Saturday, January 29, 2011

One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fish, Garlic Soup

Creamy Garlic Seafood Soup A tasty cousin of clam chowder that isn't a heart attack
Ingredients:
8 ounces medium shrimp, shells and tails intact
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion
12 garlic cloves
2 jalapeno peppers, halved
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
1 pound halibut fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons small cilantro leaves
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and chopped
6 lime wedges

Directions:
-Peel and devain shrimp, reserving the shells.

-Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp shells, onion, garlic and peppers; saute 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add wine to pan; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add 6 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 3 cups; strain over a bowl.

-Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add 1 cup shrimp broth, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in remaining 2 cups broth, cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt and saffron; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle shrimp and fish evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; add to pan. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until shrimp are pink and fish flakes easily. Remove from heat. Ladle about 2/3 cup soup into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro and 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado. Serve with lime wedges.

Nutrition info: 305 calories per serving.

Cheers! Try eating this meal paired with the same white wine you put in the soup. They will complement each other well, and a dry white is perfect with fish.

Origin: Umm, what else? Cooking Light.

Notes: Tailor this to how you like it. If you enjoy spice, put in more jalapeno and garlic. We generally leave out the saffron (it's expensive and taste is hit-or-miss) as well as the cilantro. You can use any flaky fish you like - the recipe originally called for black snapper, but halibut and tilapia work well.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Your house may smell like an Indian restaurant, but...

Sweet Potato Chicken Curry This delectable dish is a healthy take on Asian Cuisine

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14-ounce) can fat free, less sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups (1/2 inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions:
-Combine curry powder, coriander, turmeric, salt, black pepper, red pepper and bay leaf in a small bowl.

-Heat oil in large dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; saute 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high; return chicken to pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add in curry powder mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Stir in potato and chickpeas. Cook, uncovered, 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and zest. Discard bay leaf. Yields 7 servings.

Nutrition info: 196 calories per serving (not counting rice, if served).


Cheers! This may sound strange, but try a sweet white wine, like Riesling, or a Pinot Gris. It perfectly counteracts the spicy kick.


Origin: Like 75% of what we cook, Cooking Light. It has changed our cooking lives.


Notes: The first time I made this, I found the sweet potato just wouldn't cook through fast enough for what the recipe calls for. The result was a delicious chicken curry with slightly crunchy potatoes. I have found that if you nuke the potato before you do anything else, let it sit and then peel it, it will cook much faster for the perfect consistency. Also, when shopping for chickpeas, you might go crazy if you can't find them. You might realize they are the exact same thing as garbanzo beans. I learned that the hard way at Target. Also, two things you might like to include in this recipe that I don't enjoy are fresh ginger and peas. Tailor it to how you like it.