California-Inspired Roll

Catch a wave with this groovy sushi roll! Tender smoked salmon, smooth cream cheese, and zesty garlic are combined into an unforgettably tasty sushi roll that will have everyone at the table reaching for seconds. This simple sushi roll featuers crunchy cashews and delicate flavors for a truly original and delicious meal. Pair with miso soup and seaweed salad for a wonderful dinner that brings the flavors of Japan – and California – right to your table.


Ingredients:
2 sheets nori
1 c. uncooked medium grain white rice or sushi rice
1 ¼ c. water
1 ½ Tbsp rice vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp white sugar
¼ tsp salt
3 oz cold cream cheese, cut into thin strips and divided
2 tsp crushed garlic, divided
2 green onions, minced
2 Avocados
2 oz smoked salmon, cut into thin strips and divided
1 Tbsp crushed cashews
soy sauce and wasabi paste, for serving

Directions:
Wash rice in a colander or strainer until water runs clear. In large saucepan combine rice and 1 ¼ c. water and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until cooked through, apr. 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 20 minutes more to steam.
In large bowl combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Add rice and using a wooden spoon, mix to combine. Spread rice out on a metal sheet pan or aluminum foil to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place nori in oven for 4 minutes to soften. Remove and place shiny side down a plastic wrapped bamboo mat. Press a layer of rice onto nori leaving a 1/2-inch margin at the top of the roll. Sprinkle with ½ tsp garlic, ½ of the crushed cashews, and half of the green onions. Arrange half of the strips of smoked salmon, avocado and cream cheese on the rice.
Pick up edge of bamboo rolling sheet, fold bottom edge ofs heet up to enclose the filling, and tightly roll the sushi into a firm cylinder, pressing firmly to seal. Wrap in mat and gently press and roll to seal.
Repeat with remaining nori and ingredients.
Cut each roll into 6 slices using a very sharp, wet knife. Chill until ready to serve, and serve with soy sauce and wasabi paste.

Vegetarian Samosas

For the Samosa stuffing:
2 cups boiled and cubed potatoes
1/4 cup cooked green peas
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Red chili powder
1/4 tsp Ginger paste
1/4 tsp fennel seeds or powder
For the Samosa covering:
1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
Water to form dough
Oil for deep frying

Samosa recipe Preparations:
Mix flour, salt and 1tbsp oil
Add water little by little, form tight dough and keep aside
Mix all the stuffing ingredients together in a bowl
Take a lime sized ball of dough and roll out in a circle of about 6″ diameter on a rolling board using a rolling pin
Cut the round into half, each half makes one Samosa
Add a big tablespoonful of the stuffing on one piece, fold into a triangle, holding the stuffing in carefully. Press the edges together to seal.
Form all the Samosas in the same way
Heat oil for frying and keep it on medium heat
Add the Samosas into the hot oil and fry on both sides till they are golden brown
Remove and drain well

Halibut Kebabs

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds halibut, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat broiler.
Place fish and bell pepper in a shallow dish. Drizzle pesto and vinegar over fish mixture; toss to coat. Let fish mixture stand 5 minutes.
Thread fish and pepper alternately onto each of 4 (12-inch) skewers; sprinkle evenly with salt. Place skewers on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Broil for 8 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once.

Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara 

Serves 4

  

1 lb Bucatini or Spaghetti, cooked

1/2 lb bacon, chopped

4 large eggs, beaten well

1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino

freshly ground black pepper

salt

1 1/2 tablespoons Italian parsley, freshly chopped

In a large sauté pan over medium heat cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain, reserving 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pan grease but discarding the rest. In the bacon pan saute the chopped garlic for 30 seconds and season with black pepper.  Add the chopped bacon and the cooked pasta and cook for 1 minute. While cooking, add salt to the beaten eggs. Remove the pasta pan from the heat and add the eggs. Whisk while adding the eggs to thicken along with the pasta but do not scramble them.  Sprinkle with half of the cheese and then place pasta into a large serving bowl and sprinkle the remaining cheese and parsley on top. Serve immediately.

