Roasted Corn Salad with Black Beans and Avocado by Cliff Pleau

A few weeks ago my boyfriend Jon told me about "The Athlete's Palate Cook Book", in which this recipe is from. This salad would be great to bring along to a party or served with grilled chicken. I tried two other recipes from the cookbook this past weekend, and I am sad to say that they are not blog worthy (in my opinion).

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon extra virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon minced Garlic
7 ears of Corn, roasted
1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell Pepper, roasted, cut into 1/4"dice
(can be store-bought,but fresh is best)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Cilantro
1/4 cup Lime Juice
2 teaspoons blackening spice or chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin, toasted and ground
2 teaspoons Hot Sauce, chipotle-style
1 teaspoon kosher Salt
2 Hass Avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut in 1/2" chunks

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a saute' pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the garlic from the heat and place it in a medium bowl. Add the corn, beans, red pepper, cilantro, lime juice, blackening spice, cumin, hot sauce, and salt. Stir together until well combined. Gently fold in the chunks of avocado.

Let the salad marinate for 4 hours before serving.

Roasted Corn:

7 ears yellow corn, in husk
Wash the corn in husks in cold water, then place on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes at 425 F. Cool to room temperature for 30 minutes. Peel off the husks and all silk strands. Stand the corn on end and use a sharp knife to slice off the corn kernels.

YUM! ENJOY!!

Country Captain Soup

This recipe was given to me by my friend Rosemary. It's from Epicurious.com and was in the "Bon Appetit" March 1995 issue of the magazine. It was very interesting to me because right after I made it, of course I was taste testing it, and thought it was "just okay". I let it sit on the stove and cool for an hour and tasted it again. It was AWESOME! I don't know if anyone else out there is like me but, I keep taste testing the food I make in hopes that it tastes better. Usually, it never does, but this time it did! I increased some of the amounts of ingredients in mine, but I will give you the original recipe.

"This zesty soup is based on a chicken and curry stew popular in the South. The origin of its name is unclear, but according to one account, it was brought to Savannah in the early 1800s by a sea captain who traveled the spice route from India."

Yield: Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 large Onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped Red Bell Pepper
4 Garlic cloves
6 skinless boneless Chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon Curry Powder
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh Ginger
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed Red Pepper
4 cups (or more) Chicken Broth
2 cups Canned Diced Peeled Tomatoes with juices
1 large Granny Smith Apple, peeled, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup Orzo (rice-shaped pasta; also called riso)
2 tablespoons dried Currants
Chopped fresh Cilantro
Plain Yogurt

PREPARATION:

Heat oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; saute' until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, curry powder, ginger and crushed red pepper; stir 2 minutes. Add 4 cups broth, tomatoes and apple and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Stir orzo and currants into soup and simmer until orzo is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with cilantro and a dollop of yogurt.
(I omitted the yogurt, it just did not sound appetizing to me.)

Healthy Corn Bread

This recipe comes from a very talented ironman triathlete, whose name escapes me at the moment. I will look through my records and give her the full credit she deserves after I finish this post. (This picture does not do the CB justice. Trust me it's yummy.)

DRY INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Cornmeal
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt

WET INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
2 Eggs
3 Tablespoons Honey
3 Tablespoons Oil (I use Olive Oil)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 8x8 glass pan. In separate bowls mix dry and wet ingredients, then mix the two bowls together. Pour into pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350.

Chili

I was able to make my chili on Super Bowl Sunday as planned, and I paid attention to how much of what ingredients I used. This recipe originally came from my friend and client Elle G. (I'm not putting her full name until I check with her, some people like to remain anonymous.) I have drastically changed the recipe, so I really can't even call it hers, but she got me to the starting line. Actually, I have to credit Elle and her Mom, Gina for getting me back into cooking. In college I cooked a lot for my roommates, but somewhere along the line I got out of practice. When I first started dating Jon, Elle and Gina kept telling me that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Well, I laughed that off for a while, until Elle gave me a few of her recipe's. I made them for Jon and they were a hit. The rest is history. I love to cook for Jon, and he loves my cooking. I get a great sense of satisfaction when I make him a meal that he so enjoys and appreciates.

If you've tried making any of my recipes, you have realized I make quality and quantity. In today's busy world I find it best to make a bunch of food and freeze it for later use. If that does not appeal to you, then you may want to cut this recipe in half. This recipe makes roughly around 15 cups of chili. You may use any type of ground meat, but of course, I have chosen to use ground chicken.

