Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals (4 page)
Read Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals Online
Authors: Rachael Ray
Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 400°F. Roast the peeled almonds and hazelnuts for about 7 to 8 minutes; your nose will know when they’re done.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat and add the seasoning mix, garlic, cumin, and hot sauce. Add the roasted nuts and smoked almonds to the pan and toss to coat in the butter. Add the poppy seeds and sesame seeds, sprinkling them over the nuts; transfer to a small bowl and serve warm.
4
SERVINGS
, 4
PIECES EACH
| ½ | English (seedless) cucumber (the one wrapped in plastic) |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 | 6-ounce package Boursin cheese with garlic and herbs (available in the dairy case at many supermarkets) |
| 3 | or 4 slices French ham or deli-sliced boiled ham |
Cut 16 ½-inch-thick pieces of cucumber on a bit of an angle and add salt and pepper to taste. Spread some Boursin cheese on the cucumber slices. Cut the ham into 2-inch strips. Wrap a strip of ham around each cucumber slice, covering the cheese.
16
PIECES
| 1 | pound sushi-grade ahi tuna |
| ¼ | cup tamari (dark aged soy sauce, found on the international aisle) |
| 1 | teaspoon wasabi paste (international aisle again) |
| 3 | tablespoons sesame seeds |
| 2 | daikon (5 to 6 ounces each), thinly sliced into 16 pieces, or 4 large red radishes , sliced |
| 2 | scallions, very thinly sliced on an angle |
Slice the tuna into 16 ¼-inch-thick rectangular pieces. Mix the tamari and wasabi together and combine thoroughly. Pass the tuna slices through the soy mixture and dot the tuna slices on both sides with a pile of sesame seeds. Place each piece of tuna onto a slice of daikon or red radish and top with a few pieces of sliced scallion.
4
SERVINGS
| 1 | 1-pound wheel Brie cheese or ¼ kilo wheel of Camembert cheese |
| 1 | small endive, leaves separated |
| 1½ | to 2 cups cauliflower florets (½ head) |
Cut the top rind off the Brie or Camembert and place it on a plate. Heat the cheese in the microwave on High until the cheese is hot and becoming liquidlike. Depending on the ripeness of the cheese, it will take anywhere from 60 to 90 seconds on High to melt it.
Serve the warm, softened cheese with the endive leaves and cauliflower for dunking and spooning up the double-cream deliciousness! If the cheese tightens up, reheat it for 20 to 30 seconds on High.
Lower-Carb Cocktail Party Snack Menu
Ham and Cheese Mini Frittatas
Baby Lamb Chops with Artichoke and Tarragon Dip
Crab Salad Bites on Endive
Quiche—hold the crust and the work!
12
MINI FRITTATAS
| 3 | tablespoons melted butter |
| ¼ | pound deli-sliced Swiss cheese, finely chopped |
| ¼ | pound ham steak or Canadian bacon, finely chopped |
| A splash of milk or half-and-half | |
| 3 | tablespoons snipped or chopped fresh chives |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| A few drops of hot sauce | |
| 8 | large eggs, well beaten |
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Brush a 12-muffin tin liberally with the butter. Divide the chopped cheese and ham evenly among the muffin cups. Add the milk, chives, salt and pepper, and hot sauce to the eggs and fill the cups up to just below the rim with the egg mixture. Bake the frittatas until golden and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a plate with a small spatula and serve.
Alternative fillings: You can also try defrosted chopped frozen broccoli and shredded Cheddar, or chopped cooked bacon with shredded smoked Gouda and sautéed mushrooms.
24
CHOPS
, 6 to 8
SERVINGS
| 1 | can (15 ounces) quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained |
| 1 | jar (6 ounces) marinated baby mushrooms and their liquid |
| 1 | shallot, coarsely chopped |
| 4 | sprigs fresh tarragon, stripped, plus a few sprigs for garnish |
| 3 | tablespoons white wine vinegar |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| ½ | cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling |
| 24 | baby lamb chops (get the butcher to cut them) |
| ½ | pound baby cut carrots (available in produce department) |
| ½ | pound sugar snap peas |
| 4 | radishes, cleaned and trimmed but left on greens, halved lengthwise |
Preheat a broiler or grill pan to high.
In a food processor, combine the artichokes, marinated mushrooms, shallot, tarragon, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and turn the processor on; stream in about ½ cup of the EVOO until a spoonable, fairly smooth dip forms, about 1 minute. Scrape the dip into a serving bowl and place a demitasse (small) spoon in the dip so it can be easily dolloped onto each individual lamb chop when they’re served.
Drizzle the chops with a few teaspoons of EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil for 2 minutes on each side and remove to rest.
To serve, place the dip on a large platter or cutting board and surround with the cooked chops and piles of baby cut carrots, sugar snap peas, and halved radishes for dipping and topping. Garnish the platter with additional sprigs of tarragon.
