AVGOLEMONO SOUP W/CHICKEN & ORZO

Avgolemono Soup with Chicken and Orzo 

Avgolemono (Greek: Αυγολέμονο) is a Greek soup made with egg and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until they thicken but before they boil and curdle. Avgolémono translates to "egg-lemon," in English. It is also part of certain stew-like dishes such as the Greek pork with celery and the Turkish yuvarlak, added just before serving to thicken the cooking juices. In other Middle Eastern cuisines, it is used as a sauce for chicken or fish.
As a soup, it usually starts with chicken broth (though meat, fish, or vegetable broths may sometimes be used). Typically, rice or soup pasta, such as orzo, are cooked in the broth with thin strips of meat (chicken, for example) before a mixture of eggs and lemon is added. Its consistency varies from near-stew to near-broth. It is important to remove the mixture from the heat before adding the egg-lemon mix, in order to avoid curdling. The safest way to prevent curdling is to remove a cup of broth from the pot and let cool a little, then gradually add the egg and lemon juice while beating the mixture vigorously with a fork or whisk; once the broth is frothy, it is gently added back to the pot and the soup is served immediately. Leftover soup will invariably curdle, even if refrigerated or rewarmed. Its taste will not change but the texture and mouthfeel cannot be recovered.
The soup is usually made with whole eggs; sometimes with just yolks.^[1] The whites typically are beaten first until soft peaks form and then the yolks and lemon juice are beaten into the whites until just combined. Whole eggs may also be beaten together without the initial separation. Starch may be added to the soup as an additional thickener, however, it is most often used if one omits the egg whites from the recipe, as the volume from the whipped whites creates thickness.

Preparation time: 5 minute

Serves: 4

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

salt and pepper

2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, for serving, minced

1/2 cup orzo pasta

1-2/3 quarts chicken broth

1/2 lb cooked chicken, diced

1/3 cup lemon juice, plus more, if desired

2 eggs

1 egg yolk 

Cooking Directions:

In a medium saucepot over high heat, bring the chicken broth to boiling. 

Stir in the orzo, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until al dente, about 12 minutes. 

Reduce the heat to low. 

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolk with the lemon juice until light and frothy. 

Beating constantly, slowly pour 1 cup of the hot stock into the egg mixture. 

Continue to add stock until the eggs are warmed. 

Pour the eggs back into the soup. 

Add more lemon juice if needed. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Stir in chicken and heat until warmed through, about 5 minutes. 

Do not let the soup simmer. 

Suggestion: Serve with Caesar salad. To serve, ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle with parsley. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories 270

% Calories From Fat 50%

Total Fat 15g

Saturated Fats 4.3g

Mono-unsaturated Fats 5.9g

Poly-unsaturated Fats 2.9g

Cholesterol 210mg

Sodium 1400mg

Total Carbohydrates 4.2g

Dietary Fiber 0.1g

Sugar 2.2g

Protein 28g

BEEF FILET W/ BACON & GORGONZOLA BUTTER

Beef Filet with Bacon and Gorgonzola Butter


Ingredients:

• 1 small scallion
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (or any blue cheese)
• 2 (6-ounce) filet mignons
• ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 2 slices bacon
• 2 teaspoons virgin olive oil
• ½ pound mixed mushrooms (such as oyster, cremini, shiitakes or portobello), sliced

Directions:
1. Arrange rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 425°F.  
2. Thinly slice white portion of scallion; set aside.  
3. To make the Gorgonzola butter, finely chop green portion of scallion, and place in a small bowl. Add butter and cheese; stir to combine.  
4. Sprinkle each beef fillet with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Wrap a slice of bacon around side of each filet, and secure with toothpicks.  
5. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add filets, and cook on all sides, turning frequently with tongs, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Roast 7 to 10 minutes for rare.  Or roast until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in center of each filet registers 135°F for medium-rare, 145°F for medium, 160°F for medium-well or 180°F for well done.  
6. While filets roast, heat same skillet over medium-high heat, add mushrooms, reserved white portion of scallion and remaining 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes.  
7. Spoon mushrooms onto 2 serving plates, and top each with a filet. Serve with Gorgonzola butter.  

