Cranberry Cashew Biryani

I made this side dish to go along with a roast chicken (which my husband has basically been begging me to make again, since I first made it a couple of weeks ago). If you've never had "biryani," it's an Indian, rice based dish, which usually goes with meat or fish. This a vegan version from Appetite for Reduction, boasts a nice blend of spices, along with dried cranberries and chopped cashews. Usually, my family doesn't go crazy for dishes with dried fruit or nuts, but I had heard amazing reviews of this recipe, so felt compelled to try it. I did make some modifications to the recipe, by using ground cumin and mustard, rather than cumin and mustard seed. We aren't big "seed people," so I have given up on using them. Anyway, this is a super easy side dish, and it's a great way to jazz up my typical brown rice. Plus, it takes care of your carb, fruit, veggie, and fat portion of the dinner. Gotta love those food groups.

Anyway... This was incredibly delicious. Kevin didn't make such a big deal about it, because he was so obsessed with the roast chicken, but I thought it tasted so good. The sweet cranberries, blended so well with the Indian spices, and the nutty cashew chunks in the rice were such a nice flavor and texture touch. The only thing I regret about this dish, was that I didn't add chickpeas, to make it a full meal. This was one of those dishes that I thought about all evening, after we had dinner. It felt like I had eaten at an authentic Indian restaurant. Oh, and another huge bonus - it looked so amazingly beautiful. I want to make this one again, but next time, I will make it a meal.

Have I mentioned that you need to buy this book?

Classic Roast Chicken with Julienne Glazed Carrots and Peas

How do you know when a meal is really good? For me, it's a feeling of wanting the flavor in my mouth all evening, or the fact that I can't stop thinking about the food, when dinner is over. Truth be told, I have never roasted a whole chicken. The idea of it has always given me the heebie jeebies, and I just never wanted to bake anything with the skin on it, nor did I want to reach inside and grab out any giblets. Blech. My little sis has recently been encouraging me to try my hand at roasting, as she's been using "Ina's Perfect Roast Chicken" recipe for a couple of months now. I decided not to make Ina's recipe, mostly because I didn't have all the ingredients (fennel, a whole bulb of garlic, and fresh thyme were all missing from my fridge). I found this "Classic Roast Chicken" recipe on the Cooking Light website, and it looked right up my alley. It was much easier than I thought it would be. First of all, it's really not that gross or slimy. Phew. The rub is really easy to throw together and apply to the chicken. Almost immediately after throwing the old bird in the oven, my house started to smell... Amazing. Yes. Totally and incredibly wonderful. I'd make this again, just to smell it.

Anyway, I made this almost exactly as directed in the recipe, and the taste was out of this world. Never has Kevin so quickly exclaimed, "THIS IS DELICIOUS! 5 Bowls!!!" This roast chicken has the most amazing herbal flavor, and it extremely juicy and tender. I put lemon wedges and rosemary inside the bird, which supposedly contributes to the moisture content. The gravy, which I also made exactly as the recipe stated, was truly delicious. I served this with roasted taters, and also added a recipe for Julienne Glazed Carrots, to which I added peas, to up the veggie content. In the end, I wished I had done ONE thing differently - I wished I'd gotten a bigger chicken, so we could have had more leftovers. Honestly, this recipe is just so good. I want to try other roast chicken recipes, but I can't imagine liking another one any more than this one. It was that good...




Glazed Julienne Carrots


Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)


2 tablespoons reduced-calorie margarine (I used a lot less)
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I used a couple of tablespoons)
4 cups (2-inch) julienne-cut carrot
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
*1 Cup of Frozen Peas (Just throw them in with the carrots)

Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add sugar, stirring until melted.

Add carrots, salt, and pepper and cook 10 minutes, or until carrots are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley.

CALORIES 57 (30% from fat); FAT 1.9g (sat 0.4g,mono 0.8g,poly 0.6g); IRON 0.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 22mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.1g; SODIUM 123mg; PROTEIN 0.6g; FIBER 1.9g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1996

Make this. It is a perfect go-to recipe for roast chicken. 5 Bowls. No question.

