Doctor-recommended dinner recipes

Last week I told you about the cookbook I pulled off of my shelf to share recipes with you. As I mentioned, I am continuing this week from the same book, "The Dinner Doctor," by Anne Byrn. There are several books in the doctor series, but this is one of my favorites. The recipes are helpful to me as a busy mom, running here and there, yet still trying to cook and put meals on the table.

Chinese Chicken

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons sherry

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons sugar

1 pound chicken tenders, about 12, rinsed and patted dry

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 green onions, both white and green parts, sliced on the diagonal, for 1/2 cup

2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Place the soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch and sugar in a medium mixing bowl with 1/4 cup water and whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Stir in the chicken tenders and set bowl aside. Pour the oil into a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 minutes. Drain the marinade from the chicken; do not discard the marinade. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 1 minute on each side. Pour the marinade over the chicken, reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Serves 4.

Fire and Ice Salsa

1 cup chopped seeded watermelon

1 cup chopped strawberries

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1 store-bought rotisserie chicken

Place the watermelon, strawberries, onion, jalapeno and mint in a medium-size glass bowl. Stir to combine. Pour the olive oil and lime juice over the salsa and sprinkle the sugar on top. Stir gently to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time. The salsa can be made up to 1 day in advance. Slice the chicken into serving pieces and spoon some salsa alongside. Serve more salsa at the table. Serves 4.

Oven Roasted Salmon

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 pounds salmon fillets, cut into 6 pieces, 5 to 6 ounces each

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach

1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream

2 to 3 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour the olive oil into a large oven-safe skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Season the salmon pieces with the seasoned salt on both sides. When the olive oil is hot, add the salmon and cook it until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the salmon from the skillet and set aside. Add the spinach to the pan juices in the skillet. Pour the cream over the spinach and sprinkle the coconut on top. Place the salmon pieces back in the skillet on top of the spinach and place the skillet in the oven. Bake the salmon until it is light and juices are bubbling, 7 to 8 minutes. Serve at once. Serves 6.

Coastal Shrimp and Tomato Rice

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green peppers and onion

1 cup instant rice

2 tablespoons sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives

1/2 pound medium-size shrimp, sliced lengthwise in half

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Place the tomatoes in a 2-quart saucepan or skillet. Fill the tomato can with water, add this to the pan and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the rice and green olives and let come to a boil. Cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low. Let simmer until the rice is half-cooked, 5 minutes. Remove the lid from the pan. Stir in the shrimp and pepper. Cover the pan and let the shrimp cook until they turn pink and opaque, 4 to 5 minutes. The rice will be cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and scatter the feta over the shrimp. Cover the pan once again and let it sit until the feta melts a bit, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and add more pepper, if desired, then serve. Serves 2 to 4.

Thai Shrimp and Asparagus

1/2 cup Thai Kitchen Sweet Red Chili Sauce

1/4 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or water

1/2 pound already peeled and deveined medium-size shrimp

16 medium-size asparagus spears, about 1/2 pound

1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Pour the chili sauce and broth into a medium-size skillet and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, turning the shrimp, until they turn pink and opaque and are cooked through and the sauce thickens somewhat, 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, pour water to a depth of 1 inch in a large skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Rinse the asparagus spears and snap off and discard their tough ends. When the water comes to a boil, add the asparagus and reduce the heat to medium. Let the asparagus simmer until it turns bright green, 3 minutes. Drain the water from the skillet. Add the soy sauce to the asparagus. To serve, spoon the shrimp onto plates. Garnish the shrimp with the asparagus, cilantro and sesame seeds. Serves 2 to 4.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

1 pound beef tenderloin or top sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

1 (14.5-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (1.3-ounce) package onion soup mix

1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms

Black pepper

1 pound egg noodles

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup sour cream

Season beef cubes with salt and paprika. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the beef cubes and cook, stirring, until browned on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Pour 1/4 cup of the broth into a measuring cup and set aside. Add the remaining broth to the beef, along with the tomato sauce, onion soup mix and mushrooms. Season with pepper to taste. Let the mixture come to a boil, stirring, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer, uncovered, until the Stroganoff thickens and the beef and mushrooms are cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and stir in egg noodles. Reduce heat to medium and cook the noodles 7 to 8 minutes until al dente. Drain the noodles well and the toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the parsley. Cover to keep warm. Place the flour in the reserved 1/4 cup beef broth and whisk until free of lumps. Pour the broth slowly into the hot beef, stirring constantly. Spoon half cup of the hot beef mixture into a small bowl. Add the sour cream and stir until blended. Pour the sour cream mixture into the Stroganoff and stir to combine. Raise the heat to medium and cook until the liquid almost boils. Serve the Stroganoff spooned over the buttered noodles.

All out of room. I like this book well enough to suggest it for your collection. I hope you have a chance to add it to your cookbook shelves in the future.

Have a wonderful week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.