Grilled Asparagus & Feta Salad

This recipe was posted by Once Upan a Chef at
http://www.onceuponachef.com/
She notes that "it's the kind of wholly satisfying dish that makes you wonder if you might possibly be a very happy vegetarian". I couldn't agree more, Jennifer.

1 bunch thick asparagus, about 24 spears, ends trimmed*
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest**

Directions

Preheat grill to high.

Place asparagus spears in baking dish and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.

Put asparagus on the grill, making sure to place spears perpendicular to grates so they don't fall through. Set asparagus dish next to grill (do not clean). Cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until asparagus spears are nicely browned and tender-crisp. Remove asparagus from grill and place back in baking dish. Let cool, then transfer spears to cutting board and cut into 1½" pieces. Place cut asparagus back in dish, then add remaining tablespoon olive oil, feta and lemon zest; toss gently and season to taste. Serve room temperature or cold. (serves 4)

Cafe Coffee Cookies

Must make these cookies!!!!

I found this recipe on Bunny's Warm Oven (Gotta love that name) at
http://wwwbunnysovencom.blogspot.com/

COOKIES:
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. instant coffee or instant espresso coffee granules or crystals
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips

COFFEE DRIZZLE:
1/2 tsp. instant coffee or instant espressp coffee granules or crystals
1 Tbsp. hot water
1/2-3/4 c. confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat sugars, butter, egg and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.

On low speed, beat in flour, 1 Tbsp. coffee granules, baking soda and salt. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2" apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake @ 350 degrees 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and edges are set. Cool on pan for 2-4 minutes; remove cookies from pans to wire racks and cool completely.

For the glaze, in a small bowl, dissolve 1/2 tsp. instant coffee in hot water. Stir in 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar, adding more confectioners' sugar, if necessary, to reach desired drizzling consistency.

Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Allow glaze to set before storing cookies in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper, plastic wrap or foil.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Tomato & Feta Tart

1/2 package Ready-rolled puff pastry
1 1/2 t Dijon mustard
Tomatoes (thinly sliced), 6 small
4 oz feta, crumbled (reduced fat)

1 T Extra Virgin olive oil
1 1/2 t Herbes de Provence

Black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400. Roll out the pastry and place in a medium sized non-stick tart pan. Line the tart shell with foil or coffee filters and fill with beans. Bake for about 10-minutes.

Spread the mustard evenly over the pastry. Arrange thinly sliced tomatoes, overlapping. Sprinkle feta on top of the tomato layer.
Sprinkle herbes de provence, season with freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Place in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes until the pastry is risen, golden and cooked.

Root Beer Can Chicken

This recipe is from the June 2010 issue of Cooking Light...

1 1/2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 (12-ounce) cans root beer, divided
2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, skinned


1. Prepare grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to medium.

2. Combine first 7 ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.

3. Open both root beer cans; pour 18 ounces into a small saucepan. Set remaining root beer aside (in the can). Bring 18 ounces root beer to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, butter, and vinegar, stirring until smooth.

4. Rub paprika mixture evenly over chicken. Holding chicken upright with the cavity facing down, insert reserved opened root beer can into cavity. Place chicken on unheated side of grill. Spread legs out to form a tripod to support the chicken. Cover and grill for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into meaty portion of thigh registers 160°, basting chicken every 20 minutes with sauce.

5. Lift chicken slightly using tongs; place spatula under can. Carefully remove chicken and can from grill; place on a cutting board. Let stand 10 minutes. Gently lift chicken using tongs or insulated rubber gloves; carefully twist can and remove from cavity. Discard can. Carve chicken.


Nutritional Information
Calories: 371
Fat: 15.1g (sat 6.2g,mono 5g,poly 2.4g)
Protein: 35.6g
Carbohydrate: 21.4g
Fiber: 0.2g
Sodium: 502mg
Calcium: 32mg

Spinach Tart

I made this recipe last night and it was a hit. I like using the 5x8 tart pan as the phyllo dough fits nicely into it. It counts as 5 WW points per serving. Of course, I had two servings last night. Should have made a salad to go with it.

Serves 6
(makes one 10-inch round tart or one 5x8 rectangular tart)
(adapted/modified from recipe posted by Tartelette)

4 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup whole milk (or half-and-half)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

pinch of nutmeg

1-2 tbsp olive oil

3-4 thin slices from a red onion
6-8 stems of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
3-4 cups of fresh spinach (loosely packed)
6-8 sheets of Phyllo dough
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
4 ounces prosciutto (or thinly sliced ham or crisp, crumbled bacon), optional
6 ounces crumbled feta cheese (reduced fat)

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large measureing cup combine the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg, mixing thoroughly. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, mushrooms and asparagus and let them sweat on medium-low heat until the mushrooms are golden brown and the asparagus is tender. Add the spinach to the skillet and cover with a lid, turning heat off. Let sit until spinach is wilted. Place the spinach, onion, mushroom and asparagus mixture in a large strainer and allow it to drain well, pressing lightly as needed to remove excess moisture.


