Dinner Impossible : a Yahoo challenge

On Tax day on took my taxes to the office to get mailed. Meanwhile later on this day. Chef Robert Irvine had his own deadline challenge on YV. The episode was A Yahoo Dinner Impossible, I love to mix things up but this mission took it tech wise. The yahoo found took the top Yahoo search foods and then randomly paired those with the top 15 ingredients. From that the Chef and his crew could create dishes from that meet the objectives of the mission.It was tough and came down to the wire. But them came up with a host of recipes that food the bill. These are ones that I would like make so I am showcasing them here. If you try them let me know otherwise I will let you know what I try them.

Tuna Burger

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine

Show: Dinner: Impossible Episode: Yahoo Search Scramble
Ingredients

* 1/3 cup minced onion
* 2 cloves chopped garlic
* 3 tablespoons canola oil
* 1 pound fresh tuna, diced
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
* Hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco, optional
* Cooking spray
* 4 hamburger buns
* 2 tomatoes, sliced
* 1/4 pound Brie, sliced
* Sliced kosher pickles
* Wasabi, for serving, optional

Directions

In a small saucepan saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender (without burning the garlic) and set aside to cool.

Combine tuna, eggs, bread crumbs, onion mixture, and hot sauce, in a medium bowl and mix well. Shape into 4 patties (mixture will be very soft and delicate). Refrigerate for 30 minutes to make the patties easier to handle. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and fry tuna patties for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. These are fragile, so be careful when turning them. Serve on buns with tomato slices, Brie and kosher pickles. You may decide to serve wasabi on the side.

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Robert Irvine
Barbeque Carrots

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine

Show: Dinner: ImpossibleEpisode: Yahoo Search Scramble


Ingredients

* 1 pound baby carrots
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 2 teaspoons sweet orange marmalade
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1 cup BBQ sauce
* 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and toss until the carrots are well coated. Transfer mixture to large rimmed baking sheet, spreading carrots evenly. Bake until brown and tender, stirring occasionally,
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Lamb Salsa

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine

Show: Dinner: ImpossibleEpisode: Yahoo Search Scramble

Ingredients

* Oil
* 1 medium red onion, diced
* 8 ounces lean ground lamb
* 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/3 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 (16-ounce) can pineapple chunks, roughly chopped
* 1 cup finely chopped green pepper
* 5 large tomatoes
* 1 cucumber peeled and diced
* 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
* 12 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
* 1 package pita bread triangles or chips

Directions

Coat a large saute pan with oil and over medium heat, saute the onions until soft. Add the ground lamb and cook until browned, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon. Drain well and place in a serving bowl. Stir in the onion powder and black pepper. Allow to cool and then add pineapple, green pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, cilantro and feta cheese. Adjust the seasoning and serve with pita bread or crackers.
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Robert Irvine
Lemon Egg Drop Soup

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine

Show: Dinner: ImpossibleEpisode: Yahoo Search Scramble
Ingredients

* 8 cups chicken broth
* 4 large eggs
* 2 lemons, juiced
* 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
* 1 tablespoon lemon zest
* Grated Parmesan

Directions

Bring broth to a boil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, lemon juice and lemon pepper until well blended, then slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot broth. Lower heat; add egg mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat, stirring until heated through. (Don't boil! Eggs will curdle.)

Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest. Ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle each serving with a little Parmesan.
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Robert Irvine
Blackberry Aqua's Fresca

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine

Show: Dinner: ImpossibleEpisode: Yahoo Search Scramble
Ingredients

* 8 cups water
* 2 cups fresh blackberries
* 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves, plus 8 fresh sprigs, for garnish
* 6 rosehip and hibiscus tea bags
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add blackberries, mint, and tea bags. Remove from heat and let stand 1 hour at room temperature. Strain the mixture through a sieve, into a pitcher and discard the tea bags and solids. Add sugar and lemon juice to the tea, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour into glasses or cups and garnish each serving with a mint sprig.
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Robert Irvine
Eggplant Salad

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine

Show: Dinner: ImpossibleEpisode: Yahoo Search Scramble

Ingredients

* 2 large eggplants (peeled and sliced)
* 1 pint milk (for soaking eggplant in)
* 4 eggs
* 1 pound yellow cornmeal
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 large head romaine lettuce, roughly torn
* 1 ripe avocado diced
* 1 ripe mango diced
* 4 tomatoes diced
* 1 English cucumber peeled and diced
* 2 red onions thinly sliced
* 1 red pepper cut into strips
* 2 tablespoons torn mint leaves
* 1 pint canola oil, for frying

Directions

In a large bowl add the eggplant and milk. Let soak about 30 minutes, then strain and set aside. Whisk the eggs together in a medium glass bowl and place cornmeal on a flat sheet tray. Toss the drained eggplant into the egg until evenly coated. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow any excess to drip back into the bowl. Drop the eggplant into the cornmeal and toss to coat well. Remove from the cornmeal, place in a shallow bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Mix the 1/3 cup olive oil, rice wine vinegar, and mustard in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper

In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together including the torn mint and drizzle with the dressing.

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or a large saute pan, to 350 degrees F. In batches, if necessary, fry the eggplant until crispy and golden brown. Remove from fryer with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Place salad in serving plates and top each serving with eggplant.
Egg Casserole

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine

Show: Dinner: ImpossibleEpisode: Yahoo Search Scramble
Ingredients

* Butter, for baking dish
* 1 pound Italian sweet sausage, casings removed
* 1/2 cup chopped shallots
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
* 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 5 large eggs
* 3 large egg yolks
* 1 cup half-and-half
* 1 cup whipping cream
* 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish.

Saute sausage in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of fork into small pieces, about 10 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and saute 3 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and 2 tablespoons parsley; stir 1 minute. Spread sausage mixture into the prepared dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated.) Whisk eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, whipping cream, 1 1/2 cups cheese, and salt in large bowl and blend well. Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2-cup cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley. Bake until top of the casserole is golden brown and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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Peanut Butter Chili

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine

Show: Dinner: ImpossibleEpisode: Yahoo Search Scramble

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Ingredients

* 1/2 cup water
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
* 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 (15- ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
* 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup shredded Cheddar, optional
* 2 cups tortilla chips, optional

Place the diced tomatoes, water, garlic, and bay leaves into a large saucepan, and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and season with the cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Cover, and simmer 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in the black beans and kidney beans; return to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the peanut butter until dissolved, then remove and discard the bay leaves, and season the chili with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove to a serving bowl and serve sprinkled with Cheddar, if desired, and tortilla chips alongside.

Cook's Note: To make a different version using ground pork, just saute 2 diced onions with 3 cloves of chopped garlic and 2 pounds of ground pork. Cook until golden brown and then add to the mixture above and adjust seasoning.