Main Dish | I Can Cook That

Halibut with Coconut-Red Curry

I am very vocal about my love of Cooking Light and myrecipes.com in general. I think it is a fantastic resource to find delicious recipes of all kinds and sort them easily and helpfully. I was recently sent a copy of myrecipes’ America’s Favorite Food: 200 Top-Rated Recipes from the Country’s Best Magazines which is a collection of recipes from All You, Coastal Living, Cooking Light, Health, Real Simple, Southern Living, and Sunset magazines.

What makes this cookbook different than any I’ve ever seen, is that it incorporates a Scan-It/Cook-It technology. Once you download the free Digimarc Discover app onto your smartphone, you are able to scan photos and info boxes in the cookbook which opens up how-to videos, shopping lists, and related recipes. Brilliant!

When I scanned the photo of the recipe I was making (Halibut with Coconut-Red Curry Sauce), it opened a how-to video to see how to prepare the dish, which is a wonderful tool for beginner cooks. The recipe also includes a side bar with substitutes and even tips on how to cook fish without smelling up the whole house.

This is the perfect cookbook for all levels of home cooks and I’m happy to be able to giveaway a copy of this cookbook! Check out the widget below to enter…

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger (or a punch of ground ginger)
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon sugar (or 1 teaspoon stevia)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3/4 teaspoon red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)

Continue reading Halibut with Coconut-Red Curry

Duck Breasts with Cider-Farro Risotto

So, I found myself in the odd position of craving farro. Yes, farro. So after some searching, I came across a Cooking Light recipe that sounded fantastic. The recipe not only has farro, but it also uses apple cider (how autumnal!) AND it’s a risotto! I’ve never thought of using farro in a risotto but, better late than never.

Ingredients:

Risotto:

1 cup farro
1.5 cups fat free, less sodium chicken broth
1.5 cups apple cider
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped fennel bulb (1 small fennel bulb should cover you)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water (if needed)
grated lemon rind from one lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Duck:

4 6-ounce boneless duck breast halves, skinned
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Continue reading Duck Breasts with Cider-Farro Risotto

Wine Infused Thanksgiving Leftover Empanadas

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving doesn’t even take place on Thursday. I (and I’m assuming many others) look forward to the leftovers as much as the original meal. Friday always includes a Thanksgiving sandwich (which you can actually get a version of in Delaware all year long at Capriotti‘s called the “Bobby” mmm). Saturday tends to be my own version of the Wawa Turkey Bowl. By Sunday, I’m starting to run out of creative ways to mush my leftovers into a new meal.

The makers of Clos de los Siete came to my rescue! Clos de los Siete is an Argentine red wine that is made from seven vineyards in the foothills of the Andes. The wine is a mixture of 57% malbec, 15% merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon, 10% syrah and 3% petit verdot that is a really nice complement to turkey. Azul Argentine Bistro in New York created a recipe that uses Thanksgiving leftovers along with some spices to create Wine Infused Thanksgiving leftover Empanadas, how fantastic does that sound?

Ingredients:

1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 sweet potato, peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 pound turkey breast, shredded (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup Clos de los Siete wine
1-2 packages store-bought empanada discs (note: mine have annatto in them which is why they are orange)
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup water

Continue reading Wine Infused Thanksgiving Leftover Empanadas

Herb Infused Turkey Breast

I’ve got turkey on the brain with Thanksgiving fast approaching and I wanted to do a post that used turkey. But if you’re like me, you don’t have 15 people around to help me eat an entire roasted turkey. So instead, why not make an Herb Infused Turkey Breast?

This recipe for Herb Infused Turkey Breast is cooked using the Ninja Cooking System, I thought it was a fantastic alternative for a smaller Thanksgiving. If you don’t have a Ninja Cooking System, you can still make this recipe; you’ll just need a saute pan that is also oven safe.

