My favorite Atlanta caterer is Sandra Bank at Added Touch Catering.  Added Touch Catering offers everything you need for your upcoming event. They are a full service caterer, offering excellent CUSTOMIZED menus and award winning table design.  Providing the highest quality food, service, and decorative items - and an incredible service staff - Sandra is always being asked for recipes for her amazing creations.

Here’s one of my favorites - Sushi Salad.  Enjoy!

Chicken paprikash is an old time Hungarian stew - rich in flavor, beautiful in color, and easy to make.  It’s a great weeknight meal, and if you make enough, you can have leftovers for another meal.  I like to serve it over rice, but the traditional way is to serve it over egg noodles.  Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS

1 cut up chicken

1 sliced onion

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon paprika

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 thinly sliced red bell pepper

1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce) with juices

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Brown the chicken skin side down about 4-5 minutes.  Turn over for another 3 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.

3. Drain most of the fat from the Dutch oven.  Cook the onion and bell pepper for 2 minutes.  Add the broth and stir, cook for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and paprika.  Bring to a simmer.

4. Put the chicken back in the pot and put in the oven for 30 minutes.

5. Serve over rice, noodles, or polenta.

Healthy and Delicious Recipes for an Asian-Inspired Meal

  H Mart, a Korean-American supermarket chain, recently opened another Atlanta location. I couldn’t resist a visit and a reason to make vegetable springs rolls and noodle salad again. In addition to a wide variety of Asian, Hispanic and American foods, H Mart offers an extensvie food court and a cafe/bakery - so make your list and plan to spend some time exploring, shopping and having a nibble. You’ll find an extensive array of fresh produce, herbs (Thai basil!!), spices, sauces, oils, prepared food, fresh fish, a large  produce section and more. Bring your menu plan and a grocery list to make the most of your visit. This Asian-inspired dinner builds upon the vegetable spring rolls and noodle salad to include a savory soup, pan-seared fish as a main course along with the uber-delicious bok choy recipe from Black Tie Barbecue, a full service catering company, in Atlanta.

If you like a bit of spice and little heat try the #11 Den-Jahng-Jigae (soybean paste stew) from the Korean Cuisine store in the food court. A delicious lunch for under $10.

An Asian-Inspired Dinner Menu

• Spinach and Mushroom Soup (recipe below)

• Vegetable Spring Rolls (click to view)

• Delicious Asian Vegetable Noodle Salad (click to view)

• Black Tie Barbecue’s Bok Choy (click to view)

• Fish with Ginger-Garlic Sauce (recipe below)

Spinach and Mushroom Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 28 ounces vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (about 5 ounces)
• 1/2 pound firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 10-ounce bag ready-to-use spinach leaves
• 1 can diced water chestnuts
• 3 green onions, chopped

Preparation

Combine first 7 ingredients in large stockpot. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add tofu, spinach, water chestnuts and green onions and simmer until spinach wilts and tofu is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

Recipe Inspiration: Bon Appétit | October 1997/epicurious.com

Fish with Ginger-Garlic Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 2 6- to 8-ounce fish fillets (flounder, orange roughy, red snapper, sea bass)
• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon oriental hot sesame oil
• 1 ladle soup broth (Spinach and Mushroom Soup) or 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add fish and cook until cooked through, turning once, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plates using slotted spatula. Add ginger and garlic to same skillet and sauté over high heat 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add soy, vinegar, hot sesame oil, broth and stir to combine. Mix in cilantro.  Spoon over fish and serve.

Recipe inspiration: epicurious.com/Bon Appetit

Dessert? Fresh fruit - pineapple and mandarin oranges.

Yes, you can make souffle!

Yes, you can make a soufflé! I needed a main dish for brunch gathering and found this do-able recipe on www.myrecipes.com. The spinach/feta version received rave reviews as light and savory main brunch dish. It would also make a delicious side for dinner.

Arugula and Fontina Soufflé

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  dry breadcrumbs
• 6  ounces  trimmed arugula (about 9 cups)
• 1/3  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• * 1 1/4  cups  1% low-fat milk
• * 1  large egg yolk, lightly beaten
• * 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
• 6  large egg whites
• Dash of cream of tartar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Coat a 2-quart soufflé dish with cooking spray; sprinkle breadcrumbs over bottom and sides of dish.
3. Cook arugula in boiling water 15 seconds or until wilted, and drain in a sieve, pressing until barely moist. Finely chop; place in a large bowl.
4. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place the flour, salt, ground nutmeg, ground red pepper, and black pepper in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until thick.
5. Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot milk mixture into egg yolk, stirring constantly with a whisk, and add to remaining hot milk mixture, stirring constantly. Cook 30 seconds, and remove from heat. Stir in arugula and cheese. Cool slightly.
6. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into arugula mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon into prepared soufflé dish. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until puffed, golden, and set. Serve immediately.

Asparagus and Gruyère Soufflé: Substitute 3/4 pound asparagus for arugula. Cook asparagus in boiling water 4 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water. Cut a 1-inch tip from each asparagus spear; finely chop stalks. Substitute 1 teaspoon dry mustard for ground red pepper. Substitute 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyère for fontina. Stir in asparagus tips and chopped asparagus with the cheese Yield: 6 servings.

CALORIES 165 (29% from fat); FAT 5.3g (sat 2.5g, mono 1.6g, poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 11.9g; CARB 17.5g; FIBER 1.7g, CHOL 49mg; IRON 1.6mg; SODIUM 387mg; CALC 191mg

Spinach and Feta Soufflé: Substitute 10 ounces baby spinach (about 8 cups) for the arugula. Substitute 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese for the shredded fontina. Stir in 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill with the cheese. Yield: 6 servings.

CALORIES 143 (26% from fat); FAT 4.1g (sat 2.1g, mono 1.1g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 10.1g; CARB 16.5g; FIBER 1.5g, CHOL 47mg; IRON 2.1mg; SODIUM 490mg; CALC 167mg

Calories: 154 (30% from fat) Fat: 5.1g (sat 2.5g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.5g) Protein: 10.8g Carbohydrate: 16g Fiber: 0.9g Cholesterol: 50mg Iron: 1.4mg Sodium:  437mg Calcium: 178mg

Recipe and Photo Source: Cooking Light, APRIL 2002 via myrecipes.com

Healthy Snacks

Popcorn Board jAugust 2004

Are you glued to the Olympics? We are! During the past week, (once again), we’ve become enthralled with the talent, interesting stories, the variety of sports, the competition and the judging. To prepare for a weekend of viewing and cheering on the athletes, here is a healthy snack.

Roll back the clock to make popcorn the old-fashion way – on the stove top! It’s healthier, budget friendly and delicious - the ideal Mama Says recipe combination:

Stove top Popcorn with Olive Oil

Makes 8 – 10 cups

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup popcorn kernels

Preparation

In a large heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat and olive oil and popcorn kernels, stir to mix. Cover partially with lid to create a vent for the steam.

Allow to cook over medium heat until popping slows; about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover completely and let stand until popping stops, about 1 minute.

Salt or season, as desired, with a few shakes of garlic powder, your favorite herb, cinnamon, brown sugar or nutmeg.  For other topping ideas and popcorn recipes visit popcorn.org.

Photo credit: Popcorn Board (www.popcorn.org/)

Olympic Gold. EVOO + popcorn kernels!