Grilled Chicken Breast with Sun-Dried & Fresh Tomatoes

A double does of tomatoes lets you enjoy not only the sweet summery flavor of fresh tomatoes but the deeper, richer tones supplied by the sun-dried variety.

Ingredients:

½ lb small red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

2 TBSP chopped drained sun-dried tomatoes

2 tsp. capers, rained

½ tsp finely chopped garlic

1 TBSP sherry vinegar

2 tsp lightly chopped fresh thyme

3 TBSP plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, tenders removed and reserved for another sue. Breast butterflied.

In a small bowl, combine the cheery tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, garlic, vinegar, 1 tsp of chopped thyme, 3 TBSP olive oil, ¼ tsp kosher salt and few grinds of pepper. Set aside, stirring occasionally to let the flavors combine.

Heat a gas grill to high. Put the chicken in a shallow nonreactive pan or plate. Rub it over with kosher salt, a few grinds of pepper, and the remaining 1 tsp thyme. Drizzle ½ tsp olive oil over each side of each piece of chicken and rub all over.

Lay the butterflied breast on the hot grill grates and cook, covered, until they have grill marks, 1 ½ minutes. With tongs, rotate the breast 90 degrees and continue grilling until grill marks form, another 1 ½ minutes. Flip the breast and cook the second side in the same way but for a little less time, grilling for 1 minute in one direction and 1 minute in another, until cooked through.

Transfer the breast immediately to two warm serving plates. Sitr the tomato miture and spoon equal amounts over each piece of chicken. Garnish with a sprig of thyme, if you like.

NOTES: I doubled but could have tripled the sun dried tomatoes. It adds a lot of taste to the dish. I am not a caper fan, so I reduced the capers to half; however, next time I will leave them out of the dish. It is up to you on how you want to make it. It is also great with couscous.

Pesto alal trapanese

http://memoriediangelina.blogspot.com/2011/07/pesto-alla-trapanese.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FQaRz+%28Memorie+di+Angelina%29So I love this meal. It came to me via Memorie di Angelina (a great food blog in itself). I made this recipe that night and love, love, love. I actually have referred it to several friends. It is a great tasting summer dish with a great palate for the mouth. The tomatoes make the dish, so select wisely. I cannot wait for my tomatoes are ready to be picked (the first four came off the plant on Wednesday-- more to be selected tonight) to make this fabulous light summer dish. Try and enjoy.

Chicken with Mango Salsa

This month's Bon Appitee magazine is great. There are lots and lots of great recipes inside. In one section, G. Paltrow is highlighted with her new cookbook. This is a recipe from there. They have it with fish, which I don't eat, so I made it with chicken. It was really, really good. They also suggest (in anohter section) to submerge your avocado half into ice water to help maintain the great green color. I tried it and it worked really well. It will keep it nice and green for a while.

Ingredients:

1 cup Mango, diced into 1' pieces

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup avocado, diced into 1' pieces

4 basil leaves, thinly sliced

3 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice

3 TBSP olive oil

4 chicken breast

In a plastic baggie, marinate the chicken breast with 2 TBSP olive oil and 2 TBSP lime juice. Add Salt and pepper for taste. Let marinate for 20 minutes (but no longer 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 350' or grill.

Place in baking pan and Bake for 20 minutes, broil for 3-5 minutes if baking. If grilling, place on grill and cook about 7-10/side until chicken is tender.

While cooking, combine mangoes, cherry tomatoes, avocados, basil leaves and remaining olive oil and lime juice in a bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Plate chicken and generously scoop salsa over top. Serve immediately.

You can also use white fish instead of chicken breast. Same recipe and ingredients as above.

I have served it alone or with couscous or rice. But a great summer recipe.

Honey Chicken on Apricot Rice

So I have not technically tried this recipe yet, but is sounds oh so yummy that will be added to next weeks list. This weeks menu is complete. I got it out of the Mayo Clinic Williams-Sonoma Cookbook. they have a ton of great looking recipes. I may post more about them as I try them.

