94 replies to this topic

[StillFingers]

twisted_ophelia...yummy way to prepare Brie, here's a salad to go with it, some bitter/salty for your smooth, sweet, savory fromage. All we need is a crusty loaf of bread and a few bottles of wine...maybe a park and a sunny day as well.

Mixed Lettuce, Fennel & Orange Salad with Black Olive Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Black olive vinaigrette

- 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Salad

- 3 medium navel or Valencia oranges
- 10 cups mixed lettuces (3 small heads), such as chicory, radicchio and leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
- 2 heads Belgian endive, sliced
- 2 bulbs fennel, trimmed and sliced

Preparation:

- To prepare vinaigrette: Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Stir in olives and parsley.
- To prepare salad: Using a sharp knife, remove peel and white pith from oranges. Quarter the oranges; slice pieces crosswise.
- Just before serving, combine lettuces, endive, fennel and the orange slices in a large bowl. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat well.

[twisted_ophelia]

That salad sounds amazing! I have some mixed greens I need to use up over the weekend and I will definitely try out the salad recipe. I love olives but I've only developed a taste for them in the last couple years, strangely enough. And they have to be the good quality olives, love black olives especially. I'm also a big fan of the sweet/salty combination. Picnic time!

[StillFingers]

Some of us like our fungi, for those that don't, please don't look, there are evil mushrooms lurking within

Savory Bread Pudding with Spinach & Mushrooms

Ingredients:

- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups low-fat milk
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco; omit the hot stuff if you like...
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
- 3 1/2 cups cubed stale whole-wheat country bread
- 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (1 small)
- 4 cups sliced mushrooms; white button and/or brown cremini (12 ounces)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup grated Gruyère, Emmentaler or Manchego cheese (3 ounces), divided

Preparation:

- Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add milk, hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; whisk until blended. Add bread and stir to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat an 8-by-8-inch (or similar 8-cup) ceramic or glass baking dish with cooking spray. Put a kettle of water on to boil for the water bath.

- Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain, refresh with cold water and squeeze out excess moisture. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until tender and golden, 4 to 5 minutes. - - Add mushrooms and garlic; stir to blend. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until any excess moisture from the mushrooms has evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

- Add the mushroom mixture and 1/2 cup cheese to the egg mixture; stir until blended. Scrape into the prepared baking dish; sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over the top. Place the baking dish in a larger pan, put in the oven and pour boiling water into the larger pan to about halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until the pudding is set in the center, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool slightly; serve hot or warm.

[twisted_ophelia]

Hey, Stillfingers, do you have any vegetarian recipes for stuffed/roasted/grilled/etc bell peppers? I have a pack of four bell peppers that I need to use up. They're sitting in my crisper and I don't want to just cut them up and use them in a salad, I'd like to do something creative with them

Edited to add that I looooooove mushrooms... mmmm. One of my favorite foods! Edited again to add that if you have any brussels sprouts recipes, that'd be awesome too. I'm one of the few people out there who loves brussels sprouts. I usually just roast them in the oven with balsamic vinegar and sea salt but I'm getting a little tired of that!

Edited by twisted_ophelia, 11 March 2009 - 03:53 AM.

[StillFingers]

twisted_ophelia, on Mar 10 2009, 07:44 PM, said:

Hey, Stillfingers, do you have any vegetarian recipes for stuffed/roasted/grilled/etc bell peppers? I have a pack of four bell peppers that I need to use up. They're sitting in my crisper and I don't want to just cut them up and use them in a salad, I'd like to do something creative with them

Edited to add that I looooooove mushrooms... mmmm. One of my favorite foods! Edited again to add that if you have any brussels sprouts recipes, that'd be awesome too. I'm one of the few people out there who loves brussels sprouts. I usually just roast them in the oven with balsamic vinegar and sea salt but I'm getting a little tired of that!

