Boardash: Fruit and Cheese Spread, Grilled Lamb Burgers, and Apricot Pear Parfaits

Having trouble seeing this email? View the most recent issue or stories from previous issues.

	Today's Wine & Dine Daily Video
	Mock Meatloaf Recipe Play Now!

Get Healthy in 2010

Recipes: ArcaMax Chef

For You
Friday January 15, 2010

Appetizer -- Fruit and Cheese Spread
Main Course -- Grilled Lamb Burgers
Dessert -- Apricot Pear Parfaits
Grocery List
Tales from the ArcaMax Chef

We hope y'all enjoy this menu which serves 6 to 8.

Appetizer -- Fruit and Cheese Spread

One quarter cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup boiling water
4 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
One quarter tsp. seasoned salt
One third cup milk
One quarter cup dates, chopped
One half cup walnuts

Place apricots in boiling water for 30 minutes, drain off water. Combine cheeses, salt and milk and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Stir in apricots, dates and walnuts. Line a 1-quart mold with plastic wrap and place mixture in mold. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Remove from mold and serve with assorted crackers.

The Skinny: Use light cheeses and low fat milk.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Main Course -- Grilled Lamb Burgers

2 pounds ground lamb
1 cup onion, chopped
One third cup fresh cilantro, chopped
One third cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Shape into 8 patties and grill over medium-hot coals for 7 - 8 minutes per side or until meat is on longer pink. Serve with cucumber-yogurt sauce.

The Skinny: Not much room for improvement.

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

1 16-oz. container plain yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

The Skinny: Use fat free yogurt.

Cucumber Tomato Salad

One half cup white vinegar
One quarter cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. sugar
One quarter cup fresh mint, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
3 tomatoes cut into wedges
1 red onion, thinly sliced

Combine first five ingredients in a salad cruet and shake well. Combine last three ingredients and toss. Pour vinegar/oil mixture over salad and toss to coat.

The Skinny: Not much room for improvement. A little crushed garlic would be good in the dressing.

Green Beans with Basil Vinaigrette

2 pounds fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
One quarter cup red wine vinegar
One quarter cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small sweet onion, sliced
One third cup sliced almonds

Place beans in a large pot and pour in just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. Meanwhile mix together vinegar and next five ingredients and mix well. When beans are done combine with onion and pour vinegar mixture over, then toss to coat and sprinkle with almonds.

The Skinny: We are on a roll here.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Dessert -- Apricot Pear Parfaits

6 firm ripe pears, peeled and coarsely chopped
5 oz. dried apricots
One quarter cup fresh ginger, peeled and grated
One half cup water
One quarter cup sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
Juice from 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 8-oz. container nonfat vanilla yogurt

Place 4 of the pears, apricots, ginger, water, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes until pears are tender. Meanwhile toss reaming two pears in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and reserve. Remove cinnamon stick from pear/apricot mixture, place mixture in a food processor and process briefly. Allow sauce to cool and then place one quarter cup of mixture into parfaits glasses followed by one quarter cup yogurt and one quarter cup pear mixture. Top with remaining pears and serve.

The Skinny: Use your favorite sugar substitute.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Grocery List

One quarter cup dried apricots, chopped
4 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
One quarter tsp. seasoned salt
One third cup milk
One quarter cup dates, chopped
One half cup walnuts
2 pounds ground lamb
1 cup onion, chopped
One third cup fresh cilantro, chopped
One third cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. and one quarter cup fresh mint, chopped
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 16-oz. container plain yogurt
3 large cucumbers
2 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp. and one half cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
One half cup white vinegar
One half cup sugar
3 tomatoes cut into wedges
1 red onion
2 pounds fresh green beans
One quarter cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 small sweet onion
One third cup sliced almonds
6 firm ripe pears
5 oz. dried apricots
One quarter cup fresh ginger
1 tsp. lemon zest
Juice from 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
1 8-oz. container nonfat vanilla yogurt

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Tales from the ArcaMax Chef

We have been in the middle of a deep freeze over the past few weeks. It rained and rained and rained during the fall and then quickly switched to unusually cold weather.

As a result, I was not able to get up the last of the fall leaves. The constant rain (one of the top four rain years in the history of this rather old area of Southeastern Virginia) flooded the backyard and turned most of my property into a swamp. It was impossible to use the riding mower or even walk in the yard during most of the fall.

The wet weather almost immediately led to a bitter cold snap. As a result, the leaves which had been matted down by all the rain froze solid to the ground. There was no way to get those frozen leaves up.

Luckily, the cold snap brought with it some of the driest weather we had experienced around here for some time. Even though the ground was frozen a lot of the time, the dry air helped to evaporate a lot of the moisture from the ground.

The good news is that the ground is dry and the leaves are free and blowing around. The bad news it is supposed to rain all day on Sunday. Usually I have a good excuse for not doing yard work on Saturdays…that is when my soccer league usually has games scheduled. For some reason, my team has a bye this weekend.

All of the above issues have led to a perfect storm of leaf raking, blowing and bagging this Saturday.

I can't wait.

God Bless America.

Enjoy!