: 2 servings

submitted by Receptionist Susan Stedman

Traditional ropa vieja is made with flank steak but for more tender meat the best choice for slow-cooked shredded beef is chuck – often sold as pot roast.  20 minutes to prepare and then 5-9 hours in the slow cooker.

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs. beef chuck (often sold as pot roast)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• 1½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 small white onion diced
• 2 bell peppers diced
• 1 cup Spanish olives (optional)
• 3 whole garlic cloves peeled

Instructions:

1. Add the beef broth, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, turmeric and apple cider vinegar to the slow cooker. Stir.
2. Add the beef and flip it around in the sauce so it gets coated. Add the bell pepper, onion, olives and garlic cloves, and combine on top of the meat.
3. Cover and cook for 9 hours on LOW or on HIGH for 5 hours.  Try  not to open the lid during the cooking time (but it smells amazing). Shred the meat with 2 forks right in the slow cooker.
4. Serve with yellow rice and black beans.

submitted by Online Coordinator Dave Drake ’92 (attributed to The Daring Gourmet with tweaks)

The prepared tempeh in this salad has an umami flavor similar to crisp bacon. The tempeh can be mixed with any favorite ingredients similar to chicken or tuna salads; those listed below are suggestions we often have handy in the refrigerator. Besides the tempeh, soy sauce and mayo, treat any other ingredients as “optional” and “to taste.”

Ingredients

1 8-oz. package of tempeh

¼ cup soy sauce or tamari (you might need more depending on how readily the tempeh absorbs it)

¼ cup chopped bread-and-butter or other sweet pickles

2 tbs. each, minced: onion (white, yellow, green, red or shallots); carrot; celery

¼ to ½ cup vegan or other mayonnaise (amount depends on desired consistency of the spread)

1 tsp. mustard (yellow, spicy or Dijon)

Salt and black pepper

Directions

Slice the tempeh into 1/8-inch thick pieces and spread in a single layer in a dry skillet (cast iron works well; cook in batches if necessary to keep all slices on a single layer).

Heat the skillet to medium-high and toast the tempeh slices until they are dark golden or brown on one side. Turn slices to toast the other side.

While the other side is toasting, use a pastry brush or small spoon to dab the top toasted side with the soy sauce or tamari.

Once the other side is toasted, flip slices again and dab that side with the soy or tamari.

Continue flipping, toasting and dabbing with soy sauce/tamari until slices are deeply brown  and crisp (being careful not to let them burn; lower heat if necessary and remove individual strips as they are ready).

Remove from pan to cool enough to handle, then roughly mince.

In a small bowl, mix the minced tempeh with the vegetables and salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the mayonnaise and mustard, adding more as needed for desired creaminess.

Makes about 2 cups and is easy to ramp up for larger amounts.

Spread on bread of choice with any favorite sandwich toppings, or serve as a salad in scoops alongside fresh vegetables and fruit.

 submitted by Associate Editor Keith King ’82

• Olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium red pepper chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 packet taco seasoning (low sodium)
• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup Mrs. Renfro’s green salsa
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 10-12 taco shells – follow package directions
• Your favorite taco toppings – lettuce, tomatoes, onions, Colby jack cheese, sour cream, olives, avocado, etc.

1. Add onion and red pepper, cook until beginning to soften; 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then crumble in ground turkey. Cook until no longer pink; about 6-8 minutes.
2. Stir in taco seasoning, water and salsa and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in black beans. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened; at least 7-10 minutes. Cook longer if you need to reduce liquid.
3. Prepare taco shells as directed. Add the turkey mixture and your favorite toppings.

submitted by Director of Membership Stephanie Miller ’83

4 tbsp. butter

4 tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 c. milk

1 c. half-n-half

1 can Campbells Cheddar Cheese soup

1/2 tsp. ground mustard

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

5 1/2 c. cheese (I used half white Vermont cheddar and half yellow NY sharp cheddar) and don’t use pre-shredded cheese

1 lb. cavatappi

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a medium pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and cook until golden to golden brown and smells nutty, about 1 minute. Slowly add milk while whisking. Continue whisking until no lumps remain and mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add half-n-half, soup, ground mustard, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off heat and whisk in cheese until completely melted.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Reserve about ½ cup pasta water, then drain.