TO,

Hmmm, peppers yes def i'll post a veggie one soon...do you like nuts; walnuts, almonds, macadamia, etc, and/or rasins...

brussel sprouts, i love them to...but they make me fart lol, so i dont eat them as much, we just split them in half, saute them in olive oil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, sometimes add garlic too and replace oil with butter when going crazy, must have butter once in awhile

[StillFingers]

twisted_ophelia ,

Found it...hehehe...your veggie stuffed bells, we use red, orange, yellow or green, have even substituted chocolate bells, but only once, their not my fav. If you want to jazz it up a bit we sometimes add walnuts and/or raisins; and some hot sauce to just to be wacky...enjoy!

Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Kale & Rice

Ingredients:

Peppers

- 3 medium red bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste

Filling

- 8 ounces kale (6 cups lightly packed), trimmed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup cooked short-grain brown rice (see Tip)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, divided (see Tip)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

- Peppers: Preheat oven to 400°F. Halve peppers lengthwise through the stems, leaving them attached. Remove the seeds. Lightly brush the peppers outside and inside with oil; sprinkle the insides with salt and pepper. Place, cut-side down, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until peppers are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Turn cut-side up.

- Filling: Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil in a large wide pan. Stir in kale, cover and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water; squeeze dry. Finely chop.

- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and chopped bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until onion is golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

- Stir in the kale. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Stir in rice, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons pine nuts and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the filling among the pepper halves. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons pine nuts.

- Baking: Add 2 tablespoons water to the baking dish. Cover the peppers with foil and bake until heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more. Serve hot.

Tip:

- Brown rice: Place 1 cup brown rice, 21/2 cups water and a pinch of salt, if desired, in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cover; cook over low heat until rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 45 to 50 minutes. Makes approx. 3 cups.

- Toast pine nuts: Heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes; or spread in a small baking pan and bake at 400°F for about 5 minutes...plez don't burn them, they get yucky.

- If adding walnuts and or rasins, add them to the filling raw.

- Hot sauce, add after cooking, otherwise it gets to mild

Edited by StillFingers, 11 March 2009 - 04:55 AM.

[twisted_ophelia]

Cool, thank you! I love nuts and raisins, particularly walnuts and almonds. Not a big fan of the macadamia nuts though. I also love kale--though it was an acquired taste of mine. I think I'm one of the rare people on who brussels sprouts don't have a bad effect on the tummy. They don't make me fart and make for a happy poo during the next morning's BP I'd actually recommend them to anyone who's constipated!

Butter once in a while is good, yeah. My ex husband had sky high cholesterol a couple years ago (at the time he was 31 and he's not overweight! Yikes!) so we started removing all the saturated fats from our cooking, including butter. I started using light butters, butter substitutes, and cooking sprays but it's really not even remotely the same as the real thing. His cholesterol went down pretty quick after we took out those bad fats though.

[StillFingers]

Roasted Asparagus with Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 1/2 pounds asparagus
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spread pine nuts in a small baking pan and toast in the oven until golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
- Increase oven temperature to 450° F. Snap off the tough ends of asparagus. Toss the asparagus with shallot, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet with sides. Roast, turning twice, until the asparagus is tender and browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring vinegar and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, moving the pan occasionally, until slightly syrupy and reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 5 minutes. To serve, toss the asparagus with the reduced vinegar and sprinkle with the pine nuts.

[StillFingers]

Ok nothing complicated here, but its lovely over most anything; mashed potatoes tonight...not sure about pineapple tho

Portobello Gravy

Ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups chopped cleaned portobello mushrooms (2 medium); you can use cremini mushrooms instead
- 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon crumbled dried sage
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- Salt and Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they begin to release their juices, about 10 minutes.
- Add broth, tamari (or soy sauce), thyme and sage; simmer for 10 minutes. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir into the sauce and simmer, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes more. Season with salt/pepper.
- If you prefer a smooth gravy, pass it through a fine sieve (discard mushrooms and onions).

Tip...to enhance the flavour a bit, dry or sweet sherry helps; just add a touch to the first step.

[twisted_ophelia]

Mmmm I love gravy on everything....

Anyone got any good recipes using whole artichokes?

[fatdave]

imagine that! A Canadian that likes gravy on everything! must be all the poutine.

