This salad is a full meal on a plate—recent greens, a mattress of rice, marinated hen and toppings of bacon, almonds and grapes. Sliced goat cheese can be an excellent addition, as would different chopped fruits. The hen and rice might be ready upfront and refrigerated.
Serves 2-4.
Salad greens
Microwave-cooked hen breast (recipe follows)
Microwave-cooked rice (recipe follows)
Microwave-cooked bacon (instructions comply with)
Seedless grapes
Balsamic French dressing (recipe follows)
Prepare salad greens on a platter or particular person plates. Slice the hen breast. Unfold the seasoned rice on the greens and place the hen on high. Minimize bacon into items and scatter over the salad. Scatter almonds and grapes over all. Drizzle among the French dressing over the salad. Serve the rest alongside the salad.
Microwave-Cooked Hen Breast
Pechuga de Pollo al Microonda
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| As soon as microwaved, let hen cool earlier than slicing. |
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| Spices for marinade. |
1 skinless, boneless hen breast (12 ounces)
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)
¼ teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine
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| Bag to marinate, not microwave. |
In a mortar, crush the garlic, salt, peppercorns, pimentón and thyme. Add the oil and wine to make a paste. Place the hen in a plastic bag or small bowl and add the marinade, rubbing it on all sides of the hen. Seal the bag or cowl the bowl and refrigerate. Marinate the hen a minimum of 2 hours or in a single day.
Place the hen breast in a microwave-safe bowl. If out there, use a microwave-safe cowl. Microwave the hen 2 minutes on Excessive. Rigorously take away the bowl from the microwave and switch the hen over. Microwave 2 minutes on Medium-Excessive. Check the hen for doneness—it ought to attain 150ºF within the thickest half. If not, microwave 1 or 2 minutes extra. Enable the hen to set within the microwave till cool. If not for use instantly, wrap the hen in plastic wrap and refrigerate it.
Earlier than assembling the salad, slice the hen.
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| Hen breast cooks in lower than 5 minutes within the microwave. |
Microwave-Cooked Rice Salad
Arroz Cocido al Microonda con Aliño
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| Cook dinner rice in microwave too. |
Getting the timing proper is the arduous half. Rice will cook dinner faster than you suppose, so test it after every 2-minute interval. (I cooked quinoa to mush in 5 minutes!) Salt the rice after cooking.
1/3 cup long-grain rice
Boiling water
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly floor black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons chopped crimson onion
Place the rice in a medium-sized bowl. Pour over 1 cup of boiling water. Enable the rice to set quarter-hour. Drain off the water.
Add 1 cup boiling water to the rice. Place within the microwave, with cowl, if out there. Microwave on Excessive for 3 minutes. Rigorously take away the bowl and stir the rice. Return and microwave on Medium-Excessive for two minutes. Enable the rice to set contained in the microwave for 3 minutes. Take away the bowl, drain off any extra water. Rinse the rice in chilly water and drain properly.
Place the cooked rice in a bowl. Add the salt, pepper and lemon juice. Shortly earlier than assembling the salad, add the celery and onion.
Microwave- Cooked Bacon
Bacón al Microonda
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| Microwave bacon on paper towel. |
You have to 2 slices of bacon for the salad. Place a paper towel on a plate and the sliced bacon on the towel, with out overlapping slices. Place one other paper towel on high. Microwave on Excessive for 1 minutes. Rigorously take away the plate. Flip each towels over, so the bacon is reversed on the plate. Microwave 1 minute extra for juicy bacon, 2 minutes for crisper bacon.
When the salad has been assembled, use kitchen scissors to snip items of bacon on high of the hen and greens.
Balsamic French dressing
Vinagreta con Vinagre Balsámico
You would possibly as properly combine up loads of the dressing, as what doesn’t get used for the salad can preserve for one more use. Mix the components in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake the jar to emulsify the dressing.
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons recent lemon juice
1/3 cup additional virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly floor black pepper
Mix all of the components in a jar and shake properly. Retailer refrigerated, however carry the dressing to room temperature earlier than utilizing.
Eggplant and Cheese Casserole
Berenjena con Queso
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| Eggplant slices are first fried, then layered with tomato sauce and cheese earlier than “baking” within the microwave. |
This can be a tackle eggplant Parmesan, however with Spanish cheese, akin to Manchego, as an alternative of Parmesan. The sliced eggplant might be cooked within the microwave earlier than assembling the casserole, however I prefer it higher fried in olive oil. Use summer season’s flavorful tomatoes to make microwave tomato sauce (recipe follows).
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| Does bowl slot in microwave? |
Select a straight-sided microwave-safe bowl. Ensure the bowl matches inside your microwave earlier than layering the eggplant, cheese and sauce.
2 medium eggplants
Salt
Water
2 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil + extra for the dish
¼ cup Greek yogurt + extra, to serve, if desired
2 teaspoons flour
Microwave tomato sauce, drained of extra liquid (recipe follows)
¾ cup grated cheese
Basil leaves
Slice the eggplants lengthwise about ¼ inch thick. Place them in a bowl and canopy them with salted water. Let set half-hour. Drain and pat dry.
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| Fry eggplant in olive oil. |
Beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Place in a shallow bowl. Warmth oil in a skillet on medium-high. Dip every slice of eggplant in crushed egg and fry in scorching oil till golden on each side. The eggplant needs to be virtually cooked, tender when pierced with a fork. Take away the eggplant and drain on paper towels.
Beat the remaining egg with the yogurt and flour.
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| Layer sauce, cheese, eggplant. |
Oil the underside and sides of a microwave-safe, straight-sided bowl that can match contained in the microwave. Unfold a couple of spoonsful of the tomato sauce within the backside of the bowl. Place a layer of the fried eggplant slices within the bowl. Unfold a spoonful of the yogurt combination on high. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Repeat the layers—tomato sauce, eggplant slices, yogurt, cheese—till all of the eggplant and sauce is used up. Add a couple of basil leaves between layers.
Microwave on Excessive for five minutes. Enable the eggplant bowl to set within the microwave for five minutes. Microwave on Excessive 5 minutes extra. Let set 5 minutes. Check the eggplant for doneness with a skewer—the eggplant needs to be fully comfortable and the cheese melted. If needed, return the bowl to the Microwave for extra minutes.
Serve the eggplant scorching or room temperature, accompanied by Greek yogurt, if desired.
Microwave Tomato Sauce
Salsa de Tomate al Microonda
Use as many tomatoes as will match on a plate in a single layer.
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| Microwave tomatoes to loosen skins. |
5 medium tomatoes (28-30 ounces)
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly floor black pepper
Basil leaves
Minimize an X within the pores and skin of the underside of the tomatoes. Set them, stem-end down, on a plate. Microwave on Excessive for 3 minutes. Take away the plate, flip the tomatoes stem-side up. Return and microwave on Excessive for two minutes. Go away the tomatoes contained in the MW for five minutes. Take away and permit them to chill.
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| Tomatoes for microwave sauce. |
When tomatoes are cool sufficient to deal with, reduce out the stem and peel off the pores and skin. Chop or crush the tomatoes (or, if desired, puree them in a blender) and place them in a microwave-safe bowl.
Add oil, salt, pepper and basil to the tomatoes. Microwave on Excessive for 4 minutes. Take away the bowl, stir the tomatoes, return and microwave on Excessive for 3 minutes. Stir once more, microwave on Excessive 3 minutes. Go away the bowl within the microwave for five minutes.
The sauce is prepared for use. If utilizing it for the eggplant dish, drain off extra liquid in a colander.
Extra methods to make use of the microwave:
