Greek Cucumber Salad

This is one of those salads that is nice to make ahead of time so that you can let the flavors mingle a bit while it chills out in the fridge. The crisp and juicy cucumbers go so well with a creamy coating made slightly tangy by the Greek yogurt and lemon and the red onion provides a bit of sweet pungency and the fresh dill finishes the salad off perfectly. This salad is best served straight from the fridge while it is still cool which makes it a great way to beat the heat.

Ingredients

·         1 large cucumber (sliced)

·         1/4 cup red onion (sliced)

·         2 tablespoons sour cream

·         2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

·         1 tablespoon lemon juice

·         1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

·         1 handful dill (chopped)

·         salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Combine everything and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Indonesian Beef Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Popular throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia, satay is strips of skewered, grilled meat eaten with a fragrant dipping sauce. Here we serve marinated steak with a spicy peanut sauce for dipping. The accompanying cucumber salad is a cooling counterpoint to the beef satay.

**You will need 20 to 30 bamboo skewers for this dish.

Total Time: 3 1/2 hours (including 2 hours marinating time)

Ingredients (6 servings)

Marinade & Steak

• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass, tender inner stalk only (see Notes), or 2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (see Notes)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, flank or other beef steak, trimmed

Peanut Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemongrass, tender inner stalk only, or freshly grated lime zest
• 1/2 cup “lite” coconut milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon Asian chile sauce, such as Sriracha, or other hot sauce, or to taste

Marinated Cucumbers

• 1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
• Pinch of salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation

1. To marinate steak: Combine lime juice, lemongrass (or lime zest), soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, turmeric, coriander, cumin and pepper in a small bowl. Cut steak on the bias across the grain (see Tip) into thin, 1- to 2-inch-wide strips. Place in a sealable gallon-size plastic bag, add the marinade and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
2. To prepare dipping sauce: Combine onion and oil in a small saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger and lemongrass (or lime zest); cook, stirring frequently and reducing the heat as necessary to prevent over browning, 2 minutes more. Add coconut milk, peanut butter, fish sauce, ketchup, lime juice, brown sugar and hot sauce; cook, stirring, until well blended. If necessary, thin with a little water to the desired consistency. Adjust seasoning with lime juice, brown sugar and/or hot sauce. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
3. To prepare cucumbers: Combine cucumber, vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in cilantro (if using). Taste and add more sugar and/or salt if desired. Set aside.
4. To prepare satays: Preheat a gas grill to medium heat or prepare a medium-heat fire in a charcoal grill. (No grill? See Broiler Variation.)
5. Remove the steak from the marinade (discard marinade). Thread onto skewers, 1 strip per skewer. Grill, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium. (If necessary, grill the satays in two batches.)
6. Warm the dipping sauce, if desired. Serve the satays with the sauce and the cucumbers.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the peanut sauce for up to 3 days; cover and refrigerate the marinated cucumbers for up to 1 day; marinate steak (Step 1) for up to 12 hours. 
• Notes: Look for lemongrass—a woody, scallion-shaped herb with an aromatic lemon flavor—in the produce department of well-stocked supermarkets. To use, trim off the root end and grassy top. Peel off the woody outer leaves. Thinly slice the softer inner stalk, then finely chop.
• Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian condiment made from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian-food section of well-stocked supermarkets and at Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per tablespoon), in our recipe testing and nutritional analyses.
• Tip: Depending on your region, skirt steak may not be something your supermarket regularly carries—call ahead to make sure it’s available or ask your butcher to order it for you. It’s usually sold in about 1-pound cuts up to 18 inches long and 5 inches wide, but just 1/4 inch thick. Before cooking, cut the steak with the grain into several portions to make the long piece more manageable on the grill or in a skillet. Once cooked, be sure to slice it across the grain for maximum tenderness. Hanger steak, flat-iron and flank steak can all be used as substitutes for skirt steak in most recipes.
• Broiler Variation: Position a rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Coat a broiler pan (or a wire rack set on a large baking sheet) with cooking spray. Broil the skewers, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium.

Nutrition

Per serving: 296 calories; 17 g fat ( 6 g sat , 7 g mono ); 65 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 25 g protein; 1 g fiber; 588 mg sodium; 588 mg potassium.

Chicken Roulade with Brie and Spinach

When I was a single heathen, this dish got me into a lot of trouble with the ladies as it is a true ‘pièce de résistance’ I used to serve this beautifully scrumptious dish with asparagus and new potatoes and for dessert I’d make a Bananas Foster flambé for the coup de grâce…ooh lah lah!

 Ingredients (4 Servings)

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 8 ounces brie cheese, sliced into ¼ inch slices
• 8-10 fresh spinach leaves per breast (eye it…enough to fill the roulade)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 toothpicks
• 6-8 oz. fresh mushrooms (use your favorite – I use Portobello)
• 2 tablespoons healthy spread (Smart Balance or Promise Activ for example)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup white wine
• 3-4 shallots, minced
• ½ cup half-n-half (if you haven’t blown your diet recently go all the way with heavy cream)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (for thickening the sauce)
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

·         Trim off any fat and cut part way through the underside of the chicken to flatten it out slightly.

·         Put the chicken on top of a piece of cling film, and another piece of cling film on top and pound chicken till it flattens out (to about ½ inch)  

·         Take each breast and layer it with the spinach leaves first then the brie

·         Roll up each breast and secure with tooth picks.

·         Cover with cling film and chill for at least 2 hours.

·         Preheat oven to 350°F .

·         Put the oil in a skillet and heat to medium.

·         When the oil is hot add the chicken to the skillet, one at a time, and sauté to brown all sides, turning using tongs. Then place on a baking sheet. Repeat with each breast.

·         When all the chicken has been browned, place baking sheet, and roast for about 30 minutes or till the internal temperature is 170°F or juices run clear.

To Make the Sauce

·         Add spread to a saucepan and heat to medium

·         Add garlic and shallots and sauté until translucent

·         Add mushrooms to the pan and cook until mushrooms are browned and have released their juices.

·         Add wine and simmer for about 4 minutes.

·         While the wine is reducing, make a slurry by mixing warm water with the cornstarch

·         Add the slurry

·         Add cream and cook, stirring for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened

Pour the sauce over the chicken and enjoy!