Josh Karpf talked about offal or varietal meats. You can find out more about Josh Karpf's food obsessions at www.foody.net.
The following recipes are from Leanne Ely, author of Saving Dinner: The Menus, Recipes and Shopping Lists to Bring the Family Back to the Table. If dinner is a hassle at your house, check out Menu-Mailer; get your menu and check out the low carbmenu while you're there.
Grilled Asian Chicken
Serves 6
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 green onions, minced
- 1 Tablespoon curry powder
- 1 Tablespoon Tahini salad dressing (in the dressing section; also called sesame dressing)
- 2 tsps chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Light the barby and allow grill to heat to medium low heat. Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill. Grill chicken, turning and basting with marinade frequently. Cook about 10 minutes or until done.
Per Serving: 181 Calories; 8g Fat (12% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1407mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
Serving Suggestions: Brown rice, corn on the cob (do on the grill!) and steamed yellow squash and zucchini.
Crock-Nutty Chicken
Serves 6
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 6 Tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- 3 1/2 tsp onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic
- Several drops Tabasco sauce
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Spread peanut butter mixture on one side of each chicken breast half. Fold in half; close with small skewer or toothpick. Place in Crock-Pot. In a bowl, mix remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce with honey, butter and broth and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
Remove chicken from Crock-Pot and keep warm. Transfer remaining cooking liquid to a saucepan and heat to a boil. In a small bowl, disolve cornstarch in a small amount of cold water and stir into sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens nicely. Serve with sauce spooned over the top of chicken. Don't forget to remove toothpicks before serving!
478 calories; 20G fat; 40G protein; 16g Carbs; 2g Dietary Fiber; 98mg Cholesterol; 1497mg sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain (Starch); 5 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
Serving suggestions: Brown rice, a spinach salad and some baby carrots.
Pink: The Color of Blush Pink, or ros- (roh-ZAY) as the French call it, describes wines of this color. Ros- wines are made from the same red grapes that make up the robust red wines such as Cabernet, Grenache, Syrah, Sangiovese, Gamay, Cabernet Franc. These are not "girly" wines.
The normal process for these grapes requires leaving the juice in contact with the red skins during fermentation. For ros-s, the juice is removed from the skins within 2-3 days and then fermented. The brief amount of skin contact gives ros-s their distinct, romantic coloration. It also makes the wine lighter in body. Additionally, the wines will have a lower alcohol content and the fruit flavor of the grapes will be in the forefront.
Generally, ros-s are dry, not sweet. The exception is the appellation of d'Anjou, which is part of the Loire Valley, France. These wines are sweeter than ros-s from other areas of the world and frankly, not as well regarded. Cabernet Franc makes the best of this lot.
The most well known area for ros-s, traditionally, was the region of Tavel in the southwest of Chateauneuf-de-Pape, an area of the Rhone region in France. The wines from this area are more full-bodied. The grapes are primarily Grenache and Cinsault, although up to seven other varietals from the region are used, since Grenache and Cinsault can only make up 60% of the total, by law.
Pink, or ros- wines come in colors ranging from pale pink to light salmon, to deep rouge-pink, to medium salmon to, almost a light ruby color.
All pink wines are to be drunk very well chilled. And, some are for sipping at brunch, others are for enjoying when the sky turns the same color as the liquid in the glass and still others are made for foods ranging from salads to rustic, grills.
Almost every part of the world creates ros-, today. Think pink! But, beware, all pink, blush, ros- wines are transformational. These are not wines to trifle with.
From FRANCE:
NV Cuvee des 3 Messes Basses: $ 5.79
This is the starter ros- from France. A beautiful medium, ros--pink wine that has the flavor of freshly crushed strawberries. A wine made from several vintages of grapes from the Rhone region. This wine has surprising body, full flavor and unbeatable price.'02 Cuvee de St. Tropez: $ 7.99
This is the official wine of the Cannes Film Festival. A pale, pink-salmon color that shows its flash, bling, made for "being seen." It's the basic for every refrigerator.'03 Chateau de Pampelonne: $12.99
This wine is very elegant. Not flashy, no bling. Instead, a medium-pink wine that sends you to daydream, just by looking at it. Sit down with this wine. Have someone sit with you.'03 Chateau Marouine: $13.99
Taking the ros- world by storm. This is a medium-pink wine that has the body to take on full-flavored foods from the regions of southwestern France and Provence. Totally satisfying.'02 Domaine Ott: $27.99
Perhaps the most talked about ros- wine. Its name is always linked with Provence as the signature ros-. Interestingly, many who try the wine in France, run home and buy it here. For some, it just doesn't hold the same emotion. Try it for yourself and see.'02 Cabernet d'Anjou: $10.99
Here's the standout from the bunch, in that it's the sweeter of the lot, from that special Loire Valley region. This is an afternoon wine. One for making conversation.'03 Eric Louis Sancerre: $17.99
Another from the Loire Valley, but not the D'Anjou region. Here is a medium, dark pink wine that works so well with fish dishes. Try this with a salmon done any way, or white roasted meats.'02 Delas Tavel: $12.99
The grand-daddy of ros- wines from the rich Rhone region. The same grapes that make up the robust, red wines are in this ros-. Whatever you are in the to have with this wine, just have it. Your way.
