Spring Supper: Farfalle with Chicken and Broccoli

Spring is here.  (Kind of.)

Actually, it has been "Spring" for over a week now. So, it would be nice for the sun to make an appearance one of these days. But, I guess Mother Nature has other plans for us at the moment.

Speaking of plans, dinnertime came upon me rather quickly today, so I scrambled to find something simple yet satisfying to make.

I decided to go with veggies and pasta. So, I put on some water for pasta and browned some sliced chicken breasts in a pan with butter, garlic, and a bit of chicken broth. When the chicken was cooked through, I added in some baby broccoli -- stems and leaves, too -- as well as some oregano, basil and parsley. 

I reduced the heat to low and let it simmer uncovered while the pasta boiled. (I had some tri-color farfalle which seemed rather "Springy.") When the pasta was done, I drained all but 1/4 cup of the liquid from it, then added the chicken and broccoli mixture to the pasta pot. All it needed was a generous sprinkle of salt/pepper and a good toss to combine everything.

Served in deep bowls with some crusty bread and a simple green salad on the side, our springtime supper was ready in no time.

Now if only that sunshine could hurry itself up, too.

xoxo

Spring Chicken!

I've had a love/hate relationship with chicken breasts. They made dinner easy, but they just didn't excite me. It seemed impossible to find juicy, fat chicken breasts that were full of flavor. But, I recently decided to only buy local and humanely-raised, antibiotic-free meat and poultry, and yes it costs a bit more, but wow, what a difference the quality makes! Not only are the chicken breasts about double the size of the usual grocery store brands, but they taste different, i.e., better. Even after 8 hours in the slow cooker and another few minutes on the stove, it's the juiciest, most delectable chicken I've ever eaten. Seriously.

If you aren't convinced, or just can't switch to locally-raised, antibiotic-free birds, this recipe still makes any kind of chicken breast sing (chicken thighs would work, too), and it's an easy, no-fuss dinner that tastes amazing. The slow cooker does most of the work -- you just have to reduce the sauce and maybe toast some sesame seeds for a few minutes on the stove if you feel like it. Add some broccoli and cooked brown rice (like this), and you can leave your Chinese takeout menu for another day. (Note: You should be able to find all of the ingredients at your grocery store.)

Slow-Cooker Hoisin Chicken

Ingredients:

1-2 TBS sesame oil

3-4 large raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts

(if you're using the smaller grocery store kind, you can probably fit up to 6)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup water
3 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 TBS soy sauce

4 TBS hoisin sauce

Red pepper flakes (optional)

1 TBS corn starch

1 TBS cold water

2 cups broccoli florets

1 TBS toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Minimal MESS/ingredients/clean-up: Category 2

To Do:

• Lightly coat the bottom of your slow cooker with sesame oil.
• Place chicken breasts inside slow cooker, and try not to overlap too much. 
• In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, rice vinegar, the 1/4 cup of water, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and 2 TBS of the hoisin, then pour over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes.
• Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours. 
• Remove chicken pieces (which will be falling apart) from slow cooker and set aside. 
• Strain out the sauce from the pot into a large skillet, over medium-high heat.
• Mix together the corn starch and the TBS of cold water until smooth, then gradually stir the mixture into the sauce until blended, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil for a 1-2 minutes until the liquid starts to thicken. 
• Still stirring, lower the heat and add in the rest of the hoisin and another pinch of red pepper flakes.
• Stir in the broccoli florets and the chicken and cover. Simmer until heated through and broccoli is tender, about 3-5 minutes. 

• Gently stir once more to combine sauce, chicken and broccoli, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
• Serve with brown rice or Asian noodles, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Yum!

xoxo

Chicken image at top transferred from Flickr to Wikimedia Commons by User:MaybeMaybeMaybe

Spectacular Sides!

Are you in the merry midst of planning a festive holiday meal? Did you pre-order your Christmas Goose or Holiday Ham from your butcher? Are you stumped on what to serve with the main event?

Here are a few of my favorite winter side suggestions that don't take much time or effort, but will still earn plenty of oohs and ahhs and yums at the table. Note: Each recipe serves about four people, but they are easy to double and triple.

