Keen-what?

 

You have probably seen the trendy healthy food, quinoa, floating around Pinterest or Epicurious over the past year or so. I spent about 6 months searching for it at my local Giant, only to be met with blank stares from the staff as they struggled to pronounce it: "Keen-what? How do you spell it?" Once I found it, and experimented with it, I realized that I didn't like it. I couldn't handle the flavor of regular quinoa. Sad. It seemed to have great health potential. 

Fast forward 2 years, add one toddler and then a mom who is hell-bent on cramming as much healthy food as possible into his hungry mouth. I decided to try Trader Joe's TriColored Quinoa, just as a last-ditch attempt. Lo and behold, this one does NOT have that icky flavor of the regular quinoa, and I actually really like it! My favorite way to make it is with garlic, onions, vegetable broth and some peas, but I decided to branch out and try a new recipe. 

This Chicken Fried "Rice" is a nice, healthy and filling dinner that is toddler-friendly (even if they pick out the peas, call them "yukky" and drop them to the dog). I made a few changes from the original recipe, noted below, to make it easier and a bit more flavorful. 

Lastly, this blog (AND MY KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) are undergoing construction. Our townhouse kitchen is the original from 1985 and it's just about had it. Cabinets fall off the hinges if you open them too many times, the floor is starting to peel up in the corners, and the overall shelf and cabinet spacing is terrible. So, Brina's Kitchen will be offline for a little while - but I'll document our progress with Before, During and After pictures. 

Chicken Fried Quinoa "Rice" 

adapted from Ingredients, Inc. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup quinoa or 2 cups rice
2 tablespoons sesame or canola oil (sesame is better for flavor!)
1 (16 ounce) package frozen baby carrots and green peas
3 green onions, chopped
2 eggs
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 Low sodium soy sauce to taste

Optional addition: Ginger (grated fresh or dried)

Instructions: 

Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Note: ALWAYS rinse your quinoa in cold water and cook in broth instead of water for better flavor. 

Cook chicken in a large nonstick pan, in chunks, if it's not already cooked. Set aside. Using the same pan, add 2 tsp sesame or canola oil, and scramble the eggs. Once done, set aside with the chicken. 

Heat the rest of the oil. Stir in carrots, peas, green onions, and ginger; cook about 30 seconds. Stir in cooked quinoa, chicken and eggs; cook 5 minutes more. Add soy sauce, and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

  

  

Easy and Delicious

The next series of posts are a backlog of recipes I've made over the past few weeks. They are all quite yummy and more importantly, VERY easy! Some can be made the night before, while others can be thrown together to cook pretty quickly as long as you have the ingredients on hand. Healthy(ish), simple and delicious. #Winning! 

Jaime's Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless chicken breast cubed
1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1 finely chopped bell pepper
4 medium bay leaves
Parsley flakes
1/3 cup olive oil
1 - 6oz can tomato paste
2 - cans chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 cup long grain rice
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
Saute chicken, onion, garlic & bell pepper in olive oil until golden brown.

Add in the tomato paste, bay leaves & parsley and bring to a boil. Pour in 2 cans of broth and again bring to a boil.

Stir in the rice and cover. Let it simmer and stir occasionally to make sure all the rice is submerged. When most of the liquid is absorbed, remove from heat. Keep covered for about an hour, serve & enjoy!

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

Been a wee bit busy lately! New recipes and blogging have taken a backseat to a boisterious 9-month old and a new job. But I'm still here! Still cooking and documenting. Slowly but surely...

These chicken nuggets are super yummy. I imagine that Eli will like them when he's into his nugget-eating phase (instead of just looking like a little nugget these days), and I'll happily feed these to him because they are a lot healthier than fast food options. The dipping sauce was also delicious, but you should halve the recipe. It makes SO much. In fact, I'll halve it for you. I'm cool like that.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries, finely chopped
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 pound chicken tenders, cut in half crosswise
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons cornmeal
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Mash blackberries (or raspberries), mustard and honey in a small bowl until it looks like a chunky sauce.

Sprinkle chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Place cornmeal in a medium bowl, add the chicken and toss to coat (discard any leftover cornmeal).

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook the chicken, turning once or twice, until browned and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total (thinner nuggets will cook faster than thicker ones). Serve the chicken nuggets with the berry mustard.

Carne Bistec

It's been a while, but I'm back to blogging! Just started a new job a few weeks ago, so things are settling into a new routine at home. I do try to cook new recipes for dinner, and I take pictures (bad ones), but it's the posting part that's gotten a little tied up. So, here are a few older ones to catch up to today!

This recipe comes from Skinny Taste, and I had bookmarked it a long time ago. The combination of flavors (cumin, onions, tomatoes) and the ease of the recipe (chop, saute, eat) seemed very intriguing. Overall, I'm glad I tried this, but I wasn't a huge fan of it. I love cumin in my food, but for some reason, I wasn't really into caramelized onions and cumin on my steak. I think I'm more of a red wine sauce kind of girl. However, it was a tasty meal and Alex really enjoyed it!

