Crispix Chicken and Brussles Sprouts

I wanted to use up a chicken breast in the fridge, but I ran out of bread crumbs, so I made my own crunchy coating using Crispix cereal.  It was really good. :)

Baked Crispix Chicken

Ingredients:
1 or 2 chicken breasts
~1&1/2 cups Crispix cereal
~1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
~1/2 teaspoon paprika
pinch kosher salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lime lowfat yogurt

Directions:
Mix together the Dijon mustard and yogurt.  Evenly coat the chicken with the mixture. 
Crush the Crispix in a large resealable plastic bag and mix with the other seasonings.  Dip the chicken into the mixture until evenly coated.   Bake chicken on baking sheet in oven at 400ºF for 30 minutes or until done.


Braised Brussles Sprouts


1 pound Brussles sprouts, stem end trimmed and discolored leaves removed by hand
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Bring the sprouts, water, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cover and simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes (shaking the pan occasionally to redistribute the sprouts) until a knife tip inserted into sprout meets no resistance.  Drain well and season, if desired, with black pepper and butter or parmesan cheese.

Grilled Bison Tenderloin with Herb Butter (2012 - Week 31)

Week 31 Featured Ingredient: Bison

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam.... onto my plate.   This was another find at the Farmers' Market, and I'm so glad I tried it.   We grilled the bison tenderloin medium-rare (because that was the recommendation) and it was super juicy and tender and spectacular.  The Essence spice rub was delicious on the steak--I highly recommend it-- and the herb butter gave it that little extra creamy buttery yumminess.   I decided to buy Emeril's Essence Seasoning at the store, but there's also a recipe to make your own.
  
Grilled Bison Steaks with Herb Butter

Recipe from Food Network Channel - Emeril Lagasse
 

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil

1/4 cup Essence, recipe follows

4 bison steaks 

Herb Butter, recipe follows

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the oil and Essence on a plate and mix into a paste. Spread both sides of the steaks completely with the mixture. Place in a shallow dish, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and bring the meat to room temperature before grilling, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill. Slice the butter into 1/2-inch thick pieces and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Place the steaks on the grill and cook to desired temperature, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, place 1 to 2 pats of herb butter on each steak.

NOTE: Bison will naturally be a darker red than beef.  As bison cooks more quickly than beef, it is best to measure the thickness to cook:

1 inch thick - Rare: 6 to 8 minutes, Medium: 8 to 10 minutes

1 1/2-inch thick - Rare: 8 to 10 minutes, Medium: 10 to 12 minutes

2 inches thick - Rare: 10 to 12 minutes, Medium: 14 to 18 minutes

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Herb Butter:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh lemon thyme or thyme leaves

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, cream together all the ingredients. Place on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over the butter and pushing in as you go, roll into a tight cylinder, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate until firm. (The butter can be refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 1 month.)

Yield: 6 ounces 

Herb Butter

Radish, Cucumber, and Spinach Salad (2012 - Week 30)

Week 30 Featured Ingredient:  Beauty Heart Radish

I made my first trip to the Milwaukee Winter Farmers' Market at the State Fair Park.  There were lots of excellent veggies in sight, but this one really caught my eye when I saw the vibrant pink color inside.  I'd never seen a radish like that.  I found a recipe online and changed it up by adding spinach and orange bell peppers to add more color and nutrition.   I liked this salad.  The Beauty Heart Radishes were very mild and basically added crunch and a pretty color.

 

Radish, Cucumber, and Spinach Salad with Dill Vinaigrette
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, halved lenghwise, thinly sliced

1 large Beauty Heart Radish, thinly sliced

1 orange bell pepper, cut into thin strips
4 cups fresh baby spinach

zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
Put cucumber, radish, bell pepper, spinach, and lemon zest in a medium bowl, and add cheese. Whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, dill, sugar, and garlic in another medium bowl, whisking until sugar has dissolved; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified. Add vinaigrette to cucumber mixture; toss well.  Refrigerate salad in an airtight container up to 1 hour.

Ham, Gruyère, and Apple Panini

This was a 'raiding the refrigerator' lunch.  I happened to have ham, Gruyère cheese, apples, and thyme sprigs in my fridge, so I found a recipe that used them all.  I love a good grilled cheese sandwich. :)    I don't own a panini press, but my George Foreman grill worked just fine.

Ham, Gruyère, and Apple Panini

Recipe from Food Network Channel - Giada De Laurentiis

Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4"-thick slices
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
4 thick slices bread (I used sliced rye bread)  
2 tablespoons mustard
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
4 slices (4-ounces) Black Forest ham


Directions:

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apple slices and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are slightly soft, about 4 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.

Preheat a panini press. Spread each bread slice with 1/2 tablespoon mustard.  For each sandwich, arrange 1/4 cup of cheese on a bread slice and top with 2 slices of ham. Place the apple mixture evenly on top of the ham. Add the remaining cheese and cover with the remaining bread slice. Grill in the panini press until the cheese has melted and the tops are golden and crispy, about 5 minutes.

