Lemon Peppercorn Turkey Loin with Red Wine Gravy
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 2 hours to marinate, plus 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Turkey Loin and Marinade1 1.5 to 2 pound turkey loin
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon cracked peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
Sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon butter2 teaspoons flour
1/4 cup chicken stock
Directions
Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
In a large ziplock bag, combine turkey, peppercorns, salt and olive oil. Massage the turkey loin with marinade until covered. Let rest in the refrigerator for two hours.
In a large oven proof pan, heat the canola or vegetable oil over medium high heat. Place the flour on a shallow dish. Remove the turkey loin from the bag, discarding the marinade, and dredge in the flour. Once the pan comes up to temperature, sear each side of the turkey until browned, roughly three minutes per side.
Move the turkey in the over proof pan into the over and cooked until the turkey has reached an internal temperature of 170-degrees, approximately 20 minutes. Remove the turkey from the pan and cover with aluminum foil and let rest. The turkey will continue to cook and is ready when the temperature reaches 180-degrees.
As the turkey is resting covered, return the pan you cooked the turkey to the stove over medium heat. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping the bottom to release the browned bits form the turkey. Add in the butter and flour, whisking continuously until the flour has been cooked. Add in the chicken stock and reduce until smooth and creamy, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
To serve, cut the turkey loin on the bias into 1-inch slices. Fan out over a pool of the red wine sauce, with some drizzled over the top.
Blue Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Chicken with Lemon Wine Sauce
Servings: 4
Serving size: 1/2 chicken breast and 1/4 cup sauce
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
Chicken
2 boneless chicken breast halves2 cups fresh spinach, cooked and drained
1/2 cup blue cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 slices bacon
1 egg, beaten
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Sandwich the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a mallet or rolling pin, flatten chicken out to 1/4 thickness.
In a large frying pan, cook the bacon. Drain the dripping from the pan, but do not wipe out. When cool enough to handle, crumble bacon.
In a mixing bowl, combine spinach, blue cheese, ricotta and bacon. Add just enough egg to bind the moisture. You may not need it all.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Spoon half of the stuffing onto each chicken breast. Roll the bottom edge tightly over the stuffing. Tuck in the side of the chicken. Roll the upper edge over the bottom and secure with toothpicks.
In the frying pan that you cook the bacon, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Brown each side of the chicken. Cover the pan and cook the chicken the rest of the way through, approximately another seven minutes.
Start the sauce in a small sauce pan while the chicken is cooking. Combine the white wine and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and whisk in the mustard and the lemon juice. Reduce heat to medium.
Remove the chicken from the pan and let rest while you finish the sauce.
Over medium high heat, deglaze the frying pan with the sauce, pulling up the flavors bits from the bottom. Reduce the sauce to 1 cup. Taste and check for seasoning. Once sauce has reduced, melt in the butter.
To finish the chicken, make sure it has rested for five minutes then cut 1-inch slices on the diagonal. Fan out a 1/2 of each chicken breasts per plate and drizzle with a quarter of the sauce. Serve with a starch, like rice or pasta.
Jumpin’ Jambalaya
Servings: 4 to 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
- 2.5 cups warm water
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 1 Tb olive oil
- 1 ¼ cup chopped onion
- ½ lb. andouille sausage
- 1 clove garlic finely diced
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 2 cups diced tomato, with juice
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp cayenne hot sauce
- 3 sprigs thyme
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ¾ lb. deveined shrimp (51 to 60 size), tails removed
In a measuring cup or mixing bowl, dissolve the bouillon cubes in water.
Preheat a large frying pan on medium heat. Add olive oil. Sweat onions until cooked through and add sausage and garlic. Sauté mixture for two minutes. Add rice, tomato, tomato sauce, pepper, seasoning salt, bay, hot sauce and thyme. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium low. Cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is soft. Stir parsley and shrimp into the pot and cook for five more minutes or until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Let jambalaya sit for five minutes off heat to thicken up the sauce.
Asian Spiced Flank Steak
Servings: 4
Serving size: ½ pound (pre-cooked weight)
Prep time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
2 lb. flank steak
Spice blend
½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds
¼ teaspoon all spice
¼ teaspoon ginger powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Directions
Preheat grill on high. Brush grate with oil or non-stick spray.
Combine spices in a bowl. Blend well.
Cover flank steak in the dry rub and let rest for no less than ½ hour covered in foil or plastic wrap.
Grill the steak on high flame for approximately 4 to 6 minutes per side, depending upon thickness of steak. Remove steak and let rest for no less than five minutes. Cut steak on the bias before plating. Serve with Mango Sweet and Sour Sauce (recipe below).
Mango Sweet and Sour Sauce
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped mango
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (or 1/8 teaspoon dried ginger)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about two minutes. Add ginger through chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce to low heat and simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and add butter, stirring until melted.
Let sauce cool for five minutes. In a blender or food processor, blend sauce until it has a smooth consistency. You can also run the sauce through a strainer for an even finer consistency. Serve sauce warm.
