Creamy Pasta Primavera

Sooooo, this is an exercise in finding/creating balance... fresh from the farmers market veggies, herbs, lemon juice, light chicken breast... and pasta, cream and Parmesan. I imagine Lady Justice looking skeptically at my theory of balance. Regardless, it was a gorgeous dinner, and totally comfort food. We needed it after a lovely weekend with my mom for company, a thunder storm and lots of getting business done sorts of thing. 

I based a lot of this recipe on how I make the cream sauce for this Chicken Tequila Fettuccine. It's creamy enough to make for all that satisfying comfort, but not so thick that the meal is overwhelming or too heavy. I wanted a different flavor though, so I added sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh peas, and loads of asparagus. In place of the cilantro used in the original, I used Italian parsley. No booze in this one at all, but a splash of lemon juice at the end was a nice burst and a good tang. The chicken browns up and then poaches all the way through so it stays super tender. YUM!

Creamy Parsley Primavera
Serves 6 in a hearty way

1 pound dry pasta - I used Fettuccini
1/2 an onion, sliced - about 1/2 a cup
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes
1 cup sliced fresh peas
1 pound asparagus, tips and tender tops, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped parsley, more for garnish
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound chopped chicken breasts cut into pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh lemon

In a large pot, start water to boil for noodles. As water boils, heat oil in a large pan (the pan needs to be large enough to fit all the sauce and all the pasta - I used a 10" high sided skillet) and add onions, parsley and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes or until onions start to loosen up and edges become translucent. Take care not to burn the garlic.

Add chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, and brown a bit. Add all of the chicken broth, and cook uncovered until chicken cooks through. Add in all of the asparagus and let it cook for about 2 minutes, or until tender-crisp. 

Add in all of the cream, tomatoes and peas and heat through. Add in drained pasta. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and dish up into bowls, spooning more sauce over pasta. Top with more Parmesan, more chopped parsley, and fresh ground pepper. Squeeze lemon over pasta and enjoy!!

This pasta is totally enjoyed by the whole fam-bam, toddler included. It's not part of the regular rotation, but saved for a night we need something special and comforting. It's awesome as leftovers and reheats really well in a skillet over medium heat.

Things made this time last year...

Strawberry Mint Lemonade
 

Mango Guacamole and Homemade Salsa

Shredded Salsa Chicken

My husband and I are serious DIY house project folks. We've done a LOT of projects in our home and are still working on finishing a few things off. Today my amazing husband powered out the last bit of tiling we needed to do in the kitchen. We had a patch of backsplash that had been just painted, and now it's covered in lovely white subway tiles! Yay husband! As awesome as house projects are, kitchen projects tend to leave you sans fully functional kitchen for some lengths of time. Today I cooked in a corner just the size of my Crockpot. 

This is a super easy Crockpot recipe, great for dinner and perfect for cooking ahead for weekday lunches. This chicken makes great tacos, burritos, and salads. I'll be eating this for lunch salads most of next week.

Shredded Salsa Chicken
Makes 6 servings

For the Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 cup salsa (I used mild this time so my toddler will eat it)
1 15oz can black beans
1 cup frozen corn kernals
1 tablespoon oil
Salt and Pepper 

For toppings
Sour cream
Chopped red onion
Chopped cilantro
Avocados
Salsa

Place chicken and 1 cup of salsa in a crockpot. Cook on high for 2 hours. Turn down to low and cook 1 more hour.

When the chicken is 20 minutes shy of done, drain and rinse a can of black beans and set aside. Heat a pan to very hot and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add corn kernels to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly charred. 

Add corn and black beans to the chicken and cook for the last 20 minutes. Shred chicken with forks and enjoy in tacos, burritos or on salad! I like to top my salad with sour cream, chopped onions, avocado slices, cilantro, more salsa and some hot sauce. Delicious!

Things made this time last year...
Dutch Baby

Chicken Cacciatore

Crockpot Thai Chicken with Jicama and Mango Salad

I really like the woman who does my hair. We have great conversations about being moms, about how to keep it all together, how to stay sane (she's better at this than me) and we talk about food. All the while she does a lovely job on my hair! The last time I went in she mentioned this crockpot meal she loves, and I had to get the recipe! 

I made a few little tweaks in quantities, but mostly stuck the original. This came together really quickly - even for a crockpot meal. Just over 3 hours start to finish. We ate this with coconut rice, cucumber salad and a new jicama and mango salad I'd been working on. It was all delicious, warm, easy, and served 4 grown ups, with 3 extra little meals. 

Crockpot Thai Chicken - from MMM...Cafe
Serves 4-6
3 hours in the crockpot on low

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup hot salsa (the picture shows medium, but I used hot.)
1/4 cup peanut butter
Juice of 2 limes - about 1/4 cup 
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cloves minced garlic
1 inch of fresh grated ginger
1 cup coconut milk - added later
Cilantro and Sriracha to serve

Place chicken breasts in the crockpot. In a small bowl whisk together salsa through ginger. Pour salsa mixture ontop of chicken and set the crockpot to cook on low for three hours. Walk away and enjoy the day.

When chicken is cooked and easily shredded, add in 1 cup of coconut milk and let it warm for 20 minutes. 

Jicama and Mango Salad

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced jicama
1 mango thinly sliced (or if you're me, hacked apart - mango, why do you have to be so difficult??)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro 
1 serano chilli seeded and minced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Juice of 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons

Slice jicama, mango and red onion. Chop cilantro, serano and garlic. Mix together gently, trying to keep the jicama and mango from breaking up too much. Pour over lime juice and sesame oil. I let this rest in the refrigerator for about 2 hours before serving it. Just before serving, add the sesame seeds. It was tangy, delicious, a tad bit sweet, and super refreshing with the rich chicken and coconut rice.

A few things about this recipe...
The chicken was NOT spicy. I think hot salsa was perfect and then we added Sriracha to our tastes.
This is definitely in our rotation from now on! I want to be better at cooking ahead and this will be a great help!

Things made this time last year...
Banana Bread

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Almond Stuffed Chicken

I originally saw this recipe in Cooking Light magazine.  This publication never fails to provide good quality recipes that need little or no modification.  The same holds true for this Almond Stuffed Chicken.  Since this is featured on the 5-ingridients or less page, you know it makes for an easy weeknight meal.  With lean meat, nuts, fresh herbs, and a light cheese, it also gives you a healthy variety of flavor.  This is one of my go-to weeknight meals. 

For this recipe, I pretty much used the exact same recipe that was published in Cooking Light.  The only slight modification I made was to add a little olive oil to the butter when sautéing the chicken because I felt it needed a little more to prevent burning in the pan.  I also sear both sides of the chicken and finish in the oven.   I swear by this method for chicken breasts.  Last but not least, don’t forget to toast the almonds!  I have made it both with toasted and untoasted and the nuttier toasted almonds add so much to the dish.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/3 c Boursin light spreadable cheese (I use the garlic and herb flavor)

¼ c slivered, toasted, chopped almonds

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 ½ tsp butter

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

How to toast almonds: Heat a small skillet over medium heat.  Add almonds to pan.  Stir or use the pan to flip almonds every minute or so.  This will encourage even browning and prevent burning.  Nuts burn easily so watch carefully!

Preheat oven to 375F.

Combine cheese, 3 tbsp almonds, 2 tbsp parsley in small bowl.  Set aside.  Cut a slit through the thickest portion of each breast to form a pocket.  Secure each pocket w/ a wooden toothpick.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat butter and oil in non-stick, oven-safe skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook 2-3 mins on each side or until browned.  Finish cooking chicken in oven until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the breast reads 165F (10-15 minutes).  Top chicken w/ remaining almonds and parsley.

Sweet and Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad and Beer Can Chicken

I am friends with a chef. I real professional chef who directs and staffs and manages a HUGE professional kitchen. I have no idea how many people they serve everyday, but I do know he works crazy hard, makes amazing food, and he's willing to teach me something new every time we hang out - cheers to you Tom! On top of all of this, he's married to a dear friend of mine who's been adding love and joy to my world for 23 years! Last time we had a weekend together he taught us Beer Can Chicken - this is hands down my favorite way to make a chicken. We've cooked this chicken in our smoker, and baked it in the oven. It's moist, delicious and super easy. 

The second recipe is a great way to use up the extra bits of Beer Can Chicken. I love spicy salads, (Lettuce Wrap Salad and this Mango Chilli Chicken Salad are some favorites!)  and this is a great new one for our rotation. Like a lot of my recipes, I upped the veggies. In this particular recipe I decreased some of the oil used in the dressing.

Beer Can Chicken
Preheat oven to 350
Line a baking dish with tin foil 

1 whole chicken
1/2 can of beer*
1/4 cup rub of choice (we've used dry run and blended herb rubs)
*(we've used micro-brew IPAs, Coors and even a giant Fosters for a turkey. All good! I've heard Near Beer and O'Douls comes in cans. I wonder if root beer would taste?)

Pat dry the chicken, remove the neck and organs and rub it all over with your favorite dry rub. My dear chef friend made ours, it is smoky a little sweet, tangy with a little kick of spice. We are so lucky!! 

Drink half a beer and place the can in the cavity of the chicken. The bird needs to stand up on the beer can. Bend the can a bit if needed. Place the bird and can on the foil lined baking dish. Bake at 350 until the thickest part registers 165 degrees. About an hour and 15 minutes.

We baked this chicken specifically to use shredded. Sunday night we made pizzas and this was part of a BBQ Chicken Pizza. Monday I made a green salad for lunch and topped it with some chicken. Monday night we made the Sweet and Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad with a bit more of this chicken. This salad is SO good! 

Sweet and Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad - adapted from A Cozy Apron
Serves 4 as a light dinner

For the Dressing
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut butter
3 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
Sriracha - to taste. We added ours on top of the salad servings since we were sharing with our toddler.

For the Salad
1/2 pound noodles - I used spaghetti
5 oz chopped chicken - about 1 breast
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
3 green onions
1 1/2 cups sliced cucumbers
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts for garnish

Start a pot of water to boil for the noodles and start in on the dressing. In a very large bowl, whisk all of the dressing ingredients until smooth. We added the Sriracha later to keep the dressing mild so our toddler would eat it.

Next chop all of the veggies. I used a mandolin to thinly slice the cucumbers and carrots. Grating them would be just as easy and just as nice.

When the noodles are done, rinse in very cold water and toss with the dressing. Add in the veggies and toss until everything is nicely coated in dressing and nicely mixed up.

Serve in bowls and top with chopped peanuts, more cilantro and some Sriracha.

Enjoy!!

Chicken Parmesan with Quick Marinara

Chicken Parm. It's like the Club Sandwich - it's everywhere, it's on every room service menu in the USA, and I never order it. But, I know it like the back of my hand, and I love it. There is nothing wrong with cheese melted into and then on top of chicken. That's like chocolate on chocolate - awesome. 

Recently, Cooking Light had a remake of Chicken Parmesan and basically it was a portion controlled edition of what is generally a huge meal. I made a few tweaks, and a few changes (non-fat cheese and I are divorced) but the great parts are still great and the portions are filling, but not coma inducing. This is a great dinner, quick to get on the table and loved by the whole family, including our toddler. 

A while back, Antoinette made a delicious Chicken Milanese. Chicken Milanese and Chicken Parmesan are quite similar, just a few swapped seasonings and quantities, but the technique is the same. This is just a great way to cook chicken!

So for this recipe, I made the chicken, and I made a very quick and easy marinara sauce to toss over pasta and to spoon over the chicken. I started the sauce first, and it needs to cook longest, so here's that recipe first:

Quick Marinara
1 26 ounce container strained tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of butter
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small sauce pan, combine onion, garlic, butter and tomatoes. Stir in seasonings and set to simmer while you make the rest of the meal. This needs about 30 minutes to soften all of the onions, so I like to start it a few minutes before I even start the chicken.

Here's the recipe for the chicken... 

Chicken Parmesan - adapted from Cooking Light
Makes 6 servings
Preheat oven to broil

1/2 pound spaghetti (1/2 a regular box)
1 pound of thin cut chicken breasts, or about 3 breasts cut in half lengthwise
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

Start a large pot of salted water to boil. While this bowls, set the chicken breading station - this is a quick assembly line for chicken breading...
Station 1 plate: seasoned flour. Combine flour, garlic powder and salt
Station 2 shallow bowl: beaten eggs
Station 3 plate: Panko crumbs. Combine Panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

First, dip chicken in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Then dip chicken in beaten egg. Next toss chicken in bread crumb mixture, pressing the bread crumbs in so they stick well. 

Once all of the chicken is coated in bread crumbs, start a non-stick skillet to medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. I was able to cook these in batches of only 2. The chicken needs some room to brown well rather than steaming and getting soggy. Don't worry about it cooling down, it goes back in the oven in just a sec.

OK, so cook chicken in batches, about 4 - 5 minutes on each side or until thoroughly cooked and nicely browned. 

I had three batches of chicken. On batch 3, start the noodles - they'll be nicely cooked by the time all the chicken has been cooked.

Once the chicken is cooked, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and top with a slice of mozzarella. Broil for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned in places. 

Toss the cooked spaghetti with the tomato sauce - there will be extra sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. We ate this with broccoli and green beans. Delicious!

Things made this time last year...

Lemon and Caper Salmon en Papillote

Chicken with Melted Lemons - my husband's last birthday meal!

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Stuffed Peppers and Mushrooms - and Cupcakes!!

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Okay, so by now you know I’m on a casserole kick in preparation for the birth of my baby girl.  Here’s another one that I love.  This chicken tamale casserole really sticks with the no pressure theme as it is easy to make, takes little prep, and is a great weeknight meal.  The inspiration for this recipe came from Cooking Light but I made some significant changes and turned it into “my own”.  I hope you enjoy my experiment!

Mexican flavors are highlighted with green chiles, cumin, and red pepper.  The tamale part of this casserole is made from a corn bread mix that soaks up and pairs well with the enchilada sauce.  Like I do for most casseroles, soups, and other dishes that call for chicken – I used a rotisserie chicken.  Seriously, always keep a rotisserie chicken on hand!

Chicken Tamale Casserole

1c pre-shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided

1/3 c milk

1 egg

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

1 (14 ¾ oz) can cream-style corn

1 (8.5oz) box corn muffin mix

1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles, drained

cooking spray

1 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce

2c shredded cooked chicken breast

½ c sour cream

cilantro (for garnish, optional)

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine ¼ c cheese and next 9 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist.  Pour mixture into a 13x9” baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Product plug: I prefer to use Jiffy corn bread mix.  I like how light the corn bread turns out and I also like the bit of sweetness it adds.  As for the enchilada sauce, I prefer Chi-Chi’s brand.  It tastes more authentic and less like it’s been sitting in a can for months.  But you can obviously use whatever suits you best or whatever you have on hand :)

Bake at 400F for 15 mins or until set.  Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top.  Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining ¾ c cheese.  Bake at 400F for 15 mins or until cheese melts.  Remove from oven; let stand 5 mins.  Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tbsp sour cream.