Please note that the bacon and leeks should be cooked at the same time that the broth and potatoes are being prepared.
Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a 4 quart pot.
Add diced potatoes and cover the pot.
Allow to simmer until tender.
Chop the bacon into 1/2 inch chunks and cook in a large pan.
Slice the leeks thinly, using only the bulb and the lighter green parts of the leaves.
Once the bacon is crispy, remove the bacon pieces, leaving the grease. Set bacon aside.
Sauté the leeks in the bacon grease until the darkest slices yield slightly to a spoon or spatula.
Cover and allow to steam for 2-3 minutes until the dark slices cut easily with the edge of your stirring utensil.
Add the cooked leeks to your potatoes.
Using a hand blender or food processor, blend the potatoes and the leeks, slowly adding the soy cream and the spices.
Gently fold in bacon pieces.
Serve hot, or chill for a great summer cool down.

Weather’s changing, which means time to think of spring cleaning — including clearing out all those rich and heavy comfort foods. start reaching for foods that’ll put a spring in your step. We’re talking turkey — every cut of turkey is lean or extra lean (when you exclude the skin) and is an excellent source of protein that’s low in sodium as well as a source of many other valuable ingredients.

Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to enjoy turkey — it’s good anytime. Here’s a selection of delicious dishes courtesy of Turkey Farmers of Canada(Turkeyfarmersofcanada.ca.)

HERBED MUSHROOM AND TURKEY SCALOPPINI

1 1/2 Tbsp. (22 ml) olive oil

4 turkey breast cutlets (4 oz/125 g each)

12 oz (375g) sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup (125 ml) turkey or chicken stock

1/4 cup (50 ml) dry sherry

1/2 tsp (2 ml) dried thyme

1/2 tsp (2 ml) dried rosemary

1/2 tsp (2 ml) cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp (7 ml) water

Pound cutlets to 1/8th inch (3mm) thickness. In a large non-stick skillet heat half of olive oil over medium heat; brown cutlets about 2-3 minutes on each side (don’t overcook); remove and cover to keep warm. In same skillet heat remaining olive oil and stir mushrooms 3-4 minutes. Add turkey or chicken stock, sherry and herbs; bring to a boil. meanwhile mix cornstarch with water until smooth; stir into mushroom mixture. Boil 1 minute to thicken slightly. Spoon mushroom sauce over cutlets and garnish with parsley.

CURRIED TURKEY AND APPLE PITA

lb (227g) cooked turkey, cut into cubes

1 medium green onion, finely sliced

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) lemon juice

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) curry powder, or to taste

1 medium apple, cored and diced

1/2 cup (125 ml) plain yoghurt

1/4 cup (50 ml) apple sauce

4 leaves Boston lettuce – or your choice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 pita pockets, each cut in half to make 6 pita halves

cup (50 ml) sliced almonds, toasted

In a medium bowl add turkey, green onion, lemon juice, curry powder, apple, yoghurt, apple sauce and gently fold together. Adjust seasoning. In each of pita halves place a leaf of lettuce. Divide turkey mixture in four and fill each pita half. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.

TURKEY STUFFED PEPPERS

6 medium sweet yellow peppers

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) olive oil

cup (50 ml) EACH finely diced onion and celery

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) rosemary, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 lb. (454g) fresh ground turkey

cup (175 ml) prepared salsa

cup (125 ml) fresh or frozen peas

1 cup (250 ml) cooked rice

cup (125 ml) shredded Asiago cheese, divided

cup (50 ml) parsley – coarsely chopped, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

cup (50 ml) breadcrumbs

1 cup (250 ml) chicken or vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). to prepare peppers for stuffing, cut tops off and remove seeds and flesh from inside. Finely dice pepper tops for use in stuffing. Microwave peppers on high, inverted on a paper towel for four minutes. Let cool.

In a large saucepan add olive oil, onions, celery, rosemary, garlic, diced pepper from above and cook until onions are soft and translucent. Add ground turkey and continue cooking until turkey is cooked through. Add salsa, peas, rice, cup (50mL) of Asiago cheese and half of parsley. Fold together and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, mix together breadcrumbs, remaining Asiago cheese and half of parsley; set to side for use as topping.

Stuff peppers with cooked turkey mixture. Get as much in as possible, pressing down occasionally. place stuffed peppers in a baking dish. Pour broth into baking dish (about 1 cup (250mL) just to coverbottom of pan). Top peppers with Asiago, breadcrumb and parsley mixture. Bake for 35 minutes until peppers are soft and filling is hot.

TURKEY SAUSAGE AND GRILLED VEGETABLE PENNE

Fire up the grill, or use your oven to prepare the turkey sausages and vegetables for this delicious dish.

1/3 cup (75 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely diced

4 turkey sausages, grilled and thinly sliced

1 red onion, grilled and coarsely chopped

1 red red pepper, cored, grilled and coarsely chopped

6 stalks asparagus, grilled and cut into 1” pieces

cup (125 ml) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 Tbsp (30ml) balsamic vinegar

cup (50 ml) fresh basil, coarsely chopped

1 lb. (500g) cooked penne pasta

cup (125 ml) coarsely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large frypan (enough to hold all ingredients including pasta) heat olive oil and saute garlic until yellow and aromatic. Add turkey sausage, grilled onions, grilled peppers, grilled asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and simmter gently until mixture is heated through and flavours have melded thoroughly. Add balsamic vinegar and half of basil.

Add cooked pasta to hot mixture. Adjust seasoning. place in a large serving dish. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and remainder of basil.

1/2 pound kale, collards or other greens, stemmed and washed in two or three changes of water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 pounds medium-sized clams or mussels (or use a mixture of the two), purged

1 large shallot, finely chopped

3 large garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 cup dry white wine

A few sprigs each parsley and thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water in the pot comes to a boil, salt generously and add the greens. Cook for one to three minutes (depending on the type of green) until just tender. Transfer to the ice water. allow to cool for a few minutes, then drain, squeeze dry and chop. Set aside.

2. Cook the clams or mussels in batches. in a large, lidded pan over medium heat, combine 1 tablespoon of the shallots, one garlic clove, the wine, parsley and thyme sprigs and half the clams or mussels. Bring to a boil, cover and cook about four minutes until they just open. Remove from the pan using tongs, and place in a bowl. Repeat with the remaining clams or mussels. When the seafood is cool enough to handle, remove from the shells, holding the shells over the bowl to catch their juice. Rinse briefly in case there is any lingering sand. Cut the clams in half if they’re large. Strain the liquid in the pan through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a small bowl, and set aside.

3. Return the pan to medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the remaining shallots and garlic and salt to taste. Cook gently for three to four minutes until the shallots are tender. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped blanched greens. Cook, stirring over medium heat, for five minutes. Slowly pour the strained seafood juice into the pan, then add the beans and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Simmer five to 10 minutes. The greens should be very tender. Stir in the seafood, add several twists of the pepper mill, taste and adjust salt. Heat through and serve.

Yield: Serves four to six.

Advance preparation: You could make this through step 2 several hours ahead of serving and refrigerate the cooked seafood. Shortly before serving proceed with step 3.

Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

Comfort food without the fat Recipes Recipe for french toast-topped chicken pot pieJIM ROMANOFF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chicken potpie may be a classic comfort food, but it’s hard to feel good about the amount of fat in most recipes.

The chicken and vegetables in it are fine, but a puff pastry or pie crust topping and a rich cream sauce inside can more than offset those. this recipe can be rescued with a few easy fixes.

For the sauce, try an easy low-fat bechamel. Whisk together 90 ml (6 tbsp) of all-purpose flour with 750 ml (3 cups) of low-fat milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat until the mixture thickens and boils, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in a beaten large egg.

Flavour with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese or chicken broth.

As for the crust topping, there are a few options. You could go the shepherd’s pie route and layer low-fat mashed potatoes over your fillings. just sprinkle the potato topping with a bit of paprika for colour, then bake until golden-brown.

We also like the idea of using a french toast-style topping. Using an unsweetened version of the egg-dipped breakfast favourite creates a crispy, golden upper crust.

If you like, you can cut the fat and cholesterol a bit by making the french toast topping with egg substitute rather than whole eggs.

French Toast-Topped Chicken Pot pie

Start to finish: 40 minutes (20 minutes active)

15 ml (1 tbsp) butter

15 ml (1 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil

45 ml (3 tbsp) all-purpose flour

1 can (398 ml/14 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) cubed (1 cm/1/2 inch) butternut squash

500 ml (2 cups) cooked and shredded boneless, skinless chicken breast

250 ml (1 cup) frozen baby peas

75 ml (1/3 cup) reduced-fat sour cream

5 ml (1 tsp) lemon juice

2 ml (1/2 tsp) ground black pepper

2 ml (1/2 tsp) dried herbs de Provence (or thyme)

75 ml (1/3 cup) low-fat milk

6 slices firm white bread, halved diagonally, crusts trimmed

Heat oven to 230 C (450 F). Coat a 2-l (8-by-8-inch) square glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large saucepan over low, heat butter and olive oil until butter is melted. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth.

Increase heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sauce simmers and thickens, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add squash and continue simmering, stirring often, until squash is nearly tender, about 4 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat and stir in chicken, peas, sour cream, lemon juice, salt, pepper and herbs. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.

In a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together milk and eggs. Dip 2 triangles of bread at a time in egg mixture until soaked. Arrange slices over top of filling in baking dish.

Bake until bread is golden-brown on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Alternatively, the recipe can be prepared in individual ramekins. For ease, arrange ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet before filling.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 300 calories; 84 calories from fat; 9 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 95 mg cholesterol; 35 g carbohydrate; 19 g protein; 3 g fibre; 586 mg sodium.

Materials For Paneer crunchy ball

1. 50 grams pista
2. 50 grams mawa
3. 500 grams milk
4. 100 grams sugar
5. 100 grams paneer (crushed or grated)
6. Pista crunchy
7. ½ tea spoon Cardamom powder
8. 2 tea spoon icing sugar
9. 500 gram rabadi

Way to Paneer crunchy ball

Boil milk in a pan. Soak the pista in water. Add pista in the milk. Add sugar. after some time add mawa. when it becomes thick remove from flame. Add cardamom powder.

Take paneer in a bowl. Add icing sugar in the paneer. Mix it well and make balls. put pista crunch in the centre of each ball. put paneer crunchy ball in the bowl and pour rabadi. Decorate with pista.

1. COOK beef and onion until beef is browned; drain.
2. Stiri in salsa, water and seasoning mix. Bring to a boil.
3. Reducei heat to low; cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Stir in beans and chiles.
5. LAYER ingredients as follows in each shell: 1 cup lettuce, 3/4 cup meat mixture, 2 tablespoons cheese, guacamole and tomatoes for garnish.
6. Serve with ORTEGA

Today is Super Bowl XLIV, and in case you don’t understand Roman Numerals that translates to funny commercials, good food and the Saints dominating Peyton Manning. well, the last is more of a hopeful thought than a direct translation, but hey, a girl can dream. here are just a few recipes from Food Network to try out at your football fiesta this year:

Buffalo Wings

Ingredients:

12 whole chicken wings (about 3 pounds)

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 small clove garlic, minced

Directions:

Place a 6-quart saucepan, with a steamer basket and 1 inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings in the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay out the wings on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator to dry, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the paper towels on the pan and replace with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, about 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 20 to 30 more minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl with the garlic. Pour this along with the hot sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine. Remove the wings from the oven, transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

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Potato Skins

Ingredients:

6 small baking potatoes

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

4 strips cooked, crumbled bacon

3/4 cup Daisy Brand Sour Cream

2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives

Directions:

Lightly grease outside of potatoes, cut small slit in top and bake at 425 degrees F for 45 minute or until soft. let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out cooked potato, leaving a very thin layer of potato. (Save cooked potato for mashed potatoes or hash browns.)

Brush outside and inside of skins with melted butter. Sprinkle inside with steak seasoning and Parmesan cheese.

Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes or until crisp and bubbly.

Fill with cheddar cheese and bacon. Bake 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of chives.

Variation: Twice Baked Potato Fingers Bake 3 large (about 5-inch) potatoes for 1 hour; cool. cut in half lengthwise, and then lengthwise in half again, making 12 long fingers. Scoop out and proceed as above.

If all else fails, give Wingzone a call– they deliver! And tune into the game– Kickoff is at 6:25 p.m. on CBS.