Baby Broccoli with Orange Sauce

    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Yield Serves 4

Ingredients

        Coarse salt
        2 (about 1 pound) baby broccoli, untrimmed
        1/2 cup fresh orange juice
        2 shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
        1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
        1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

    In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook baby broccoli until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes; drain. Transfer to a serving bowl.
    Meanwhile, in a small skillet, combine orange juice, shallots, vinegar, and pepper flakes, if using; simmer over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon sauce over baby broccoli; toss gently.

If you can't find baby broccoli, substitute 1 lb regular broccoli.  Trim tough stem ends and cut broccoli lengthwise.

© 2011 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. All rights reserved.  http://www.marthastewart.com/338797/baby-broccoli-with-orange-sauce

Crispy Apricot Pork Chops

    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Yield Serves 4

Ingredients

        1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
        2 slices multigrain sandwich bread
        4 bone-in pork loin chops (about 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick), patted dry
        Coarse salt and ground pepper
        4 teaspoons apricot jam

Directions

    Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil; set aside.
    Tear bread into large pieces; place in food processor. Pulse until large crumbs form. Drizzle with oil; pulse once or twice, just until crumbs are moistened (you should have about 1 1/2 cups crumbs).
    Season pork chops generously with salt and pepper; spread one side of each chop with 1 teaspoon jam. Dividing evenly, sprinkle breadcrumbs over jam, and pat them on gently.
    Transfer pork, coated side up, to prepared baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden and pork is opaque throughout (meat should register 150 degrees.on an instant-read thermometer), 14 to 16 minutes. Serve immediately.

From Martha Stewart's Everyday Food at http://www.marthastewart.com/334254/crispy-apricot-pork-chops.

Cucumber Gazpacho with Shrimp Relish

Cucumber Gazpacho with Shrimp Relish
This is a yummy cold soup.

YIELD: 4 servings
TOTAL: 20 MINUTES
COURSE: Soups/Stews

Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 cups quartered grape tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 1/2 cups chopped English cucumber
1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Dash of ground red pepper
1 large garlic clove, peeled

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, cumin, and paprika. Add shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until done. Stir in tomatoes; remove from heat. Add cilantro.
2. Place remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, cucumber, and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top with 3/4 cup relish.
Sustainable Choice: Look for shrimp that are certified sustainable. U.S.-farmed shrimp or wild Northern shrimp from Canada are the best options. Avoid imported wild and farmed species.

Laura Zapalowski, Cooking Light
APRIL 2011

Meaty White Gravy for Biscuits

This is really a simple recipe. It looks long, but that’s because I’m verbose, not because the recipe is complicated.

Now, this is a lot of gravy, but it makes such fantastic leftovers, I think it’s worthwhile. If you run out of biscuits, eat it over toast. Yum. Easy enough to half the recipe if you want. Use a large enough pan to hold 2 lbs. of sausage + 1/2 gallon of milk and still have plenty of room for stirring.

2 lbs. of MILD sausage
seasonings
~1 c of flour
1/2 gallon milk

 

Cook the sausage on medium-low heat with seasoning added in from the beginning so the flavor really soaks in. I like to use garlic salt and onion powder. Sometimes I put in pepper or other spices. While the sausage is browning, preheat the oven and get the biscuits onto a baking pan.

When the sausage is completely browned, you may remove some of the grease if you wish. I don’t. If you’re cooking scrambled eggs too, you should get them started.

Add flour until the sausage is coated and the flour starts to look somewhat dry. At this point you should put your biscuits in the oven.

Pour in the milk and turn up the heat, stirring constantly or so. when it boils, it will be about as thick as it’s going to get. If it’s too thick, you can add more milk. Too thin? should have added more flour in the beginning. If you add more now it may be lumpy. You can blend some flour and milk vigorously in a jar and add it, then bring it to a boil again. make sure you’re not burning the biscuits or eggs while you’re messing around with the gravy.

Mu Shu Chicken Wraps

Makes 6 servings.

1 16oz can plums, rinsed, drained, and pitted
1/2 c orange juice
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
6 (7-inch) flour tortillas
3 cups coleslaw mix

1. Bamix the plums until almost smooth.  Combine plums, orange juice, onion, ginger, and cinnamon in slow cooker; mix well.  Place chicken strips over plum mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.

2.  Create a tortilla wrap with chicken, sauce, and coleslaw.  Use remaining plum sauce for dipping.

Adapted from Home-Tested Slow Cooker Recipes:
Mu Shu Turkey p. 96