Gnocchi

One word: Gnocchi.  Delicious, filling pillows of awesomeness. (oh yea- pronounced roughly knee-aw-kee)

Gnocchi are basically Italian dumplings.  Traditionally made with potatoes, but also can be made with ricotta cheese (among other things).  They look intimidating, right? Wrong- probably one of the easiest pasta's you can make.  Have you ever watched that show that only needs 5 ingredients for her recipes? Well yea- this only needs 4 ingredients- FOUR- that is it.

It might not be the quickest dinner- but the whole process took me about 1-1 1/2 hours (and I was taking my sweet time).  That is also including boiling the potatoes.  You can eat the gnocchi straight from the water after boiling, but they are SO MUCH better fried in a bit of butter/oil after to get that crusty exterior. 

Have you ever bought fresh gnocchi in the store? Well you will never again- it probably cost me around $2 to make all this pasta- which would probably be around 3-4 store bought packages. Saving money AND making something downright impressive. Score.

To pair off the gnocchi I made quick blanched then sauteed string beans with pine nuts in garlic butter/oil sauce.  It is a good texture trade off and the flavors are clean and simple.

Best part is that if you have any left over you just lay out on a sheet tray, freeze them, then into a zip lock bag and you have a quick easy dinner ready to go whenever!  *Go ahead and pat yourself on the back after making this recipe*

**IMPORTANT**
Other quick thoughts: You don't need a ricer, I used a cheese grater (which I assume most people have- just use the larger holes because the smaller ones don't work as well), and if you really don't have a box cheese grater- you can always just mash the potatoes.  The potatoes I guessed on the weight- I have pics though. The flour will vary, I started with 1/3 of a cup then worked my way up to 2/3 cup, 1 cup etc.

I also skipped the "making ridges" part- which is a thing to do because the ridges hold sauce onto the pasta- butttttt the technique wasn't working with my dough- so for the first time making gnocchi I decided to cut my losses and not do the ridges.

Gnocchi

Ingredients

• about 2lbs of potatoes (use Russets)
• about 1 cup of flour
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions (also see pictures below)

1. Peel your potatoes. Put in a pot, cover with cold water, add a tbsp of salt to the water and bring to a boil. 
2. When the potatoes are tender, drain(time will vary on size of potatoes). You can tell when they are done when you can stick a fork in the potato and it slides off the fork clean.  (You can also bake in the oven, but I felt boiling would be faster).
3. While they are cooling, get your station set up- get a large pot of water to boil for later and also a large sheet pan dusted in flour to lay your gnocchi after you cut them.
4. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, grate them on the large holes of your box grater (or rice them, if you are cool enough to own one of these fascinating ricer devices).
5. Add the grated potatoes to a large bowl.  Add your salt and egg.
6. Then add the flour, I started by adding 1/3 cup at a time- you don't want to add too much flour, so start with a little, see the texture, then add more if it is still sticky.  Making this "dough" will seem odd and feel a little weird because it is potatoes.  But the dough will come together and finally be able to form a ball.
7. Turn out the ball onto a floured work surface and cut into 8 pieces (ya know- like you would cut a pizza).
8. Always make sure your surface is floured- So then take one section at a time and roll into a log, I would say roughly about a little fatter then your thumb.  Then cut into 1 inch pieces and then transfer to your floured baking sheet.  
9. Repeat will all sections of your dough.
10. When all your gnocchi are done, salt the boiling water and add in batches- don't over crowd the pot.  When they float to the top they are done!  When they float to the top be sure to take them out right away, if you leave them in the water too long they will disintegrate.
11. Serve with your favorite sauce!  Lighter sauces work better with these delicate pillow pastas.

I included the fork in the pic so you can see the size of the potatoes

Set up your workstation

Gnocchi w/ String Beans and Pine Nuts in a Lemon Garlic Sauce

• about 1lb of string beans cleaned and trimmed
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp of pine nuts
• 2 tbsp of oil
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1 lemon
• pecorino cheese

1. In a small skillet, add the pine nuts and toast for a minute or so on med-low heat.  Remove from heat and reserve.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter. Smash the garlic cloves (but try and keep them intact) and add to the oil.  When lightly golden, remove the garlic cloves. 
3. Add the gnocchi in batches to the hot oil and pan fry until golden on one side then flip over and brown on the other.
4. Take out and let drain on paper towels, continue working in batches until all are browned.  
5. Blanch the string beans first (I just threw them in the left over pasta water for a minute) then add to the left over garlic oil and saute until tender but still crisp.  
6. Zest the lemon over the string beans and toss to coat.
7. Gently toss the gnocchi and string beans together.  Top with pine nuts and grated pecorino cheese.

Greek Pizza for Foodie Friends Friday

Go check out Foodie Friends Friday!  The Link Party is where members all link up and share recipes from their blogs :)

Just another version of awesome pizzaness!

Toppers: Chicken, Baby Arugula, Onion, Peppers, Garlic, Tomato slices, Feta Cheese

First get your dough ready:

Dough Recipe

Oven should be the highest it can go- mine goes to 550 degrees F.  Let it preheat, along with your pizza stone if you have one (and if you don't just use a pizza pan or baking sheet)

Ingredients

• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small bite sized pieces
• 1 large tomato sliced
• 2 large handfuls of baby arugula
• 1/2 pepper, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• a fist sized piece of feta cheese, crumbled
• salt, pepper and red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a skillet saute the chicken breast and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
2. When cooked through remove from skillet and reserve.  Then add half an onion, half a pepper (I used green bell pepper) and garlic.  Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. When the dough is ready roll out and lay on your stone/pan.  Then layer your sliced tomatoes, chicken, pepper onion mixture, arugula and then finally the cheese.
4. Cook for about 12 minutes and always keep an eye on it- because sometimes it will cook faster or slower depending on crust thickness and oven temps.
5. When it came out I drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and let cool a couple minutes then slice and serve!

You can also top with some olives- yum.

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Last Weeks Top 3 Voted Recipes

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3. Spatulas on Parade with Sock It To Me Cake

Last Weeks Top 3 with for Most Clicks Are:

1. Spatulas on Parade for the Sock It To Me Cake

2. Chef Picky Kid for the Teriyaki Pulled Chicken

3. Country Girl at Home with the Chocolate Gravy

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Weeknight Pasta w/ Simple Garlic & Oil Sauce

So after work I usually hit the gym and by the time I get home it is kind of late to be eating dinner- especially since the soon-to-be hubs has to wake up at 5am for work.  So this is a quick pantry made pasta dinner that you can either eat by itself or through in some chicken to round the mean out with some more protein.

This recipe is as easy as boiling water and heating up some garlic but with a couple extras thrown in- it was SUPER delicious- and when I say super- yea, I mean it. Super like Brendan had three servings. Yea, as I said, super delicious. But yet super simple! Impressive and delicious. Boom.

*Now, when you are reading the directions this ingredient might freak you out.  But stop being such a wussy! Have you ever even tried anchovies? (For all the people that said "yes, on a pizza"- you don't count because that is probably the worst way people know it and obviously get turned off by it.) So in a different question- have you ever cooked with anchovies? Believe me, I guarantee you, you will not even taste them.  It will not taste fishy.  When anchovies are heated, especially in oil they dissolve and disappear into the oil and just become a flavor- sort of like a salty nutty flavor.  It adds so much depth of flavor into this sauce.  You really don't want to skip it; it's the secret ingredient that makes it special, but still an easy weeknighter recipe.  I told Brendan they were in it and he said "ew"- then he had three servings.

But for all the haters and wussies out there- if you must substitute I guess you could use a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce (which anchovies are one of the ingredients in that sauce, so if you've used it before- you've had anchovies).

Ingredients

• 1 lb of pasta of your choice (I chose whole wheat rotini)
• about two cups of broccoli (I had some in the freezer)
• 1/4 cup of oil (I used extra virgin, you could also use regular olive)
• 4 garlic cloves, grated or minced
• 4 anchovy fillets*
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 1 tbsp of red pepper flakes (yes, this is a lot- if you want less spice start with a heavy tsp)
• pinch of salt (bc anchovies and cheese will add salt)
• freshly cracked pepper
• 3/4-1 cup of pasta water (so remember don't dump it before reserving a cup)
• 1 cup of pecorino or parm, shredded or grated

Directions

1. Boil water for the pasta.
2. If you have frozen broccoli- defrost in the microwave. If fresh we will wait to blanch in pasta water at the end.
3. Heat a sauce pot over medium low heat and add the oil, garlic and anchovies.  You can add the anchovies whole, they will eventually just dissolve into the hot oil.  Do not let this burn, just gently bubble and heat up for a couple minutes so the oil gets flavored.
4. After the anchovies "disappear" and the garlic slightly golden.  Turn the heat to low and add the lemon juice and zest along with the red pepper flake, salt and pepper.
5. Keep on low heat for flavors to marry for about 5 minutes.
6. Meanwhile when water boils, salt the water and drop your pasta.  I semi-defrosted my frozen broccoli, so about 2 minutes before the pasta was done I added the broccoli to the boiling water.  If you are using fresh you would do the same- drop into boiling water just a couple minutes before the pasta is done.
7. RESERVE your pasta water!  Add it to the sauce pot and mix to combine.
8. Drain pasta and broccoli and add to a large boil for mixing.  Then top and toss with your sauce. 
9. Top with shredded cheese and serve!  You can also add a bit of cheese and toss with pasta to add more body to the sauce.

I served this alongside some pan fried boneless skinless chicken breasts simply seasoned with salt and pepper.

Lemon Basil Penne

Oh this was so good.  Simple to make too. Serve along side some thin grilled cutlets for a quick weeknight meal!

Ingredients

• 3 lemons, juice (and zest of 2)
• 1 cup of cheese- I used pecorino, but you could use parm or even mozzarella
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp of butter (I used I can't believe it's not butter)
• 1/2 cup of low fat milk (I used 1%)
• 1 tsp of cornstarch
• about 1 lb of asparagus
• about 20 basil leaves, chiffonade (aka cut into ribbons)*
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb box of penne pasta (using whole wheat is even better!)

Directions

1. Get water boiling for your pasta.
2. In a small sauce pot add the butter and the garlic.  Cook that on low for a couple minutes to let the butter infuse with the garlic flavor.
3. Then add the lemon juice and zest. (Note: the garlic may turn green/blueish color- don't worry it is just reacting to the acid in the juice)
4. Side note: Never let this sauce come to a boil
5. While the lemon juice is heating through add the tsp of cornstarch to your low fat milk- if you are using cream or whole milk this step is unnecessary.  Stir until combined and then add to the pot while whisking. 
6. Quickly add the cheese and whisk until combined.  Taste it- see if you want to add more salt, add pepper if desired.  When that is all heated through and a creamy sauce consistency, turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
7. When the water boils add salt and then your pasta. 
8. Cut your asparagus into short pieces, similar to the size of the penne.  When the pasta is almost done add the asparagus to the water and let the pasta and asparagus finishing cooking together.
9. Drain pasta/asparagus and add to a large serving bowl.  Pour the sauce on top and add basil- mix until everything is combined.
10. You can add a bit of extra virgin olive oil and more cheese on top if desired.

*To chiffonade basil stack up all the leaves and roll them up into a little log.  Then slice.  You will end up with pretty ribbons.

Hummus

Totally had a hummus craving.  Luckily for me I have about 100 cans of chick peas in my pantry for some reason.  My girl Dee just posted her recipe up on her new blog Deeliciously Healthy Eats so feel free to check that out too for more inside tips, tricks and pointers about hummus and how to make it.  I also promised my sister's bff that I would post this for her.  (Don't worry Maria next time I will bring hummus for you). 

Hummus is an amazing snack in moderation because it is high in fat- boo.  (Vanessa: Sorry, you are right, I forgot to mention that they are good fats like in avocados and such) You can customize hummus in many different ways too- toss in roasted red peppers, spinach, salsa, chipolte, cayenne and the list goes on.  I actually grated up some seedless cucumber and added it.  So fresh and delicious.

Ingredients

• 5 tsp of tahini paste (this is ground up sesame seeds, look for it in Asian markets or in the international food aisle.  I have also spotted this where the jellys or nuts are sometimes)
• 1 can of chick peas (aka garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 2 tsp of salt
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1/2-1/4 cup of water
• extra virgin olive oil (for garnish)

Directions

1. In a food processor or blender add everything except the water.  Buzz it up until it breaks down a bit.  Add 1/4 cup of water to start.  Check consistency and taste.  Thinner just add more water.  The consistency will vary depending on how much lemon juice the lemon gave you or other flavor ingredients you used.  You can eat right away or leave in the fridge to let the flavors marry a bit more.  You can garnish by drizzling the top with a bit of oil, but that is up to you.

Grilled Chicken w/ Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Sauce

Super excited for this weekend! The future hubby and I are driving down to West Virginia to the Summit Point Motorsports Park for our first track day together of the year!  Going for the whole weekend means a lot of food prep and BBQ'n!  This week has been a clean out the fridge week because we will be gone close to five days or so.  First one was the Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, then I made a rice, chicken and veggie casserole topped with cheddar cheese, and now this (plus the pearl barley summer salad)!

Will try and have a good portion of the weekend documented- for easy portable grill recipes and just so you guys can see what we do on our free time lol.

Not only is this recipe super easy AND healthy but it's basically a no cooking involved one. Perfect for those hot summer days/nights.

For the chicken I just season boneless skinless chicken breasts with some salt and pepper and throw on the grill, here's the sauce you top it off with (which is a no cook)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of non fat plain yogurt
• 1 roasted red pepper
• 1 garlic clove, grated or pasted
• pinch of fresh thyme
• pinch of lime or lemon zest (if making the pearl barley salad too you use the juice of this there)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of red pepper flake
• freshly cracked pepper

Directions

1. Put everything into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. If too thick add a splash of milk, water, or citrus juice.
3. If too thin add more yogurt.
4. Serve over grilled chicken and alongside the Pearl Barley Summer Salad.

Beef Stew (in the Slow Cooker)

 I love the slow cooker aka crock pot.  I purchased the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go one with the sealable lid and probe thermometer.  Honestly never used the thermometer but this cooker is amazing.  Has a great easy to use display and came with a spoon that snaps onto the lid.  Anyway, after I bought it I used it a lot, then I kind of dropped off a bit, but now its back!  I already made pulled pork with beans and this incredible beef stew.  It always reminds me of my grandma- she used to make this (on the stove top) and the smells always take me back.  Even my mom cooked this in the slow cooker and threw it over some buttery egg noodles- no one can resist.  My fiance says he likes it better when I don't use the slow cooker- but his tone turned around when I broke out this recipe. 

Slow cooker recipes are great because you prep the night before and then just turn on in the morning before work and you have dinner already made.  Just boil some water for the egg noodles and you are set!

Ingredients

• 1 bag of wide egg noodles
• handful of parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)
• about 2 pounds of stew beef chunks- they are called different things in the store- most likely it has the word stew on it.
• 3 carrots, chopped into big pieces
• 3 ribs of celery, sliced into big pieces (use the leafy tops too!)
• 1 large onion, sliced or chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, smashed or chopped
• 2-3 bay leaves
• pinch of dried or fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tsp dried sage (or 1-2 fresh leaves, chopped)
• 3 beef bouillon cubes (Instead of this & water you could just use 3 cups of stock)
• 3 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of dry red wine
• 1-2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• lots of freshly cracked pepper

1. Put everything except the noodles and parsley into the slow cooker. (As I said you can pile everything into the pot the night before and just pop into the fridge.  Pull it out in the morning and just turn on the crockpot.)
2. Cook on low for 8 hours (You could probably do as little as 6 hours, but I work for 8 hours so it works out perfect)
3. When you are ready to serve, boil the egg noodles and drain. (You could toss with butter if you want)
4. Top the noodles with the stew and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!

Asian Chicken Burgers

Who doesn't love a delicious stir fry and who doesn't love burgers?! Why not put them together?! This burger was surprisingly really good and really good for you too.  When I tasted it I said "Wow, this tastes like a stir fry on a bun!"  I like to grind my own boneless skinless chicken breasts but you can always just pick up some ground chicken.  You can swap the meat for whatever you like but chicken made it light enough and let the other flavors really shine through as well.

Ok some of these ingredients might be hard to find, but if you have a local Asian mart- they will definitely be there.  Even your larger supermarkets have an ethnic aisle- go explore it.  If you can't find them, don't worry, we can substitute.

Ginger: I'm pretty sure everyone knows what this is.  It is cheap and easy to find.  Buy a big piece, peel it with either a peeler or a spoon and then use what you need and pop the rest in the freezer in a ziplock bag- it will last forever in there and is actually easier to grate the next time.

Hoisin Sauce: (pronounced hoy-zun) It is a Chinese BBQ sauce really.  It is made with soybean paste, spices and garlic so the flavor profile is sweet, salty and tangy so if you really can't find it use 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey (or sugar) and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.  This should be similar enough.

Sriracha: (pronounced see-rah-cha) One of my favorite hot sauces of all time.  It is SPICY! but delicious.  We use it on everything from eggs to burgers- I put a little extra on the plate for dipping too. If you can't find this then just use any hot sauce.

Sesame Oil: this stuff is like liquid awesomeness.  You only need a small amount but the flavor and smell is wonderful.  It smells like sesame seeds! Surprise! Remember to only use a little for dressing salads or stir frys- this is not an oil to cook with.  Keep in your fridge to give it a longer shelf life. If you can't find this you can just omit it or sprinkle the whole thing with toasted sesame seeds.

Ingredients

• 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts ground- I would say this would be about 1-2 lbs of meat.  I came out with 6 burgers.
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2-3 scallions, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, grated
• 2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sriracha
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (I like the low sodium one)
• 1 big handful of bread crumbs (Panko would be great here.  If the meat still feels too moist just add more bread crumbs)
• 1 egg
• salt and fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Put everything in a bowl and combine.  Form into patties and put on a baking sheet. Push an indent in the middle so the burgers don't puff up in the middle- so you will have nice flat burgers.
   
3. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until done.  Since these are chicken they need to be cooked completely through to 160-165 degrees F.  I used my trusty digital thermometer of course!
4. Then I just topped with some simple Asian slaw and served alongside my Faux Fried Zucchini Sticks
5. A sesame bun or whole grain bun would be great (I had no choice but to use Italian bread, but it was still good)

Oh and here's the slaw on top (cabbage would be great in this too):

• 1 green pepper, sliced thin
• 1 small package of alfalfa sprouts
• 1 carrot grated
• toss with 1 tsp of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce

California Chicken Burgers with Cabbage Carrot Slaw

I know I have been slacking! Just realized my last post was the beginning of the month! Tomorrow I hope to post some cookie recipes I will be trying out.  I don't do much baking, so we will see how good they come out.

Here in New York it definitely doesn't feel like winter and if the BBQ wasn't all packed away I just might have broke it out.  So instead I got the trusty George Foreman grill going and made some of these tasty tasty burgers.  Chicken burgers are not the same as beef, because 1) they have no flavor on their own and 2) you MUST cook them all the way through.  Both reasons might make chicken burgers a bit tricky but with all these big flavors and my trusty meat thermometer we are ready to go.  I also have to add that these are pretty healthy- we ground boneless skinless chicken breasts ourselves, flavored with spices and low calorie items and used turkey bacon.  The slaw is good for you too- no mayo and we used heart healthy extra virgin olive oil. (I can only hate on the bread because of the carb count- but what the heck- it's the holidays right?)

A chicken burger is not exactly an original but I couldn't find a recipe that was exactly what I wanted so obviously I just made up my own with all the flavors I liked the best.  This idea came from a wrap that was on the menu at one of our favorite diners, that unfortunately closed down :(  But now will live on in this recipe :)

For 6 burgers:

• 2 ½ boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons of McCormick Montreal Grill Seasoning
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ red onion, diced
• 1 ½ carrots, shredded (shred 3 all together if making the slaw too)
• 2 chipolte in adobo, chopped

1. In a food processor (or a meat grinder) grind up the chicken.  If you want to buy already ground chicken, I would say this came out to about 2 pounds worth.

2. Then mix the meat and all the other ingredients in.  Then form the patties (I got about 6, it might vary on the size of your chicken breasts)
3. Get your grill or frying pan hot and cook until done- about 160 degrees, the carry over heat will cook it to the safe 165 degree mark.  About 6-8 minutes each side if in a frying pan.  The GF grill took about 6-8 mins all together (obviously because it cooks both sides at once)

For the Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw:

• ½ of a medium sized head of red cabbage, shredded
• 1 ½ carrots, shredded
• the other ½ of that red onion, sliced thin
• juice of one orange
• extra virgin olive oil to coat
• 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar would be good too)
• salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and let marinate in the fridge while you make your burgers.

Toppings

Really they are whatever you want- BUT when people classify something as "Californian" for some reason it always has avocado. So this is what I topped mine with:

• Turkey bacon or regular bacon
• Avocado, sliced
• Tomato, sliced
• Cabbage and carrot slaw
• Baby spinach

If you needed a dressing of some sort I would go with a honey mustard or blue cheese.  OR instead of mixing the chipolte in with the meat- you could mix it up with some mayo and use that as a dressing.  I skipped the cheese but a spicy monteray jack cheese would be awesome (because it originates from CA!) or maybe a tangy provolone.

Pile it high on a crusty but soft bun and this is one burger you will be making again!

