Recipe Review from 6/30/2014

A 700-footer coming in just before we slipped out the canal

Our household was treated to a very exciting Fourth of July.  The Husband and I were invited down to Park Point for a sailboat ride, a BBQ, and then fireworks in the Harbor.  Our Hosts let the Husband steer the sailboat out on Superior while they raised the sails, then later, back through the canal behind one of Superior's 1000 footers! Very exciting.  Dinner was a bounteous spread of grilled veggies, grilled potatoes, grilled corn, spinach and strawberry salad, and salmon, all rounded out with a absolutely divine dessert of brownies, peaches and ice cream.  That brought us back to the boat for a splendid fireworks display, then, while waiting for traffic to thin out (there is only one spot to get on/off of Park Point so things get backed up almost immediately), strawberry shortcake!   My thanks and gratitude to our hosts and their lovely family for a fabulous day.  

The 1000-footer we followed back in.

The 1000-footer waiting for the above boat to clear the canal so she could leave.

Meanwhile, in the recipe department, a couple of back to back trips had us eating tried and true recipes, keeping to uber simple meals.  As we shifted back into normalcy, the Husband took a turn at meal planning and prep.

His meal plan:
Mon:  Turkey Pitas
Tues:  leftovers
Wed: BLT Pizza  out with parents
Thurs: Slow-cooked ribs
Fri (L) leftover soup (S) BBQ
Sat (L) leftover soup  (S) leftover ribs
Sun - BLT Pizza

Lunches: Squash and veggie soup (his creation)


Turkey Pitas with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce (Ckng Lght, July 2014)   gluten free option
The Husband selected and made this dish for us. He subbed zucchini for the cucumbers ('cause he remembered I don't care for cucumber) and he subbed bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because they were cheaper than turkey.   I thought these were very good!  We both agreed that the tahini-yogurt sauce tasted a bit 'peanuty', but it was tolerable for this anti-peanut person.  He put everything out in bowls so we could fill our own pitas.  When we ran out of pitas, we just made salads.  Could do as wraps, too. Made enough for two meals for two of us.   We had some leftover thighs that we froze for a later use. 

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  

  photo from CookingLight.com

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 4 (4-ounce) turkey cutlets  1 1lb+ package bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs 
• 4 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas   skip if gluten free, or sub an appropriate wrap
• 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber baby zucchini 
• 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Combine cumin, paprika, salt, and turmeric in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture evenly over turkey. Add [turkey] to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove [turkey] from pan.
2. Cut off top third of each pita; reserve for another use. Add pitas to pan; grill 30 seconds on each side or until marked. Cut pitas in half, set aside.  Cut [turkey] into slices. Divide [turkey], cucumber, and bell pepper evenly among pitas.
3. Combine tahini and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Serve tahini mixture with sandwiches.

BLT Pizza with White Sauce (Ckng Lght, July 2014)
A bit putzy, but really good.  I made the dough in the morning and let rise in the fridge during the day.  A note: an hour and a half is NOT enough time to bring the dough up to room temp as recommended.  Even in 70* temps.  I inadvertently used up all the spinach and we didn't have any microgreens ready from the garden, so I subbed avocado.   Odd, yes, but I thought it worked. Crust cooking time need to be adjusted for your dough - I think my recipe made a 12oz crust and I should have pre-baked it 10 minutes more than called for.  A pre-bought crust (such as Bilobi) would also work just fine for this. 

photo from CookingLight.com

• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 4 (7 was better) center-cut bacon slices
• 10 ounce fresh pizza dough
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 2 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup baby arugula (baby spinach)  avocado

1. Place a pizza stone on bottom oven rack. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Arrange tomato slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet; sprinkle with oregano and pepper. Place baking sheet directly on pizza stone. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until tomatoes are no longer wet. Remove tomatoes; keep stone in oven.
3. Increase oven temperature to 500°.
4. Combine mayonnaise, oil, chives, and garlic in a small bowl.
5. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. Break into pieces.
6. Using well-floured hands, pat dough into a 10-inch circle. Place dough on a pizza peel or baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Pierce dough with a fork; transfer to preheated pizza stone. Bake at 500° for 5 minutes.
7. Carefully remove pizza stone from oven. Brush mayonnaise mixture over crust, leaving a 1-inch border; top with tomatoes and bacon. Top with cheese; coat crust edge with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese melts and crust browns. Top with arugula. Cut into 8 slices.

Easy BBQ Ribs modified (Slow Cooker Revolution, by ATK) gluten free
The husband followed this recipe fairly closely, except I think he grilled rather than broiled.  I've modified the directions to show the grilling.  These turned out pretty good!  I think the slow cooking is a great way to get the tender-fall off the bone ribs without having to watch a grill for several hours - it can really speed up an evening meal or simplify a weekend get-together.  

3 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
6 lbs pork baby back ribs
3 cups bbq sauce (which was waaayy to much - maybe halve?)

1) Mix spices, sugar, salt and pepper together, then rub over ribs. Arrange ribs upright in slow cooker, with meaty sides facing outward (toward the slow cooker walls).  Pour BBQ sauce over ribs, cover and cook until ribs are tender, 6-8 hours on low.

2) Prepare grill. [our modification]  Transport ribs, meaty side down, to prepared baking sheet and tent with foil.  Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using a large spoon.

3) Strain braising liquid into a medium saucepan and simmer until thickened and measures 2 cups (unless halving) about 15-20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

4) Brush ribs with sauce and grill until beginning to brown, about 2-4 minutes.  Flip and repeat, until ribs are well browned and sticky, 9-12 minutes longer.

5) Transfer ribs to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes.  Serve with remaining sauce.