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs grass fed sirloin tip steak, sliced very thin
salt to taste
garlic powder to taste
cumin to taste
4 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thin or chopped
1 very large tomato or 2 medium tomatoes, sliced thin or chopped

Instructions:
Season steak with salt (skip if using kosher meat) and garlic powder. Heat a large frying pan until VERY HOT. Add 2 tsp of oil then half of the steak and cook less than a minute on each side. Set steak aside, add another teaspoon of oil and cook remaining steak. Set aside.

Reduce heat to medium, add another teaspoon of oil and add the onions.

Cook a minutes, then add the tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and cumin and reduce heat to medium-low.

Add about 1/4 cup of water and simmer a few minutes to create a sauce, add more water if needed and taste adjust seasoning as needed. Return the steak to the pan along with the drippings, combine well and remove from heat.

Serve over rice or for a low carb option with a sunny-side up egg on top.

Curried Chicken Salad

Sometimes, the easiest dinner for us is to simply roast a chicken and use the leftovers for the next few meals. With just two of us (okay, and the scraps we feed to the dog), a whole chicken can get us pretty far. However, there are times when I want to jazz up my leftovers and get out of the same meal after a day or two. So I took this leftover chicken and made it into Curried Chicken Salad. I'm magical like that.

(if you like curry, you'll love my curried egg salad- yum!)

This is a great recipe because you can easily tailor it to your own tastes. I improvised, using what I know of other curried-salad-things, and just threw in a little of this and a little of that.

Ingredients:
Roast chicken, cut into chunks
Approx. 1/4 cup mayo (depending on your tastes)
Curry powder
Ginger powder
Salt
Pepper
Mango chutney, optional
Celery, chopped, optional (choptional?)

Instructions: Combine mayo, curry, ginger, salt, pepper, mango chutney and celery in a bowl, adjusting spices until you're happy with it. Throw in chicken and stir to combine. Let the flavors meld for a little while before serving - about an hour in the fridge.

Lemon Caper Chicken Thighs

So I've been a little preoccupied. Can you blame me? With these 12.5lbs of deliciousness hanging around, it's a little hard to get anything done! Eli is scrumptious and just the sweetest most mellow baby ever. Just like his daddy.


As it turns out, cooking and baking one-handed while bouncing around a baby and singing "Old MacDonald..." isn't as easy as you'd think! Most of the dinners I have thrown together over the past few weeks have either been an old favorite that I knew by heart, or a bunch of odds and ends. However, I did go back to Weight Watchers, so you'll see a lot more of their recipes on here.

This newest addition is chicken thighs sauteed in a lemon-caper sauce. Very easy, and very delicious! I had some boneless skinless thighs to use up, and this recipe popped out at me because we love capers in just about everything. The final sauce was nice and tart from the lemon, and each bite of caper gave off a really good salty contrast. I will definitely make this one again!

Lemon Caper Chicken Thighs
adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients:
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 pound(s) skinless chicken thigh(s), about 8 thighs (buy regular ones, take the skin off)
1 cup(s) canned chicken broth
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp capers (I used at least 3TBS)

3 cup(s) uncooked string beans, steamed or roasted, as your side dish

Instructions:
Coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat.

In a small bowl, combine flour with pepper; sprinkle over chicken. Brown chicken in a single layer in prepared skillet until golden on bottom, about 6 minutes; flip and brown on second side, about 4 minutes more. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside. (If necessary, brown chicken in two batches.)

Pour broth into skillet and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Return chicken to skillet, cover and reduce heat to low; simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and capers; heat for 30 seconds. Yields 2 chicken thighs, 3/4 cup string beans and about 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce per serving.

6 pointsplus per serving

Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs are a really inexpensive and delicious option that I hadn't considered before! I normally buy a whole 8-pc cut up chicken, but these were only $5 compared to my usual $13! How could I say no? I googled around for recipes, and found this very simple one that took about 20 minutes. Or, it would have if I hadn't sat down half-way through to rest my feet :-)

It's pretty tasty, although Alex thought the sauce was a tad too sweet. I may have added too much honey, so next time, I'll cut back and double up on the mustard. The chicken cooks up really easily, so you can throw everything in the pan and just read the next chapter of Happiest Baby on the Block while it cooks. Well...okay, not everyone will do that, but some of us do!

adapted from about.com

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. butter (olive oil to keep it kosher)
1 lb. pkg. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Instructions:
Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add chicken and carrots and cook for 8-10 minutes until chicken is browned on bottom. Turn chicken and add remaining ingredients. Cover pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-13 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Serve over hot cooked rice or couscous.

Healthy Turkey Tacos

I finally let Alex eat Mexican food again. He's so excited.

