Crispy Seasoned Polenta Squares

The side dish of choice at my house is usually rice because it goes with everything and it so easy. I like to branch out and tried this recipe to mix things up. I liked them and my husband LOVED them. These are a great make ahead dish, just make the polenta and put it in the fridge until you are ready to eat then dip them in the egg and crumbs and warm them then. I served these with grilled pork chops and salad.

To find sundried tomatoes, look by dried fruit in the produce section of your store. FYI, these are a great gluten-free side if you are worried about that.

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons dried cilantro flakes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 9 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream or plain yogurt

Directions

• In a large heavy saucepan, bring the water, tomatoes, salt, onion and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon for 15-20 minutes or until polenta is thickened and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pan. Stir in cheese and oregano. Spread into a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Cut polenta into nine squares. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and milk. In another shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and cilantro. Dip polenta in the egg mixture, then bread crumb mixture.
• In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook polenta in oil in batches for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream. Yield: 9 servings.

Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Pesto

This is a wonderful spring recipe that is a snap to put together. Use store bought pesto to make it even quicker

Ingredients

• 2  quarts plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
• 1  (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi (such as Vigo)
• 4  cups  (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 pound)
• 1  pound  peeled and deveined large shrimp, coarsely chopped
• 1  cup  basil leaves
• 2  tablespoons  pine nuts, toasted
• 2  tablespoons  preshredded Parmesan cheese
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  teaspoons  bottled minced garlic
• 4  teaspoons  extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add gnocchi to pan; cook 4 minutes or until done (gnocchi will rise to surface). Remove with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add asparagus and shrimp to pan; cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Drain. Add shrimp mixture to gnocchi.

2. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon water, basil, and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; process until smooth, scraping sides. Drizzle oil through food chute with food processor on; process until well blended. Add basil mixture to shrimp mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately. Yield 4 servings.

Garlic Chicken Spaghetti

I love a good pasta dish. This is total comfort food. My girls actually love it. This makes a great weeknight dish because you can throw it together in about 20 minutes. To find sun-dried tomatoes not packed in oil look by the fresh veggies and you may find dried ones. I like to buy these better because I think they last longer. To make it quicker, buy presliced mushrooms.

Ingredients

• 1 package (1 pound) spaghetti
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 2-3/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine or additional reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup minced fresh or 1 Tbsp dry parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, place tomatoes in a small bowl; add boiling water. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and chop tomatoes; set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour and garlic salt. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
• In a large skillet, saute chicken in 2 tablespoons oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Add the broth, wine or additional broth, parsley, basil, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Stir in the reserved tomatoes and chicken; heat through.
• Drain spaghetti. Add chicken mixture and cheese; toss to coat. Yield: 8 servings.

Greek Tilapia

If it isn't obvious yet, we eat a lot of tilapia. I found this recipe in my cooking magazine and it is wonderful. The pine nuts add a crunch that is wonderful. Serve with rice.

Ingredients:


6 tilapia fillets
4 tsp butter
1 egg
1 cup (4 oz) crumbled tomato and basil feta cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
   OR 1 can petite diced tomatoes rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped ripe olives
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
   OR 1 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:


1. In a large skillet, brown fish in butter in batches. Transfer to a 15x10" baking pan coated with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, combine the egg, cheese, milk and cayenne; spoon over fish. Sprinkle with tomato, olives and pine nuts. Bake uncovered at 425º for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

3. In a small bowl, combine the parsley, lemon juice and pepper; drizzle over fish.

Italian Salad Dressing

I ran out of Italian dressing and I needed it to make dinner. So what did I do? I made my own of course. This was so easy that I might not ever buy Italian dressing again! If you want to substitute olive oil in you can, but it will taste heavier. This makes a lot, so feel free to pare it down.

Recipe Yield 0.5 cup dry mix

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 tablespoon salt

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic salt, onion powder, sugar, oregano, pepper, thyme, basil, parsley, celery salt and regular salt. Store in a tightly sealed container.
2. To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/4 white vinegar, 2/3 cup canola oil, 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix.

Ham and Cheese Biscuits

These aren't exactly healthy, but they are fairly quick and fun to let kids help for a great weekend breakfast. Preshredded cheese works the best for this recipe since it won't clump like regular cheese can. To make regular biscuits, simply eliminate the ham and cheese then bake at 450º.

Preheat the oven to 425º. Have ready a large ungreased baking sheet (I like to cook these on a silpat). Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:
   2 cups all-purpose flour
   2 1/2 tsp baking powder
   1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
Drop in:
   5 to 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Cut in the butter with 2 knives or a pastry blender, tossing the pieces with the flour mixtures to coat and separate them as you work. For biscuits with crunchy edges and a flaky, layered structure, continue to cut in the butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas and the rest resemble breadcrumbs. For classic fluffy biscuits, continue to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Do not allow the butter to melt or form a paste with the flour.
Stir in:
   3/4 cup finely shredded cheese (I like the Mexican cheese blend, but cheddar works well too)
Add all at once:
   1 cup milk
   1/3 cup finely chopped ham
Mix with a rubber spatula, wooden spoon, or fork until the dry ingredients are well moistened. The batter should be moist and sticky but not smooth. Use a spoon to form scoops of batter onto the baking sheet, spacing the biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake about 12 minutes, serve hot. Yield: about 1 dozen good sized biscuits.

Christmas Dinner 2010: Rack of Lamb, Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes, and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

These recipes were the highlights from our Christmas dinner. These are all new recipes I tried for the first time and LOVED! This menu could also be used for Easter with the addition of a few spring vegetables. For dessert we had Russian Cream.

This first recipe was from the Today Show. I modified it a bit because my family likes their meat a little more on the well done side so I roasted the racks for 5 extra minutes then after cutting the racks seared each piece for 1 minute on each side in a cast iron skillet. Everyone loved it!

Rack of Lamb with Pimenton, Garlic and Olive Oil

Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 1 rack of lamb (about 2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (pimentón)
• 1 medium slice rye bread, broken into pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 450° F. Trim the lamb of excess fat, but leave a layer of fat over the meat. Cut about halfway down the bones between the chops; this allows the meat between them to become crisp.

2. Put the oil, garlic, paprika and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a food processor and purée; add the bread and pulse a few times to make rough crumbs. Rub this mixture over the meat side of the rack and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Put it in a roasting pan and put in the oven; roast for 18 to 20 minutes and insert an instant-read meat thermometer straight in from one end into the meatiest part. If it reads 125° F or more, remove the lamb immediately. If it reads less, put the lamb back for 5 minutes, no more. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve, separating the ribs by cutting down straight through them.

Tips

Always trim the excess fat and roast at extremely high heat.

If you get really good quality lamb, all you really need for flavoring is salt and pepper.

If you've only eaten rack of lamb in restaurants, you've probably been served a whole rack, six to eight ribs, but I find even a small rack will serve three or four people if you have sides to go with it.

If you're entertaining and cooking for more — cook two racks at a time; they will fit side by side in most roasting pans. (I cut each rack in half before roasting, which makes for slightly more uniform cooking and relieves the busy host from having to separate the individual servings at the last minute.)

I cut most of the way down between the ribs so that more meat is exposed to intense heat and therefore becomes crisp. (Frenching the ribs, or scraping the meat off the bones to make them look neater, is counterproductive; the crisp meat on the bones is one of the joys of rack of lamb).

Serving Size

Makes: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes

This recipe was from a local news cast that we changed a bit. The original recipe called for garlic and herb goat cheese but I used plain and thought that the garlic and herb cheese would have been too much for the recipe to handle. This complimented the lamb very nicely. 

Garlic Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

• 10 Yukon Gold or 5 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1½ cups sour cream
• 1 cup milk or cream
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 (3 ½ oz.) package of goat cheese
• Salt and Pepper, generous portion (1 1/2 tsp of salt and 3/4 tsp pepper)

In a large pot, cover the potatoes with cold water, add salt and boil until soft. Drain and place the potatoes back in the same pot. Add the next 6 ingredients (reserving 1/2 the milk or cream). Mix together with a hand mixer for 5 minutes or until it becomes a creamy texture and there are no lumps (or a hand masher). Add the remaining milk or cream while mixing. (Note: Add additional milk or cream, if needed to help puree.) Add the butter and cheese. Mix through until melted. Taste; add additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately.

These mushrooms were served as one of the appetizers. I loved them because instead of wasting the stems they are incorporated into the dish making it meatless. They don't taste as healthy as they are and were a big hit. I wish I would have made more because they went quick!

Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

• 24 Servings
• Prep: 25 min. Bake: 15 min.

Ingredients

• 24 medium fresh mushrooms
• Butter-flavored cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons chopped shallot
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine or Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Remove stems from mushrooms and finely chop. Place caps on a foil-lined baking sheet; spritz with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a small skillet, saute the shallots and chopped mushrooms in oil until tender. Stir in wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, milk, parsley, tarragon, salt and pepper. Spoon into reserved mushroom caps. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and spritz with cooking spray.
• Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and cheese is melted. Yield: 2 dozen.

Nutrition Facts: 1 stuffed mushroom equals 26 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 54 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein.