Cooking for 1 or 2 🌞

[justaprogressive]

Portobello Mushrooms with Melted Brie

Portobello mushrooms, stalks removed
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A knob of butter
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
Handful of mixed wild mushrooms, left whole if small or cut in half or smaller if very large
1 small clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp créme fraiche
2 slices of good-quality Brie
Crusty bread, to serve

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Lay the Portobello mushrooms on a shallow
baking tray, drizzle over some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about
8 minutes or until they are just soft.

Meanwhile, heat up a little olive oil and the knob of butter in a frying pan Cook the shallot
until soft, then add the wild mushrooms, garlic, most of the parsley, salt and pepper.
Don’t let the garlic burn.

After 5-8 minutes, when the mushrooms are tender, stir in the creme fraiche and simmer
for 2 minutes to let the sauce thicken. Take the Portobello mushrooms out of the oven.

Spoon the wild mushroom mix on to the Portobello mushrooms and sprinkle over a
little more chopped parsley. Top with the slices of Brie and return to the oven for a
few minutes so that the Brie just starts to melt. Serve with crusty bread.

From "Cooking for One"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12835825-cooking-for-one

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Chicken Tikka Masala

SERVES 2

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted to re-create the classic Indian dish chicken
tikka masala. To develop an approachable method for
producing moist, tender chunks of chicken in a rich,
warmly spiced tomato sauce, we began by coating the
chicken in a yogurt mixture seasoned with garlic and
ginger. Baking the chicken breasts was quick and worked
well, but the additional char we achieved with the
broiler was better and required no extra effort. Meanwhile,
a traditional combination of garam masala, fresh ginger,
and cilantro gave our masala sauce an authentic Indian taste.
This dish tastes best when prepared with whole milk
yogurt, but low-fat yogurt can be substituted; do not use
nonfat yogurt. Serve with rice.

CHICKEN

½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garam masala
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
trimmed and pounded if necessary
½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
combination of garam masala, fresh
ginger, and cilantro gave our masala
sauce an authentic Indian taste. This dish
tastes best when prepared with wholemilk yogurt, but low-fat yogurt can be
substituted; do not use nonfat yogurt.
Serve with rice. See the sidebar that
follows the recipe.2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

SAUCE

1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 small serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1½ teaspoons tomato paste
1½ teaspoons garam masala
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
⅓ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro1.

1. FOR THE CHICKEN:

Combine salt, garam masala, and cayenne in bowl.
Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season thoroughly
with spice mixture. Place chicken on plate, cover, and
refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Whisk yogurt, oil,
garlic, and ginger together in medium bowl, cover, and
refrigerate until needed.

2. FOR THE SAUCE:

Process tomatoes and their juice in food processor until
smooth, about 15 seconds. Heat oil in large saucepan
over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook
until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in
serrano,tomato paste, garam masala, garlic, and ginger
and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in
processed tomatoes, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt and bring
to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring
occasionally, until flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Off heat,
stir in yogurt; cover to keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element
and heat broiler. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined
rimmed baking sheet. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt
mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt)
and arrange on prepared wire rack. Discard excess yogurt
mixture.Broil chicken until lightly charred in spots and chicken
registers 160 degrees, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken
halfway through cooking.

4. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes, then
cut into 1-inch pieces. Stir chicken pieces i nto warm sauce (do
not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, season with salt to
taste, and serve.


From "The Complete Cooking For Two Book"
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18797099-the-complete-cooking-for-two-cookbook


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Tomato Tart

2-3 good-quality tomatoes
Olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Pinch of sugar
1/4 tsp prepared garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 packet of good-quality store-bought puff pastry (you will only need half, but the remainder can be frozen)
1 small egg yolk, beaten
5-6 pitted Kalamata olives

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Cut the tomatoes into chunks and put into a bowl. Pour 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil,
the balsamic vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper into a bowl and whisk well.
Pour this over the tomatoes. Heat up a little more olive oil in a frying pan and
gently cook the tomatoes for 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

Roll out the puff pastry so it is approximately 5mm thick and cut it into an 8cm
circle. Fold over 2cm of the pastry to form a border, pressing down firmly.
Transfer the pastry to a baking tray lined with Bake-O-Glide and brush the
edges with beaten egg yolk.

Spoon the cooked tomatoes into the pastry and top with the olives. Bake in the
oven for about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve at room temperature
with a rocket and Parmesan salad

From "Cooking for One"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12835825-cooking-for-one


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Cajun Shrimp Pizza



Yield: 4 Individual Pizzas SERVES 2


Ingredients


2- Oroweat Sandwich Thins (separate the bottom from the tops) any variety you like.
Whole Wheat, Honey Wheat, Flax & Fiber , or Multigrain which I used. (total 4 individual pizzas)
Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese 1/3 cup for each piece of sandwich thin rolls
24- medium size shrimp - thawed, peeled, & deveined ( 4-6 shrimp per individual pizza )
1 tbsp - Fresh Minced Garlic
1- small Yellow Onion cut into thin round pieces ( 4-6 pieces for each pizza)
1/2- Green Bell Pepper - sliced thin into 16 long pieces (divide and place 4 slices on each pizza)
2 tsp. - Olive Oil
1/2- Red Bell Pepper - sliced thin into 16 long pieces (divide and place 4 slices on each pizza)
1 tbsp diced fresh Curly Parsley
10 -12 Cherry Tomatoes cut in half and smashed (use potato masher)
1 tbsp Cajun Seasoning (I used Louisiana Cajun Seasoning)
Canola Spray Oil
cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
optional diced parsley for garnishing

Instructions

1 Preheat oven on broil - low heat.

2 Put shrimp in medium bowl and toss with cajun seasoning and parsely.
Place in fridge until needed.

3 Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Place tomatoes into a medium bowl and
smash using a potato masher. Set aside until needed.

4 Separate the bottoms and the tops from the sandwich thins and place
upside down onto the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

5 Place minced garlic into a small bowl with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Mix
together well.

6 Brush each sandwich thins with the garlic & olive oil mixture. Use a
pastry brush. Set aside.

7 Spray a pan with canola cooking spray.

8 Remove the shrimp from the refrigerator. Cook in the pan on medium heat
until they turn pink and the tails curl, about 3-4 minutes. Make sure to flip the
shrimp over at least once during the cooking time. When cooked remove from heat.

9 Grab the cookie sheet with the sandwich thins and place on a flat surface.
Next, using a fork spread a little bit of the tomatoes onto each. Place the shrimp
on top of the tomatoes, then the onions, bell peppers and cheese. Do this for each
of the individual pizzas.

10 Place the pizzas into the preheated oven on low broil until the cheese melts
(3-5 minutes depending on your oven).

11 Using oven mitts remove cookie sheet from the oven and let cool. Enjoy!

Notes

You can also use part-skim mozzarella cheese but, you will have to adjust your points.

From https://www.thisolemom.com/cajunshrimppizza/

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Remember: Reality is the only place where you can get a decent meal!

[Drum]

1. Yum! Bookmarking!

[justaprogressive]

2. Thanx!

[Dem2theMax]

3. Double yum!

And also bookmarked!