Sugar and Spice Salmon
Servings: 8 Serving size: 8 oz. salmon
Ingredients
- 1 c packed brown sugar
- 6 Tblsp whiskey
- ¼ c soy sauce
- 2 Tblsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp seasoning salt
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 8 8 oz. salmon fillets
- cooking spray
- ½ c chopped fresh dill
Directions
Preheat grill. After cleaning, brush grate with canola or vegetable oil to prevent sticking during cooking.
Combine the first eight ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add salmon fillets. Seal bag and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag once. Try not to over-marinate, because the citric acid in the lemon juice will start to cook the salmon. Remove fillets from bag; discard marinade.
Place fillet skin side down on grill. Cook 11 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle each fillet with 1 tablespoon dill.
Fiery Margarita Butter Shrimp with Lime Chili Sauce
Servings: 4
Serving size: ¼ pound shrimp and ¼ cup sauce
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Fiery Margarita Butter
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon jalapeño, thick sliced (optional)
¼ cup mango, diced
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup cilantro, rough chop
½ avocado, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
Directions
In a large frying pan, melt Fiery Margarita Butter into olive oil over medium high heat. Add shrimp, jalapeño and mango. Sauté with lid on until shrimp is cooked and pink throughout, about 5 minutes, flipping shrimp once.
In a small mixing bowl, combine lime zest, chili powder and sour cream. Check sauce for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
Pile the shrimp on your serving plate. Drizzle shrimp with sauce, sprinkle on the cilantro and fan out avocado on top.
Serve Fiery Margarita Shrimp with Roasted Corn, Black Bean and Mango Salad.
Compound Butters
Cinnamon Sugar Butter
Serves: 8
Serving size: 1 tablespoon
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
Directions
In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter with sugar and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly and chill.
Serve on toast or in fresh fruit sautés.
Garlic & Herb Butter
Serves: 8
Serving size: 1 tablespoon
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 tablespoon chives
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
Mince parsley, chives and garlic. In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter with remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly and chill.
Blend into Garlic Herb Butter Angel Hair Pasta with Bacon and Italian Vegetables or serve atop steak.
Fiery Margarita Butter
Serves: 8
Serving size: 1 tablespoon
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 3 teaspoons tequila
• 1 teaspoon honey
• ½ teaspoon lime juice
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and membrane removed, finely diced
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
Mince garlic and combine with remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and chill.
Use in Fiery Margarita Shrimp or serve atop grilled fish.
Garlic Herb Butter Angel Hair Pasta with Bacon and Italian Vegetables
Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes*
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 8 oz. dry angel hair pasta
• 2 cups crimini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 cup zucchini, quarter chopped
• 1 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons garlic herb butter*
• ½ cup pasta water
• 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• Salt, for seasoning
Directions
Start heating a large pot of salted water for the pasta. In a medium mixing bowl, mix vegetables with a large pinch of salt. Combine thoroughly.
Heat a large pan on medium high until hot, then add bacon and fry until cooked and browned. Remove bacon from pan, leaving drippings. Save bacon.
When water reaches a rolling boil, add pasta. Cook about five minutes or until al dente. Pasta and vegetable should be cooking simultaneously.
Turn down heat to medium. Sauté mushrooms, zucchini and pepper in the bacon fat for four minutes or until caramelized but still firm. Add in olive oil. When olive oil has come up in temperature add lemon pepper and red pepper flakes.
Remove vegetables from heat and add in garlic herb butter*, pasta, pasta water and goat cheese. Using tongs, combine all ingredients until mixed, about 20 seconds. Leave cheese in clumps.
Plate pasta in large cereal bowls. Distribute bacon evenly amongst plates.
* Prepare Garlic Herb Butter in advance.
Summer Zucchini and Tomato Gratin
Serves: 4
Serving size: ½ cup
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow or white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• Salt and pepper
• 2 young zucchini
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Grease a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil together. Cut off the ends of the onion and discard the papery layers of skin. Quarter the onion lengthways and cut into ¼” slices. Add onion to the pan and sweat until translucent, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle in two pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper into the pan. While onion is cooking, smash garlic with the flat side on your knife and discard paper. Dice garlic finely and add to pan. Cook through, about 2 minutes. Watch the heat. Garlic burns before you know it and then it’s gross and your husband makes that fake smile face.
Cut off the ends of the zucchini and quarter lengthways, like the onion. Cut into a large dice, about the size of a gumball. Cut tomatoes in half. The tomatoes and zucchini should roughly be the same size. Chop parsley and basil together. In a medium mixing bowl, combine zucchini, tomato, herbs and onion-garlic mixture. Take a taste of the mixture and make sure you have enough seasoning and enough herbs. If not, add some.
In a separate bowl, combine butter, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. The consistency should resemble gravel more than sand. Yummy, huh?
Pour the vegetable mixture into the greased casserole dish and top with the bread crumbs. Make sure the crumbs cover the top of the vegetables, but don’t flatten the crumbs. Leave some peaks and valleys. Bake for 35 minutes or until bread crumbs are toasty brown. Remove from oven and let the gratin rest for a few minutes before serving to thicken up sauce.
Cook time: 12 minutesPrep time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