When I was about 7 weeks pregnant, he mentioned craving a burrito, and all of a sudden, all I could smell and taste was sauteed peppers and onions. And I nearly...well...you know what happens during 1st trimester food aversions. So, from that point onward, Mexican food was banned in our house. I couldn't stand to smell it, I couldn't see it on TV, I couldn't even listen to Alex talk about it. It just kept bringing me back to that *awful* smell of sauteed peppers that still, to this day, makes me gag. UGH.

Finally, about 3 weeks ago, I was ready to venture back. No icky stuff, but I could handle spicy food and to be honest, beans smothered in cheese sounded absolutely divine. So we cautiously tried an old favorite, Tamale Pie. And I was okay. Which lead to a Mexican restaurant. And I was okay. So, I took pity on the poor man and made him tacos last night. These were delicious!

I snagged this recipe from a blog I found, Life's Too Short to Eat Fat Free Cheese. Ain't that the truth? She adapted this recipe from Everyday Foods, and I put a few personal tweaks in there as as well. The filling is so flavorful that it doesn't need a lot of topping options. I used an avocado to replace the creaminess of cheese, and tried it with a little Tofutti sour cream.

And just as a side note, it's impossible to eat tacos and stay clean, so the dog was super happy to catch any drips on the floor. She's a good sport like that.

Turkey Tacos
adapted from Fat Free Cheese

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (I only used 1)
1/2 TBS ground cumin
1/2 TBS chili powder (I used 1 TBS for more kick)
1/2 TSB ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (use more or less based on your spice tolerance)
1 pound lean (93/7) ground turkey
8 oz. can no salt added tomato sauce (I used 1 cup salsa)
salt and pepper to taste (omitted)

Instructions:
Warm oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the cumin, chili powder, coriander and red pepper and the ground turkey. Cook, breaking up the turkey as it cooks, until the turkey is browned — about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the tomato sauce or salsa. Let it come up to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer until the sauce thickens up — about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Oven "Fried" Sesame Chicken

I received this cookbook as an engagement present from my mother-in-law, and I've marked dozens of recipes that I want to make. The only problem was that I put it in the back of my shelf when we moved and forgot about it until last week. I saw the happily striped cover peeking out from behind a Rachael Ray cookbook and I promptly grabbed it. It's a great collection of Kosher recipes, all neatly labeled as meat, dairy or pareve, and it has some wonderful holiday menu suggestions that I'm going to use as a reference for our next holiday meal!

The first recipe I tried was good. Not outstanding, but good. It was incredibly easy and fast to throw together, which I liked. I enjoyed the flavor of the soy sauce with the sesame and pepper, but Alex wanted more kick. I think that I'd try a double-dip next time, along with some more spices, and see how that goes.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (recipe called for bone-in w/skin removed, but I used boneless)

6 TBS sesame seeds (might toast them next time for more flavor?)

4 TBS flour

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup melted margarine or olive oil (if you're not kosher, you could use butter, I'm sure)

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400.

Mix sesame seeds, flour and black pepper in a shallow dish, and pour soy sauce into another shallow dish. Dip both sides of the chicken in soy sauce, and then dredge in the sesame seed mixture. Lay in a baking dish and drizzle with oil/butter/margarine. Bake 40-45 minutes (if bone-in) or about 30 minutes (if boneless).

Passover Recipes: Matzah Apple Kugel and Garlic Brisket

More! Food! It just keeps coming!

It's the Jewish way, folks.
They tried to kill us.
They didn't succeed.
Let's eat!

Matzah Apple Kugel
adapted from allrecipes.com

Passover kugels aren't necessarily the best thing. No flour, no noodles...only matzah, maztah meal or matzah cake meal. However, this apple kugel was a surprise! It was flavorful and moist, and I cut back on the sugar so it wasn't too sweet. Everyone at the seder enjoyed it. The only change I would make for next time is to use a 9x13 baking dish instead. I like a crispy kugel and this didn't really have a chance for that in the 2-quart casserole dish.

Ingredients:
4 matzo crackers, crushed
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup white sugar (I used slightly less)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
3 Granny Smith apples - cored, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins

1/4 cup white sugar (I used about 3 TBS)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the crumbled matzos in a medium bowl, and add enough water to cover. Let stand for 2 minutes, then drain off excess water. Do not squeeze.

To the bowl of matzo, add eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, lemon juice and applesauce. Stir to combine. Mix in the apples and dried cranberries. Spread the mixture evenly into a 2 quart casserole dish. Mix together the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden, and the apples are soft.

Braised Brisket with Thirty-Six Cloves of Garlic
adapted from epicurious.com

Oh, man, this is soo good. The garlic cloves mellow out during the cooking process and become sweet, instead of pungent. The gravy is then finished with chopped rosemary, more garlic and a sprinkling of lemon zest for an extra oomph.

The only complaint I have is that using a kosher brisket makes for a very salty gravy. I added broth, more rosemary and even MORE broth...but it was still pretty salty. Overall, it didn't ruin things, but I think that next time, I'll make my gravy with help from one of those gravy packets...minus the salt.

