Tuesday Recipes

Enjoy!

ALMOND CAKE

This comes from Mark Bittman and Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. It begins, “This moist and fragrant cake from Molly Wizenberg, the author of the popular food blog Orangette, calls for a whole orange and lemon, almonds and olive oil. It does require a little effort and the use of some equipment – a food processor and a mixer – but the ingredient list is short, and once you've boiled and puréed the citrus and ground the almonds, the whole thing comes together in a snap. It's excellent on its own, but we also like it with poached pears or grilled figs.” Yield: 8 servings; Time: 2 hours 15 minutes.

This was featured in “Feast In A Day” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 small to medium orange

1 lemon

6 ounces raw almonds

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup olive oil

Confectioners’ sugar

Preparation

Place the orange and the lemon in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and cool.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees, and set a rack in the middle position. Bake the almonds 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. When the almonds are cool, pulse them in a food processor until ground.

Set oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9-inch springform pan.

When the citrus is cool, cut the lemon in half, and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut the orange in half, and discard seeds. Put the fruits in the food processor and process almost to a paste.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder. Combine eggs and salt. Beat until foamy. Beat in the sugar. Fold in the flour mixture. Add the citrus, almonds and olive oil, and beat on low speed until incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes, unmold and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

BASIC CORN CHOWDER

This comes from Mark Bittman, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “This is chowder at its simplest: corn, onion, potatoes and milk, with a couple of chopped tomatoes and a handful of parsley to add flavor and color. Starting with bacon and finishing with cream makes a richer version of the dish. But you could easily expand its borders by adding curry powder and ginger, sour cream and cilantro. Or when the potato is replaced by rice and the cream with coconut milk, Southeast Asian seasonings can be added to make a chowder that has little in common with the original, save for its intense corn flavor.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in “Don't Toss Out the Cobs” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

4 to 6 ears of corn

1 tablespoon butter or neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (optional)

1 cup whole or low-fat milk

1/2 cup chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation

Shuck corn, and use a paring knife to strip kernels into a bowl. Put cobs in a pot with 4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover and simmer while you continue.

Put butter or oil in a saucepan, and turn heat to medium-high. When butter melts or oil is hot, add onion and potatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes; add tomatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

After corncobs have cooked at least 10 minutes, strain liquid into onion-potato mixture; bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. When potatoes are tender, add corn kernels and milk, and heat through. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Garnish with the parsley, and serve.

Tip

Curried corn chowder: In Step 2, use oil, and add 1 tablespoon each curry powder and peeled and minced ginger to the onions. In Step 3, use sour cream in place of milk; garnish with cilantro in place of parsley.

CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE LO MEIN

This comes from Katie Chin, and was posted on The Today Show’s site. The recipe begins, “TV host and blogger Katie Chin shares how to turn store-bought rotisserie chicken and pre-cut veggies into a super easy restaurant redo main course.” Cook Time: 10 minutes; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Servings: 4.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

8 ounces dried egg noodles or 14 oz fresh egg noodles

2 ounces snow peas, tips and strings removed

2 ounces broccoli florets

3 tablespoons all-purpose cornstarch

3 tablespoons cold water

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

2 ounces sliced carrots

2 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

2 ounces thinly sliced red bell pepper

8 ounces shredded cooked chicken breast or store-bought rotisserie chicken

4 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 cup store-bought vegetable stock or chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

2 green onions (scallions), green and white parts, cut into 1-in pieces

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook until almost al dente, about 5 minutes for dried noodles, 3 minutes for fresh. Drain well and set aside.

Blanch the snow peas and broccoli florets in boiling water until tender, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to an ice water bath to cool, then drain and set aside.

Mix the cornstarch and the cold water together and set aside.

Heat the oil in the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the carrots and mushrooms and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and shredded chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Pour in the oyster sauce, vegetable or chicken stock and the salt. Cook until the stock comes to a boil, then add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the sauce thickens and all the ingredients are nicely coated. Add the drained snow peas and broccoli and the green onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Dish out over the noodles and serve immediately.

SPAGHETTI PIE

This was featured on The Today Show in August, and got Matt Lauer's attention. I had never tried anything like this before. As a vegetarian, I'd lean toward using a vegetarian substitute for the ground turkey or beef.