From SPAIN:
'03 Marques de Caceres, Rioja: $ 6.99
Okay, bring it on! A ruby-ros- wine with attitude! This wine is made from Grenache and Tempranillo. Got a BBQ going, pull the cork on this wine. It can stand up to anything you grill at it! Or, just enjoy it at the end of a sweltering day.'03 Marques deRoca, Valle del Jiloca : $ 5.99
The Spanish challenger. This is a new entry from Spain. A wine with all the same rich relish of the one from Rioja, but with a bit more finesse. It's worth checking this out as an intro into Spanish ros-s.
From ITALY:
'02 Terlan, Alto Adige: $ 13.99
Something very new from Italy. A ros- made, not from the traditional Sangiovese, but from the little known grape, Lagrein (lah-GRAYN). This grape is primarily grown in this region, which is in the northeaster part of Italy, bordered by the Veneto on the east and Lombardy (the sparkling wine region) on the west and Austria to its north.The ros-s of this grape are considered to be some of Italy's best. The wine has rich, fruit flavors and a surprisingly long finish. Whenever you're in the mood...this wine will match it.
Cheryl Jamison is the author, with her husband Bill Jamison, of Chicken on the Grill: 100 Surefire Ways to Grill Perfect Chicken Every Time, published by Morrow. This book is also the current Cookbook Club for KCRW Angels selection.
Cinnamon Harissa Chicken
serves 4
Dry Rub
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
- 1 tsp freshly milled pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp harissa, or more to taste
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded 1/2 inch thick
- Minced fresh mint
- At least 1 hour ahead, or up to the night before you plan to grill, prepare the dry rub: Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together 2 tablespoons of the oil with 1 tsp of the harissa and coat the chicken breasts lightly with the mixture. Sprinkle the dry rub evenly over the chicken, place it in a plastic bag, and refrigerate.
- When ready to grill, remove the chicken from the frig and let sit covered at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Fire up the grill, bringing the heat to medium (if you can leave your hand over the flames for 4 to 5 seconds, it's ready.)
- Rub the bell pepper with a bit of the oil. Grill uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every 3 to 5 minutes, until well softened with somewhat charred skin. Transfer the pepper to a plastic bag, seal the bag, and let the pepper steam until cool enough to handle. Pull off the blackened skin -- don't worry about removing every little bit of skin. Coarsely chop the pepper, transfer it to a food processor, and puree with the remaining 1 tsp harissa. With the processor running, pour in the rest of the oil. If the mixture is too thick to be drizzled over the chicken, add a little water.
- Grill the chicken uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes total: Turn onto each side twice, rotating the breasts each time to get crisscross grill marks. The chicken will be ready when it is white throughout but still juicy.
- Slice the breasts into strips, and pile each breast up in neatly overlapping strips on the plate. Drizzle generously with the bell pepper sauce and sprinkle with mint. Serve hot.
Frozen Margarita Pie
Serves 6 or more
Crust
- 3/4 cup crushed salted pretzels
- 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted
- One 6-oz can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
- One 8-oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1/4 cup gold or silver Tequila
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons Triple Sec or other orange liqueur
- Drop of green food coloring, optional
- Lime and orange slices, optional
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie pan.
- Prepare the crust: Combine the pretzel and graham cracker crumbs with the sugar in a large bowl, then stir in the butter until moistened. Press the crust evenly into the pie pan and bake for about 10 minutes, until lightly colored and set. Let cool to room temperature.
- Prepare the filling: Whisk together the ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon the filling into the pie crust and freeze until set, at least 1 hour.
- Garnish, if you wish, with lime and orange slices before serving.
Grilled Fruit Kebabs
Serves 4
- 1 1/2 pounds soft-textured fruit, such as whole strawberries, thick kiwi slices, skin-on tangerine chunks, halved pitted plums or apricots, quartered peaches, or pear, mango, banana, papaya, or pineapple chunks, one type only or a mixture
- Vegetable oil spray
- 3 Tablespoons store-bought vanilla syrup or real maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- Soaked bamboo skewers, preferably 6 to 10 inches long (2 for each kebabs)
- Fire up the grill, bringing the heat to medium (4 to 5 seconds with the hand test).
- Thread the fruit chunks onto skewers, using two side-by-side skewers per kebab to hold the ingredients securely. Alternate the colors and kinds of fruit if appropriate, and push the fruit together so the pieces touch but do not squash their neighbors. Spray lightly with oil.
- Stir together the syrup, butter and 1 tsp water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Brush the kebabs lightly with the mixture.
- Grill the kebabs uncovered for 8 to 11 minutes, turning to cook on all sides, until the fruits are softened and a few edges are browned. Brush the kebabs generously with the syrup mixture in the last couple of minutes of cooking. Serve hot, or chill and enjoy later.