GMA: Rachael Ray’s "Yum-O" Recipes

I really love to watch Rachael Ray cook on television and I’ve actually tried a few of her recipes (one of her risottos is a staple in my house!).  She was on Good Morning America where she talked about putting a spin on some traditional recipes.  For example, she added peanut butter and jelly to French toast and, while I’m not sure that sounds great to me right away, I’m willing to try to make it before I knock it.

Here are some of the featured recipes:

Buffalo Chicken Chili

This was the most frequently downloaded recipe from the first 180 episodes of her daytime TV show.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra­virgin olive oil), twice around the pan
• 2 pounds ground chicken or chopped raw chicken
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 celery ribs with leafy tops, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup hot sauce, such as Frank’s
• 1 (15­ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15­ounce) can stewed or crushed fire­roasted tomatoes with their juices
• 1 (9 to 13­ounce) bag whole­grain tortilla chips, lightly crushed
• ¾ pound Maytag blue cheese, crumbled
• A handful of fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped

More after the jump!

Directions

Heat the EVOO in a large pot over mediumhigh heat. Add the chicken and cook until it’s lightly browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, paprika, and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 7 to 8 minutes, then add the chicken stock and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce, and the tomatoes and bring the chili up to a bubble. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes more to bring the flavors together. Discard the bay leaf before serving. While the chili is simmering, preheat the broiler. Spread the chips on a baking sheet and top with the crumbled blue cheese. Broil until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes, then sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Top each serving of chili with a few bluecheese chips.

Serves 6

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

Ingredients

• 8 slices whole-grain bread
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter, creamy or ­chunky
• 4 tablespoons all­fruit spread, flavor of your choice
• 6 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• ½ cup pure maple syrup, warm
  

Directions

Spread 4 slices of the bread with peanut butter and the other 4 with jelly to make four PB&J sammies. Beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla together in a bowl. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter is almost melted, dunk two of the sammies into the egg batter and let the excess drip off. Place in the pan. Fry the sammies until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining 2 sammies. Cut the French toast sammies into 4 sticks apiece and serve with warm maple syrup.

Serves 4

Inside-Out Turkey Bacon Cheeseburgers with Oven O-Rings

Ingredients

• 6 slices turkey bacon, chopped
• 1 tablespoon EVOO (extra­irgin olive oil)
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon smoked chipotle powder or 2 teaspoons chili powder
• All­purpose flour, for dredging, about 1 cup
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced ½ inch thick and divided into rings
• 2 pounds ground turkey breast
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup spicy brown mustard
• ¾ cup shredded or crumbled sharp Cheddar cheese
• ½ head of redleaf or other lettuce, chopped
• 1 beefsteak tomato, sliced
• 4 kosher dill pickles, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Arrange the bacon in a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat. Slowly crisp up the bacon, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove the bacon from the skillet and, when cool, chop. Add the EVOO to the remaining drippings and set aside.

While the bacon is crisping, combine the cornmeal and chipotle powder in a shallow bowl. Set up two more shallow bowls, filling one with the flour and the other with the buttermilk. Dip the onion rings in the buttermilk, then dredge the rings in the flour, tossing them lightly in your hands to remove the excess. Dip them once again in the buttermilk, and finally coat them fully with the cornmeal mixture. Place the dredged rings on a cookie sheet and bake until crispy, 15 to 18 minutes.

While the onion rings are baking, place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper, and mix in the mustard. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a burger, making a well in the center. Fill the well of each with one quarter of the crisp bacon pieces and 2 tablespoons of the cheese.

Carefully form the burger around the cheese and bacon filling, making sure the filling is completely covered. Return the skillet you cooked the bacon in to medium high heat. Add the burger patties to the hot skillet and cook for 2 minutes on each side, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook the burgers for 5 to 6 minutes longer, turning occasionally. Do not press down on the burgers as they cook.

Serve each burger on a bed of lettuce topped with sliced tomato, chopped pickles, and a few oven onion rings.

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