Carefully prepare the crust using phyllo dough. Take one sheet of phyllo and spray it with Olive Oil spray. Continue with 5-7 more sheets of phyllo and cooking spray. Place the crust in the tart pan (preferably one with a removable bottom so it can be easily served on a dish or tray.)

Place the tart pan on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy cleanup from any leaks or spills.

Spread the spinach/mushroom/asparagus/onion mixture on the crust, making sure all the ingredients are well-distributed. Tear pieces of prosciutto and place on top of the spinach mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the tart pan until it almost reaches the top of the crust. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top of the filled tart.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until the tart is golden brown. Let cool at least 5 minutes before releasing it from the pan to a serving plate.

Best Ever Potato Salad

OK, so I'm not a potato salad lover. Not particularly crazy about anything too heavy on the mayo. Consequently, I can't make a decent mayo based potato salad. But this has no mayonnaise in it and it is delish. I added some turkey smoked sausage to make this a one dish meal, but this is a "winner, winner chicken dinner" (minus the poultry) with or without the sausage. I found this recipe in the June 2010 issue of Cooking Light. They call it Farmers' market Potato Salad...

1 c fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
2 lbs fingerling potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used New Potatoes)
2 1/2 T olive oil, divided
2 T chopped fresh tarragon (substituted 2 t. dried tarragon)
2 T cider vinegar
2 T whole-grain Dijon mustard
1/2 t hot pepper sauce
3/4 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
3/4 c vertically sliced red onion
3/4 c diced zucchini (optional)
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 425.

Place corn and potatoes on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Place mixture in a large bowl. Combine tarragon and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, sitrring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle potato mixture with dressing; toss gently to coat.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and zucchini to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini mixture and tomatoes to potato mixture; toss gently to comgine. Yield: 6 servings

Calories 198; Fat 6.6 g; Fiber 3.8 g

Garam Masala Grilled Chicken and Vegetables

I've made this recipe a couple of times. It sounds like it might be spicy, however it is primarily fragrant. The recipe came from the Kansas City Star.

Makes 4 servings
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 (6-ounce) cartons low-fat plain yogurt, divided
3 teaspoons garam masala, divided
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into quarters
1 medium red onion, sliced 1/2 -inch thick
1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/2 -inch thick
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 (3-ounce) whole wheat naan or pita breads
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Pound chicken breasts to 1/2 -inch thickness and place in zip-top bag. Combine 1 carton yogurt and 2 teaspoons garam masala; blend well and spoon over chicken. Seal bag and massage to coat chicken pieces evenly. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Place vegetables in a zip-top bag; drizzle with oil, seal and shake to coat evenly. Sprinkle vegetables with 1/2 teaspoon garam masala; seal and shake to coat evenly.

Stir remaining garam masala into remaining yogurt; cover and refrigerate.

Spray grill grate with nonstick spray coating. Preheat grill to medium-high or allow coals to burn to white ash. Remove chicken from yogurt marinade; discard any remaining marinade. Place chicken and vegetables on grill. Grill over direct heat in a covered grill 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked, no longer pink inside and a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees and vegetables are tender, turning midway through to cook evenly. Remove chicken and vegetables to platter as they are done, cover and keep warm.

Spray both sides of naan with nonstick spray coating. Grill about 30 to 60 seconds per side, or until bread is warm.

Slice chicken breasts into thin strips about 2 inches long. Slice peppers into thin, vertical strips and slice zucchini in half and then into thin strips. Halve onion slices and separate into rings. For each serving place one slice warm naan on each plate. Dollop about 1 tablespoon reserved yogurt mixture on top of each bread. Top evenly with slices of chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes and minced cilantro. Pass remaining yogurt mixture to dollop on top, as desired.

Per serving (about 3 ounces cooked chicken, 1 piece (3-ounce) naan and about 2/3 cup grilled vegetables per serving): 456 calories (12 percent from fat), 6 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 71 milligrams cholesterol, 60 grams carbohydrates, 42 grams protein, 339 milligrams sodium, 7 grams dietary fiber.

Recipe developed for The Star by professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss.Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/04/27/1904903/eating-for-life-garam-masala-grilled.html#ixzz0nXOZu7PY