Honey Chicken

Ingredients

3 TBSP ground wheat germ

2 TBSP honey

1 TBSP Dijon Mustard

1 TBSP canned apricot nectar or apricot Jam

3/4 tsp soy sauce

6 skinless bone-in chicken breast (~5 oz each), trimmed of visible fat

1. Preheat oven to 375”

2. In a small bowl, mix together the wheat germ, honey, mustard, apricot nectar or jam, and soy sauce until well blended.

3. Arrange the chicken pieces, bone side down, on a baking sheet. Spread the wheat germ mixture evenly over the chicken breast. Bake until the chicken is opaque throughout and the wheat germ mixture has formed a crust, 35-40 minutes.

4. To serve, divide the rice among individual plates. Top each with a chicken breast.

Apricot Wild Rice

Ingredients:

1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms, stemmed

1 ½ cups warm water

2 cups wild rice, rinsed in a fine mesh sieve under cold running water

½ cup coarsely chopped dried apricots

2 shallots

In a small bowl, soak the mushrooms in the warm water until barely softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, Coarsely chopped mushrooms. Strain the mushroom-soaking liquids through a fine mesh sieve into a measuring cup. Add enough water to equal 5 cups liquid. Pour the liquid into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the wild rice, mushrooms, apricots and shallots. Return to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

I don't do mushrooms, but instead I would use chicken stock or broth to enhance the flavor of the wild rice.

Doesn't it sound good. I will let you know. I am also thinking of serving it with saute spinach or asparagus. I am trying to think of another vegetable that could go with it too. Any suggestions?

Washington Cooking and Entertainment Show Recipe

Michelle and I went to see Bobby Flay on Saturday morning at the Washington Cooking and Entertainment show. He made this great set of recipes. Our mouths were watering for it, but not the one he made. So I thought I would share it with you all as well. This recipe can be found on their website at: http://dc2010.metrocooking.com/media/recipes. But his recipes are as follows:

CAST IRON ROASTED VEGETABLES

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large dice

3 carrots, peeled and cut into large dice

12 shallots, peeled

2 poblano chiles, cut into large dice

Canola oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped cilantro

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Combine squash, carrots, shallots, and poblano chiles in a large cast iron pan, toss with a few tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until golden brown and just cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the cilantro and season with more salt, if needed.

ROASTED BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN WITH CHIPOTLE HONEY GLAZE

Ingredients

1 3 ½ to 4 lb chicken, rinsed, patted dry and butterflied

½ cup honey

1 Tbsp chipotle puree

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 550 degrees F. Whisk together the honey, chipotle, mustard, salt and pepper. Set aside for to allow the flavors to meld.

2. Brush the chicken with oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast, skin side up until the skin begins to turn light golden brown, about 25 minutes. Brush with the glaze and continue roasting until an instant read thermometer inserted into the breast, registers 158 degrees F, about 15 to 20 minutes longer. Brush liberally with the glaze during the last 10 minutes of roasting.

3. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before carving.

MASHED YUKON GOLD POTATOES WITH GREEN CHILI QUESO SAUCE

Ingredients

3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice

Kosher salt

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp flour

2 cups hot milk

1 ¼ lbs Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated

½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

Freshly ground black pepper

2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and finely diced

1 stick unsalted butter

1 ½ - 2 cups heavy cream, heated

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Put potatoes in a large pot, cover by a few inches with cold water and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until a paring knife inserted in the center meets no resistance.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the hot milk, increase the heat to high and cook until thickened and flour taste is cooked out, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the Monterey Jack cheese until smooth and melted. Stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano and poblano chiles and season with salt and pepper.

3. Drain the potatoes well. Put through a ricer set over a bowl, Return the riced potatoes to the pot on the stove over low heat, add the butter and 1 ½ cups of warm cream and using a wooden spoon, gently stir the potatoes while folding in the butter and cream, season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl, make a well in the middle of the potatoes and fill with the cheese sauce, garnish with the cilantro.

Sausage and Pepper Heros

This recipe was great. I made it last night for the first time. It was delicious! Easy!! and Messy!!!. I got the recipe from Carmine's Restaurant in NYC. They have a cookbook (worth it's money-- we have made many, many recipes from it and like each one of the them). So here is the recipe.