24
PIECES
, 6
TO
8
SERVINGS
| 6 | ounces lump white crabmeat |
| ¼ | red bell pepper, finely chopped |
| 1 | shallot, finely chopped |
| Zest of 1 orange | |
| 3 | radishes, grated |
| 3 | tablespoons chopped celery leaves |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| ¼ | cup mayonnaise |
| 3 | tablespoons heavy cream |
| 24 | leaves Belgian endive |
| Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or chives, for garnish |
Place the crab in a medium bowl and use your fingertips to break it into small pieces. Add the bell pepper, shallot, orange zest, grated radish, celery greens, and salt and pepper. Combine the mayonnaise and heavy cream in a small bowl. Add the dressing to the crab and mix well. Mound a rounded spoonful of the crab salad onto the root end of each endive and fill the leaves to half their length. Arrange the stuffed endive on a platter and garnish with chopped parsley or chives.
I use this recipe (more like a method, really) as a standard party offering, and it’s one of my all-time favorite snackers. I eat mine with flatbread, but it’s good to spread these combinations on sliced seedless cucumbers, too.
I
SNACK THROUGH A WHOLE BOURSIN IN AN EVENING, EASY
. F
OR A PARTY, EACH CHEESE WILL
SERVE
4
TO
6
PEOPLE, WITH OTHER OFFERINGS
.
BASE
| 1 | 6-inch round Boursin cheese with garlic and herbs (available in the dairy case at most supermarkets) |
TOPPERS
| ¼ | cup prepared basil pesto |
| 3 | tablespoons olive tapenade |
| 3 | tablespoons sun-dried tomato tapenade |
GARNISHES
| Chopped fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley |
| Crushed hot red pepper flakes |
CRUNCHY DRAGGERS
| Sliced English (seedless) cucumber (the one wrapped in plastic) |
| Sliced bell pepper |
| Celery sticks |
| Sesame flatbreads |
Place the Boursin on a large plate. Spread a thick layer of your choice of basil pesto, olive tapenade, or sun-dried tomato tapenade all over the top of the cheese. Garnish is entirely optional, but for parties, you might want to throw a little chopped basil or parsley on the pesto or parsley and hot red pepper flakes on the tapenades.
Surround the cheese with any or all of the draggers. When you drag a piece of vegetable or a flatbread through the cheese, the sauce will slide away and combine with the cheese. YUMMO!
This recipe is great for parties as well as snack attacks. Store-bought hummus has 4 grams of carbs per serving, but sometimes the flavor needs a boost. When I buy a tub of roasted red pepper hummus it has like 10 little pieces of pepper in it. So, I take plain hummus and grind it up with a whole jar of roasted peppers and then I have a red, delicious bowl of a terrific dipper!
1½
TO
2
CUPS
BASE
| 1 | tub (8 ounces) plain, 40-spice, or garlic hummus (try Tribe of Two Sheiks brand) |
| 1 | small garlic clove |
| Juice of ½ lemon |
ADD-INS—CHOOSE ONE
| 1 | jar (14 to 16 ounces) roasted red peppers, well drained |
| 8 | ounces pitted good-quality green olives |
| 1 | can (15 ounces) artichoke hearts in water, well drained |
GARNISHES
| Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or dill |
| Crushed hot red pepper flakes |
| Lemon zest |
DIPPERS
| Sliced English (seedless) cucumber (the one wrapped in plastic) |
| Cauliflower florets |
| Broccoli florets |
| Celery sticks |
Combine the hummus in a food processor with the garlic, a little fresh lemon juice, and your choice of roasted red peppers, olives, or artichoke hearts. Process until smooth and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with your choice of any or all: parsley, dill, crushed red pepper flakes, and lemon zest. Serve with your choice of sliced cucumbers, cauliflower or broccoli florets, and celery sticks.
24
STUFFED MUSHROOMS
| 24 | button mushrooms, stems removed |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling | |
| 1 | jar (8 to 9 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained |
| ¼ | cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (a couple of handfuls) |
| ¼ | cup kalamata olives, pitted (about 20 olives) |
| 2 | tablespoons capers, drained |
| 1 | large garlic clove, cracked |
| Zest and juice of 1 lemon (zest it first) | |
| ½ | cup mascarpone cheese, for garnish |
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Toss the mushroom caps in a bowl with some salt, pepper, and a drizzle of EVOO. Arrange the mushrooms on a baking sheet in an even layer with the gill side up. Roast the mushrooms for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are cooked through.
While the mushrooms are roasting, prepare the red pepper–black olive tapenade. Place the roasted red peppers in a food processor with the parsley. Add the olives, capers, garlic, and lemon zest. Pulse the processor and grind into a paste.
Once the mushrooms are done roasting, squeeze the juice of the lemon over them. Place about ½ tablespoon tapenade in each cap. Use 2 spoons for this: One is to scoop tapenade and the other is to push it off onto the mushroom. Place the mascarpone in a sealable plastic bag. Squeeze the cheese into one of the bottom corners, and with scissors snip ¼ inch off of that corner. Squeeze a little mascarpone on top of each tapenade-filled mushroom. Serve hot or at room temperature.
