Grilled Chicken with Roasted Garlic-Basil Vinaigrette and Grilled Potatoes

Pin It Now! I've been so lazy and unmotivated the last few weeks.  I haven't cooked much of anything.  Mr. Wright has been grilling and we've been living off oatmeal, yogurt and other quickie foods.  It's gotta be because I'm 20lbs heavier than normal, sluggish and totally exhausted all the time.  Only 7 more weeks and then I really won't have time to do anything!

At least the weather has been amazing in Germany.  I love that the seasons are so distinct and normal.  I come from Colorado where spring is just a tease as mother nature shows her ugly face with frequent snow storms and you can't expect regular warm weather until end of May. Just yesterday in Denver they had snow, but it is supposed to be 60 by tomorrow.  Pshhh.  Crazy weather.  But here in Germany its a gradual warm up and each week gets a little nicer.  The trees are blossoming with buds and flowers and there are various shades of green everywhere you look.  The temperature is inching to the upper 60's and its just beautiful and perfect here. 

The nice weather has contributed to my extra boost of happiness and motivation.  I decided we should start eating good meals again and spring is such a fun time to cook!  I love the fresh and colorful ingredients that are in season right now.  I found this recipe from Bobby Flay on foodnetwork.com.

  I changed a few things though.  First instead of using fresh oregano, I used fresh basil because its what I had on hand.  I love  basil and wouldn't make it with oregano anyway.  Second I didn't have fingerling potatoes like Flay's recipe calls for.  Regular old baking potatoes worked just fine. Third the recipe calls for white wine vinegar.  I have white wine and I have white vinegar but didn't have white wine vinegar, so instead used red wine vinegar.  And lastly Flay says to use bone in, skin on chicken breasts.  I did have these on hand, but there was a slight problem.  I purchased organic chicken, but I didn't want it so natural that the hairs were still on the dang thing!  Black, wirey hairs.  I'll spare anymore details and will not post a picture because it is just gross.  So I used some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it was still delicious. 

The combination of roasted garlic, honey, basil and vinegar is divine.  The flavors blend so well together.  This can easily be made into a quick weeknight meal because the viniagrette can be made ahead of time.  I actually suggest making it at least a few hours before grilling so the ingredients can sit and meld together.   Grill a few extra breats and you have a gourmet lunch for the next day. This is a definite favorite and I want to make it once a week.  I highly recommend this!

Ingredients

For the roasted garlic-basil vinaigrette:

• 8 cloves roasted garlic


• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar


• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves


• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


• 3/4 cup olive oil


• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

For the grilled chicken and potatoes:

• 12 fingerling potatoes or 2-4 baking potatoes, scrubbed


• Kosher salt


• Olive oil


• 4 (8-ounce) bone-in chicken breasts (skinless, boneless breasts work fine too)


• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the roasted garlic-basil vinaigrette:

Combine garlic, vinegar, oregano, parsley, honey and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and process until emulsified. Stir in the red chile flakes.  For better flavor let sit covered in fridge for a few hours or overnight.

For the grilled chicken and potatoes:

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until a paring knife inserted comes out with some resistance. Do not cook the potatoes all the way through because they will continue cooking on the grill. Drain well and when cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise.

Heat the grill to medium.

Brush the chicken and potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill, skin-side down and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn the chicken over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. A few minutes before the chicken has finished cooking, place the potatoes on the grill, cut-side down and cook until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling about a minute longer. Remove the chicken and potatoes to a platter and immediately drizzle with the roasted garlic-basil vinaigrette. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with basil and parsley sprigs.

Best Enchiladas

Pin It Now! Yes you read that recipe title correct.  The best.  As good as if not better than most restaurants.  Mr. Wright said these were the best enchiladas he has ever had.  EVER.  Which means I will be happily employed and have job security for life.  WOOHOO!  Please try these and after eating them first thank Ree Drummond for the recipe and then you can thank me for taste testing the recipe and insisting you try it too.

