Lemon Artichoke Pesto

Here is a recipe that comes with the handy little Chop 'N Prep Chef, and a recipe enjoyed by all at a recent Tupperware Party.

Lemon Artichoke Pesto

1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (about 8 leaves)
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

Place the first six ingredients into the base of the Chop ‘N Prep Chef. P Replace the cover, twist to seal and pull cord 4-5 times to process until coarsely chopped. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve with crackers or thinly sliced baguette. Enjoy!

Sweet Pickles & Refrigerator Dills - Overnight!

Have you been so fortunate as to attend a Tupperware Party lately and discovered the Attendance Special is a set of 2 Small Pick-A-Deli Containers at 40% Off the regular price? So now you have the containers and all you need is the recipe to make your own overnight pickles.

Here are two recipes to fill the bill:

Sweet Pickles

1 lb pickling cucumbers

1/2 medium onion, sliced

4 clovers garlic,smashed

1 cup water

1 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp. salt

1 tsp. pickling spice

1 tsp. celery seed

1 tsp. mustard seed

1/4 tsp. turmeric

Slice cucumbers into half-inch thick rounds. Slice onion, peel garlic and smash with side of a knife. Place remaining ingredients in a Chef Series 3 Qt/2.8L Saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, remove from heat and cool.. Layer cucumber slices, onion and garlic in a Small Pick-A-Deli Container. Pour pickling liquid over vegetables. Seal and store overnight in the refrigerator before eating.

Refrigerator Dills

5-6 cucumbers

1 cup white vinegar

5 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup kosher salt

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 large bunch dill

1 tbsp. black peppercorns

1 tsp. dill seed

Slice cucumbers in half lengthwise and then cut into spears. Place remaining ingredients in a Chef Series 3 Qt./2.8 L Saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, remove from heat and cool. Place cucumber spears in a Small Pick-A-Deli Conainer. Pour pickling liquid over spears. Seal and store 1-2 days in the refrigerator before eating.

Haven't got your set of 2 Small Pick-A-Deli Containers yet? Drop me a line and we'll date your party or arrange for you to attend one of mine so you don't miss out. Remember... these nifty containers are only available until July 9th!

Chef Stuart's Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

Chef Stuart’s Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

When it comes to cookies—and let’s face it, we all love our cookies, it’s hard to find healthy ones out there—but this is my best solution for healthy cookies. Oatmeal takes me back home and incorporating it into cookies is a great way to get fiber into your diet. If you’re on the go, grab a cookie on your way to work or put one in your kid’s lunch box. These are also great for freezing in Freezer Mates® Containers for later!

Makes approximately 24 cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Simple Indulgence™ Cinnamon-Vanilla Seasoning Blend
½ cup pecans, chopped
1-1/2 cups quick cooking oats

Let’s Bake!
1. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
2. In your Thatsa® Bowl using a Saucy Silicone Spatula, cream butter, white and brown sugars together.
3. Beat in egg.
4. Now combine flour, baking soda, salt, and Simple Indulgence™ Cinnamon-Vanilla Seasoning Blend until well mixed.
5. Fold in pecans and the oats until well mixed.
6. Using a tablespoon from your Measuring Spoons Set, portion out cookie dough, roll into a ball, place onto greased baking sheet and gently press down with thumb.
7. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until a light golden brown.
8. Remove from baking sheet and let cool on a rack.
9. Place cookies in the festive Holiday Snack Canister or a Modular Mates® container to preserve freshness, or put in a Freezer Mates® Large 2 and freeze for later.

Chef Stuart’s Cucumber and Green Pepper Quinoa

Quinoa is a gluten free grain making it the perfect food for those who cannot tolerate gluten so prevalent in wheat and many other grains. Quinoa seeds have a soap like coating called saponin, and even if they have been washed before you purchase them, they need to be thoroughly washed to remove any remaining residue. An effective method is to run cold water over quinoa that has been placed in a fine-meshed strainer, gently rubbing the seeds together with your hands. To ensure that the saponins have been completely removed, taste a few seeds. If they have a bitter taste, continue the rinsing process.

This recipe sounds so delicious that I have to make it for dinner!

Scroll down to read Tasting Notes for my comments on this recipe... Cheryll

Chef Stuart’s Cucumber and Green Pepper Quinoa

I love this grain because it is so versatile. It cooks faster than rice and it also is higher in protein than any other grain! It can be used in soups, salads and of course my favorite—stews! You can also substitute it any time rice is called for.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 cups water
2 cups quinoa
1/2 tbsp. salt (use sea salt for added nutrition)
½ English cucumber, cut into 2" pieces
½ green bell pepper, quartered
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Let’s cook!

1. Put water, quinoa and salt in Tupperware® Microwave Rice Maker and microwave for 13 minutes.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, put cucumber and green bell pepper in the Quick Chef with the blade using attachment and lightly turn the handle a few times to get a rough chop.

3. Remove cooked quinoa from the microwave and using the Double Colander, drain the quinoa.

4. Put quinoa, cucumber, bell pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil in an 8 ¾-cup/2.1 L Wonderlier® Bowl and stir using Saucy Silicone Spatula until well combined. Season to taste.

Tasting Notes:

I have to say that I'm not much for microwave cooking, BUT I was so intrigued with the brand new Tupperware Rice Cooker and the preceding recipe that I had to try it. Well, was I amazed and impressed! I cooked the quinoa for 13 minutes and checked it after that. There was about an inch of water on top, but I didn't drain it right away with the idea that I wasn't quite ready with other dinner items and I would keep the quinoa hot. The Quick Chef did its usual fantastic job on the rough cut veggies, and when I went to combine all the ingredients, all the water in the quinoa had been absorbed! So I carried on with the recipe. Perhaps if I'd drained it right away it would have been a little more chewy, rather than soft, but you know, we enjoyed the dish thoroughly! It is definitely a candidate for more seasonings and herbs though, and it makes quite a lot for 4 servings, but I see the potential for the leftovers. Today I started my day with a couple of scrambled eggs, a little grated tasty cheese, a chopped ripe tomato, and a serving of leftover quinoa microwaved 'til warm. My goodness! It was so tasty! Use your leftovers any way you'd use rice. Try it and be pleasantly surprised!

You'll have to forgive me. I meant to take pictures along the way and totally forgot! Next time...

If you have a picture or comment to share, please do!

PS. Here it is March of 2011, and I've made this recipe countless times, serving it to many who have remarked on how delicious it is. As I mentioned above, the original recipe needs a little spicing up. The solution is to add a minced clove of garlic for each cup of Quinoa cooked. Most of the time I only cook 1 cup because the recipe makes quite a bit, and it is so easy and quick to cook that I'll cook a fresh batch.

So feel free to vary the ingredients you add, but the musts for this recipe are the garlic, red wine vinegar (double this too), and the sea salt.

We enjoyed it with salmon last night, and were fortunate to have leftovers to go with our scrambled eggs for breakfast!

Try it... you'll love it, and your Tupperware Rice Cooker! Wash up is a snap!

Chef Stuart’s TupperWave® Stack Cooker Irish Scramble

So many people are enjoying their new TupperWave Stack Cookers and are looking for exciting healthy recipes to go with them. Here is a great nostalgic recipe complements of Chef Stuart. I'll bet they weren't drinking Green Tea back then like we are today!

Chef Stuart’s TupperWave® Stack Cooker Irish Scramble

Sometimes my mom would just use whatever she had in the fridge and create some awesome scrambles. This one brings back some fond memories of waking up on a Sunday morning and having this scramble with a slice of whole wheat toast and a cup of tea.

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the ¾-Qt./700 mL Casserole Cover
3 baby potatoes, cut into ¼" slices
½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

For the Colander
8 spears asparagus

For the 3-Qt./2.8 L Casserole
4 eggs, egg whites or egg substitutes
2 slices turkey bacon, cut into ½" slices
1 chicken apple sausage, cut into ¼" slices
3 tbsp. milk
salt and pepper

Let’s cook!

1. Using a Saucy Silicone Spatula, combine potatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper in a 6-cup/1.4 L Wonderlier® Bowl.

2. Place in the ¾-Qt./700 mL Casserole Cover and set aside.

3. Put asparagus in the Colander and set aside.

4. Place eggs and milk into the 3-Qt./2.8 L Casserole and whisk until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients and combine.

5. Place the ¾-Qt./700 mL Casserole Cover over the Colander and the Colander over the 3-Qt./2.8 L Casserole. Place in the microwave and cook for 10 minutes or until everything is cooked.

6. Serve on a Microwave Luncheon Plate with whole wheat toast.

Darcy's Watermelon Feta Salad

Darcy recently hosted his 1st Tupperware Party... and a very successful party it was! The theme Darcy chose was a blender party of Pina Coladas and Strawberry Daiquiris, that paved the way for a tasty Salmon BBQ. One of the accompanyments was a refreshing Watermelon Salad that fit the warm August evening just right.