Classic Roast Chicken with Gravy

Be sure the butter is softened so it combines thoroughly with the herbs.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 5 ounces meat and about 1/4 cup gravy)


Chicken:
1 (3 3/4-pound) whole roasting chicken
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and halved
4 stalks celery, halved
1 onion, quartered
Gravy:
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare chicken, remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken; trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breasts and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.

Combine butter and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl. Rub seasoning mixture under loosened skin and over breasts and drumsticks. Tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Place carrots, celery, and onion in a single layer in a roasting pan. Place chicken, breast side up, on top of vegetables.

Bake at 375° for 40 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 450°, and bake an additional 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of thigh registers 170°. Using tongs or insulated rubber gloves, remove chicken from pan, tilting slightly to drain juices. Let stand 15 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; reserve.

To prepare gravy, place a zip-top plastic bag in a 2-cup glass measure. Pour wine into bag; add drippings from pan. Let stand 2 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into measuring cup, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat.

Return vegetables to pan. Add wine mixture and broth to pan; cook 10 minutes over medium heat, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Remove vegetables from pan using a slotted spoon; discard. Combine flour and water in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk to form a slurry; add slurry and 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan, stirring constantly. Simmer 1 minute or until slightly thick.

Remove skin from chicken; discard. Carve chicken, and serve with gravy.

CALORIES 287 (39% from fat); FAT 12.4g (sat 4.4g,mono 4.3g,poly 2.3g); IRON 2.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 114mg; CALCIUM 35mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.4g; SODIUM 721mg; PROTEIN 37g; FIBER 0.9g

Cooking Light, MAY 2006

Tempeh Beanballs Primavera with Cajun Marinara

I was a vegetarian for about 12 years, and this was the first time I have cooked with tempeh. It always looked... skeevy. Now that I am addicted to this cookbook - "Appetite for Reduction" - I decided I must try tempeh. I had it in the fridge for several weeks, before I took the plunge. This recipe for pasta primavera with tempeh beanballs and cajun marinara, is really terrific. I used brown rice, instead of pasta, which was a definite mistake on my part. This needs to be served over whole wheat pasta. Seriously. Anyway, there were a lot of components to this dish, but honestly, it was worth it. These faux meatballs are perfect. They are easy to make, and they are surprisingly delicious, and amazingly healthy. I added peas, zucchini, and peppers to my cajun marinara, and it was a really full bodied, flavorful marinara. In fact, part of me thought it was a tad over spiced, due to the plentiful amount of oregano and thyme in the sauce, but I still loved it. We had a lot of leftovers, to which I added pasta, instead of rice. I can't wait to make this again. It was such a filling, comforting, and tasty vegetarian dish. Kevin and the kids liked it, too. Mmmmm... Another thumbs up for Isa Moskowitz. Who knew vegan cooking could be so... perfect??



Make this. It's a tomatoey, comforting pot of yum. 4 Bowls!

Cajun Marinara
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

1 tsp of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of dried thyme (I think I'll reduce by half next time)
1 tsp dried oregano
Feshly ground black pepper
1 (24 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 tbl Cajun Spice Blend (I used Penzey's)

Veggies (swap out your own, if you want!)
1 cup of peas
1 zucchini
1 sliced onion
Thinly sliced pepper

Preheat a 2-quart pot over medium/low heat. Saute the zucchini, onion, peppers in the oil for several minutes, or until browned garlic and red pepper flakes in the oil for about a minute. Add thyme, oregano, and pepper, and saute for a minute more, adding a splash of water if necessary. Add the tomatoes, cajun seasoning, and salt, and stir everything together. Cover the pot, leaving a gap for steam to escape, and cook for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and seasoning.


Make this. It's a great meat substitute, and my meat loving family adored it. 4 Bowls!

