Almond-Crusted Chicken With Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus

This recipe was from the Dr. Oz show from chef Laurie Erickson. As we are known to do - we tweaked it a bit. We used a full chicken breast, which doubled the cooking time - but the veggies were great this way!

Ingredients (Makes 3 servings):
3/4 cup Almonds, finely chopped (used used blanched and sliced almonds)
1/2 cup Dijon mustard (enough to spread evenly over three chicken breasts)
3 Boneless skinless chicken breasts (see note on cooking time)
1 lbs Fresh asparagus, cut around 5" from the tip
1 large Sweet potato
1 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Rosemary (dried)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450° F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small food processor, add the almonds and chop fine.
3. If working with full chicken breasts, pound them a bit (you do not need to do this if you are working with halves or thin slices).
4. Using a sauce brush, spread the mustard on one side of the chicken and spread around half the almonds. Using a fork, move it to the cookie sheet (almond side down) and then add mustard and almonds to the other side.
5. Scrub the sweet potato and cut into 1/4" slices. Then add the sweet potato slices and the asparagus to the cookie sheet (it may be tight).
6. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and then sprinkle salt and pepper (to taste) as rosemary on top.
7. Place in the oven. If using full breasts, cook for around 26-29 minutes (if using half breasts, cut time in half).

Enjoy! This is ANOTHER Dr. Oz recipe that (sadly) I like. Here's to healthy living!

Shrimp and Cashews Stir-fry

This recipe was loosely adapted from a Food Network recipe for Spicy Shrimp, Celery, and Cashew Stir-fry. I took out some of the things I do not like and added Pam's favorites in stir-frys - broccoli, water chestnuts and mushrooms. Love the way this came out!

Ingredients (Makes 4 servings):
2 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tbsp Cooking sherry (or regular sherry)
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 1/2 tsp Cornstarch (divided)
1 lbs Shrimp, peeled and cleaned
3 tbsp Peanut Oil (divided)
2 Crowns Broccoli, trimmed with stems no more than 1 inch
1/2 cup roasted salted cashews (can increase to 3/4 cup to taste)
1 can (8 oz.) Water Chestnuts, Sliced
6 oz White mushrooms, stems removed and cut in half (if larger)
3 tsp Garlic, chopped

Directions
1. Mix soy sauce, cooking sherry, sesame oil and 1 tsp cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.
2. Sprinkle 1/2 cornstarch on the shelled shrimp.
3. Heat 2 tbsp peanut oil over medium-high heat in a wok or large saute pan. Add broccoli, water chestnuts and cashews and stir-fry for around 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for an additional minute. Then transfer broccoli mix to a serving bowl.
4. Heat 1 tbsp peanut oil in the pan and add the shrimp. Cook for around 2 minutes as the shrimp turns pink. Add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
5. Return the broccoli mix to the pan and mix. Add the soy sauce mix and stir for around one more minute.

Enjoy with rice or noodles.

Stuffed Sole

This recipe was adapted from a number of sources, but primarily from the crab cakes recipe found in this great book: Emalee Chapman's Fresh 15-minute meals. This is an easy recipe and it makes a great dish elegant enough to serve company.

Ingredients (Makes 4-6 stuffed sole - serves 3-4):
1 can of Crab meat (around 6oz)
1 tsp Lemon or lime juice
1 Egg (large)
1/4 cup Breadcrumbs
1 tbsp Celery, chopped small
1 tbsp Roasted red pepper - chopped small
1/4 tsp Paprika (plus some extra for topping)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
4-6 Sole fillets
Cooking Spray

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, add crab, lemon (or lime) juice, egg, breadcrumbs, celery, roasted red pepper, paprika, kosher salt and pepper. Mix until well blended
3. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with cooking spray.
4. Lay a sole fillet with the prettiest side down. Divide up the crab mixture and put equal parts near the wide end of each fillet. Take the narrow end of the fillet and wrap over and then under the stuffing (see how it looks in the picture).
5. Sprinkle the top with paprika and bake for around 20-23 minutes.