Raspberry Tart (2012- Week 29)

Week 29 Ingredient of the Week: Mascarpone Cheese

On the Food Network Channel, all the chefs are always using Mascarpone cheese, and I kept wondering if I was missing out on something.  Is it the same as cream cheese? Something better?  I just had to find out.  But I never saw it in the cheese or dairy section at the grocery store.  And then, while I was shopping for some Gruyère cheese for my Chicken Cordon Bleu, it suddenly appeared, hidden in the exotic cheese section near the deli!  So I whipped out my iPhone and searched for a recipe using this new ingredient.  This recipe caught my eye because it looked simple and because raspberries were on sale this week!  Woo hoo!

Jeremy and I enjoyed this dessert, although I made the crust way too thick.  I should have just thrown out half of the dough I made instead of trying to press ALL of it into the pie plate.  It was still good, but with just a thinner crust, it would have been perfect.   So... how did the mascarpone differ from regular ol' cream cheese?  Jeremy said he didn't notice.  I definitely tasted a difference, although it's hard to explain.  The mascarpone tasted a little sweeter, a little creamier.  I liked it.

Tart de Framboises au Mascarpone (Raspberry Tart)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup ground almonds
1&3/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
9 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
4&1/2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound fresh raspberries
chopped pistachios (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease a pie plate (or six 4" tart pans) with butter, then dust with flour.

In a bowl, stir 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar and ground almonds together until well combined. Mix in the flour, then stir in the unsalted butter and egg.  Mix until the dough is smooth and pliable, then form into a ball and place into the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Roll out dough and pat into the prepared pan.  Bake at 350º for about 20 minutes.  Let cool. 

In a bowl, whisk together the mascarpone cheese, yogurt, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is thick and smooth. Spoon the mascarpone filling onto crust; arrange raspberries on top of the filling in an attractive low mound.  Sprinkle each tart with pistachios if desired.  Refrigerate at least 15 minutes before serving.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Fun fact:  Despite its French name, Chicken Cordon Bleu is an American creation, first referenced in the New York Times in 1967.   'Cordon Bleu' means 'Blue Ribbon'   So this chicken dish is named 'Blue Ribbon Chicken.'

Jeremy and I really liked it.  Sure, I'd give it a blue ribbon. :)   I used Gruyère cheese as a special treat, but you could substitute regular ol' Swiss cheese.  I used ham because I already had some in my fridge that I wanted to use.  Next time, I'd use a thinner cut of chicken breast because no matter how much I pounded that chicken, it wasn't going to be 1/4" thickness.  I settled for 1/2".  Also, I could have added 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter to the bread crumb mixture to give it better browning in the oven.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
4 thin slices prosciutto or ham
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
1/4 cup flour
1 large egg
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper

Directions:
Place the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.  Using a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to a uniform 1/4" thickness.  Remove wrap.  Place ham over the top to cover the breast.  Next, sprinkle each breast with the grated cheese.  Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight.  Secure with toothpicks.

Shallow bowl 1: Dump some flour. 
Shallow bowl 2: Break an egg into bowl and beat with fork until smooth.
Shallow bowl 3: Combine the bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip into the egg mixture, and then coat with the bread crumbs.  Place the chicken on a baking pan lined with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350º for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Purple Potatoes

I decided to make myself a sit-down dinner while I watched a Chopped marathon on the Food Network Channel tonight, so I made a half-batch of this recipe for mashed purple potatoes from Eating Well.  It was just okay.  I liked my recipe for the herbed purple potato wedges a lot more.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Purple Potatoes
from Eating Well
139 calories/serving

Ingredients:
1 head garlic
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 multi-branch sprigs fresh thyme (about 1/3 ounce)
2 pounds purple potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.  Rub off excess papery skin from garlic head without separating the cloves. Slice the tip off the head, exposing the cloves. Place the garlic in a small baking dish, such as a bread pan. Drizzle with oil and lay thyme sprigs around it. Cover with foil. Roast until very soft, 30 to 45 minutes. Uncover and let cool. 

About 15 minutes before the garlic is done, cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain well.  Return the potatoes to the pot. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into the potatoes. Strain the oil through a fine sieve over the potatoes, pressing on the solids (discard the thyme). Add sour cream, milk, salt and pepper; mash to desired consistency.

Fox Point Salmon and Herbed Purple Potatoes (2012 - Week 28)

Week 28 Featured Ingredient: Purple Potatoes

I know, I know-- it's just a potato.  But they're purple!  And the chefs on the show Chopped are always using purple potatoes, so I, too, wanted to give them a try.  After a little research, I discovered that purple potatoes date back 7000 years ago to the Peruvian Andes, where they were reserved only as a treat for Incan Kings.  So they must be special, hey? Turns out they are loaded with flavonoids and antioxidants, making them healthier than the average spud.   These antioxidants have been shown to have anti-cancer and heart-protective effects, as well as immune-boosting benefits and protecting against age-related memory loss.   :)

I decided to herb the potatoes with what I call my "Scarborough Fair" combination-- parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.  If it works in the song, it should work on food, right?  It did.  The potatoes were delicious.   Taste-wise, I guess they reminded me of red potatoes, but different in a way that is hard to describe.  Maybe slightly sweeter?