Black Eyed Pea and Tempeh Beanballs
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Ingredients:

12 ounces of tempeh (1.5 packages)
1 (15 oz) can black eyed peas
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp of dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
Black Pepper (several pinches)
1 tbl soy sauce
1 tbl tomato paste
1 tbl balsamic vinager
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 tsp salt

First, prep a steamer, to steam the tempeh. Steaming tempeh takes out the bitter taste, which some dislike. I've never tried it un-steamed, and didn't want to chance it! Once the steamer is ready, break the tempeh into bite-size pieces, and steam for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350, and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, use a fork to mash the beans. They should be well mashed, with no whole beans left, but not totally smooth, like a puree. Grate in the garlic (I used bottled, mince garlic). Add the hebs and spices, soy sauce, tomato paste, and balsamic vinegar, and mix well.

When the tempeh is done, add it to the mix, and mash well. It's good if it's still steaming, because it will help all the flavors meld, before baking. When the mix is cool enough to handle (a few minutes), add the bread crumbs and salt. Taste for salt (the batter may be a bit bitter, but it mellows when cooked).

Using about 2 tablespoons of the mix per ball, roll the mixture into walnut size balls, placeing them on the baking pan. Spray liberally with cooking spray, and cover loosely with tinfoil. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the balls, and bake for 10 more minutes, uncovered.

Serve over pasta, with marinara!

Chicken Scallopini, Veggie Orzo Toss, and Braised Peas and Onions

As I previously mentioned, we had a lovely dinner with Burt, my father-in-law, on Saturday night. I made Chicken Scallopini for the main course, with an orzo and veggie toss, and braised peas and onions on the side. I had never made any of the dishes before, so, of course, I was uncertain as to how they would come out. Well, the chicken was cooked really nicely - moist, with a nice, well seasoned breading. The glaze, made with broth, wine, and capers, was okay, though a little thin for my taste. I didn't feel it needed the glaze, though, so I was happy to skip it. The chicken was moist enough, as it was.




This orzo toss wasn't as much a recipe, as it was a "side dish idea" from Cooking Light. Kevin isn't a fan of cherry tomatoes, so I used sundried tomatoes instead. I really liked the flavor of the orzo, though it came out a little dry. Here's how it's done:

Orzo, Tomato, and Zucchini Toss
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (or chopped sun-dried toms), 1 cup chopped zucchini, and 2 minced garlic cloves; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; sautß 1 minute or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Combine tomato mixture, 3 cups hot cooked orzo, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss well.



Lastly... The peas. Honestly, I love vegetables, and never need them dressed with anything, but I tried this anyway, just to see if we would like dolled up veggies. I really liked these - super flavorful, but really mellow and light. We ended up mixing the orzo and peas together, to give flavorful moisture to the orzo. These were 2 winning side dishes, that came together really nicely. I'll definitely be making both of them again.

Split Pea with Beef and Barley Soup

As previously mentioned, I never make beef. I mean, never. However, at Kevin's request, I decided to make a beef soup tonight. I found this recipe on the Sunset Magazine website, and decided it would be perfect for Kevin. I've never used a recipe from this magazine before, but it is linked to the Cooking Light site, so I decided to have faith. I rarely trust online recipes from sites I don't know, because I've been burned before (no pun intended), but I thought I'd give it a try. Okay, anyway, I didn't try this one, but Maya liked it, and I'll let Kevin give his review later. I enjoyed making it. My house smelled like a Jewish grandmother's house. What could be better?
Carrots, onions, parsnips, celery, and leeks. This was my first experience with leeks, and I think they add a nice dimension to a soup.

This was a very long cooking soup, but it was worth it, for my husband and baby's happy bellies.

FYI - if you decide to try this recipe, note the fact that it makes a whopping 32 cups of soup - EIGHT quarts!

Kevin had 3 or 4 bowls of this. We still have like 25 bowls left...

I ate some leftover Lentil Sloppy Joes (Snobby Joes, from Veganomicon) that were in the freezer.


The Critique
This meal was fantastic. It combined all of my favorite things - split pea soup and meat. The meat was extremely tender and well cooked and the split pea soup. The seasoning was not overdone and it did not taste too salty or not salty enough. It had a very healthy but pleasing flavor, and tasted very similar to soups that my Grandmother and Aunt Heddy would make. It's tough to compete with their soups and this one really is on the same caliber if not even better. I give this a wholehearted 5 bowls of soup.