Cilantro-Lime Chicken Fajitas

• 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ancho chile powder
• 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
• 3 large poblano chiles, seeded, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
• 3 large yellow bell peppers, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
• 2 red onions, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 12 8-inch flour tortillas

Optional toppings: purchased salsas, guacamole, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, and chopped serrano chiles Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Puree first 5 ingredients in processor. Season marinade with salt and pepper.

Place chicken in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour 1/3 cup marinade over; turn to coat. Arrange poblanos, bell peppers, and onions on large rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1/2 cup marinade over; turn to coat. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables with salt and pepper. Reserve remaining marinade.

Grill chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side. Grill vegetables until tender, turning frequently, about 15 minutes for onions and 12 minutes for poblanos and bell peppers. Grill tortillas until charred, about 1 minute per side.

Transfer chicken to work surface; slice crosswise into strips. Fill tortillas with chicken and vegetables; drizzle with reserved marinade. Serve with toppings.

Bon Appétit, July 2005

Makes 6 servings.

Stained Glass Noodle Salad

• 3.75 oz. pkg. "Sai Fun" (Asian bean threads)
• 1 c. shredded red cabbage
• 1 8.75 oz. can baby corn, drained and quartered lengthwise
• 5 oz. snow peas, stemmed, blanched, and slivered lengthwise
• 1 sweet red pepper, seeded and slivered
• 1/2 c. julienned carrots
• 3 oz. enoki mushrooms, ends trimmed
• 3 oz. broccoli sprouts
• Chopped scallions and/or toasted sesame seeds for garnish Dressing:
• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro
• 1/4 c. minced green onions
• 2 T. finely minced fresh ginger
• 2 large cloves garlic
• grated zest of 1 small orange
• 1/2 c. rice wine vinegar
• 3 T. each canola oil and low sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
• 2 T. dark sesame oil
• 1 T. sugar
• 2 t. chili sauce
• sea salt to taste

Soak bean threads in hot water until soft, about 30 min. Drain thoroughly and cut in thirds. In a large bowl, combine bean threads and vegetables. If making ahead, refrigerate salad and dressing separately. When ready to serve, toss with dressing.

Dressing: Mince cilantro, green onions, ginger, garlic and orange zest in a food processor. Scrape down sides. Add remaining dressing ingredients and blend well.

From BroccoSprouts.com

Broccoli Sprout Lavash Wrap with Seared Tofu and Spicy Carrot

• broccoli sprouts
• sweet and sour chili sauce
• extra firm tofu
• shredded carrots
• thinly sliced cucumbers
• mesclun
• thin sliced tomato
• strips of bell peppers

Remove tofu from package and sandwich between two plates, place heavy object such as a can of juice on top. Set aside for 30 min. to expel water. Marinate shredded carrots in Sweet and Sour Chili Sauce.

Return to tofu and slice lengthwise about 1/2" thick. Place flat in a searing hot pan lightly coated with chili oil. After about 90 seconds, turn, repeat two times. Tofu should be well browned. Just prior to removing, splash with soy sauce to taste. When soy sauce has evaporated remove from heat and cool.

Assembly: Lay lavash flat and cover bottom half with mesclun, and broccoli sprouts. To taste, add the carrots, cucmbers, tomato and peppers. Place two to three strips of tofu on the lavash. To bind lavash spray top half with water, wipe and roll. Hold in place for a moment till hold takes place. Serve immediately.

From BroccoSprouts.com

Smoked Trout Salad with Cranberry Horseradish Vinaigrette

for the vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1 tablespoons jarred horseradish
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the salad:

• 1 large navel orange
• 12 large green-leaf lettuce leaves
• 1 small bunch watercress, thick stems removed
• 2 large smoked trout fillets (about 1 pound), broken into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, minced

Makes 4 servings.

To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the oil, cranberries, horseradish, vinegar, and orange juice in a blender. Pulse on and off until mixture blends easily, then blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. The vinaigrette can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated, covered. Bring to room temperature and blend for 10 seconds to re-emulsify before serving.

To assemble the salad: Section the orange. Place the lettuce leaves on a large platter. Top with the watercress, trout, orange sections, and red onion, in that order. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette over the salad and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately, with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.

From The Stonewall Kitchen Cookbook.

Roast Beef with Chutney on Rye

• 1 1/2 pounds cold rare roast beef, thinly sliced
• 8 slices country rye bread
• 2 large beefsteak tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 12 arugula leaves
• 1/2 cup Old Farmhouse Chutney

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Divide the roast beef evenly among 4 slices of rye bread. Top each portion with 2 or 3 tomato slices, 3 arugula leaves, and 2 tablespoons of chutney. Top with the remaining bread and serve.

