Tasty Recipes from Recipe Wizards

The celery root, fennel and onion add texture to this salad, but the parsley predominates in a refreshing twist.

Fennel, celery root, parsley and red onion salad

In a sauté pan, heat butter over medium heat. Add shallots and sweat in butter for one minute or until soft. Add mushrooms and continue to sweat until mushrooms are fully cooked. Remove pan from heat and fold in crème fraîche. Reserve and keep warm.

Grilling season offers the perfect opportunity to lighten up. The Star’s Asian Beef Skewers With Rice Noodle Vegetable Salad is a healthy yet satisfying summer meal.

Shopping tips: Rice sticks are flat rice noodles, similar in shape to linguine. They cook quickly and can become mushy if overcooked. If other shapes or sizes of rice noodles are used, prepare according to package directions. If desired, substitute linguine for rice sticks. For testing, we used Sun Luck Phad Thai Rice Sticks and Annie Chun’s Pad Thai Rice Noodles, as well as A Taste of Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce

Cooking tips: Beef will slice more easily if very cold; freeze beef for about 30 minutes before slicing. Soaking the skewers in water helps prevent the skewers from charring or burning while grilling.

Unpeeled cucumber adds color and fiber.

Serving tip: Beef skewers also make a great appetizer. Prepare as directed, but omit noodle-vegetable salad. Drizzle with any remaining broth-soy mixture just before serving.

ASIAN BEEF SKEWERS WITH RICE NOODLE-VEGETABLE SALAD

Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 pounds lean boneless sirloin steak, cut about 3/4-inch thick

1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon Asian sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon minced gingerroot

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped red onion

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

8 ounces uncooked rice sticks

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons peanut or canola oil

Place 18 (8-inch) wooden skewers in water and allow to soak about 30 minutes.

Slice beef into very thin strips, about \-by-3-inches. Place beef strips in a small bowl.

Combine beef broth, soy sauce, chili sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic; stir to blend well.

Pour 1/4 cup of sauce over the beef. Toss to coat meat evenly, cover and refrigerate 15 minutes. Set remaining broth-soy mixture aside.

Combine carrot, cucumber, pepper, red onion and cilantro in a large bowl. Heat a pan of water to boiling. Add rice sticks and boil 2 to 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and add to vegetables. Measure out 1/4 cup of reserved broth-soy mixture and combine it with lime juice and oil; drizzle over vegetables and noodles; toss well.

Preheat grill to medium-high or allow coals to burn down to white ash. Drain beef and discard marinade. Thread strips of beef evenly onto skewers. Cook beef skewers over direct, medium-high heat, in an uncovered grill, about 2 minutes per side or until browned and cooked to medium doneness. Brush with remaining broth-soy mixture frequently while cooking. (Do not overcook beef.)

Arrange rice noodle-vegetable salad in a deep platter. Arrange hot beef skewers over salad.

Per (1 cup noodle salad, 3 ounces cooked beef or about 3 skewers) serving: 357 calories (24 percent from fat), 9 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 59 milligrams cholesterol, 41 grams carbohydrates, 26 grams protein, 271 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

Recipe developed for The Star by professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss.

Steak, mushrooms and sweet onions make a great, quick dinner for Father’s Day. Since its Dad’s day to relax, put the grill away. The steak, mushrooms and onions are sauteed in the same pan. The balsamic and garlic marinade become a dipping sauce for the sandwich.

Meaty portobello mushrooms are perfect for this dish. Buy whole ones and slice them after they’re cooked.

A tapenade is a thick paste made from capers, olives, oil and vinegar. For the tomato tapenade side dish, buy a good quality tapenade and mix with sliced tomatoes.

This meal contains 500 calories per serving with 36 percent of calories from fat.

Tapenade-topped tomatoes: Slice 2 ripe, medium-size tomatoes and place each on a salad plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon 1 tablespoon olive tapenade over each portion. Makes 2 servings.

Wine suggestion: You love your daddy, don’t you? With that steak, give him the best cabernet sauvignon you can afford.

HELPFUL HINTS

-You can use flank or another quick-cooking steak.

-Any type of bread or roll can be used.

-If Vidalia’s are not available, use a sweet onion such as Texas 1015s or a red onion.

COUNTDOWN

Marinate steak.

While steak marinates, toast rolls and assemble tomatoes.

Cook steak and vegetables.

Make sandwich.

SHOPPING LIST

To buy: 1/2 pound skirt steak, 1/4 pound whole portobello mushrooms, 1 Vidalia onion, 2 tomatoes, 1 can olive oil spray, 2 whole wheat hoagie (submarine) rolls (about 2 ounces each), 1 jar minced garlic, 1 jar olive tapenade.

Staples: Balsamic vinegar, salt, black peppercorns.

STEAK AND PORTOBELLO SANDWICH

1/2 pound skirt steak

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 pound portobello mushrooms (1 2/3 cups when sliced)

2 whole-wheat hoagie (submarine) rolls (about 2 ounces each)

Olive oil spray

4 slices Vidalia onion

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Remove visible fat from steak. Mix garlic and balsamic vinegar in a self-sealing plastic bag. Add the steak and mushrooms. Marinate 10 minutes, turning bag over once.

Meanwhile, spray bread with olive oil and toast for 1 minute.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil. Drain steak and mushrooms, reserving marinade. Pat meat dry with a paper towel, and saute 5 minutes. Turn steak and saute 2 to 3 more minutes, to a temperature of 135 degrees for rare or 145 for medium-rare. Remove to a cutting board.

Add mushroom and onions to the pan and cook 5 minutes, turning over once. Remove to the board with the steak. Add the reserved marinade to the skillet and boil 3 minutes to reduce by half. Divide sauce between 2 small bowls.

Slice steak and mushrooms into thin strips. Arrange meat and mushrooms on bottom half of the roll and top with onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with the top slice of bread and cut sandwich in half. Serve with sauce for dipping. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 433 calories (34 percent from fat), 16.4 g fat (4.9 g saturated, 8.1 g monounsaturated), 56 mg cholesterol, 30.4 g protein, 40.6 g carbohydrates, 6.2 g fiber, 402 mg sodium.

(Linda Gassenheimer’s latest book is “The Portion Plan: How to Eat the Foods You Love and Still Lose Weight.” Her website is dinnerinminutes.com.)

This fast and easy take on pasta salad starts with a traditional base of pasta and diced vegetables.

It’s easy to see why salsa is one of America’s favorite condiments. Its fresh, crisp, tangy flavor adds a refreshing touch to a meal without a lot of sugar or fat.

This bright pineapple salsa brings out the flavors of grilled fresh fish, and aromatic cumin gives it a distinctive taste.

The poblano peppers, called ancho peppers when dried, that give the rice dish its zing, are medium-hot. Jalapeno peppers can be used instead. Use 2 tablespoons jalapeno peppers.

Use any fresh, non-oily fish fillets.

Short cut tip: Use a bought tomato salsa and add diced, fresh pineapple instead of making the salsa recipe.

Helpful Hints:

-To time length of cooking for fish fillet, count 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

-The poblano pepper is used in both recipes. Chop at one time and divide accordingly.

Countdown:

-Start rice.

-Make salsa.

-Finish rice.

-Cook fish.

Wine suggestion: the predominant flavor here is the sweet-hot-pineapple salsa rather than the fish. So I’d try a big, fruity, opulent California chardonnay to match it.

This meal contains 508 calories with 21 percent of calories from fat.

FISH WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA

For pineapple salsa:

1/2 cup diced tomato

1 tablespoon diced red onion

1 tablespoon seeded, chopped poblano pepper

1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For fish:

1 tablespoon canola oil

3/4 pound fish fillets

Combine the tomato, onion, poblano pepper, pineapple, cilantro, sugar and cumin together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Set aside.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and saute 5 minutes. Turn and saute 3 minutes, or according to size of fish. Fish is cooked when it is opaque and not translucent. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place on individual plates and serve some of the salsa on top and the rest on the side. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 282 calories (33 percent from fat), 10.2 g fat (1.9 g saturated, 5.5 g monounsaturated), 84 mg cholesterol, 35.1 g protein, 14.5 g carbohydrates, 1.7 g fiber, 96 mg sodium.

POBLANO RICE

1/4 cup seeded, chopped poblano pepper

1 package microwave brown rice

2 teaspoon canola oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place poblano pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Place rice package and poblano pepper in microwave oven and cook according to rice package timing.

Measure 1 1/2-cup rice and reserve remaining rice for another time. Add the rice to the poblano pepper. Add the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 226 calories (11 percent from fat), 1.7 g fat (no saturated, no monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 6.1 g protein, 49.8 g carbohydrates, 3.0 g fiber, 8 mg sodium.

SHOPPING LIST

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for tonight’s Dinner in Minutes.

To buy: 1 tomato, 1 small container fresh pineapple cubes, 1 poblano pepper, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 bottle ground cumin, 3/4 pound fish fillets,1 package microwave brown rice

Staples: Canola oil, red onion, sugar, salt and black peppercorns.

(Linda Gassenheimer is the author of 14 cookbooks including her newest, “Mix ‘n Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes,” and “Prevention’s Fit and Fast Meals in Minutes.” Visit Linda on her web page at www.DinnerInMinutes.com or email her at Linda@DinnerInMinutes.com.)