Poached Halibut with Ginger and Cilantro

Poached Halibut with Ginger and Cilantro

Serves 4

Poaching is a tasty, healthy way of cooking seafood since it doesn't require any oil and preserves all of the flavorful juices that are released during cooking.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
4 green onions, halved
Dash of tamari**
2 tablespoons lime juice
4 (5- to 6-ounce) halibut steaks
Salt and pepper to taste
6 to 8 cilantro sprigs
1 lime, thinly sliced
Sliced avocados (optional)
4 cups cooked jasmine rice

Method

Put wine, ginger, green onions, tamari and lime juice into a large, deep skillet and simmer over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Season halibut with salt and pepper then arrange in skillet.

Scatter cilantro over the top, cover tightly and gently simmer until halibut is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Toss limes slices and avocados over halibut and serve with rice on the side. Spoon poaching liquid over the fish if you like.

NOTE: **Although soy sauce and tamari [tuh-MAHR-ee] are both made from fermented soybeans, Japanese tamari is thicker, darker, and richer than its counterpart. Think of it as the kinder, gentler (and less salty) soy sauce. It has a more complex, smooth flavor compared to the sometimes harsh, overwhelming bite of a salty soy sauce.

Chicken Roulade Florentine with Roasted Red Peppers & Asiago

Chicken Roulade Florentine

with Roasted Red Pepper & Asiago

The word "Roulade" simply means "rolled up". There are many different types of Roulade that include pork, veal, and chicken. What you roll up in it, well, that's entirely up to you!

This particular recipe is one of my favorites. I usually like to serve this with a Rosemary Cream Sauce.

Since there are so many variations on Roulades, I was hard pressed to find an exact image for this particular Roulade on the WEB, so the main photo is just an example of how a Roulade should look. Keeping this in mind, I was able to procure an image of this recipe that I made the other day for my brother Mike and his family. The image is NOT the best, so I hesitate to use it as the main photo, so I will just include BOTH.

Roasted red bell peppers you can buy in your grocery store, OR you can roast your own if you know how to. For time sake, go for the store bought roasted bell peppers.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt
Black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
4 slices Provolone cheese
2 cups shredded Asiago cheese
2 large roasted red bell peppers (need about half a pepper for each piece of chicken)
Bag of fresh baby spinach (usually in the salad section of grocery store)
Toothpicks

Procedure:

Lay out a layer of plastic wrap on counter top. Evenly space out chicken breasts on top of plastic wrap. Place another layer of plastic wrap over top of breasts. Using a meat pounder (or tenderizer tool), flatten chicken breasts out to about 1/4 inch thickness, trying to keep them in a rectangular shape. Be careful not to pound too hard or you will tear the chicken. If you don't have a meat pounder, you can use a rolling pin, bottom of a sauce pan..be creative.

Once chicken is pounded out, remove top layer of plastic wrap and throw away. Liberally salt and pepper both sides of chicken, laying each piece "skin" side down.

Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme onto each breast. Layer one slice of provolone cheese, Asiago cheese, 1/2 of a roasted red bell pepper, and a nice handful of baby spinach. Be very liberal with the spinach, because it WILL shrink substantially when cooked.

Roll up chicken breasts lengthwise, tight as you can, but be careful not to tear the chicken. Once rolled, secure with toothpick and place seam side down in baking dish. A 13x9 dish will do just fine.

Bake in 375 degree oven until internal temperature is 160 degrees, about 45 minutes. The baking dish will have liquid from the cooked chicken. You can discard this or save it to use in soup or whatever.

Allow chicken to set for 10 minutes, then slice into medallion sized pieces and arrange on serving plate. Drizzle with Rosemary Cream Sauce or the sauce of your choice.

Rosemary Cream Sauce

1/4 cup white wine
1 cup heave cream
2 springs fresh rosemary
1 TBSP butter

Reduce wine in sauce pan to about half. Add heavy cream and fresh rosemary, allow to steep over low heat (not boiling) for about 10 minutes. Strain out Rosemary, add butter. Serve over desired dish.

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup

There is no set recipoe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based broth (such a chicken stock).

Minestrone is one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine, and is just about as common as pasta on Italian tables

YIELD 6 Servings

2 tbsp. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lg. diced onion
2 c. diced potatoes
1 c. diced celery
1 c. diced carrots
1 c. sliced zucchini
1 c. green beans
2 c. shredded cabbage
4 c. beef or chicken stock
2 c. peeled tomatoes (diced) Fresh is best, but sometimes not available, so use canned if needed, just drain can well before adding.
1 can cannellini or northern beans
1/2 lb. sm. shell pasta
Chopped parsley & basil (Fresh!) about 3 tablespoons each
Fresh ground pepper
Grated or shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese

1. Heat olive oil in saute pan, add onion and saute until soft, add garlic and saute for 30 more seconds until fragrant.
2. Add potatoes, celery, carrots and stir a few minutes.
3. Add stock and 2 cups of water, bring to boil then add peeled tomatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add zucchini, green beans and cabbage, bring to boil.
4. Add parsley, basil and beans, let simmer until vegetables are almost ready. Bring to boil, add pepper and salt to taste.
5. Add dried shell pasta. Cook 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
6. Sprinkle grated cheese on each serving.

Pico de Gallo vs. Salsa??