For the salmon, we baked it using Penzey's Fox Point seasoning.  Yum. :)


Anne's Herbed Purple Potatoes

1/2 to 1 lb purple potatoes, quartered
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
~1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
~1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
~1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper

In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, oil, and herbs until evenly coated.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place potato wedges, face up, on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Bake at 400ºF for ~20 minutes until edges are brown and crispy and inside is fork-tender.

******

Fox Point Salmon

2 fillets of salmon (6-8oz)
1 teaspoon Penzey's Fox Point Seasoning
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 375º.  Grease a baking sheet or line with aluminum foil.  Place salmon, skin side down, on sheet.  Sprinkle with Fox Point Seasoning.  Arrange butter pieces over the fillets.   Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the fish.  Cover with foil and bake at 375º for about 10 minutes (until the internal temperature of fish reaches 145º).

Cajun Gumbo and Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce (2012 - Week 27)

Week 27 Featured Ingredient: Okra

We had a Cajun-style cooking night at our house.  The Gumbo was good, but really spicy.  It was right at my threshhold of what I can tolerate.  It really cleared out the sinuses--we needed a box of tissues at the table.  Now that I'm typing the recipe, I noticed my mistake.  I was only supposed to use 2 tablespoons of the Cajun Spice Blend, not the ENTIRE batch. HAH!  It was more like a soup than my photo shows because the juice is at the bottom of the bowl. This recipe made WAY more than what Jeremy and I can eat by ourselves, so if I made it again, I'd cut the recipe by half.  Despite the long ingredient list, it was really easy to make.  The bread pudding also made a very large portion, but I didn't mind because it was super delicious.  Like, REALLY good.  MMmmm.  I bet it would be good for breakfast too.  The Jack Daniel's Bourbon sauce was an excellent addition.

Emeril's Shrimp and Okra Gumbo with Cajun Spice Blend

Ingredients:
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon cayenne pepepr
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch coins
1 pound small okra, stem ends trimmed and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup tomatoes with their juices
5-10 cups fish stock (depending on how soupy you want it)
2 pounds medium (26-30 count) shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
2 tablespoons Cajun spice blend (see recipe below)
rice or quinoa for serving

Cajun spice blend:
1 tablespoon cayenne
2 tablespoons chopped dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon paprika
(Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.  May be kept in resealable jar for up to 6 months)

Directions:
 In a large stock pot over medium heat, add the canola oil and flour.  Stir mixture until it begins to turn a medium brown color, similar to peanut butter (this should take about 10 minutes).  Add the onions, green peppers, and celery, and cook until the veggies are soft, about 4 minutes.  Add the bay leaves, cayenne, and thyme.  Season with salt and pepper.

Next, add the sausage, okra, garlic, tomatoes, and fish stock and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes.

Season the shrimp with the Cajun spice blend in a medium bowl and add to the stock pot.  Stir and cook until the shrimp are cooked, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and take out bay leaves before serving.   Serve immediately over rice or quinoa.

 *******

Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce for 2

(There was plenty for 3-4 people!)

Ingredients:
Day-old stale bread (~6 slices), chopped into 1" cubes
2-3 large eggs
1&1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1-2 tablespoons raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Whiskey Sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons whiskey or bourbon

Directions:
Butter a 3-cup capacity glass baking dish or individual ramekins.  Arrange the bread cubes in the dish(es).  Toss in a pinch of raisins to your liking. Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Pour this mixture slowly over bread and press the cubes down into the custard.  Sprinkle the pecan pieces on top.  Let it soak while you preheat the oven to 325º.

Place the dish(es) on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes.  It's done when the edges are light brown, the middle is slightly puffed, and the eggs aren't runny when a toothpick is inserted.  While it cools, make the sauce.

Melt the butter, sugar, and cream together in a small saucepan over low heat.  Once the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat and stir in the whiskey.  Serve the sauce warm over the bread pudding.
 

Zeus Burgers (2012- Week 26)

Week 26 Ingredient of the Week: Pine Nuts

With the summer season winding down, we wanted to get good use of our grill before the snow starts flying.  I found this Greek-inspired recipe in the Taste of Home Grill It! magazine.  As a bonus, the recipe includes pine nuts which I've never cooked with before, so it's this week's featured ingredient. We couldn't really taste the nuts or feta much, but we did get that spinach flavor from the burger.  Grilling kept the burger juicy and the sauce complemented the burger well.

Zeus Burgers

Ingredients:
1 pound ~90% lean ground beef
1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon pine nuts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepepr
4-6 hamburger buns, split
Sauce:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
To make sauce, in a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate until serving.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, cheese, lemon juice, pine nuts, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.  Shape into four to six patties.  (I made six smaller burgers and put them on small kaiser rolls)

Grill, covered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side until done.   Toast buns on grill for a minute to lightly brown and serve burgers on buns with reserved sauce.