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Fast & Easy Dinner: Baked Cod Casserole

partysugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:15:21 -0800

If you're looking for a way to introduce your children to the wonderful world of fish, I highly recommend starting with this simple recipe. It takes a mild, firm white fish, such as cod, and coats it in a delectable topping of sautéed onions, wheat bread, and cheese. It's sort of like a fish gratin and is lightly seasoned with garlic powder and paprika. The resulting dish is far from "fishy" - instead it's succulent and delicious. Serve with a green salad, buttered pasta, or roasted veggies. Get the recipe and read more.

Baked Cod Casserole
From Eating Well

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium onions, very thinly sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/4 pounds cod, cut into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups finely chopped whole-wheat country bread (about 2 slices)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup finely shredded Gruyere, or Swiss cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until just starting to soften, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add wine, increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until the wine is slightly reduced, 2 to 4 minutes.
Place cod on the onions and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Cover the pan tightly with foil; transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
Toss bread with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, paprika and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Spread the bread mixture over the fish and top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the fish is opaque in the center, about 10 minutes more.

Serves 4.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Hoisin Beef and Edamame Noodles

partysugar — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:15:48 -0800

When I hear the words "stir-fry," I normally think of a protein/vegetable dish that's served over rice. However, this recipe demonstrates that a stir-fry can also incorporate noodles. Chopped red pepper, snappy edamame, and strips of flank steak are flash-cooked in a large pan. A hoisin, chili, and garlic sauce seasons the dish, while the last-minute addition of minced ginger and chopped cilantro provides an aromatic freshness. Check out this uncomplicated but exciting recipe after the break.

Sunday Slow Cooker: Chinese Pork and Vegetable Hot Pot

YumSugar — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:30:25 -0800

Don't have the patience for all that froufrou Valentine's Day stuff? Then keep the tail-end of your weekend low-key with a slow cooker supper that pays an ever-so-subtle homage to the Lunar New Year.

Start with a generous cut of budget-friendly pork shoulder and some Winter root vegetables, and simmer it for several hours in a stock spiced with cinnamon, anise, ginger, and garlic. Serve the comforting end product over noodles or rice when you read more.

Monday's Leftovers: Wild Mushroom and Barley Risotto

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:15:54 -0800

Vegetarians and omnivores unite and make today a meat-free Monday by serving a reassuringly creamy risotto for dinner. Traditional risotto is made with arborio rice, but if you're looking to take it up a nutritional notch, prepare the dish using leftover barley, a chewy cereal grain high in fiber and antioxidants but low in fat. Parmesan cheese and wild mushrooms don't just add in meatiness and substance - they also impart strong umami flavors. See how the quick dish comes together and read more.

Monday's Leftovers: Chicken Thighs With Leeks and Shiitakes

YumSugar — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:00:01 -0800

Chicken, when served with a saucy side of leeks and mushrooms, makes for a smooth-sailing weeknight supper. Use healthy skinless chicken thighs from last night's meal as the star of the dish, simmering and serving it in a white wine sauce.

Although white wine, mushrooms, and leeks are a standard flavor combination, change things up by switching out button mushrooms for Asian shiitakes and stirring in anise-tinged tarragon at the end. Make this fast and easy dinner for two tonight when you read more.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Baked Cod with Chorizo

partysugar — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:50:23 -0800

The addition of pork, whether it's bacon, sausage, or ham, is an instant flavor boost to all sorts of dishes. In this recipe, chorizo acts as a fatty, spicy seasoning for flaky white fish. It gives the cod a rich smokiness that's completely satisfying without being overly indulgent. Fresh tomatoes, chopped thyme, and canned white beans are the supporting ingredients that make this a healthful and savory meal. To look at the uncomplicated procedure, read more.

Baked Cod With Chorizo
From Eating Well

Ingredients

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 ounces Spanish chorizo or turkey kielbasa, diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dry white wine, divided
1 15-ounce can great northern beans, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 1/4 pounds Pacific cod, cut into 4 pieces
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallot, chorizo (or kielbasa) and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are broken down and the wine is almost evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in beans and 1/4 teaspoon salt and remove from the heat.
Sprinkle fish with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; place in the prepared baking dish. Top each piece of fish with equal amounts of the tomato mixture (about 1/2 cup per fillet). Pour the remaining 1/4 cup wine into the pan and cover the pan with foil.
Bake until the fish is just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the fish with the sauce spooned over the top.

Serves 4.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Hamburger Buddy

partysugar — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:15:30 -0800

With its finely chopped vegetables, ground beef, and creamy sauce, this dish is great for kids who are picky eaters. The meat, Worcestershire, and sour cream sauce mask the mushrooms, carrots, and onion.

Thanks to the familiar and fun elbow-shaped pasta, no one will notice that it's actually whole wheat. It's a wholesome, nourishing one pot meal that's sure to please parents and children alike, so get the recipe and read more.

