Retreat Center Recipes

Goulash With Mozzarella Pearls

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef 
1 16 oz package of Rigatoni (or Elbow Macaroni)
1 12 oz container Mozzarella Pearls
1 24 oz container of tomato-based pasta sauce
Fresh basil for garnish

Directions:
Prepare pasta according to directions. While the pasta is cooking, brown ground beef until it is thoroughly cooked. Drain, if necessary. Set aside. When the pasta is finished cooking, carefully scoop out a cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and put it in a large bowl, add pasta, pasta water, stir. Add ground beef and pasta sauce and combine thoroughly. Pour a layer of this mixture into a greased 2 ½ quart oven-proof baking dish. Sprinkle 1/3rd of the mozzarella pearls over the pasta mixture; repeat for another layer. For the last layer of the pasta mixture, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella pearls over the top of the mixture. Using your clean finger or the handle of a wooden/silicon spoon, push some of the pearls into the mixture. Cover and bake in a 350º oven for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover and bake for another 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil. *You can omit the ground beef if you wish to make this meatless. Look for a pasta sauce with vegetables in it, or saute some sliced mushrooms and mix them into the pasta sauce. Enjoy!
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Br. Bob’s Turkey/Chicken Tetrazzini (A great way to use up leftover turkey or chicken)

Ingredients:
2 cups Turkey or Chicken, chopped, shredded or cubed
1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
1 Tsp. Salt
1 cup Parmesan Cheese (more cheese if you like it extra cheesy—I usually add more)
2 cups Chicken Broth
2 cups Half-and-Half or Milk (2% or whole)
1/4 cup Sherry
2 small cans of mushrooms (or 8 oz or so of fresh, sliced, mushrooms cooked in a little olive oil or butter) Enough angel hair pasta* for 6 people (c. 1 pound)
*You may substitute spaghetti or linguine or any other pasta that you may prefer, though you may have to adjust the proportions.

Directions:
Combine the flour and seasonings in an appropriate sized bowl. Melt butter in a deep skillet over low to medium heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk the flour/seasonings mixture into the butter until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Heat the chicken stock or broth in a microwave for a minute and slowly add two cups of the stock/broth into the flour/butter mixture. Once incorporated, gradually add the Half-and-Half or milk, all this time you will need to keep whisking this mixture to avoid lumps. Continue to heat the mixture until it thickens. Boil and stir for one minute. Reduce heat, stir in sherry, chicken and mushrooms and half of the cheese. Keep this mixture on low heat for a minute or two, or until it is bubbly. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain the pasta and add it to a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish. Add the heated liquid mixture of turkey/chicken, mushrooms and cheese to the pasta and mix together. (Note: if the mixture seems too dry, incorporate a bit more milk or chicken stock into it.) Sprinkle remainder of the cheese on top of the pasta and bake at 350º for 30-45 minutes, until it is heated through and bubbly. Enjoy!
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Peach Caprese Salad

Ingredients:
2 peaches
Fresh basil
8 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced. (It looks a bit like a white cheese log.)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Balsamic glaze (available in most grocery stores in the same aisle as Balsamic Vinegar)
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Cut peaches into even slices. If you do not buy pre-sliced mozzarella, slice your cheese. Assemble the peaches and mozzarella on the plate on which you plan to serve it. Alternate a slice or two of peaches with a slice of fresh mozzarella. Chop up the fresh basil and sprinkle it over the peaches and mozzarella so that every bite will have some fresh basil on it. Sprinkle the peaches and mozzarella with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil and the balsamic glaze over the peaches and mozzarella. Enjoy!
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Italian Sausage and Spinach Soup with Tortellini

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Pound ground Italian Sausage (mild or hot)
½ cup diced onion
½ cup diced celery
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
32 oz of chicken broth or stock
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste
9 oz refrigerated tortellini
2 cups packed fresh spinach
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil and wait a few moments for the oil to heat up. Add the diced onion and celery. Sauté until both are soft. Crumble Italian sausage and garlic into the onion/celery mixture. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth or stock, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add tortellini and spinach and simmer for about 10 minutes more, until the pasta is tender. Serve with Shredded Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
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Chicken, Rice and Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – divided
1 large onion - diced
2 stalks celery – diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
½ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper,
¾ cup rice, uncooked
8 cups chicken stock (more if desired)
16 ounces fresh asparagus
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups cooked chicken, diced (you may leave the chicken out, if you wish, or substitute turkey)

