Living Blue in a Sea of Red
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil,
divided
2 cups thinly vertically sliced onion
2 cups (2-inch) slices asparagus
(about 1/2 pound)
1 tablespoon thinly sliced ready-touse sun-dried tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) portion fresh pizza dough
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded fontina
cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper
How to Make It
Step 1
Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
Step 2
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over
medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 minutes or until
browned. Add asparagus to pan; cook 5 minutes or until
asparagus is crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes and salt.
Step 3
Roll dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured
surface; brush each side of dough with 1/2 teaspoon
remaining oil.
Step 4
Place dough on a grill rack; grill 1 1/2 minutes or until
crust bubbles and is well marked. Reduce grill heat to
low; turn dough over. Arrange onion mixture over crust;
sprinkle evenly with cheese. Cover and grill over low heat 3 1/2 minutes or until cheese melts; remove pizza from grill. Sprinkle with oregano and black pepper.
Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken
broth
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan
cheese
4 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) cod fillets
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper
Cooking spray
How to Make It
Step 1
Combine basil, broth, cheese, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and
garlic in a small bowl.
Step 2
Sprinkle fish with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and
pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking
spray over medium-high heat. Add fish; sauté 5 minutes
on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a
fork. Serve fish with the basil mixture.
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
Pat the chicken pieces dry with a clean towel. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Let the chicken rest at room temperature while you prep other ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
In a large, nonstick skillet or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Reduce the heat to medium. Working in batches, if necessary, and without overcrowding the pan, add the thighs and sear, without moving, until golden brown on one side, about 10 minutes. Flip each piece and repeat on other side until browned, about 6 more minutes.
If the chicken sticks, use a thin spatula to gently loosen. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Transfer the browned chicken to an ovenproof dish, cover and keep warm in the oven.
In the same pan over medium heat, add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the orange juice, honey, water, lemon slices and oregano and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes, scraping the pan to loosen any browned bits that stuck to the pan.
When the lemon slices are softened and sauce is thickened, return the chicken thighs to the pan, turning each piece several times to coat in the sauce.
If desired, place the chicken on a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over each piece. Sprinkle with the fresh basil, if desired, and serve.
· 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into cubes
· 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
· 6 cloves garlic (1.5 Tbsp)
· 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
· 1 tsp garam masala
· 1 tsp each: salt, cumin, ground coriander, paprika
· 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
· 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
· pinch black pepper
· 1 tsp lemon juice
Curry Sauce Spices:
· 2 tsp turmeric
· 1 Tbsp garam masala
· 2 tsp coriander
· 1 tsp cumin
· 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
· 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Curry Sauce:
· 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
· 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
· 1 onion, finely chopped
· 1 tsp salt
· 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
· 6 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
· 1 Tbsp paprika (not smoked)
· 1 2/3 c tomato puree (I combined 1 1/2c water with 2 Tbsp tomato paste)
· 1 2/3 c water
· 1/3 c + 1 Tbsp cream
· 1 tsp sugar
· 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
Chicken Tikka:
1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a bowl and mix. Add chicken and turn well to coat.
2. Cover with cling wrap and leave in fridge to marinate overnight (3 hr minimum)
3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a non-stick pan over high heat until smoking. Add half the chicken and spread out. Leave for 2 minutes or until charred. Turn each piece and cook the other side until charred – don’t worry if not cooked inside. Remove into bowl.
4. Scrape out charred bits left in the pan and discard. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Sauce:
1. Wipe skillet with paper towels (or do this part in a pot as you need a lid). Turn heat down to medium high.
2. Add oil and butter. When butter is melted, add onions, ginger and salt.
3. Cook, stirring constantly to ensure it doesn’t burn, until the ginger is starting to turn golden and the onions smell sweet, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and paprika and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the Curry Sauce Spices and cook a further 2 minutes, stirring.
6. Add the tomato puree and water and mix. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat to low.
7. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Let the sauce cool a bit then put ½ in a blender and puree it until smooth. Pour into another bowl and repeat with the other half of the sauce.
9. Once pureed, return it all to the skillet or pot. Add cream, sugar and butter. Stir to melt the butter.
10. Add chicken and stir. Simmer for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
11. Serve over rice.
Makes 4 servings
12 ounces boneless sirloin steak, trimmed and thinly sliced across the grain
¾ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 or 2 large shallots, chopped (about ½ cup)
Two 10-ounce packages white button mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, and sliced (about 6 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp flour
1¼ cups low-sodium beef broth
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ cup sour cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Cooked whole-grain egg noodles
Season the meat with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the beef and cook for one to two minutes, until seared but still pink inside. Transfer the meat with its juices to a plate.
Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil to the skillet (medium heat). Add the shallot and cook for about a minute, stirring, until softened. Add the mushrooms, and then the garlic, and cook for eight to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their water and it has evaporated.
Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour and stir until well combined. Add the beef broth and, stirring, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low; add the remaining 1½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook for about five minutes, until the mixture thickens and reduces slightly, then stir in the mustard until well incorporated. Add the sour cream, stirring until well blended.
Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the pan; cook for one to two minutes, until the meat is just warmed through, but still medium-rare.
Serve warm, garnished with the parsley, over the noodles.
Per serving (without the noodles): 310 calories, 25 grams protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 19 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 70 milligrams cholesterol, 450 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 2 1/2- to 3-quart gratin or baking dish.
In a 10-inch skillet, parcook beans in enough lightly salted boiling water to cover until crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes; drain. Transfer beans to large bowl of ice water to stop cooking them; drain.
In the same skillet, cook pancetta over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain, reserving the drippings. Finely crumble or chop pancetta.
Meanwhile, add mushrooms, garlic and thyme to drippings in skillet (if there aren’t many drippings, you may need to add up to 1 tablespoon vegetable oil). Cook and stir 5 to 6 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and liquid has evaporated. Stir in pancetta, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add mushroom mixture to beans, tossing gently to combine.
For sauce, in a 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour; cook and stir 1 minute. Add half-and-half all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Whisk in cheese, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat; stir in wine. Pour sauce over green bean mixture, stirring gently just until combined. Transfer green bean mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and beans are tender. (If using commercially made French-fried onions, sprinkle them on the bean mixture for the last 5 minutes of baking.) Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Crispy Shallots.