Fresh recipes to try out in 2017

By Susan McClahnahan

The new year just seems to be calling for some new recipes. I started looking for a few new recipes that would be time and money efficient and came across several I want to try. In the course of looking, I also was reminded of an old favorite salad using ramen noodles as an ingredient. Even though it is an older recipe, it is still a good one to revisit.

As we start this new year, I will remind you that you are welcome and encouraged to send in recipes and share your favorites with all of us.

Refreshing Kale Salad

• 10 cups sliced kale (about 1 bunch)
• 1 medium apple, cored and unpeeled, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup salted pumpkin seeds or pepitas

Place kale in a large bowl. With clean hands, massage kale until leaves become soft and darkened, about 2 to 3 minutes; stir in apple.

In a small bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper until blended. Drizzle over salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and pumpkin seeds. Yield: 8 servings.

Acorn Squash with Maple-Roasted Chicken Bake

• 1 medium acorn squash
• 4 medium carrots, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 bone-in chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut squash lengthwise in half; remove and discard seeds. Cut each half crosswise into 1/2-inch slices; discard ends. Place squash, carrots and onion in a greased 13x9-inch baking pan; top with chicken, skin side down. Roast 10 minutes.

Turn chicken over; drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 25 to 30 minutes longer or until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170 to 175 degrees and vegetables are tender. Yield: 6 servings.

Lemon Butter Garlic Salmon

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or juice of 1 lemon, adjust to your tastes)
• 5 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 2-pound side of salmon
• Sea salt, to taste
• Cracked pepper, to taste
• Lemon slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried dill

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking tray or sheet with a large piece of foil, big enough to fold over and seal to create a packet (or 2 long pieces of foil overlapping each other lengthwise to create your salmon packet, depending on the width of your fillet).

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low-medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn off heat; whisk in the lemon juice and brown sugar.

Place the salmon onto lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the lemon butter over the salmon and, using a spoon, spread evenly over the salmon. Sprinkle with parsley and dill. Arrange lemon slices over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon to cover and completely seal the packet closed.

Bake until cooked through (about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish and your preference of doneness). Open the foil, being careful of any escaping steam, and broil under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat. Garnish with extra parsley if desired and serve immediately.

Note: For more flavor, add in 1/4 cup dry white wine to the melted butter. Allow to simmer on low heat for a good 5 minutes before adding in garlic and lemon juice. Then, pour over salmon and bake as directed above.

Maple Dijon Roasted Chicken And Veggies

• 4 chicken thighs, skin on
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 3 cups Brussels sprouts, ends removed, halved
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Whisk together maple syrup and mustard in a medium bowl and place on your work station. Pat chicken thighs dry and season them generously with salt and pepper, then dip them each completely in maple Dijon mixture. Transfer them skin side up to lined baking sheet.

Whisk olive oil into remaining Dijon mixture, adding cinnamon and seasoning to taste. Add halved Brussels sprouts and cubed butternut squash and toss until evenly coated.

Spread veggies evenly around chicken thighs on the pan, then place in oven. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and serve hot.

One Pan Pesto Chicken and Vegetables

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, sliced into strips
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil, chopped
• 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, cut in half, if large
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, yellow and red, halved

Heat a large skillet on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, add sliced chicken thighs, season chicken generously with salt, add half of chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook everything on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Flip a couple of times, until the chicken is completely cooked through. Remove the chicken and sun-dried tomatoes from the skillet, leaving oil in. Add asparagus (ends trimmed), seasoned generously with salt, and remaining half of sun-dried tomatoes and cook on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until the asparagus is cooked through. Remove asparagus to serving plate.

Add chicken back to the skillet. Add pesto, and stir to coat on low-medium heat until chicken is reheated, 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add halved cherry tomatoes, mix with the pesto and chicken. Add chicken and tomatoes to the serving plate with asparagus.

Tomato Spinach Chicken Spaghetti

• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, drained of oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, drained from sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped
• Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 8 ounces fresh spinach
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 ounces spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• 3 tablespoons high-quality olive oil or oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar

Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, drained from sun-dried tomatoes, to a large skillet, on medium-low heat. Add chopped chicken, red pepper flakes and salt over all of the ingredients in the skillet, and cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh basil leaves, fresh spinach and chopped garlic to the skillet with chicken. Cook on medium heat about 3 to 5 minutes until spinach wilts just a little and tomatoes release some of their juices. Remove from heat. Taste and add more salt to taste, if needed. Cover with lid and keep off heat.

Cook pasta according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain and add cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the chicken and vegetables. Reheat on low heat, mix everything well and add more seasonings (salt and pepper), if desired. Remove from heat.

At this point, when the pasta and vegetables are off heat, you can add more high-quality olive oil, which is really tasty. Or you can add more olive oil from the jar from the sun-dried tomatoes.

Easy Asian-Style Chicken Slaw

This old recipe is very flexible and easy to change and either add to or take away ingredients as you choose to do so. Nothing is scientific as to measure, just play with it and serve as you enjoy it best.

I toast the ramen noodles, sliced almonds, sunflower kernels and sesame seeds and mix all together, then place the bag in my freezer. We serve individual servings each evening, using a serving of chicken and coleslaw mix, a green onion and a sprinkling of the noodle and nut mixture until it's all used up. The noodles and nuts will keep in the freezer a long time, as we just serve small portions instead of mixing it all together and putting dressing on the whole recipe all at once. Of course, the other way is the best way for large groups.

• 1 package (3 ounces) ramen noodles, toasted
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, shredded
• 1 package (16 ounces) coleslaw mix
• 6 green onions, finely chopped
• Sunflower kernels
• Sesame seeds
• 1 cup reduced-fat Asian toasted sesame salad dressing

Discard seasoning packet from noodles or save for another use. Break noodles into small pieces onto a baking sheet along with the sliced almonds and toast at 350 until lightly browned and nutty smelling. Stir a few times with a cooking spatula during toasting time.

In a large bowl, add cooled noodles and almonds, chicken, coleslaw mix, green onions, a few sunflower kernels and sesame seeds. Drizzle with salad dressing; toss to coat. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

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