Easy Baked Fish Fillets

Haddock or cod would make good substitutes for the grouper. Adjust the baking time depending on the thickness of the fish.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 5 ounces fish)

Ingredients
* 1 1/2 pounds grouper or other white fish fillets
* Cooking spray
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
* 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
* 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
* 1 1/2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425.
Place fish in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine lime juice, mayonnaise, onion powder, and pepper in a small bowl, and spread over fish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs; drizzle with butter. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle with parsley.

The Ultimate Barbecued Chicken

Brine:
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
4 sprigs fresh thyme
6 chicken legs and thighs, still connected, bone in, skin on, about 10 ounces each

The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:
1 slice bacon
1 bunch fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
Freshly ground black pepper

For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours (if you’ve only got 15 minutes, that’s fine) to allow the salt and seasonings to penetrate the chicken.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the chicken at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basing the legs.

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium heat. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel and carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a nonstick surface. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and cook, turn once mid-way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then brush liberally, coating every inch of the legs with the barbecue sauce and then return to the oven for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting the chicken for a second time half way through remaining cooking time. Serve with extra sauce.

Stir-Fry Chicken & Broccoli

1/3 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 lb. chicken (cut in bite-size pieces)
1 tbsp. oil
1 bunch broccoli
1 lg. onion

Combine first 6 ingredients with 1/4 cup water in bowl, mixing well. Marinate chicken in sauce for 10 minutes or longer. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken in small amounts to prevent crowding. Stir-fry until brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add broccoli and onion to hot skillet. Stir-fry 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and steam for 3 minutes or until broccoli is tender-crisp. Return chicken to skillet, adding marinade. heat through, stirring constantly. Serve over rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Ratatouille with Penne

1 onion, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 (3/4-pound) eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 small zucchini, scrubbed, quartered lengthwise, and cut into thin slices
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 pound small ripe tomatoes, chopped coarsely (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
1 pound penne pasta

In a large skillet cook the onion and the garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and heat it over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the eggplant and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until the eggplant is softened. Stir in the zucchini and the bell pepper and cook the mixture over the moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the oregano, thyme, coriander, and fennel seeds. Add salt and pepper, to taste and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil and combine the mixture well. The ratatouille may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated before serving. In a large pot of boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente. Serve with ratatouille.

Whiting with Garlic and Lemon

8 whole whiting
1 1/2 cups olive oil
3/4 cup lemon juice
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup flour

Clean and fillet fish. Remove heads and tails. In bowl, mix 3/4 cup oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Dredge fish in flour. In large saute pan, heat remaining oil. Saute fish until golden brown. Remove and pour lemon mixture over and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.

Ginger-Soy Glazed Yellowfin Tuna

1/4 C soy sauce
2 Tbl fresh lime juice
2 Tbl honey
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 Tbl canola oil
1 Tbl dark sesame oil
2 Tbl minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6- to 8 – ounce) yellowfin tuna fillets or mahi mahi, about 1″ thick

Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside. Heat canola oil and sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Add fish fillets; cook, covered, 4 minutes. Carefully turn fillets over using a spatula, cover, and cook 3-5 additional minutes. Transfer fillets to serving plates, and drizzle each evenly with pan sauce. Serve immediately. Make 4 servings.

**Or combine all ingredients in a bowl and let fish marinate for 20-30 mins. Then pan sear or grill.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 cans (15 oz. each) Veg-All Original Mixed Vegetables, drained
1 can (10 oz.) cooked chicken, drained
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 (9-inch) frozen ready-to-bake pie crusts

Preheat oven to 375F. In medium mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients; mix well. Fit one pie crust into 9-inch pie pan; pour vegetable mixture into pie crust. Top with remaining crust, crimp edges to seal, and pick top with fork. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes (on lower rack) or until crust is golden brown and filling is hot. Allow pie to cool slightly before cutting into wedges to serve.

South-of-the-Border Tortilla Soup

4 cups South of the Border Beans (recipe follows)
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth or fat-free chicken broth
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
4 ounces baked or regular tortilla chips (for 2 1/2 cups crushed), or to taste
5 tablespoons shredded Mexican-blend cheese

If the beans are frozen, partly defrost by opening bag about 2 inches to vent and microwaving, on high, for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, place broth and sugar in a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat; cover pot and bring to a boil. Remove beans from bag, add to the pot, and stir gently to break up any frozen chunks of beans, without mashing the beans. When the soup returns to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in lime juice. Crush chips slightly and place in soup bowls. Ladle soup over chips, and sprinkle with cheese. Serve at once. Makes 5 servings. Per serving: fats, 5 grams (12% of calories); calories, 379; cholesterol, 6 milligrams; carbohydrate, 69 grams; fiber, 15 grams; protein, 18 grams; sodium, 1,609 milligrams

South-of-the-Border Beans
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, for 1 cup chopped
1 (15-ounce) can red beans
1 (15-ounce) can white beans
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic and onions
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 1/2 cups frozen yellow corn kernels
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

Heat oil in an extra-deep, 12-inch nonstick skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Peel and coarsely chop onion, adding it to the skillet as you chop. Raise heat to medium-high, and stir from time to time. While onion cooks, rinse and drain red beans and white beans, and add them to the skillet. Add black beans with juice, tomatoes and garlic. Add corn, chili powder and cumin. Stir to blend well. Reduce heat to low and simmer 2 minutes or until heated through and ready to serve. To freeze leftovers, let beans cool, then place 4 cups in a gallon-size, zipper-top plastic bag and freeze up to 1 month. To use frozen beans, partly open plastic bag to vent. Microwave 3 minutes at high to partly defrost. Remove beans from bag and continue with recipe. Makes 8 cups. Per 1-cup serving: fats, 3 grams (9% of calories); calories, 260; cholesterol, 0 milligrams; carbohydrate, 46 grams; fiber, 13 grams; protein, 15 grams; sodium, 1,006 milligrams

Meat Loaf

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2 beaten eggs
Bread crumbs
1 bell pepper (diced)
1 onion (diced)
1 can tomato soup (undiluted)
Ketchup
Salt

Mix all ingredients together and shape into a ball, and place in pan. Put water around it to keep it moist. Bake thoroughly for 1 hour or more.

Johnny Mozzetta

2 cups macaroni
1 lb. hamburger
1 small chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
2 cups canned tomatoes
Cheese (cubed)

Cook macaroni as directed. Fry hamburger, onion, and pepper until done. Drain. Mix all ingredients together and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.