Garlicky Roasted Broccoli and Romanesco
Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli (about 2 cups)
1 large head romanesco
Olive oil
5-6 garlic cloves (smash with the back of a knife and peel)
Kosher Salt
1 tsp garlic powder
Red pepper flakes (optional)

To Do:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Wash, drain, and separate the broccoli and romanesco into florets (keep your stems for future soups or quiches).
• Toss in a large bowl with the garlic cloves, enough olive oil to coat and a few pinches of salt
• Place on a cookie sheet or oven-safe dish and roast for about 30 minutes, or until the florets are browned.

• Transfer to your serving bowl and toss with a bit more olive oil, salt to taste, the garlic powder and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you're using them.

Creamy Cauliflower Gratin
Ingredients:
1 very large head cauliflower or 2 smaller bunches
2 TBS unsalted butter
3 TBS all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups light cream, plus 2-3 TBS
1/2 tsp nutmeg, plus a pinch
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 cup sharp cheddar or Gruyere, shredded
1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
Kosher salt
1-2 TBS Walnut oil
1/4 cup bread crumbs

To Do:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Wash, drain and separate cauliflower into florets.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the cauliflower for about 5 minutes, until just starting to turn tender. Drain.
• Warm your cream and set aside.
• In a medium-sized pot, melt the butter over low heat.  
• Stir in the flour and keep it moving -- stirring for about 2-3 minutes more.
• Gently add the warm cream, 1/2 cup at a time and stir until the mixture comes to a boil.

• Whisk nonstop for 1-2 minutes until sauce has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
• Remove from the heat and season with salt (about 1 tsp), pepper and nutmeg to taste.
• Stir in 3/4 cup of the cheddar and all of the mozzarella.
• Coat the bottom of a gratin or casserole dish with a few tablespoons of the sauce.
• Add the cauliflower to the pot with the sauce.
• Transfer the cauliflower mixture to the dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese.

• In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and walnut oil and top the cheese.

• Spoon a few tablespoons of cream around the edges of the dish, then top with a pinch of nutmeg and bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Nutty Roasted Yams and Winter Squash
Ingredients:
4 large yams
1-2 winter squash
Walnut oil
1-2 TBS Maple syrup
Thyme
Cinnamon

To Do:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Peel the yams and chop into chunks.
• Quarter the squash and scoop out the seeds.
• Place in large bowl and coat with walnut oil.
• Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle with salt.

• Roast for about 45 minutes, until tender.
• Gently and carefully (hot!) peel squash and cut into pieces close to the size of the yams.
• Toss the squash and yams with a bit more walnut oil, the maple syrup, salt to taste and a pinch each of cinnamon and thyme.

Happy Holidays!
xoxo

Fridge and Pantry Treasures

There are treasures hidden in the kitchen, you just have to get creative.

I feel like I'm always buying groceries, so I've been trying to use only the items in my pantry and fridge when cooking this week (no special trips to the store, no last minute stop at the bakery) and it's been easier than I thought.  Here are two meals I've made so far for the two of us with the food I already have in the house.

1)  Peppercorn Pork Loin with Lemon Couscous, Crispy Kale and Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 18-20 oz. Pork Loin (I had a peppercorn-marinated one from Hormel)

4 servings Couscous (large kernel size)

Vegetable stock

1  Lemon

1 bunch Parsley

1.5 lb kale leaves (washed, stems removed and leaves ripped into bite-sized pieces)

Walnut Oil
1 head broccoli (washed and florets separated from main stem)

Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic (peeled/smashed)

Garlic powder (to taste)

Kosher salt (to taste)

To Do:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place pork loin in a shallow pan. Roast pork for about 30-40 minutes, or until juices run clear.  I like mine a little pink, so usually take it out at the 30-minute mark and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. I also added some roughly chopped carrots and onions to the roasting dish to add flavor.
• In the meantime, toss your kale with some walnut oil, salt and garlic powder and place in even layer on a baking sheet.  Roast for 30 minutes or until leaves are crispy, but still chewy.
• Toss the broccoli florets and 3 garlic cloves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in a shallow pan and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes. 
• Note: I put all three dishes in the oven together--and while the pork rested for a few minutes, I cranked up the oven to 450 so the broccoli and kale had a chance to caramelize a bit more.
• Cook your couscous per the directions on the package, but use vegetable stock instead of water and add a garlic clove and 1/2 a lemon to the liquid.  When couscous is tender and ready to serve, remove garlic clove and lemon, then mix in a handful of chopped parsley, kosher salt, a tsp of butter, a few tsps of lemon juice and garlic powder to taste.
• Slice pork and serve with a heaping portion of kale and broccoli and a mound of couscous.
• Yum.

