Recipes

Tomatoes Roasted with Pesto

Ingredients
Tomatoes, enough to make a single layer of slices on a baking sheet, about 2 pounds
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¹⁄₂ cup pesto store bought or homemade
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 425*F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. Slice tomatoes and spread in an even layer over baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake 10 minutes. 

3. Remove from oven and dollop 1 teaspoon pesto on each tomato slice.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and return to oven.  Cook until Parmesan is melted and starts to brown, about 10 minutes. 

Comments
This recipe is from Taste and Tell.  We’ve made it twice now, both times with success.  The recipe is very simple and super easy, plus it’s tasty and goes well with many dishes.  I especially liked eating it with eggs.  What makes this recipe even better, is that I tend to have all of the ingredients on hand during tomato season!

Shown here with Crescent Egg Puffs.

Bad Zucchini Fries

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 egg whites
4 zucchinis, cut into sticks
1 cup whole wheat flour
¹⁄₄ cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon black pepper
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 475*F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. 

2. Beat egg whites in large bowl until foamy.  Toss zucchini sticks in egg whites until evenly coated. 

3. Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper together in a ziptop bag.  Put zucchini in bag, close and shake to coat.  Arrange zucchini sticks on baking sheet in single layer. 

4. Bake 9 minutes then flip zucchini and bake another 9 minutes, or until tender and golden. 

Comments
This recipe is from Chantal Routhier Photography and, sadly, I really have nothing positive to say about it.  The coating was powdery, dry, and tasteless. 

Shown here with Pasta with Fast Sausage Ragu.  (Luckily the pasta was delicious.)

Tangy Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup ketchup
¹⁄₂ cup cider vinegar or red apple balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Put all ingredients in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes, or until thickened. 

Comments
This recipe is from Food Network and I used it on grilled chicken.  It was something special!  We all really enjoyed it and Art was especially happy – he’s the bbq sauce connoisseur of the house.  Like most bbq sauces, it was easy enough to make.  Don’t be shy of making your own sauces, they’re easy and give you so much more control than the ones that come in jars! 

Shown here with Tangy Feta Dressing.

Horseradish Steak Butter

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients until smooth.  Refrigerate until ready to use. 

No photo

Comments
This is adapted from an epicurious.com recipe.  The original recipe uses these ingredients to make a sauce, but I just made a compound butter to serve on top of prime rib.  It was delicious and added nice flavor to the meat.

Slow Cooker Lamb Arm Roast

Ingredients
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
¹⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds lamb arm roast
5 cloves garlic, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
¹⁄₄ cup dry Marsala

Instructions
1. Combine salt, rosemary, and black pepper in small bowl. 

2. Using a sharp knife, make 10 small slits all around the lamb roast and stuff a garlic half in each slit.  Rub salt mixture all over roast. 

3. Heat oil in large skillet and sear roast on all sides.  Transfer roast to slow cooker and pour wine over it. 

4. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, or until tender and falling apart. 

Comments
This recipe is from [Coconut Recipes](http://www.freecoconut(recipes.com/index.cfm/2010/11/1/slow-cooker-lamb-roast).  I didn’t actually get to taste it because I put it in the slow cooker before driving off to Columbus, OH.  Art promised me that it was tasty and he even took a picture for me! 

Shown here with Tomatoes Roasted with Pesto.

Asian Marinated Grilled Flank Steak

Ingredients
1 tablespoon chili oil (I used Smokey Chipotle Oil from Taste of Olive.) 
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon lemongrass, minced
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
¹⁄₄ cup soy sauce
1 flank steak

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in large ziptop bag or other sealable container.  Refrigerate and marinate for 24 hours. 

2. Prepare grill.  (I assume you know how to prepare your own grill, since I don’t!) 

3. Remove steak from marinade.  Grill for about 4 minutes per side, or until meat reaches desired doneness.  Remove from heat, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. 

Comments
This recipe is from Emeril.  However much his TV persona with all of his buzz words can annoy me, I don’t think he’s ever let me down with a recipe and this is definitely no exception.  The original recipe called for skirt steak, but skirt and flank are similar enough that I knew it would work well.  I doubled the recipe and made two, since we had company for dinner. 

This marinade is fantastic.  The meat was so tender and amazing.  Everyone at the table was really impressed with how it turned out.  I will definitely be making this one again! 

Shown here with Zucchini Fritters with Ginger Soy Dip.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
1 ¹⁄₂ cups plain yogurt (I used Greek.) 
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 tablespoon ground cumin
¹⁄₂ tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
³⁄₄ teaspoon cinnamon
³⁄₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
¹⁄₂ tablespoon cornstarch
¹⁄₄ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions
1. Combine onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, tomato puree, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garam masala, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves in slow cooker .  Stir well to combine.  Add chicken and stir again. 

2. Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. 

3. When slow cooker finishes, whisk cream and cornstarch together in a small bowl.  Pour cream mixture into slow cooker and gently stir.  Cover and cook 30 more minutes on LOW. 

4. Garnish with cilantro before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Cooking Classy and I had a bit of trepidation when I picked it!  Slow cooker recipes are really hit or miss for us.  Some are great and some are just really, really awful.  Maybe it’s because I can’t do anything to the food once it’s cooking so I can’t make adjustments?  I don’t know. 

This turned out to be a very pleasant surprise!  The chicken was tender, super flavorful, and the sauce was great.  I think we all had seconds and the leftovers have been disappearing at a steady pace.  This recipe is definitely going to be a keeper since it bucks the trend of crock pot mediocrity.  Super delicious.

Tangy Feta Dressing

Ingredients
¹⁄₄ cup feta cheese, crumbled
¹⁄₄ cup plain yogurt
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 cup fresh parsley
Juice of 1 orange
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Salt, to taste

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in immersion blender cup and process until smooth. 

Comments
This recipe is from Healthy Green Kitchen.  It was meant to be served with roasted broccoli but the broccoli I had from the market had little teeny worms all over it and I got really grossed out thinking about whether or not I’d gotten them all so I decided to scrap the broccoli and just go with lettuce instead.  This dressing is delicious.  It has a lot of great citrus and the feta and yogurt add lovely tang.

I ate some of the leftovers on sliced tomatoes - glorious. 

Shown here with Tangy Barbecue Chicken.

Risotto with Cabbage, Lemon, and Parsley

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
³⁄₄ pound cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ¹⁄₂ cups arborio rice
¹⁄₂ cup white wine
4 cups chicken broth
¹⁄₄ teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, minced
¹⁄₄ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
1. Heat butter and 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven set over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until soft, stirring.  Add cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.  Cover and cook until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.  Check occasionally to make sure cabbage isn’t burning and adjust heat as necessary. 

2. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is opaque and well coated. 

3. Add wine and cook, stirring, until all wine has evaporated or is absorbed. Working with ¹⁄₂ cup at a time, add chicken broth.  After each addition, stir often and continue stirring often until each addition is completely absorbed into rice.  This should take around 20 minutes and, at the end, the rice should be tender.  If more liquid is necessary, use water. 

4. When rice is cooked, add remaining tablespoon olive oil, lemon zest, parsley, and cheese.  Stir well then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. 

Comments
This recipe is from Fresh from the Farmers’ Market.  I had a small cabbage to use up from the market and found this recipe through Eat Your Books.  It was quite tasty!  The lemon flavor was subtle but notable. 

Shown here with Grilled Leg of Lamb.

Salt Potatoes with Butter and Herbs

Ingredients
2 pounds small potatoes
2 cups sea salt
¹⁄₂ cup unsalted butter
¹⁄₄ cup mixed fresh herbs such as marjoram, chives, lemon basil, etc, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Scrub the potatoes, but don’t peel them. (I had to peel mine a bit since the skins were weird.)

2. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil with the salt. Stir to dissolve the salt, and then add the potatoes. Boil over medium heat until the potatoes are fork-tender, 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Drain the potatoes then toss them in a bowl with the butter and herbs. Season with pepper and serve.

Comments
This recipe is from Local Flavors and, woah, were these potatoes salty.  Way too salty.  Lance and I tolerated them, but I wouldn’t say that we actually enjoyed them.  I will not be revisiting this recipe. 

Shown here with Poached Salmon with Dill and Sour Cream Sauce.