Cook and Bake With Amra

Ingredients: 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded 1/2 inch thick 2 green onions, finely chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley Marinade 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup honey mustard 1 clove garlic, crushed Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Instructions: Make the marinade: Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Arrange the chicken in a shallow baking dish, pour the marinade on top, and turn to coat evenly. Refrigerate and marinate for 1-2 hours.  Preheat the grill to medium-high. Grill the chicken breasts for about 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is browned and cooked through. Sprinkle the chicken with the green onions and parsley. Serve hot, or let cool and serve at room temperature.  Nutritional Analysis: Calories: 277, Fat: 10g, Sodium 109mg, Carbohydrate: 4g, Protein: 27g  Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients: 1 cup coarse bulgur (about 6 ounces) ¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, drained, rinsed and cut into quarters ½ cup chopped celery (use the inner ribs) ½ cup chopped scallions 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 1 cup roasted tomatoes ¼ cup lightly packed torn mint leaves Instructions: Bring 1½ cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the bulgur, cover, remove from the heat, and set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring from time to time, **until the bulgur is tender. Combine the softened bulgur with the olives, celery, scallions, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Turn the mixture out into a shallow serving bowl. Arrange the tomatoes over the top and scatter the mint leaves over the tomatoes. **Bulgur comes in a variety of grinds. The finer the grind, the faster the bulgur will soften. Nutritional Analysis: Calories: 290, Fat: 16g, Sodium: 432mg, Carbohydrate: 38g, Protein: 5g Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS For the chili: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 medium red bell pepper, medium dice 1 medium yellow onion, medium dice 2 medium garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 1 pound ground turkey 3 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock 2 (14-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 bay leaf For serving: Shredded cheddar cheese Sour cream Tortilla chips INSTRUCTIONS Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high, add the turkey, and cook, breaking it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until it’s no longer pink and is just cooked through, about 4 to...

½ medium onion, roughly chopped 2 jalapeno peppers (or 1 serrano pepper), ribs and seeds removed 3 garlic cloves, peeled ½ cup cilantro, tightly packed Freshly ground pepper Zest from 2 limes ¼ cup lime juice 2 tablespoons Paleo-friendly fish sauce 2 tablespoons coconut aminos 6 pounds chicken wings and/or drumsticks 1-2 tablespoons melted fat of choice 4 limes, cut into wedge Toss the onion, peppers, garlic, cilantro, ground pepper, lime zest and juice, fish sauce, and coconut aminos into a blender anD blitz everything together until a bright green purée is formed. Place the chicken wings in a large bowl, and add the marinade. Mix well with your hands. Marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. Don’t marinade the wings longer than 12 hours because the acid will make the meat mushy. Ew. Take the wings out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you intend to cook them. You can cook these chicken wings either in the oven or — if you can stand...

4 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems (or equivalent dried) 2 teaspoons ground sumac* scant 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds Place thyme leaves on a baking sheet in a 300F oven until dry, just ten minutes or so. Just long enough that they'll crumble between pinched fingers. Let cool. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the thyme leave finely. If your thyme is at all stem-y or fibrous, sift to remove any larger particles. Transfer to a small bowl, and aside. Crush the sumac finely with the mortar and pestle, add the salt and crush with the sumac. Add the thyme back, and grind together a bit. Stir in the sesame seeds, taste, and adjust to your liking, perhaps with a bit more salt, or sumac, or sesame seeds. Any za'atar you might not use in the coming days keeps best refrigerated (or in the freezer) if you make a double or triple batch. *If you're having a hard time finding sumac, check the spice rack at your local mar...

Servings: 4          Calories: 345 Ingredients: 1 lb bay scallops, dried well 2 tsp olive oil, divided 1 tsp butter 3 cloves garlic, sliced 1/2 cup white wine 14 oz can diced petite tomatoes, drained salt and fresh pepper 1 tsp fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup chopped parsley 7 oz angel hair pasta (I used half whole wheat)* Directions: Put a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet on high heat. When hot, add 1 tsp of oil and the butter over medium-high heat until mixture starts to brown. MAKE SURE THE PAN AND OIL MIXTURE IS VERY HOT - Transfer HALF of the scallops to the skillet and cook WITHOUT MOVING until seared: ABOUT 30 SECONDS. Gently flip and sear on other side for another 20 - 30 SECONDS. Remove from skillet and set aside; cook remaining scallops and repeat as the first batch; set aside with first batch.

YIELD: about 20 truffles PREP TIME: 15 minutes INGREDIENTS: 10 ounces semi chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate morsels) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup Nutella 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons Frangelico liqueur 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped (see notes) DIRECTIONS: 1. In a double boiler over barely simmering water, combine chocolate, butter, heavy cream and Nutella. Heat until chocolate is melted. Stir until you have a smooth mixture. 2. Remove from chocolate mixture from heat and allow it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and Frangelico. Pour mixture into a shallow dish (example: 8x8 pyrex dish) and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 2 hours. If you refrigerate longer than two hours, the mixture will be too hard to work with. If this occurs, allow the mixture to sit at room temperature until they are pliable enough to work with. 3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Usi...