Recipe(tried): This Weeks Winners

I did a lot less cooking this week so there are fewer recipes this week. But here they are...***** This Weeks Winners *****

#1

Another wonderful meal on the George Foreman Grill. I
adapted a recipe from Boy Meets Grill by Bobby Flay for
the GF Grill and it came out wonderful. Chicken, Mango,
Chiles, ooooo it was good.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Jerked Chicken with Mango-Cilantro Relish & BBQ Red Onions

Recipe By : Adapted from Boy Meets Grill by Bobby Flay
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Grilling & Bbq Marinades, Salsa & Sauces
Poultry Entrees

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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Mango-Cilantro Relish:
2 ripe mangoes -- peeled & diced
1/2 red onion -- finely sliced
2 tbsp cilantro -- finely diced
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For Jerk Marinade:
2 cups vegetable oil
2 lg yellow onions -- coarsely chopped
4 scallions -- coarsely chopped
3 habanero peppers or jalapeno peppers -- stemmed & seeded
3 tbsp fresh gingerroot -- peeled & grated
6 cloves garlic -- coarsely chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme -- finely chopped
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg -- freshly ground
pinch ground cloves
2 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
For chicken:
8 chicken thighs -- boned & skinned
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the red onions:
16 slices red onion -- 1/2" thick slices
don't let the slices separate into rings!
Mesa Barbecue Sauce -- or your favorite
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

FIRST THING I DID WAS HALVE THE RECIPE!!

For the relish: Combine the mangoes, onion, cilantro, citrus juices, and olive oil in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let sit 30 minutes at room temperature. May be refrigerated 1 day; serve at room temperature. Makes 4 cups.

For marinade: Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. May be refrigerated, covered, for 1 day. Makes about 3 cups.

For chicken: Pierce the chicken with a fork all over. Place it in a large shallow pan or baking dish. Cover with the marinade and rub it in well. Refrigerate, covered, for 24 or up to 48 hours, depending on how intense you want the flavor to be.

Preheat the George Foreman Grill (or a gas or charcoal grill to medium).

For George Foreman Grill: Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off excess (discard the marinade). Season with salt and pepper and grill the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. If you want the great grill marks, flip the chicken over but turn it at the same time so the lines criss-cross. I usually do this about 2 minutes in. I also do it because I feel the bottom grid makes better marks than the top one. You don't have to turn the chicken over since the grill cooks both top and bottom at the same time. Just my preferance.

For charcoal or gas grill: Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off excess (discard the marinade). Season with salt and pepper and grill the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 5-6 minutes on each side.

For the red onions: Brush the onions on both sides with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

On a preheated grill (or GF Grill), cook slightly, just to obtain grill marks, about 3 minutes on each side (For GF Grill, brush the onions with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill for 3-4 minutes until soft. Then brush with some sauce, grill for 1 more minute so the sauce doesn't stick to the grill and caramelize).

Arrange the chicken and red onions on a big platter and serve the Mango-Cilantro Relish alongside.

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# 2

Low fat, comforting and simple - that is what dinner
was. Part of the dinner was made in the microwave and
the rest was on the stovetop and in the broiler. Pretty
quick too - under an hour to make dinner.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Swiss Chard and Grilled Polenta

Recipe By : Eat Fresh, Stay Healthy by Tony Tantillo & Sam Gugino
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Corn Mushrooms

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
3 tsp kosher salt -- or other coarse salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 qt skim milk
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 bunch swiss chard -- about 1 lb
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sm onion -- chopped
6 oz wild mushrooms or domestic -- sliced
3 cloves garlic -- minced
3/4 cup dry red wine -- or mushroom stock
1 28 oz can tomatoes with juice -- drained & chopped
2 tsp tomato paste
1/4 cup parsley -- chopped fresh
1 1/2 tbsp fresh sage or 2 tsp dried
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated

Prepare polenta by combining cornmeal, 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and milk in a microwaveable, 2 qt casserole. Cook at full power (HIGH) in a microwave oven uncovered for 12 minutes, stirring once. Let stand 3 minutes. Spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with butter-flavored cooking spray and pour polenta into it, spreading out evenly. Put in the refrigerator to cool. When completely cooled, cut into 6 equal pieces.

Meanwhile, separate chard stems from leaves. Stack and roll leaves, cigar-style, and cut into 1/2" strips. Cut stems crosswise into 3/4" crescents. Wash in lots of cool water. Drain.

Put oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until onion and mushrooms begin to soften. Add garlic, cook a few minutes more, then add wine, tomatoes, and paste. Bring to a boil, add chard, and season well with remaining salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes. Add parsley and sage during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Preheat broiler.

Spray a large baking sheet with butter-flavored cooking spray. Distribute polenta pieces evenly and spray the tops. Broil about 5 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. To serve, put a piece of polenta on each of 6 plates (preferably soup plates), top with chard, and sprinkle with 2 tbsp parmesan.

Sam's Cooking Tip: Polenta, soft or firm, is so much easier to make when microwaved, but if you're one of those few who doesn't have a microwave oven, you can make polenta on top of the stove by adding the cornmeal to a saucepan of boiling salted water or milk in a stream. Stir with a wooden spoon until it comes away from the sides of the pan, abuot 20 minutes.

Risa's note: If I make this again, I will lessen the amount of wine (or stock) and cook the chard mixture a little longer so it reduces a bit. Also, I'll add more garlic. I used a generous amount of salt and pepper as noted in recipe but I thought I could've used a bit more. All this dish needs is some good bread to sop up the juices.

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Tonight I just cooked 2 perch fillets in some lemongrass
dressing (I give you the recipe for the dressing but not
the fish) and a barley pilaf. The vegetables are in the
pilaf so you get grain and veggie in one.

Here is the dressing:

* Exported from MasterCook *

Gingery Lemongrass Dressing

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
4 stalks lemongrass -- roughly chopped
2 tablespoons ginger -- minced
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce -- reduced sodium
variety

In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, lemongrass, gingerr and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour.

Remove from the heat and strain the liquid into a small bowl, discarding the solids. Return the liquid to the saucepan and boil over high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes.

Stir in orange juice, fish sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil and soy sauce. Set aside to cool. (May be made ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 2 days.) 2g fat per tablespoon.
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NOTES : Eating Well/July-August 1996

All I did was salt and pepper the fish, dredge it in
some flour, shook off the excess and then seared it in
a cast-iron pan. Then I put the dressing in the pan and
cooked the fish in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 F.
I left it out to finish cooking (carry-over cooking).

Meanwhile the pilaf was cooking.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Barley and Mushroom Pilaf

Recipe By : Vegetariana by Nava Atlas, p. 96
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Mushrooms Side Dishes

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup raw barley
2 tbsp safflower oil or light olive oil
1 med onion -- chopped
2 med celery stalks -- chopped
2 cloves garlic -- minced
2 cups mushrooms -- coarsely chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley -- chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill -- chopped
1 1/4 cups canned or cooked white beans -- navy or northern
2 tbsp soy sauce (to 3 tbsp) -- to taste
1 tbsp honey
freshly ground black pepper -- to taste

Cook the barley - boil 3 cups of water, pour in 1 cup barley, lower heat, add some salt and stir. Cook for 45 minutes until done and all water is absorbed. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Saute over moderate heat until the onion is translucent. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until the onion is golden. Add the cooked barley and all the remaining ingredients and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Serve at once.

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# 4

Fresh pizza, nothing like it. This one has roasted
eggplant and tomatoes on top and is really great.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Easy Pizza Dough

Recipe By : Eat Fresh, Stay Healthy by Tony Tantillo & Sam Gugino
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pizza

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour -- unbleached
1 pkg Rapid Rise yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup barely hot water (125-130 degrees F)

Put 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar and half the salt in the bowl of a food processor. With the motor running, add olvie oil and 3/4 cup of the water. Add more water, 1 tbsp at a time, until the dough forms a ball. The continue processing another 30 seconds to knead. Spray a bowl with olive oil cooking spray and put dough in it. Spray again and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Set bowl in a warm, draft-free place. (If mixing by hand, knead dough about 10 minutes before setting aside).

After the dough has doubled in size (20 minutes or more), punch down and roll out the dough on a work surface dusted with remaining flour. Dough should be 14 inches in diameter for a thin crusted pizza, about 12 inches in diameter for a thicker pizza. Place on a pizza stone, pizza pan, or on the back of a baking sheet.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * Exported from MasterCook *

Eggplant Pizza

Recipe By : Eat Fresh, Stay Healthy by Tony Tantillo and Sam Gugino
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pizza

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 recipe Easy pizza dough -- see recipe
Olive oil cooking spray
1 med eggplant -- about 1 lb
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 med tomatoes or 3 plum tomatoes -- thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil -- chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated

Makes pizza dough and set aside on pizza stone or back of a baking sheet. Preheat the broiler.

While dough rises, trim (but don't peel) eggplant. Cut into 1/4" thick slices. Spray a baking sheet that will fit inside the broiler with olive oil cooking spray. Put eggplant slices on the tray and spray the tops. Put in the broiler and brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and brown other side. Remove from the oven and reduce heat to 500 F. Sprinkle eggplant with half the remaining salt and half the pepper.

After the dough has doubled, punch down and roll out the dough on work surface covered with flour. Dough should be 14 inches for thin crust and 12" in diameter for thicker crust. Place on pizza stone. Top with eggplant, then tomato slices. Sprinkle tomato with basil, remaining salt, and pepper. Spray edges with olive oil cooking spray.

Bake 12-15 minutes for thin-crust pizza, adding chees halfway through. Add 3 to 5 minutes for thicker pizzas. Pizza should be crisp and nicely browned underneath.

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