Enjoy!

NOTE: These are dry by design. If you want more moisture, you can drizzle wine or lemon juice over the stuffed sole when they are assembled.

Warm Chicken Salad Piccata

This was adapted from a recipe from Every Day with Rachael Ray and my Warm Tuna Niçoise salad.

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs Baby red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
3/4 lbs green beans, cut to 2-3" long
1/4 cup Olive oil
2 tbsp Capers, rinsed
1/2 cup Parsley, chopped
1 tbsp Grated lemon peel
2 tbsp Lemon juice
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 or 1/2 tsp Black Pepper (to taste)
2-3 tbsp Canola Oil
2 Skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/3" slices
1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions
1. Place cleaned and cut potatoes in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam until tender (around 10 to 15 minutes).
2. Transfer potatoes to a serving bowl and then add the green beans to the steamer and cook for around 6 minutes.
3. In a large serving bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp capers, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, lemon peel and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Add the potatoes and beans and toss. Add salt and pepper (if desired).
4. While the potatoes and beans are steaming, beat two eggs in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp canola oil over medium-high heat. Coat the chicken breasts with the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg, allowing any excess to drip off, and coat with the flour again, shaking off the excess. Add to the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden, about 7-8 minutes (around 4 minutes a side). Transfer to a cutting board and cut into strips.
5. When all the chicken is cooked, add the chicken broth to the skillet along with 1 tsp of the flour mixture used to coat the chicken. Whisk the broth over medium high heat for around 3 minutes until blended (along with the browned bits in the pan). Then remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1 tbsp capers, 1/4 cup parsley and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Top the salad with the chicken and drizzle with the pan sauce.

Enjoy!

Mini Turkey Burgers

We all love, love, love these mini turkey burgers. You can almost call them turkey sliders - but they are really too good for that. We cook them on a Foreman Grill - but they can be cooked on a grill or in a pan. They are simply fantastic.

Ingredients
1 lbs Ground Turkey (use 93/7 - not the super lean)
1 Large egg
1/4 cup Bread crumbs
1 tsp Dried Sage
1/4 tsp Dried Pepper (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt (or more to taste)
8 Buns - dinner rolls work well
Cooking Spray

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients (except the buns and cooking spray of course) by hand until well blended.
2. Form into patties around 2 1/2" in diameter (they should fit the dinner rolls).
3. Heat the Foreman Grill to medium-high. Spray top and bottom with cooking spray. Place patties on the grill and cook them for around 8-9 minutes. (NOTE: if using a grill pan, cook on one side for around 8 minutes and 6 minutes on the other side).

Enjoy!.

Herb-Broiled Ruby Red Trout

I have never cooked Ruby Red Trout before and it was really great. Ruby Red Trout in a farm-rasied trout that is somewhat similar to Salmon - so it can easily be swapped in this recipe. I still want to make Rainbow Trout - another day I guess. This was adapted from recipe I found in a 10 year old Cooking Light publication called What's for Dinner. I loved the way it turned out and will make it again - maybe with Salmon.

Ingredients
1/4 cup Dry white wine
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 1/2 lbs Ruby red trout fillets (cut into three or four pieces)
1/4 tsp Kosher salt (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp Black pepper (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp Dried tarragon
1/2 tsp Dried basil
1/2 tsp Dried dill weed
Cooking Spray

Directions
1. Turn on broiler.
2. Coat cooking spray on a lipped baking sheet.
3. Combine wine, lemon juice and oil in a container. In a separate bowl, combine salt, pepper, tarragon, basil and dill weed.
4. Place the fish, skin side down, on the baking sheet and brush the wine mixture on top of the fish. Then sprinkle salt mixture on top of the fish.
5. Broil (on high) for 7 minutes. Fish will easily flake when tested with a fork.