To view this online, along with video, go to http://www.today.com/food/spaghetti-pie-fun-way-make-dinner-leftovers-later-t39701.

Ingredients

12 ounces spaghetti, cooked, 1/2 cup cooking water reserved

1 small yellow onion, chopped finely

1 pound ground turkey or sirloin beef

1 cup tomato paste, divided

3 large eggs

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large skillet, saute the onions until soft. Add ground turkey or beef, and 3/4 cup of the tomato paste. Add half the reserved pasta water and stir well. Season with salt, to taste. Consistency should be like a thick Bolognese sauce. Add more cooking water as needed.

In a large bowl, mix together the cooked spaghetti, eggs, parmesan cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of the tomato paste.

Grease a 9 or 10-inch pie pan with olive oil. Spread half the meat mixture over the bottom of the pan. Add the spaghetti mixture and press it down to level it. Top with the remaining meat mixture, then scatter the remaining mozzarella on top.

Bake the pie in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit about 10 minutes. Use a sharp knife or pizza slicer to cut into wedges like a pie. Serve with a green salad.

ZUCCHINI BREAD WITH LEMON HONEY BUTTER

This comes from The Food Network Kitchen. Total Time: 1 hr 50 min; Prep: 35 min; Cook: 1 hr 15 min; Yield: 2 loafs; Level: Easy.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/zucchini-bread-with-lemon-honey-butter.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

3 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pans

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini (from about 1 medium zucchini)

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Honey Lemon Butter, recipe follows

Lemon Honey Butter:

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9- by- 5-inch loaf pans. In large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add the zucchini. Add the lemon zest and mix thoroughly.

In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add the zucchini mixture until completely combined. Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the sides have started to brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool on a rack 15 minutes. Unmold and serve warm or at room temperature sliced with the Lemon Honey Butter.

Special equipment: two 9- by- 5-inch loaf pans

Lemon Honey Butter:

Combine all ingredients and mix together well. Chill and serve.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH GLUTEN-FREE LEMON-TAHINI ZUCCHINI NOODLES

This comes from Stephanie Kirkos, About.com’s Gluten-Free Cooking expert. Stephanie wrote, “A Spiralizer is my favorite kitchen tool to put a healthier spin on pasta classics - and in a naturally gluten-free way.

“This recipe features zucchini noodles tossed raw in a bright and savory dressing of lemon juice, garlic, and tahini. The dressing softens the zucchini noodles as it sits, so there is no need to cook the zucchini noodles for this meal.

“The pile of zucchini noodles is topped with grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, Feta crumbles, and chopped fresh parsley.

“Dairy-free? Simply omit the Feta crumbles, or use a dairy-free cheese instead. Instead of grilled chicken, you can pair this recipe with grilled shrimp or salmon instead.

“Vegetarian? Replace the chicken with grilled tofu steaks or portobello mushrooms.” Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 0 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes; Yield: 2 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp fresh parsley leaves

1 1/2 tbsp water

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 large zucchini, spiralized into noodles

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, rinsed and sliced in half

1/4 cup Feta crumbles (optional)

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

Prepare Tahini Lemon Dressing: In a food processor, pulse garlic cloves a few times until minced. Add the lemon juice, tahini, fresh parsley leaves, water, and olive oil. Pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Wash and trim off the tough ends from each zucchini. With a spiralizer kitchen tool, spiralize the zucchini one at a time into spaghetti sized-noodles. Don't have a spiralizer? Use a julienne peeler, vegetable peeler, or sharp knife instead.

Place zucchini noodles in a large bowl. Pour half the dressing and toss to coat. Add more dressing, if needed. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to soften the noodles.

Grill the boneless, skinless chicken breasts either on a gas grill, electric George Foreman-type grill, or use store-bought all natural gluten-free chicken breast strips (super quick and easy shortcut!)

Divide the dressed zucchini noodles and sliced cherry tomatoes into two bowls. Place slices of grilled chicken over top. Garnish with Feta crumbles, if desired, and additional Tahini Lemon dressing and chopped parsley.

Reminder: Always make sure your work surfaces, utensils, pans and tools are free of gluten. Always read product labels to confirm the product is gluten-free. Manufacturers can change product formulations without notice. When in doubt, do not buy or use a product before contacting the manufacturer for verification that the product is free of gluten.