12 3-oz sausages

5 cups marinara sauce

4 cups peppers and onions (I used one red, yellow and orange pepper; plus a sweet and a red onion)

4 crispy hero rolls

1. Preheat oven to 375'

2. Cut the sausages almost in half lengthwise. Place them, cut side up, in a large shallow casserole or baking pan and pour marinara sauce over them. Bake them for 12-15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling hot and the sausages are heated through.

3. In a large saute pan, warm up the peppers and onions over med-high heat, stirring, for 4-5 minutes or until they are hot. As the peppers and onions heat cut them with a fork or lightly mash them to make them easier to eat.

4. Meanwhile, slice the rolls in half lengthwise, without cutting all the way through. Arrange the rolls cut sides up, on a baking sheet and toast them under a broiler for 2-3 minutes or until slightly brown.

5. To assemble each sandwich, spread about 3 TBSP of marinara sauce on each half of the roll. Place 3 butterflied sausages on each roll. Top the sausages with 1 cup of the peppers and onions. Fold the other half of the roll over the sausages. Cut the sandwich in half and serve.

Note: I would put the onions and peppers on before the sausages. That way they don't fall off as easily. That would be my only change. Otherwise it was really, really good. I also think I cooked mine stuff closer to 20 minutes (sausage, sauce, onions and peppers).

If you are in NYC and you need a good place to eat, I highly, highly, highly recommend this restaurant: Carmine's. It is right in the middle of Broadway/Time Square area. Well worth the visit. There was 5 adults and our total cost of the evening (food, appetizers, salads and 2 glasses of wine) was $125. I think that is really good for NYC and dinner out. I would recommend the following items to try: Veal in a Lemon & Butter Sauce (out of this world)( you can also use chicken instead, if you don't eat veal) and Shrimp in Red Sauce. That is what we ordered and every ounce was GONE! I would go back in a heartbeat and am so thankful I purchased the cookbook while I was there. We have used it over and over again. (And yes Michelle, you can borrow the cookbook if you want).

Bacon, Lettuce, and Salsa Wraps

I'm not a summer person. The heat reduces me into a whiny, unmotivated puddle. It is a testament to Rob's saintliness that we survived our first summer of marriage without an air conditioner. When it gets hot, I find myself getting creative in the kitchen so I can turn that darn stove off as quickly as possible. So I was delighted to come across this recipe I'd clipped from my Better Homes and Garden magazine a few months back. The only cooking involved is microwaving some bacon (and who doesn't love bacon?). The flavors are simple enough to remind me why I adore BLTs, but with enough differences from BLTs to feel like I made a genuine meal.

Bacon, Lettuce, and Salsa Wraps
3 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice
salt to taste
8 slices bacon (plus a few more to munch on while you cook, or is that just me?)
Roughly 2 cups lettuce (I used romaine, but go with any variety you like)
4 flour tortillas (optional: veggie-flavored flour tortillas)
Mayonnaise

Combine first five ingredients. Set aside.
Microwave the bacon according to package directions on paper towels.
To assemble wraps, spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on each tortilla. Top with salad, then fresh salsa, then 2 slices bacon (whole or chopped, whatever you prefer). Roll up and serve.

*Note: You can sub in whatever variety of fresh salsa you like; I used this combination to keep the flavors uncomplicated.

Apple Turkey Burgers

Turns out, I get very lazy about cooking when I'm pregnant (and writing about cooking - I apologize for missing the past two weeks). So I'm grateful for quick, easy meals like this one that I can turn to when I don't have the energy to cook. I like these best topped with a sweet barbecue sauce and cheddar, but you can use whatever you normally like on your burgers.

Apple Turkey Burgers

1.5 pounds ground turkey
¼ cup applesauce
1 egg
1 teaspoon McCormick's Chicken Seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Hamburger buns (for 6 patties)
Burger toppings of your choosing

Combine all ingredients except buns. Shape into six patties. Cook either on Foreman grill or in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat until cooked through.

Chicken Pot Pie

I know of two sure-fire ways to get Emily to eat her vegetables. One is to stir vegetable baby food into her pancake batter before cooking it (hey, desperate times). The other is to make this chicken pot pie. When I made it this week, she ate more of it than I did. The sauce came from this recipe at allrecipes.com, but I've tweaked the meats and veggies to fit my family's preferences. I like to make the insides during Emily's nap, and then stick them in the fridge until I'm ready to pour it into the crust and bake it.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 large chicken breast, diced
1 cup sliced carrots
3/4 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425.
Combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery in a saucepan. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the chicken/veggie mixture in the bottom crust. Pour the sauce over the mixture, then cover with top crust. Seal edges, cut away the extra dough, and make slits so the steam can escape.
Bake for roughly 30 minutes.

Black Bean Enchiladas

What meal isn't improved by adding bacon? These enchiladas are no exception. It is one of the two secret ingredients. The other is curry. The original recipe called for cumin, but when my friend Sarah and I set out to make this recipe the first time, we realized halfway through that we didn't have any, but that it was one of the ingredients in our curry blend. We used it, and after we tried it later with cumin, discovered we preferred the brightness the curry gave the dish. But if you're a purist, go with cumin.

Black Bean Enchiladas
3 slices bacon
1 chicken breast, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 clove minced garlic (or to taste)
1 can black beans, drained
Roughly 2 cups of your favorite chunky red salsa
Curry or cumin to taste (maybe start with a teaspoon and add from there?)
1/4 tsp salt
Cheese (lots)
6 Flour Tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Fry the bacon in a large skillet. Remove the bacon when crispy and fry the chicken breast, bell pepper, and minced garlic in the bacon fat until chicken is cooked through.
3. Crumble the bacon and add it to the skillet, along with the black beans, salsa, curry or cumin, and salt. Heat through.
4. Fill the tortillas with the mixture, as well as a handful of cheese per tortilla, roll them up, and place them in a 9 x 13 pan. Cover the top with cheese and bake for 20 minutes.

Hearty Clam Chowder

This is the dinner I ask my mom to cook every time I come home.

Hearty Clam Chowder

4 slices bacon
3 green onions & tops, chopped
5 medium sized potatoes, peeled & cut in ½ inch cubes
2 T. chopped green pepper
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, minced
2 c. water (roughly)
½ t. pepper
1 t. salt
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
4 drops liquid hot pepper seasoning (I prefer Red Hot)
1 carrot, finely sliced
2 cans chopped or minced clams with nectar (6 ½ oz. cans)
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.)

Microwave or fry bacon, then cut into small pieces.
Combine green onions, potatoes, green pepper, celery, carrot, garlic, & bacon in a saucepan. Pour in water to cover (may need more than 2 cups). Season with salt, pepper, Worcestershire, & liquid pepper.
Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Mash mixture with a potato masher until desired consistency.
Add clams (including liquid) & milk. Stir well, then heat just until piping hot (do not boil).

Thai Chicken Stirfry

While I can't face eating most of the very small number of meals I knew how to cook when I was first married (I'd be happy never to hear the word "picadillo" again), this is the one meal from that period I can not only stomach, but is still a part of my meal rotation. It also comes together very quickly, and with items I stock in my freezer, so it is a life saver for me.

Thai Chicken Stirfry

2 cups rice
2 chicken breasts
Peanut Sauce (recipe follows)
Canola oil (enough for cooking meat in)
1 Tbsp bottled minced garlic
1 Tbsp bottled chopped ginger (powder works just fine too)
1 bag of your favorite frozen stir fry veggies
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

Make rice according to package directions.
Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Dice the chicken and add to skillet while you cut. Add garlic and ginger and cook until the chicken is no longer pink (maybe 5 minutes).
While the chicken is cooking, make the peanut sauce, and defrost the stirfry veggies in the microwave if you're like me and didn't think of doing it earlier in the day. When the chicken is no longer pink, add the peanuts and veggies. Stir well, add the peanut sauce, stir again. Cook until heated through and serve over rice.

Peanut Sauce
2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine ingredients in small bowl and whisk until combined.

