While we navigate our way through this strange and difficult time we’ve heard from many of you that you are cooking as a way to stay busy, be productive and find enjoyment. At Sweet Basil we know that new culinary adventures are possible every day. For all of these reasons we have put together for you our customers, a group of menus and recipes from our archives. From a variety of our favorites, these are simply for you to pick and choose to try new yummy recipes.
We encourage you to experiment, use the ingredients you have, don’t be bound by the specifics (unless you’re baking) if there are ingredients you don’t have or don’t care for. We’re hoping you’ll have fun, and maybe give us feedback about recipes you’d like to see going forward.
This is our first group of menus and recipes, we will post more in a week or so. While we are in stay-at-home mode, you can get in your kitchen and have some fun!
Menu 1:
Creamy Tomato & Basil Soup Oven-roasted Salmon with Martini Sauce Green Beans with Pecans Orzo Risotto Cinnamon Ice Cream
Menu 2:
Crisp Romaine with Orange-Cumin Dressing Sesame Steak & Scallion Kebabs Coconut Rice Roasted Vegetables with Balsamic Syrup Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Menu 3:
Bean & Cheese Nachos Chicken & Green Chili Enchiladas Mexican Street Corn No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecakes
Menu 4:
Butter Lettuce Salad with Blue Cheese & Walnuts Tri-Tip Sirloin Roast Pesto Pasta with Potatoes & Green Beans Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
Menu 5:
Salad of Balsamic Dressing, Apples & Cheese Turkey Stroganoff with Noodles Steamed Broccoli Strawberry Ice Cream
MENU 3
BEAN & CHEESE NACHOS – 8 Servings
4 cups tortilla chips
1 (15-oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 TBSP chopped cilantro
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a sheet pan.
- Spread the tortilla chips on the sheet pan. Top with the pinto beans, cheese, and diced tomatoes. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove the pan from the oven.
- Using a large spatula, carefully transfer the nachos to a serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
CHICKEN & GREEN CHILI ENCHILADA CASSEROLE – Serves 8
Sauce
2 TBSP olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
¼ cup cilantro, chopped, or 2 tsp dried cilantro
Filling
3 cups cooked chicken breast, small dice
1 cup sour cream
1½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 (4.5-oz) cans chopped green chilies
Enchiladas
8 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- Make the sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the onion and garlic; cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Cook until thick, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
- Make the filling: Place chicken in a large bowl. Mix in the sour cream, Cheddar cheese and green chilies.
- Assemble the enchiladas: Place half of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Evenly divide the filling between the flour tortillas, rolling them up like a burrito. Place the filled tortillas seam side down into the sauce. Top the filled tortillas with the remaining sauce and cheese. Cover with foil.
- Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes.
MEXICAN STREET CORN – 6 Servings
Olive or vegetable oil
6 ears fresh corn in husks
6 TBSP softened butter for brushing
½ cup Mexican crema or mayonnaise
2 oz Cotija cheese, shredded, or feta, crumbled (optional)
Cayenne, to taste
Lime wedges, for accompaniment
- Place grill pan over medium high heat.
- Brush with grill pan with oil. Pull husks back from corn, keeping them attached at base, and discard silk. Place husks back around ears and soak in cold water 10 minutes.
- Drain the corn. Place corn (in husks) in grill pan and grill, turning, 10 minutes. Pull back husks and grill corn, turning, until browned and tender, about 5 minutes more. Brush corn with butter and season with salt.
- Spread grilled corn with a thin layer of crema or mayonnaise, then roll in cheese to coat. Sprinkle with cayenne. Arrange on a serving platter. Squeeze lime juice from wedges to taste.
NO-BAKE KEY LIME CHEESECAKES – Serves 8
1 (4-oz) package graham crackers
3 TBSP butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ can condensed milk (around 7 oz)
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
About ⅓ cup bottled key lime juice or to taste
Whipped cream topping, recipe follows, optional
Lime slices, optional
- In a food processor crush up graham crackers and mix them with butter. Set aside.
- For the pie filling: Using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, condensed milk, Greek yogurt and key lime juice. Mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle crushed graham crackers onto the bottom of each 4-ounce ramekin and lightly pack them down. Pour in pie filling over crust to about ¾ full and sprinkle on some more graham crackers. Now equally top with some whipped cream and a slice of lime and serve.
Whipped cream topping
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 TBSP confectioners’ sugar