The low and slow cooking time braises the brisket perfectly, so that it becomes fork-tender and just melt in your mouth good. If you're looking for a good brisket recipe, you can't really go wrong with this one.

Ingredients:
36 fat unpeeled garlic cloves (1 2/3 to 2 cups) or an equivalent amount of smaller cloves, plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic (I used pre-peeled cloves)
3 tablespoons olive oil
A first-or second-cut beef brisket (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry
2 TBS red wine vinegar
3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade or good-quality low-sodium purchased
3 or 4 fresh thyme sprigs, or 2 teaspoons dried leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp grated lemon zest

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan or casserole large enough to accommodate the meat in one layer. Use two burners, if necessary. Add the brisket and brown well on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the brisket to a platter and set aside. (Or brown the meat under the broiler: place the brisket, fat side up, on a foil-lined broiler pan under a preheated broiler. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until browned. Don’t allow it to develop a hard, dark crust, which might make the meat tough or bitter. Move the meat around as necessary, so it sears evenly.)

Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat remaining in the pan and add the garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic edges are tinged with gold. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the stock, thyme, and rosemary sprigs, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Salt and pepper the brisket to taste on all sides, and add it to the pan, fat side up. Spoon the garlic cloves over the meat.

Place the brisket in the oven, cover (if you have no lid, use heavy-duty foil), and cook, basting every half-hour, until the meat is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours or longer. (As the meat cooks, periodically check that the liquid is bubbling gently. If it is boiling rapidly, turn the oven down to 300°F.)

The brisket tastes best if it is allowed to rest, reabsorbing the juices lost during braising, and it's easiest to defat the gravy if you prepare the meat ahead and refrigerate it until the fat solidifies. That is the method I use, given here, but the gravy can be prepared by skimming the fat in the traditional way, if you prefer. If you go that route though, do let the meat rest in the pan sauce for at least an hour.

Cool the brisket in the pan sauce, cover well with foil, and refrigerate until the fat congeals. Scrape off all solid fat. Remove the brisket from the pan and slice thinly across the grain.

Prepare the gravy: Bring the braising mixture to room temperature, then strain it, reserving the garlic and discarding the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Skim and discard as much fat as possible from the liquid. Puree about one half of the cooked garlic with 1 cup of the defatted braising liquid in a food processor or a blender. (If you want a smooth gravy, puree all of the cooked garlic cloves.) Transfer the pureed mixture, the remaining braising liquid, and the rest of the cooked garlic to a skillet. Add the chopped rosemary, minced garlic, and lemon zest. Boil down the gravy over high heat, uncovered, to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Rewarm the brisket in the gravy until heated through.

Arrange the sliced brisket on a serving platter. Spoon some of the hot gravy all over the meat and pass the rest in a separate sauce boat. Watch your guests drool.

Crockpot Beef Burgundy. Délicieux!

After feasting my eyes on Julie and Julia (both the book and the movie!), I was determined to make Bouef Bourguignon. Alas, there is both bacon and copious amounts of butter in the original recipe and I struggled to find a suitable way to adapt it to a Kosher kitchen. Until, I found this crockpot recipe in one of my cookbooks. It's not exactly the same as Julia's sacred recipe, but it's dayum good.

The beef burgundy was a labor-intensive recipe; however, the end result is well worth it. In the slow cooker, the stew thickens into a savory and tangy combination of spicy red wine and tender fall-apart beef, with a hint of garlic, thyme and onions. It's best served with sometime to sop up all that delicious sauce - crusty bread, noodles or a baked potato. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lick the leftover tupperware container.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2.5 lbs stew beef, trimmed of fat and cut into 1.5 ince cubes

3 TBS vegetable oil

2 cups full-bodied red wine, such as a Pinot Noir or Beaujolais

2 cloves garlic

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

20 baby white onions (can use frozen pearl onions)

1 TBS unsalted butter (I used olive oil)

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh thyme, for garnish

Instructions:

Combine the flour and salt in a resealable plastic bag. Add the meat to the bag, several pieces at a time, and shake to coat completely.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 TBS oil. In batches, add the beef and cook, turning, for 6-8 minutes, until browned on all sides. Using tongs, transfer beef to paper towels to drain and then place into bottom of crock pot.

Add the wine to the pan and stir over medium-high heat to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in salt to taste. Add the garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Pour over the beef in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the meat is very tender.

While the stew is cooking, peel and trim the onions (unless you're smarter than me and using the frozen pearl onions). Heat a saute pan over medium high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the onions and saute for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are lightly browned. One hour before serving, add in the onions (either frozen or fresh).

Throw the mushrooms into the pan you just used for the onions, along with either the tablespoon of butter or oil. Saute for about 5-10 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Add the mushrooms to the stew about 30 minutes before serving.

Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves, and garnish stew with chopped thyme. Serve with noodles, potatoes or bread.

