Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Prep time:  10 minutes  Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 tbsp canola oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp lite rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 jalapeno or bird chili sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
6 white button mushroom caps, sliced
4 spring onions (whites and greens) diced on the diagonal
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 tin water chestnuts, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 tbsp cilantro, rough chop (and more for garnish)
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 head butter leaf or bibb lettuce, core removed and leaves separated and washed
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Start by warming canola oil over medium high heat in a large skillet.  Season sliced chicken with salt & pepper and brown in skillet.  Once browned, transfer to plate and discard any remaining oil in pan.  Combine hoisin sauce, tamari, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil and transfer to skillet, reduce heat to medium low.  Add jalapeno, red bell pepper, mushrooms, half of the green onions and carrots to soften for about 4-5 minutes.  Once softened but still colorful, add cabbage, water chestnuts, cabbage, cilantro, garlic and chicken.  Turn to coat in sauce and continue to cook over medium low heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Line a serving dish with the lettuce leaves and transfer the spicy chicken mix to the middle of the plate.  Top with remaining spring onions, toasted sesame seeds and a garnish of cilantro…serve with Sriracha for an added kick!

Balsamic Reduction Two Ways

It's one of the easiest and most versatile tricks in the kitchen - balsamic reduction.  All it takes is the vinegar, a sauce pan, a whisk and heat and you have a syrupy topping that can be used on anything from chicken to ice cream.  I recently discovered white balsamic vinegar which is essentially the same as it's darker counterpart  but a little less thick, a little less sweet and, as you would imagine by the name, clear.  It's processed in a similar manner with white grapes and white wine vinegar and simmered over low heat to develop the syrup and then aged to enrich the flavor.  In my opinion, the real advantage to swapping for the clear version is purely aesthetic; you get the flavor without changing the coloring of your food. 

To make a reduction, simply pour the balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, whisking often so as not to burn. Reduce the heat to let it simmer until the liquid reduces by half. Word to the wise - stand back when the heat hits the vinegar unless you are looking to clear your sinuses.


Balsamic Glazed Asparagus Spears

14-16 thin, fresh Asparagus spears
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1 tbsp balsamic reduction
2 slices honey ham
1 plum tomato, seeded and diced
1 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Snap asparagus spears at the bottom at natural breaking point to remove tough stems. Coat with olive oil and salt and pepper and place over indirect heat on a preheated grill.  Baste with balsamic reduction while the spears cook for approximated 6-8 minutes.  Halfway thru grilling, divide spears equally and place one slice of ham over each group to warm. Pull from grill and roll spears into a 'log', folding ham over the group and placing seam side down.  Top with diced tomato and grated cheese to serve. The sweetness of the ham is the perfect compliment to the balsamic reduction. 

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
2 tbsp balsamic reduction

Clean and trim the chicken breasts, salt and pepper liberally and place in a shallow container. Whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pour over chicken.  Let the meat rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. 

Preheat the grill to about 400° and oil grates prior to placing the marinated chicken on the grill.  While the chicken cooks (about 5 minutes on each side), baste liberally with the balsamic reduction.  Let chicken rest for about 5 minutes prior to serving.

You'll find yourself using this reduction on everything...promise!

Lean Chicken Meatloaf

Winter is rounding out her days but we try not to complain and just enjoy the quiet comforts of cold, dark days. The upside to the dreary days of February definitely is the hearty foods that beckon from the kitchen and it doesn't get much heartier than meatloaf.  Always looking for a healthier version, I used my old staple - ground chicken - and added lots of fresh veggies to 'beef' it up. Remember the Eddie Murphy skit about his mom's homemade burgers?  Yep, it looked just like that...green bell peppers and red onion chunks popping out all over the place. 

The vegetables gave it great flavor and texture and I threw in a little chipotle pepper to add some smoky heat to the loaf.  Served alongside canellini beans sauted in sundried tomato oil and finished with arugula, this meal was fit for the darkest of winter nights.