Optional: add some sharp cheddar or Gorgonzola for an even heartier sandwich.

from The Stonewall Kitchen Cookbook

Salmon Club Sandwich

• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 5 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 5- to 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets (each about 3/4 inch thick)
• 8 bacon slices
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 8 1/2-inch-thick sourdough or country-style white bread slices (each about 5x3 inches)
• 8 tomato slices
• 8 lettuce leaves

Mix mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons basil and lemon peel in small bowl to blend. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Mix remaining 3 tablespoons basil, olive oil and lemon juice in large glass baking dish. Add salmon to oil mixture; turn to coat. Cover; chill 1 to 4 hours. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Using tongs, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add onion to drippings in skillet. Sauté until onion is tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill fish until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Grill bread just until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Spread mayonnaise mixture over 1 side of bread slices. Top each of 4 bread slices with 2 bacon slices, 2 tomato slices, 1/4 of onion, 1 salmon fillet and 2 lettuce leaves. Cover with remaining bread slices.

Bon Appétit, July 2000 (Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)

Makes 4 servings.

Chicken, Tomato and Tortilla Soup

Can be made with chicken breasts instead of thighs, but cook on the stove, not the crockpot.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 6 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
• 15-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 fresh hot green chile pepper (such as jalapeno), seeded and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 10-ounce package frozen corn, defrosted
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• tortilla chips
• Chopped avocado, for garnish
• Lime wedges, for garnish
• Freshly grated Montery Jack cheese, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat, cook the chicken thighs, skin side down, until the skin is golden brown, about 3 minutes. (Do not turn the chicken.) Transfer the chicken to a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Discard all of the fat in the skillet.

Mash the tomatoes with their juice. Add to the skillet with the onion, chile pepper and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato mixture, chicken broth, cumin, salt, pepper, and bay leaf to the slow cooker and stir well.

Cover and slow-cook until the chicken thighs are tender, 5 to 6 hours on low.

Remove the chicken thighs and cool slightly. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and remove the meat from the bones. Coarsely chop the chicken meat and return to the slow cooker. Stir in the corn and chopped cilantro.

Remove the bay leaf from the soup. Serve the soup in individual bowls, topping each serving with tortilla chips and a sprinkling of avocado, if desired. Let each guest squeeze on lime juice to taste, and pass a bowl of grated cheese for sprinkling.

4-6 servings

Cucumber, Ginger, and Sake Sangria

• 1 large (1-lb) seedless cucumber (usually plastic-wrapped)
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 1 (720-ml) bottle chilled dry sake
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

Cut cucumber crosswise into three equal pieces. Peel and chop 2 pieces, then put into a blender. Peel 4 lengthwise strips from remaining piece, leaving stripes of green, then halve piece lengthwise and core. Thinly slice crosswise.

Add water, sugar, fresh ginger, and lemon juice to blender and purée until smooth. Pour through a medium-mesh sieve into a pitcher, then stir in sake, crystallized ginger if using, and cucumber slices. Chill, covered, until ready to serve, up to 2 hours. Serve over ice.

Makes 8 to 10 drinks.

from Gourmet, July 2005 via Epicurious

Eggs Florentine Plus

• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 10-ounce package ready-cut fresh spinach, stems trimmed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 12 ounces smoked turkey breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Toasted country-style bread

Rinse porcini under running water; place in bowl. Bring broth to boil in medium saucepan. Pour over porcini. Let stand until soft, about 30 minutes.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and stir until wilted, about 3 minutes. Arrange spinach in bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour, stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in mushrooms with their soaking liquid and cream. Boil until sauce thickens, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes. Mix in turkey. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Crack eggs open over spinach, spacing evenly. Spoon turkey mixture around eggs, leaving yolks exposed. Sprinkle Parmesan over. Bake until eggs are just set, about 15 minutes. Serve with toasted bread.

Serves 6.

from Bon Appétit, October 1995 via Epicurious

Curried Smoked Turkey and Fruit Salad

• 1/2 pound smoked or cooked turkey, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 3/8 pound green seedless grapes, stemmed
• 1/2 large cantaloupe, peeled, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups sliced celery (about 2 stalks)
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional -- to taste)
• pita bread
• Curly lettuce leaves
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Combine turkey, grapes, cantaloupe, celery, green onions and raisins in large bowl. Whisk yogurt and curry powder together in small bowl. Pour yogurt mixture over salad and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Line platter with lettuce leaves. Spoon salad atop lettuce. Sprinkle almonds over salad and serve in pita pockets.

Serves 3 to 4.

adapted from Bon Appétit, August 1991 via Epicurious

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread Pudding

• 5 slices whole-wheat or white bread, torn into small pieces
• 2 large eggs
• 12 ounces evaporated skim milk
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 cups nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking dish. Spread the bread in the dish in an even layer. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the evaporated skim milk, brown sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until the sugar and cocoa dissolve. Pour the cocoa mixture over the bread. With a fork, mix in any unsoaked bread pieces. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top and let stand for 10 minutes. Bake for 35 minutes, or until puffed and set in the center. Serve warm, with a scoop of the frozen yogurt on top.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information: Calories: 427.5; Fat: 5.4 g; Carbohydrates: 82.4 g; Protein: 14.9 g

from SparkPeople