Bon Appetite!

Italian Chicken

There's chicken hiding under there. I promise.

Dinner inspiration can strike at the most random times. I was in my spin class, suffering through another hill-climb-sprint-c'mon-push it-let's go-you-can-do-it, when I remembered that I didn't have a plan for dinner. I had defrosted chicken earlier in the day, but was at a loss for how to prepare it. Then, as I mentally cursed my sadistic instructor, I remembered watching Giada make chicken parmesan, and I thought "Okay, I can do that, just minus the cheese." Funny how I think about food during my spin class.

Alex and I both thought this was pretty tasty. Next time, I'll fuss a little more with the sauce, like saute more onions and garlic before-hand, maybe with some mushrooms or other veggies. It's great with a green salad and crusty bread to help soak up all the sauce. I'm sure you could top it with cheese, but in my opinion, why ruin a good thing? It's fairly healthy as-is, so you can make this without the cheese and you won't even miss it.

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

2-3 TBS flour

Italian seasoning (dried oregano, basil, garlic, pepper)

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 jar pasta sauce or 1 can crushed tomatoes

Optional - other veggies

Cooking spray

Instructions:

Take the chicken and trim it into smaller "tender" sized pieces. Place each piece between plastic wrap and pound until thin. Mix together flour and spices and then lightly dredge each piece of chicken. Be sure to shake off the excess.

Lightly coat a non-stick pan with cooking spray, and allow the pan to get hot (med-high). Once it's hot, sear chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side, until it's browned. Doesn't have to be done all the way through, but it will be mostly cooked because it's so thin. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Spray pan again and saute up the onions and garlic for 5 minutes, until softened. Add other veggies if using. Pour in sauce and allow it to come to a light bubble. Add the chicken back into the sauce, turn down heat and simmer until chicken is hot and cooked through.

Anniversary Dinner Menu

For our 2nd anniversary celebration, I made us a nice homey dinner. We toasted 2 wonderful years with our new favorite wine, a rich and mellow Burgundy from Renault Winery in NJ. I know, Jersey wine? What? Trust me, it's delish!

Alex requested a simple roast chicken and I played around with some new side dishes. This roasted chicken recipe is my go-to choice, easy enough to throw together last minute on any type of chicken and it really highlights the natural flavors.

One side dish choice was inspired by a CSA gift from a friend - swiss chard! I had not had good swiss chard in a while, so I was looking forward to this. It's a nice and buttery green, with a unique flavor. It can be cooked in the same manner as spinach or kale, easy enough to saute up with some garlic and red pepper flakes.

Lastly, I tried a new potato dish that wasn't a 100% success, but I'm willing to try again because it has potential. Hasselback potatoes should be sliced veeeeeery thinly, but I was in a hurry and I think that impacted cooking time. Okay, I know that impacted cooking time! Overall, though, good flavor and easy enough to play around with!

Simple Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

8 pc chicken, rinsed and patted dry

Olive oil (about 1/4 cup, maybe less)

Dried rosemary, thyme, poultry seasoning (about 1-2 TBS each)

Garlic powder (optional)

Salt & pepper

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 425 and lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish. Place the chicken pieces inside, skin side down, making sure they are in a single layer.

Pour the olive oil and spices into a small bowl and mix well. Using a basting brush, coat each piece of chicken with the oil mixture, and then flip and repeat. They should be skin side up when they go into the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, basting once or twice, or until chicken is 165 degrees inside.

Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Hasselback Potatoes

Ingredients:

Baking potatoes (one per person)

Olive oil, to coat potatoes (about 2 tsp per potato)

Garlic cloves, sliced very thinly

Salt & pepper

Other spices optional (rosemary, thyme, etc)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450. Lay two wooden spoons down next to each other on a cutting board and place the potato in between the handles. Using a knife, cut thin slices into the potato, but use the spoon handles as a guide to make sure you don't cut all the way through.

Place a slice of garlic in between each potato layer and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Pour olive oil over each potato, rubbing it in well. Put potatoes into a shallow baking dish and bake for about 35-45 minutes, until they are done. Might take longer, depending on your oven.

Sauteed Swiss Chard

adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard
1 small clove garlic, sliced
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS water
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper (really, no more! It's pretty spicy with just a pinch!)
Salt

Instructions:
Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk, discard or save for another recipe. Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.

Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add olive oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover.

Check after about 5 minutes. If it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Flip the leaves over in the pan, so that what was on the bottom, is now on the top. Cover again.

Check for doneness after another 5 minutes (remove a piece and taste it). Add salt to taste and serve.

No TWD, but Southwestern Turkey Burgers instead

I really wanted to make this week's TWD recipe - Cottage Cheese Pufflets. Really really really wanted to make them. This was the recipe that I tucked away, ready to select for my round of Tuesdays With Dorie. I was a little sad when someone else picked it, but since I won't get to make my selection for another year or so, I guess it was bound to happen! Hmmm...I wonder if there will actually be any recipes left at that point?