Lean Chicken Meatloaf


Preparation time:  10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4-6

1/2 medium green bell pepper, small dice
1/2 red onion, small dice
4 baby bella mushrooms, small dice
2 sundried tomatoes (in oil), small dice
1/2 small chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, small dice
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 lb ground chicken
1 cup marinara
3 slices thick cut bacon, halved

Preheat the oven to 400°.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the above ingredients, reserving the marinara and the bacon for the top.  Combine by gently 'folding' the vegetables, spices and egg into the ground chicken so as not to overwork the meat.  Once combined, form into a loaf in a baking dish with raised sides.  Cover the loaf with the marinara and arrange the 6 slices of bacon over the top.  Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven to bake.  At 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes for the bacon to crisp.  Finish on a low broil for approximately 2 minutes if the bacon doesn't cook through.

Transfer to a serving dish, slice at each strip of bacon for the perfect serving size and enjoy!

Roast Chicken with Herb Butter and White Wine

I like posting recipes like this one because I think our generation is scared of the classics.  Maybe because we grew up eating full meals first pulled from a freezer and then 'prepared' in a microwave.  Maybe it's because we are busy. Maybe it's because we don't think we can cook them as well as our mothers or grandmothers.  Well, I can't argue with that last point - meals remembered are always better than meals self-prepared -however, I can say that it's not as hard as we make it out to be.  And truthfully, though it takes a while to get to the finish line on this one, the bulk of the time doesn't include you being anywhere near the kitchen.  The bird sits in the oven for 1.5 to 2 hours so really you have time to sit down, relax and enjoy some delicious smells wafting through the air while your dinner cooks away without your constant attention.

Roast Chicken with Herb Butter & White Wine

1 oven roaster
1 stick butter at room temperature
fresh herbs - rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage
olive oil
white wine (one you would drink)
root vegetables - parsnips, carrots, potatoes
celery
onions
salt & pepper

Parsnips add a touch of sweetness without breaking down like sweet potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Start by taking the chicken out of the fridge and taking the chill off.  It's important to remove whatever innards are left in the bird and to thoroughly pat it dry using some paper towels. The bird should be fully seasoned with salt and pepper all over, even inside the cavity.  Don't be shy with the seasoning.  While the bird is coming up to room temp, strip the herbs from the stems and rough chop them into small pieces (reserve the stems, they can go into the roasting pan for flavor).  Add the herb mixture and a shake of salt and pepper to the softened butter until it is well blended. 

Starting with the breast side of the chicken, use your fingers to loosen the skin by running your fingers in between the meat and the skin.  This 'pocket' will hold a majority of the herb butter.  Push the butter mixture under the skin and massage into the chicken and do the same on the reverse side, spreading the butter all over the bird and under the skin where possible.  Be sure to also get some of the butter into the cavity of the bird.  Next, drizzle the breast side of the chicken with olive oil and lay it breast side down into a roasting pan. Cook this way for 15 minutes.

Sebastiani Roussanne - great with roasted vegetables

While the breast side of the chicken gets nice and toasty in the oven, cut the vegetables into bite size pieces and all roughly the same size. Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

When the buzzer rings at 15 minutes, pull the chicken out of the pan and deglaze the bottom with about 1/2 cup to cup of white wine (while pouring, stir the wine and scrap the pan with a wooden spoon to release the brown bits from the bottom).  Transfer the veggies to the pan and add the chicken back in, either directly on top of the vegetables or on a roasting tray.  Depending on the size of the bird, it should remain in the oven for approximately 1.25 to 2 hours (follow timing instructions on packaging) or until juices run clear when a knife is inserted between the thigh and chicken breast. For added deliciousness, dip a basting brush in the wine/butter mixture formed at the bottom of the pan and baste the chicken 2-3 times during cooking process.  Also, allow the chicken to rest under foil or a paper grocery bag for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Too hungry to stop for a photo!

Tasty, tasty!  And if it's just two of you like it is for us, you'll have plenty of leftovers for the next night. Do you have a George Foreman grill? Try chicken paninis with fig spread and brie cheese. Yum!

Smothered, Stuffed and Steamed Chicken Breast over Spaghetti Squash

Fresh basil on top would have been great but it was pouring rain, I wasn't headed to the garden!

The rain was coming down in sheets last night so there was no chance of us venturing out.  We hunkered down and went for a new comfort food for dinner, stuffed chicken breasts.  This time we chose proscuitto and mozzarella for a salty bite and then smothered the rolled chicken in a sweet plum tomato sauce and topped it all off with caramelized shallots.  The best part of this dish is that it's a one pot wonder.  A few steps to get to the prize but they are all easy and fun. 


1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 lb thin sliced proscuitto
4-6 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1 28 oz can peeled & steamed plum tomatoes with basil and in juice
white wine
olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
scant 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 spaghetti squash, roasted and shredded
parmesan cheese for topping
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350° for both roasting squash and cooking chicken. The squash should be halved, scraped free of seeds, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  It goes into the oven cut sides up and roasts for about 30-40 minutes until soft.

In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan with lid that can be transferred to the oven, add a whirl of olive oil and 1 tbsp butter over med-hi heat.  Toss in thinly sliced shallots and let reduce until a caramel color has developed, season with a touch of salt and pepper.  Be sure to move the onions around with a spoon so that they all get coated with the butter and have a chance to cook evenly.

Depending on size of chicken breasts, either pound entire piece flat or slice in half vertically and pound the two pieces flat.  Let out that aggression from the day!  Get a bacteria resistant cutting board out and place the chicken breast on top. Lay plastic wrap over the chicken and use a mallet to flatten, pushing out from the center of the meat when you strike.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper and lay 2 pieces of proscuitto and 2 slices of mozzarella over the middle of each chicken breast.  From top to bottom, roll the breast onto itself, tucking in the stuffing and securing with toothpicks.  Try to secure the ends by weaving a toothpick in and out of the meat so as to keep as much of the cheese in the roll as possible.

Once the shallots have finished caramelizing, transfer to a plate to reserve.  Add an additional tbsp of butter to the same pan and add the rolled chicken breasts to brown on all sides.  The meat will release from the pot when a good color has formed...let it do it's thing rather than moving it around constantly.  The idea of this step is to develop flavor, not cook the meat entirely so a 2-3 minutes on each side should do the trick.  Once browned on all sides, transfer to a plate to open the pot up for the sauce. 

First hit the pan with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine and watch it sizzle!  Get out a wooden spoon and scrap at the bottom to loosen all the flavor.  Once the pan is sufficiently deglazed, add the canned tomatoes, fennel seed, red pepper flakes & garlic powder.  Use your wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes into large chunks and to stir the sauce to combine. Season with salt and pepper as needed and let simmer for a few minutes to bring the flavors together.  Add the chicken breasts (and any liquid on the plate) back to the sauce mixture which should cover about 2/3's of the chicken. Add the shallots to each of the chicken breasts, top  the pot with a lid and transfer to the oven to cook for 10-15 minutes.

If you're good, it'll come out a few minutes before the squash is done and it can simmer away on the stove (not over heat) while you shred the veggie into spaghetti like threads.  Just use a fork to work the squash out of it's skin, top with a drizzle of olive oil, parmesan cheese and a little pepper.  Next, top the squash with 1 chicken roll with the shallots on top and a generous helping of the tomato sauce. 

Get it while it's hot, this one is soul warming and you'll be fighting for seconds!

Fresh Herb & Sunflower Chicken Piccata

Lemon and chicken go naturally together.  Throw in some fresh herbs and it's an end of the summer party.  I really wanted to go alternative on the breading and experiment with anything that would infuse flavor and texture.  Sunflower seeds and oatmeal worked really, really well.  So well in fact, there was no need for the 3 step breading process (flour, eggs, breading), I just pounded the chicken flat and pushed them right into the seed, oatmeal and herb mixture. It was clingy enough to stick and browned up beautifully.  The crunch was perfect and the herbs from the garden perfumed the kitchen and added fresh flavor to the chicken. Here's the new, healthy take on chicken piccata...

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat

For 'breading':
1/4 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds
1 packet instant oatmeal
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 stem (about 8-10 leaves) fresh oregano
4 fresh basil leaves
1 sprig rosemary
3 stems chives
fresh cracked black pepper

For sauce:
1/4 cup chicken broth (may use more for additional sauce)
1 fresh lemon
1 tsp capers
fresh cracked black pepper

Olive oil & butter for cooking. 

Preheat the oven to 350°. 

Remove the stems from the herbs and rough chop.  Add herbs to a food processor and pulse with seeds, oatmeal and a few cracks of black pepper until coarsely ground.  Spread the mixture onto a large prep plate and dredge the pounded chicken through the mixture.  Use your tongs to press the mixture into the chicken to help it stick.  In a non-stick pan, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp butter. Once melted, add chicken breasts and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Transfer to a non-stick baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes.

In the same non-stick pan used to pan-fry the chicken, add chicken broth to deglaze. Use a wooden spoon to loosen up all bits from pan.  Slice one lemon in 1/2 (reserving a few rings to top the finished chicken) and squeeze all juice into the sauce.  Add the lemon halves into the pan while the sauce reduces.  Reduce on med-lo for about 8 minutes and stir in 1/4 tsp corn starch and a few cracks of black pepper. Add 1 tsp capers and keep on low until ready to serve. Add more chicken stock to balance flavor if necessary.

Top cooked chicken breasts with slices of lemon and then spoon sauce over top.  The chicken goes really well with rice or whole wheat pasta and a side of steamed broccoli which can also topped with a spoonful of sauce. Fresh, healthy, full of vitamins and minerals! 

What other breading substitutes have you tried?  Walnuts? Almonds?

Healthy, Hearty Veggie Pasta Casserole - Freezer Friendly

I had a request for this earlier and it's something I've made to take to friends and neighbors in need of a little help.  It is a great casserole style pasta with lots of healthy veggies and protein that feeds a bunch or will freeze well for leftovers.  

1 box whole grain rotini or ziti
1 1b ground chicken
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
1 zucchini
¼ cup red onion
½ pint button mushrooms
1 package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and dried
1 roasted red pepper (I use the jar version in oil)
1 clove garlic
Basil leaves or basil paste
Tomato paste
Bay leaf
Olive oil
Fennel seed
Red pepper flakes
Salt and white pepper
Shredded mozzarella
Grated aged parmesan

Dice zucchini, onions, garlic, red pepper and quarter mushrooms.

Start by browning the ground chicken in a large skillet with palm full of fennel seeds and shake of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Do not strain. Halfway through browning add zuchinni and mushrooms and let sauté but don’t overcook since the whole dish will be baked.

For sauce: in a medium sauce pan, add enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan.  Add red onion and garlic, sauté until translucent, add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add tomatoes and begin to simmer.  Add bay leaf, 2-3 chopped basil leaves or 1 tblspn of basil paste and 1 tblespn of tomato paste.  Stir in roasted red pepper.  Let sauce simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Transfer sauce to skillet with chicken and veggies, add spinach to sauce and mix it all well.  Don’t forget to take out the bay leaf!

Cook pasta to al denté.  When done, transfer drained pasta to large casserole dish.  Add sauce over pasta and toss to coat.  Sprinkle mozzarella  over entire top and grate parmesean over.  Bake until bubbly and cheese starts to brown (at 350°). 

I think it would also be really tasty ‘Greek style’ with feta cheese baked in and just the parm on top. Enjoy and make it for someone in need of a helping hand.

Spinach and Chickpea Soup

With that recent cold snap (down from triple digits), I figured it was time for a hot lunch. We just got back from a long weekend away and I had a bag of fresh spinach that needed to be used up quickly. I didn't feel like having a salad so the next best thing was a quick and super simple soup! The base of this soup is really tasty and the add in's can be changed up. However, I really liked the combination of the leafy, green spinach and the protein-packed peas. It comes together in about 10 minutes so its a good one if you are in a hurry. Here's what I put together:

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1/2 lemon (zest and juice)

1 piece of parmagiano reggiano rind leftover from some other fantastic meal

2 cups fresh spinach

1/3 cup chickpeas

4 basil leaves

Start by bringing the stock, water, lemon juice, zest and rind up to a simmer. The rind adds a nice saltiness to the soup and gets every, last bit of flavor out of that pricey block of cheese. Add in the spinach, peas and, at the very end, the shredded basil. Told you it was easy!

Sesame Pretzel Chicken with a Sweet Heat Sauce

I am always looking for new things to use as 'breading' for poultry or pork and, in my pantry, I had just the fix. When we went on vacation, I went a little crazy on the snack aisle, stocking up for the long plane ride and days on the beach. I happened to pick up sesame pretzels at Trader Joe's thinking they were peanut butter pretzels on sale. Wrong! No matter, they turned out to be tasty. With so many leftover though, I was looking for an innovative use and scored with a 'breaded' chicken dinner. These pretzels were multi-grain and packed quite a crunch so I pulsed them in the food processor until they were mostly crumbs, leaving a few larger pieces that aided in texture that resembled southern fried chicken. To pair with the sesame flavor, I opted for an Asian inspired sauce made from mustard, honey, crushed red peppers flakes and rice wine vinegar. Atop snow peas and mushrooms finished in sesame oil, this was a meal not soon forgotten. Here's the fix:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups sesame pretzel nuggets

3 tbsp sesame seeds

1 cup all purpose flour

1 egg

salt and pepper

Sauce:

1 tbsp whole grain mustard

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 cup raw honey

3-4 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp red pepper flakes (less for less heat)

fresh cracked black pepper

Side:

canola oil

garlic clove

2 cups snow peas

5 baby bella mushrooms, quartered

sesame oil

toasted sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375° and start by using a basic breading technique for the chicken. First set up your breading stations with one plate for the ground pretzels mixed with the sesame seeds, one plate for flour seasoned with s & p and one bowl for the egg (beaten). When you are ready to go, pat the chicken breasts dry, season with salt and pepper and then start by dredging in the flour. Shake excess flour off and pull the chicken breast through the beaten egg. The last step is to lay the chicken breast in the pretzel mixture, pressing the crumbs over the entire surface on both sides. I wanted to retain the crunch of the larger pretzels pieces and simplify this dinner so I transferred the chicken breasts to an lightly oiled baking dish and baked them off for about 25-30 minutes.

The rest of the meal came together easily. All the sauce ingredients listed above go into a sauce pan on low heat and simmer away while the chicken cooks, stirring to help incorporate the honey with the mustard. About 5 minutes before the chicken is done, grab a sauté pan, add a little canola oil and a broken garlic clove. Over low to medium heat, add in the mushrooms and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the snow peas to gently warm. To finish, add a touch of sesame oil (a little goes a long way), a pinch of red pepper flakes and top with toasted sesame seeds. Plate the snow peas and mushrooms first, add the chicken on top and then smother in the sauce. Yum!

Grilled Caesar! You've been wondering...

Now I know why everywhere I turn I see claims for 'a traditional Caesar turned up,' it's taste is over the top! This meal came together in about 20 minutes but the flavors were all intensified by the char from the grill.

While the grill was heating up, I prepared bread to make croutons and on hand, we had a most delicious selection to stand up to a grilled salad. Of course we headed over to the SOTJ Farmer's Market Saturday morning and saw THE bread man of Norwood Cottage Bakery. We slept in this weekend so we missed his Black Bean bread premier, however, we scored with a half loaf of Garlic Clove. Perfect for croutons for a Caesar Salad! I took 1/4 of the loaf and chopped it up into large square pieces, tossed them in olive oil, salt and pepper and put them into a 350° oven for about 10 minutes and then shifted the oven to the 'warm' setting to allow them to continue to crisp while I put dinner on the grill.

For the remainder, I seasoned a boneless, skinless chicken breast with canola oil, salt & pepper. Since it takes the longest to cook, I put that on the grill first for about 5 minutes on each side. My grill was topping the 400° mark so it went pretty fast. While that was grilling away, I sliced a large head of romaine lettuce in half vertically so that the root was still in place to hold the leaves together. It was also seasoned with oil, salt and pepper but this time I used garlic salt, it is a Caesar Salad after all. I also cut two lemons in half to place on the grill with the lettuce (on lowered heat) when the chicken was almost done.

It all came off the grill with beautiful grill marks. We each got a half of the lettuce head topped with sliced chicken, the Garlic Clove croutons, parmesan cheese and a drizzle of classic Caesar dressing (if I am only having it every so often, I like Kraft's traditional dressing & dip), and two of the lemon pieces. Now, the biggest kick to this salad is the squeeze of the grilled lemon right before serving. The char from the grill adds a depth of flavor that is hard to explain but it is smoky & tart and because of the heat, you end up getting every drop of juice.

And just a heads up...when I went to get another napkin from the kitchen, my husband took about 1/2 of my croutons off of my plate and added them to what was left of his salad. Needless to say, the bread is that good! For those of you that don't live in Richmond, you may want to visit just for the bread.

Lime Chicken with Polenta Cakes and Salsa

I look for any excuse to use my new citrus juicer from C & B.  There is something really satisfying about squeezing every last drop of juicy goodness from a lime and this recipe gave me the opportunity, 3 times over.

Lime Chicken marinade (for 2 boneless chicken breasts):

1/2 cup Canola oil

Juice of 2 limes

1.5 tsp cumin

dash of cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

I let it sit for 30 minutes before throwing on high heat on the grill.

Before I doused the chicken in the marinade, I separated a bit to brush on the polenta cakes (I just added a bit more canola oil to coat evenly).  I found pre-made polenta in the grocery store that you can slice into strips, the flavor and texture turned out surprisingly great.  The marinade was painted on and the strips tossed onto the grill for about 5 minutes on each side to get some good grill marks.

The final piece of this easy and quick meal was the homemade salsa.  I change my recipe every time I make it depending on what's in my fridge, pantry and garden.  Last night I used grape tomatoes (halved), 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chilis, 1 can of mild chilis, 1/4 white onion (diced), 1/2 avocado, chopped chives, fresh cilantro, lime juice, cumin, hit of cayenne and cracked black pepper.

Um, yum.  Really.  Wanna make it again tonight.

Summer Veggies, compliments of f-ANNE-tastic!

We spent the weekend at my parent's house with my sister, brother, my brother's lady and, of course, my parents.  It's hard not to feel happy and content there, especially when they special order great summer weather complete with sunshine galore and one 'love to watch it roll in' summer thunderstorm.   It's even harder not to feel full when we are home, the Blue Ridge has a plentiful supply of homegrown veggies and herbs and yumminess.  We popped over to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning and ended up with zucchini, squash, green onions, eggplant, peppers and potatoes.  My sister brought her recipe for a vegetable marinade and we finished them off on the grill for a little extra flavor.  You have to check these out!

Marinade:

Olive oil

Balsamic Vinegar

White wine

Garlic

Fresh herbs- we used basil, thyme, green onion tops - some for the marinade and some to top the veggies when cooked.

S & P

Equal parts olive oil and vinegar with a splash of white wine.  Dice up the herbs and as much minced garlic as you like, salt and pepper to taste.

Slice up the vegetables but keep all the cuts fairly large so they can get plenty of surface area on the grill.  The potatoes should be boiled first to soften (don't cook all the way through).  The veggies should marinade for at least an hour but the longer the better.  When you put them on the grill, reserve the marinade at the bottom of the bowl to pour over the finished product.  Top with the remaining herbs and you are set!  The veggies and a few slices of specialty bread were plenty for the ladies but don't feel bad for the guys, we grilled some chicken that had soaked in an equally delicious marinade for the afternoon.

Marinade for grilled chicken breast with skin, bone-in:

Olive oil

Red wine vinegar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tbsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

Marinade for 2 hours in the fridge.  The chicken comes off the grill moist and flavorful (okay, okay, I had a bite).

Did I mention that I love summer?

Ground Chicken and Basil Burgers

Remember how I told you that I am into the ground chicken these days?  Well, last night I made one of the best burgers I've had in a while thanks to the chickens chasing the cows right out of the barn.  For the health kick that I am on, I chose to go with an open face burger on one slice of multi-grain, whole wheat bread.  The burger was so moist and flavorful, the bread was hardly missed.  Here's how it all came together...

Burger:

1 lb Perdue Ground Chicken

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

lots of fresh-cut basil leaves

sea salt

coarse ground black pepper

lemon zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp Oikos non-fat Greek Yogurt

That's it!  It all goes in the bowl, mash together with your greatest kitchen tools - clean hands, quarter the meet (or half depending on your hunger pangs) and form into patties.  Don't forget they will shrink a little on the grill so make sure to make them flatter and rounder than your bread bun.  It also helps the burger to cook evenly and not puff into a muffin top when you put an indentation into the center of the patty.  Grill away!  Ours went onto a grill around 325 degrees for about 5 minutes on each side.

I served this delectable delight on a grilled slice of mutli-grain, whole wheat bread with romaine lettuce and a few slices of roma tomato.  On the side and for more protein and fiber, I also grilled up some chick peas.  This one's easy to and comes together in 5 minutes flat:

In a saute pan on the grill add EVOO, at least one clove minced garlic, 1 can drained chick peas, juice of half of a lemon, 1 chopped roma tomato and at the very end finish with about 5 to 6 basil leaves.  A fancy chiffonade cut to get the flavor going in the basil never hurt anyone.  Salt and pepper to taste and time to eat!

Hope you enjoy these two recipes this summer.  Now that June is almost here, my herb garden is getting full usage and basil is one of the star performers.  With easy recipes like these, I am sending good thoughts to the universe for a bountiful harvest throughout the summer...

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Sage Butter Sauce

New York City is definitely the place to be for delicious food and trying new things.  We got back a few hours ago from a trip to celebrate our 1 year anniversary and I can't stop thinking about all the tastes of NYC.  Hoping to extend the celebration for just a little longer, I thought I would try my hand at a special dinner.  Here's what I came up with:

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Sage Butter Sauce and Pomme Frites

1 large chicken breast halved lengthwise

1/2 cup raw broccoli florets

1 shallot

1/4 cup chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup marscapone cheese

2 tbsp shredded mozzarella

olive oil

2 tbsp butter

6 sage leaves

chicken broth

1 tbsp dijon mustard

s & p

1 baking potato

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice potato in half, lengthwise, then slice each half into 4-5 strips.  Coat in olive oil, s & p and put into oven for about 20-25 minutes, flipping once.

Bring salted water to boil to blanch broccoli (boil for about a minute, then soak in ice bath to stop cooking).  In a separate sauce pan, saute shallots and mushrooms in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, butter and season with s & p.  Drain the broccoli and transfer to a mixing bowl.  Add shallots and mushrooms and mix in marscapone and mozzarella cheese.  This will be your stuffing for the chicken.

Pound both pieces of chicken flat, salt and pepper both sides.  Next spoon the mixture over one entire side of both pieces of chicken.  Roll the chicken from top to bottom and secure with toothpicks.  

Brown the chicken breasts in a little EVOO and 1 tbsp of butter on the stove top in a saute pan that can be transferred to the oven.  Start with the seam side up and brown for about 3 minutes on each side or until a good caramel color develops.  Once both sides have browned,  transfer the entire pan to the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

Sage Butter Sauce

Once you pull the pan out of the oven, transfer the chicken breasts to the serving plates.  I plated ours over arugula for an extra bite.  On low heat on the stove top, add 1 tbsp butter to the saute pan used for to cook the chicken breast.  Add chicken broth (about 1/4 cup) to sauce and use a whisk to work all of the brown bits off of the bottom.  Next whisk in a tbsp of dijon mustard and finish with the chopped sage.  Let the sauce simmer a bit and s & p to taste.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken, plate the fries and you are done! Don't forget to remove the toothpicks before serving...sauteed splinters tend to be a little chewy. ;)