Recipe(tried): This Weeks Winners

Here they are...

**** This Weeks Winners ****

# 1 - Sunday Pasta

Pasta with Parmesan, Mushroom and Tomato Sauce
Source: Adapted from While The Pasta Cooks by Andrew Schloss
Makes 4 servings

1 lb pasta -- any shape
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion -- chopped
3/4 lb medium mushrooms -- clean/stem/chop
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic -- minced
4 plum tomatoes -- stemmed/chopped
salt and pepper -- to taste
2 tbsp Italian parsley -- chopped
6 tbsp parmesan cheese -- grated

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and stir a few times to ensure that the pasta does not stick to itself. Boil vigorously for the time recommended on the pasta package or until the pasta is tender.

While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion, and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until they lose their raw look, about 2 minutes. Add the thyme, garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook until the tomatoes soften, about 3 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry, add up to 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Stir in the parsley.

Drain the pasta and toss it in a serving bowl with the sauce and the cheese, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

NOTES : My only change was adding some jarred Tomato & basil Sauce like Classico (my favorite) to the sauce because my husband doesn't like sauces that are just veggies.

I also added a sprinkling of fresh basil on top along with a little parsley.

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# 2 - Chicken & Rice Pilaf

Another GF Grill meal - quick and easy. The pilaf is from Gourmet Magazine,
and is a nice accompaniment.

Basic Chicken (GF Grill)
Recipe By : RisaG
Servings: 2

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper -- to taste
barbecue sauce -- for basting*

Preheat GF Grill. When hot, season chicken with salt and pepper and place on grill. Cover and set timer for 3-1/2 minutes. When time is up, turn chicken over and close grill top. Cook for another 1/2 minute. Open and pull plug. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with favorite sauce on side.

NOTES : * sauce can be used for basting or for marinating. If marinating, place chicken in a ziploc bag and cover it with barbecue sauce or other favorite sauce. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour or more (if it has citrus in it, then 1 hr will do or the citrus juice will "cook" the chicken).

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Spicy Peanut & Scallion Pilaf
Source: Gourmet Magazine, April 1991
Serves 2

1 small clove garlic -- minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup converted rice -- or any white rice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup salted roasted peanuts -- chopped
1/4 cup scallions -- thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh lime juice

In a small heavy saucepan, cook the garlic and the red pepper flakes in the oil over moderately low heat for 1 minute, add the rice, and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup water and the salt, bring the liquid to a boil, and cook the rice, covered, over low heat for 18-20
minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork, let it stand, covered, off the heat for 5 minutes, and stir in the peanuts, scallions and lime juice.

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# 3 - Fish

I tried something new tonight and it went over well. A filet of fish that is covered with a mustard sauce and then covered with breadcrumbs and baked. It was luscious. I served it with baked sweet potatotes and sauteed spinach with garlic (no recipe for the accompaniments).

Baked Salmon with Mustard-Crumb Crust
Source: Bon Appetit - Fast & Easy
Makes 4 servings

2 tbsp distilled white vinegar -- + 1 ts[
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 6 oz salmon fillets -- or steelhead trout
dried thyme
salt and pepper
1 cup fresh French bread breadcrumbs

Place vinegar, sugar and both mustards in blender. With machine running, slowly pour in the oil and blend until medium-thick sauce forms (can be made 1 day ahead. Chill).

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a 13x9" baking pan. Arrange salmon in prepared dish, skin side down. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Spread 1 tbsp mustard sauce over each fillet, covering completely. Press breadcrumbs onto fish. Bake salmon until cooked through and crumb topping is crisp and golden brown, about 18 minutes.

Using large spatula as aid, transfer salmon to platter. Serve, passing remaining mustard sauce separately.

Risa's notes: I used steelhead trout and it tasted about the same. I also used dry breadcrumbs, roasted garlic flavor and they were delicious. I served it with a baked sweet potato and some sauteed spinach with garlic and hot peppers.

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# 4 - Southwestern Sandwich

I adapted a recipe from The Eating Well New Favorites Cookbook for dinner
and it came out great. The only real change I made was the bread that the
sandwich was on. I thought that pita bread wasn't southwestern so to make
it more authentic, I made some cornbread earlier in the day and the cut
it horizontally, toasted it and made the sandwiches. It was delicious and
a nice change from the usual dinners.

Hot & Smoky Peppered Corn Bread
Source: Crazy for Corn by Betty Fussell
Makes 12 servings

1 cup freshly ground cornmeal -- medium grind
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp sugar
2 ears fresh sweet corn -- making 1 cup kernels
1/2 cup roasted sweet bell peppers -- diced
2 tbsp chipotle chie -- finely ground
1/2 cup roasted onion -- minced
1/2 cup raisins
4 tbsp butter -- melted
2 eggs -- beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Prepare a 9x9" baking pan by greasing it well.

Sift the dry ingredients together.

Add the corn, bell peppers, chili pepper, onions, raisins and mix well.

Beat together the eggs, butter, buttermilk and sour cream. Add liquids to the other mixture and stir until barely blended.

Scoop batter into the pan and bake 20-30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cut bread into squares.

NOTES : Serving suggestion: Cut slices horizontally and fill like a sandwich. *

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Spicy Black Bean Sandwiches with Chipotle Mayonnaise
Source: The Eating Well New Favorites Cookbook, p. 62
Makes 4 servings

1 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
3 tbsp nonfat sour cream -- or nonfat yogurt
2 tsp canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce -- chopped
1 16 oz can black beans -- rinsed & drained
3/4 cup red onion -- chopped
3 tbsp fresh cilantro -- chopped
1 clove garlic -- finely chopped
1 tbsp mild chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
salt -- to taste
2 lg squares corn bread -- sliced horizontally
1/2 small head iceberg lettuce -- shredded
1 ripe avocado -- pitted/peeled/sliced
1 vine ripened tomato -- cored & sliced

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream and chipotle peppers. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine black beans, red onion, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, cumin, lime juice, and salt. Lightly mash the beans while stirring, until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture just holds together (or you can use a food processor and just pulse until it comes together).

