Brainfood’s Favorite Recipes

Check out Brainfood’s selection of favorite recipes and original participant recipes

Moroccan Braised Chicken with Carrots and Golden Raisins

Recipe Courtesy Of: 
From WholeLiving.com
Ingredients: 

6 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds) skin removed
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
¼ cup golden raisins
1 ½ cups chicken stock
½ cup white cooking wine
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lemon, cut into quarters
1 cup of quinoa, or couscous to serve with chicken

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat a large oven proof pot over medium-high heat.
3. Toast spices about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl
4. Add oil to pan and heat. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper
5. Cook until each piece is golden, about 6 minutes; take out and set aside
6. Reduce heat to medium and sauté onions. Add white cooking wine, scraping up brown bits with wooden spoon
7. Add carrots, chicken stock, raisins, chicken and accumulated juices and spices. Bring to boil
8. Cover and transfer to oven. Braise until meat is tender, about 30 minutes
9. Meanwhile bring quinoa (or couscous), 2 cups of water, and ¼ teaspoon salt to a boil.
10. Reduce heat and simmer, covered until the grain is tender, about 15 minutes
11. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
12. Serve chicken and juices over quinoa (or couscous).

Pot Stickers with Spicy Dipping Sauce

Recipe Courtesy Of: 
Recipe adapted from Martin Yan, © Yan Can Cook Inc., 2003
Ingredients: 

Dipping Sauce:
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce
1 teaspoon hot chili oil

Filling:
¼ pound ground chicken
2 ounces shrimp, deveined, shelled and finely chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 egg white
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
¼ cup water chestnuts, minced
2 tablespoons Chinese celery, minced
1 teaspoon cilantro leaves, minced
½ teaspoon ginger, minced
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
Dash ground white pepper

24 potsticker wrappers
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup chicken broth or water

Preparation: 

To make the sauce:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, chili-garlic sauce and hot chili
oil. Mix well and reserve.

To make the filling:

2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, shrimp, egg white, water chestnuts, garlic,
scallions, celery, cilantro, ginger, sugar, salt, and sesame oil. Season with a little
pepper and mix, stirring rapidly in 1 direction until mixture is well combined and
spongy.

To make the potstickers:

3. Working in batches, lay 4 potsticker wrappers on a clean surface. Keep the
remaining wrapper covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying.

4. Put a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each of the 4 wrappers

5. Brush the edges with water. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling, pinching the
edges together to form semi-circles.

6. Put the potstickers on a baking sheet seam-side up and cover with a clean
towel. Repeat until all the potstickers have been formed

To cook the potstickers:

7. Heat a large skillet over medium. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is
hot add half the potstickers seam-side up.

8. Cook the potstickers until the bottoms are golden crisp, about 4 minutes

9. Add 1/3 cup broths. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid is
absorbed, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the cooked potstickers to a platter. Repeat,
cooking the remaining potstickers.

10. Serve potstickers warm accompanied by the dipping sauce.

Earl Grey Cupcakes with Honey Glaze

Recipe Courtesy Of: 
recipe adapted from www.joythebaker.com
Ingredients: 

For the Cupcakes:
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 ½ tablespoons dried earl grey tea (from tea bags)
½ cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Glaze:
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon honey
5 tablespoons heavy cream
pinch of salt

Preparation: 

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Line a cupcake pan with paper or foil liners and set aside.

To make the cakes:
3. In a large bowl cream together butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pinch of salt, and earl grey tea leaves. Mix until the mixture is slightly coarse and sandy. This takes about 5 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla extract.
5. Pour half of the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated.
6. Pour in the remaining milk mixture; beat for 1 minute, until well blended.
7. Divide the batter between the prepared cups. There isn’t a lot of batter so you’ll only fill the cups up half way. Scrape the bowl for remaining batter.
8. Bake the cupcakes for 17 to 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the glaze:
10. In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, honey, cream, and salt.
11. Whisk until smooth.
12. Use a butter knife to generously spread the frosting atop the cooled cupcakes.

Winter Minestrone Soup

Ingredients: 

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, diced
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
7 celery stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups of broccoli leaves, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
2 russet potatoes, peeled, cubed
2 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 (15-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained, rinsed
7 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth
4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation: 

1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the broccoli leaves and potatoes; sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprigs.
5. Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, blend 1 1/2 cup of the beans with 1/2 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture and remaining broth to the vegetable mixture.
7. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole beans and parsley.
8. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
9. Discard rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off of the stem.)
10. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Black Bean Mango Salsa

Ingredients: 

1 cup cooked or canned black beans, drained
1-2 fresh mangoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
½ red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
½ cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Preparation: 

1. Combine the beans, mango, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil in a large bowl.
2. Season to taste with salt & white pepper.
3. Serve as a garnish on top of seared fish or shrimp tacos, or enjoy as a healthy and hearty side salad.