This next dish put the leftover couscous to use. No pics because Chris and I literally stood in the kitchen and ate it all gone.  (Spicy and creamy and oh-so-good!)

2) Pretty Peas Curry with Couscous

Ingredients:

1 TBS Butter

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Kosher salt (plus more to taste)

1 TBS Curry powder

1 TBS Garlic powder

1 TBS Brown Sugar

2 TBS Tikka Paste

2 TBS tomato paste
1 15 oz. can chick peas (drained)

1 cup frozen or fresh green peas

1 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup Crème fraîche (Alouette has a 7 oz. tub that's easy to find in the dairy section)

1 cup Leftover couscous

Rice/Naan for serving

To Do:

• In a large pot, melt butter and stir in cinnamon, salt, curry powder, garlic powder, brown sugar and the Tikka and tomato pastes. Cook until fragrant.  
• Stir in the chick peas and mix into spices.
• Add stock and stir in the green peas. Heat to boiling, then lower heat immediately.
• Simmer for about 5-10 minutes until peas are thawed/cooked, add the cooked couscous. 
• Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of crème fraîche.
• Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. If too spicy, add more crème fraîche.
• Serve over rice, or scoop up with toasted Naan.  Great with cubed chicken or tofu as well. 
• Delish!

What tasty treasures are waiting in your pantry/fridge?

xoxo

Roasted Romanesco

What in the world is this?

I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to food. I've eaten (and enjoyed) various plates of offal, sipped chunky pink chicha, and devoured the stinkiest of cheeses.  But, when a head of Romensco showed up in my recent organic box, I was a bit lost for words.

While it looks like some kind of dinosaur snack or part of a rare coral reef, Romanesco Broccoli -- also known as Roman Cauliflower, or broccoflower -- is actually a variant member of the cauliflower family.  (I am thinking it should have a more prehistoric name, like Broccaulisaurus, or maybe Broccauliflower Rex but that's just me.)

Anyway, once I realized what this lovely green creature was, I decided to roast it just like I would a lovely head of cauliflower.  They're related after all.

I rinsed the romanesco and then cut off the large stem part and broke off the florets into bite-sized pieces.  I tossed them in a bowl with light olive oil, salt, pepper and a bit of garlic powder until they were glistening and ready to be roasted.

I placed them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and tossed in a few huge cloves of garlic that I peeled and smashed, set the oven to 400 degrees and roasted them for about 30 minutes, or until they started to brown and caramelize.

When they were done, I took a cautious nibble...perfection!  Smoky and slightly sweet, with an interesting texture and flavor (creamy and slightly nutty).  It was milder than cauliflower, but didn't scream "broccoli" either.   I served it alongside my Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese.  Tasty! (Chris gave it the thumbs up, too.)

So, don't be afraid to try new things. Head out to your local farmer's market or grocery store and see if you can find your own Broccaulisaurus for dinner.  I hear roasted dinosaur is the hot new thing.

xoxoxo

Chicken, Broccoli and Rice "Pie"

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.  --Julia Child

The beauty and luxury of Central Air is finally sinking in. I've just realized that I can turn the oven on when it is 98 degrees outside and still maintain a comfy 72 degrees inside.  Awesome!  For those of you who don't have CA, maybe wait for a cooler evening to try this one? Or, bring a few more fans into the kitchen area? It's worth it...

I wanted to clear out the freezer a bit, so I whipped up a quick "casserole" using a few chicken breasts, broccoli, brown rice, and shredded cheese that were in there. 

