Trouble With Toast

Shrimp and grits is a southern classic, so when I saw this casserole recipe (from Cooking Light magazine, with some adaptations for personal taste and texture preferences), I had to give it a go.  This was an easy, cheesy version of the dish, and I really enjoyed it the night I cooked it for dinner.  However, it made a LOT of food, and the leftovers just weren’t up to snuff (the shrimp were rubbery, and the grits were dry).  So, if you’re only cooking for one or two people, I’d suggest halving the recipe–or inviting some folks over for supper!

• 2 cups skim milk
  3/4 cup chicken broth
  1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  2 tablespoons butter
  1 3-ounce package reduced fat cream cheese
  3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
  1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  2 large egg whites
  1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp 
  Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375. Combine milk and broth in a medium heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Gradually add grits and salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan, butter, and cream cheese. Stir in parsley and next 4 ingredients (through shrimp). Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until set.

Even though April is not really chili season, it was a bit raw on Sunday night and I decided to warm up by preparing this green chili (from Cooking Light Magazine).  It had a great bright flavor–almost TOO bright.  Maybe next time I’ll add some beans, which would make the dish thicker and meatier-tasting.  The spice was great, and anything that has large quantities of cilantro has my vote, so I’d definitely make this again.  You could easily substitute chicken for pork, or you could cut the meat altogether.

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
  3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
  1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
  1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  2 cups coarsely chopped fresh tomatillos (about 12 ounces)
  1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped mild green chiles, drained
  1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  2 tablespoons tequila
  1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Combine cornmeal and chile powder in a medium bowl. Add pork, tossing to coat. Remove pork from bowl, reserving any remaining cornmeal mixture. Add pork to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in remaining cornmeal mixture; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatillos, broth, chiles, and jalapeño; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook 8 minutes or until tomatillos are tender. Stir in onions and remaining ingredients; simmer 1 minute.

I’ve never made scones before–hell, I don’t even LIKE scones that much–but the combo of Manchego cheese, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes was just too yummy to pass up.  In the end, the flavor was definitely there, but the texture was a bit off.  I think I overkneaded the dough, which resulted in extra (unwanted) density, and I definitely made the scones too thick.  Anyway, lessons learned!  As with all baking, at least in my world, perfecting this recipe (from Cooking Light magazine) will just take a few more tries.  Maybe one of my talented readers can get it right on the first attempt!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
  1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Manchego cheese
  1/2 cup chopped ready-to-use sun-dried tomatoes (2 ounces)
  2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
  2 large egg whites
  Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425°.  Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese, tomatoes, and basil. Add buttermilk and egg whites, stirring just until moist.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut dough into 8 wedges, cutting into but not through dough. Coat top of dough lightly with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until scones are golden.

I love throwing together a pot of pasta and sauce–it’s filling, it’s tasty, and it’s easy to make when there’s nothing else I feel like cooking.  However, while this simple staple certainly gets the job done, it always makes me feel a little bit hollow.  After all, tossing boxed pasta into a pot of boiling water certainly isn’t rocket science, and the hardest part about making the sauce is opening the jar.

I’m not ready to make homemade pasta–yet–so I decided last night to tackle the sauce.  Again, I adapted a recipe from Cooking Light magazine, and it turned out really well.  There’s not a lot to say about it other than that it’s a great base for doing other things–for example, it will work perfectly with my eggplant parmesan, and it would taste even better over pasta with some ground beef or sausage and fresh basil added at the end.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  3 medium chopped yellow onion
  1 tablespoon sugar 
  6 cloves minced garlic
  2 teaspoons salt
  2 teaspoons dried basil
  1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  1 teaspoon dried thyme
  1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  2 cups chicken broth
  3 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sugar and next 7 ingredients (through fennel seeds); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar; cook 30 seconds. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 55 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

There’s no photo, since, hey, it’s marinara sauce, and you know what that looks like.  Do you make YOUR own pasta sauce?  What sets it apart from the pack?

This is a summery dish if ever I saw one–spicy, yet refreshing, and really good on the grill (or so I imagine–I was stuck with my indoor grill pan, of course).  Even though I got serrano pepper in my eye and then cut myself while chopping mint, the great flavors of this meal made all of my pain subside.  Well, not really, but it was darn tasty.

Note: In Cooking Light magazine, this recipe is called “Seoul-ful Chicken with Minted Cucumbers.”  Love the dish, hate the pun.

Cucumbers:

• 1 English cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  1/4 cup minced shallots
  2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
  1 tablespoon honey
  1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
  1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  1 serrano chile, seeded and minced

Chicken:

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 pounds)
  1/4 cup soy sauce
  2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
  1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
  1 tablespoon honey
  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
   Cooking spray
  1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

To prepare cucumbers, place cucumber slices in a colander; sprinkle with salt, tossing well. Drain 1 hour. Place cucumber slices on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 5 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Combine cucumber, shallots, and next 6 ingredients (through chile) in a large bowl; toss gently. Cover and set aside.

