Coffee-Crusted Chicken with Bourbon Creme Sauce

Ingredients:
Sauce -
1 Tbs butter
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 tsp minced garlic
ground pepper
1/4 cup bourbon
1 cup low-sodium beef stock
6 Tbs heavy creme
kosher salt 1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

Rub -
1 tsp dark-roasted coffee
1 tsp finely chopped thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 boneless pork or chicken breasts
EVOO

Directions:
Sauce: medium heat, melt butter. Add onion, cook until tender (about 3 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent browning. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stir occasionally. Remove from heat, add bourbon and return to heat. Once flame subsides, reduce heat to medium and add the beef stock and cream. Simmer until about 1.3 cup liquid remains, 15-20 minutes (could take up to an hour), stirring occasionally. Add the thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Rub: small bowl, mix and rub with fingers.

Allow meat to stand at room temp for 20-30 minutes before grilling. Lightly brush meat with EVOO grill over medium heat.

Recipe Courtesy of Taylor Whittell

Fingerling Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients:
fingerling potatoes
EVOO
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
rosemary

Directions:
Preheat oven

Cut potatoes in half (long ways). Spread with EVOO, rosemary, salt and peper. Bake on a cookie sheet until browned and crispy.

Recipe courtesy of Taylor Whittell

Roasted Green Beans with Garlic

Ingredients:
1 lb green beans
1/4 cup EVOO
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 thyme sprigs, each cut in half
salt and pepper
3 anchovies fillets, mashed
finely grated zest if 1 lemon
2-3 tsp fresh lemon juice to taste

Directions:
Preheat over to 450 degrees (upper level rack). Toss beans with EVOO, garlic, and thyme in large baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Spread beans out in single layer and roast, tossing occasionally until tender and lightly browned, less then 10 minutes.

Discard thyme sprigs and transfer the beans to a bowl. Add the anchovies. Lemon zest, lemon juice and toss to coat. Serve warm

Recipe courtesy of Taylor Whittell

Wild Mushroom Quesadillas with Warm Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:
Quesadilla -
2 Tbs EVOO
16 crimini mushroom caps or baby portabellos, with stems and thinly sliced
12 shitake mushrooms, no stems, thinly sliced
coarse black pepper and salt
1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves, chopped, or 1 tsp dried thyme
4 large flour tortillas
2 cups sharp white cheddar shredded

Salsa-
1 Tbs evoo
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil chopped
1/2 cup smoky barbeque sauce
salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the EVOO, two turns of the pan, and the sliced mushrooms to the hot skillet. Season mushrooms with black pepper, salt and thyme. Saute the mushrooms 10 minutes, or until dark and tender, then remove from heat. Transfer the mushrooms to a dish and return the skillet to the stove over medium.

Add another turn of EVOO to the skillet and add the onions, garlic and jalapeno pepper; saute for 2-3 minutes, then add beans and corn to the pan. Stir in chopped tomatoes and barbque sauce, then seaon salsa with salt and pepper. Transfer warm salsa to a serving dish.

Heat a griddle pan or large nonstick skillet over medium to medium- high heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO to the pan and one flour tortilla. Cook tortilla 1 minute, then turn it over. Sprinkle 1/2 cup sharp cheddar over half of the flour tortilla. Cover the cheese with a quarter of the cooked sliced mushrooms. Fold the plain half of the tortilla over top of the filling and gently press down with a spatula. Cook the filled quesadilla 30-60 seconds longer on each side to lightly brown and crisp the quesadilla and melt the cheese. Remove the quesadilla to a large cutting board or transfer to a warm oven to hold, then preate with remaining quesadilla ingredients.

Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve with warm salsa.

Recipe courtesy of Rachel Ray

Slords Slurp Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
3 Tbs peanut oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 chile chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes (or fresh)
1 fresh lime
chopped cilantro
2 cups shredded jack cheese
1-2 avocados
1 1/2 cup shredded chicken

Directions:
Heat 3 big tbs of peanut oil over medium high heat. Cook onion in oil for 2 minutes. Add garlic and chile, cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in broth, 1 can of corn, tomatoes and salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chicken, heat until hot. Right before serving squeeze one lime into the soup and add chopped fresh cilantro to taste. Serve with avocado, tortilla strips and shredded cheese. Either buy a package of tortilla strips or if you are feeling RISKY - get a package of corn tortillas. Cut them up in strips and put them in a tiny but of peantu oil until golden/cripsy. Make sure the oil is hot or they will not fry. Dry on paper towel and serve on top.