Hamburger Buddy
From Eating Well

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
10 ounces white mushrooms, large ones cut in half
1 large onion, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups water
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth, divided
8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles, (2 cups)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or chives for garnish

Directions

Fit a food processor with the steel blade attachment. With the motor running, drop garlic through the feed tube and process until minced, then add carrots and mushrooms and process until finely chopped. Turn it off, add onion, and pulse until roughly chopped.
Cook beef in a large straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften and the mushrooms release their juices, 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in water, 1 1/2 cups broth, noodles and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Whisk flour with the remaining 1/4 cup broth in a small bowl until smooth; stir into the hamburger mixture. Stir in the sour cream.
Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley (or chives), if desired.

Serves 6.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Skirt Steak and Roasted Pepper Couscous

partysugar — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:45:23 -0800

It's just one week until Dec. 25, and between the Christmas cookies, edible gifts, and holiday cocktail parties, my regular diet has gone by the wayside. Tonight I'm taking matters into my own hands by making a healthy steak and couscous dish. Couscous is a simple ingredient and it's important to season it well. This recipe does so with a Moroccan-inspired mixture of spices - cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon. The steak is rubbed with the same blend, resulting in a dish that is intensely flavorful. To get the straightforward recipe, read more.

Skirt Steak and Roasted Pepper Couscous
From Eating Well

Ingredients

2 medium bell peppers
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 whole lemon, plus more lemon wedges for garnish
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2/3 cup whole-wheat couscous
1 pound skirt steak or sirloin steak, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped green olives

Directions

Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
Place bell peppers on a baking sheet and roast under the broiler, turning every 5 minutes, until charred and softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board; when cool enough to handle, chop the peppers into bite-size pieces.
Meanwhile, combine cumin, coriander, salt, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper in a small bowl.
Grate 1/2 teaspoon zest from the lemon. Juice the lemon into a 1-cup measure and add enough water to make 1 cup.
Pour into a small saucepan and add the lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover, remove from heat and let stand.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium heat until shimmering (but not smoking). Rub the remaining spice mixture on both sides of steak. Cook the steak 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest on the cutting board for 5 minutes.
Stir olives and the peppers into the couscous. Thinly slice the steak and serve with the couscous and lemon wedges, if desired.

Serves 4.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Tomato Bisque With Mozzarella Crostini

partysugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:00:09 -0800

When the weather outside is frightful, but the fire inside is delightful, there's nothing I crave more than a bowl of steaming hot soup. Tomato soup is the ultimate comfort soup and this rendition is super creamy, but not loaded with fattening ingredients.

In fact, there's no cream, milk, or half-and-half in this recipe; the rich, smooth texture comes from the addition of silken tofu. Sound intriguingly scrumptious? Wait until you read the recipe, after the break.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Salmon and Escarole Packets

partysugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:15:10 -0800

For a quick-cooking, healthy, and delicious meal, look no further than this recipe for salmon and greens in papillote. Crisp bitter escarole acts as a bed for the moist salmon and simple garlic-butter-tarragon sauce. The whole thing is wrapped in parchment paper and baked in the oven. The resulting dish is a package waiting to be opened and devoured. Although it's an uncomplicated technique, the final presentation makes this fish ideal for impromptu weeknight entertaining. To look at the recipe, read more.

Salmon and Escarole Packets
From Eating Well

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 lemons
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chopped escarole, romaine lettuce or spinach
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1-1 1/4 pounds skinned salmon fillet, preferably wild Pacific, cut into 4 portions

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
To prepare packets, start with four 20- to 24-inch-long pieces of parchment paper or foil. Fold in half crosswise. With the parchment or foil folded, draw half a heart shape on one side as you would if you were making a Valentine. Use scissors to cut out the heart shape. Open up the heart.
Combine butter with the juice of 1 lemon in a small pan; melt over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in tarragon and garlic. Reserve 2 tablespoons for the fish.
Combine the rest of the sauce in a large bowl with escarole (or lettuce or spinach), scallions, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat.
Place one-fourth of the greens mixture (about 1 1/4 cups) on one side of each open heart fairly close to the crease and leaving at least a 1-inch boarder around the edges for folding.
Place 1 piece of fish on top of each portion of greens. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Brush the reserved sauce on the fish. Slice the remaining lemon and top the fish with the lemon slices.
Close the packet to cover the ingredients. Starting at the top, seal the packet by folding the edges together in a series of small, tight folds. Twist the tip of the packet and tuck it underneath to help keep the packet closed. Place the packets on a large rimmed baking sheet (packets may overlap slightly).
Bake until the fish is just cooked through and the greens are wilted, about 15 minutes. Carefully open one package to check for doneness;be cautious of the steam.) Let the packets rest unopened for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

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