Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Pot Orzo!!


Ingredients
1 pound orzo
1 cup peas
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried basil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup white balsamic
vinegar(can be substituted with 1tbsp of lemon juice)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 cup shredded Parmesan

Preparation
Cook orzo in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Two minutes before pasta is done, add peas. Cook until pasta is done and peas are tender. Drain; pour into a bowl.

Whisk together garlic, basil, salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil and parsley. Pour dressing over hot pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan. Toss well to combine and you ready to eat a healthy and nutritious meal all in one pot!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Salmon with Tomato-Basil Sauce


Ingredients
Cooking spray
4 wild salmon fillets
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon and herb seasoning
4 cups cauliflower florets
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped Roma (plum) tomatoes
1/4 cup slivered basil leaves
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tbsp corn kernels

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.


Season salmon with salt and pepper. Brush lemon and herb seasoning all over both sides of salmon.


Place salmon on prepared baking sheet. Arrange cauliflower on another baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with Parmesan. Roast 15 minutes, until fish is fork tender and cauliflower is golden brown and tender.


In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, basil and capers. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.


Serve 4 of the salmon fillets with tomato mixture spooned over top.
Sprinkle some corn for a crunchy taste.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Red Peppers



This is perhaps my new favorite in the veggie aisle! It's healthy and contrary to popular belief, it's DELICOUS!

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3-5 small yellow/ red peppers
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.


Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix the spouts and the peppers in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more salt and serve immediately.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Mint Lemonade



Ingredients

* 2 cups sugar
* 6 cups water
* 2 cups fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 cup mint leaves

Directions

To make simple syrup: Place 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved and let cool. Place lemon juice in a large pitcher, add remaining 4 cups water and 1 cup of the simple syrup or more to taste. Stir in mint leaves and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve over ice.

Strawberry Pie


Ingredients
1 pre-baked pie crust shell
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon strawberry extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (3-ounce) package strawberry-flavored gelatin
2 quarts fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered


Directions
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch, whisking well. Add boiling water and extracts. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens, whisking often. Remove from heat. Add gelatin, stirring until smooth. Let mixture cool to room temperature. Arrange strawberries in baked pie shell. Pour cooled filling over strawberries, coating completely. Refrigerate until set, approximately 4 hours.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Chicken Tandoori


* 1 (3-pound) chicken (I used drumsticks for the recipe)
* 1/2 cup plain yogurt
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon peeled and grated or crushed ginger root
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
* 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
* Vegetable oil, for brushing
* Fresh cilantro sprigs and sliced lemons for garnish


Preparation:

If using chicken breasts or whole chicken make diagonal incisions into the chicken flesh.
In a bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice or vinegar, garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, cardamom, cloves, black pepper and salt. Stir until well-mixed, then pour the mixture over the chicken and rub it into the flesh, turning the chicken several times. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. (Do not marinate for longer than 2 days.) Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 1/2 an hour before cooking.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, pressing lightly to extract excess marinade, and brush with oil. Place the chicken pieces on a well-oiled grill rack and grill, turning 3 or 4 times till the juices run clear when a piece is pierced near the bone with a knife.

(If roasting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan, brush with oil, and cook, turning once, 25 to 30 minutes).

Serve with sprigs of cilantro and slices of lemon.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

BBQ Chicken with Orange Zest



1/2 cups BBQ sauce
1 tbsp. grated orange zest
2 tsp garlic paste
1/3 cup orange juice
6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts(marinated with salt and pepper)

In bowl, mix BBQ sauce, orange zest, and orange juice. Reserve 1/2 cup. Set aside.
Pour oil into a shallow pan. Add garlic paste and soon after add the chicken, turn to evenly coat. Let the chicken brown evebly on both sides and then pour the BBQ paste. Cook the chicken for another 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Turn and brush occasionally with reserved BBQ sauce mix.
Garnish with sesame seeds and coriander.