Recipe courtesy of Lauren Haugh

Mediterranean-Style Chicken

Ingredients:
15 small garlic cloves, peeled ( I use cloves from a jar ...8 tsp)
2 T dried oregano
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 olive oil
1 leek white and light green part cut up
1/2 dried whole pitted apricots
3/4 dried whole pitted plums
1/2 cup green olives
1/2 pitted kalamata olives
1/3 cup capers with some liquid
salt and pepper
2 to 3 pd chicken ( I use boneless skinless chicken breast and / or thighs)
2 T brown sugar
3/4 cup red wine

Directions:
Make the marinade in a bowl, stir together garlic, oregano, salt and pepper,vinegar, oil, leek, apricots, plums, olives and capers until blended. Place the chicken in a lock top plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. I like to do it the night before.

Preheat oven to 425. Place the chicken in baking pan, arrange the marinade around the chicken. In a small bowl, dissolve the brown sugar in the wine and pour over the chicken. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes or until the chicken in nicely browned.

Recipe courtesy of The Montgomery Ladies

4 Fabulous Artichoke Dipping Sauces

Herbed Mayonnaise

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon each chopped parsley and chives (or green onions, green part only)

¼ teaspoon chopped tarragon

Mix all ingredients well.

Pesto Mayonnaise

1 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons or more pesto sauce (frozen is best for color)

Mix thoroughly. Adjust amounts to your taste.|

Low Calorie Dill Dip

1 cup plain yogurt

¼ cup reduced calorie mayonnaise

2 tablespoons minced green onion

3 teaspoons chopped capers

¾ teaspoon dried dill weed

Combine all ingredients well. (4 servings, 104 calories)

Honey Mustard Dip

¼ cup prepared mustard

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

Combine all ingredients; mix well. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Corn Salsa with Blue Corn Chips

Cook Time: 20 min

Level: easy

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 can of corn

5 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tbs fresh lime juice

1 tsp minced garlic

1/3 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/2 tsp Emeril's Southwest Essence

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 finely chopped green onions

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/3 cup diced red bell peper

2 tbs freshly chopped cilantro leaves

1 avacado, diced

Blue Corn Tortilla chips for serving

Directions:
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, Southwest Essence, salt, and pepper. Add the sour cream mixture to the cooled corn kernels, add the green onions, jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper, and cilantro, and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings, as needed. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Place corn salsa in a serving bowl, garnish with avocado (you can also fold the avocado in with the corn salsa) and sprinkle the crumbled queso cotija over the top. Serve with blue corn tortilla chips.

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

Mini Caprese Salad

Prep Time: 15 min

Level: easy

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 lemon juiced

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 cup basil leaves

1/3 cup evoo

1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, mutlicolored if available, halved

1 cup bocconcini(bite-sized fresh mozarella balls), drained, halved

salt and freshly group black pepper

Directions:

Combine lemon juice, garlic, basil in food processor or blender, process and stream in evoo to form a smooth dressing. Combine tomatoes, cheese and dressing in a bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with a few torn basil leaves.
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Swordfish and Ahi Tuna Kabobs

Prep Time: 13 min

Cook Time: 7 min

Level: easy

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 lbs swordfish steak

2 lemons

8 cloves of garlic

coarse salt

A generous handful flat leaf parsely, about 1/4 cup of leaves

coarse black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 lbs tuna steak

2 oranges

6 sprigs rosemary, stripped and finely chopped

3 tbl balsalmic vinegar

4 scallions chopped

Directions:

Preheat grill pan or outdoor grill to medium high heat.

Cube swordfish into generous bite-size chunks. Zest 2 lemons and pile zest on cutting board. Add 4 cloves garlic to zest and chop garlic. Add about a teaspoon of coarse salt to garlic and lemon and combine with flat part of the knife. Chop parsley and mix into garlic and salt. Add a generous amount of coarse black pepper to the pile and mix together with your finger tips. Coat the swordfish in a few tablespoons evoo – enough to coat it evenly, just eyeball it. Slather the lemon zest and garlic mixture all over the fish. The evoo will make it stick. Pile the cubes onto metal skewers, it should fill 2 (12-inch) skewers. Set the fish aside for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut up 1 of the zested lemons into wedges and reserve.

Cut tuna steak into 6 small portions. Combine the zest of 2 oranges with the remaining 4 cloves garlic and chop. Add chopped rosemary to garlic and orange zest and combine with flat of knife. Add about 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and about 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper to the mix. Place a few tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup evoo into a shallow dish. Add the orange-rosemary mixture and mix together. Add the fish and coat evenly in dressing and let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Peel oranges and slice into disks.

When you are ready to eat, grill swordfish skewers 3 minutes on each side, 6 minute total. Slide from skewers and squeeze lemon juice over the fish. Cook tuna steaks 2 to 3 minutes on each side for pink, medium-rare fish, 4 minutes on each side for fully cooked fish. Serve tuna with sliced oranges alongside and scatter scallions over both. Each person should end up with 4 or 5 cubes of swordfish and 1 small tuna steak.

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray