Broiled Tandoori Chicken

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 (8-ounce) carton plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl. Stir in chicken; cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

2. Preheat broiler.

3. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Thread chicken evenly onto 4 (8-inch) skewers. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 6 minutes; turn skewers, and broil 6 minutes or until done.

Comments:
Pretty simple recipe. I used Greek yogurt to make the marinade a little thicker. They cooked up relatively quickly without a whole lot of burnage. We'd probably try them again - although Adam wants them spicier next time...

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.

Tilapia Baked in Couscous

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
One 10-ounce box couscous
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus 1 lemon, thinly sliced
Four 8-ounce tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine the couscous, almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and cumin and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the 1/4 cup olive oil and the lemon juice.

2. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the tilapia fillets in a single layer in the dish, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cover the fish with the couscous mixture and arrange the lemon slices on top. Pour 2 1/2 cups water around the fish, cover with foil and bake until tender, about 25 minutes. Top with the parsley.

Comments:
This was totally easy and although I left out the tomatoes (we don't like them), it still tasted good. Adam didn't like the lemon flavor - it was too strong for him - but I was ok with it. I took the couscous and combined it with leftover beans from the tostadas and chicken from the crepes. Yummy dinner. And used leftovers. Rockin'.

Lemon Poppy Chicken with Mint and Green Pea Cousous

From Rachael Ray's cookbook Just in Time



Ingredients:
EVOO
chicken breasts
flour
salt & pepper
lemon zest (left out)
poppy seeds (left out)
chicken stock
lemon juice
butter
couscous
peas
basil (left out)
mint (left out)

Comments:
Ok, so I did some tampering with this one. I don't remember what it was, but I made someone with lemon once and it got the thumbs down from Adam so I left the majority of the lemon out of this one. See, I learn! Anyway, Generally simple meal - it's in the 15-Minute category. Not outstanding, but better than a sandwich or something...