Category: Columns

By Emily Fry

Staff Writer

Shrimp with Spinach and Couscous

With midterms coming up, nobody has enough time to make elaborate meals.  This dish takes only 15 minutes and serves four.  Happy cooking!

Ingredients:

1 cup instant couscous

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 5-oz bag spinach

1 lb. bag frozen uncooked shrimp, thawed

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Prepare couscous according to directions on package, season with 1/4 tsp. salt and pinch of pepper.

2. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large skillet over medium heat.

3. Add garlic and cook for one minute, add spinach and cook until wilted, about one minute, transfer to plate

4. Rinse shrimp and pat dry

5. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp, lemon wedges, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper.  Cook turning once, until shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 4 minutes total.

6. Return garlic and spinach to pan and toss.

7. Serve over couscous.

Source: Real Simple: Meals Made Easy

By Emily Fry

Staff Writer

Mustard-Glazed Chicken

Even though this is a Martha Stewart recipe, I’ve tweaked it a little to adapt it to a college student’s resources, so it’s still really simple.  Everything this recipe calls for is available at Wal-mart or Weis.  Your friends will be impressed by your culinary expertise and it tastes delicious!

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for seasoning chicken

Sea salt and pepper

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

3/4 cup coarse bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.

2. Combine 2 Tbsp. of butter with mustard; reserve 2 tsp. of mixture for the sauce.  Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter and mix with thyme and bread crumbs.

3. In a large skillet, heat the 2 Tbsp. of oil over medium high heat.  Sear the chicken about 5 minutes.

4. Remove from heat. Transfer chicken to 9×13 baking dish.  Set aside the skillet to make the sauce later.  Smear each side of the chicken with the mustard mixture and sprinkle each side with the bread crumbs.

5. Roast in oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

6. Transfer chicken to a plate.  Add the stock and cream to the skillet and cook over medium heat and stir until creamy and reduced, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, and stir in the reserved mustard mixture.  Strain through a fine sieve and serve with the chicken.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Cookbook

By Emily Fry

Staff Writer

Apple Pie

Apple pie is a fall staple.  Cortland apples are great for baking. They stay crisp and are sweet, but still a little tart.  Why not drive out to Ard’s and get local, fresh Cortland apples?  You can even try the corn maze while you’re there.

Pie Crust

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cups shortening

6-8 Tbsp. cold water

Crust

1. Combine flour and salt.

2. Cut in shortening using pastry blender (although a fork can work ,too) until the pieces are pea-sized.

3. Add water 2 Tbsps. at a time, mixing with a fork.  Add just enough so that the flour mixture is moistened and can be formed into a ball.  It will seem a little dry, but that means you’ll have a flakier crust.  If you add too much water it will be tough and chewy.

4. Cover the dough and refrigerate until ready to use.

Filling

6 Cortland apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1. Add lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg to apples and toss to coat.

2. Divide the pastry into two balls.  Roll out one of the balls on a lightly floured surface into a circle.  The circle should be about 12 inches in diameter.  Place the pastry in the pan.

3. Fill pastry-lined pan with filling.  Roll out the other ball of dough and place on top of pie and seal the crusts.

4. Flute edges and cut slits in top layer of pastry.

5. Bake at 375 degrees F for one hour.  For the first 40 minutes, cover the edge of the pie with foil to prevent burning the edge.Remove foil for the last 20 minutes. Cool at least two hours before serving.

Guacamole

Let’s face it, a lot of the Bison’s food is a little overpriced for how much you get. This is a really easy recipe for your own guacamole that won’t break the bank and also makes enough to share with friends. As an added bonus, it uses white kidney beans to lower the calorie count. You won’t taste the difference, but your bank account will thank you.

Ingredients:

1 can (15-19 oz) white kidney beans (cannellini beans), drained and rinsed

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 jalapeño, seeded

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup chopped Vidalia onion

1 ripe avocado, pitted and cut into smaller chunks

2 plum tomatoes

½ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Mash beans with lime juice in a medium bowl. It works best with a spoon and then a fork.

2. Add jalapeño, cilantro, onion, salt and avocado. Mix with a fork, taking care to mash the avocado well.

3. Chop tomatoes and stir into avocado mixture.

4. Serve with tortilla chips.

Adapted from “Guiltless Guacamole” in Good Housekeeping Magazine.