Well, I planned to make them, but then the reality of Rosh Hashana and traveling for the holiday got the best of me. I didn't have time to work with this dough, as I saw many people commented that it needed proper chilling time after rolling and in between fillings. I should know by now that major baking challenges just won't happen during the Rosh or the Kippur*!

Anyways, please check out Daisy Lane Cakes for the pufflets. And I'll make them soon, I promise!

I did make a quick dinner last night, using some ground turkey that I had defrosted overnight. I got home from my spinning class at around 8:40 and this took about 5 minutes to throw together and another 10 to cook. Delicious! They had a great kick from the salsa and cumin and the cilantro flavor really came through.

Turkey burgers can get dry pretty easily, so I upped the amount of salsa in the mix to keep some of the moisture. Be sure to cook them until they reach 165 degrees, but no higher!

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
6 baked low-fat tortilla chips, crushed (I omitted)
1/3 cup salsa (I used 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 TBS scallions, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 spray cooking spray
4 light hamburger roll or buns, wheat (bun for Alex and a Arnolds Sandwich Thin for me)
4 pieces lettuce
4 slices tomatoes
1/4 cup salsa

Instructions:
Combine the first 8 ingredients (turkey - pepper). Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1⁄2-inch-thick patty.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat the patties with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook for about 3 minutes. Carefully turn patties over; cook 4 minutes or until done (mine took about 10 minutes overall. I kept flipping to get even color).

Top the bottom halves of the buns with lettuce and tomato slices. Place the patties over tomato slices, and top each with salsa and top halves of buns. 5 points per burger.





*Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, for those of you scratching your heads and wondering "wha??"

Campfire Cooking

Cooking takes on a whole new dimension when it's done over an open fire! Alex and I went camping this weekend with some friends, Jeff & Tara. We went to Cunningham Falls State Park, in Western MD, sort of close to Camp David. While it poured on Friday and made everything wet, the rain held back for our actual camping experience. Tara had never been tent camping before and she was a real trooper. Although, I don't think we'll get her in a tent again!

I scoured around online for campfire recipes, astounded at how ridiculous some of them seemed, but fascinated by others. We decided to do foil cooking, which is basically cooking your dinner in foil packets tucked in among the hot coals. I made Hobo Pies for the men and Lemon Chicken for us ladies, with sweet potatoes on the side. Jeff provided the breakfast recipe, which was pretty much the coolest thing ever - Egg in an Orange. I got such a kick out of it. I actually liked the lemon chicken so much that I'll probably make it again, in our regular oven. Mosquitos and gigantic spiders not invited.

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

Boneless, skinless chicken breast (one per person)

Lemon

Garlic powder

Italian Seasoning

Foil

Cooking spray

Instructions

Spray a large square of foil generously with cooking spray. Slice the lemon thinly (unless you really like lemon!) and lay 4 slices down to form a square. Top with the chicken. Sprinkle with garlic powder and italian seasoning, and then top with one more lemon slice. Fold up the long sides of the foil, and roll down to create a packet, tucking and rolling up the sides as you go. Make sure it's well sealed!

Place the packets right on the hot coals. Cook for 40 minutes, turning every 10.

Hobo Pie

Ingredients

Ground beef (or turkey...or hamburger patties)

Potatoes, sliced

Carrots, sliced

Onions, sliced

Ketchup

Seasoning

Anything else you want (garlic, other vegetables)

Foil

Cooking Spray

Instructions

Double up on a foil square and spray very well with cooking spray. Lay down the ground beef and season with spices. Top with vegetables and ketchup. Seal up the edges and roll down to make sure it's tight. Place onto hot coals and cook for about 50 minutes.

Egg in an Orange

Ingredients

Orange (one per person)

Eggs (2 per person)

Foil

Cooking Spray

Salt/Pepper

Instructions

Slice an orange in half, cross-wise, and eat the fruit like it was a grapefruit. Spray a foil square with cooking spray and place the hollowed out peel onto it. Carefully crack an egg into the orange and top with salt & pepper. Wrap up the foil and place directly onto the hot coals. Allow to cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs.

Lebanese Green Beans (Loubia B’Zeit) & Smoked Garlic Chicken

***TWD Espresso Cheesecake Brownies coming tomorrow! I'm going to bake them tonight for a work potluck on Wednesday***

Never go food shopping when you're hungry. I know this simple rule, yet I can't ever seem to follow it. My latest discretion was a visit to the oh-so-lovely Belvedere Square market during a lunch hour, where I wandered past the Neopol Smokery. Usually, just the aroma alone is enough to make me want to lick the display windows, but on that particular day, I was in for a deadly one-two punch. I was hungry and there was a really cute guy working the front counter. He's a charmer, that one. So much so that he charmed me right out of $8 for a head of smoked garlic and a small container of their amazing smoked salmon salad. As my sister-in-law says, that stuff is like crack. It's so good.