Prep Time: 1 Hour30 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• FOR THE SAUCE:


• 1 Tablespoon Canola Oil


• 1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour


• 1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce


• 2 cups Chicken Broth


• ½ teaspoons Salt


• ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper


• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro


• _____


• FOR THE MEAT:


• 1-½ pound Ground Beef


• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced


• 2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies


• ½ teaspoons Salt


• _____


• FOR THE TORTILLAS:


• 10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas


• ½ cups Canola Oil


• _____


• TO ASSEMBLE:


• 3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese


• ½ cups Chopped Black Olives


• 1 cup Chopped Green Onions


• ½ cups Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Step #1 – The Sauce
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

Step #2 – The Meat
Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Step #3 – Tortillas
Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.

Step #4 – Assembly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.

Ancho Chili Chicken with Black Beans and Yellow Rice

Pin It Now! My favorite part of this recipe was the yellow rice.  I personally didn’t love the flavor of the ancho chili, but if you like a smoky pepper taste this recipe is for you. 

Recipe per Cuisine at Home:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( 5 oz. each)
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
½ tablespoon ground cumin
½ tablespoon black pepper
2 dried ancho chilis, stemmed, seeded, broken into pieces
1 ½ cups tomatoes, chopped
½ cup onion, cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 corn tortilla, torn
1 cup chicken broth
Salt to taste
1) Season chicken with oregano, cumin and black pepper.  Saute in 1 tablespoon oil in large sauté pan over high heat until brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate.

2) Toast chilis in 1 tablespoon oil in the same pan over medium heat, 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, ½ cup onion, garlic cloves, and tortilla; simmer 3 minutes.  Stir in broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and return chicken to pan.  Cover and cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 5 minutes.  Remove breasts; puree tomato mixture in a food processor or using an immersion blender. Then season with salt.  I used an immersion blender and would recommend transferring the sauce to a big pot or else it will splash everywhere!

For black beans
¼ cup onion
1 tablespoon garlic
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1) Saute ¼ cup onion and 1 tablespoon garlic in 2 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir in beans to heat through, then season with salt to taste. 

For the rice
¼ cup onion, minced
½ tablespoon garlic, minced
½ tablespoon turmeric
½ cup dry brown rice
 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
Salt to taste

1)      Saute onion, garlic and turmeric in oil in a saucepan over medium heat 1-2 minutes.

2)      2)  Stir in rice; cook 1 minute, then add broth and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until rice is tender, 30 minutes.  Season with salt.

Serve beans with chicken, sauce and yellow rice.

Tip:  Read through the entire recipe before cooking.  There are a lot of steps, but it isn’t hard if you read through all the steps before cooking.  Prep all ingredients together before cooking.

Nutritional Info: Per breast with 1/4 cup sauce, 1/2 cup beans and 1/2 cup brown rice
Calories: 575 Fat: 26(saturated 4 grams) Carb: 45g Sodium: 373mg Fiber: 8g Protein: 42g Iron: 4mg

Poultry Pockets with Sauteed Whole Wheat Pasta

Pin It Now! After watching Food Inc. I have commited to making over the food I cook. (click here to read my rant after watching that movie)   I'm sure there will be times when I may cheat and used processed foods, but for the most part everything I make will come from organic, nonprocessed ingredients.  It's called clean eating and there are so many health benefits associated.   I have noticed a huge difference in the way food tastes when I use fresher, organic fruits,vegetables and meats.  According to Clean Eating magazine to eat clean means to:

Be label savvy
Clean foods contain very few ingredients.  Products with a long list of ingredients are processed and not considered clean.

Avoid processed and refined foods
White flour, white sugar white breads and most pasta.  Opt for whole grain instead.  It actually tastes better!

Shop with a conscience
Consume humanely raised and local meats.

Reduce your carbon footprint
Buy from local farmer's markets and use ingredients that are in season.  It's usually cheaper and also better for the environment.

