Recipe(tried): Great Week of Recipes

This was a great week in our house. Very delicious recipes (altho' my husband wasn't thrilled with the sauce on the Scallops Capri). I, on the other hand, loved it. He was in a bad mood. That may have had something to do with it.

Polenta with Three-Mushroom Sauce
From Low Fat & Fast from Vegetarian Times Magazine
Makes 4 servings

2 cups vegetable broth
1-3/4 cups water
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons olive oil*
1/2 cup minced shallot, or onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 3-1/2 oz. package of shiitake mushrooms, discard stems
and slice caps thinly
1 3-1/2 oz. package of oyster mushrooms, sliced
1 4 oz. package of crimini or button mushrooms, sliced
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp. dried)
salt and pepper, to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

In a 3 quart microwave-safe bowl, whisk together broth, water and cornmeal. Cover loosely with waxed paper, cook in microwave oven on high power for 6 minutes. Whisk carefully (mixture will be hot); cover and cook until polenta is very thick, another 4-5 minutes. Whisk again; cover and let stand until ready to serve.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots or onion, and garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and thyme to mushroom mixture. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally, 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon polenta onto 4 warm serving plates; top with mushroom mixture and cheese if desired. Book didn't publish the fat grams for this recipe, altho' they did for all the others. Weird.

* I used less olive oil. I also used a touch of olive oil cooking spray.

Note: I served it just as is but with a salad with an "Italian" type dressing. It was delicious.
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I got this from Betsy on TKL last year at a chat. It is really
delicious. We had it with a salad with fat free roasted garlic
dressing and croutons and it was really great. Very filling too.


Vidalia Onion Risotto

Recipe By : Cooking Light, Anniversery Book 1997
Serving Size : 5

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped vidalia onion (sweet onion)
2 large garlic cloves -- minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice -- uncooked or other
short-grain rice
29 ounces low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup feta cheese -- crumbled divided
2/3 cup chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper

To make 5 1-cup servings: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion and garlic; saute 1 minute. Stir in rice. Add 1/2 cup broth; cook
until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth,
1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is nearly
absorbed before adding the next portion of broth.

Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup feta cheese, parsley and Parmesan cheese.
Spoon rice mixture into a serving bowl; top with 1/4 cup feta cheese and
pepper.

[19% CFF] per serving: 321 calories, 6.6 grams fat (2.9 grams saturated, 1.5
grams monounsaturated, 1.1 grams polyunsaturated), 8.5 grams protein, 56.1
grams carbohydrates, 2.3 grams fiber, 13 milligrams cholesterol, 3.1
milligrams iron, 606 milligrams sodium, 135 milligrams calcium.


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Garlicky Tomatoes over Pasta
adapted from www.taunton.com/ - Kitchen Garden Magazine
Makes 4 servings

8 large tomatoes
8 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil*
1 pound pasta
1/4 cup oregano, chopped finely
1/4 cup basil, chopped finely
salt and pepper
My additions: 1/4 cup chicken broth
more garlic

Slice the top 3/8" off the stem end of each tomato. Using an apple corer, carefully remove just 1/2 of the core of each tomato. With a garlic press, squeeze a clove of garlic into the cavity of each tomato, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat with oil.

When charcoal is covered with light ash, place tomatoes on the grill, away from the heat, cut side up. Cover the grill and cook until softened - 20-30 minutes.

When the tomatoes are almost done, cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.

Remove the tomatoes from the grill, and sprinkle liberally with oregano and basil. Put the four least attractive tomatoes in a bowl and chop them finely. Stir in 2 tbsp. oil.

Drain the pasta, divide into 4 bowls, and top each with chopped tomatos. Gently place a whole tomato in each bowl. Serve pasta immediately.

* I used a lot less oil and sprayed the tomatoes with garlic-flavored cooking spray. I used the oven and roasted the tomatoes in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, turning them after 20 minutes.

Other notes: I let the tomatoes cool and then I peeled and seeded them. I also placed them in a food processor and pureed them with the chicken broth and some more garlic, salt and pepper and a little more oil. Then I heated it over a low heat and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. I did this because my husband does not like chunky stuff on top of his pasta. If I was eating alone, I would do the recipe as the magazine said.

I served it with breadsticks and some parmesan cheese on top. Also I topped it with some chopped basil, oregano and parsley. It was delicious.
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Scallops Capri
Adapted from Beyond Parsley by the Jr. League of
Kansas City, Missouri
6 servings

1/3 cup chopped shallots*
2 tablespoons butter**
2 pounds scallops, rinsed
3 tablespoons cognac
3 tablespoons white wine
2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
1-1/2 cups heavy cream***
2 egg yolks
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Saute shallots briefly in butter; add scallops and cook briefly. Add cognac and flame. When flame is extinguished, remove scallops; set aside and keep warm.

Add wine to the butter mixture and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add tomatoes and cook until thick. Stir in cream and cook 5 minutes. Add a little of the sauce to the yolks and return mixture to the pan. Stir in lemon juice, parsley and scallops; heat briefly.

* I didn't have shallots so I used a little sweet onion and a little garlic.
** I didn't use butter. I used some canola oil and a little butter-flavored cooking spray. Added a touch of light butter after it was cooked to give a little more of that butter flavor.
*** I substituted equal amounts of evaporated skim milk with a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch whisked in (so it wouldn't separate and to help with the thickening.)It was thick and beautiful.

I served this with some white rice (basmati is our house rice) with a touch of light butter mixed in. Also a vegetable on the side. I loved it. It was elegant and wonderful. If you like lots of sauce on your food, you will love this.
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I got this recipe from the internet but I don't remember which site. It was a long time ago when I didn't write down where I got stuff. It is quick and delicious.

I didn't cook it the way that the internet said to. This is what I did and then the real recipe will follow:

1) I cooked the sauce separately minus the cocoa powder and sugar.
2) I marinated the chicken and then cooked it in a grill pan separate from the sauce. It took less time this way.
3) I made the sauce earlier in the day.
4) Added cocoa powder & sugar as I cooked the chicken. Simmered it for awhile.
5) Served over basmati/wild rice combo that I cooked in the microwave with vegetable broth laced with saffron.

The recipe:

Low Fat Chicken Mole
Makes 4 servings

1-14 ounce can tomatoes (I used crushed)
1 green bell pepper, chopped fine
8 chicken thighs, boned & skinned*
2 tablespoons chile powder
1 chipotle, chopped**
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 chile, chopped***
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped fine
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients except cocoa and sugar in large pot. Cover and simmer until chicken is very tender, about 1 hour. Remove chicken from pot. Add cocoa & sugar. Simmer sauce until thick. Return chicken to sauce to heat 5-10 minutes to blend flavors. Serve over rice. 3 grams of saturated fat, 13 grams of fat total in one serving.

* I used boneless skinless breast meat.
** I used a little chipotle powder because I was lazy to re-hydrate a dried chipotle, squeeze it out and save the water. I used about 1/2 teaspoon.
*** I used a fresh poblano from my plant in the backyard. I didn't roast it. I just chopped it and added it to the sauce.
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BOY IS THIS DELICIOUS!!!
This recipe came from the TKL Chats last year. The recipe came from Cora, NC and it is really good. It made an eggplant-eater out of my husband who is always insisting that he doesn't like eggplant. Everytime I make it, he likes it. Hmmmm....men!

Eggplant Bake
From Cora, NC at the TKL Chat 1997
Makes 6-8 servings (I halved the recipe)

1 eggplant
flour*
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Thyme
6 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 green peppers, finely chopped
6 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped
16 ounces mozzarella, shredded or sliced**
1-1/2 cups cream or half & half***
3 eggs
2 egg yolks****
nutmeg, sprinkled on top

Peel & slice eggplant. Dredge in flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry in hot oil until nicely browned and soft. Place 1/2 the eggplant slices in a large oblong baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, thyme and 2 tablespoons parsley. Cover eggplant with half the tomatoes. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper, more parsley, half the onion & peppers. Cover with half the cheese. Repeat layers ending with cheese. Beat remaining ingredients together. Pour over layered ingredients. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the custard is set and cheese is deep golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

* I didn't use flour and I didn't fry the eggplant slices. I cut them in slices, sprayed them with some garlic-flavored cooking spray, sprinkled them with salt and pepper and baked them for 10 minutes on each side in a 375 degree oven. Then I set them aside until I had all the other ingredients prepared.
** I didn't have any mozzarella so I used a different kind of cheese. It was fine.
*** I had light cream, not heavy cream. It worked fine and cut the fat a bit.
**** I used 2 eggs, no extra yolks. It worked fine. It was custardy and delicious.

Other notes: I served it with some sauteed swiss chard with garlic and hot pepper flakes. A perfect accompaniment. You could also serve it with spinach or a salad. Fine either way.

Enjoy!

RisaG