Broiled Fish with Citrus and Herbs

Get the health benefits of fish and the budget benefits of cooking at home by using these simple instructions. Feel free to substitute with other ingredients such as water and lemon juice or white wine for the orange juice, dried dill weed for the herbs, and capers or toasted crushed nuts or seeds for the olives.

3/4 cup 365 Everyday Value® Orange Juice

1/2 minced shallot

1/4 tsp dried tarragon

4–6 oz mild fish fillet(s) such as sole, tilapia or arctic char

1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

3 chopped pitted Kalamata olives (optional)

Combine juice, shallot and tarragon in a small saucepan and simmer until thickened, 15–20 minutes; cover and set aside.

Heat broiler. Sprinkle both sides of fish with oil, salt and pepper. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil 5–6″ from heat, just until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes per half inch of thickness.

Use a wide spatula to transfer fillet to serving plate, spoon sauce on top and sprinkle with olives.

Hungry for More?

See? There’s no need to fear cooking fish! Here are a few tips to help as you try other fish recipes.

• Seafood steaks or fillets thicker than ½” should be turned over halfway through cooking time. Fish less than ½” thick does not need to be turned.
• When grilling or pan frying, place fillets skin side down (the skin will remove easily after cooking).
• If fillets are rolled or stuffed, measure temperature at the thickest point to determine doneness.
• Add five minutes to the overall cooking time for fish that is covered in a sauce or wrapped in foil.
• Double your cooking time if starting with unthawed, frozen fish.

Now try these cooking methods and recipes:

• Poaching: Simmer fillets or steaks in stock using a pan with a lid to retain heat. Turning is not necessary. Baste occasionally by spooning stock over the fish. Try Poached Halibut with Ginger and Cilantro.
• Grilling: Place steaks or fillets on an oiled grill over medium-hot coals. If covered, cook without turning. If uncovered, turn halfway through cooking. Try Grilled Chili-Garlic Swordfish and Bok Choy.
• Baking: Preheat oven to 450°F. Bake uncovered, basting if desired. Try Baked Southwestern Tilapia.
• Pan Sautéing: Heat a small amount of marinade or oil in a heavy skillet and add the fish. Turn thick fillets or steaks halfway through cooking. Try Salmon with Sautéed Swiss Chard.

 Do you have a favorite, simple way to cook fish? Let us hear about it!

What’s your game plan for a menu sure to win you big fans?

This basic recipe for White Beans makes about 7 cups, approximately 10 servings.

1 pound dried white beans (cannellini, navy or great northern)
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 dried bay leaves
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Spread beans in a single layer on a large sheet tray; pick through to remove and discard any small stones or debris and then rinse well.

Soak the beans using one of these two methods:
Traditional soaking method: In a large bowl, cover beans by 3 inches with cold water, cover and set aside at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.

Quick soaking method: In a large pot, cover beans by 3 inches with cold water, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, remove pot from heat and set aside, covered, for 1 hour.

Drain soaked beans and transfer to a large pot. Cover by 2 inches with cold water, add onion and bay leaves and bring to a boil; skim off and discard any foam on the surface. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, gently stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain beans (if desired), discard onions and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Hungry for More?

Once you know how to cook white beans, you can give these dishes a try. If the recipe calls for canned beans, simply replace with your cooked beans.

• White Turkey Chili
• Cassoulet-Style French Bean Stew
• Classic Baked Beans
• Whole Wheat Pasta with Mushrooms, White Beans and Arugula
• Greens, Mushroom and White Bean Ragoût
• White Bean Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing
• White Bean and Spinach Salad

Do you have a favorite dish that uses white beans? Let us hear about it!

Roasted Butternut Squash

This basic recipe brings out the best in winter squash: little bites delightfully caramelized outside and creamy inside. Serve straight from the oven as a side dish or use in soup, tacos, enchiladas, pasta and salad.

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Halve the squash lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard seeds.