With that being said I found this lovely recipe in a Cuisine at Home magazine a friend lent to me.  It's easy and delicious!

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh spinach (or frozen is fine too)
2 boneless, skinless breasts, pounded to 1/4" thick, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 large tomato slices, 1/2" thick
2 slices swiss cheese
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4 oz. dry whole wheat pasta
2 garlic cloves, minced
handful chopped chives (save a few to garnish)
Olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F)
1) Saute spinach in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high until wilted; season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and blot dry to remove excess moisture.

2) Begin cooking pasta in boiled salted water according to package directions; drain and set aside.

3) While pasta is cooking arrange chicken.  Layer a tomato slice, cheese slice and 1/2 the spinach on 1 side each prepared chicken breast.  Fold other side of each breast over fillings to enclose, and secure with toothpicks.

4) Saute pockets in 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet as spinach over medium high heat until browned, about 4 min.  Turn chicken over and saute on the other side 2 minutes, then transfer pan to oven.  Roast until chicken is cooked and cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and transfer pockets to a plate. 

5) While chicken is roasted, heat oil in a new skillet coated with nonstick spray over medium heat.  Add drained pasta and garlic, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes, tossing to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and add chives.

6) Return pan to the burner over high heat.  Deglaze pan with vinegar, reduce by 1/2, then drizzle sauce over chicken.

Serve chicken on top of pasta and garnish with chives.

Tips:
Be sure to pound the chicken thin enough or else it will take longer to cook in the oven.

This recipe was intended for 2, but could easily be made for more.  Just use 1 breast, 1 cheese slice and 1 tomato per person and adjust spinach as you like.

Nutritional Info.
Per pocket and 1/2 cup pasta

Calories 556 (42% calories from fat); fat 26g (saturated 6g); Chol 102 mg; Carb 32g; sodium 304mg; fiber 10g, protein 49g; iron 7 mg, calcium 402 mg; omega 40g

Information and recipe obtained from Cuisine at Home.

Carne Asada served with a Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad

Pin It Now! Yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum.  Though this is nothing like the food served at Chipotle, it totally satisfied my obsessive craving.  If you haven't been to Chipotle you're totally missing out.  Best food. Ever.  This dinner was so full of flavor and so delicious that it has allowed me to forget about how much I miss Chipotle.  We'll see how long that lasts.  I found the marinade for the meat over at Simply Recipes.  I love browsing this site for recipes because there is so much variety. The grilled corn, avocado and tomato salad with honey lime dressing is incredible.  You will love it.  I have a feeling I may make this once a week at least. It's fresh, and bursting with flavor and comes courtesy of Jehan Can Cook.

Ingredients

2 pounds flank or skirt steak
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Marinade:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed (best to lightly toast the seeds first, then grind them)
1 large handful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, finely chopped (great flavor in the stems)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

1 Lay the flank steak in a large non-reactive bowl or baking dish. Combine marinade ingredients and pour the marinade over the steak. Make sure each piece is well coated. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for 1-4 hours if pressed for time. (note: I marinated overnight and think that is best)

2 Preheat your grill over medium-high flame (you can also use a cast iron grill pan on high heat for stove-top cooking). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Remove the steak from the marinade. If you are cooking indoors, you may want to brush off excess marinade as the bits may burn and smoke on the hot pan. Season both sides of the steak pieces with salt and pepper. Grill the pieces for a few minutes only, on each side, depending on how thin they are, until medium rare to well done, to your preference. You may need to work in batches. Remove the steak pieces to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

Serves 4-6.

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato salad with Honey Lime  Dressing

Dressing
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic crushed
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayanne pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes cut in halves
1 ripe hass avocado, roughly chopped
2 ears of fresh sweet corn
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Grill corn over medium heat for 10 to 15 mins.  The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy.  DO NOT OVERCOOK!!  Cut the corn off the cob and scrape the cob with  the back of your knife to get  the juices.  Set aside and let cool. 

Add all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn.  Mix well  so that everything is coated with the marinade, but be careful not to mash the avocadoes. Let sit for at least 15 min,up to one hour in the fridge.

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

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One of the aspects of living a more balanced and harmonious life is health.  Mr. Wright has been nagging at me for weeks to cook healthy meals.  It's not that I'm against healthy.  It's just that I don't want to always eat healthy.  I'm pregnant and have desires!  I can't eat good cheese.  I can't drink wine.  I can't eat deli meat.  I don't want to have chocolate and ciabatta bread take from me either damnit!  BUT as I was reading about Feng Shui and realizing more and more how  I want to incorporate the philosophy into my life, I decided nutrition and health is a huge factor of feeling balanced.  If I keep junk in my home (chips, cookies, etc) then I'm going to continue to feed my body junk.  And it's not going to be possible for me to feel my absolute best eating that crap.  I am not going cold turkey though.  I'm just going to be making smartER and healthiER choices. 

So along came this recipe I found on allrecipes.com.  I followed it for the most part.  I didn't grill the fish.  Instead I sauteed it.  Using the pan drippings from the tilapia, Mr. Wright added about 1/4 cup butter to the pan then sauteed some shrimp.  To the mango salsa I added a teaspoon ish of honey and let it sit while the tilapia marinated. At first I just served the mango salsa on the fish with lettuce.  Mr. Wright cut up the fish and shrimp and turned it into more of a wrap.  Boy oh boy was it delicious.  I was surprised at how full it made me feel.  I guess I just figured it would be light, but not filling.  It was filling.  And it was great!  The best part of this meal is how good it actually made me feel.  I had so much energy the rest of the night and wasn't too drained to do the dishes or clean up like I usually am.  I think this recipe is a must try for the simplicity and health factors.

Here's the recipe as it appears on allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 1 teaspoon dried basil


• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 2 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets


•  


• 1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced


• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced


• 2 tablespoons minced red onion


• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro


• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced


• 2 tablespoons lime juice


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, parsley, garlic, basil, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add the tilapia fillets, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.


2. Prepare the mango salsa by combining the mango, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper in a bowl. Add the lime juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to serve.


3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil grate.


4. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Grill the fillets until the fish is no longer translucent in the center, and flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Serve the tilapia topped with mango salsa.

Chicken with Garlic Sauce

Pin It Now! Coming Soon

Beef Stroganoff

Pin It Now! When it's cold, snowy and just plain icky in the dead of January Beef Stroganoff is a perfect comfort food.  It's warm.  It's delicious.  And the weight you gain after eating it can be covered with a sweater :)  This recipe comes from Paula Deen.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds cubed round steak, cut into thin strips


• House Seasoning, recipe follows


• All-purpose flour


• 2 tablespoons olive oil


• 2 tablespoons butter


• 1 medium onion, sliced


• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced


• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can beef broth


• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup


• Salt and black pepper


• 1 cup sour cream


• Cooked egg noodles

Directions

Season the steak strips with House Seasoning, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, quickly brown them on both sides in the olive oil and butter. Remove the steak from the pan. Add the onion slices and mushrooms to the pan drippings. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Put the steak back into the pan with the onion and mushrooms. Add the mushroom soup and beef broth. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the sour cream the last few minutes, right before you serve. Serve over cooked noodles.

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt


• 1/4 cup black pepper


• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Yields: 1 1/2 cups

Honey Chicken Skewers with Corn Salad

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Found this recipe over at Realsimple.com.  Gotta say that the chicken didn't taste how I thought it would.  When I think of honey chicken I think of a slightly sweet, savory taste.  Given the ingredients I should have known it would hav had more of a bbq flavor.  Either way it was still good.  Definitely LOVE the grilled corn salad.  I devoured this on my own.

