Recipes

Chicken Piccata with Pasta and Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds ground turkey
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

• In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, seasoned bread crumbs, onion, egg whites, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form into 12 patties.
• Cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).

Asian Pork Tenderloin

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, sliced into 4 4-ounce portions

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

In a heavy frying pan, add the sesame seeds in a single layer. Over low heat, cook the seeds stirring constantly until they look golden and give off a noticeably toasty aroma, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the seeds from the pan to cool.

In a bowl, add the coriander, cayenne pepper, celery seed, minced onion, cumin, cinnamon, sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. Stir to mix evenly.

Place the pork tenderloin in the prepared baking dish. Rub the spices on both sides of the pork pieces. Bake until no longer pink, about 15 minutes. Or bake until a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees (medium) or 170 degrees (well-done). Serves 4

Chicken Salad with Thai Flavors

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock, vegetable stock or broth
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bottom 6 inches only, thinly sliced
• 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 green (spring) onion, halved lengthwise, plus 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3 fresh cilantro (fresh coriander) sprigs, plus 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 bunch spinach
• 1/2 small head green cabbage
• 1 large carrot, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 tablespoon unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, crushed

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan, combine the stock, lemongrass, ginger, halved green onion and cilantro sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken breasts, raise the heat to high and return to a boil. Again reduce the heat to low and simmer the chicken for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover. Uncover after 5 minutes and allow the chicken to cool in the stock. Remove the chicken from the stock when cool enough to handle. Reserve the stock. Using your fingers, shred the chicken with the grain into strips about 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches long. Cover and refrigerate.

Strain the cooled stock and discard the solids. Return 1 1/2 cups of the stock to the saucepan; discard the remaining liquid. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, uncovered, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 5 to 6 minutes. Cool.

In a blender, combine the lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, shallot, peanut butter, garlic and reduced stock. Blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil. The dressing will be somewhat thin. Set aside.

Remove the stems from the spinach and cut out the core from the cabbage. Stack the spinach and cabbage leaves separately and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips.

In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, cabbage, shredded chicken, carrot, chopped cilantro and sliced green onions. Pour half of the dressing over the salad. Divide the salad evenly among individual plates. Garnish with the peanuts. Pass the remaining dressing at the table.

Transfer the pork tenderloin to warmed plates. Serve immediately.

Ginger-marinated Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large portobello mushrooms
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove their stems. Place in a glass dish, stemless (gill) side up.

To prepare the marinade, in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, pineapple juice and ginger. Drizzle the marinade over the mushrooms. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, turning mushrooms once.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

Grill or broil the mushrooms on medium heat, turning often, until tender, about 5 minutes on each side. Baste with marinade to keep from drying out. Using tongs, transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter. Garnish with basil and serve immediately.

Roast Turkey and Prosciutto Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (12-ounce) prebaked pizza crust (such as Mama Mary's)
• 3/4 cup tomato and basil pasta sauce
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
• 1 cup shredded cooked turkey breast
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 cup torn arugula leaves
• 3 slices prosciutto, finely chopped (about 2 ounces)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place crust on a baking sheet. Spread sauce over crust; sprinkle with fontina. Toss turkey with vinegar. Top pizza with turkey, onion, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and pepper.

Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until crust is browned. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with arugula and prosciutto.
Yield 4 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Cheddar-Jalapeño Quesadilla Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup Dijon-Lemon Vinaigrette
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Quesadillas:

• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeño peppers
• Cooking spray
  
  

Remaining ingredients:

• 6 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
• 2 cups chopped tomato
• 1 cup bottled salsa
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

DIRECTIONS

To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 3 ingredients; stir with a whisk. Set aside.

To prepare the quesadillas, drain beans through a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1 tablespoon bean liquid; discard remaining liquid. Combine 1/2 cup beans and 1 tablespoon reserved bean liquid in a small bowl; mash with a fork. Reserve remaining beans. Spread bean mixture evenly over 4 tortillas. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup cheese and about 1 tablespoon jalapeño; top with remaining tortillas.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Cook quesadillas for 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the quesadillas from the pan, and cut each into 4 wedges. Combine vinaigrette with lettuce, and toss well. Arrange 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. For each serving, spoon 3 tablespoons reserved beans over lettuce mixture, and place 1/2 cup tomato over the beans. Top each serving with 1/4 cup salsa, 2 tablespoons chopped onion, and 1 tablespoon sour cream. Serve each with 4 quesadilla wedges.
Yield - 4 servings