Planked Salmon

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
1 cedar plank
Grapeseed oil
3 1/2 pounds salmon filet
lemon juice
8 juniper berries
salt & pepper
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Soak the plank in water. When thoroughly soaked, lightly oil the side on which the salmon will lay. Set the salmon on the plank. Sprinkle with lemon juice and press the juniper berries into the flesh at intervals. Add salt, pepper, and lemon slices.

2. Place the plank over indirect heat on a hot grill and close the lid. Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the salmon begins to flake.

Comments:
We got the plank at Harry and David and the directions on the package said to soak for 1 to 4 hours. We let it sit in the sink for about 75 minutes and it worked fine. We got the juniper berries at Penzey's. They were a lot cheaper than I expected, so yay! It took quite a bit longer to cook than indicated in the directions, but that might have been a grill heating error rather than a recipe error. I don't know. I didn't cook it. Adam said it was very moist and ate it all up.

I'm still not altogether happy with this cookbook. The recipes are alright, but the way they're written is strange and not at all appropriate for anyone not familiar with or comfortable in the kitchen. And the mayo thing. Ew. There are a few more recipes still to try out from it, but I might shelve it after that. There has to be something better out there.

Shrimp-Stuffed Mushrooms

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
1/4 pound cooked shrimp or crabmeat
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup mayo
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp dill
salt & pepper
12 mushrooms (1-1/2") stems removed

Directions:
1. Mix together everything but the mushrooms.

2. Stuff mushrooms with filling.

3. Place on baking sheet and bake at 400F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Comments:
Seriously, what is this woman's deal with the mayo? Anyway, obviously I used huge mushrooms here. I used shrimp. I had to bake them a little longer since they were so big (and waaaay overfilled) but they turned out alright. Adam ate them but said he probably wouldn't want them again.

Thanksgiving Wraps

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
2 cups cooked turkey, diced
1 stalk celery, minced
1/2 cup red seedless grapes, halved
2 tbsp red onion, minced
1/4 dried cranberries
6 tbsp mayo
1 tsp dried thyme
salt & pepper
12 large romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:
1. Toss all but the lettuce together in a large bowl.

2. Lay out the lettuce leaves, add turkey filling, and roll up.

Comments:
Adam wasn't digging the eating from lettuce leaves thing so he wanted to add a burrito shell to it. Fine, whatever works. I also left out the thyme and onion. Well, I forgot I had to pitch the onion I had so I didn't really leave it out on purpose. I also left out the cranberries on Adam's. He doesn't love them too much.

Anyway, this calls for way too much mayo. Don't use 6 tbsp. It will be gross. Other than that, these are good. Didn't really remind me of Thanksgiving, necessarily, but still a good, light, quick and easy dinner.

Smoked Salmon and Mascarpone Stuffed Pita Pockets

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
2 whole wheat pita pockets
2 thin slices of red onion
2 thin slices of lemon, seeded
1/8 pound smoked salmon
1/8 pound mascarpone cheese, sliced
1 tsp green peppercorns, packed in brine
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Using half of each ingredient, stuff the pockets with onion, lemon, salmon, cheese, and peppercorns.

2. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the pita is golden and the filling is hot.

Comments:
Yeah. So. I obviously didn't follow this recipe too well. I mean, look at the picture! I had whole wheat pita pockets. But when I went to use them they had started to grow green stuff. So I subbed a sub. Other than that I think I did ok following the recipe. I made it kind of like the ham and cheese sandwiches we like. This was for Adam (of course) and he appeared to like it.

Scrod Filets with Crispy Potatoes

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
1 large Idaho or Yukon Gold potato, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 Bermuda or Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
2 ounces olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
8 ounce scrod filet
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp butter
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme. Toss the potato and onion in the mixture.

2. Prepare an 8" pie pan with nonstick spray. Spread the potatoes and onions in the plate and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top layer is crisply brown and the inside layer is soft.

3. Place the fish on top, sprinkle with lemon juice, and dot with butter. Bake another 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes.

Comments:
I doubled this recipe so I had to adjust a little in both cooking vessel and time. I also used cod since I couldn't find scrod (which, the book tells me, is a young codfish, similar to haddock.) Overall, not a bad dish. I didn't eat the fish, but the potato and onion dish was good.

Turkey Club Salad

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
1 pound deli turkey breast
4 strips bacon
1 box cherry tomatoes, halved
1 head Boston lettuce, shredded
1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup French dressing
2 cups lettuce, shredded

Directions:
Thickly slice turkey breast. Fry bacon until crisp and crumble into a large serving bowl. Mix all ingredients except the lettuce in the bowl. Serve over lettuce.

Comments:
Kind of didn't follow the recipe too well. I used it more as an idea. I omitted the Boston lettuce and avocado, used just French dressing. I mixed Romaine and the dressing and then put the turkey, tomatoes, and bacon on the top. I think it turned out well. Adam liked it too.

Chicken Scallops Stuffed with Spinach and Cheese

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
2 1/4-lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 tbsp flour
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup spinach souffle
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup olive oil
Lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:
Sprinkle the pounded chicken with flour, salt and pepper on both sides. Mix the spinach, cheese, nutmeg, salt & pepper. Spread the filling on the chicken breasts. Roll them and secure with a toothpick. Saute the chicken in olive oil until lightly browned. Add the lemon and chicken broth. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Comments:
Spinach souffle? What the heck is that? I admit, I didn't even look for it. I had baby spinach in the fridge from the taco salad anyway and I also had some leftover spinach-artichoke dip. I figured between the two of those items I could fake it. I made Adam's with the spinach and ricotta cheese. Mine was filled with the spinach-artichoke dip. They both turned out well and Adam's main comment was the ricotta seemed to melt right out of the chicken. That might have been my shoddy rolling job though. Picture is of mine - stuffed with the dip.

Taco Salad

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
16 taco chips
1 cup grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 bag baby spinach, shredded
2 sweet red roasted peppers, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:
Arrange taco chips on serving plates. Sprinke with cheese and place under broiler until cheese melts. Top taco chips with spinach, peppers, and onion. Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.

Comments:
Remember what I said about Adam liking his nachos with all the crap up on top of it? Well this is that preference at work again. I left off the red peppers and subbed a green onion. Overall it was ridiculously simple and he ate it. I can't ask for more than that.

Banana-Kiwi Smoothie

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
1 banana, peeled, cut into 2-inch segments
4 kiwi fruit, peeled, cut in half
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 cups orange juice
2 tbsp oat bran or Kashi
4 ice cubes

Directions:
Place the banana, kiwi, lime and orange juices in the blender and puree. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Comments:
I tried a little of this and it was way too banana-y for me. But Adam thought it was great. I got the "summer berry" Kashi and it seemed to go well with the rest of the fruits. I might make this for myself at some point without the banana. We'll see.