Please don't judge me. You weren't there. You don't know!

So there I was, with a head of smoked garlic, just hanging out in my fridge, waiting to be turned into a masterpiece. I was happy enough to spread a bit of it on toast and devour it, but I figured that I should at least try to make an effort for a full meal. Smoked garlic is similar to roasted garlic, in that it become soft and spreadable and a lot more mellow-tasting. The sharp garlic taste is replaced by a smokey, almost sweet flavor that is very easy to enjoy. (If you haven't ever roasted garlic, I highly recommend it! It's so simple).



My friend Andrea recommended a Lebanese side-dish that her husband makes all the time. Mazen is from Beirut and whenever he and Andrea take their family back there for a visit, she posts pictures of all the amazing food they eat. I love Lebanese food, so I knew I had to try this dish. It was a good recipe, but I don't think the smoked garlic was the best choice. The flavor was a little too mellow and didn't really come through. I'll make this again, but with fresh garlic next time!


Lebanese Green Beans (Loubia B’Zeit)

Ingredients:
this serves 6. I didn't realize that and now we have a ton leftover!
1/2kg of fresh green beans, trimmed (approx. 2 lbs)
400g ripe tomatoes, diced or 1 tin of crushed tomatoes (I used a large can of crushed. Fresh would work better!)
3 brown onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
3 tbs olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
salt & pepper

Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté until very soft, around 10 minutes.

Add the garlic, beans, salt and pepper and any dried herbs (if using – see note below), and saute for on a low heat for 10-15 minutes, or till the beans started to wilt.

Add the tomatoes and lemon juice, then bring to a boil.

Cover and cook over a very low heat until the tomatoes form a thick sauce – around 45 minutes.
Season with fresh herbs or salt & pepper here if using them, but delicious as is.


I also used the garlic in a chicken recipe that I just kind of threw together. This was a better way to highlight the smoked garlic, since you could spread it on each bite of chicken as you went along.


Smoked Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
5-7 cloves smoked garlic, peeled
1 tbs olive oil
Poultry seasoning (dried thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425. Spray a cooking dish with cooking spray.

Divide the olive oil over all the chicken and coat evenly. Season each breast with herbs and lay in the baking dish. Top each with a few cloves of garlic, and cover the dish with foil. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until chicken registers 165 degrees. While it's still hot, mash up each garlic clove on top of the chicken and spread around, almost like butter.

Pan-seared Steak with Black Pepper and Red Wine Sauce

This is also known as Steak au Poivre, but either way...Oh. Mah. Gah.

I rarely have steak*. It can be fairly expensive and as someone who tries to eat healthy, I tend to go for more lean cuts of protein, like boneless/skinless chicken or fish. But, every once in a while, the ravenous carnivore inside me demands steak (sorry, Dad!). Alex's mom had brought us a kosher steak and we decided to sear it up for dinner last night.

This simple deliciousness was inspired by Mark Bittman's recipe in How To Cook Everything, with a few substitutions. Alex comandeered the kitchen last night, and I was happy to let him take charge. The steak was perfectly seared, with a few caramelized edges and a really rich flavor. But the sauce was the crowning glory. Oh, this sauce is AH.MA.ZING. Seriously, we pretty much licked the dishes clean last night. And it's such simple ingredients that anyone can make it.

The red wine is used to de-glaze the pan after the steak has cooked, so it picks up all the bits and pieces from the bottom and reduces to concentrate the flavor. We used a Merlot that was hanging around, getting a little lonely. The recipe then called for butter, but we couldn't mix the dairy/meat, so we used a bit of olive oil to create the velvety texture. The flavor of the merlot combined with the meat and some freshly cracked pepper was so complex and....well, words just fail me. You'll have to make it for yourself to truly understand.

Ingredients:

1 8-oz Steak (depending on how many people you're serving)

3/4 cup good red wine (something you like to drink)

Freshly cracked black pepper

Kosher salt

1-2 TBS olive oil (or butter for you non-kosher folk)

1 shallot, finely minced

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 500 and turn on your stove fan.

Heat a heavy bottom stainless steel skillet over high heat until it's screaming hot. Sprinkle with kosher salt and lay the steak on it carefully. It will smoke, but that's okay. Do not move the steak. Sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper and allow it to sear for about 4-5 minutes, each side.

Carefully place the skillet on the bottom rack in the oven and let the steak finish cooking, about 3-5 more minutes, depending on thickness. Don't overcook the steak! It will be a tragedy for all involved. Remove it from the oven and allow it to rest on a plate, tented with foil. The resting period is essential, as it gives all the juices time to redistribute themselves.

Meanwhile, carefully pour the red wine into the skillet, and scrape up all the bits stuck onto the bottom. Turn the heat down to medium and allow the wine to reduce. Stir in shallots and a bit more cracked pepper. After the sauce has reduced by half, remove from the heat and stir in olive oil or butter until it's glossy and velvety. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve immediately. Sop up every last delicious bit with bread or potatoes.

*Get it? RAREly have steak? HA!!!!

Chickity China, The Chinese Chicken

You have a drumstick and your brain starts tickin'

Yes, I know all the lyrics to One Week by Barenaked Ladies. I memorized them when the Stunt CD came out and I was thrilled to have my ice cream flavor of choice validated by my favorite band - after all, if the totally awesome men of BNL thought vanilla is the finest of the flavors, then all was right in my teenaged world. But I digress...

This post is about Chinese Chicken. After I made the TWD Brownie Buttons with orange zest, I had a sad little naked orange looking at me. I couldn't bear to put it back in the bowl because I knew it would just get hard after a few days. So, I decided to make Orange Chicken. But, not the regular full-fat-fried-MSG-loaded-with-goopy-electric-sauce version. I went with a lighter healthier WW version.

It was good, but not outstanding. I was hoping for a sharper orange flavor, but I think I was limited because most of my zest was already in the brownies. I'll try this recipe again, but with a full orange's worth. Overall, it's a good one to try if you want Chinese food flavor without the heavy MSG'ed feeling.

Name this picture...

Ingredients:
2 tsp dark sesame oil
2 tsp orange zest, strips
1lb uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
15 oz Sunfresh Mandarin Oranges In Light Syrup, or similar item
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used vegetable)
1 TBS low-sodium soy sauce
1 TBS orange zest, finely grated, or to taste
2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add orange zest strips and cook, stirring, until fragrant and slightly cooked, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. When the zest is finished, increase heat to medium-high; add the chicken to the skillet and cook until golden, flipping once, about 2 minutes per side.

Drain the oranges and reserve 1/4 cup of liquid. Add the oranges with reserved liquid to skillet and simmer for 2 minutes.

Whisk together broth, soy sauce, finely grated zest and cornstarch in a small bowl; add mixture to pan and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more.

Yields 1 piece of chicken and about 1/4 cup of sauce per serving. (5 points)

Lemon Chicken with Broccoli

Keeping kosher means that our grocery budget is a little higher than the average DINK couple (dual income no kids) because kosher meat tends to be really expensive. So when I found chicken cutlets on sale for $3.99 lb at the butcher, I stuffed our freezer full of them. Normally, boneless and skinless chicken breasts range from $5-$8 lb, depending on where you shop, so $3.99 is an absolute steal. In fact, I wish I had bought more!

I found this recipe hidden away in my Favorites file on my WW account, and I had forgotten I saved it months ago. It was pretty quick to throw together, although I had to add some cornstarch at the end in order to get the sauce to thicken. I just don't think the flour was enough on its own. The lemon flavor should be pretty pronounced, which I like, but silly me forgot to buy a lemon. I was convinced I had one leftover from my Perfect Party Cake, but someone must have used it during the party. Instead of lemon zest, I had to use my lemon extract because the juice itself wasn't strong enough. The extract gave it a good lemon taste, but not as fresh as zest. Next time!

Ingredients:
2 TBS all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt, divided
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
12 oz uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided (I used veggie broth)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 1/2 cups broccoli, small florets
2 tsp lemon zest, or more to taste
2 TBS parsley, fresh, chopped
1 TBS fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

On a plate, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper; add chicken and turn to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning as needed, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes; remove to a plate.

Put 1 cup of broth and garlic in same skillet; bring to a boil over high heat, scrapping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Add broccoli; cover and cook 1 minute.

In a small cup, stir together remaining 1/2 cup of broth, 1/2 tablespoon of flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; add to skillet and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cover and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender and sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in chicken and lemon zest; heat through.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in parsley and lemon juice; toss to coat. Yields about 1 cup per serving (3 points).

Man Food: Meatloaf and Mashed 'Taters

Alex lives for meatloaf. You just say the word and he gets this faraway look in his eyes, like he's remembering his last great meatloaf meal. And then he starts waxing poetic about leftover meatloaf sandwiches...and well, it's just all downhill from there.

I took pity on my guy, since he's been putting up with a TON of low-cal, low-fat, Weight Watcher calorie conscious meals for the past few months, and made him a big ol' meatloaf. I loaded it up with chipotle peppers and jalapenos and served next to homemade mashed potatoes. And then I made him watch So You Think You Can Dance.

Ingredients:
1 spray cooking spray
1 1/2 pounds uncooked lean ground beef

1 cup rolled oats
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced
1 large egg (and as I'm typing this, I realize that I forgot the egg. It tasted fine, but fell apart a little)
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
8 oz canned tomato sauce, divided

Optional: 1-2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeds removed.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients, except half of the tomato sauce, in a large mixing bowl; set remaining tomato sauce aside. Spoon the meatloaf mixture into prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 60 minutes; spoon remaining sauce over meatloaf and cook 5 minutes more.

Slice into eight pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Oh, and did I mention that this is WW? Only 4 pts per slice :)