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Virtuous Recipes

Favorite recipes plus tips on nutrition, health, and shopping for food and kitchen equipment.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Lime-Tarragon Chicken

This is a zesty and delicious variation on the old standard, baked chicken. It's enlivened by the citrus flavors and liberal amounts of fresh tarragon. Well worth the slight extra effort compared to just throwing the chicken in the oven. (You wouldn't ever do that anyway, would you?)

4 tbl butter, softened
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon
4 chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless
1 tbl chopped fresh tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbl white wine or water
2/3 cup sour cream
lime sections for garnish
sprigs of fresh tarragon for garnish

Put the butter into a bowl and beat in the lime zest. Make 3-4 diagonal cuts in each chicken breast with a sharp knife. Spread the top of each breast with one-quarter of the lime butter.

Put the chicken breasts into a roasting pan. Sprinkle with the lime juice, tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste and bake at 400F for 20 minutes, or until juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through.

Transfer the chicken breasts to warmed serving plates and keep warm.

Put the pan on top of the stove. Add the measured wine or water to the cooking juices, stirring to dissolve any browned bits, and bring to a boil, stirring. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and heat gently until warmed through.

Serve the chicken with the sauce, and garnish each with the lime sections and fresh tarragon.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes chicken collection.

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Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Baked Red Snapper with Tomato Sauce

The unusual scent of fennel seeds just touches the sauce lightly. Fish with a difference!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, sliced
1 can Italian plum tomatoes (28 oz), drained
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 pieces orange peel, 2-1/2" by 1" (orange part of peel only)
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Salt to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
2 red snapper filets, about 3/4" thick (1/3 lb each) or other firm white fish filets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, orange peel, fennel seeds and crushed red pepper. Boil gently until reduced to chunky sauce, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before continuing.)

Pour remaining 1 tablespoon oil into small baking dish. Add fish and turn to coat with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon warm sauce over fish. Bake until just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe yields 2 servings. Can be doubled or tripled.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes Seafood Collection.

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Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Chilaquiles

This is a hearty and delicious Mexican breakfast. Great for Sunday brunch.

6 Eggs
4 Corn tortillas
2 Avocados
2 Tomatoes
4 tbl Lime juice
4 tsp Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbl Butter
2 Onions, finely diced
1 cup Cooked beef, chicken or pork, diced or shredded
1 tsp Chili powder
1/2 tsp Ground cumin
Cilantro

Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat lightly. Cut the tortillas into eighths and add to the eggs. Let sit 15 minutes.

Cut the avocados in half from tip to stem, and remove the pit. Using a paring knife, slice the flesh in each half from tip to stem in 1/2-inch slices without cutting through skin. Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh out of the skin in 1 piece. Lay cut side down on each plate and fan out the slices. Cut the tomatoes into slices and lay slices next to the avocado. Drizzle with lime juice and oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion, chili powder and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add meat; cook just until warmed. Add the beaten eggs and tortillas and cook, stirring, until eggs are cooked to desired doneness.

Arrange a mound of eggs on each plate next to the avocado and tomato. Garnish with some cilantro. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes breakfast collection.

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Monday, May 29, 2006

Applebee's® Baby Back Ribs (copycat)

I'll be posting a few "copycat" recipes that represent someone's best effort to reconstruct favorites from famous restaurants. Please note that the restaurant names are registered trademarks owned by their parent companies and that these recipes are not endorsed by them. Eventually I may publish a collection of these copycats if there is a demand. Please leave a comment here if you're interested.

3 racks pork baby back ribs (about 1 lb ea), each cut in half
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put ribs in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour or until ribs are fork tender.

Mix all sauce ingredients together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Heat broiler. Line broiler with foil for easy cleanup. Place ribs, meat-side down, on broiler pan, brush with 1/2 of the sauce and broil 4 to 5 inches from heat source for 6 to 7 minutes.

Turn ribs over, brush with remaining sauce and broil 6 to 7 minutes longer or until edges are slightly charred.

This recipe yields 3 servings.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes copycat collection.

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Sunday, May 28, 2006

Poached Salmon with Cucumber Sauce

I love serving this cold for a light summertime dinner or a special lunch.

For the sauce:
1 lb Cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 tb White wine vinegar
1 ts Salt
1 sm Onion, grated
1 c Sour cream
3 tb Lemon juice
3 tb Snipped fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste

For the fish:
4 Salmon filets, about 1/3 lb each
1 qt Water
2 ts Salt
3 tb White wine vinegar

For the garnish:
Snipped fresh dill

Sauce:
Grate cucumber and toss with vinegar and salt in a colander. Set aside for 30 minutes to drain. With your hands squeeze juices from cucumber. Combine cucumber in a mixing bowl with remaining sauce ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Salmon:
Skin salmon filets and remove bones. Fill a wide saucepan with water, about 3 inches deep. For one quart of water, add 2 teaspoons salt and 3 tablespoons vinegar; adjust proportions accordingly for more or less water. Bring to a boil. Carefully add salmon to pan and adjust heat until water is just below simmering -- it should shiver, and not quite bubble. Cook until fish has turned from translucent to opaque and feels springy to touch, about 8 minutes.

Remove salmon with a spatula and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. At this point you can refrigerate the salmon, covered, for up to 24 hours, or you can just let it cool a few minutes and serve at room temperature. Transfer to serving platter, pour sauce over and garnish with dill sprigs.

Serves 4.

Courtesy of the Virtuous Recipes Archive.

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Curried Chicken Salad

This is a savory-sweet variation on an old favorite. Leftover turkey works at least as well as chicken. Great as a sandwich filling, particularly on whole-grain bread that has a little crunch of its own, like wheat berry.

3 cups coarsely-chopped cooked chicken -- (approx 1 lb)
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/2 cup white grapes, cut in half
1/2 cup real mayonnaise
2 tablespoons mild or sweet curry powder (or more to taste)
Salt -- to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper -- to taste


Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to blend thoroughly. Let rest in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes for flavors to blend. Serve heaped on lettuce, or in sandwiches.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Spicy Chicken Thighs

This is a very easy main dish with a bit of a French flair. Not as spicy as if it were from Spain or Mexico, but it has a little heat and tang from the cayenne and mustard.

Try serving with asparagus or another green vegetable.

4 large or 8 small chicken thighs (2 - 3 pounds)
Salt & pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons dry white wine
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs, fine
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped


Preheat broiler to high heat.

Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper.

Melt butter in a baking dish. Heat the dish. Add chicken pieces. Turn to coat with butter.

Arrange chicken thighs skin side up. They should fit in the baking dish in one layer. Broil for 7 minutes about 4 inches from the heat. Turn and cook another 7 minutes. Baste the thighs with butter from the dish.

Mix the mustard, 1 tablespoon wine, and the cayenne. Brush this mixture over the chicken and sprinkle each thigh with bread crumbs.

Switch oven to "bake" and reduce heat to 450 degrees. Return the chicken to the oven and bake 10 minutes.

Turn the chicken. Brush with remaining mustard mixture and sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes.

Remove chicken pieces to a warm platter. Add remaining wine to the baking dish and stir to dissolve all the brown particles. Add parsley to the sauce.

Serve chicken with sauce spooned over it.

Four servings.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Soup)

This is the classic Greek Lemon Soup, smooth and delicious. It's very quick and easy to make, but be sure to follow the mixing instructions or the eggs may curdle. I like to use Swanson's reduced sodium chicken broth as the base. If you make your chicken stock from scratch, that's even better, but be sure to strain it well, as this is supposed to be a very smooth soup.

6 cups strong chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
salt
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup lemon juice

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add rice and cook until soft. Season to taste with salt.

Beat together the egg, egg yolks and lemon juice until frothy. Add a small amount of hot soup to the egg mixture, stir, then return to the remaining soup, stirring constantly.

Bring to a gentle boil, then remove from heat and let stand a few minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Sauteed Pork Chops

8 small pork chops (1/2 inch thick)
salt
black pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon dry white wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon prepared mustard, preferably Dijon

Season the chops with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. The skillet should be large enough for the chops fit in one layer. (Don't be afraid of using high heat even without a non-stick skillet.

Add chops. Cook about 5 minutes until well browned on one side.

Turn the chops and cook the other side 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove the chops and reserve on a warm platter. Pour most of the fat out of the skillet. Add the onions and cook briefly, stirring. Add the 6 tablespoons of wine and the vinegar. Stir with a wire whisk or fork to deglaze the pan (dissolve the brown bits).

Add chicken broth and tomato paste. Stir. Cook about 5 minutes, then blend the remaining teaspoon of wine with the cornstarch and stir the mixture into the sauce.

Transfer the sauce to a saucepan. Add mustard and juices that have flowed out of the chops onto the platter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the sauce but don't boil it. Serve the chops with the sauce and some mashed or roasted potatoes.

Serves 4.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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