Enjoy with vegetables and rice.

Jorge Cruise's Microwave Muffin

Jorge Cruise's Microwave Muffin Recipe (Dr. Oz)

Fitness Trainer Jorge Cruise (author of the Belly Fat Cure Fast Track) showed this recipe for a healthy muffin you can make in no time on the Dr. Oz show. While skeptical, I found that these are really great. Come to think of it, I have a certain skepticism with anything the good Dr. pushes...oh well that is my problem.

So I call these Dr. Oz Miracle Muffins....they are really good.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Ground flax
1 tsp Baking powder
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Coconut oil
1 egg
1 packet Stevia (sugar substitute)

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients into a mug. Coconut oil come in solid form, so we shave it with a butter knife to get the 1 teaspoon.
2. Cook in a microwave for 50 seconds.
DONE!

Note: You can add raisins and other dried fruit (small) as desired. I would experiment here.

Also, the muffin slides right out of the mug. We cut it in half and add a little bit of margarine.

Still do not believe me??? Here are the pictures of the process.


1. Mix the Ingredients:


2. After 50 seconds in the Microwave:


3. Slides right out:


4. Cut and enjoy!

Pork Loin Chops with Orange Curry Sauce

This was adapted from a recipe I found in an old Cooking Light recipe book that I found in the basement. I really wanted to try this simple dish, but I was paranoid that no one would like it. So I went out an purchased more pork chops that I cooked conventionally...as a fallback. I loved it as did others. Will definitely make this again.

Ingredients
1 tsp Curry powder (mild), divided
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Ground black pepper
4 boneless center-cut pork loin chops (around 1/2" thick)
1/2 cup Orange marmalade
2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Prepared horseradish
Cooking spray

Directions
1. Combine 1/2 tsp curry powder, kosher salt, paprika, and ground pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of the pork chops.
2. Combine remaining 1/2 tsp curry powder, marmalade, balsamic vinegar, and horseradish in a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat a skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook for 4 minutes on each site. The chops should lose their pink color. Remove port from pan and keep warm under foil.
4. Return the skillet to the heat source and add the marmalade mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute until blended with the loosened browned bits in the pan. Spoon the sauce over the pork (and maybe vegetables or other sides served with the pork).

Enjoy!

Cranberry and Orange Biscotti

(Adapted from the Barbara Karoff's The best 50 Biscotti Recipes (Bristol Publishing, 1995). Loved the way this came out.

Ingredients
3 cups All-purpose Flour (plus some for shaping biscotti)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Sugar (plus some for topping)
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter or Margarine (room temperature)
1 tsp Orange Extract
2-3 tbsp Grated Orange Rind (around one large orange)
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
3/4 cup Sliced Almonds

Directions
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) and set aside.
3. Combine in a mixer or mixing bowl butter or margarine and sugar until blended. Then add orange extract, orange rind, and eggs. Then blend until thoroughly mixed.
4. Slow the mixer and add the flour/baking powder mix slowly until blended. Then add cranberries and almonds.
5. You will make two logs from this batter. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet (or grease with butter or a cooking spray) and prepare a place to work on the batter (wax paper with flour will work fine). Form each half of the batter into a log about 3 inches wide and about 3/4" to 1" high. (NOTE: If your hands have flour on them, it will be easier to mold). When you have two logs (do not worry about a bit of flour on them), lightly sprinkle the tops with sugar.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes (test with a toothpick that it comes out clean). Let cool on the baking sheet for about twenty minutes (leaving the oven on).
7. Using a spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife (electric knives work great), cut on the diagonal into 3/4" slices (be as consistent as possible). Cutting on a diagonal gives you longer pieces. Place sliced pieces back onto the cookie sheet with a small gap between the cut slices (this will allow the biscotti to be baked again on the sides). Put back in the oven for 20 minutes.

Store in an airtight container and enjoy!