grilled lemon chicken with satay dip (Barefoot Contessa)

Grilled Lemon Chicken

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)

2 lbs. boneless chicken breast

Whisk together the lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Pour over chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate over night or for at least 6 hours.

Grill until cooked through- can be put on skewers to make a nice appitizer


Satay Dip

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of dark sesame oil
2/3 cup small diced red onion
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of good red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dry sherry (I didn't use this)
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice (this makes the dip!)

Cook olive oil, sesame oil, red onion, garlic, ginger root, and red pepper flakes in a small pan on medium heat until onion is transparent. Whisk in the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, sherry and lime juice. cook for 1 more minute. Cool and use as a dip

Chicken Fajitas

3 tablespoons lime juice
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil


6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced


1. In a large bowl, combine lime juice, garlic, oregano, hot pepper, salt and oil. Add chicken and toss to coat. cover and marinate for one to two hours.

2. Saute peppers and onions in a bit of olive oil until slightly cooked.

3. Saute chicken until no longer pink (I cook the chicken separate from the veggies and combine them in the end.

4. serve with tortillas, salsa, cheese and sour cream (included in kit)

Tortilla Pie

Ingredients
1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10-oz) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup mild tomato salsa
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
6 oz pepper Jack cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 (10-inch) corn tortillas (I used 8 small round since I couldn't find large ones)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Accompaniment: sour cream

Directions

1. Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Stir together beans, corn, salsa, tomato sauce, cheese, cilantro, scallions, and cumin in a large bowl.
3. Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until smoking. Brush both sides of each tortilla with oil and fry, turning over once, until puffed and golden in spots, about 1 minute.
4. Put 1 tortilla in a well-oiled 15- by 10-inch shallow baking pan, then spread with 1 1/3 cups of filling. Repeat layering twice, then top with remaining tortilla, gently pressing to help layers adhere.
5. Bake until filling is heated through, about 12 minutes. Transfer with a large metal spatula to a platter, then cut pie into wedges with a serrated knife.

Chicken Satay

Serves 8 (each family got a half recipe)

2 lbs chicken breast
½ cup coconut milk
6 cloves garlic
1 T brown sugar
1 T each ground coriander, ground turmeric, and ground cumin
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Mix everything but chicken in a large bag. Pound chicken flat and cut in to strips. Put the strips in to the marinade and refrigerate overnight. Drain and discard excess marinade. Thread onto skewers. Grill uncovered over medium high heat for about 4 minutes each side or until juices run clear.

Sauce:
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 green onions chopped
1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
2-3 T lime juice
2 T soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t sugar
1 T minced fresh cilantro
1 t minced fresh ginger

Mix together and serve with grilled chicken.

SESAME NOODLES

Note – you can reduce this recipe. The recipe as is makes enough for 3 separate batches of noodles.

For Sauce:
1/3 cup Sesame paste (tahini)
½ cup Lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 ¾ cups soy sauce (I use Light soy sauce)
1/3 cup Ginger, minced
½ cup Scallions, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup Sugar
1 ¼ cups Sesame oil
¼ - ½ cup Chili oil (I put in less so it wouldn’t be too hot but it’s good when it’s hot.)

Mix sesame paste with the lime juice using a whisk – the sauce will be thick. Add some soy sauce and whisk into the mixture. Add more soy sauce and mix, until all soy sauce is mixed in. (If you mix this way, you’ll avoid having lumps of sesame paste.) Add remaining ingredients and mix together. This sauce keeps in the fridge for a while.

For Noodles:
Fresh Asian noodles (wheat) – two 9-ounce packs (I use NaSoya brand japanese style wide noodles – found in the produce section at Price Chopper or Stop and Shop.) You can also use linguine noodles.
Noodle Sauce, well stirred – 1 ½ cups

Boil noodles. (The fresh ones only take 3 minutes.) Strain and soak with cold water. Let drain for 10 minutes.

Toss with sauce. This seems to be better the second day – the sauce permeates the noodles. Serve at room temperature.

CHILLED AVOCADO CITRUS SOUP

Serves 4-6

1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons salt

4 cups (1 quart) freshly squeezed orange juice (I used OJ not from concentrate)
1 cup (8 ounces) freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt (additional)
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ½ - 3 avocados, cubed
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced (I added 2 cups since I had a lot of mushrooms)
2 cups plum tomatoes, diced without pulp
chopped cilantro – add to dish (optional)

Cover the chopped onion with salt for 20 – 30 minutes. Rinse the salt completely off the onion, drain and squeeze off excess water.

Mix the salt, black pepper, orange juice, lime juice, garlic and sugar. Stir to mix well. Add olive oil and avocado, mushrooms, tomatoes and onion. Stir gently to mix well. Let chill for 1 hour.

Serve with cilantro.

Creamy Corn Chowder

Serves 6

6 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 crushed garlic clove
2 teaspoons cumin
4 cups vegetable stock
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups of fresh corn (4-5 cobs)
1 can of cream corn
tablespoon of roasted red peppers
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 cup half and half
1 cup cheddar cheese

Saute onions in butter for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and saute one minute more. Add potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add all the corn and peppers. Simmer 10 more minutes. Toss in parsley, cream, and cheese if serving immediately.

If freezing, make soup but hold out cheese. Cool and freeze with cheese separated.

To reheat: defrost and heat up gently. Add cheese and enjoy.

Spinach Calzone

1 ball of pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
1 package frozen spinach
black olives
roasted red peppers
garlic
olive oil
roasted pine nuts
feta cheese

Saute spinach with oil and garlic. Add olives and peppers. Salt to taste. Spread out dough in to a rectangle and spread spinach mixture along the middle. Sprinkle with cheese and pine nuts. Fold over dough to make a log. Bake at 400' for about 15 minutes or until the crust is beautifully browned.

If freezing, bake for about 5 minutes at 400'. Cool, wrap and label. To bake: defrost on cookie sheet, bake at 400' or until crust is hot and crispy.

Chickpea & Sweet Potato Curry

From Williams-Sonoma's Vegetarian Food Made Fast
* I won this book at the Millbury-Sutton Mom's Club End of the Year Banquet! *

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Canola oil
1 small Yellow Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger, chopped
1 Thai or Jalapeno Chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon Curry Powder
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
1 large Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (15 oz) Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 can (about 14 fl oz) Coconut Milk, well shaken
1/2 cup (2.5 oz) Frozen Peas
1/2 cup (3 fl oz) Canned Diced Tomatoes, drained
Steamed basmati rice, for serving (optional)

Serves 4

1 - MAKE THE CURRY BASE
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chile and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I didn't add any salt/pepper -forgot! But still tasted great to me.)

2 - COOK THE VEGETABLES
Add the sweet potato, chickpeas, the coconut milk, and 1 cup (8 fl oz) water to the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high, bring just to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, until the sweet potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the peas and tomatoes and cook until heated through. Serve in bowls over steamed rice, if desired.

Tip:
When refrigerated, leftovers of this curry will thicken considerably. To reheat, you may need to add a little water or vegetable broth and warm it, covered, over medium heat just until hot.