I made it for a recent dinner party and it got rave reviews, so I thought you might enjoy the simple recipe. Darcy served his salad in the watermelon bowl that was left after making melon balls with the contents and it looked super, but I love the way in looks in the Large Ice Prisms bowl too!

Darcy's Watermelon Feta Salad

6 cups of watermelon cubes
3-4 oz. Feta Cheese, cubed
1/2 red onion cut into fine rings (I forgot to add it to my salad!)
3 T mint chopped
1/4 cup basil
juice of 1/2 lime

Gently mix all ingredients together and chill until serving time.

Enjoy!

Simple Indulgence Cilantro Mojo Seasoning Blend

It's time for a new recipe. We are very fortunate to have a large Hispanic segment within our Tupperware organization, and with that we have their influence on colours and in recipes.

Having been very impressed with Tupperware's exclusive Simple Indulgence seasonings I've tried, I purchased the cilantro mojo seasoning blend, and was curious about how I would use it. Here is the recipe from the package:

Mojo Papas

3 lbs small red potatoes quartered

1/2 onion sliced lenghwise

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp Simple Indulgence Cilantro Mojo Seasoning Blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place potatoes in baking pan. Using the Saucy Silicone Spatula, mix in onions and extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with Simple Indulgence Cilantro Mojo Seasong Blend, tossing to coat. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Or try this recipe that is found on the Tupperware website:

Tomato Salad with Caribbean
Cilantro Mojo Dressing

Serves 6

2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 large red onion, sliced thin

Mojo Vinaigrette, recipe below

2 large ripe Haas avocados, cut into thin wedges

cilantro leaves, garnish

Caribbean Cilantro Mojo Dressing

¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. Simple Indulgence™ Cilantro Mojo Seasoning Blend
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In the Quick Shake® Container, combine the lime juice, rice wine vinegar, honey, cilantro, Simple Indulgence™ Cilantro Mojo Seasoning Blend and salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil slowly in small amounts until well-combined. Re-season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Cut the tomatoes, onions, and avocadoes using the Chef Series™ Paring Knife. In a Thatsa® Bowl using a Saucy Silicone Spatula, combine tomatoes, onion and dressing, toss to combine. Add avocado and gently mix. Place the tomato mixture in an Ice Prisms™ Medium Bowl lined with salad greens. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

I'll be trying both these recipes soon.

Give them a try and let me know what you think. I'll post your thoughts right here on my blog!

Chef Lucas' Mexican-Style Chicken Burgers

Enjoy a new take on an old favourite! This recipe was created by Chef Lucas for the Hispanic market, but knowing how we love to try new things, I thought you might like to add it to your reperotoire.

Chef Lucas’ Mexican-Style Chicken Burgers

• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. capers
• 1 medium tomato
• 1/2 purple onion finely chopped
• 1 cup cilantro (chopped)
• 1 Tbsp. hot sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 pieces Pita Bread or Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
• lemon juice

In a bowl, add egg and beat with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Add chicken, onion and
tomato, finely chopped. Next, add cilantro and capers.

Make medium-size balls and place them in the Tupperware Burger Press. Grill on each side as desired. Once they are ready, sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut the bread in halves and place Mexican-Style Chicken Burgers on them. Garnish with lettuce and tomato and other condiments as desired.

New Chef Promotes Healthy Eating at Tupperware

Tupperware has a new chef!

Chef Stuart O'Keefe is a handsome addition to our Tupperware family, whose role is to provide healthy, nutritious recipes that consultants can share with their customers. Over the next few months look for new, simple recipes on my blog, and give me a call if you would like me to demonstrate their preparation to you and your friends.

Here is the 1st recipe. I made it and we enjoyed it so much that I made it again the following day! Give it a try.


Chef Stuart's Turkey Burgers

▪ 1 lb. ground turkey
▪ 1 cup red onions, minced
▪ 2 tsp. olive oil
▪ 1 clove garlic, minced
▪ 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
▪ Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

▪ 4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Coat grill rack with oil and adjust temperature to medium heat. Mix turkey, onion, olive oil, garlic, rosemary and dashes of salt and pepper. Mold four one-inch thick turkey patties. Grill for approximately five minutes on each side.

Offer a variety of condiments so your guests can create their own burger. My personal favorites are crumbled blue cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce and tomato jam.

Empanadas Anyone?

I just can't seem to help myself... when I see something fun and different, I really have to try it! So here it is, my 1st attempt at making Apple Cinnamon Empanadas! Delicious! Recipe to follow.

