RECIPES OF THE MONTH

French Onion Soup with Beef & Barley

1 cup                  Boiling Water
½ ounce            Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
1 Tlbs.               Dark Sesame Oil
2 medium         Onions  (cut into 8 wedges)
½ cup                 Shallots (chopped)
2 tsp                   Fresh Ginger (peeled, chopped)
4 cloves             Garlic (minced)
3 cups                Button Mushrooms (sliced)
1 tsp                   Brown Sugar
12 ounces         Sirloin Steak (cut into 2” strips)
4 cups                Water
2/3 cup              Pearl Barley
¼ cup                 Dry Sherry
3 Tbls.               Soy Sauce
10 ½ ounces    Beef Consommé
12 slices            French Bread (1/4” slices)
¾ cup                 Gruyere or Swiss Chesse (shredded)

 Combine boiling water & dried mushroom in a bowl; cover & let stand 30 minutes.  Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving liquid; slice shiitakes, discarding stems.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onions, shallots, ginger, and garlic & sauté 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Add the shiitakes, button mushrooms, sugar & beef; sauté 10 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Add reserved mushroom liquid, 4 cups water, barley, sherry, soy sauce & beef consommé; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 50 minutes or until barley is tender; stir in 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

Ladle 1 ½ cups soup into ovenproof soup bowl; top each serving with 2 slices of French bread and 2 tablespoons cheese; broil 3 inches from heat for 1 minute or until cheese melts.

Cold Cucumber Soup*

½ cup            Cilantro (chopped)
¼ cup            Onion   (chopped)
¼ cup            Fresh Lime Juice
¼ cup            Buttermilk
¼ cup            Sour Cream
1 tsp              Salt
½ tsp             Black Pepper
5 medium      Cucumbers (peeled, seeded, chopped)
1 medium      Jalapeno (seeded)
1 cup             Cherry Tomatoes (halved)

Place cilantro through jalapenos in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.  Pour into serving dishes and top with tomatoes.

Calories:  74

OVEN “FRIED” PARMESAN CHICKEN STRIPS

2 Tbls.           Butter
1/3 cup          Reduced-fat Baking Mix
1/3 cup          Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 ½ tsp          Old Bay Seasoning
1/8 tsp           Black Pepper
2 lbs.             Chicken Breast Strips

Preheat oven to 425 deg F.; melt butter in a 15x10” jelly roll pan.  Place baking mix, cheese, seasoning, & black pepper in a zip lock bag; shake well to combine.  Add chicken, several pieces at a time, shaking well to coat.  Arrange chicken in melted butter in hot baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is done, turning once; serve immediately.

Serving Size:  3 strips; 294 Calories; 8.7 g Fat

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT MOUSSE

¼ cup            Sugar
¼ cup            Unsweetened Cocoa
2 ½ Tbls.       Cornstarch
¼ tsp.            Salt
2 large           Eggs
2 cups           Reduced Fat Milk
¼ cup            Frangelico (hazelnut-flavored liqueur)
½ tsp.            Vanilla
3 oz.              Bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
2 cups           Fat-Free Whipped Topping
2 Tbls.           Hazelnuts,  (chopped, toasted)

Combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, salt & eggs in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.  Scald (heat) milk in a small saucepan until tiny bubbles form, (DO NOT BOIL).  Gradually add hot milk to sugar mixture; whisking all the time; return to pan and cook over medium heat until very thick and bubbly (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly.  Spoon mixture into a medium bowl; add liqueur, vanilla & chocolate; stirring until chocolate melts.  Place bowl in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until mixture is cool, stirring occasionally.  Remove bowl from ice; gently fold in one-third of whipped topping to loosen, then fold in remaining topping; pour into serving dishes; cover & chill at least 3 hours; sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Serving size:  2/3 cup mouse & 1 tsp hazelnuts; 278 Calories; 9.2 g Fat