Ingredients
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and pepper
canola oil, for the grill
6 ears corn, shucked
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 scallions, sliced
Directions
1) Place twenty 8-inch wooden skewers in water to soak. Heat grill to medium-high. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, honey, and Worcestershire sauce; set aside.
2) Slice the chicken lengthwise into twenty 1/2-inch-thick strips. Thread each strip onto a wooden skewer. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3) Lightly oil the grill. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes, basting with the ketchup mixture during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
4) Meanwhile, grill the corn, turning occasionally, until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut the kernels off the cobs, place in a medium bowl, and toss with the butter, scallions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve with the chicken.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Pin It Now! My favorite chicken tortilla soup ever is at a restaurant at the Beaver Creek Lodge in Beaver Creek Colorado.  It is definitly a fancy schmancy super swanky lodge, but oh so worth it!  Mr. Wright took me there for Mother's day a few years back.  I had ordered their tortilla soup and it was creamy, tasty and pure heavenly bliss.  This tortilla soup recipe isn't creamy, but it is SO good! Garnish with some cheese and sour cream and you've got yourself one yummy dinner.  It tastes great leftover and the leftover chicken can be used to make chicken quesdadilla's for dinner the next night.  Enjoy!

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup chunky salsa

8 ounces corn tortilla chips

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

Directions

1. In a large stock pot get some water boiling (enough to cover chicken breasts).  Throw in 1-2 cloves of garlic and boil until chicken is cooked through, about 10 min. Remove the pot from burner and place  chicken on a plate and shred with two forks.  


2. Pour the water out of the pot. Return stock pot back to burner over medium heat.  Add olive oil and sautee onion until tender.  Add the garlic and sautee for 15 seconds then add the cumin, chili powder and shredded chicken and mix well. Then add the broth, corn, lemon juice, diced jalapeno and salsa. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.


3. Break up some tortilla chips into individual bowls and pour soup over chips. Top with the Monterey Jack cheese and a little sour cream.

Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Tortilla-Soup-V/Detail.aspx

Chicken Cacciatore

Pin It Now! The first time I ever had this was our first night back in Colorado after living in Hawaii for a year.  Baby Wright was a month old and we had been on a flight for 6 hours and with the time change were simply exhausted.  Our amazing friends, best friends actually, took care of us.  Louis made this for dinner and it was the first home cooked meal we had had in who knows how long.  (when we lived in Hawaii cooking was not something I excelled in.  I couldn't even make eggs.  Clearly I've learned a lot since then).  This meal tastes like home.  It's fresh.  It's wholesome.  It's delicious.  It's just damn good.  And this was my first time eating Louis' cooking.  Louis probably doesn't know it, but he really inspired me to become more interested in cooking and I learned some of the most basic things from him.  I couldn't find the recipe he made that night, but this version from Giada de Laurentis is pretty damn close and tasted just as good.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs


• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste


• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste


• 1/2 cup all purpose flour, for dredging


• 3 tablespoons olive oil


• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped


• 1 large green bell pepper chopped


• 1 onion, chopped


• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped


• 3/4 cup dry white wine


• 1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice


• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth


• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves


• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side.  Don't cook all the way through.  They will finish cooking in the sauce.  If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell peppers, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve with rice or pasta.

*Note Giada's recipe uses chicken breasts with the bone and chicken thighs.  Her recipe also doesn't include green bell peppers.

P.F Changs' Mongolian Beef

Pin It Now! I'm 5 months pregnant living in Germany.  German has an abundance of brats, potatoes, typical German food, Turkish food and Italian food.  But there is no chinese food worthy of mentioning (that I have found anyway).  Which is why it's a good thing cooking has become such a huge interest for me.  Because if I didn't like cooking I'd starve and be the grouchiest person alive.  Back home there are several chinese takeout places I love.  But P.F Changs has the best mongolian beef hands down. And a few weeks ago I had a strong, strong craving.  I found a recipe from Chaos in the Kitchen.  If you haven't been to her blog, check it out.  It's one of my go to's for recipe ideas.  Anyway it came out really good.  I think if the meat was marinated it would taste way closer to the Changs version.  And perhaps a better cut of meat.  The commissary overseas has a minimal selection to choose from, so I use what I'm given.  Anyway definitely worth a try and will make again.

