Cookshelf: “Express Lane Meals”

By The Denver Post | newsroom@denverpost.com | The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: June 5, 2006 at 1:32 PM MDT | UPDATED: May 8, 2016 at 5:56 AM MDT

Getting your player ready...

“Express Lane Meals,” by Rachel Ray

(Clark Potter Publishers, $18.95)

“Rachael Ray is a very busy lady!” according to the cover of her new book “Express Lane Meals.” Apparently, so are her fans, because the Food Network star’s latest effort aims to make those ubiquitous 30-minute meals even easier.

But Ray’s latest recipes aren’t necessarily quicker to prepare, as the title may suggest. Instead, the chef offers a “cheat sheet” of basics to keep in the cupboard – most of which you probably own. Stock up, she writes, and save time by zooming through the supermarket express lane with any fresh ingredients you need.

Ray doesn’t sacrifice taste or creativity for speed. Her Thai Chicken Pizza, a traditional crust topped with duck sauce, grilled chicken, cheese, peanuts and veggies, was filling and packed with flavor.

The marinade for the chicken strips was a snap and tasted superb without being too peanut-buttery.|Carla Correa, The Baltimore Sun

Thai chicken pizza

U-Entertainment

INGREDIENTS

1 pizza dough (If you use a 13.7-ounce tube of refrigerator pizza dough you’ll get 1 rectangular pizza; if you prefer to stretch your own into a circle, use up to a 1-pound ball of fresh dough)

1/2 cup duck sauce OR plum sauce

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 (10-ounce) bag (2 cups) shredded provolone OR Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons tamari

1 rounded tablespoon smooth peanut butter

2 teaspoons hot sauce

2 teaspoons grill seasoning (such as McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning)

4 chicken breast cutlets, 1/2 pound total

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons cider vinegar OR any white vinegar on hand

1/4 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks

4 green onions, white and green parts, chopped

1 cup bean sprouts

A palmful of fresh chopped cilantro leaves

1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts

DIRECTIONS

Form pizza crust on a baking sheet or pizza pan. Top with duck sauce, spreading it around like pizza sauce. Sprinkle with some red pepper flakes, then top with cheese and bell peppers. Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven 15 to 17 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

In a small bowl, combine oil, tamari and peanut butter with hot sauce and grill seasoning. Use microwave to loosen up peanut butter if it is too cold to blend into sauce (10 seconds). Coat chicken evenly with mixture and let stand 10 minutes. Preheat a grill pan or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken cutlets 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until firm and cooked through. Slice chicken into very thin strips.

While chicken cooks, mix honey and vinegar in a medium bowl. Add cucumber and turn to coat in dressing.

When pizza comes out of oven, top with chicken, green onions, sprouts and cilantro. Drain cucumber and scatter over pizza. Garnish with peanuts. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Makes 2 to 4 servings

From “Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals: A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook.”

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