To prepare chicken, combine soy sauce and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to soy sauce mixture in bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place 4 thighs in pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat procedure with remaining 4 thighs. Place 2 thighs and 1/2 cup cucumbers on each of 4 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon green onions.

This is a great recipe if you’re looking for something relatively healthy and easy to throw together.  The coating ensures that the chicken comes out VERY moist, though next time I’ll add more chili sauce, as the spice factor wasn’t up to snuff for me.  Served with herb-roasted potatoes and fresh green beans, this was a satisfying and simple weeknight meal.  Thanks, Real Simple magazine!

• 1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce (found in the international aisle of most supermarkets)
  3 tablespoons pineapple juice
  4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  3/4 cup bread crumbs
   Kosher salt
  3 tablespoons canola oil

Heat oven to 450° F.

In a large bowl, combine the chili-garlic sauce and pineapple juice. Add the chicken and toss to coat.

In a separate bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the oil. Working with 1 piece at a time, coat the chicken in the bread crumb mixture and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining breasts. Bake until cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.  Note: in my oven, 15 minutes was enough to cook the chicken through, but it didn’t give the coating a chance to brown and crisp.  After the baking period, I broiled the meat on high for a few minutes on each side, and that did the trick.

In addition to chocolate mint brownies (the recipe for which I’ve already posted), my other contribution to the recent Food Blogger Potluck was this deliciously cheesy dip.  And guess what–it’s light!  That’s right, Cooking Light magazine promised to deliver a rich, flavorful dish with less fat and calories, and I definitely felt like this version passed the test.  It’s quite thick, so make sure you have sturdy chips or bread to use for dipping.  This is a great make-ahead recipe; I mixed everything together, put it in the baking dish, and refrigerated it, and then I just popped it in the oven about 30-40 minutes before I wanted to serve.

• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
  1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
  1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  3 garlic cloves, crushed
  1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
  1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
  1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
  1 (13.5-ounce) package baked tortilla chips (about 16 cups)

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 6 ingredients (through spinach) in a large bowl; stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Here’s the recipe for the delish (and light!) dessert I prepared for the food blogger potluck. Be careful not to overcook the bottom layer, or the bars will be dry. Also, it helps to REALLY let each layer cool and set before moving on to the next–especially if you’re concerned about a uniform aesthetic (which, when it comes to chocolate, I’m definitely not).  I found this one in Cooking Light magazine.

Bottom layer:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup
• Cooking spray

Mint layer:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 drops green food coloring

Glaze:

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350.

As much as it pains the foodie in me, I have been known to turn to Let’s Dish to provide easy, fast, pre-made entrees that I can just pop in an oven or skillet when I’m feeling lazy.  However, that simplicity comes with a pretty hefty price tag, and it also requires me to rent a Zipcar and head out to the ‘burbs.  Bummer.

So, when I saw a recipe in Real Simple magazine for this make-ahead meal, I was really excited.  Would it be easy, tasty, and affordable?  Yes, yes, and yes!

• 1 lemon
  28-ounce can diced tomatoes
  8 sprigs thyme
  1 tablespoon capers
  4 small chicken thighs
  4 small chicken drumsticks
  Kosher salt and pepper
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  4 1-quart resealable plastic freezer bags

To freeze: Slice the lemon into rounds. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes and their liquid, lemon, thyme, and capers. Divide them among the 4 plastic freezer bags. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add 1 leg and 1 thigh to each bag. Freeze, for up to 3 months, until ready to cook

To cook: Heat oven to 400° F. Remove the bags of chicken and tomatoes from the freezer (you’ll need 1 bag of chicken and tomatoes for each serving). Empty the contents of each bag into a baking dish. Drizzle with the oil, using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each serving. Roast until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 50 minutes.

This is a great, easy recipe that actually tastes even better when you let it sit overnight. It came from Real Simple magazine, and the hardest part about it was finding the polenta (hint: at the P Street Whole Foods, it’s in a cookie-dough-esque roll/tube on the lowest shelf of one of the ethnic food aisles–I practically had to sit on the floor to see it)! Definitely spring for the crusty bread to soak up all of the juices–yum!

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  1 pound Italian sausage (I used half sweet and half spicy)
• 2 medium onions, cut into wedges
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 small red bell peppers, seeded and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 1 pound store-bought cooked polenta, sliced into thick rounds
• Crusty bread (optional)

Heat oven to 400° F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning once, until it starts to brown, 5 minutes. Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the bell peppers and garlic and cook until they are just soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the wine and thyme.

Transfer the skillet to oven. Roast until the sausage is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the polenta in batches, turning once, until golden brown.

Place the polenta on a platter. Spoon the sausage, vegetables, and pan juices over the top. Serve with the crusty bread, if desired.