Recipe #21 Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo

Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo

I'm still traveling through Texas, but couldn't eat another deep-fried anything (ok, at least for tonight) and wanted to cook a special meal for my fabulous hosts Matthew and Keith.  This is another recipe from Eating Well, because I need to.  I served it with a crisp Kendall Jackson Chardonnay and a mixed green salad with sliced Italian bread and blood orange olive oil and aged balsamic vinaigrette.  I could not find sun-dried tomatoes in a package, so had to use them packed in oil, but drained the oil as best I could.  I also used a can of artichoke hearts drained versus frozen.  Finally, I substituted dried oregano for the fresh marjoram.  The dish overall had a good flavor, I would probably zest it up next time with my special Italian seasoning with crushed red pepper.  Our only complaint was that we wish it would have had more sauce - I realized when cleaning up the kitchen later that I forgot to put on the extra reserved sauce!  Happy Cooking!

From EatingWell: March/April 2008

Sun-dried tomatoes and Romano cheese pack a flavorful punch along with the tantalizing aroma of fresh marjoram in this rustic Italian-inspired dish. Serve with sautéed fresh spinach or steamed broccolini.

Real Photo!

4 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

OK, this one doesn't really show off the ingredients, but what a lovely cooking space.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces orzo, preferably whole-wheat
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, (not oil-packed), divided
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram, divided
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (1-1 1/4 pounds)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 9-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Romano cheese, divided

Preparation

1. Cook orzo in a large saucepan of boiling water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
2. Meanwhile, place 1 cup water, 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, plum tomato, garlic, 2 teaspoons marjoram, vinegar and 2 teaspoons oil in a blender. Blend until just a few chunks remain.

3.     Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden outside and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

4.   Pour the tomato sauce into the pan and bring to a boil. Measure out 1/2 cup sauce to a small bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes to the pan along with the orzo, artichoke hearts and 6 tablespoons cheese. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide among 4 plates.
[Too busy socializin with the boys and forgot to take picture of this part!]

5.   Slice the chicken. Top each portion of pasta with sliced chicken, 2 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce and a sprinkling of the remaining cheese and marjoram.

Nutrition [Without the bread, oil and salad]

Per serving: 457 calories; 12 g fat ( 3 g sat , 6 g mono ); 68 mg cholesterol; 54 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 36 g protein; 10 g fiber; 372 mg sodium; 546 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Folate (34% daily value), Iron (25% dv), Potassium (16% dv), Calcium & Vitamin C (15% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 3
Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1/2 fat

Recipe #20 Flank Steak with Grilled Corn on the Cob ...

This week, I deviated from the normal new recipes.  All of the recipes for this dinner are something that my guest chef, Adam Evans, and I put together ourselves.  I'm visiting the big State of Texas this week, so my apologies to those of you non-meat eaters, but that means I needed to grill up some good Texas beef.  I have made these recipes the way that I norally cook (without a recipe, so you will have no measurements or nutritional value on this one!  Happy Cooking!


Master griller Adam.

Adam will be making his comments in red, while mine will be in blue.



To bad only the sear part of the grill worked nice and red at this point.







First, a trip to the grocery store, where Adam learned how to check out the corn before purchasing.  Look at the tips to make sure a worm hasn't been there before you have.

Next, it's off to select the steaks for tonight's dinner.  Be sure to pronunciate well when ordering, we almost ended up with filets instead of flank steaks ($72 vs $27!).

Adam marinated the steak with EVOO and some of Il Fustino's olive oil with Jalapeno, topped off by fajita seasoning. We marinated all day while we went off to do touristy things in San Antonio.

Duke made sure the steaks were marinated appropriately.



We made some beautiful guacomole for an appetizer.  First, we chose Avocados that were just soft to the touch.  After peeling and mashing Adam added lemon juice (to keep the color), two tomatoes, Pico De Gallo (not much, Adam doesn't like onions!), garlic salt to taste and Pace Picante Sauce.  Keep the pits in until serving to also keep the green color)








For our side dish, we took cubed squash and sliced Zucchini and squash and marinated with EVOO with Montreal steak seasoning, garlic salt and fresh rosemary. Also marinated some green onions and sweet red peppers with EVOO and Montreal steak seasoning. (Sorry for the blurry picture, either too much or not enough wine yet!)





What would dinner be without the right wine?  I went wine tasting in the rolling hills near San Antonio and chose a delightful Petite Sirah from Bending Branch Winery bendingbranchwinery.com to have with dinner; notice I even took the time to decant the wine :).

The other side dish was our corn on the cob.  First I took out the silk and then soaked the corn in water with the husks on.  I couldn't decide whether to grill with the husks on or off and ultimately grilled with husks on (husks off would have been better).  I forgot to put some oil on the corn cobs, but they turned out great anyway, just buttered and salt and peppered to taste when done. (We also made some garlic bread, putting olive oil on bread, garlic salt and parmesan cheese.)

We grilled the vegetables on a medium heat for about 25 minutes, turning every 10 (in the end, I had a little incident of catching the husks on fire, but I had a very understanding group of people waiting to eat).



Master griller Adam.
I cooked the meat for four to five mins on each side if you like it med. rare

Where's the beef?



Desert was fresh peaches sliced, with a lttle sugar added, angel food cake and ice cream - Yum!

Recipe #19 Italian Rib Eye

Italian Rib Eye

This is another recipe from AllRecipes.com.  I was hungry for some steak (after some of my healthier dinners) and the weather was beautiful in Santa Barbara, begging for a cook out. [Sorry Kathleen, the tofu will have to wait.]  I also roasted whole peppers using my Il Fustino olive oil mix of jalapeno and basil oil and some Montreal steak seasoning.  Topped of the dinner with some delish mashies.  I also only made two Rib Eyes, not three.  All in all quite good.  Served the steaks with a special 2009 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir bottled by J. Wilkes.  Happy Cooking!

By: Devan

                       

"Boneless rib eye with a flavorful Italian glaze."

Prep Time:
15 Min

Cook Time:
15 Min

Ready In:
1 Hr 30 Min

Servings 

US
Original Recipe Yield 3 steaks

Ingredients

• 10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 3 (10 ounce) boneless beef ribeye steaks, cut 1 inch thick

Directions

1. Place the garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, and salt into a mortar or small bowl, and mash into a coarse paste. Stir in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and white pepper until evenly blended. Scrape half of the mixture into a separate small bowl; set aside. Spread the remaining half of the herb mixture evenly over the steaks. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour.               

2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.               

3.  Cook the steaks on the preheated grill for 7 minutes, then turn over, and coat with the reserved herb mixture. Continue cooking 7 minutes more for medium-well, or until your desired degree of doneness has been reached.

 

 

 

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 1078 | Total Fat: 93.9g | Cholesterol: 188mgPowered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Recipe #18 Asian Orange Chicken

Add a Photo

Cancel

My friend Andy asked if I would make an Orange Chicken, so here you go.  This recipe was found on AllRecipes.com.   I added green beans and served with brown rice.  It seemed like a lot of work because of all the ingredients and it took a long time (because you need to marinade chicken for at least two hours) so I would suggest you make this on the weekend when you may have have more time.  It was sooo delicious, it was worth the time and effort - thanks for the suggestion Andy. I put my changes or substitutions in red near ingredients and description.  Happy Cooking!

       

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

By: HARRY WETZEL

"A delicious citrus chicken recipe with flavors reminiscent of the orange chicken from a popular restaurant in the mall."

Prep Time:
40 Min

Cook Time: 2 hra 35 min

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  2 tablespoons chopped green onion
  1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes                
  3 tablespoons cornstarch
  2 tablespoons water                     

 Chicken:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces [I used 4-5 chicken breast tenders]
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.

Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.                [I did not use a resealable bag as you can see.]

Heat the olive oil [I read some reviews of the recipe so added some Sesame Oil to the olive oil] in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.

At this point I wiped the skillet as instructed, but added green beans and minced garlic with a little of the left over sauce and cooked on medium heat for about 5 minutes with a lid on to steam the beans.

[I then added the remaining reserved sauce brought the sauce and the beans to a boil over medium-high heat.] Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. I added more water as I found the sauce to be too thick; I confess that I also added the corn starch all at once when it should have been folded in.  Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Nutritional Information (without rice and green beans)

Amount Per Serving Calories: 445 | Total Fat: 11.2g | Cholesterol: 34mgPowered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Recipe #17 Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

IT'S DERBY DAY AND CINCO DE MAYO so why am I posting a recipe that has nothing to do with either one?  I was recently in Garden Grove, California on the way to a conference near Disneyland.  It turns out this area is called Little Saigon which has a very large Vietnamese population.  This is my long, drawn out way of saying that while there I went to a great Vietnamese grocery store and was inspired to try a Vietnamese recipe. 

I did not have curry powder so I substituted cumin and I used ground lemongrass instead of fresh.   I struggled with the sugar/caramel part of the recipe (OK, really screwed it up). I also substituted brown rice for white.  All in all, the recipe was delicious; I also made stir fried vegetables [Japanese eggplant, snow peas, hot red pepper and zucchini] as a compliment to the dinner.  Happy cooking!

Recipe: Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine, October 2007
“Simple, Tasty Vietnamese Cooking”

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast/thigh, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 fresh lemongrass stalks, tender inner white bulbs only, minced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3 chilies, seeded and minced
1 scallion for garnishing



Method:
In a bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic, curry powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar. Add the chicken meat to coat.

In a small skillet, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 tablespoon of the water and cook over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Transfer to a bowl.

[I REALLY COULDN'T GET THIS RIGHT!]









Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the lemongrass, shallot, and chilies and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chicken and caramel and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened.

Transfer to a bowl and top with the scallion.
Serve with steamed white rice.

Recipe #16 Asparagus-and-Ham Casserole

Back by popular demand - ok, a few of you - here's a new recipe for you to try.  I will be posting more to catch up for the weeks I missed.  I actually made this recipe right after Easter (hence, the ham), so I don't really remember how it went - except thinking it needed cheese!  Happy Cooking.  Below is the real pic of this recipe from Cooking Light magazine. 

Randy Mayor; Melanie J. Clarke


This speedy Asparagus-and-Ham Casserole is pure comfort food and needs only 10 minutes to bake. That's because most of the prep work (cooking pasta and making a light cream sauce) is done on the stovetop. Simply bake to brown the breadcrumbs and make the filling bubbly. Because of the delicate flavors in this dish, we preferred using a mild baked ham to a smoked one.

3.032

Recipe from

 

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 250
• Calories from fat: 26%
• Fat: 7.1g
• Saturated fat: 3.4g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.4g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7g
• Protein: 16g
• Carbohydrate: 30.9g
• Fiber: 2.7g
• Cholesterol: 52mg
• Iron: 2.6mg
• Sodium: 835mg
• Calcium: 114mg

 

 Ingredients:

• 1 (1-ounce) slice white bread
• 3 3/4 cups uncooked extra-broad egg noodles
• 2 1/2 cups (1 1/2-inch) sliced asparagus
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed ham (about 8 ounces)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.
Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure 1/2 cup.
Cook pasta in boiling water 7 minutes, omitting salt and fat. Add asparagus; cook 1 minute. Drain.

Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place flour, thyme, salt, and pepper in medium bowl; gradually add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk until well-blended.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion; saute 4 minutes.

Add milk mixture; cook until thick (about 4 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in juice.

 Combine the pasta mixture, milk mixture, ham, and parsley in large bowl; spoon into a 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese.

 Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.

Cooking Light
MAY 2001