Directions:
In a stockpot, sauté the diced onion, celery, carrot, thyme, salt and pepper in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, until the onions are translucent, about 8–10 minutes. Stir in rice and add the chicken stock. Bring the stock to a simmer, cover and cook on low until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, wash the asparagus and trim off woody ends. Slice the asparagus in 1-inch lengths on the bias, collecting the tips separately — the tips will cook very quickly and should be added last. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and sauté the asparagus pieces (not the tips yet) for about 2 minutes, stirring as needed. You want to soften the asparagus but not cook it entirely. Add the asparagus tips and sauté an additional minute. When the rice in the stock pot is tender, add the lemon juice, diced chicken, and the asparagus mixture. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Serves 8-10. Note: If you prefer your soup with more broth in it, add more chicken stock to the desired proportion.  Enjoy!
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Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Gluten free

Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
6 chicken breasts
kosher salt
½ tsp oregano
3 tbsp butter
3 cloves of garlic - minced
2 cups baby spinach
1 (13.75 oz) can artichoke hearts, chopped
½ cup sliced, roasted peppers
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Season chicken all over with salt, pepper, and oregano. In a large skilled, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add chicken and cook until golden, about 6 minutes per side. Remove chicken from the skillet. Melt butter in skillet then stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in baby spinach, artichokes, and red peppers and cook until spinach starts to wilt. Add heavy cream and bring mixture to a simmer. Stir in Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Return chicken to the skillet and cook until the sauce has slightly thickened and chicken is completely cooked through, around 5 minutes more. Remove from heat. Serve chicken warm, with sauce. Enjoy!
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No Bake Peanut Butter Pie No Bake Peanut Butter Pie – (this easy no bake pie recipe is all peanut butter with a no bake crust! It’s so creamy and everyone loves it!)

Ingredients:
1 3.4 ounce box French Vanilla Instant Pudding (Can substitute vanilla or cheesecake instead)
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup cool whip or homemade whipped cream
1 pie crust from scratch or store bought
2 cups whipped cream or 1, 8 ounce cool whip
1/2 cup powder sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter

Directions:
Perparation Peanut Butter Pie Filling: Combine 1 3.4 ounce box of vanilla pudding, peanut butter, and milk. Use an electric mixer and mix together for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.  Next, gently fold in 1 cup of cool whip or homemade whipped cream until combined.  Pour filling into your graham cracker crust.
Pie Topping: Top pie filling with homemade whipped cream or cool whip. In a small mixing bowl combine peanut butter and powdered sugar, and mix with an electric mixer until small crumbs form. • Add peanut butter crumbles on top of your pie as desired. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
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White Chili

Ingredients:
1 pound large white beans*
6 cups chicken stock
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 medium onions - chopped
1 tablespoon oil
2, 4-ounce cans mild green chiliesnb- chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons oregano
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups diced cooked chicken breasts
3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
Salsa & Sour cream
*(You may substitute 2, 12 oz. cans of white beans — Navy, Great Northern or Cannellini beans. If using canned beans, make sure that you drain and rinse them before adding them to the chicken stock.)

Directions:
If using dried beans: Combine beans, chicken stock, garlic and half the onions in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer until beans are soft (2 hours or more), adding more chicken stock if necessary.  If using canned beans: Drain and rinse the canned beans; combine beans, chicken stock, garlic, and half the onions in a large soup pot. Bring to a simmer for about ½ hour.

In a skillet, saute remaining onions in oil until tender. Add chilies and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Add to bean mixture. Add chicken and simmer 1 hour or more. Serve in individual bowls, topped with grated cheese, salsa and sour cream, or just have the grated cheese, sour cream and salsa available for people to add according to their individual taste or preference. Serves 4-6 people — it depends how large of soup bowls you use. Enjoy!
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Hearty Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds ground turkey (85/15, 90/10, 93/7 will all work)
2 cups chopped onions
1 each red and green pepper, cored, deveined and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, cored, deveined and finely chopped (can omit if you don’t like a little heat)
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon chipotle or ancho chili powder
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes 2 28-oz cans of crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 15-oz cans of your favorite bean (kidney, chili, white, black)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
1 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions:
Heat the oil over high heat in a large heavy pot and add the turkey meat. Cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, chopping down and stirring with the side of a heavy kitchen spoon to break up any lumps. Add the onions, peppers , jalapeno pepper, seasonings. Stir to blend well. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and beans (with liquid) Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Top with cheese and sour cream. Enjoy!
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