• 2 lbs flank or skirt steak


• 1/4 cup corn starch


• 2 tsp vegetable or peanut oil


• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced


• 1 tbsp garlic, minced


• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce


• 1/2 cup water


• 1/2-3/4 cup dark brown sugar


• 1 cup vegetable or peanut oil


• 8 oz button mushrooms, quartered if large


• 1 bunch green onions, green part only, cut in half

1. Trim all fat and silver skin from meat.  Lay steaks out horizontally on the cutting board.  The grain in running vertically.  Make several vertical cuts to slice the slab into manageable sized pieces.  Then cut the meat opposite the grain (horizontal) into two bite-sized pieces.  Cut with your blade at a 45° angles to get wide diagonal slices.


2. Dust steak pieces lightly in cornstarch and set aside while preparing the sauce.


3. In a small sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat.  Add ginger and garlic.


4. Add soy sauce and water to the ginger and garlic before it browns.


5. Add brown sugar and whisk until dissolved.


6. Bring sauce to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and reserve.


7. In a large skillet or wok heat 1 cup oil over medium high heat.


8. Working in batches, add the steak a few at a time to the hot oil.  Cook about 1 minute without touching the meat then flip each piece and cook 1 minute more.


9. Remove meat while still rare inside, and continue with next batch.


10. Once all meat is browned, pour off oil and wipe out skillet.


11. Heat skillet over high heat and add mushrooms.


12. Cook without stirring a couple of minutes or until mushrooms are slightly softened and browned.  Reserve.


13. Add steak to the hot pan and cook about 1 minute.


14. Add sauce to the pan and simmer and toss meat and sauce about 1 minute.


15. Add mushrooms and green onions.  Toss with steak and sauce and heat 1 minute.


16. Use tongs to remove meat and veggies to a serving dish, leaving excess sauce in the pan.  Serve over rice.

Use a very light dusting of cornstarch when breading the steak pieces.  This process is referred to "velveeting" and gives the meat that perfect texture.  If there is too much cornstarch you will get a Swiss steak texture instead of a good sear. 

Don't let the steps or ingredients turn you off.  It's actually a pretty simple recipe. Just be sure to prep your food and read over the directions in your head before cooking.

Thai Beef Salad

Pin It Now! For those of you trying to be healthier this year, this recipe from Ellie Krieger is a  MUST.  I am completely impressed with not only how easy this recipe was, but also with how delicious it tasted.  Fresh, healthy and full of antioxidants.  I suppose I assumed healthy meant less flavor.  But this recipe proved me wrong!  Given it is the New Year and many people have resolutions to lose weight and be healthy, I encourage you to give this recipe a try!

Ingredients

• 1 pound top-round London broil or flank steak, about 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick


• 3 tablespoons lime juice, divided


• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce


• 3 tablespoons canola oil


• 2 tablespoon brown sugar


• 1 teaspoon minced garlic


• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger


• 1 1/4 teaspoons red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce


• 1/2 head red-leaf lettuce, torn (about 6 cups)


• 3 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup), divided, for garnish


• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed and dried


• 1 cup basil leaves, sliced into ribbons

Directions

Rinse and pat the meat dry. Place in a sealable plastic bag or small glass dish. In a medium bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, soy sauce, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and red curry paste. Pour half the mixture into the bag with the meat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice to the bag. Seal tightly, and marinate meat in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Reserve the rest of the mixture refrigerated, to dress the salad.

Spray grill or grill pan with cooking spray and preheat. Grill steak until medium-rare, about 5 minutes per side, depending on desired doneness. Let rest until room temperature then slice thinly against the grain.

Combine lettuce, sliced shallot, cilantro, basil and beef in a salad bowl, reserving a few shallots for garnish. Add the reserved dressing and toss to coat. Divide salad among 4 plates and garnish with reserved sliced shallots.