Topic: Recipes

[Muse_of_Fire]

In answering Augi's question on the "Fish" thread, I mentioned ceviche which is a fish preparation I had forgotten about until his thread brought it up. I found a good, simple recipe for it on a search. It is absolutely packed with protein and flavor and very little else. Seems like a winner to me:

http://www.recipezaar.com/111154

There are a ton of other variations out there. Once you are comfortable with the recipe you could certainly make up your own based on what's at the fish market and your own personal tastes. IMO you could substitute bottled lime juice for the fresh, to save time. You'd lose a bit of flavor, but who really has the time to juice and strain 12 limes?

[Andy Animus Tran]

A friend just sent me this...  You know I'm going to do crazy things with spices for it.. and I think there should be some kind of sauce poured over top.. just to make for more interesting flavours..  but for anyone here who gets massive crazy ideas from this.. here ya go.

Mushroom & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Depending on how much you need to make.)
1 bag of baby spinach
12 small mushroom caps (cut into a few pieces per cap.)
2 diced cloves of garlic
1 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup of shredded cheese
1 shallot (diced.)
1 tablespoon of butter
ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of EVOO(extra virgin olive oil for those who don't know by now.)

Place chicken breasts in large plastic bag. Pound out chicken from the center out with some sort of skillet or mallet.

Put in mushrooms, butter, garlic&shallot into skillet over medium heat. Saute for 5 minutes, adding in the ground black pepper.

Brush olive oil onto all sides of the chicken and place leaves of the baby spinach down on one side. Spread ricotta cheese over spinach. Add the mushroom, garlic, butter and shallot mixture on top of that. Fold over other end of the chicken on top of the stuffing.

Preheat oven at 350 and place in oven for 40 minutes.

[Muse_of_Fire]

Sounds easy, healthy, and tasty. Here's how I would make a sauce for it:

Reserve fat in skillet from mushroom mixture. While chicken breasts are baking, heat skillet with reserved fat to just under high heat. Pour in 1/2 cup white wine and deglaze. When wine is almost evaporated, pour in 1/2 cup vegetable broth & 1/2 cup chicken broth, stirring briskly. Add the juice from 1/2 lemon and the following herbs to taste: thyme, tarragon, marjoram, freshly-ground black pepper. Stir to incorporate. Let simmer briskly, reducing sauce by 1/3.

In a glass mix 1 heaping teaspoon corn starch with 3 tablespoons cold water. Use a fork to mix thoroughly, breaking up any chunks. Pour corn starch mixture into sauce in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly. Allow sauce to boil until thickened. When thickened to your preference, remove from heat and stir in a pat of butter. Taste sauce & adjust seasonings, adding salt & herbs, until to your preference.

Serve over Mushroom & Spinich Stuffed Chicken Breast.

[Andy Animus Tran]

Thanks for that, Muse.  I'll definitely have to try that.  First, though.. I have a theory that hollandaise would be good over it..  I'll probably be switching out the mushrooms for something else, too,s ince I'm not a huge fan..  So... we'll see with all of this.  Plus, it's been a while since I've made hollandaise.

[Muse_of_Fire]

Oh Hollandaise could work for sure, or Bearnaise. You could also add a little pancetta to the filling, to give it some smoke. I'd use a less acidic sauce in that case, if it were me; or at least add a "green" note to the top of the sauce (a bit more tarragon, or some bay leaf).

...but now I am going down a rabbit hole.

Since I'm here, here's a quick, light, easy summer salad that can be a whole meal unto itself, or a delicious side for grilled chicken.

Insalata Caprese

Slice as many fresh tomatoes as you care to eat.
Slice a ball (or log) of fresh mozzarella into slices about the same thickness as your tomatoes. You should have about the same amount of mozz as tomatoes.

Arrange the tomatoes and mozz slices on a plate, alternating between the two.

Chiffonnade as many fresh basil leaves as you'd like. (To chiffonnade: wash the leaves and shake them dry. Stack them atop one another and roll the whole stack up lengthwise. With a sharp knife, cut the roll crosswise into thin slices. This will give you gnarly strips.)

Sprinkle the basil over the tomatoes and mozz. Drizzle the whole plate with olive oil (light or extra-virgin, per your preference). Drizzle also with balsamic vinegar (vinegar is not classic caprese, but it adds a nice taste if you prefer it). Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Buon appetito!

[bjkpersonal@aim.com]

Men's health is not always healthy. Don't believe that.

The smoothie MIGHT be ok for post workout. Both of them could use more fat in them and probably less carbs.

          This may have been the first time I've seen someone suggest more fat.  Good call, but still a rare suggestion.

[Andy Animus Tran]

          This may have been the first time I've seen someone suggest more fat.  Good call, but still a rare suggestion.

Actually, it happens a lot.  Most people don't get enough healthy fat in their diets at all.

[bjkpersonal@aim.com]

          This may have been the first time I've seen someone suggest more fat.  Good call, but still a rare suggestion.

Actually, it happens a lot.  Most people don't get enough healthy fat in their diets at all.

          Definitely agreed, just that people for some reason have an obsession with low-fat, low-carb. diets.  I still wonder why random family members complain about too much fat and too many carbs at the same time, what do they expect to eat?  A diet built of 500 grams of daily protein?  lol.

[Muse_of_Fire]

Mr. Muse & I are in the process of moving, and we're at the point where we're eating down all the food in our fridge and pantry to avoid having to move it, which makes for some interesting recipes. Here is what I concocted this evening:

Fridge Cleanout Chicken

1 pkg boneless/skinless chicken breasts
salt-free lemon-dill seasoning, to taste
salt, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
1-2 T. butter
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 bag fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 jar artichoke and caper dip
(if you can't find it you can substitute 1 small jar marinated artichokes and 1 T. capers)
1-2 bay leaves

Heat skillet and add butter. While skillet is heating, season chicken breasts with lemon-dill, salt, and garlic. When butter is just starting to brown, add chicken breasts and saute until evenly browned on all sides. Remove chicken from skillet and pour in tomatoes. Deglaze pan and transfer tomato mixture to bowl. Return skillet to heat and add artichoke/caper dip, allowing oil to heat. Add spinach to skillet a little at a time, stirring constantly until leaves are tender but not fully cooked down. Return tomatoes to skillet and mix well. Add bay leaf and stir. Return chicken to skillet and let simmer until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with steamed vegetables and a salad.

[bjkpersonal@aim.com]

Mr. Muse & I are in the process of moving, and we're at the point where we're eating down all the food in our fridge and pantry to avoid having to move it, which makes for some interesting recipes. Here is what I concocted this evening:

Fridge Cleanout Chicken

1 pkg boneless/skinless chicken breasts
salt-free lemon-dill seasoning, to taste
salt, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
1-2 T. butter
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 bag fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 jar artichoke and caper dip
(if you can't find it you can substitute 1 small jar marinated artichokes and 1 T. capers)
1-2 bay leaves

Heat skillet and add butter. While skillet is heating, season chicken breasts with lemon-dill, salt, and garlic. When butter is just starting to brown, add chicken breasts and saute until evenly browned on all sides. Remove chicken from skillet and pour in tomatoes. Deglaze pan and transfer tomato mixture to bowl. Return skillet to heat and add artichoke/caper dip, allowing oil to heat. Add spinach to skillet a little at a time, stirring constantly until leaves are tender but not fully cooked down. Return tomatoes to skillet and mix well. Add bay leaf and stir. Return chicken to skillet and let simmer until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with steamed vegetables and a salad.

          You need to make some fridge cleanout sushi. 

[Zach Morgan]

Awesome, I'll definately have to try some of these out.

[Muse_of_Fire]

Okay I just invented a dessert and thought I'd share it here. It's not exactly "healthy" but it could be a lot worse, and as desserts go, it's actually not that bad. It's pretty simple to make but it comes across as elegant, so it may be a good option for when you want to impress someone.

Almond Joy Custard

1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 pkg. sugar-free instant pudding, chocolate fudge flavor
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 Celestial Seasonings chai teabag
1 teaspoon dried orange peel
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon Ghirardelli (or other premium brand) dark chocolate instant cocoa (it has to be dark chocolate, a milk chocolate flavor will taste yucky)

Put coconut and almonds in a non-stick skillet over medium heat to toast, stirring often. Meanwhile, measure out milk and place in freezer to chill, and put water on to boil. Place orange peel in a tea diffuser. When water boils, pour into a mug with the instant cocoa and stir briskly to dissolve. Place orange peel diffuser and chai teabag in mug with cocoa to steep. Meanwhile, keep stirring coconut and almonds to toast to an even golden-brown. Mix instant pudding mix in a bowl with chilled milk. Whisk briskly until thickened slightly and almost dissolved. Add cocoa-chai mixture, stirring briskly to incorporate. Keep stirring until almost set.

When coconut and almonds are toasted, remove from heat and divide evenly among dessert cups (looks especially elegant in clear flutes), making a "crust" at the bottom. Pour/spoon a layer of pudding into dessert cups. Top with remaining coconut-almond mixture. Chill until set.

Bon appetit!

[Andy Animus Tran]

Muse, I think you're going to be responsible for most, if not all, of my good dates.

[Mark J 0.Q]

I found this recipe in "Gourmet" magazine. I really like it because I love watermelon and I can't easily take a watermelon to practice sites XD. Also it's very carb friendly, which is perfect for me because I have diabetes and it helps to not shoot up my blood sugar, but it keeps me hydrated ((like a million percent water lol))

Watermelonade ((their name not mine))

1 ((12-lb)) watermelon ((preferably seedless))
1/4 cup sugar, divided ((I used this splenda/sugar mix they just made, tastes just like sugar, but I don't suppose too many traceurs are diabetic XD))
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided ((mine came from a bottle...))
16 cups ice cubes, divided

Cut watermelon flesh into 2-inch chunks and discard rind. Purée one fourth of watermelon in a blender with 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice, 4 cups ice, and a pinch of salt. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Make 3 more batches. Add sugar to taste if desired and serve over ice.


I only used one part of the puree mix thing, so I didn't make "3 more batches" It came out to about 22 oz. with the one batch, so plenty to last the session. My blender is small so I ended up mashing it down with a spoon. For future reference, I suggest layering the ice and the watermelon to get an even puree and you aren't mixing too much of one thing. It confused my blender XD. Other than that, it tasted great, try it, hope you like it. If you don't, hey, it wasn't my recipe!

[riskysix]

Red Pepper Hummus. Great with raw veggies like carrot chips.

1 can garbanzo beans
2 tbsp. tahini
1 tbsp. olive oil
garlic salt or adobo or 1 clove raw garlic
juice of 2 lemons
1 red bell pepper(ROASTED under your broiler until the skin is black and blistered. Let said pepper cool off and peel off the skin.)
A little water if needed
Salt and pepper(don't use salt if using adobo or garlic salt)
Pinch of cumin if desired

Twist it all up in ya food processor!Sorry if you don't have one!

[Yixin (pronounced ee-shin)]

Yixin's "f#ck General Tso's" Chicken.

Note: This is far more authentic than General Tso's Takeout, in terms of Chinese Chicken. Unfortunately, the flavor is very strong, so cut down on the spices if you have to.

