Happy Meal

HAPPY MEAL
FOOD NETWORK STAR, NUTRITIONIST, AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST ROBIN MILLER DISHES ON
HOW TO MAKE QUICK AND EASY DINNER PARTY MEALS SANS THE STRESS

Planning a dinner party? A gourmet and healthy meal is easier to make
than you think according to Robin Miller of Food Network's Quick Fix Meals
—you've just got to have some strategies. “Plan ahead: decide on your
menu and make a shopping list well in advance,” says Miller, who also
suggests that you make a to-do list complete with a day by day breakdown
of tasks. Miller adds: “You must prep ahead, too. Using your to-do list, prepare
ingredients for each portion of the meal, so that you’re not stuck in the kitchen on the night of event.” (Note: for the recipes below, the salad and wonton skins can be prepped up to three days in advance and the asparagus can be trimmed the day before). Miller also says to set up a self-service bar area, so guests can help themselves to beverages while you are focusing on the food. “Whether its wine, water or mixed beverages, arrange everything on a server tray and let guests help themselves. People like to take part in the party.”

Here, Miller shares some of her recipes from her book Quick Fix Meals: Quick and Delicious
($12, www.amazon.com).

APPETIZER
Quick Bruschetta with Tomatoes and Olives
Serves 4

Quick Fix Tip
“To put this together even faster, substitute melba toast squares for the baguette and skip the toasting step.”

Ingredients
1 baguette, sliced crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices
3 to 4 cloves garlic, to taste, minced
1 ½ cups finely diced ripe tomatoes
1/3 cup diced pitted Greek olives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400◦F.
2. Arrange the bread slices on a large baking sheet.
3. Top each slice with minced garlic, then bake until golden brown, about five minutes (no need to turn them).
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, parsley and oil, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon the mixture onto bread slices and serve.

ENTREE
Roasted Salmon with Sweet-N-Hot Mustard Glaze
Serves 4

Ingredients
3 ½ pounds salmon fillets or steaks, skin on and pinbones removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Dijon mustard
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot mustard powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400◦F.
2. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Season both sides of salmon with salt and pepper and place salmon in prepared baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, water, lemon juice, mustard powder and garlic powder.
5. Remove ½ cup of the mustard sauce and set aside.
6. Pour the remaining sauce over the salmon fillets in the pan.
7. Roast the salmon, uncovered, until fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
8. Stir the dill into the reserved mustard sauce.
Serve one-third of the roasted salmon (four fillets, each about four ounces after cooking) with the dill-spiked mustard sauce spooned over the top.

SIDE DISHES
White Bean-Green Pepper Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Chives
Serves 4

Ingredients
Two 15-ounce cans white beans, rinsed and drained
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
One 11-ounce can mandarin oranges in light syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Combine the beans, bell pepper, and chives in a large bowl.
2. Strain the mandarin oranges, reserving the liquid from the can and add the oranges to the bean mixture.
3. Transfer the reserved mandarin orange liquid to a small bowl. Whisk in the oil, vinegar and mustard, pour over the bean mixture and stir to combine.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Balsamic Roasted Asparagus
Serves 4

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 large bunch asparagus, woody bottoms trimmed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450◦F.
2. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Arrange the asparagus on the sheet and spray them with the cooking spray.
4. Brush the vinegar all over the asparagus and season with salt and pepper.
5. Roast until crisp-tender and golden brown, about ten minutes.

DESSERT
Maple Bread Pudding
Serves 8-10

Quick Fix Tip
“If desired, the bread pudding can be assembled and stored in the refrigerator (covered with plastic wrap) for up to 12 hours, making it the perfect prep-ahead dessert. Just remove the pudding from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking.”

Ingredients
Cooking spray (preferably butter flavor)
12 slices white or whole wheat bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (remove crusts if desired)
8-ounce package light cream cheese, cut into cubes
10 eggs
2 1/2 cups reduced-fat (1%) milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, or more as desired

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Coat a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine bread cubes and cream cheese cubes and toss to mix.
4. Transfer bread and cream cheese to prepared baking dish, spreading out to make an even layer. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Whisk until brown sugar dissolves.
6. Pour mixture over bread mixture.
7. Sprinkle cinnamon over top.
8. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
9. Let stand five minutes before slicing.

All recipes developed by Robin Miller and featured in Quick Fix Meals, Taunton Press, 2007, except for Maple Bread Pudding, developed by the Food Network's Robin Miller of Quick Fix Meals, on behalf of the Grain Foods Foundation.