Jerk Chicken

Ingredients

    * 1/3 cup cider vinegar
    * 1/4 cup dark rum
    * 3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
    * 1 bunch scallions (white and green parts), roughly chopped
    * 4 cloves garlic, chopped
    * 1 Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
    * 2 tablespoons Pickapeppa sauce (see Cook's Note, below)
    * 1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger
    * 1 tablespoon ground allspice
    * 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
    * 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
    * 4 chicken halves (about 6 pounds)

Directions

Pulse the vinegar, rum, brown sugar, scallions, garlic, chile, Pickapeppa sauce, ginger, allspice and pumpkin pie spice in a food processor to make a slightly chunky sauce. Heat the oil in a medium skillet and cook the sauce over medium heat, stirring, until the oil is absorbed and the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Cool.

Rub the jerk paste all over the chicken halves, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

Prepare an outdoor grill with a medium-high fire for both direct and indirect grilling. Position a drip pan under the grate on indirect side. Place the chicken, skin side down, over direct heat and cook until skin crisps and has definite grill marks, about 4 minutes per side. Move to indirect heat over the drip pan and cook skin side up, covered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let the chicken rest about 5 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve.

Overnight Mediterranean Lasagna

1 (26 to 28-oz.) jar basil and tomato-flavored tomato pasta sauce
1 (2 1/4-oz.) can sliced ripe olives, drained
1 cup water
1 (15-oz.) container ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
8 uncooked lasagna noodles
16 oz. (4 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (4-oz.) pkg. basil and tomato feta cheese, crumbled
1 (9-oz.) pkg. Green Giant® Frozen Spinach, thawed, well drained

   1. In medium bowl, combine pasta sauce, olives and water; blend well. In another medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, lemon juice and oregano; mix well.
   2. In ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish or lasagna pan, spread 1 cup of pasta sauce mixture. Top with 4 uncooked noodles, half of the ricotta cheese mixture, half of the mozzarella cheese, half of the feta cheese and all of the spinach.
   3. Repeat layering with 1/2 cup sauce mixture, remaining 4 noodles, 1 cup of the remaining mozzarella cheese, remaining ricotta mixture, remaining feta cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight.
   4. Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish; bake 35 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbly, noodles are tender, and cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings

Easy Stuffed Roast Chicken With Gravy

Ingredients
o 1 (120 g) boxes chicken flavor stuffing mix
o 1 1/4 cups hot water ( hot tap water is ok)
o 2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
o 1 (8 ounce) cans water chestnuts, drained and rough chopped
o 1 small onions, chopped
o 1 -2 tablespoon poultry seasoning, to taste
o 1 (5 lb) chicken (fresh or frozen, thawed) or 1 (5 lb) turkey ( fresh or frozen, thawed)
o salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste
o 1/4 cup butter, softened
o aluminum foil

Gravy
o chicken giblets
o water, to cover
o salt and pepper, to taste
o 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
o 3 -4 tablespoons flour or 3 -4 tablespoons cornstarch
o hot water, to thin if necessary

