Fall flavors: readers' recipes for great weeknight meals and snacks, tested in Sunset's kitchens - Food: Kitchen Cabinet

Sunset, Sept, 2002 by Charity Ferreira

Braised Broccoli with Turkey Sausage

Tina Williams, Pasadena

Tina Williams came up with this savory dish one morning for breakfast, but we thought it made a great lunch or dinner entree too, especially when served over soft polenta.

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 30 minutes

MAKES: 4 servings

  8 turkey sausage patties
    (about 8 oz. total)
  1 tablespoon olive oil
  1 onion (8 oz.), peeled, halved,
    and thinly sliced
  2 teaspoons minced garlic
  3 cups broccoli florets (about
    8 oz.), rinsed and drained
1/2 cup dry white wine
    Salt and pepper
  8 cherry tomatoes, rinsed,
    stemmed, and halved
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
    (about 1 oz.)

1. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, cook sausage patties in a single layer, turning once, until well browned on both sides and no longer pink in the center, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

2. Return pan to medium heat. Add oil, onion, and garlic and cook until onion is limp and starting to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add broccoli; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is tender when pierced, 4 to 6 minutes.

3. Gently stir in sausage and tomatoes and cook just until hot, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Per serving: 220 cal., 49% (108 cal.) from fat; 14 g protein; 12 g fat (3.7 g sat.); 8.9 g carbo (2.6 g fiber); 591 mg sodium; 50 mg chol.

Mahimahi Fajitas

Rachael Pashkowski, Orondo, WA

Rachael Pashkowski's sweet and spicy fish dish is a great filling for warm flour tortillas.

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 40 minutes

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings

    1 pound mahimahi fillets
    1 tablespoon ground cumin
    1 tablespoon chili powder
    1 teaspoon garlic powder
  1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 red bell pepper (about 8 oz.)
    1 green bell pepper (about 8 oz.)
    1 yellow bell pepper (about 8 oz.)
1 1/2 tablespoons salad oil
    1 onion (about 8 oz.), slivered
      lengthwise
  1/2 cup mango or mango-blend juice
    2 tablespoons lime juice
    8 flour tortillas (8 in.)

1. Rinse fish and pat dry; cut fillets crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips. In a small bowl, mix cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Rub fish all over with spice mixture. Rinse, core, and seed bell peppers; cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide slices.

2. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion and bell peppers and stir frequently until limp, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate. In the same pan, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil; add fish and cook, turning once, until fish is browned on both sides, about 4 minutes total.

3. Add mango juice and bring to a boil. Cook until fish is opaque but still moist-looking in the center of the thickest part (cut to test), 2 to 3 more minutes. Add bell pepper mixture and lime juice to fish and stir just until heated through. Serve with warm flour tortillas.

Per serving: 307 cal., 23% (71 cal.) from fat; 20 g protein; 7.9 g fat (1.1 g sat.); 40 g carbo (4 g fiber); 501 mg sodium; 55 mg chol.

Orange Tea Cakes

Helen Knowlton, Eugene, OR

Helen Knowlton writes that these simple, moist, slightly sweet cakes make a delicious accompaniment to a cup of tea.

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

MAKES: 24 1 3/4-inch cakes

1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter, at room
    temperature
2/3 cup sugar
  1 large egg
1/2 cup orange juice
  2 cups all-purpose flour
  2 tablespoons grated orange peel
  1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup buttermilk

1. In a bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg and beat well. Beat in orange juice.

2. In another bowl, mix flour, orange peel, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir half the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then the buttermilk, followed by the rest of the flour mixture, until just incorporated. Spoon batter equally into 24 buttered miniature muffin cups or 12 regular muffin cups (1/3 cup).

3. Bake in a 350[degrees] regular or convection oven until tops are lightly browned and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of one muffin comes out with moist crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes. Invert pan to remove cakes. Serve warm, or let cool to room temperature.

Per tea cake: 106 cal., 40% (42 cal.) from fat; 1.6 g protein; 4.7 g fat (2.8 g sat.); 15 g carbo (0.3 g fiber); 136 mg sodium; 21 mg chol.