Ingredients:
*1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
*4-5 strips of bacon (replace with 2-3 tsp. peanut/palm oil for authenticity, or olive oil for health, the bacon's just tastier.)
*1 tablespoon diced fresh ginger
*3 cloves diced garlic
*1/2 large onion
*4-5 chopped fresh Thai birdseye chilies (or 2 tablespoons sambal olek chili paste, if you're REALLY hardcore and can make your own chili paste, use that.)
*2-3 tablespoons soy sauce (or more if you want)
*1 tbsp of rice vinegar
*Pinch of brown sugar
*2 tbsp green onions
*1 Naga Jolokia pepper (exercise caution when using this ingredient, or skip it)
*Black and white pepper to taste

Cooking:

1.) Fry the bacon until crisp. Discard of bacon, or use in a BLT later.
2.) Put the onions into the oil left by the bacon, sweat the onions out.
3.) Add the chicken in.
4.) While the chicken is frying, add the ginger, then garlic (in that order). Add the soy sauce, vinegar and chilies. Let cook until garlic is browned.
5.) Turn heat to low and add green onions.
6.) Add pepper to taste.
7.) Serve with steamed vegetables.

[Andy Animus Tran]

I'm just call call this "Animus Salad."  I did this originally with deli turkey slices that I didn't want to make into a sandwich, so I chopped it up and made a salad that was so good I then tried it with proper meat (chopped chicken breast, salmon, tuna, etc.)

Cooked/chopped chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon or any other meat you want to use
Avocados
Lime juice
Baby spinach, chopped
Onions, chopped
Garlic, chopped
Green peppers, chopped
Tomato, cubed
Cumin
Paprika
Basil
Light mayonnaise

So the idea is your typical meat-salad type of thing, but instead of using mayonnaise, you're going to make guacamole and just add some mayo in to dilute the taste of the guac a bit.

I didn't include any values, cause it really depends on how much meat you have and how much you're making.. everything will be "to taste."

Start by peeling the avocado/removing the seed, and mashing it up in a bowl.  Add in the lime juice (otherwise, it'll start to brown in the process), and then the cumin and the paprika until it tastes like a good guac..  Pretty simple.  Then you'll want to add the veggies and meat.  This is really simple and there's not much to it, but just mix it up so it's a nice thick salad.  Try some, and if the taste of the avocado is a bit overpowering, just add in some mayo as you see fit.

The thing that makes this so good, really, is the taste of the guacamole with spinach, so I do recommend a lot of spinach in the deal!

[Muse_of_Fire]

Oh man these recipes are great!

I roasted a chicken in my Crock-Pot today and thought I'd share the directions, since many at APK seem to be less experienced cooks interested in eating healthier. It's super easy to do, and once you have a whole roasted chicken on hand you can use it for all sorts of things like salads (Animus Salad, perhaps!), wraps, etc.

Take a whole chicken. Be sure neck and giblets are removed and discarded. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.

Salt the inside of the chicken cavity. Chop 1/2 an onion, and 2-3 celery stalks, into large chunks. Stuff these into the chicken cavity. They should fill up the cavity but there should still be room for air to circulate around in the cavity.

Rub the entire outside of the chicken, over all the skin, with 1-2 tablespoons of butter. Place the chicken in the crock-pot. Sprinkle the juice of 1 lemon over the whole chicken (about 6 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice). Sprinkle dried herbs (I prefer thyme, rosemary, and a lemon-dill blend) liberally over the chicken. Cover the crock-pot and cook the chicken on low for 6-8 hours (although mine was done in 4; watch it carefully so it doesn't overcook and dry out!)

When the chicken is done, discard the vegetables from inside the cavity. You can use any juices in the pot to make gravy, if desired.

Bon appetit!

[Andy Animus Tran]

I've switched the mayo to dilute the guac with yoghurt.  Seems to work better.

[Aaron Ream]

two things:
1) You two are going to be making my weekend meals have a lot more variety
2) Why hasn't this been stickied yet?

I cook a lot, so I'm going to be trying a number of these once I can find the time to find all the ingredients. But I'm not one for coming up with any recipes... although that guacamole one a few pages back was almost exactly like the one I made up a while ago for a Spanish class... I used diced green, red, and yellow peppers, diced onions, a number of avocados (duh), jalapenos, lime juice, diced tomatoes, I can't remember if I put pineapple in there or not or if I just wanted to. And for presentation, some lime slices on top with an artichoke in the middle of the bowl, lol. I'm sure I'm missing some things, but that was a good 18 months ago.