If desired, peel with a vegetable peeler or cut into big chunks and keep steady on the cutting board while cutting off the peel with a knife. You can also place a damp kitchen towel under your cutting board to help stabilize when cutting the squash.

Cut into 1-inch cubes. Transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Toss with oil, salt and pepper and spread out in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until just tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash makes an excellent side dish or a fun substitute in thin noodle recipes, from Asian to Italian. It is loaded with nutrients, such as beta carotene and fiber, and is tender, with just a slight crunch.

1 (about 3 1/2 pounds) spaghetti squash

Preheat oven to 375°F and halve squash lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard seeds from the middle of each half.

Arrange squash in a 9- x 13-inch casserole dish, cut sides down. Pour 1/2 cup water into the dish and bake until just tender, 30 to 35 minutes.

Rake a fork back and forth across the squash to remove its flesh in strands…like spaghetti!

Hungry for More?

Once you know how to roast a spaghetti squash or butternut squash, you can give these dishes a try:

• Spaghetti Squash Marinara with Italian Sausage and Garlic Bread
• Family Night Chicken with Winter Squash
• Butternut Squash and Macaroni Casserole
• Winter Squash Stew with White Beans and Kale
• Classic Butternut Squash Soup
• Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans
• Arugula Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash and Prosciutto
• Italian Style Spaghetti Squash with Tempeh

Selecting and Storing

Choose winter squash that are firm, heavy for their size, and that have hard, tough skin with no cuts, punctures, sunken spots or mold. A tender rind indicates immaturity, which is undesirable in spaghetti squash and other types of winter squash. Winter squash can be stored at room temperature in a cool, dry place for a month or more. After cutting, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate.

How do you like to serve winter squash?

What’s in your soup pot this month?

A quick trip down the salad dressing aisle at any conventional grocery store features an astounding array of bottled chemicals, sugars and high fructose corn syrup, overly processed oils and preservatives. On the other hand, a good salad dressing not only adds great flavor but nutritional value as well.

It’s actually quite simple to make your own dressing. Nuts and fruits can make for creamy, juicy and flavorful salad dressings without adding any extracted oils. Plus you get the health benefits of those nutrient-dense nuts and fruits. Save money by using your imagination and what’s in your pantry to come up with new flavor combinations.

Here’s a starter recipe for a healthy salad dressing:

1/3 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts, cashews, almonds or pecans

1/2 cup chopped fresh fruit, such as apples, plums, peaches, blueberries or strawberries

1/4 cup unsweetened soymilk (or fruit juice, such as pomegranate or orange)

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice (or vinegar)

Purée all ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender until smooth. For thinner dressings, add a little more soymilk or fruit juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon or lime juice as needed.

That’s it! Super simple. Check out our recipe page for Learn to Cook: Salad Dressing to explore the comments and suggestions from other readers.

Here are a few more healthy, no-oil added dressing recipes:

• No-Oil Added Balsamic Dressing
• Tahini-Miso Sauce
• Carrot Dressing
• Low-Fat Creamy “Caesar” Dressing
• Creamy Orange-Avocado Dressing

Making your own dressing really doesn’t take much time. Try it and see for yourself!

Oh, and for those times when you do buy bottled dressings, be sure to look for preservative- and additive-free dressings based on ingredients such as vinegar, mustard and expeller-pressed oils. Shy away from buying dressing with added sugar, fructose or high fructose corn syrup. You might try a fat-free, low-sugar dressing — you can always add your own nuts or seeds.

Do you have a favorite salad dressing recipe? We’d love to read about it.

1. Host a “Small Bites” Party: Check out 30 delicious small bites recipes for entertaining. You provide festive drinks; ask guests to bring the small bites.
2. Plan a Neighborhood Progressive: Connect with neighbors and map out a menu where you’ll walk from house to house and enjoy a different course at each home. Take flashlights and be careful on the walk!
3. Propose an Old-Fashioned Family Games Night: Invite kids and their parents, and ask everyone to bring a board game. Enlist your kids’ help in planning dinner and snacks that folks of all ages will enjoy. Set up several card tables and rotate groups of people among games. Come up with fun prizes. Take a break to eat dinner, and make some noise when the ball drops!
4. Throw a “My Best Recipe” Potluck Dinner: Invite your foodie friends for a dinner party. Ask guests to prepare their “best” recipe and to bring the recipe on a card to share with the group. The host provides the main course. Non-cooks provide drinks. Vote on the best recipe at the end of the evening.
5. Set up a DIY Sparkling Drinks Bar: Stock up on sparkling wine (stop by the wine department and ask for a recommendation), sparkling cider and sparkling water too. Set out colorful juices — think pomegranate, pink grapefruit and blood orange. Cut slices of citrus and set out a bowl of sugar for coating the rims of glasses (rub a citrus slice around the rim, then dip it into the sugar and twist coat). Cover the table with brown paper for guests to write down their favorite combinations. Or, just make a pitcher of Clementine Crush Sparkling Cocktails and call it done!
6. Get Cozy Fireside: Hunker down by the fire, could be indoors or outdoors, with mugs of hot chocolate or Allegro® Coffee’s Celebration Caffè.  Share your best moments from 2011 and what you’re looking forward to in 2012.
7. Host a Cookbook-themed Dinner Party: Did you receive a new cookbook as a gift this year and can’t wait to dive in and start cooking from it? Plan a dinner party based on recipes from the book and invite friends over to enjoy them with you. Check out the list of Cookbooks We’d Love to Receive for inspiration.
8. Explore the Traditions of Another Culture: Ask friends of varying backgrounds how they ring in the New Year. You might find yourself eating twelve grapes at midnight, wearing red or yellow underwear or walking out your front door with a suitcase as the clock strikes twelve. It’s interesting to learn the meaning behind the ways we celebrate the transition to a new year and who knows, maybe you’ll start some new traditions of your own.
9. Organize a “Best of 2011” Dinner Party: Think back on your cooking over the past year. What were some of your new favorite recipes, ingredients and cooking techniques? Collaborate with friends and cooking partners on putting together a dinner menu that incorporates the best of your cooking.
10. Celebrate with a New Year’s Brunch: If staying up until midnight isn’t your cup of tea, make a breakfast casserole or prepare Baked Eggnog French Toast the night before, then head to bed at a reasonable hour and get a good night’s sleep. In the morning throw together a fruit salad, make a batch of muffins and raise your coffee cup to toast the New Year.

How will you be celebrating the arrival of 2012?

What to do with your pound of apples? We’ve picked a few of our favorite recipes just for you.

Bite into more apple recipes here.

What are your favorite ways to cook with apples?

What are you baking this holiday season?

Leftovers are one of the best parts of Thanksgiving as far as we’re concerned, and we have lots of ideas for getting creative with cooked turkey.

For ideas on using other leftovers from the Thanksgiving meal, covering everything from stuffing and gravy to mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, check out our guide to making the most of leftovers.

*Substitute leftover turkey on recipes that call for chicken or ham

Pot Pies

• Gluten-Free“Pot Pie” with Crunchy Brown Rice Crust
• Turkey Pot Pie

Soups, Stews and Curries

• Hearty Turkey Noodle Soup
• Turkey Sweet Potato Curry
• Turkey with Sweet Potato Dumplings
• Turkey Picadillo
• Thai-Style Red Curry with Turkey and Green Beans

Casseroles, Enchiladas and Quiche

• Turkey Enchiladas
• Turkey and Roasted Vegetable Quiche
• Turkey Tetrazzini
• Turkey and Wild Rice Casserole

Sandwiches and Wraps

• Ham and Brie Sandwiches
• Turkey and Cucumber Wrap
• Turkey, Plum and Brie Panini
• Turkey Salad Wraps 

Salads

• Chicken Orzo Salad
• Chipotle Turkey Salad
• Creamy Turkey Salad with Apples
• Green Salad with Buffalo Turkey and Blue Cheese
• Turkey Pasta Salad

What are your top tips for using leftovers to create delicious meals?