Light Night!

Light night will be on Tuesday! I think I said it would be at 7:00 let me know if that is wrong. (I guess I should let you guys know I have short term memory loss, so correct me if it is wrong!)
Our main dish will be Chicken with Fennel, Carrots and Orange en Papillote from ATK. I've never made it before but I am thinking Cooking Club is a good time to try something new, right?!? I think pretty much any kind of side will go with it. I kind of need a count on who will be attending though, since you make them in single serving packets. Can I get a roll call?

Diana- Chicken with Fennel, Carrots and Orange en Papillote
Rachel-Fruit salad
Miranda-Mini Fruit Pizza
Serin - Artichoke Dip
Christy- Ratatouille Casserole
April-Oven-Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

Did I forget anyone...remember, short term memory loss! See you all Tuesday!!

Chicken with Fennel, Carrots and Orange en Papillote




Ratatouille Casserole


1 small (about 3/4-pound) eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 large yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
4 tsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 onion, very thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tomato, thinly sliced

1. preheat oven to 400; spray nonstick baking sheet and 1 quart casserole with nonstick spray. In large bowl combine the eggplant, both squashes, and 3 teaspoons of the oil Spread in a single layer on the baking sheets (depending on their size, you may need 2 or 3) bake 12 minutes; turn the vegetables over and bake 8 minutes longer. Reduce the oven temperature to 350
2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil. Saute the bell pepper, onion, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Cook, covered, shaking the skillet occasionally, 5 minutes longer
3. in a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, water, parsley, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper.
4. In the casserole, combine the roasted vegetables, bell pepper mixture, tomato slices and tomato paste mixture. Cover with foil and bake until the vegetables are tender, about 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until browned on top, about 15 minutes longer.



Oven-Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan


1 pound (about 6 1/2 cups) broccoli florets
2 tablespoons grated reduced-fat Parmesan
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim broccoli, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem attached to the florets. Toss broccoli in a large bowl with the Parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and toss again until all of the florets are thoroughly coated.
2. Transfer to a medium nonstick baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, and then toss the broccoli again and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the florets are lightly browned and tender. Serve immediately.



Fruit Salad



1 honeydew melon
3 nectarines
1/2 pound purple seedless grapes
2 limes
1 bunch mint

Scoop melon using fancy melon baller you hardly ever use. Chop nectarines and halve the grapes. Toss in a bowl with chopped mint. Sprinkle with lime juice, toss again, and serve.


Roasted Artichoke Dip


Dip
• 2 (9 oz) boxes frozen artichokes (They recommend Bird's Eye, I could only find Private Selection in 12 oz - I bought one)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1 med. onion - minced
• 2 med. garlic cloves - minced
• 1 cup reduced-fat mayo (Here I was thinking all along that it called for fat-free and I just could not make myself buy fat free mayo, so I got reduced fat. Good thing)
• 1/2 cup light cream cheese, at *room temperature*
• 1 oz Parmesan cheese - grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I used 1 teaspoon dried)
• pinch cayenne pepper (didn't use)

Topping
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable or olive oil spray

Heat oven to 450°, toss artichokes (still frozen) in 1 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper until evenly coated. Spread on baking sheet lined with foil (or disposable pan) and bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are brown on middle rack, rotating front to back halfway through. Let cool and then chop coarse. Reduce oven temp to 400°.

Combine onion, garlic, 1 tsp oil, and 1/2 tsp salt in non-stick skillet. Cover and cook over med-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until softened - 8-10 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl.

Add the mayo, cream cheese, Parmesan, lemon juice, thyme and cayenne to the onion mixture and stir to combine, making sure to smooth any lumps of cream cheese. Gently fold in the chopped artichokes. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape mixture into ungreased 8-inch square baking dish (or the pan you cooked the artichokes in).

Topping - Toss the bread crumbs and Parmesan together until combined, then sprinkle evenly over dip. Spray the bread crumbs lightly with oil (forgot) and bake until browned, about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.


Dessert Pizza

(You can make this with your favorite sugar cookie recipe or store-bought cookie dough if you're in a pinch. Remember...they're light because they're small!)

Crust:
3/4 C. Shortening or Margarine
1 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder

Topping:
1 Package Cream Cheese (reduced fat)
1/2 C. Sugar
Assorted fruit

Mix together shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend in flour, salt, and baking powder. Cover and chill if you have time. Divide dough in two equal parts (or cut with cookie cutters). Roll onto pizza pan or pat onto large cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Blend cream cheese and sugar together. Spread on cooled crust and decorate with fruit.
1 tsp. Salt