Submitted recipes to try

By Susan McClanahan

I have been given a few new recipes over the past week that friends have tried and liked or hope to try very soon. Of course, that makes me want to prepare them as well, and they all sound worth trying to me.

During the course of trying new recipes, if you find one or more that you enjoyed, consider passing them along for other readers to enjoy. That would be a nice way to start the new year.

Healthy Oven-Fried Chicken Strips

• 6 ounces raw skinless boneless lean chicken breast, cut into 8 strips
• 1/2 cup original Fiber One bran cereal
• 1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered garlic
• 1 teaspoon original blend Mrs. Dash
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Add garlic powder, original blend Mrs. Dash and black pepper to crumbs.

Place crumbs in one small dish and egg substitute in another.

Next, coat raw chicken with egg and then with crumbs.

Place strips on a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Add a light mist of nonstick spray on top and place in the oven.

Cook for 10 minutes, turn strips over and spritz with another light mist of nonstick spray. Cook for an additional 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and crumb coating looks crispy.

Italian Tortellini Soup

This recipe can be altered by using spicy sausage links or ground turkey to suit your desired taste. That's the joy of soup recipes: You can change the ingredients up as you desire with little consequence to the end product.

• 3/4 pound Italian turkey-sausage links, casings removed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 2 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh basil or 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Dash crushed red pepper flakes
• Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

Add tortellini; return to a boil. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until almost tender, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; add the spinach, basil, pepper and pepper flakes. Cook 2 to 3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted and tortellini are tender. Serve with cheese if desired.

Freeze option: Place individual portions of cooled soup in freezer containers and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth if necessary. Yield: 6 servings (2 quarts).

All-Star Hearty Chili

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 small poblano or jalapeño pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) Bush's chili beans, medium
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) Bush's chili beans, hot
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, canned (dark and light)
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans
• 1 can (16 ounces) pinto beans
• 1 can (28 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 cup picante sauce, medium
• 2 tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tablespoon A.1. Steak Sauce
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, or to taste
• Chili powder, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Brown ground beef with chopped poblano or jalapeño pepper, onion, green bell pepper and garlic in a large pot or Dutch oven. Drain the fat off when browned. In the same large pot, add all ingredients together. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours, minimum. Taste frequently and adjust your ingredients to your taste. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with your favorite cornbread, crackers or fresh bread.

Maple Dijon Green Beans with Bacon, Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese

• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 4 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 2 teaspoons white miso paste (optional)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup candied pecans (see below)
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Blanch the green beans by simmering them in water or steaming them until bright green and just tender/crisp, and drain.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a pan over medium heat until crispy and set aside on paper towels to drain. Add the onion to the pan and cook in the bacon grease until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes, before adding the garlic and cooking until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the green beans and the mixture of the maple syrup, mustards, miso paste, soy sauce and vinegar and toss to coat.

Serve the green beans topped with the crumbled bacon, pecans and cheese.

Option: Omit bacon and use 1 tablespoon oil to cook the onions in step 2.

Option: Add sriracha to the maple Dijon sauce.

Candied Pecans

• 1 cup pecan halves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup sugar

Cook ingredients in a nonstick pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has melted and coated the nuts, then cook for 4 minutes more.

Place on parchment paper or a baking sheet, separate with forks and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Option: Add spices such as cinnamon or chili powder. The chili powder makes for a delightful flavor along with the sugar.

Yorkshire Pudding

Over the Christmas season, I had a person ask me how to make Yorkshire pudding. She was planning to cook roast and wanted to make Yorkshire pudding alongside her center attraction: a beef rib roast. I quickly came up with this recipe, but this is so easy to make, you don't really even need a recipe after you've made it once. In the future, if you make a nice beef roast, do try to make Yorkshire pudding; you will not be disappointed.

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs together
• Pinch salt

Mix milk, flour, eggs and salt until smooth. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes.

After your beef roast is finished baking, pour off fat and drippings into a small measuring cup or pitcher. Pour a spoonful of beef drippings in bottom of each muffin pan and place pan in 450-degree oven until pretty hot. Pour the milk and flour batter into hot muffin cups, filling each cup no more than half full and place in 450-degree oven about 9 to 12 minutes until they pop up. Serve immediately.

A small bit of sugar can be added to batter, according to your personal taste.

For these to be so simple, they are so good.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.