Add 1/4 cup pasta water to cheese sauce and stir to combine. Add cooked pasta and stir to coat. Slowly add small increments of pasta water to loosen sauce as necessary.

submitted by Director of Membership Stephanie Miller ‘83

From the Chef:

This is great in the pressure cooker on a busy (or lazy) night. Also adaptable for the stove – just cook the sausage first, remove it from the pot and drain the grease. Proceed with cooking all other parts of the recipe as listed, allowing the rice to simmer on medium-low for 25-30 minutes with the other ingredients after bringing to a boil. Incorporate sausage last. We doubled everything for two nights, but following 1 recipe might give you 4-6 servings.

Ingredients:

Vidalia onions, celery and peppers (we buy the stoplight pepper trio from Harris Teeter) –> add as much or little of each as you want but 1/2 of each color pepper, 1/4 cup onion and one stalk of celery is about what we would use if preparing for one night only.

1 box Goya yellow rice

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 package smoked beef sausage

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes

Directions:

1. Chop and sautee the onions, celery and peppers in the pot with olive oil.
2. Add in the rice with as much water as instructed on package.
3. Add kidney beans and tomatoes.
4. Stir and pressure cook for 15 minutes.
5. While cooking, slice and sautee the smoked sausage separately on the stove. Add to cooked rice and beans once they are done and serve with some Chipotle Tabasco Sauce.

submitted by Coordinator of Alumni Relations and Special Events Jennifer Guy ’09

From the Chef:

I do my own “Taco Tater” version by adding seasoned ground beef and taco seasoned cheddar cheese, plus sour cream and onions if you’ve got ’em! This works well if you’ve run out of taco shells and need to use up leftovers.

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes (8 to 10 ounces each), scrubbed and dried (chef uses 4-6 small and medium potatoes)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Kosher salt

1 cup cooked black beans (if canned, rinsed and drained)

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar

Black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Halve sweet potatoes lengthwise, then brush all over with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt.
2. Place cut side down on prepared sheet and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Take sweet potatoes out of the oven, turn them over and let cool slightly. Use a fork to rough up the flesh and slightly flatten the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide half the cheese among the potato halves. Spoon the black beans over them, then cover with the remaining cheese. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the beans have warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

submitted by Senior Coordinator of Alumni Education and Travel Douglass Payne ’04 (attributed to The New York Times)

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp, jumbo cooked & diced

1 tbsp cilantro

1 Hass avocado (diced, medium)

1 jalapeno, diced

¼ cup red onion, diced

1 tomato, diced

2 limes (juice of)

¼ kosher salt

1 tsp olive oil

In a small bowl, combine the red onion, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Let them marinate at least 5 minutes to mellow the flavor of the onion.

In a large bowl, combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, jalapeno.

Combine all the ingredients, add chopped cilantro and gently toss.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy with tortilla chips.

submitted by Assistant Director of Alumni Records Rachel Orr (attributed to skinnytaste.com)

1 3-5 pound stewing chicken

3 sprigs parsley

3 stalks celery with leaves

1 carrot, sliced

1 onion, sliced

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place chicken in Dutch oven, cover with water, and add parsley, celery, carrot, onion, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil and boil 5 minutes; simmer 2 hours or until tender. Add more water if necessary. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Bone chicken or cut into service pieces. Yield: 8 servings

Dumplings:

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups flour

2 heaping teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons minced parsley or chives (optional)

Mix milk and egg. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Combine milk and egg mixture with dry ingredients. Drop by tablespoonfuls into boiling broth. Cover tightly and cook 15 minutes. Do not peek! Add chicken and garnish of parsley or chives before serving. Yield: 20 Dumplings

submitted by Records Assistant Justin Baugher ’14 (attributed to The Southern Junior League Cookbook)