Chicken and pineapple…ooh lala… July 9, 2007

Today was grill day, and I fixed up all kinds of wonderful things…

First was two different kinds of chicken. Though the usual fare is to marinate in Italian dressing (which I also did), this time I took some advice from a local bar and grill. So, in place of italian I used Catalina dressing….

This isn’t the best photo, but I wanted to show an example. This beautiful red-orange glow is, in fact, the fully cooked chicken. When I saw chicken fixed this way for the first time, my reaction was..’is it raw?’ Nope..I assure you it isn’t. Its flavor is simply amazing: a mix of charcoal smokiness and candy sweetness….

Next on the grill was pineapple, at the peak of ripeness. Recipe is included below…

Grilled Pineapple

 

Recipe from The Mayo Clinic…

 

Ingredients

For the marinade:

2 tablespoons dark honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

 

1 firm yet ripe pineapple

8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes, or metal skewers

1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)

 

1 tablespoon grated lime zest

 

Directions

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler (grill). 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.

To make the marinade, in a small bowl, combine the honey, olive oil, lime juice, cinnamon and cloves and whisk to blend. Set aside.

Cut off the crown of leaves and the base of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple upright and, using a large, sharp knife, pare off the skin, cutting downward just below the surface in long, vertical strips and leaving the small brown “eyes” on the fruit. Lay the pineapple on its side. Aligning the knife blade with the diagonal rows of eyes, cut a shallow furrow, following a spiral pattern around the pineapple, to remove all the eyes. Stand the peeled pineapple upright and cut it in half lengthwise. Place each pineapple half cut-side down and cut it lengthwise into four long wedges; slice away the core. Cut each wedge crosswise into three pieces. Thread the three pineapple pieces onto each skewer.

Lightly brush the pineapple with the marinade. Grill or broil, turning once and basting once or twice with the remaining marinade, until tender and golden, about 5 minutes on each side.

Remove the pineapple from the skewers and place on a platter or individual serving plates. Brush with the rum, if using, and sprinkle with the lime zest. Serve hot or warm.

Bon Appetit!

Tomato-Basil Sauce July 5, 2007

Simple Tomato-Basil Sauce

Robin Miller’s recipe, Lisa style…

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with sauce

1 8 oz can tomato paste with garlic

Dried basil, to taste (about 1 tsp. or a palmful)

garlic salt or 1 garlic clove (or more, if you love garlic..)

black pepper or crushed red pepper (I use both)

Dried oregano, to taste (about 1 tsp. or a palmful)

Dried parsley, to taste (about 1 tsp. or a palmful)

1 tsp. sugar

handful of fresh basil, chopped

handful of fresh parsley, chopped

In a pan over medium heat, combine both cans of diced tomatoes, can of tomato paste, dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, garlic salt (or garlic cloves), black pepper, and sugar. Cover and let simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When sauce is finished simmering, remove from heat. Add fresh parsley, fresh basil, and crushed red pepper, if desired. (I also like to add a little extra garlic salt). Stir together and serve over hot pasta.

Robin Miller’s ‘Quick Fix Meals’ June 29, 2007

 Overview:

A few weeks ago I picked up a copy of ‘Quick Fix Meals’ by Robin Miller. Being unfamiliar with Miller’s program on Food Network, I was nevertheless interested in her approach to quick, healthy meals from the moment I leafed through the pages of the book. It is comparable to Rachael Ray’s 30 minute meals, only a little more detailed with better ideas for saving money. It also boasts over 200 recipes including a section for revamping leftover meals.

In a nutshell, here’s the rundown:

Pros:

1.) She gives you recipes to transform leftovers (usually about 3 or 4 different modified meals per each leftover batch), so there is little to no waste. This also cuts the amount of groceries one would have to purchase.

2.) This book is designed for busy people with very little time to spend in the kitchen. This can work for both single people and families. She suggests taking one hour out of the weekend to do all of your prepwork (chopping, boiling, marinades, etc..) so that it’s already done when you get home from work during the week. This ensures as little time in the kitchen as possible on short evenings that you want to spend catching up on projects or with your family.

3.) The recipes are simple and usually designed to cook in 30 minutes or less.

4.) As Miller says in her book, she is a nutritionist. Therefore, she makes a conscious effort to make sure meals include lowfat alternatives. Most of the meals are made with lean meats such as chicken, fish, and pork, and tons of fresh vegetables.

5.) You don’t have to be a chef or a top notch cook to benefit from this book. In fact, it’s made for normal, everday people looking for simple meal ideas. You just need to know a few basic steps, which are outlined very clearly in the book.

Cons:

1.) Miller consistently advocates that the freezer should be your best friend. In fact, many of her recipes and prepwork are designed for this. This is a good idea but could be inconvenient if you live in a small house or apartment with limited freezer space.

2.) Prepwork is a good idea but the food quality may suffer when it finally hits the table. Since there are several things she prepares in advance, some of the meals or ingredients must be microwaved. In some cases, the flavors could be consistent with leftovers.

3.) Prepwork still takes a good deal of time. This plan sort of assumes that you have an hour or two to spare each weekend towards cooking and prepping.

4.) Some of the ingredients may not necessarily be things you would keep in the kitchen. They would be special purchases towards making certain meals only.

Overall, I would consider this a fantastic collection of recipes and an incredibly strong approach to quick easy meals. It’s not really a gourmet cookbook — more like a much more well-balanced fast food alternative. If you are looking to bust fast food from you diet but don’t have a strong culinary aptitude or a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, this book is definitely a must-have.

An Alternative for Ranch Fiends.. June 25, 2007

This is a recipe I plan to try and post photos of next week. I love ranch dressing on anything, but it is so high in fat and calories. This sounds like a great alternative. Recipe is courtesy of selfdishes.com..

LOWFAT CREAMY ARTICHOKE RANCH DRESSING
Makes 2 cups

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 scallion, trimmed, cut into quarters
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Serve at room temperature or chilled.