Ingredients (get all ingredients here):

1 5-6 pound turkey breast
3 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch disks
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, cut into ½ inch slices
Kosher salt and pepper
4 cups chicken broth
5 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lemon, juiced

Continue reading Herb Infused Turkey Breast

Pasta with Wild Mushroom Sauce

Oh pasta, how I love you. Pasta, or any Italian food for that matter, is my ultimate comfort food choice. I was sent Lidia Bastianich’s newest cookbook: Lidia’s Favorite Recipes– 100 Foolproof Italian Dishes, from Basic Sauces to Irresistible Entrees, which after my first page through, I already knew would be one of my favorite cookbooks. Lidia Bastianich obviously knows her Italian dishes, she’s been in the cooking industry for most of her life; she has a number of best-selling cookbooks, owns 6 restaurants, and is basically the face of Italian cooking on PBS. I’m also happy to let you all know that I will be giving away one copy of this awesome cookbook! More on that after the recipe…

The cookbook makes Italian recipes approachable. A lot of the recipes include childhood favorites of mine, Chicken Parmigiana, Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Italian Wedding Soup. There are recipes that the photos look so fantastic I can’t wait to try them (I’m specifically talking about the rice balls. Oh. My. Goodness.)

But I had to test out the cookbook with my favorite Italian staple: a pasta dish. The Tagliatelle with Wild Mushroom Sauce sounded just wonderful. But something didn’t want me to make this recipe. My supermarket didn’t have wild mushrooms or tagliatelle! Well, the show must go on. This is my somewhat adapted version of the recipe, Pasta with Wild Mushroom Sauce.

Ingredients: (makes 6 servings)

Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled
1 1/2 pounds fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced and baby bella mushrooms
4 fresh sage leaves
1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make vegetarian)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds fresh or dry thin pasta (spaghetti, tagliatelle, etc.)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Continue reading Pasta with Wild Mushroom Sauce

Crispy Salmon with Herb Salad

Salmon and salad are a great healthy go-to on a weeknight. You can have your meal on the table in under 20 minutes! This salad is a nice alternative to your traditional salads. Made with four different herbs and spicy arugula, the salad adds a ton of flavor to the crispy salmon. The lemon dressing is fantastic as well! This recipe is from Cooking Light’s cookbook: The New Way to Cook Light.

Ingredients: (serves 6)

1 1/2 cups arugula leaves
1 1/2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup small fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup small fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
cooking spray
6 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
6 lemon wedges

Continue reading Crispy Salmon with Herb Salad

Champagne-Browned Butter Chicken

My CSA share this week came with the most beautiful carrots. I am not the biggest fan of carrots but I don’t mind them mixed into a dish. These were too pretty to not use! Cooking Light had a recipe in its latest issue that sounded really intriguing: Champagne-Browned Butter Chicken. The dish is pretty simple to make, although it takes a good hour and a half so this is not a weeknight meal. But the presentation is definitely snazzy enough for company!

Ingredients (serves 2 heartily, or up to 4):

2 slices center-cut bacon
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 bone-in chicken thighs
2 bone-in chicken drumsticks
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1/3 pound potatoes, cut into equal pieces
1/2 poundbaby bella mushrooms, halved
1/4 cup brandy
2 shallots, halved
3/4 cup no-salt-added chicken broth
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
3 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 baby carrots with tops
1 cup Champagne
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Slow Cooker Bourbon BBQ Baby Back Ribs

I’m not even going to pretend to care about football. I have no clue what is going on on the field, nor do I honestly want to. Not even going to school with Flacco could peak my interest in the sport. But I do care about the food aspect of watching football, to no one’s surprise.

So with the season in full swing, I figured it was about time for me to figure out how to make ribs. I “surprisingly” do not have a smoker in my tiny apartment, so I went in search of a slow cooker recipe. This Bourbon BBQ Baby Back Ribs recipe fit the bill.

Ingredients:

5 lbs baby back ribs, cut to fit in your slow cooker

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup ketchup (or tomato puree)

1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup bourbon

1/4 cup horseradish
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Sriracha)

Continue reading Slow Cooker Bourbon BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Scarborough Fair Cornish Game Hens with Risotto

Do you remember the first recipe you learned how to make? One that was probably so simple, but made you so proud when you had completed the dish? Mine (besides grilled cheese) was a chicken recipe my mom referred to as “Chicken a la Simon and Garfunkel” based on the lyrics in their song Scarborough Fair:

Are you goin’ to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Remember me to one who lives there,

she once was a true love of mine.

I knew the song so I was able to help make dinner by seasoning the chicken and keeping my mom company while humming the tune to the song (which I have to assume was more of a distraction than a help.. I’m a truly awful singer and I’m sure that translates into a truly awful hummer as well).

I figured this was as good as any time to learn how to roast a chicken. So I settled on Cornish game hens seasoned and stuffed with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. I also made a “Scarborough Fair” Risotto to go with the chicken.

Ingredients: (I was making this for a family dinner but lowered the amounts to happily feed 2. Multiply as needed).

2 Cornish game hens
1 tablespoon each of dried parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (divided)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 lemon
4 sprigs each of fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
6 small shallots, divided
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup uncooked arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine, divided
2 1/4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Continue reading Scarborough Fair Cornish Game Hens with Risotto

Salmon Teriyaki Stir Fry

There is a good chance I have a rice problem, I love all things rice. My go-to meal in a pinch is always risotto. So when DailyBuzz Food had an opportunity to work with RiceSelect through their Tastemaker program, I jumped at the chance. RiceSelect is one of my favorite rice brands. You may notice their nifty containers popping out of a bunch of my posts so I was really excited to work with their rice. The catch was that they sent me one of RiceSelect’s rice randomly, I didn’t get to choose it. When I opened up the package, I discovered brown rice. Hum. I’ve never worked with brown rice before, but I was up for the challenge!

I decided to make a stir fry teriyaki dish using my favorite protein, salmon. Normally stir fry is a quick dinner choice but brown rice takes quite a bit of time to cook. But it gives you plenty of time to prep your veggies and hang out with your dinner guests!

Ingredients: (I cut this recipe for Salmon Teriyaki Stir Fry down to two servings to make it easier. Multiply as needed)

1/2 cup RiceSelect Texmati Brown Rice

1 cup water

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup snow peas

1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts (I used canned)

1/2 pound salmon
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce, divided (recipe below)

Teriyaki sauce:

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons rice wine

1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Continue reading Salmon Teriyaki Stir Fry

Osso Buco with Gremolata

As soon as the weather begins to move into fall, I begin to think of all the hearty meals I will be making in the upcoming months. A slow cooker is such a helpful tool during colder months, it allows you to make a bunch of servings all by dropping them in a pot and just waiting. Slow cooking tough cuts of meat also turns them into the most tender fall-off-the-bone protein. I’ve never tried osso buco before, but a slow cooker version sounds basically idiot proof, so I decided to make it. I actually put this together Sunday night and when I woke up the next morning, spooned out a portion for lunch that day and froze the rest. What a great way to start the week!

I had a heck of a time finding some ingredients despite them being pretty common. So I kind of fudged some of the ingredients. For the original recipe, check it out here.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
About 5 pounds veal (go for the cheaper cuts—its usually made with veal shank but they were all out at my market – I used cubed veal and one veal loin chop so that there was some bone)
2 teaspoons butter, divided
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cups coarsely chopped red onion
1 ½ cups chopped celery
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups beef broth
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon minced anchovy fillets (the original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon anchovy paste)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups cooked egg noodles

Continue reading Osso Buco with Gremolata

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

I have no idea who decided that different foods should get taco-fied, but I am all for this movement. I love tacos, and Cooking Light comes up with the best taco recipes. These Kung Pao Chicken Tacos are everything I want in a meal: quick and easy to make, colorful, a hint of spice, and full of many ingredients I already had on hand.

Kung Pao chicken is a spicy stir-fry Chinese dish that includes peanuts, vegetables, chili peppers, and chicken. It is usually served over rice, but Cooking Light took some inspiration from Korean taco trucks and added the Kung Pao chicken to corn tortillas.

Ingredients:

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce, divided (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts
3/4 cup diagonally sliced celery (about 2 stalks)
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 lime wedges

Continue reading Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

Mushroom, Green Bean, and Farro Salad with a Poached Egg and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

One of the highlights of the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival was catching a cooking demonstration by Antonia Lofaso of Top Chef. She made this wonderful mushroom and green bean salad with a poached egg and bacon vinaigrette. How fantastic does that sound? I didn’t have any arugula on hand, which was in Chef Antonia’s recipe, so I decided to sub in farro instead. (Farro is a grain that you cook like rice). I also kinda sorta forgot how she made most of the stuff, but it still turned out great. This is also the first time I’ve ever poached an egg because I’ve been terrified to do so but it was much more simple than expected!

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 cup farro

1 garlic clove, minced

1 shallot, minced

8 ounces mushrooms, chopped (if you can, go for some wild mushrooms)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed, and cut into bite sized pieces

3 strips bacon, finely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus 1 teaspoon, divided

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

4 eggs

Begin by cooking your farro. Bring the 2 cups water and 1 cup farro to a boil in a pot. Cover, reduce the heat, and cook for 20 minutes or until the water has evaporated.

Also bring another pot of water to a boil. Liberally salt the boiling water (Chef Antonia says that your water should “taste like the ocean”). While waiting for the water to boil, prepare your green beans and mushrooms. Add the green beans to the water for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Keep the water at a simmer (you’ll use it again soon).

Finely chop the bacon and add to a saute pan over medium high heat.

Cook until the bacon begins to brown and crisp. Remove from heat, reserve the pan.

Add the olive oil, 3 tablespoons cider vinegar and Dijon mustard to the bacon and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Return the saute pan to the stove and heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms give off some water and it evaporates. Remove from heat.

Combine the green beans, farro, and mushrooms.

To poach the eggs, add 1 teaspoon of the cider vinegar to the simmering water. Drop the eggs in one at a time.

Cook for 3 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon.

Top the green beans, farro, and mushroom mixture with the poached egg. Drizzle with the bacon vinaigrette.

The textures of this dish are fantastic. Farro has the texture of a more al dente rice, which was really nice with the crunchy green beans and the meaty mushrooms.

My poached egg, was a success! Look at that egg!

The bacon vinaigrette set this dish right over the top. Little bites of smokiness were an awesome touch. This is definitely a winning dish!

Quinoa Chicken Curry

I’m excited to share with you this recipe for Quinoa Chicken Curry, but before I do, I wanted to share a bit about quinoa.

Although quinoa seems to be a bit of a “new” super food, it has actually been around for thousands of years and was considered one of the most important crops of the Incas. This grain-like seed is really easy to cook (you cook it like rice) but is chock full of nutritional benefits. Quinoa’s high protein content makes it a great choice for vegans and vegetarians. It is also a complete protein which means it contains all the essential amino acids. Quinoa is also rich in vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin B, folate, and riboflavin. Quinoa is also naturally gluten free, and can be ground into a flour that allows for gluten free baking. Whew.

I really didn’t know much about quinoa, or how to use it. So I was excited to be given the chance to review The Complete Idiot’s Guide Quinoa Cookbook to learn more about it. The book is full of quinoa recipes, including breakfast, dinner, and even dessert recipes. I wanted to try one of the more traditional preparations of quinoa, but can’t wait to delve into the more interesting uses for it in future posts (Lemon Poppy Seed Quinoa Cupcakes, anyone?) The book had a recipe for Quinoa Indian Chicken Curry that sounded absolutely fantastic!

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken broth, divided
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 teaspoons curry powder, divided
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup frozen peas
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Yields 5 cups, or about 4 servings.

Summer Lemon-Vegetable Risotto

As I hear rumblings of all things pumpkin just around the corner (yay!), I realized that my days of beautiful, fresh vegetables are numbered (boo). Which means I needed a recipe that used some of summer’s best. This risotto recipe from Cooking Light fit the bill: Asparagus, Sugar Snap Peas, Zucchini, Yellow Squash.. mmm.

Ingredients:

8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 (8-ounce) zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 (8-ounce) yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 3/4 cups organic vegetable broth
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/4 cup beer (I used a pilsner)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Continue reading Summer Lemon-Vegetable Risotto