Wednesday Recipes

Here are today's six recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

STRAWBERRY-ORANGE MUFFINS

This comes from WebMD, and begins, “We love the combination of strawberry and orange in this sweet breakfast muffin with a streusel topping. For a less conventional (but equally delicious) twist, try the basil variation. The hint of basil complements the fruity berries wonderfully.” Makes: 1 dozen eggs.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons almonds

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 3/4 cup, divided

2 tablespoons brown sugar, plus 1/2 cup, divided

3 teaspoons orange zest, freshly grated, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

2 tablespoons canola oil, plus 1/4 cup, divided

1 cup white whole-wheat flour, or whole-wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup nonfat, or low-fat buttermilk

1/4 cup orange juice

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups strawberries, chopped fresh or frozen; not thawed; about 8 ounces

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

Step 2: Process almonds, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and stir to combine.

Step 3: Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons orange zest and 1/4 cup oil in a medium bowl with buttermilk, orange juice, egg and vanilla extract until well combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients; stir until just combined. Add strawberries; stir just to combine. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the almond topping, gently pressing into the batter.

Step 4: Bake the muffins until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 5 minutes more before serving. Variation: For Strawberry-Basil Muffins, omit orange zest and use 1/4 cup additional buttermilk in place of orange juice. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil with the berries in Step 3.

STIR-FRIED SPICY ASPARAGUS

This comes from David Tanis in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. David wrote, “Holding out for regional produce may seem absurdly romantic, or a little stubborn, but there’s no denying the thrill when, after months of apples, potatoes and sturdy greens, suddenly asparagus appears in full force at the market. Finally, spring has arrived.” Time: About 15 minutes; makes 4 to 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds pencil-thin asparagus (or substitute small or medium asparagus, split lengthwise)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 serrano or other fresh hot chile, finely chopped

A large handful of basil, mint and cilantro leaves

Preparation

Snap off and discard the tough bottoms of each asparagus spear. Cut the asparagus into 2-inch lengths.

In a wok or cast-iron skillet, heat the oil until nearly smoking. Add the asparagus, season generously with salt and pepper and stir well, making sure the asparagus is coated and glistening with oil. Continue to stir-fry over high heat for about 1 minute, until the asparagus looks bright green and barely cooked. Add the garlic, ginger and chile and stir-fry for 30 seconds more.

Transfer to a serving platter and scatter leaves on top. Serve immediately.

MISO CHICKEN

This comes from Sam Sifton, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Making a compound of unsalted butter and the salty, fungal deliciousness of Japanese miso paste is a surefire way of adding immense flavor to a simple weeknight meal. Here the mixture is spread over chicken thighs, which are then roasted to golden perfection. But you could easily use it on salmon or flounder, on corn or potatoes. The recipe calls for white miso, which is more mild than the aged version known as red miso. But you could certainly use red for a more intense result.” Time: 45 minutes; makes 4 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup white miso

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon rice vinegar (do not use seasoned rice vinegar)

Black pepper, to taste

8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 pounds

Preparation

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine butter, miso, honey, rice vinegar and black pepper in a large bowl and mix with a spatula or spoon until it is well combined.

Add chicken to the bowl and massage the miso-butter mixture all over it. Place the chicken in a single layer in a roasting pan and slide it into the oven. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, turning the chicken pieces over once or twice, until the skin is golden brown and crisp, and the internal temperature of the meat is 160 to 165 degrees.

LOW-CALORIE GLUTEN-FREE SWEET POTATO LASAGNA

This recipe was on The Today Show on May 18, 2016. The recipe begins, “This delicious main course from Kevin Curry, found of Fit Men Cook, is gluten-free and day lower in carbs than classic lasagna.”

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes

1 pound extra-lean ground beef or 97% ground turkey

Olive oil

1 clove garlic

2 cups homemade or store-bought marinara sauce, or 4 or 5 roasted vine tomatoes

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Fresh basil, to taste

Sea salt and pepper

1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese or 2% cottage cheese mixed with 1 egg white

1/2 cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Using a mandolin, slice the raw sweet potatoes to about the thickness of a dime coin.

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the lean beef, making sure that is finely chopped. Transfer the cooked meat to a large bowl and drain any visible grease. Set aside.

Heat the same skillet to medium-high heat and add the olive oil and thinly sliced garlic. After about 3 to 5 minutes of cooking, add the store-bought marinara or roasted tomatoes, Italian seasoning, basil and salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.

You can either add the ground meat to the marinara and mix together or you can add the meat and marinara to a blender and pulse to create an easy-to-spread restaurant-style meat sauce.

In a cast-iron skillet or casserole dish, add a few slices of the sweet potato to cover the bottom. Add a layer of the meat sauce, then top with a layer of the ricotta-egg mixture. Repeat again in the same order: the sweet potato slices, then the meat sauce and ricotta mixture. Top with the remaining sweet potato slices, then the final layer of meat sauce. Finish the dish with the mozzarella cheese.

Cover the skillet with foil and bake in the oven for at least 50 minutes. Remove the foil for the final 5 minutes of baking so that the cheese slightly browns. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

BLUEBERRY-BANANA CREAM PIE

This comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Ingredients

9” baked pie crust

2-3 bananas

1 cup sugar

1 (21 oz.) can blueberry pie filling

8 oz. cream cheese

2 tbsp. lemon juice

8 oz. Cool Whip topping

1/3 cup sugar

Directions

Cream 1 cup sugar, cream cheese and cool whip. Slice bananas over bottom and sides of baked pie shell. Spread creamed mixture over bananas. Mix pie filling, lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar. Spoon on top of creamed mixture, leaving an edge of cream showing around the outside. Chill several hours. Keep refrigerated.

DRY-RUBBED GRILLED CHICKEN

I'm amazed at the number of places I run across really yummy recipes. This comes from Self Magazine, in an article titled “Perfect Picnic. (The article can be found online at http://Self.com/go/picnicrecipes.) This, like the other recipes in the article, comes from Marissa Lippert of NYC's Nourish Kitchen and Table, and begins, “Your standard picnic chicken gets a sophisticated upgrade.” Serves 4.

This yummy recipes can be found at http://www.self.com/food/recipes/2015/06/dry-rubbed-grilled-chicken/.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon sumac

1 teaspoon za'atar (a Middle Eastern spice blend found at specialty markets)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 chicken (3-4 lb), cut into pieces (or 4 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and thighs)

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Preparation

In a bowl, combine sugar, zest, sumac, za'atar, salt and pepper. Rub onto chicken pieces, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Lightly oil a grill or grill pan with 1 tsp oil. Grill chicken, skin side down, over medium heat until skin is crisp and golden, turning once and drizzling with remaining oil, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm or cold.