Southwestern Turkey Club Sandwich

• 8 slices bacon (8 ounces)
• 4 turkey cutlets (4 ounces each)
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeno chiles
• 12 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread, lightly toasted
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced

1. Working in two batches if necessary, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes per side; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons rendered fat from skillet.

2. Season turkey generously with salt and pepper, Add to skillet, and cook over medium heat until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

3. In a small bowl, mash avocado, lime juice, and chiles with a fork; season with salt and pepper.

4. Spread avocado mixture on one side of each slice of toast. Layer turkey, bacon, tomato, and toast to form four triple-decker sandwiches. To serve, skewer with toothpicks; slice in half with a serrated knife.

per serving: 553 calories; 17.4 grams fat; 45.2 grams protein; 51.2 grams carbohydrates; 8.7 grams fiber

from Everyday Food

Yield: 4 servings

Barley Salad with Spicy Sausage, Peas, Celery, and Carrots

SALAD

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup barley, regular or quick-cooking
• 8 ounces smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered, about 2 cups
• 1 large rib celery, diced, about 1 cup
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 cup frozen thawed tiny peas
• 1 cup diced carrots

VINAIGRETTE

• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• l/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• freshly ground pepper to taste

1. For the salad, bring the water to a boil in a medium pot. Stir in the barley and bring to a boil again. Cover, then simmer barley until tender, about 45 to 50 minutes for regular barley, about 10 minutes for quick-cooking barley. Drain off any excess liquid.

2. Cook the sausage in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat about 6 minutes, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to paper towels. Blot any excess fat. Place in a large bowl along with the remaining salad ingredients.

3. For the vinaigrette, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss well. The salad can be served immediately or covered airtight and refrigerated overnight.

4. The salad can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled in a serving bowl. To serve chilled, toss well; adjust the seasoning, mustard, and vinegar. To serve warm, gently reheat in a nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes or in the microwave oven on medium power (50 percent) until just warm, not hot, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Barley, like many grains, takes a long time to cook (although quick-cooking barley, which has an appealing texture, takes only 10 minutes) and freezes well. Keep cooked barley on hand in the freezer to add to salads, soups, casseroles, and side dishes.

from Celebrating the Midwestern Table

Yield: about 4 1/2 cups, 4 main-course servings

Pan-Fried Noodles with Pork and Bok Choy (Yakisoba)

• 2 inches fresh ginger (peeled)
• 2-3 bok choy
• 4 oz. pork (most cuts will do)
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 teaspoon Chinese soup paste or a mix of chicken and beef stock
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon shokoshu
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5-6 oz. cooked Chinese noodles
• 1 1/2 tablespoons potato starch mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• rice vinegar and mustard

1. Crush the ginger using the blade of a knife. Chop the bok choy stems into 2-inch juliennes and keep separate. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cut it into small strips.

2. Mix the hot water, soup paste/stock, soy sauce, shokoshu and oyster sauce in a bowl to use as a sauce later.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok over a medium heat. Loosen the Chinese noodles, add to the frying pan, pressing them into the bottom. When they are crispy, turn them over and cook on the other side. This is done to make them crunchy. Separate them again and then put them on a warm plate.

4. Pour a little more oil into the wok, add the ginger and fry. When you can smell its aroma, add the pork and press it down.

5. Next, add the bok choy stems and after 1 minute add the leaves. Stir in the sauce you made earlier.

6. Bring to a simmer and add the potato starch, thickening to taste. Add the sesame oil for an extra special aroma.

7. Remove the piece of ginger and pour the sauce over the noodles. Add vinegar and Japanese mustard to taste.

from Harumi's Japanese Cooking

Yield: 2 servings

Honey-Ginger Glazed Carrots

• 3 pounds carrots, cut into 3- by 1/2-inch sticks
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh gingerroot
• optional: a pinch of cinnamon

In a kettle cover carrots with salted water by 2 inches and boil, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes.

While carrots are cooking, cook honey, butter, and gingerroot over moderate heat, stirring, until butter is melted.

Drain carrots well and in a bowl toss with honey glaze and salt and pepper to taste.

from Epicurious

Yield: 8 servings

Mulled White Wine (Vin Cuit)

• 1/2 orange
• 1 bottle white wine
• 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 6 cloves

1. Cut an orange in half and slice it. Slice the slices in half.

2. Put the oranges, wine, cinnamon stick and cloves in a saucepan.

3. Place over medium heat and heat the wine just until it simmers around the edges.

4. Remove from the heat.Remove the cinnamon stick and the cloves.

5. To serve, place a couple of orange slices in each of 4 mugs. Fill with the wine and serve hot.

Refreshing Mulled White Wine

• A bottle of white wine
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 4 tbsp of clear honey
• A couple of slices of lemon

Heat the wine. Stir in the honey. Give the rosemary a bashing with a spoon to release the flavor, add to the saucepan with the thyme. Add a couple of slices of lemon and gently heat. Allow the herbs to infuse, without letting it boil.

Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf with Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze

Brown Sugar - Ketchup Glaze

• 1/2 cup ketchup or chili sauce
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons cider vinegar or white vinegar

Meatloaf

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped medium
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 cup whole milk or plain yogurt
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 2/3 cup Saltine crackers, crushed (about 16), or quick oatmeal, or 1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
• 6-8 ounces bacon, thin sliced (8 to 12 slices, depending on loaf shape)

1. For the glaze: Mix all ingredients in small saucepan; set aside.

2. For the meatloaf: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining ingredients.

3. Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, and milk or yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in large bowl along with crackers, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic; mix with fork until evenly blended and meat mixture does not stick to bowl. (If mixture sticks, add additional milk or yogurt, a couple tablespoons at a time until mix no longer sticks.)

4. Turn meat mixture onto work surface. With wet hands, pat mixture into approximately 9-by-5-inch loaf shape. Place on foil-lined (for easy cleanup) shallow baking pan. Brush with half the glaze, then arrange bacon slices, crosswise, over loaf, overlapping slightly and tucking only bacon tip ends under loaf.

5. Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees, about 1 hour. Cool at least 20 minutes. Simmer remaining glaze over medium heat until thickened slightly. Slice meat loaf and serve with extra glaze passed separately.

If you like, you can omit the bacon topping from the loaf. In this case, brush on half the glaze before baking and the other half during the last fifteen minutes of baking. If available at your supermarket in the meat case or by special order, you can use 2 pounds meatloaf mix in place of the ground beef, pork, and veal.

from Cooks Illustrated