Chicken Empanadas

Makes 12 empanadas

Filling ingredients:

3 cups cooked shredded chicken breasts

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

6 sun-dried tomatoes, drained and diced

1-2 cloves garlic

3 green onions, chopped

3 tablespoons minced cilantro

2 teaspoons chili powder

4 oz. canned green chilies

salt and pepper, to taste

12 empanada discs (I prefer the frozen 5-inch Goya “discos,” which come 10/pack and have plastic sheets separating each disk. They thaw in an hour at room temperature.)

egg/olive oil wash, kosher salt

Mix all filling ingredients in a large bowl, adjusting seasoning as necessary. Remove one disc and wet the edge with a bit of water. Using approximately ¼ cup filling per empanada, place filling in center of thawed disc dough and fold over, pressing and sealing edges together with the tines of a fork (or using a plastic empanada press - available at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, which makes the process much easier!) Continue wetting/ filling/sealing the empanadas, placing on a baking sheet before flash freezing. (Tip: to fit more empanadas on the baking sheet, instead of laying them flat, stand the empanadas side-by-side, using the plastic wrappers from the package of discs to keep them from sticking to each other.) Once frozen, the empanadas can be removed from the baking sheet and placed in a freezer bag for easy storage.

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place frozen empanadas on cookie sheet, brushing with egg wash or olive oil. (The egg wash will give you a nicer brown color, but the olive oil adds more flavor.) Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Serve with salsa or sour cream.

Tequila-Glazed Chicken Thighs

*If you would rather not use tequila, you can substitute 1/3 cup pineapple juice. Start the grilling over direct heat to get good grill marks and charred bits, and then move to indirect heat to gently finish the cooking. 

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
6 bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup tequila
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat grill to medium-high heat using both burners. After preheating turn the left burner off (leave the right burner on).

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub evenly over chicken.

Bring the pineapple juice, tequila, and honey to a boil in a small saucepan; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes).

Combine cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl, and stir well. Add cornstarch mixture to juice mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, and stir in lime rind, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and red pepper.

Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray over right burner (direct heat). Cover and grill for 5 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with juice mixture. Move the chicken to grill rack over left burner (indirect heat). Cover and grill an additional 5 minutes on each side or until done, basting occasionally.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 thigh).

calories, 241; fat 7g (sat. 2.1 g, mono 2.8g, poly 1.7g); protein, 18g; carb, 17.2g; fiber, 0.4g; chol, 64mg; iron, 1.2mg; sodium 374mg; calc 19mg


from Cooking Light, June 2011 issue

Grilled Herb Shrimp with Mango Salsa

Herb Shrimp:

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium yellow onion, small-diced

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

1 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

2 lbs shrimp; peeled, tail-on, deveined

Combine garlic, onion, parsley, basil, mustards, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temp or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Prepare grill and skewer the shrimp. Grill shrimp for 1 min 30 seconds each side or until done. Serve with Mango Salsa (recipe follows).

Mango Salsa:

2 tbls olive oil

2 yellow onions, diced

2 tsp fresh minced ginger

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 ripe mangos; peeled, seeded, and small-diced

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tsp light brown sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

2 tsp minced fresh mint leaves

Saute olive oil and onions in large saute pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until onions are translucent. Add ginger and garlic, cook for 1 more minute. Add the mangos; reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and jalapeno; cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add the mint. Serve warm, at room temp, or chilled.

Mom's Beef Teriyaki

2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 salad oil
2TBS ginger root minced
2 TBS molasses
2 tsp dry mustard
6 cloves minced garlic

Combine with 2 pounds flank steak and marinate at least one day.

Soak skewers in water for 20 minutes and then skewer the meat.
Grill and enjoy!

Sesame-Pork Fajitas

1 package pork tenderloins (2 tenderloins)

4 tsp dark sesame oil

2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

8 moo shu shells

Cooking spray

1/4-1/2 cup hoisin sauce

Trim fat off pork and cut into strips. Combine pork and next 5 ingredients in large ziplock baggie; seal and shake well to coat pork. Marinate in fridge for 20 minutes. Warm moo shu shells according to package directions. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork mixture and stir fry 5 minutes or until done. Divide pork mixture evenly among shells. Drizzle hoisin over pork mixture and roll up.

To Freeze: Prepare pork in marinade and freeze. Have moo shu shells and hoisin on hand for serving day.

To Serve: Thaw pork mixture. Following remaining recipe directions.

Baked Ziti

from Cooks Illustrated


NOTE: The test kitchen prefers heavy cream, but whole milk can be substituted by increasing the cornstarch to 2 teaspoons and increasing the cooking time in step 3 by 1 to 2 minutes. Either whole-milk or part-skim mozzarella can be used, but avoid preshredded cheese, as it does not melt well. Do not use nonfat cottage cheese, it will break down when baked.

1 pound whole-milk or 1 percent cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
Salt
1 pound ziti or other short, tubular pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon sugar
Pepper
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

(1) Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook, stirring often, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave it in the colander (do not wash the pot).

(2) Meanwhile, heat the oil and garlic in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and oregano and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup of the basil and the sugar, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

(3) Stir the cornstarch into the cream in a small bowl; transfer the mixture to the now-empty pot set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup of the tomato/oregano/basil/sugar sauce, and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella, then stir to combine. Add the pasta and stir to coat throughly with sauce.

(4) Transfer the pasta mixture to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and spread the remaining tomato/oregano/basil/sugar sauce evenly over the pasta. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese over the top. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

(5) Remove the foil and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Let cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve.

Siamese Chicken Curry with Broccoli and Peanuts

Béchamel Sauce: (I doubled)
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1 cup of half and half

Curry:
2 cups broccoli flowerets
2 TBS corn oil
1 ounce green Thai Curry
1/4 tsp
2 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp garlic (I use a bit more)
1 1/2 pound chicken breast
4 TBS soy sauce
OPT: 1/2 tsp sriraja (Thai hot sauce) or tabasco
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
Hot cooked rice or lo mein noodles

Béchamel:
Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir over low heat for several minutes. Add the half and half all at once and stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens and bubbles. Set aside. If not using immediately, cover flush with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.

Curry:
Blanch the broccoli for 1 minute in boiling salted water. Drain and set aside. Have assembled the rest of the ingredients for the curry.

In a large skillet, heat the corn oil. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute over low heat to blend. Turn the heat to medium high and add the chicken, salt, sugar, and garlic. Stir fry the chicken until the sugar begins to caramelize, increasing the heat if necessary.

Immediately add the soy sauce and continue to stir fry until the liquid has almost evaporated and the chicken is cooked through. Blend in the reserved Béchamel sauce. Add additional milk if the mixture seems to thick, 2TBS at a time. When the sauce is smooth add the broccoli and quickly heat through. (I don't heat the broccoli through for freezing). Taste and add the additional hot sauce if desired. Stir in the peanuts and serve at once over rice or noodles.