Grilled Veggies: Not just for Summer Anymore!

I must first say, please excuse my hiatus!  It's not that I haven't been thinking about you.  I've had the wonderful opportunity to explore the world of Gluten-free with a cient of mine.  It's a challenging task to make things taste good despite a long list of restrictions.  I will share some tips in the future.  Now on to the subject at hand...grilled veggies!

As a child, I must admit that grilled vegetables was not my idea of a party.  In fact, if you have children, try to expose them to as much of this kind of thing as you can while they are still young.  I encourage you to at least have them TRY everything.  If they don't like it, don't force them to eat it....just move on and let them know that in a few weeks they may like it, as their tastes evolve so much over time.

Grilled vegetables are really a simple thing.  And believe it or not, you don't even need a grill!  Just buy one of those square or round pans that has those "speed bumps" to create the grill or "hash" marks.  Pick the veggies of your choice...eggplant, zuchini, summer squash, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes......  Marinate them for about an hour in the fridge using olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar, Kosher salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence. 

Heat your grill to really hot.  Layer the veggies so they have enough room and are not touching eachother.  Once they have cooked on one side (peek underneath and look for that black grill mark), turn them over.  Once they are done on the other side, remove them and put them in a dish and cover with foil until all the batches are done.  They will "weep" and express water.  That's ok.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with omeletes, steak, chicken or fish.  They are also nice over cous cous. With your indoor grill pan, it will feel like summer all winter long!!!!

Pan-fried Filet of Sole with Butter and Lemons

In 2011, I have purposed to eat more fish.  These days, I never eat fish.  It's actually a very strange phenomeon.  You see, I grew up in New England.  We ate fish about once a week.  Lobster, scallops, swordfish, bluefish, clams...the typical stuff.  Although, interstingly, no shrimp.  I'm not sure what that was about.  I will have to ask my mother.

But as I matured into busy adulthood, seafood has been in my diet less and less.  I guess I would attribute it to three things.  First, my favorite preparation of seafood is simple:  lemon, butter, salt, pepper.  Done.  But as you can imagine, that can get a bit monotonous.  Second, seafood is one of those things that is best eaten fresh.  And sometimes we get busy and don't have time to prepare it that day.  So it goes bad or goes in the freezer until we throw it out 3 months later.  I also regret that I did not put extra emphhasis on seafood when I had my children.  Now, they are reluctant seafood eaters, and that pushes seafood further down the dinner list.  Well, NO MORE, I say.  in 2011, I vow to experiment with and present new (to me) recipes with seafood.  If you have any suggestions of recipes that I should make or makeover, please let me know.

This first dish is made with some of those key favorite ingredients I mention above.  It has a nice, subtle flavor and is packed with good stuff: omega 6 and 9 fatty acids (essential fatty acids.  They are called essential becuase your body can not make them for itself and HAS to get them from food), antioxidants and FLAVOR!!!!

Ingredients


•1/2 cup all-purpose flour

•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

•4 fresh sole fillets, 3 to 4 ounces each

•6 tablespoons unsalted butter

•1 tablespoon olive oil

•1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

•6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately 3 lemons)

•1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

•1/4 cup rinsed capers (optional)



Directions

Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large shallow plate. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Dredge 2 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place them in the hot oil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooks, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the pan. Carefully put the fish filets on the ovenproof plates and pour the sauce over them. Keep the cooked fillets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 2 fillets. When they're done, add the cooked fillets to the plates in the oven. Sprinkle with the parsley, capers, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.

"Super" easy Salsa for the Big Game!!!!

OK, I admit it.  For most of my life, I have been lured in by those jars and plastic containers of salsa.  They're easy, pretty good for you, and, really, truly, not that bad. 

My life was changed about a week ago when I tried this salsa.  It's easy, it's fast and it's delicious!!!

There are 7 simple ingredients:  tomatoes, yellow onions, cilantro, fresh jalapeno, fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice and salt.  Salsa is packed full of anti-oxidants (beta carotene, Vitamin C, lycopene and quercetin) as well as fiber.  For those of you trivia buffs, Cilantro, also known as Chinese Parsley is called Corriander in Asian cultures. 

When you invite all your friends over for the Big Game, they don't need to know that you made it yourself, but, despite who wins or loses, they won't forget your hospitality or your salsa.  Go team!

Ingredients:

6 ripe roma tomatoes
1/2 medium yellow onion  
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 - 1 fresh serrano chile pepper or a fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded
2 tsp fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp salt, to taste

Quarter the tomatoes.  Cut the onions to a similar size as the tomatoes.  Put all ingredients in a Cuisineart or a blender and pulse until it resembles the texture you want.  Some like it chunky, some like it smoother.  Serve or store in the fridge immediately for freshness.

Beat the Chicken Doldrums with Tarragon Chicken

It's a challenge.  I get it.  We love chicken, but we find ourselves cooking it the same way each and every week.  And then we get tired of that which we love so dearly.  Enter Indulge Me to rescue you and the chicken (well...sort of....the chicken probably wouldn't agree!).

Chicken and tarragon pair wonderfully together.  There are a few other of my favorite ingredients:  fresh chives, proscuitto and wine. 

Here we go:


Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless breast halves
1/2 cup AP flour for dredging
2-4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. button mushrooms or white mushrooms
3 oz. proscuitto, sliced (if you don't eat pork, omit it)
1 cup dry white wine, like a Savignion Blanc or low sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. Minced Chives

Instructions: 
Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Dust each breast with flour, shaking off the excess.  
Saute chicken in hot oil in a saute pan until lightly browned on both sides, about 5-7 minutes.    Remove chicken and set aside, covering or tenting with foil to keep warm.
Add mushrooms and proscuitto to the pan.  Cook until mushrooms soften and begin to brown, about 2-3 minutes. 
Add wine or broth and cream to the pan.  Return chicken to the pan, reduce heat and summer until sauce thickens slightly, about 7 minutes. 
Stir in tarragon,  and vinegar and cook for 1 minute.  Season the sauce with salt and pepper and garnish with chives.