I don't like the bad reputation a "casserole" often brings with it, so I put mine in a pie dish instead. It's not a casserole. It's a pie. And everyone likes pie!  Served with a fun salad of mesclun, dried cranberries, apples, pecans, cheese, and a nice balsamic vinaigrette, this "pie" made for a pretty tasty home-cooked meal.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice "Pie"

1 head garlic, minced

1/4 leek (white part only, washed and thinly sliced)

2 TBS olive oil

4 chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)

1 14 oz. bag frozen broccoli florets

1 10 oz. bag frozen brown rice (look for Birds Eye Steamfresh plain brown rice, or just use about 2 cups of cooked brown rice)

1 8 oz. bag Kraft shredded Italian, 5 Cheese

2 TBS Philadelphia Cooking Creme (plain)

1 TBS goat cheese (optional, but recommended)

2 TBS bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned is fine)

Salt and pepper to taste

To Do:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
• Spray a normal pie plate with non-stick olive oil and set aside.  
• Saute the chicken breasts in the garlic, leeks and olive oil until cooked through -- don't overcook it, you want it to stay juicy.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool a bit.  
• In the meantime, toss your Steamfresh bag of rice in the microwave. Add the broccoli to your chicken pan. Do not cook through -- just heat through until the pieces are unfrozen and the water has evaporated.  
• Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces and add back to the pan with the broccoli.  
• Your rice should be done -- carefully open the bag and add the rice to the chicken and broccoli and turn off the heat.  
• Stir in the goat cheese and cream cheese until incorporated. If you want it more garlicky, add a teaspoon or two of garlic powder now.  Add salt/pepper to taste. Note: I also stirred in some dried parsley and thyme.
• Stir in half of the cheddar cheese.

• Transfer the mixture to the pie plate, top with the rest of the cheese and the bread crumbs, then bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is gooey and the breadcrumbs have browned.

• Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

Yum!

xoxoxo

Other Ideas:

You could also try switching out the chicken, broccoli and cheddar with:

 - Ham, mushrooms and swiss

 - Ground turkey, green peppers, monterey jack and salsa

 - Bacon, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella

Italian Crusted Cod

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

I don't often eat fish on Mondays. Maybe because it always seemed like a Friday thing -- at least growing up.  There would be a weekly fish fry on Fridays at the local restaurant and people would talk about "going out for fish on Friday." But, it was 80 degrees outside and I was thinking summer, ocean, seafood...I realized that I had some lovely, wild caught, Alaskan Cod fillets that would make a nice meal. 

I usually bake my fish with a sauce made of butter, lemon, capers, garlic, olives and tomatoes, but  I decided to mix it up a bit and try something new.

I preheated the oven to 425F degrees and then patted the fillets dry, seasoned them with a bit of salt and pepper and then coated them in a mixture of 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 TBS mayo, and 2TBS lemon juice and placed them on a greased cookie sheet.  Then, I mixed about 1 cup of bread crumbs, 2 TBS of corn meal, 2 TBS of grated Parmesan, and about 2 teaspoons each of oregano, basil, parsley and garlic powder, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  I stirred in about 2 TBS of melted butter until the mixture was moist, then I covered each fillet with it.  I put in the oven to bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the fish flaked easily with a fork and was cooked all the way through.  The first 10 minutes, I covered with foil so the crumbs wouldn't brown too much, then I removed towards the end, so they could toast up a bit.

While the fish was cooking, I quickly cooked up some brown rice (I found a wonderful frozen bagged variety at my grocery store -- you just take it out of the freezer and pop it in the microwave, and 5 minutes later, lovely plain brown rice!) and then stirred in half a package of Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Boursin cheese, some Italian herbs, and a bit of salt/pepper, until it was creamy, then kept warm. To serve, I molded onto the plates in a small mound, but of course since I'm the Gourmess, it didn't quite keep its nice shape for very long. Oh well.

I also still have plenty of veggies around from my latest organic food box order, so I cut up some lovely organic carrots into thin slices and cooked them in about 1 TBS of butter until just tender. Then, I tossed in some beautiful organic broccoli florets, added some salt and pepper, and cooked for 3 minutes more on low, then removed the pan from the heat and covered it, where the broccoli would continue to cook/steam until serving.

It took only about 30 minutes from start to finish to make everything, and I served it with some homemade bread.  It was a delicious way to end a Monday.

Yum!

xoxoxo