Toast the corn bread slices. When they are toasted, remove them and slather the top piece with some of the chipotle mayonnaise. Then put a couple of slices of avocado and some tomato (or lettuce). Pile on some of the black bean mixture and cover with the bottom piece of cornbread. Turn sandwich over.

Serve with chips or potatoes.

NOTES : If you use pita bread as the recipe calls for, the recipe has 266 calories per serving, 8g protein, 11g fat, 36g carbo, 283mg sodium and 1 mg cholesterol. If you use the cornbread, I don't have the nutritional information.

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# 5 - Pasta w/Southwestern Flair

Tonight I made some pasta and I made a southwestern-style pesto sauce. It
was terrific. DH and I both loved it. Hopefully you will too!

Pasta w/ Pumpkin Seed & Chili Pesto Sauce (adapted)
Source: While The Pasta Cooks by Andrew Schloss
Makes 4 servings

1 lb pasta -- any shape
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas) -- hulled & unsalted
1 jalapeno pepper (to 2) -- stem/seed/fine dice
1 poblano peppers -- stem/seed/fine dice
2 tbsp fresh cilantro -- chopped
1 tbsp water
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp fresh oregano -- chopped
juice of 1 large lime
salt and freshly ground black pepper -- to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Romano or Asiago cheese -- freshly grated
Variation to sauce:
1 tbsp cajun seasoning or mexican seasoning

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and stir a few times to ensure that the pasta does not stick to itself. Boil vigorously for the time recommended on the pasta package or until the pasta is tender.

While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the pepitas, jalapeno, and poblano, and cook until the pumpkin seeds pop vigorously, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a food processor and chop coarsely. Add the cilantro, coriander, oregano, lime juice, watre, salt and pepper and process until finely chopped. With the processor running, add the oil and the cheese and process just until blended. Place the sauce in a serving bowl. Ladle a small amount of pasta water into the pesto and stir to loosen.

When the pasta is ready, drain it and toss it with the sauce in the serving bowl.

Serve with breadsticks.

NOTES : Risa's notes: I made the pesto as is (without the cilantro or water) and didn't really like it. So to make it more authentically Southwestern, I added some cilantro. I also added a bit of water to thin it out a bit. Still needed something so added a touch of cajun seasoning and that did the trick. We loved it.

The cajun seasoning I used was by Spice-O-Life in LA. It was their herb & spice blend. http://www.spice-o-life.com

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# 6 - Soup

I adapted this from a book on chiles. The things I mainly did to adapt it
was to use canned or frozen corn instead of fresh & I roasted the kernels
in a cast-iron pan instead of grilling the corn and then cutting it off
the cob. Also the original recipe called for pureeing and sieving the soup
but I did that and found it to be too thin for my taste. I made it more
like a chowder than a soup. Also I added some garnishes that the author did
not. Here is my version:

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Grilled Corn Soup with Southwestern Creams
Adapted from Red Hot Peppers by Jean Andrews
Makes 8 servings

4 ears corn on the cob -- partially husked OR
2 11 oz cans kernel corn (no salt) -- OR
1 pkg frozen corn kernels -- thawed
3 cups chicken stock -- or canned broth
1/2 cup carrots -- chopped
1/2 cup celery -- chopped
1/2 cup onion -- chopped
2 cloves roasted garlic -- squeezed from skins
1 serrano chile -- seeded & chopped
1 1/2 ancho chiles -- cut in half & seeded
4 1/2 tbsp milk
3 tbsp fat free sour cream or plain yogurt
Garnishes:
2 corn tortillas -- cut in strips
Vegetable Oil -- for frying
coarse salt -- for sprinkling
ground ancho chile pepper -- for sprinkling (opt)

Open cans of corn and drain well. When drained, dry with paper towels. If using frozen, thaw and dry with paper towels. Set aside.

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add corn kernels. Toast until lightly charred. Place chicken stock, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and serrano chile in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then let simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the charred kernels to the stock and let simmer 10 minutes. Plug in a hand blender ( or pour all ingredients into blender) and whiz until pureed, leaving a few pieces so it is a bit chunky. If using blender, puree in blender on highest number until completely smooth. Pour back into saucepan. Add the ancho cream, garnish with fried corn tortillas and serve.

To make ancho cream: Place the ancho in a preheated 400 F oven for 45 seconds. Remove and place in a mixing bowl. Add warm water to cover and let stand 10 minutes. When the ancho has softened, remove from the water and place in a blender with the milk. Process until smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine strainer. Whisk in the sour cream.

To make fried corn tortilla strips: Heat vegetable oil in a 2 qt saucepan and heat until 375 F. When it reaches temperature, place corn tortilla strips in oil, a few at a time, so not to lower temperature. Fry until golden. Drain on paper towels. While still hot, sprinkle with coarse salt and some ground ancho chile (optional).

To plate: Ladle soup into serving bowls, put another dollop of fat free sour cream or ancho cream on top. Place tortilla strips on top, towering as high as you can. You can also serve with some bread to clean the bowl with, if you like. Isn't as authentic as the tortilla strips, but it cleans the bowl well so you get all the soup.

NOTES : Original recipe from Red Hot Pepper by Jean Andrews, p. 120-121. Published by Macmillan General Reference, A Simon & Schuster Macmillan Company, 1633 Broadway, NYC 10019-6785, Copyright 1993 by Jean Andrews, ISBN # 0-02-502251-2RisaG