Sverige 2015

Sverige 2015

Sunday, October 24, 2010

I've Missed You.

Dear readers,

I'm alive, I promise! Thank you for your patience. Work has been keeping me quite busy lately, so please pardon my blogging hiatus. 
I have some delicious, healthy recipes to share with you today. These are adapted from Jillian Michaels' Master Your Metabolism Cookbook
Here is a wonderful, end-of-summer recipe that requires some work on the chef's part, but is totally worth it in the end:

Roasted or Grilled Vegetables with Romesco Sauce
Adapted from Jillian Michaels' Master Your Metabolism Cookbook

Olive oil spray, if grilling
6 plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), cored and halved
3 medium zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise
4 bell peppers, 1 red and the rest red, yellow, or orange, cored, seeded, and each cut into 6 wedges
2 small eggplants (about 6 ounces each), each cut lengthwise into 3 slices
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
1 pound large cremini or button mushrooms, stemmed
1 large red onion, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar

If roasting the vegetables, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and have ready three or four large, rimmed baking sheets or shallow roasting pans and one pan or small cast-iron skillet for the mushrooms. If grilling, spray a grill grate with olive oil and prepare a medium-hot grill.

Place half of the vegetables in a large bowl and add 1 1/2 Tbsp of the olive oil, 1/4 tsp of the salt, and 1/2 tsp of the pepper. Use your hands to gently toss the vegetables so that they are evenly coated with oil. Repeat with the remaining vegetables and another 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.

If roasting, arrange the vegetables on the baking sheets, placing the mushrooms in their own small pan. Do not overcrowd the vegetables, or they will steam instead of roasting. Roast until lightly browned and tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 20 to 40 minutes. Some vegetables may be done before others, so start checking after 20 minutes of roasting, and remove any vegetables that are ready. Return the remaining vegetables to the oven until they are fully roasted.

Or grill the vegetables 5 to 6 minutes per side.

When the vegetables are cooked, set aside 4 tomato halves and 6 red bell pepper wedges. Arrange the remaining vegetables on a large platter; set aside while you prepare the sauce.

In the work bowl of a food processor, place the almonds and garlic. Process until the nuts are ground. Add the reserved tomatoes and bell peppers along with the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil, the remaining 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, and the vinegar. Process until the mixture is well combined; it will not be completely smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and serve with the vegetables. 

Delicious! I served this dish with dinner rolls fresh out of the oven. They are definitely not the healthiest rolls in the world, but very easy to make:

Dinner Rolls

1 cup warm water
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1 stick butter (melted)
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
4 - 4 1/2 cups flour
Optional: additional butter

Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl. Let the mixture stand until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, sugar, eggs, and salt. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough is too stiff to mix (some flour may not be needed). Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or up to 4 days. Grease a baking pan or cookie sheet. Turn the chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 24 equal size pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth, round ball. Place balls in even rows in the prepared pan. Cover and let dough balls rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake until rolls are golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Brush warm rolls with melted butter, if desired.

I am always looking for new, tasty fish recipes. Here is an exotic, tasty recipe for barramundi or halibut:

Thai Green (or Red) Curry Barramundi (or Halibut)
Adapted from Jillian Michaels' Master Your Metabolism Cookbook

1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 Tbsp green or red curry paste, or to taste
2/3 cup coconut milk
4 (4-ounce) barramundi or halibut fillets, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Lime wedges, for serving

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes.
Note: I could not find coconut oil, so I simply mixed olive oil with a little bit of coconut milk.

Stir in the green curry paste, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.

Lay the fillets skin side down in the pan, moving the vegetables to the side to make room as you add each fillet. Pile the vegetables on top of the fillets, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Place a fillet on each of four plates and spoon the vegetables and sauce over the fish. Sprinkle cilantro over each serving and garnish with lime wedges. Serve.

Happy cooking!