Monthly Archives: April 2007
Lobster and Scallop Risotto
| April 29, 2007 | Posted by LK under Fish and Seafood, Special Occasions, Weekend Meals |
I felt like something different, so I threw this together. It took a while and was pretty fancy, so its best saved for a weekend meal.
1 package risotto rice
olive oil
1 vidalia onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 c. white wine
2 c. chicken broth
water
1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into small pieces
1.5 lb. lobster meat
1/2 lb. jumbo scallops
2 tsp. butter
parmasean cheese, grated
heat a little olive oil in a large skillet. Sautee the onion and shallots until brown. Add the rice and stir until coated with oil. Cook about 3 minutes. Add one cup of wine, stirring constantly. When absorbed, add more wine, continuing to stir. Add asparagus. Slowly add additional liquid- adding more broth or water if necessary- until the rice is done. It should be slightly chewy. Set aside.
Heat a small skillet or wok to a high temperature. Add a little oil. Pat scallops dry and add them. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Remove scallops. Add butter and a little wine to the pan. Add lobster and cook until heated through.
Add cheese to the rice and season with salt and pepper. Serve seafoood on top of rice, spooing some of the sauce over it.
makes about 6 servings.
lamb vindaloo
| April 17, 2007 | Posted by LK under Beef, Lamb, and Pork, Indian |
I was looking for something to do with the leftover lamb, and this
ended up being a great choice! It was pretty quick and easy for
Indian, but it had a really nice flavor. Not as spicy as restaurnat
vindaloo, but you could probably add a few chopped chilis if you want
it spicier. If you make this with uncooked meat, add it right after
the onions. I served this with some brown rice. It would also be
really good with some flatbread if you wanted to buy or make that. I
didnt' have time.
1 can tomato paste
2 1/2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 t minced ginger (I used gourmet garden again)
2 t turmeric
1 t paprika
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
1/2 t (or more) cayenne pepper
3/4 t ground cumin
3/4 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground pepper
1/2 t ground cardamom
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground cinnamon
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. lamb (cooked), cut into big cubes
1 c peas
2 potatoes, cubed
1 1/2 c water
1/4 c FF plain yogurt
Mix vinegar, tomato paste and all of the spiced in a small bown to
form a thick paste.
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add onion and cook until golden. Add the
spcie mixture and cook until fragrant. Add peas,potatoes, and water.
Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until potatoes begin to soften.
Add the lamb and more water if necessary, replace cover and let simmer
until lamb is heated through and potatoes are cooked, continuing to
add water as necessary to keep the sauce moist. Stir in yogurt. Cook
about 2 mnutes longer.
Makes 4 servings, approx. 250 calories each.
"that stuff with the mushrooms and the polenta"
| April 16, 2007 | Posted by LK under Beef, Lamb, and Pork, Quick Weeknight Meals |
Because “mushroom sautee over charred polenta with spicy ham” doesn’t sound good and doesn’t really describe the dish well either. I didn’t take a picture of this because one I took a serving out of the pan, it just looked kind of messy. It was DELICIOUS though and I’ll definitely be making it again. I also learned that shallots can be put through the garlic press- much easier than trying to chop them! Didn’t take too long to make this (maybe 15 minutes?) but it was a little hectic because there’s lots going on at once. I recommend getting everything that you need out before you start.
2 T. olive oil
1 tube Italian seasoned polenta, sliced into 8 rounds
8 slices of cappicolla
1 t. butter
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large portobella caps, washed and chopped
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup FF beef broth
1 T flour
1 c. stewed tomatoes
1 c. FF mozzarella
small handful parmasean shreds
Preheat broiler.
Pour olive oil into a small dish. Set pan over high heat.
Brush the polenta rounds with olive oil and cook about 5 minutes on each side until blackened. Spread them out in a baking dish. Brush cappicolle with olive oil and sear it on the pan. Place one piece on top of each polenta round.
Reduce heat to medium. Put remaining olive oil and butter in the pan. Add garlic and shallots. Once fragrant, add the mushrooms. Cook until they are browned and soft. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze pan with red wine. Reduce, about 2 minutes. Add broth and flour. Reduce to about half. Add tomatoes, and let simmer about 5 minutes.
Spoon the mushroom mixture over the ham and polenta in the baking dish. Top with mozzarella and parmasean. Broil until cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.
Serves 2.
Adapted from Rachel Ray’s 365 cookbook.
Leg of Lamb and Mojitos
| April 15, 2007 | Posted by LK under Beef, Lamb, and Pork, Weekend Meals |
I don’t feel like I did much cooking on this one, but it was really delicious so I’ll post it anyway. I picked up a burgundy marinaded boneless leg of lamb at Trader Joes and cooked it according to package directions (for medium rare, just over an hour for a 2.5 pound cut. Not too long, but long enough that you’ll want to save this for a weekend.). While that was in the oven, I wrapped some yams in foil and threw them in. About a half hour before the lamb was done, I drizzled brusells sprouts in olive oil (just a little bit) and cracked some pepper over them, and threw them in.
We mixed some fresh mint with mango chutney to serve with the lamb. The flavors played off each other beautifully.
What to serve with it? Mojitos, of course! Can’t let all that fresh mint go to waste!
whole wheat pizza
| April 15, 2007 | Posted by LK under Uncategorized |
This is one that I based on one of the pizzas at California Pizza Kitchen but lightened up a lot. I used some gourmet garden basil this time- this stuff is great! It keeps for about 3 months in the refrigerator and tastes much better than dried. Fresh is still ideal, but when you can’t get your hands on it, this is a good substitute. I’ve also tried their ginger which is good as well.
whole wheat pizza dough (either prepared or make your own)
1 cup sauce- I like Classico spicy red pepper
basil
FF mozzarella- about 1 cup
turkey pepperoni- a little less than half a package
small handful of kalmata olives- pitted and roughtly chopped
1 T capers
1 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into 4 pieces
Spread the toppings evenly over the crust in the order listed. Bake according to crust directions- usally about 20 minutes at 350.
chimichangas
| April 11, 2007 | Posted by LK under Chicken and Poultry, Mexican and Southwestern |
these take a little more time to make than most of my recipes. but
they’re still really easy. And most of the time is waiting for them to
come out of the oven, so it isn’t too bad. You can use whatever
tortillas you want… I usually use fajita sized 98% fat free flour
tortillas (this will make about 6 chimichangas), but last night I used
burrito sized whole wheat “carb control” tortillas (the 31 grams of
fiber in these make the FILLING, and the recipe will make about 4.)
The whole wheat tortillas make them come out a little drier, but
overall we liked the flavor better. They’d probably be good topped
with a little enchilada sauce to counteract the dryness.
1/2 lb. chicken breast, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 T chili powder
1 t. oregano
1 t. cumin
chili peppers (to taste), chopped
1/4 c. fat free cheddar shreds
tortillas (your choice. 4-6 depending on size)
preheat oven to 400.
Wrap tortillas in foil and put in oven to warm.
Combine chicken and onion in frying pan and cook until browned. Add spices and tomato until slightly thickened- about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and peppers.
Divide filling between tortillas and wrap them burrito-style. Place seam side down in a pan sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the tops
with cooking spray. Bake 20 minutes, without turning. Serve with your choice of sides.
Comments