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Empty contents of stuffing box, both the bread crumb and seasoning envelopes, into a medium bowl.
3. Add hot water and butter; stir to mix.
4. Add chopped water chestnuts, onion and poultry seasoning, mix thoroughly and set aside.
5. Check inside the chicken for giblets, remove and set aside.
6. Rinse chicken inside and out with cold running water.
7. Dry thoroughly inside and out with paper towel.
8. Sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper inside the cavity and all over the outside.
9. Place chicken in a roaster.
10. Loosely pack the stuffing mix into the main cavity and any left into the neck cavity folding the skin over it.
11. If necessary secure the neck skin with a pick.
12. Take a length of kitchen string and tie the ends of the legs as close together as possible.
13. Rub the butter all over the outside of the chicken making sure to cover the whole outside surface.
14. Take two lengths of aluminum foil, place one piece over the chicken lengthwise, take the other piece and place it sideways over the first piece.
15. Tuck the foil tightly to the chicken so it is touching the bottom of the roaster but not under the bird.
16. If the bird is not completely covered (except for the underside) Use a third piece to finish covering.
17. Place the roaster on the middle rack of the oven and roast at 400f degrees for 15 minutes.
18. Reduce the heat after 15 minutes to 350f degrees and roast for approximately 2 hours.
19. At about 2 hours, carefully lift the aluminum foil and poke the chicken with a fork, if the juice runs clear, remove the foil and roast a further 30 minutes to brown the skin to golden.
20. If the juice is not yet clear, roast a little longer and check again.
21. Once the chicken is well browned, remove to platter, cover with foil and let rest.
22. In the meantime, if you wish to make giblet gravy, take the giblets (and neck if it's there), place in a saucepan, cover with water, add salt and pepper and a little poultry seasoning if you wish, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour.
23. Remove to strainer, reserving liquid.
24. Chop the giblets and pick any meat off neck bones, add to a blender and add the liquid.
25. Blend to liquefy level, add 3 or 4 tablespoons flour or corn starch and blend to mix well.
26. Pour off as much fat as possible from the roaster, take a whisk and move up any bits and pieces of stuffing/chicken stuck to the bottom, remove any large pieces of skin, add the giblet mix from the blender, whisk around; place in 450°F to 500°F degree oven until bubbly, about 10 minutes; add a small amount of hot water if necessary if it is too thick until it is the consistancy you want, cook another 5 minutes.
27. (We like ours very thick) Whisk and pour into gravy boat and serve hot with the roast chicken.
28. Gravy can also be made without the giblets, just whisk up the brown bits in the roaster and add 1 cup of hot water and make a slurry of cold water and either flour or corn starch, add the slurry and whisk, cook the same as above adding a little more water if necessary.

Grilled Shrimp Scampi Style with Soy Sauce, Fresh Ginger and Garlic

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
* 2 limes, juiced
* 2 teaspoons honey
* 2 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely grated
* 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup canola oil, divided
* 1 1/4 pounds large (21-24) shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 stick butter, softened

Directions

Whisk together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the lime juice, honey, ginger, garlic and 1/4 cup canola oil in a bowl and add to a food processor. Add the softened butter and pulse until thoroughly combined.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and brush mixture onto the shrimp. Place onto preheated grill and cook in a single layer for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until just cooked through.

Broccoli Ham Ring

Ingredients

* 2 containers (8 Oz. Tube) Refrigerated Crescent Roll Dough
* 1-½ cup Shredded Swiss Cheese
* 1-½ cup Fully Cooked Ham, Cubed
* 2-¼ cups Chopped Fresh Broccoli
* 1 whole Small Onion, Chopped (very Small Or Half)
* ¼ cups Minced Fresh Parsely
* 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
* 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Preparation Instructions

Unroll crescent roll dough and place triangles on a 12-inch, pizza pan, forming a ring with pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan and wide ends overlapping. Lightly press wide ends together.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; spoon over the side ends of the rolls. Fold points over the filling and tuck under the wide ends (filling will be visible). Don’t let much of the filling spill out of the rolls, it will burn.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

* 4 whole Chicken Breasts
* Chicken Seasoning, To Taste
* 1 whole Onion, Chopped
* 3 whole Bell Peppers, Chopped
* 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
* 2 cups Medium Salsa, Divided
* 1 can (127ml Can) Green Chillies, Chopped
* 1 Tablespoon Dried Cilantro
* Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
* 125 grams Cream Cheese, Cubed
* 1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese, Divided
* 8 whole Flour Tortillas
* Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Arrange the chicken in a roasting pan. Sprinkle each side with chicken seasoning and a little olive oil. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender and moist. Chop the cooked chicken into small (1/2 inch) pieces and set aside.

Meanwhile, reduce the oven to 350 F.

In a large skillet, saute the onion, peppers and garlic in a little olive oil on medium heat, until softened. Add the chopped chicken, 1/4 cup of the salsa, green chillies, cilantro and a couple of splashes of Tabasco sauce; mix and heat until bubbling.

Add the cubed cream cheese and 1/4 cup of grated cheddar; mix well until cheeses have melted and simmer for 5-8 minutes until thickened up slightly.

Divide the mixture between the tortillas and roll them up. Place them into deep baking trays which have been sprayed with cooking spray, seam side down. (I use foil trays for ease and because I usually freeze one tray before baking it, to have another day.)

Top with the remaining salsa and cheddar cheese and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Sliced Chili Rubbed Flank Steak on Spicy Rice with Shrimp and Guacamole Stacks

Ingredients

* 2 to 2 1/4 pounds flank steak
* 1 1/2 tablespoons grill seasoning, a palm full and a half
* 1 tablespoons dark Mexican chili powder, a palm full
* 1 lime, zested
* Cooking spray or oil to coat grill or grill pan
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 cup white rice
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
* 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 2 teaspoons hot sauce, eyeball it
* 1 pound small to medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves or flat-leaf parsley
* Salt
* 2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
* 2 Hass avocados, halved, scooped from skin and sliced
* 1/2 lemon
* 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup crumbled queso Asadero

Directions

Preheat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to high. Rub the meat with a mixture of grill seasoning, chili powder and the lime zest. Let meat stand 10 minutes. Grease grill surface then add meat and cook 7 to 8 minutes on the first side, 5 to 6 minutes on the flip side for medium doneness.

For the rice, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter, and when melted add rice and toast for a couple of minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook for a few minutes to begin to soften the veggies. Add stock and raise heat to bring up to a bubble. Stir in the tomato paste and hot sauce. Reduce heat to simmer, cover the pot and cook 18 minutes, until rice is tender. Add shrimp to the pot in the last 5 minutes of cooking. The shrimp will steam on top of the rice. Cook the shrimp until pink and firm. Combine the seafood and cilantro into the rice and season with salt, to taste.

Season sliced tomatoes with salt and dress the avocado with lemon juice. Make 4 stacks alternating the tomatoes with avocado and onions.

Slice the steaks and serve on a bed of shrimp rice, the guacamole stacks alongside. Garnish the guacamole stacks with cheese crumbles.

Lemon-Pepper Cappellini

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
* 2 lemons, zested and juiced
* Salt
* 1/2 pound capellini
* 1/2 cup shredded or torn basil leaves
* Grated cheese, to pass at table

Directions

Place water on to boil for pasta.

In a large skillet combine olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add garlic, pepper and the lemon zest.

Salt water when it boils then cook cappellini to al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Add a ladle of cooking water to lemon pepper butter and stir in the lemon juice. Drain pasta and toss with lemon-pepper butter and salt, to taste. Add the basil to the pasta and serve a small bundle alongside your entree or serve as a delicate first course.

Pork Chop Skillet Dinner

4 pork loin or rib chops, 1 inch thick (1 1/2 lb)
1/4 cup Progresso® beef flavored broth or chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
4 medium potatoes, cut into fourths
4 small carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 medium onions, cut into fourths
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired

1. Remove fat from pork. Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook pork in skillet about 5 minutes, turning once, until brown.
2. Add broth, potatoes, carrots and onions to skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and pork is slightly pink when cut near bone. Sprinkle with parsley.

Makes 4 servings

Fig and Orange Glazed Ham

Ingredients:

* 1 spiral-sliced half ham
* 1 cup fig jam
* 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
* Grated zest of 1 orange
* 1/3 cup fresh orange juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven as directed on the ham package and follow the instructions for baking the ham. Remove the ham from the oven about 30 minutes before the end of the warming time.

Meanwhile, combine the jam, mustard, and orange zest and juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, just until the jam melts (do not boil). Spoon half of the glaze over the ham and bake for the remaining 30 minutes.

Remove the ham from the oven and spoon the remaining glaze on top. Transfer to a cutting board and carve.

Recipe courtesy Jamie and Bobby Deen for Food Network Magazine
Photograph by Yunhee Kim