Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (47 page)

In a small skillet heat ½ tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and toast for a minute or two, then add ½ cup of the chicken stock. Stir and reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a small plate or aluminum foil, and cook until the rice is tender, about 17 minutes. Add the scallions to the rice in the last minute of cooking time.

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a second small pan and salt it. Add the beans and cook for 2 minutes, then drain them and run them under cold water to set the green color. Set aside.

When the rice has cooked for about 8 minutes, heat the remaining ½ table-spoon of oil in a skillet over high heat until it ripples. Add the chicken and cook until it is lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.

In a small bowl, mix together the hot sauce, mustard, tamari, honey, and the remaining ¼ cup of chicken stock.

Add the green beans to the chicken and peppers and toss for 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and toss for a minute or two to heat through. Remove from the heat and drizzle sesame oil over the chicken.

Fluff the rice with a fork and transfer to a shallow bowl. Top with the chicken and garnish with the sesame seeds.

In my family, hunter's chicken is served on the bone and flavored primarily with wild mushrooms and wine. Other Italian-American versions of cacciatore include peppers and onions and some have no mushrooms at all. Here, I make a fast version with the works—feel free to adjust as you see fit.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. When it boils, salt the water, add the pasta, and cook to al dente.

While the water comes to a boil, heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and lightly brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes, then add vegetables and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Season the vegetables with red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Stir in the wine, then add the stock, stir, add the tomatoes, and stir in the parsley.

Drain the pasta, toss with the sauce, and add cheese to taste.

Tex-Mex and Mexican dishes are often translated into heavy, fat-laden food. This is a fun, fast, and healthful choice for supper, leaving you room (and calories) for an icy Corona or margarita.

Season the chicken breast with the cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon of the lime zest, the hot sauce, and the oil. Heat a skillet or grill pan and cook the chicken over medium-high heat for 6 minutes on each side.

While the chicken cooks, mash the avocado with the lime juice, chopped serrano pepper, garlic, onion, and tomato, then season with salt.

Slice the cooked chicken on an angle. Pile the chicken slices on the bun bottom and top with lettuce, a generous scoop of the guacamole, and the bun top. Serve the remainder of the guac alongside with the chips.

Seared Salmon with Potato-Chorizo Ragù

Salmon is the perfect fish to cook for one, and so versatile as these four recipes show. The chorizo supper has a Spanish twist, creamy corn gives a wink to New England cookery, and the mango-lemon slaw brings out the tropical edge. These recipes are equally delish made with mahi mahi, orange roughy, halibut, snapper, or even sea bass, so go and hook whatever looks freshest at the market for any of these simple fishy suppers.

Preheat a small skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of the EVOO. Once the oil is hot, add the chorizo and cook, stirring every now and then, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and onions and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the wine and stock and simmer until lightly thickened, a couple of minutes.

Once you have the potatoes in the skillet with the chorizo, heat a second small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining tablespoon of EVOO. While the skillet is heating, season the salmon with some salt and pepper. When the oil ripples, add the fish, skin side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Once the liquids in the skillet with the potatoes have thickened up, remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the parsley. Transfer the potato mixture to a plate and top with the seared salmon fillet.

What's cooler than a cucumber? This is: a really easy, really good-for-you, fast-to-prepare salmon supper.

Heat the EVOO in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. While the skillet is heating, season the salmon with some salt and pepper. When the oil ripples, add the seasoned salmon skin side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

While the salmon is cooking, toast up the rye bread and prepare the cucumber dill salsa. In a bowl stir together the chopped cucumber, dill, sour cream, red onion, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and a little salt and pepper.