Jenn’s Cook Book

May is an interesting time of year in Michigan, one day it feels like summer and the next is a cold blast with rain, clouds, and thunder to match. The changes in temperature can make it difficult to plan a meal, especially anything involving picnics and outdoor grilling. This unpredictability is what makes zucchini and curry a perfect combination for spring. Zucchini is a summer staple while curry has that gentle heat to warm you from the inside out, and together they can combat any weather.

There are several recipes out there for zucchini hummus, most of them from vegan or raw food websites and blogs. After reading several of the recipes and not quite finding one that I liked, I pieced this together from a variety of sources, adding the curry as my own personal touch. Don’t like curry? Substitute paprika or 1/2 teaspoon cumin.

Please enjoy what might be one of the last Spring Fever posts of the season, as summer (and you can be sure a new project) is right around the corner.  

2 cups peeled, chopped zucchini (about 2 large)
1/2 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin recommended)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder

Combine in blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Allow to chill several hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

Serve with veggies such as baby carrots, cucumber slices, chopped celery, peppers, or with pitas or crackers.

I’m back in the kitchen! For your enjoyment and consumption, I bring you this spicy, sweet, savory sauce with cherries, orange, and cayenne pepper. While I served the sauce over chicken, this would also be great over pork chops or a pork tenderloin. I used a blood orange for this recipe, but a regular navel orange would work just fine. Blood oranges can be hard to find, though usually available until Spring, and they have a slightly raspberry taste to them.

I also used a fancy Cranberry-Blood Orange Tea Jam from Republic of Tea in place of the preserves, but you could substitute a number of jams or jellies: orange marmalade, cherry preserves, even another berry-flavored jelly. Using frozen cherries cuts down on prep time and allows this recipe to be made in any season, but pitted fresh cherries would be great too.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag (12 oz) frozen unsweetened dark sweet cherries, thawed 
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 orange, zest and juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne (red) pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
1 tbsp cherry preserves

Preheat oven to 350F or broiler. Lightly coat a baking sheet or broiler pan with cooking spray.

Season chicken with salt and black pepper as desired. Bake or broil 20-25 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, combine onion and garlic in a medium saucepan coated lightly in cooking spray. Saute over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Add cherries with any liquid from the bag and red wine. Using the back of a spoon, lightly rush the cherries (leave some cherries whole). Zest and juice orange into saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve, spoon hot sauce over chicken breasts. Shown with steamed asparagus and Spicy Sweet Potatoes (the Spicy Cherry Sauce goes great with those potatoes!).

If you like oil and vinegar on your salad, you will love this vinegarette. Based on a basic recipe in Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, I whipped up this vinegarette using fresh basil and garlic and apple cider vinegar.

1/4 cup fresh basil
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
pinch of sugar
2/3 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients in a blender, food chopper, or processor and combine. Refrigerate vinegarette in an air-tight container up to 2 weeks.

My favorite salad mix: baby spinach, sliced cucumbers, shredded carrot, raisins, and walnuts topped with this tasty dressing.

Another rub recipe from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, though this one is a wet rub. Unlike dry rubs, this must be stored in the refrigerator and can last up to one week. This zesty rub works well with leaner foods like turkey, chicken breasts, and flaky white fish (think halibut, cod, or snapper).

1 tbsp dried tarragon
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
4 dried bay leaves, crumbled
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
3/4 tsp ground pepper
3 tsp olive oil

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Use fingers to rub the mixture on the meat.

I’m really into rubs because it doesn’t require the time marinades do, plus the combinations of herbs and spices is nearly endless! Here is another rub mixture from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, this one using chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, and oregano (almost like a sweet taco seasoning). This rub would work with most cuts of beef and is great on pork chops (or tenderloin).

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients. Use immediately or store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place. Lasts up to 6 months. Makes 10 teaspoons of rub mix.

The brown sugar will caramelize slightly when cooked, which will give foods a sweet glaze (beware of burning, as brown sugar contains a small amount of molasses).

From the magazine Everyday Food, this dip uses Vidalia onions, which are considered one of the mildest variety of onions. The cooking time in this recipe concentrates the sugars in the onions for extra sweetness. The serving suggestion is for potato chips, but crackers, pretzels, or small slices of bread would also go great with this versatile dip. I like how easy it is to make, and that you can use reduced-fat products without sacrificing flavor (look for 1/3 less fat cream cheese, not fat-free). Vidalia onions should be in season at Farmer’s Markets, I found one large onion to use instead of 2 smaller ones.

1 tbsp olive oil
2 Vidalia onions (1 lb total), finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 ounces reduced-fat bar cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
potato chips, for serving

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onions, season with salt (save pepper for after cooking time, it can burn). Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Season with pepper and let cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, combine onions, sour cream, cream cheese, vinegar, and chives, seasoning with additional salt and pepper as desired. Use a food processor, chopper, or blender to bring dip to desired consistency (as smooth or as chunky as you prefer). Chill dip until thickened, about 1 hour. Can be covered and refrigerated up to 2 days. Serve with chips, or try it with raw veggies like baby carrots.

Shown below, garnished with some leftover chives:

From Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, this recipe “is so easy and quick to put together, you may never rely on store-bought sauce again. And what’s more, you probably already have all the necessary ingredients in your kitchen.” This is true, I did have all of the ingredients in my kitchen, with the exception of the hot sauce. I made mine a little smokey instead by stirring in a pinch of cumin.

1 tsp hot sauce
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbsp dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup ketchup

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine hot sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, garlic, and ketchup. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5-7 minutes or until sauce thickens.

This recipe can be used on cut-up chicken pieces on the grill or on boneless, skinless chicken breast in the broiler.

On the grill:

Toss chicken pieces (about 3 lbs) in a large bowl with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Lightly oil grates and place the chicken on the grill. Cover and cook, turning frequently until chicken is almost done, 10-15 minutes. Uncover grill, continue cooking while basting frequently with the sauce, until the chicken is glazed thoroughly, about 5 minutes. Serve with remaining sauce.

In the broiler:

Season 5-6 chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Coat broiler pan in cooking spray. Brush sauce over both sides of chicken. Cook 25-30 minutes, rotating and coating chicken every 10 minutes until done. Serve with remaining sauce.

Chicken breasts from the broiler:

This 8-ingredient rub from Cooking Light magazine combines sweet (brown sugar, orange zest) with spicy (chili powder, coriander) and smokey (paprika, cumin). This rub works best on fatty fish such as salmon or on pork. Add an extra kick by using Hot Hungarian Paprika. This tasty rub in going in as a “Jenn’s Favorites.”

2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Use rub generously on 1 1/2 lbs of meat.

I recently purchased the book “Simply in Season,” which is a cookbook with recipes based on fresh produce available during each season of the year. The book encourages shopping at farmer’s markets and other local outlets. This particular recipe actually came from the Spring section of the book, but really it could be made year-round. The original recipe called for Tabasco sauce, but I substituted smoked paprika because, well, I’m obsessed with paprika.

2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp oil
8 cups fresh spinach
8 oz light cream cheese (1/3 less fat), softened
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp salt

Saute garlic in oil for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Chop and add spinach to pan one handful at a time as it wilts. Add a little water if it begins to stick. Place cooked garlic and spinach in a blender or food processor.

Add cream cheese, milk, paprika, and salt. Cover and blend until smooth. Recipe states it can be served right away or heated through.

This mixture was quite thin at first. I refrigerated it, uncovered, for about 2 hours to thicken the dip and then warmed before serving. Best with tortilla or pita chips.

From Everyday Food magazine, this bright and flavorful butter makes any vegetable tasty. The original recipe was for corn-on-the-cob, but this would be great on green beans, carrots, and baked potatoes.

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalter butter
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/8 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper

In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients until well blended. Serve at room temperature. Can be refrigerated for about 2-3 days.

I used my mini-chopper to better blend the butter and chop the basil.