Chicken Breast with Sherried Mushroom Creme

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, slightly pounded
4 Tbsp butter
1 package mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup sherry
1 Tbsp capers, drained
1/2 cup cream

In a large skillet, sauté the mushrooms dry, until they give off their moisture. Continu cooking until a good bit of the water cooks off. Add half the butter and cook another 3-5 minutes to brown the mushrooms a bit. Add the sherry and cook until most of the liquid has cooked off. Set the mushrooms aside. In the same skillet, melt the remaining butter and sauté the chicken breasts for about 5-6 minutes per side, until the chicken is just cooked through. Set the chicken aside. Add the cream to the skillet and cook it down to about half the volume, stirring often. Return the chicken and mushrooms to the cream sauce and add the capers. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce all over the chicken breasts to coat. Plate the chicken with mushrooms and sauce.

Baked Spiced Cauliflower with Ricotta

1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup good real mayonnaise
1 tsp tarragon, dried
1 tsp smokey Pimenton paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
Dash red flakes
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium cauliflower, broken into small pieces, about 6 cups
1 carrot, peeled and shredded

Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk together the first nine ingredients. In a large bowl, toss in the cauliflower and the carrot. Mix well. Turn into a 2 quart oiled casserole. Bake for 20 minutes covered, and 20 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and allow to sit for five minutes to reabsorb moisture.

Cooks note: you may want to add a teaspoon Garam Masala if you like more flavorful dishes - and we have made this dish using Greek Yoghurt when out of Ricotta - works well also!

Creamy Cheesey Spinach with Toasted Tofu

2 bags spinach
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tub extra firm tofu, cubed
garlic powder

Bechamel Cheese cream sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp canola oil
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
½ lb. cheddar (or other favorite) cheese, grated
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350F. If necessary, stem the spinach (I almost never find it necessary). Heat a large pot with about ¼ cup water to boil. Add spinach and a bit of salt. Steam, turning every few minutes, until spinach leaves wilt and are cook through. Strain in a colander. Press to remove as much water as possible. Chop coarsely.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a non-stick skillet. Sauté tofu over fairly high heat until tofu is well toasted on all sides. Sprinkle a generous amount of garlic powder to each side to taste. Do not stir too often, so that each side browns well. Set aside in a bowl.

Meanwhile, prepare a Bechamel sauce by melting the butter with the oil in a saucepan until the butter froths. Add the flour and whisk for about 3-5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until thickened and smooth.

In a large bowl, fold together the spinach, tofu and sauce. Tip into a medium casserole and bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Bulgur Rice Pilaf with Celery and Zante Currant

If you don't have Adobo spice substitute 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp garlic powder. The turmeric is not only recognized to be very good for health, it imparts a subtle flavor and a nice golden color to the pilaf. Another classic way to color a Spanish rice is to toss a few annatto seeds into the oil you fry the rice in for a few minutes. After the oil is very colored, remove the seeds (they are not edible) and voila, your rice will be typical Spanish rice yellow. But annatto really has no flavor – just color. Of course you could use saffron; that would impart not only color but a wonderful, different flavor than turmeric.

1 cup white rice
1/2 cup bulgur
4 stalks celery, diced
3 cups water
2 tsp Adobo spice
1 tsp Old Bay Spice
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp Zante currants

Sauté then celery and rice in a good glug of olive oil in a pot, stirring very often. Cook until rice begins to turn white from translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stir and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes until all water is absorbed.

Crab and Ziti Bake

1/2 lb ziti
12 oz. Crab meat, drained
1/4 cup flour
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 leek, cleaned and diced
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
Dash red pepper flakes
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups shredded Fontina cheese
Palmful fresh parsley leaves, minced
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ziti, stir and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile make a Bechamel sauce by melting the butter and oil in a saucepan. Add the leek and cook about 6-8 minutes, until softened and beginning to brown. Add the flour and cook, whisking continuously, for about 3-5 minutes. Add about half the milk, whisking often. Bring to a boil and add remaining milk, the mustard, red pepper flakes and the dill to make a smooth sauce. Add a bit more milk if the sauce is very thick - it should not be too thick or the casserole will be too dense.

Drain the ziti and toss in a large bowl with the crab. Fold in the sauce, the cheese and parsley. Tip mixture into an oiled casserole and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake until bubbly, about 20-30 minutes.

Serves 6-8.

Three Bean Salad with Edamame

1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can light red kidney beans, drained
1 cup frozen Edamame
¼ red Bermuda onion, minced
¼ cup shredded carrot

Vinaigrette:
3 Tbsp spiced rice vinegar
juice of ½ lemon
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp dried dill weed
fresh ground pepper

Microwave Edamame for about 2 minutes in a glass bowl with two tablespoons water, for about 2 minutes. Drain and cool off in a bowl of very cold water. Drain well. Whisk vinaigrette together and toss with remaining ingredients. Allow to marinate for at least half an hour.