Let's start with the pastry. It was suggested that we use a 15 oz. package of refrigerated piecrust or packaged empanada dough, but I just can't bring myself to use processed foods. I found a recipe on Epicurious that had been review by several people and given a great rating, so I decided to use it. I made it in my Quick Chef and was really pleased with the results, but I will provide the original recipe for you just in case you haven't gotten your Quick Chef yet.

Both the dough and the filling makes enough for 12 pastries. Try them with savoury fillings too.

Empanada Dough

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
1/3 cup ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Preparation

Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (Mixture will look shaggy.)
Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

Apple Cinnamon Filling

Ingredients

4 apples peeled and cored
(or a 21 oz. can of sliced apples, drained)
1 lemon (use juice and zest)
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. Simple Indulgence Cinnamon & Vanilla Seasoning Blend
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup raisins

Place apples in Quick Chef (Ok, now you need the Quick Chef!)with blade attachment. Add remaining ingredients, cover and process until coarsely chopped. Melt butter over medium heat in Chef Series 9-1/2" Nonstick Fry Pan. Add apples and stir to coat. Lower heat and cook apple mixture 5 minutes until soft. Add raisins and cook until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll dough to a 12" circle on the Simply Perfect Pastry Sheet. Using the bottomside of the Empanada Maker, cut 4 rounds of pastry. Re-roll dough as needed. Place a cut round of pastry on the Empanada Maker; moisten edges with beaten egg or water.

Place heaping tbsp. of filling in center of Empanada Maker and close, pressing tightly to seal. Open and remove the sealed empanada and place on baking sheet lined with the Silicone Wonder Mat. Brush tops of empanadas with beaten egg. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Sandy's Famous Jello Squares

Sandy hosted a Tupperware party recently and served these delightful Jello Squares. We were all impressed with the squares, and had a lot of fun decorating them with whipped cream using the new Squeeze It Decorator. It was fun for both kids and adults! Thanks Sandy for sharing your family recipe with us!

Sandy's Famous Jello Squares

4 small packages - different coloured Jello
1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
7 packets Knox Unflavoured Gelatin

Divide the condensed milk into 3 equal parts, 1/3 cup each.

Add 2/3 cup of boiling water and 1 pkg of gelatin to each 1/3 cup of milk, stirring well after addition.

To each pkg of Jello add 1 pkg of gelatin and 1 cup of boiling water. Stir well.

Pour one cooled Jello mixture into a 9" X 12" Tupperware Prep Essentials Cold Cut Keeper, and place in fridge on level shelf for 20 minutes.

Pour milk mixture onto set Jello layer and place back in fridge for 20 minute while this layer sets.

Repeat, alternating Jello with milk mixture and placing in fridge for 20 minutes in between.

Tip: Don't let the layers set too long or the Jello will become too hard and the layers will separate.

Also, be sure to use a Tupperware container to layer the Jello in, as the squares will stick to metal. You could substitute a glass 9" X 13" pan in a pinch.

Before serving place container in warm water for a few minutes for the edges to soften. Then cut with a wet knife into 1" squares or diamonds being careful not to cut your container. Serve on plate or in small decorative muffin cups.

Enjoy!

Note: This recipe might seem a little time consuming at first, but with practice you'll have it down pat... then you'll be famous just like Sandy!

Ladies and Gentlemen! Start Your Ovens... its baking season!

Recently a customer asked me to track down a Tupperware Silicone Fluted Baking Pan that she needed for a simple cake recipe a friend had given her. The process reminded me that I should dust my silcone bakeware off and do some baking too. I baked these muffins and shared one with a neighbour who asked me to post the recipe.

Greta's Blueberry Muffins

I was lucky enough to get to know Greta, the woman who was head of food services at an exclusive, private club in Vancouver. Just before she retired, she was kind enough to share her recipe for the best blueberry muffins I have ever eaten.
I guess it pays to rave about someone's cooking!

This recipe makes 24 large muffins that freeze beautifully. They are great to have on hand for breakfast or make them into mini's for snacks after school.


Pictured are my freshly baked muffins, baked in the Tupperware Silicone Muffin Pans. These muffin pans make great muffins and are easy to clean - things that are important to me when I bake.

Greta's Blueberry Muffins

5 cups flour
2 cups wheat germ
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs
1 liter buttermilk
1/2 cup oil

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

In large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. In separate bowl, whisk eggs; add buttermilk and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix lightly just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Scoop into Tupperware Silicone Muffin Pans or lightly oiled or paper lined muffin tins.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Thanks Greta! Now we can all enjoy these muffins!