*This recipe will be changing. After discussing chili recipes with my client Frank, I will be adding some different ingredients to my chili the next time I make it.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 Lbs of Ground Chicken
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
1 Yellow Pepper, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced
1 Orange Pepper, diced
4 Tablespoons Chili Powder
Salt and Pepper
4 (15oz)cans of Tomato Sauce
2 cans of Water
1 can Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans), drained and rinsed
1 can of Whole Corn Kernels, drained and rinsed
2 dashes Red Pepper Flakes (only if you like it hot)
2 dashes of Cayenne Pepper (only if you like it hot)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the ground meat until it's no longer pink. Add chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. Add onion and bell peppers and saute until they soften a bit, approximately 5 minutes. Pour all ingredients into a crock pot, add a few dashes of cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes if you like your chili hot. Cook on low for 3 hours. Serve with my healthy corn bread recipe that precedes this recipe.

ENJOY!!

Garlic Basil Shrimp

I found it!! I have been looking and cooking for a blog worthy recipe and I just found it! This is from "foodnetwork.com" and is by Ellie Krieger.

I searched high and low for fresh basil and could not find any. Perhaps it was a conspiracy? All the other spices were there! I used 2 Tblsp of dried basil and a 1/2 tsp of dried hot red-pepper flakes because I like things HOT! I poured it over cooked whole wheat angel hair pasta...soooooo gooooood!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/4 pounds large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp dried hot Red-Pepper Flakes, or more to taste
3/4 cup dry White Wine
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Basil leaves
1 1/2 cups Grape Tomatoes, halved
salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute shrimp, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil remaining in the skillet and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in basil and tomatoes and season the sauce with salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Return the shrimp to skillet and cook just until heated through. Pour over 1/2 a box of whole wheat angel hair pasta.

ENJOY!!!

Bean and Pasta Soup

This recipe is from "Choices" the magazine Blue Cross and Blue Shield puts out. (BCBSRI.com) In most of my cooking I use ground chicken when it calls for a ground meat, obviously you can substitute that for ground beef or ground turkey, I just prefer ground chicken. Once again I have modified the recipe to how I make it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Lb Ground Chicken
1 large Onion, chopped
2 Carrots, chopped
2 stalks Celery, diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Basil
8 cups Vegetable Stock
2 15 oz cans Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
2 small Zucchini, diced
4 Tbsp Parsley
1 cup uncooked Pasta Shells
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, heat oil and brown chicken. Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute' 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, basil and saute' 2 more minutes. Add stock, tomatoes, and cannellini beans. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes. Add zucchini, parsley, and pasta and return to a boil. Cook until pasta is tender, 6-8 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

(I sometimes need to add more stock at the end because the soup is too thick, but I change the recipe every time I make it. You may not have to do the same.)

ENJOY!!

This Sunday I am planning on making my Chili recipe, which I happen to think is the best in the entire WORLD. I will just have to measure everything out, so you can replicate it. Stay tuned!
*Nancy

Chicken and Peppers with Balsamic Vinegar

This recipe is one of my boyfriend's favorite, it is super healthy and easy. It's from "allrecipes.com" and was submitted by Robyn (I wish it showed her last name to give her full credit).

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup Olive Oil, divided
4 skinless, boneless Chicken Breast halves cut into strips
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1 Orange Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
4 large cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Basil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar, divided

DIRECTIONS:

1) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2) Heat remaining oil in the skillet over medium heat, and stir in the bell peppers and onion. Cook about 5 minutes, until tender. Mix in the garlic, and cook and stir about 1 minute. Mix in the basil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
3) Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Stir in remaining balsamic vinegar just before serving.

Serve over brown rice.

ENJOY!!

Skillet Ginger Chicken with Cilantro and Lime

This recipe comes from the "Clean Eating Magazine" and it is by Robin Miller. I'm very excited about this dish, because it has been a while since I've found a healthy and delicious meal to make.

INGREDIENTS:

8oz Whole Wheat Thin Spaghetti (dry)
2 tsp Peanut Oil
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 TBSP minced Fresh Ginger
1 LB boneless, skinless Chicken Breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup reduced-sodium Soy Sauce
2 tsp toasted Sesame Oil
juice of 2 Limes
1/4 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
1/4 cup chopped Scallions (white and green parts)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of cooking water.
2) Meanwhile, heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger, and cook 1 minute. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add reserved cooking water, soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice. Bring to a simmer. Add pasta and cook 1 minute to heat through, stirring frequently.
3) Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and scallions. Serve with lime wedges on the side, if desired.

ENJOY!!

(As an afterthought, I added broccoli to this dish, because I like to get my veggies in there. I will probably revise this recipe in the future after I make it a second time....stay tuned....)