[twisted_ophelia]

fatdave, on Apr 6 2009, 01:45 AM, said:

imagine that! A Canadian that likes gravy on everything! must be all the poutine.

It must be all the poutine, seriously! Mmmm poutine. We'll see how many people here other than me and you Dave (and those we explained it to in chat) know what poutine is! I must be an all-american girl at heart or something. Though my friend in Mammoth spent the week being amused by my Canadian "accent"--apparently I say "out", "house", "about", etc., like a Canadian. Every time I said something like "let's go out", he'd go "let's go what?" and make me repeat it.

[Zammo]

I had poutine when I was in Canada. Turns out it's chips and gravy.

[twisted_ophelia]

Zammo, on Apr 6 2009, 11:18 AM, said:

I had poutine when I was in Canada. Turns out it's chips and gravy.

Not quite, no. Guess again.

[Zammo]

twisted_ophelia, on Apr 6 2009, 04:21 PM, said:

Zammo, on Apr 6 2009, 11:18 AM, said:

I had poutine when I was in Canada. Turns out it's chips and gravy.

Not quite, no. Guess again.

OK there's a bit more to it than that. I miss Tim Hortons though, how come there aren't any outside of Canada?

[twisted_ophelia]

Zammo, on Apr 6 2009, 11:24 AM, said:

twisted_ophelia, on Apr 6 2009, 04:21 PM, said:

Zammo, on Apr 6 2009, 11:18 AM, said:

I had poutine when I was in Canada. Turns out it's chips and gravy.

Not quite, no. Guess again.

OK there's a bit more to it than that. I miss Tim Hortons though, how come there aren't any outside of Canada?

Tim Hortons! Oh my, I'm amazed that you know about Tim Hortons, a Canadian staple. There actually are Tim Hortons (call it Timmy's if you want to sound like a real Canadian heheheh) outside of Canada because Tim Hortons was bought out by Wendys. They are now all over the place in Buffalo, Ohio, I think there are some in Michigan and Pennsylvania.... It's funny, when I was flying back from Los Angeles last week, it was night time and I looked out the window. First thing I saw flying into Toronto was a giant red Tim Hortons sign. I still prefer Dunkin Donuts to Tim Hortons though.

[greybeard]

twisted_ophelia, on Apr 6 2009, 04:09 PM, said:

fatdave, on Apr 6 2009, 01:45 AM, said:

imagine that! A Canadian that likes gravy on everything! must be all the poutine.

It must be all the poutine, seriously! Mmmm poutine. We'll see how many people here other than me and you Dave (and those we explained it to in chat) know what poutine is! I must be an all-american girl at heart or something. Though my friend in Mammoth spent the week being amused by my Canadian "accent"--apparently I say "out", "house", "about", etc., like a Canadian. Every time I said something like "let's go out", he'd go "let's go what?" and make me repeat it.

Looks and sounds pretty yuk!

[twisted_ophelia]

Trust me (and trust Dave, he'll back me up!), it's soooooo not yuck. It looks creepy as hell but it's far yummier than you can imagine. The gravy and cheese curds need to be good though and the fries need to be fresh. It IS possible to have bad poutine! It's a French Canadian invention.

[itsjustme]

Can some of you from the UK tell us about a sandwhich made with chips and butter? How exactly is one made? Is that all that there is to it chips (or French Fries to us in the U.S.)?

We saw a TV cooking personality having one while visiting England but we didn't get the whole story. We did hear her say that the butter was absolutely necessary. We usually eat ketchup on our chips.

[Trinity]

itsjustme, on Apr 6 2009, 06:06 PM, said:

Can some of you from the UK tell us about a sandwhich made with chips and butter? How exactly is one made? Is that all that there is to it chips (or French Fries to us in the U.S.)?

We saw a TV cooking personality having one while visiting England but we didn't get the whole story. We did hear her say that the butter was absolutely necessary. We usually eat ketchup on our chips.

A chip butty is literally bread (proper bread thick cut doorstep style) and butter with chips in the middle (thick cut chippy chips, not french fires!) then a good dollup or brown sauce or ketchup.
Total health food!

[twisted_ophelia]

trinity, on Apr 6 2009, 01:51 PM, said:

itsjustme, on Apr 6 2009, 06:06 PM, said:

Can some of you from the UK tell us about a sandwhich made with chips and butter? How exactly is one made? Is that all that there is to it chips (or French Fries to us in the U.S.)?

We saw a TV cooking personality having one while visiting England but we didn't get the whole story. We did hear her say that the butter was absolutely necessary. We usually eat ketchup on our chips.

A chip butty is literally bread (proper bread thick cut doorstep style) and butter with chips in the middle (thick cut chippy chips, not french fires!) then a good dollup or brown sauce or ketchup.
Total health food!

Oh my god. That sounds almost as exciting (and, um, healthy) as poutine! A sandwich made out of french fries. Yikes. Have you guys ever heard of the "Luther Vandross"? It's a bacon cheeseburger except instead of using bread buns, you use two Krispy Kreme donuts as the buns.

[StillFingers]

twisted_ophelia, on Apr 5 2009, 09:54 PM, said:

Mmmm I love gravy on everything....

Anyone got any good recipes using whole artichokes?

Hi Mimi...well good ole arti's...what to do with them...got this off the web a few yrs ago, it's a fav, enjoy btw, its lovely over some brown or wild rice; a nice dry white wine goes well also.

Artichoke Ragout

Ingredients:

- 2 pounds baby artichokes (or globe artichokes if baby artichokes aren’t available), trimmed (see below)
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Maui, chopped, or 1 bunch of spring onions, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, from the inner hart, sliced
- 1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, diced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes with juice, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 3/4 to 1 cup water, as needed
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley
- 2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

Trimming artichokes:
- Fill a bowl with water, and add the juice of 1/2 lemon.
- Cut the stems off the artichokes, and with a sharp knife, cut away the tops; about 1/2 inch from the top for baby artichokes, 1 inch for larger artichokes.
- Rub the cut parts with the other half of the lemon.
- Break off the tough outer leaves until you reach the lighter green leaves near the middle.
- With a paring knife, trim away the woody bottoms of the leaves and the “shoulders” at the bottom of the artichokes, above the stem.
- Cut small baby artichokes in half, or large artichokes into quarters, and cut away the chokes if the artichokes are mature.
- Immediately place in the bowl of acidulated water.

Cooking:
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet or casserole over medium heat, and add the onion and celery.
- Cook, stirring, until tender, about three to five minutes.
- Add the red pepper and about 1/4 teaspoon salt, and stir together for three to five minutes until the pepper begins to soften.
- Add the garlic, and stir together for another minute, until the garlic is fragrant.
-Add the tomatoes and a little more salt, and cook, stirring from time to time, for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant.
- Add the artichokes, thyme, bay leaf and enough water to cover the artichokes halfway, and bring to a simmer.
- Add salt and pepper, then cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until the artichokes are tender and the sauce fragrant.
- Check from time to time and add water if necessary.
- Add the lemon juice, taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Enjoy

Edited by StillFingers, 08 April 2009 - 01:30 AM.

[twisted_ophelia]

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! Thanks Jerry! I'm going to try it out this week!

[StillFingers]

Nothing spectacular here, just a replacement for my once loved sour cream based dip. I became somewhat lactose intolerant a few years back. I love it with fresh cut veggies and lots of other dishes...like a lovely piece of smoked salmon, enjoy.

Creamy Dill Sauce

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill or parsley
- Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

- Combine mayonnaise, yogurt, scallions, lemon juice, dill (or parsley) and pepper in a small bowl and mix well.

[twisted_ophelia]

I love dill dips. And I was actually thinking of a way to make one that's healthier than the sour cream version. I'm gonna try out that recipe! Thanks Jerry!

[StillFingers]

Mimi, Roasted Asparagus with Pine Nuts, is above...I looked for something with baby artichokes, only found this, just replace the canned arti hearts with the baby arti's...do clean/prep the babies first tho, you could micro them or boil in water

My dill/yogurt dip above is yummy with this or Linda sometimes just fixes a quick tomato sauce, yummy also. A nice mixed green salad and some wine makes a nice lunch or dinner...enjoy.

Artichoke & Red Pepper Frittata

Ingredients:

- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 4 large eggs
- 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the pan.

Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in artichoke hearts, Parmesan, oregano, salt, pepper and the bell pepper mixture.

Set a rack about 4 inches from the heat source; preheat the broiler.

Brush the pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil; heat over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture and tilt to distribute evenly.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the bottom is light golden, lifting the edges to allow uncooked egg to flow underneath, 3 to 4 minutes.

Place the pan under the broiler and cook until the top is set, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Slide the frittata onto a platter and cut into wedges.

[twisted_ophelia]

Thank you, Jerry! I LOVE fritattas. I was thinking recently that I need more fritatta and quiche recipes.

I'm excited because I just went out to the grocery store briefly with a friend of mine to pick a few things up and I found the giant globe artichokes that I love! They're REALLY hard to find here. I've only found them one other time since the season started. Baby artichokes are readily available but not the big guys. So I'm going to steam them up and do the whole yummy leaf-dipping thing in melted butter. Yum yum yum. My tummy is excited.

Edited by twisted_ophelia, 07 May 2009 - 12:46 AM.

[StillFingers]

Alrighty now, time for dessert. RHUBARB

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients:

Topping

- 1 tablespoon dark corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (3 cups)

Cake

- 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1/3 cup pecans or walnuts
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large egg whites
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

To prepare topping:

- Coat a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (such as cast-iron) with cooking spray. Add corn syrup and butter; heat over low heat until butter has melted, swirling the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Remove from the heat; spread brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle nuts over the sugar and arrange rhubarb, rounded sides down, in a circular pattern on top. Set aside.

To prepare cake:

- Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine flour, nuts, baking powder and salt in a food processor or blender; process until finely ground.

- Beat 2 egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/3 cup brown sugar, beating until stiff and glossy. Set aside. (It is not necessary to wash beaters.)

- Beat whole eggs with the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar in another large bowl on high speed until thickened and pale, 3 to 5 minutes. Blend in orange zest and vanilla.

- Whisk one-fourth of the beaten whites into the whole-egg mixture. Gently fold in half the flour mixture. Fold in the remaining beaten whites, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Spread the batter evenly over the rhubarb.

- Bake the cake until the top springs back when touched lightly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

- Loosen the edges with a knife. Invert a serving platter over the cake. Using oven mitts, grasp platter and skillet together and carefully flip them over. Let the skillet sit for a few minutes to allow any caramel clinging to it to drip onto the cake. Remove the skillet.

- Let the cake cool for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Edited by StillFingers, 07 May 2009 - 01:00 AM.

[StillFingers]

We don't eat much chicken, but once in a while we experiment a bit and sometimes our taste buds are very happy

Chicken Saute with Mango Sauce

Ingredients:

Chicken

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1-1 1/4 pounds)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil

Sauce

- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 mango, cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or mint

Preparation:

- Trim visible fat from chicken breasts. Place trimmed chicken breasts between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with a rolling pin, meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch.
- Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow glass dish. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour, shaking off excess. (Discard any leftover flour.)
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned and no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm.

- Add jalapeno, garlic and ginger to the pan; cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth and deglaze, scraping up any browned bits, for 1 minute.
- Mix orange juice, brown sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring. Cook, stirring often, until thickened and slightly reduced, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in mango and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Spoon over the chicken and sprinkle with cilantro (or mint).

[StillFingers]

Since summer is near I thought I'd share this dressing. Linda and I tend to eat a bit lighter as the days get hotter and here is a favorite. It's great drizzled over or combined with a mixed greens salad or a grain/bean salad. Hope you enjoy...

Moroccan-Spiced Lemon Dressing

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

- Whisk lemon juice, yogurt, honey, cumin, cinnamon and ginger in a small bowl until blended. Slowly whisk in oil so that the dressing becomes smooth and emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.