Since most of us spend a good portion of summer holidays doing some type of cooking or grilling, I thought that this was a good time to give you some simple and fast recipes after all of the celebratory cooking. We will be making an antipasto Caesar salad, which is my favorite variation of the classic salad. Then we are cooking wild salmon with a wonderful Asian marinade and some really killer green beans. To finish, I’m going to show how to use a ready-made mix which makes a delicious dessert. The whole meal can be prepared in 45 minutes.

In This Menu:

• Antipasto Caesar Salad
• Sesame Crusted Wild Salmon with Szechuan Green Beans
• Calhoun’s Cherry Crumb Crunch

INGREDIENTS

• 1, 4 oz. log of creamy goat
  cheese

• 4 oz. hard salami, cut into thin
  strips

• 1 large Arkansas tomato, diced
• 1 head of romaine lettuce
• 1, 12 oz. can whole artichoke heart cut in half lengthwise
• 1, 7 oz. can of sliced black
  olives

• 1 cup of your favorite croutons
• ½ to 3/4 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing

PREPARATION

Place goat cheese in freezer before you begin to prepare salad. Cut romaine into 2-inch squares, wash (if necessary) in very cold water and spin dry. Place lettuce in a bowl and add the salami, tomatoes, black olives, and ½ of the croutons. Remove goat cheese from freezer and package. Cut cheese into ¼ inch dice and add to bowl. As you probably figured out, freezing the cheese makes it easier to cut and it will thaw in a matter of minutes. Add enough dressing to salad and toss to coat evenly. Divide onto four salad plates or bowl. Arrange artichoke hearts around salads and top with remaining croutons.

Serves 4

For the Salmon:

• 4 fillets wild salmon
• 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 cup San J Tamari Sesame Dressing

Place salmon fillets in a shallow pan with the dressing and toss to coat evenly. Let salmon marinade for at least two hours. Place salmon on baking sheet and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in a 450° oven for about 8 minutes for medium or cook to desired doneness.

For the Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

For the Beans:

• 1 cup peanut oil
• 1 lb. fresh green beans, stems removed
• Heat oil in a large saucepan until hot for frying, 350°

Place beans in hot oil and fry, turning frequently for 3 to 5 minutes or until cooked but not limp. Drain on paper towels. Place cooked beans in the bowl with the sauce and toss to coat with sauce. Serve warm with salmon.

You will find the Calhoun mixes in our baking aisle. These are exceptional products that will help when you are in a crunch for time and need a dessert! Follow the package directions and then serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

The Fourth of July is the all American holiday that demands summer food from the field and grill. Every year, millions of us grill ribs and chicken using our best dry rubs and BBQ sauce, always trying to top last year’s feast. Usually, however, the ribs and chicken taste pretty much like they did the year before. Maybe it’s time to think outside the box and jazz up your Fourth of July menu!

This week’s menu features traditional proteins used on the Fourth – brisket and chicken – but the difference is in the seasoning and preparation. We will be using Indian marinades (the country, not American Indians) and relishes to give your standard grilled food a new, zesty taste and flavor. These are my interpretations of these wonderful spices, sauces, and marinades. Though I am not intending to recreate an authentic Indian dish, I think you’re going to love it!

In This Menu:

• Curried Summer Vegetables
• Beef Brisket with Tomato Ginger Sauce
• James’ Tandori Chicken
• Firecracker Parfaits

(Serve 4)

INGREDIENTS

• ½ lb. fresh green beans
• 3 tablespoons red wine
  vinegar

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 Arkansas tomato
• 1 cucumber
• Cilantro sprigs

PREPARATION

Stem green beans and cut into 2-inch pieces. Bring two cups of water to boil and cook green beans in water for about 5 minutes. When done, plunge beans in ice water to stop cooking process and set the color. In a salad bowl, mix vinegar with oil, sugar, salt, and Garam Masala. Whisk until well blended. Cut the peppers into 2-inch, thin pieces. Deseed tomato and cut into 2-inch, thin pieces. Cut cucumber into 2-inch sections, then slice vertically to give you (you guessed it), 2-inch, thin pieces.

Place all vegetables in the dressing and toss to evenly coat vegetables. Chill until ready to serve. Place in the middle of a plate and garnish with cilantro sprigs.

(Serve 4)

INGREDIENTS

• One, 2 lb. beef brisket flat
• 1 jar of Indian Tomato Ginger Sauce
• 8 oz. plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
• Juice of two limes
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

PREPARATION

Place meat on a cutting board and make 4 or 5 diagonal slits half way into the meat. Turn over and repeat cutting process. Place meat in a baking dish or Pyrex. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Pour marinade over meat and rub into slits until meat is evenly coated. Refrigerate for up to 4 days, but a minimum of 24 hours.

Cook in a 275° oven, covered for 4 to 5 hours. Remove from pan and place on hot grill turning frequently for 30 minutes or so until the meat has nice grill marks. Serve with Basmati Rice Pilaf. Many versions of this rice are available in our Plus stores.

I have to tell you, I thought this would be good, but I had no idea that this meal would be fabulous! The spicy, tangy flavors of the Indian marinades really comes through with the two meats. The Basmati rice was killer. Hands down the best rice I have had in years. It seems like this rice was made to go with the tangy flavors. It is a PERFECT match!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken leg quarters
• 1 jar Tikka Masala
• Juice of two lemons
• 8 oz. plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon yellow food coloring
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

PREPARATION

Place leg quarter on a cutting board and make 4 or 5 diagonal slits half way into the meat. Turn over and repeat cutting process. Place meat in a baking dish or Pyrex. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Pour marinade over meat and rub into slits until meat is evenly coated. Refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours.

Cook over a medium hot fire until chicken is cooked through.

Let your guests choose brisket or chicken or have some of both. Serve with the above mentioned rice.

For dessert, I decided to forgo
Indian food and return back to
the “Red, White, and Blue”.

INGREDIENTS

• Blue Bell Cookies and Cream
  ice cream

• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 can “Reddi-Whip” whipped
  cream

PREPARATION

In a parfait or wine glass, place one scoop of ice cream in glass, then top with some whipped cream and berries. Repeat process until glass is full. On the top, make a tall mound of the whipped cream and artfully place berries around glass.

In This Menu:

• Chicken Piccata
• Prosciutto with Melon
• Panna Cotta with Peaches

INGREDIENTS

• 3, 6 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 cup flour mixed with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the Sauce:

• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup of white wine
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup minced white onion
• ¼ lb of unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons capers

PREPARATION

Cut each chicken breast in half and lay out on a cutting board. Pound each breast with a meat mallet or rolling pin until breast is a consistent thickness. Dredge each breast piece in the seasoned flour on both sides, then shake off excess. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Sauté chicken until browned on both sides and cooked through. Set aside and keep warm.

Place lemon juice, wine, chicken broth, and onion in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and let liquid reduce by one half. Remove from heat and add salt and capers. Add butter, 2 slices at a time stirring vigorously to incorporate butter. Continue adding butter until all butter is completely mixed in. Plate chicken breasts and drizzle with sauce.

I love the European classics and Prosciutto with Melon is certainly one of the classics from Italian cooking. The combination of the sweet, juicy melon compliments perfectly the salty and nutty ham. It is one of those dishes that sounds a bit strange when you first read about it, but it really works!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package prosciutto
• 1 cantaloupe
• Black pepper
• Balsamic glaze

PREPARATION

Peel cantaloupe and remove seeds. Cut into 1 inch squares. Carefully separate prosciutto slices. Cut each slice into 1 inch wide strips, about 2 inches long. Place a piece of the melon on top of a piece of prosciutto, then roll melon until the ham is completely wrapped around the fruit. Place on plate and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Panna Cotta is an Italian pudding which tastes and feels in the mouth like a custard but technically is not. The difference is that a custard has to have eggs and this dish does not; the gelatin in this recipe adds a thickener to the cream and vanilla. This is my favorite dessert from a “mouth feel” standpoint, it feels like satin in the mouth. The combination with the fresh peaches is incredible!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 package gelatin
• 2½ cups heavy cream
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

For the Peaches:

• 6 fresh peaches, skinned and cut into slices
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

DIRECTIONS

Place milk in a small bowl and mix in gelatin. Heat cream with sugar in a medium saucepan until boils. Watch carefully because cream boils over very easily. Once the cream comes to a boil, add milk mixture and bring back to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir into vanilla and pour mixture into 6, 4 oz. ramekins. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

Place peach slices in a small bowl and toss with the sugar. Let sit for at least 20 minutes.

Plate Panna Cotta in the middle of a plate and arrange some peach slices around it. Pour some of the juice from the peaches over peaches then lightly sprinkle each peach slice with a little of the cloves.

Summer in the Ozarks is a great time of year for cooking and eating. There are more opportunities to cook with the great weather for grilling and more time to eat during the longer days! With all of this time for food on our hands, it would do us well to try and eat a little lighter and maybe even a bit healthier!

This week’s menu is light, healthy, and delicious! The first course, Watermelon with Goat Cheese, Olive Oil and Toasted Cumin Seed, may sound a bit strange, but I think that when you taste it you will enjoy it quite a bit. The creamy, tangy, goat cheese blends perfectly with the crunchy, sweet, watermelon. The oil and toasted cumin provide a savory element that nicely rounds out the dish.

For the entrée, I made soft tacos. So, you’re thinking, “Tacos? That is the best he can do?” Well my friends, these tacos are beyond ordinary. First of all, I like to let my guests make their own tacos. I make taco meat using ground Smart Chicken for those who like meat. I also provide a large assortment of fresh vegetables, cheese, and sauce so that a vegetarian taco can be made as well. The kicker is the homemade flour tortillas as they are always a treat. The presentation of veggies, tortillas and full ingredients laid out on the table is a beautiful site to behold!

We have some excellent strawberries on sale this week so I whipped up one of my favorite combinations: Strawberries with Port Wine Reduction. I added some low fat Weight Watcher’s yogurt to top it off. The creamy yogurt with the tangy strawberries and the sweet Port wine is really delicious. I hope you like it!

In This Menu:

• James’ Chicken Tacos
• Watermelon with Goat Cheese, Olive Oil, and Toasted Cumin Seed
• Strawberries with Port Wine Reduction

Makes 12 tacos

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. Smart Chicken ground
  chicken

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Taco meat seasoning
• 1 avocado diced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1½ cups Borden grated
  cheddar-colby mix

• ½ cup Hiland sour cream
• ½ cup red radish, diced
• ½ cup each yellow and red bell
  pepper, diced

• ½ cup diced zucchini, diced
• ½ cup diced tomato
• ½ cup red onion, diced
• ½ cup bicolor sweet corn mixed with ½ cup rinsed black beans, and 2 T. diced red onion
• 1 cup salsa, your choice

PREPARATION

Get a skillet hot, add oil and sauté chicken until almost done. Add your taco seasonings. If you don’t have a taco seasoning that you like to use, add 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, and ½ cup water to chicken. Mix spices in well, bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, until liquid is cooked out. Toss the diced avocado in the lemon juice to keep it from browning. Arrange remaining ingredients in small serving bowls. Serve with warm home made tortillas (see below).

For the Flour Tortillas:

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
• Warm water

PREPARATION

In the bowl of a counter top mixer or small bowl, mix flour with baking powder and salt. Add lard and beat with paddle at medium speed until the mixture looks like coarse meal. If you do not have a counter top mixer, cut the shortening in with a pastry cutter. In either case, after the shortening is cut into the flour mixture, add a little water at a time, stirring between each addition until a dough is formed. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes until soft and pliable. Wrap in plastic and let the dough rest for 30 minutes in refrigerator.

If you have an electric tortilla press/cooker, use it now. If not, divide dough into 12 round balls. On a floured board, flatten a dough ball into a round disc. Flour a rolling pin and roll out until dough is very thin, almost transparent. If you are having trouble or just want your tortilla perfectly round, roll out then place a proper sized plate or other round object on top of the rolled out dough. With a sharp knife, cut around the edge of the plate, removing irregular edges. Save dough edges to make more tortillas.

Heat a skillet or griddle to 350° (medium high for 3 to 5 minutes in skillet). Add a little vegetable oil and place a tortilla on griddle. Cook for about 4 minutes until you see bubbles form and the cooked side is lightly browned. Turn over and repeat cooking process. Remove from heat and keep covered. Serve warm. If you want to refresh tortillas later, wrap in damp paper towels and microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 seedless watermelon
• 1 log of creamy goat cheese
  (available at our Plus stores)

• Olive oil
• Cumin seed
• Kosher salt
• Mint sprigs

PREPARATION

Remove the rind from the
watermelon and cut into ½” cubes. For each appetizer portion you should cut about 12 cubes. Cut the goat cheese into cubes as well. This is easier if you dip your knife in some hot water, dry it, then cut through the cheese. Toast about 2 teaspoons cumin seed per appetizer portion by placing a skillet over medium high heat. Add the cumin and stir or toss constantly until the seeds begin to smoke lightly. Remove seeds from heat and set aside.

Arrange the melon pieces and goat cheese on a large plate. Sprinkle very lightly with some Kosher salt; about ¼ teaspoon per serving. Drizzle about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil evenly over fruit and cheese on each plate. Top with a little cumin seed and garnish with fresh mint sprig.

Port wine reduction is easy to make and is very versatile. It does as well on steak as it does on fresh berries. Try it with anything you use a sauce for, you will be surprised at how good it is!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bottle inexpensive Port wine
• 2 pints strawberries
• 2, 8 oz. containers low fat Weight
  Watchers Vanilla Yogurt

• Mint sprigs for garnish

PREPARATION

For the reduction: place Port wine on the stove in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 30 minutes or more. You must watch carefully because if it boils too long, it will turn into “tar”! When the bubbles begin to noticeably grow in size, the reduction is close. Boil for another 4 to 5 minutes and remove from heat. The sauce should be the consistency of warm pancake syrup. Let reduction cool. This will keep without refrigeration for up to two months or longer. I keep it in a squeeze bottle like honey.

Wash the strawberries, remove the tops and cut into halves. Place in three or four wine glasses. Drizzle Port wine reduction liberally over berries. Spoon some yogurt over the top. Garnish with the mint. Amazing!