Nutritional Information
Per Serving:

Net Carbs: 2.0 grams

Fiber: 2.0 grams

Protein: 41.0 grams

Fat: 35.0 grams

Calories: 480

Recipe Information:

Makes: 2 servings

Prep Time: 0:15:00

Marinate Time: 0:00:00

Cook Time: 0:20:00

Tex-Mex Sea Bass 

Preparation time: 10 min	Servings: 4
Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lb sea bass fillets

1/4 cup lime juice

3 tbsp canned green chilies, chopped (wear rubber gloves)

2 cups canned crushed tomatoes

1 clove garlic, peeled

4 scallions, chopped

3 tbsp cilantro, or parsley, chopped

Cooking Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except sea bass and cilantro, in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. Add sea bass to skillet. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Serve sea bass topped with tomato sauce and cilantro. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories 250

% Calories From Fat 16.9%

Total Fat 4.7g

Saturated Fats 1.2g

Mono-unsaturated Fats 1g

Poly-unsaturated Fats 1.7g

Cholesterol 90mg

Sodium 450mg

Total Carbohydrates 11g

Dietary Fiber 1.8g

Sugar 4.9g

Protein 42g

CAULIFLOWER GRUYERE AU GRATIN

Cauliflower Gruyére au Gratin 

Preparation time: 10 min	Servings: 6
Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1-1/2 tbsp all purpose flour

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup half and half

1 head cauliflower, leaves trimmed

1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated

Cooking Directions:

Place whole cauliflower in 1 inch water in a covered saucepan over medium high heat. Steam 10-12 minutes until almost tender. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When bubbly, stir in flour to combine. Gradually stir in half and half. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and salt and pepper to taste until cheese is melted. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place cauliflower in a buttered casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower. Bake 7-10 minutes until bubbly and top is golden. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories 150

% Calories From Fat 72%

Total Fat 12g

Saturated Fats 7.1g

Mono-unsaturated Fats 3.3g

Poly-unsaturated Fats 0.6g

Cholesterol 35mg

Sodium 65mg

Total Carbohydrates 8g

Dietary Fiber 2.5g

Sugar 0.1g

Protein 6.4g

Pork Chops with Red Onions 

Preparation time: 10 min	Servings: 4
Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients:

3 tbsp water

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp fennel seed

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

4 boneless pork chops, about 4 oz each

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp sugar

Cooking Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in a heavy non-reactive ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. Sear pork 2 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Transfer pork chops to a platter. Reduce heat to medium. Using same skillet, sauté onions, sugar, and fennel seed 5-7 minutes or until onions are softened. Stir in vinegar and cook 1 minute. Stir in water and season with pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Return pork and any juices from platter to skillet. Cover skillet and bake 10 minutes or until pork chops are cooked throughout. 

Nutrition Facts 

Calories 190

% Calories From Fat 42.6%

Total Fat 9g

Saturated Fats 2.6g

Mono-unsaturated Fats 4.6g

Poly-unsaturated Fats 1.1g

Cholesterol 49mg

Sodium 39mg

Total Carbohydrates 6g

Dietary Fiber 0.8g

Sugar 3.3g

Protein 20g

SPINACH ARTICHOCKE DIP

Spinach Artichoke Dip 

Preparation time: 10 min	Servings: 6
Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp curry powder, optional

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup onions, chopped

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

14 oz canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

Cooking Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sauté onion 3-4 minutes until softened. Press out excess moisture from drained spinach. Stir in remaining ingredients and transfer to a baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories 140

% Calories From Fat 46.9%

Total Fat 7.3g

Saturated Fats 4.2g

Mono-unsaturated Fats 1.9g

Poly-unsaturated Fats 0.5g

Cholesterol 20mg

Sodium 330mg

Total Carbohydrates 11g

Dietary Fiber 7.2g

Sugar 1.3g

Protein 9.9g