I get the question, "What's the difference between Pico de Gallo and Salsa?" Depending on who you may ask, depends on the answer you receive. Popular answer are, "Salsa is cooked, Pico de Gallo is raw", or "Salsa is more saucy whereas Pico de Gallo is more like a relish", and some people say there is no difference, they are the same. I could get into the break down of the translations of the words and all that, but do I REALLY want to bore anyone to tears?

For me, my answer tends to compile a few popular answers: Pico de Gallo is raw and not saucy, whereas Salsa is cooked and is saucy.

Between the two, I much prefer Pico de Gallo style.

If I go to a Latin themed restaurant, and they drop a bowl of jarred salsa in front of me, I get up and walk out. Pico de Gallo and salsa is so easy to make, there is NO reason why it can not be made fresh. If they can not take the effort to make fresh salsa, I can only imagine what the rest of the meal would be like.

I have bought jarred salsa's before, and have always come up disappointed. So I always tend to make my own Pico de Gallo. Last week, I saw a jarred "Pico de Gallo" so I had to try it. To say I was disappointed in the product is just the tip of the iceberg. It was horrible, and it ended up in the trash. And for those of my readers, if you use jarred salsa's, do yourself a favor and TRY this recipe next time you want to have chips and salsa. The freshness and flavor bursts will overwhelm your taste buds!

If you look online for a Pico de Gallo recipe, the first thing you will notice is everyone has their own version of it. While most of the ingredients remain the same, there are definitely many variations on it. This is my version, hope you try it, and hope you enjoy it!


Pico de Gallo
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YIELD: about 2 cups

1 small red onion, diced small (about 1/4 cup)
2 large jalepeno peppers, seeded and ribs removed, diced small (leave seeds & ribs in for hotter product)
1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced small
2 cloves of garlic, either minced or use a garlic press
2 large, very ripe tomatoes, diced and seeds removed. About 1 1/2 cups
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine.
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Juice of one lime


Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with tortilla chips of your choice. It is better if you let it sit for a day in the fridge, but it is just fine to serve right away as well, your choice depending on when you actually need it.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

If you've only had soup from a can, then you have no idea just how wonderful, comforting, and delicious a homemade soup really is. It is a taste explosion in your mouth! Make this soup one time, and you can never go back to canned soup again!


Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup --------------------------------------

Yield: About 2 quarts

Ingredients:
---------------


1 whole chicken
*(you can use 5 chicken thighs or 3 chicken breasts (or mix) in lieu of whole bird)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
5 slices bacon
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 to 3 quarts chicken stock
1/2 pound linguine, broke into 2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Salt to taste

Sachet:
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dry)
6 parsley stems
2 sprigs oregano (or 1 teaspoon dry)
8 peppercorns
(To make Sachet, place ingredients in cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen twine. The purpose of the sachet is to add all the flavor of the herbs, without having them floating around in the soup).

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1. Rinse chicken, place in pot. Cover chicken with COLD water, add the kosher salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer chicken until done, about an hour for whole bird, 45 minutes for parts. When chicken is done, remove from pot and place on plate or platter to cool. If you need the stock water, strain through a mesh strainer into bowl (see number 2), otherwise you can discard it. Separate chicken from bone, discard skin and bones.

2. If you do not have any chicken stock made, reserve the stock that you just cooked the chicken in. It will not be a strong stock, and you may need to add chicken bouillon to it. If you do it this way, reduce the kosher salt to 1 teaspoon. You will need about 2 1/2 to 3 quarts.

3. While chicken is cooking, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry in skillet until crisp. Using slotted spoon, remove bacon from skillet onto paper towel, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet. You will not need the bacon again, so you can save it for use in a salad if you like.

4. In same skillet, add diced onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Saute in bacon fat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and saute for about 30 more seconds until fragrant. Transfer to pot.

5. Add chicken stock, chicken, and sachet, simmer for 20 minutes. Add linguine and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or until pasta is done.

6. Remove sachet, discard. Add fresh parsley. Salt (if needed) to taste.

Heart Healthy Baked Chicken

*(Photo is suggested serving idea)


My Nephew Eric is trying to lose a few pounds, and asked for a chicken recipe he could eat, full of flavor. Just throwing chicken in the oven and baking it plain leaves it tasteless, and if you're trying to eat healthy, it does no good adding salt or eating the skin.

This recipe is for a baked chicken, using fresh herbs as flavor. The chicken is cooked with the skin on, to help with flavor and moister, but removed at the end.

This is real basic, and not too visually stunning. Something you would make for yourself, not as a main course to feed your company. Mainly strictly for people seriously watching what they eat.


Heart Healthy Baked Chicken
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YIELD: 4 Servings

Ingredients:
-----------------

4 pieces Chicken Breast, bone and skin on.
(Alternate: use chicken thighs, or even a whole bird)
4 sprigs fresh Rosemary herbs
4 sprigs fresh Thyme herbs

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1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Using your finger, run your finger underneath the skin of the chicken, separating it from the meat, making a pocket inside.

3. Slide one sprig of fresh Rosemary and one sprig fresh Thyme in between the skin and the meat of each piece of chicken.

4. Place chicken on baking sheet, skin side up. Bake in oven on middle rack for about an hour, or until internal temperature reads 160 degrees (using an instant read thermometer).

5. Remove chicken from oven, let rest for about 5 minutes. Remove skin and herbs, discard. If you wish, you can sear the breasts in a skillet on high heat to give it some color at this time.

6. Serve, with steamed broccoli, or whatever vegetable you like.