Jamaican Beef Patties

Recipe Courtesy Of: 
Luisa
Ingredients: 

Makes 15 patties

For Pastry:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup margarine
½ cup shortening
2/3 cup water

For Filling:
2 tablespoons margarine
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ cup beef broth
½ cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten

Preparation: 

For Pastry:
1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, curry powder, and salt. Cut in margarine and shortening until mixture
resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball.
4. Shape dough into a log, and cut into 15 equal sections.
5. Roll each section into a six inch circle (approximately 1/8 inch thick).
6. Put each circle on the baking sheet. Set aside until filling is ready.

For Filling:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Melt 2 tablespoons margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft and translucent.
3. Stir in ground beef. Season with 1 teaspoon curry powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook until beef is
evenly brown, stirring constantly.
4. Stir in beef broth and bread crumbs. Simmer until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.
5. Spoon equal amounts of filling into each pastry circle. Fold over and press edges together, making a half
circle.
6. Use a fork to press edges, and brush the top of each patty with beaten egg.
7. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cobb Salad

in
Ingredients: 

Makes 5-6 servings

For the Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
Cooking spray
¼ pound turkey bacon
2 eggs, hard boiled
3 heads romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
2 cups watercress, thick stems removed
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
½ avocado, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup cooked chicken breast breast, diced
½ cup crumbled Roquefort or Blue cheese (about 2 ounces)

Preparation: 

Make Dressing
1. In a small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper.
2. In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the oil until blended. Set aside.

Boil Eggs
3. Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1-inch or so.
4. Bring to a gentle boil. Then turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so - long enough to stop the cooking.
6. Crack and peel each egg, place in a medium mixing bowl.

Assemble Salad
7. Slice the turkey bacon into ¼-inch strips.
8. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over a medium-high heat.
9. Add the turkey bacon to the skillet and cook over stirring frequently, until it is cooked through and crisped, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
10. Chop the eggs and set aside.

11. In a large bowl toss the romaine and watercress with 2/3 of the dressing.
12. Put the dressed greens onto a large serving dish.
13. Place the tomatoes on top of the lettuce forming a row down the middle.
14. In strips on either side of the tomatoes place the avocado, chicken, cheese, diced egg, and the crisped turkey bacon on top of the greens.
15. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.

Minted Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Recipe Courtesy Of: 
Emeril Lagasse, www.foodnetwork.com
Ingredients: 

Makes generous 1 cup sauce

1 ¼ cups plain Greek yogurt, drained overnight in a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh sieve
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1 ¼ teaspoons salt, plus a pinch
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/8 teaspoon
1 lemon, zest finely grated and juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation: 

1. Combine the yogurt, mint, salt, pepper, lemon zest, olive oil, and lemon juice and whisk to combine.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve the meatballs.

Zesty Chicken Meatballs

Recipe Courtesy Of: 
foodnetwork.com, Sunny Anderson, 2010
Ingredients: 

Makes 28 to 30 mini meatballs

1 pound ground chicken
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, whisked
¼ cup unseasoned whole-wheat bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped, about 1 small sprig
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped, about 5 sprigs
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 lemon, zested
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation: 

1. In a large bowl, gently mix the chicken, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, Worcestershire, paprika, onion powder, oregano, thyme, brown sugar, lemon zest, 2 healthy pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper in a bowl.
2. Form into mini meatballs, slightly smaller than a golf ball; it should make 28 to 30 meatballs.
3. Warm the butter and oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
4. Transfer the meatballs to the pan and do not disturb for 3 minutes to brown well. Turn, cooking another 3 minutes without disturbing.
5. Keep cooking until browned and cooked on all sides, but still juicy and plump with a spring to the touch.
6. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
7. Serve with Minted Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Three-Apple Crumble

Recipe Courtesy Of: 
Robert Irvine, www.foodnetwork.com
Ingredients: 

Makes 6 servings

6 large apples, peeled, cored and medium diced (2 each of 3 different varieties: Granny Smith, Winesap, Rome Beauty, Stayman, Braeburn)
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 pint vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the apples and half the sugar (3 tablespoons) into a saucepan and cook over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes or until apples begin to soften.
3. Drain them and set aside.
4. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter in a bowl. Blend with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
5. Coat the apples with the lemon juice and spoon into a deep baking dish.
6. Top with the crumble mix and sprinkle with the brown sugar, and bake until done, about 30 minutes.
7. Serve scoops topped with vanilla ice cream.