Mushroom Curry with Green Rice

When mushrooms go on sale, this is what I make. I found the base for this recipe in the very first issue of "Better Homes and Gardens" that I received. Rob and I are rice maniacs (every time we go out for Thai, we have to request extra rice), so we doubled the amount of rice the recipe originally called for, but if you are trying to cut down on carbs, halve my proportions for it below. And if you are a carnivore, adding chicken to the wok works great.

Mushroom Curry with Green Rice
2 cups rice
1 can coconut milk
1 cup snipped fresh cilantro
5 tsp minced ginger (powder works too)
3 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 pound mushrooms (portobello are my favorite for this, but I use whatever is cheap)
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 tsp curry powder (preferably madras, but normal works fine too)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (or tomato of your choosing)
Chopped peanuts to taste

Cook rice according to package directions.

In a blender or food processor, combine 1 cup of the coconut milk, the cilantro, 2 tsp minced ginger, 2 garlic cloves, and the lime juice. Blend until nearly smooth, then stir into the cooked rice.

In a 12 inch skillet or wok, cook mushrooms in hot oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green onions, curry powder, and remaining ginger and garlic. Cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and remaining coconut milk. Heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with nuts, and serve over the rice.

Moroccan Chicken Stew with Couscous

In honor of Lizbeth, who is trying to eat more vegetables for lent. Depending on how you count tomatoes, you could get all five of those daily veggies with this dish. I should add that I never measure spices, and I'm pretty sure that I use more than what I list here, but you can start with this quantity and adjust to taste.

Moroccan Chicken Stew with Couscous

1.5 cups couscous
3 cups water
2 tsp chicken bouillion granules
1-2 chicken breasts
1 large onion
2-3 carrots
2 tsp minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp honey
1 zucchini
1 bell pepper (any color)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (optional)

1. Bring the water and bouillion to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in couscous, and cover until liquid is absorbed (roughly 5 minutes). When ready to serve, fluff with a fork.
2. Heat a little oil over medium heat in a soup pot. Peel and slice the onion into 1/4 inch rings, adding them to the pot as you slice. Peel, slice, and add the carrots.
3. Dice the chicken and add to the pot. Add the garlic. Cover, raise the heat to high, and cook for two minutes.
4. Dice the zucchini and the bell pepper. Uncover the pot and immediately add in the zucchini and bell pepper, spices, diced tomatoes, and honey. Stir again. Cover and cook until the chicken is fully cooked (roughly 10 minutes), stirring occassionally.
5. Add the raisins and chickpeas (if using). Cook for 1 minute to combine flavors, and serve over a bed of couscous.
   　

Homemade Pasta Sauce

After looking at Elise's recipe, I decided to add one of my favorite homemade tomato sauces for you. I only has 3 ingredients and is super easy and delicious. I can eat it by the spoonful.

2 large cans of whole tomatoes (or your home canned tomatoes)

1 sweet onion, cut in half

1/2 cup of butter

In a large stock pot, place the tomatoes, onion and half the butter. Let simmer on medium temperature for about 1 hour. Then slowly add the rest of the butter, 1 Tablespoon at a time. The longer the sauce sits, the more the flavors absorb. Place last little bit of butter right before serving over fresh pasta.

You can pull out the onion if you wish, but I actually really like the onion with the sauce. Pull apart to serve. If freezing the sauce, remove the onion before freezing.

NOTES: This sauce can be made in about 45 minutes if you bring to a hard boil, but it taste best if simmered over 2-3 hours. Plus tomatoes are better for you the longer they simmer.

Tangy Parmesan Tilapia

This is one of my favorite fish recipes. I like tilapia because it isn't very expensive, easy to get and it has a mild taste which my family likes. This recipe is from a healthy cooking magazine I get that I love! I use a lot of recipes from the magazine for everyday meals. This one was definitely a keeper - enjoy!

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon reduced-fat butter, softened
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Dash onion powder
4 tilapia fillets (5 ounces each)
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; set aside. Line a broiler pan with foil and coat the foil with cooking spray. Place fillets in prepared pan; sprinkle with salt. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Spread 1 tablespoon cheese mixture over the top of each fillet; broil 1-2 minutes longer or until topping is golden and fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings.