Peppercorn-Dusted Pot Roast

1 1/2 teaspoons multicolored or green peppercorns, crushed*
1/2 teaspoon black or multicolored peppercorns, crushed*
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (2 1/2- to 3-lb.) boneless beef chuck roast
1 tablespoon canola oil
2/3 cup red wine or lower-sodium beef broth
1 1/3 cups water, divided
6 medium red potatoes (about 1 lb.), quartered
1 (8-oz.) pkg. button mushrooms, halved
4 oz. shallots (3 to 4 large), quartered
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine peppercorns, thyme and salt in small bowl. Pat beef dry; sprinkle with peppercorn mixture.

2. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot. Cook beef 10 minutes or until well-browned, turning once. Place in large ovenproof Dutch oven or deep roasting pan.

3. Add wine to skillet; bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Pour over beef. Add 2/3 cup of the water to Dutch oven; cover.

4. Bake 2 hours. Arrange potatoes, mushrooms and shallots around beef. Bake, covered, an additional 30 to 45 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender. Remove beef and vegetables; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

5. Whisk tomato paste into cooking liquid in Dutch oven; bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisk flour and remaining 2/3 cup water in small bowl until smooth; slowly whisk into sauce. Boil 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Serve with beef and vegetables.

6 servings

Crunchy-Spicy Ginger Slaw

SALAD
3 cups shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup matchstick carrots
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pickled sliced ginger, drained, 2 tablespoons liquid reserved
1 medium jalapeño chile, seeded, deveined, minced
1 cup sugar snap peas, julienned (about 3 oz.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted*

DRESSING
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Layer cabbage, carrots, water chestnuts, ginger and jalapeño in 10-inch deep-dish glass pie pan.

2. Combine reserved 2 tablespoons pickled ginger liquid and all dressing ingredients in small jar; shake until sugar is dissolved. Pour over cabbage mixture; top with peas. (Salad can be made 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate.) Sprinkle with mint and almonds right before serving.

8 (3/4-cup) servings

PER SERVING: 85 calories, 4.5 g total fat (.5 g saturated fat), 2 g protein, 9.5 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

TIP *To toast almonds, place on baking sheet; bake at 375ºF. for 4 to 6 minutes or until light golden brown.

Pesto-Tomato Stacked Salad

DRESSING
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

SALAD
8 oz. asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
5 oz. arugula (5 cups)
2 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped*
2 medium tomatoes, each cut crosswise into 4 slices
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted**
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine dressing ingredients in small jar; shake until blended. (Dressing can be made 3 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

2. Cook asparagus in large saucepan of boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Cool under cold running water; drain well.

3. Place arugula in bottom of 13x9-inch glass baking dish; layer with prosciutto, tomatoes and basil. Arrange asparagus in small mounds over each tomato slice. (Salad can be made 12 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

4. Drizzle with enough dressing to lightly coat. Sprinkle with pine nuts; top with Parmesan.

8 (1-cup) servings

PER SERVING: 215 calories, 20.5 g total fat (3.5 g saturated fat), 6 g protein, 4.5 g carbohydrate, 10 mg cholesterol, 325 mg sodium, 1.5 g fiber

TIPS *Prosciutto is an Italian-style, salt-cured, unsmoked ham. Deli ham or salami can be substituted.
**Toast pine nuts in dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, or microwave on high 1 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned.

Rotini with Italian Sausage-Roasted Pepper Sauce

1 lb. mild or hot bulk Italian sausage
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped red onion
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can stewed tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 (12-oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz. rotini (spiral pasta)

1. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add sausage; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center, stirring frequently. Remove excess drippings if necessary. Add green bell pepper and onion; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender; stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute, or until fragrant.

2. Stir in tomatoes, bring to a boil. Cover; simmer over low heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and crushing tomatoes into smaller pieces, if desired. Stir in roasted peppers, tomato paste, crushed red pepper and salt. Cook, covered, over medium heat an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Serve sauce over pasta.

4 (2-cup) servings

Baked Coconut Chicken

2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup panko*
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup mango chutney
1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 Heat oven to 375°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray. Whisk eggs and milk in medium shallow bowl until blended. Combine panko, coconut and butter in wide shallow bowl until mixed well.

2 Sprinkle chicken with salt. Dip in egg mixture; roll in coconut mixture, pressing to coat completely. Place on baking sheet, pressing any excess coconut mixture over chicken.

3 Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

4 Meanwhile, combine chutney and mayonnaise in small bowl; serve with chicken.

4 servings

PER SERVING: 520 calories, 32 g total fat (12.5 g saturated fat), 31.5 g protein, 27.5 g carbohydrate, 150 mg cholesterol, 720 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

TIP *Panko are coarse bread crumbs usually found next to other bread crumbs in the supermarket.

Flank Steak with Roasted Vegetables and Orange Vinaigrette

1 1/4 lb. fingerling potatoes, quartered lengthwise
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
1 lb. asparagus
1 (1 1/2-lb.) flank steak
1 1/2 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. On large rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes with 2 teaspoons of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper to coat; arrange in single layer.

2. Bake 15 minutes or until almost tender. Push potatoes to one side of pan; arrange asparagus on other side. Drizzle asparagus with 2 teaspoons of the oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and asparagus is crisp-tender.

3. Meanwhile, sprinkle steak with Montreal seasoning. Whisk orange juice, orange peel, 2 teaspoons of the oil and vinegar in small cup. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil; heat until hot. Add steak; cook 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare, turning once. Remove steak; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing across the grain.

4. Remove skillet from heat; add orange juice mixture to hot skillet, stirring and scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pan. (If pan is very hot, sauce may boil and evaporate. If this happens, stir in a few tablespoons of water.) Drizzle vinaigrette over steak and vegetables; garnish with parsley.

4 servings

PER SERVING: 500 calories, 17.5 g total fat (4 g saturated fat), 54.5 g protein, 31.5 g carbohydrate, 125 mg cholesterol, 590 mg sodium, 6 g fiber

Bacon-Potato Frittata with Greens and Gruyère

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon
1 medium Yukon gold potato, unpeeled, diced (1/4 inch) (1 cup)
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 small onion, sliced (1/2 cup)
1/8 plus 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 large head escarole, thinly sliced (6 cups)
8 eggs
1/4 cup half-and-half or milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese or Swiss cheese

1. Heat olive oil in large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add bacon; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until browned and crisp, turning occasionally. Drain on paper towels; crumble.

2. Add potato, bell pepper, onion, 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and pepper to drippings in skillet; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until potato is almost tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; stir in escarole by the handful, continuously adding as it begins to wilt. Cook 3 minutes or until greens are wilted and potato is tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, whisk eggs, half-and-half and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl until blended.

4. Heat broiler. Gently press vegetables over bottom of skillet; sprinkle with bacon and cheese. Add egg mixture; cook, covered, over low heat 4 minutes or until bottom begins to set. Remove cover. Broil 4 minutes or until the eggs are set, puffed and top is lightly browned. Let stand 3 minutes before cutting into wedges.

4 servings

PER SERVING: 555 calories, 41 g total fat (17 g saturated fat), 30 g protein, 16.5 g carbohydrate, 440 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium, 3.5 g fiber