Thanksgiving Dinner + Leftover Turkey Chili

So my first Thanksgiving dinner party went great.  I am so thankful the turkey (cooking it for the first time ever!) was juicy and delicious and for the friends that came over to help enjoy it.  I didn't have too many leftovers but my favorite turkey use up is chili- it is an easy one pot meal and you can use just about anything you have left over. 

I didn't take many pictures of my dinner party which I am a bit upset about, but Christmas party time is right around the corner! 

So quick recap: I defrosted the 15lb frozen turkey for 2 days, brined for another 2 days, then let dry out in the fridge over night before I roasted and basted for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours.  Then let rest for at least half an hour.  I followed Anne Burrell's brined turkey recipe for the most part.  (I also have to especially thank my brother and sister in law for letting me borrow the electric knife- otherwise I would have been cutting that thing forever!) Then when I was all done with the turkey I even made some homemade turkey stock!

See all the wonderful flavors being infused!?

I served appetizers: cheese platter, homemade olive bread, stuffed mushrooms, nuts etc.

Main course: was of course the turkey w homemade gravy, roasted regular and sweet potatoes, roasted broccoli, corn muffins, biscuits, cheesy cauliflower, stuffing, Anne Burrell's Killer Mac and Cheese with Bacon (which was the hit of the party) and the gross jelly cranberry stuff (which will not be served next time).  There could of been more, I just can't remember right this second.



Not bad for the first time!

 Dessert (which most of us didn't even have room to consume) was homemade pignoli cookies and clemetines. 

I can't wait to do this again.  And next time will come with more pictures.

Now on to the leftovers!  Remember you can swap or substitute whatever you have/want.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 poblano chili peppers
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• about 3 cups of leftover turkey chopped or sliced into bite size pieces with all bones and skin removed
• 1 cup of corn
• 1 (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes
• 28oz of homemade turkey stock (just use tomato can to measure)
• 1 (15oz) can of red kidney beans
• 2 palmfuls of chili powder
• 1 palmful of cumin
• 1/2 palmfull of coriander
• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat up a bit of oil.
2. Add the onion and peppers, cook for about 5-7 minutes
3. Add the garlic, cook 2 minutes
4. Add all the spices first, then everything else
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  I usually like to simmer for at least 20 minutes to get the flavors married.  Longer is fine.  If it looks to thick, add a bit more stock.
6. Garnish with leftover shredded cheese, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, raw onions, crumbled corn bread, tortilla chips etc!

Chicken, Rice and Chinese Broccoli

Chinese broccoli is my new love.  It was cheap and tasty.  Even Brendan said he liked it a lot.  I have never used CB before, but I figured it was something like broccoli rabe.  I tasted it raw then blanched and then cooked.  It is very similar to broccoli rabe, but not as bitter.  If you can't find CB you can substitute any other spicy green.  I just liked using this because I was also able to use the stems too.  I cut off the leaves then peeled the rough outer layer of skin on the stems and then just sliced into little coins.  It made for a delicious crunchy texture in the dish. 

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 bunch of chinese broccoli (I would say it was about 1-2 lbs.  The picture above shows half the bunch cut up)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• about an inch of fresh ginger root, grated
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup of jasmine rice (or whatever rice you like)
• little less than 2 cups of water
• water and salt for blanching

Directions

1.      Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2.      First I prepped the CB.  Wash and cut into smaller pieces.  Peeled and cut the stems into coin shapes.

3.      I used a 12 inch skillet (so I didn’t dirty more pans) and filled with water.  Bring it to a boil and add a small handful of salt.  Add the broccoli leaves and blanch for about 1-2 minutes to remove some of that raw bitter taste.  They will turn a vibrant green when done.

4.      You can do it the right way and shock the leaves in ice water- or (what I usually do) you can just rinse with cold water to slow down/stop the cooking.  The skillet should be empty now- I just added the stem coins to the still hot skillet and just let sit until the leaves and pan cooled.

5.      While you are letting the CB cool down, mince the garlic and reserve. 

6.      Now butterfly the chicken and cover with plastic wrap and pound out.  (see my chicken roulade recipe for more detailed instructions on this step)

7.      Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  In each chicken breast add a good sized handful of the CB (leaves and a couple stems) and half the garlic (so about a clove in each breast).  I grated about a tsp of ginger on top of all that on each breast as well.  You don't have to fit all the CB into the chicken, I had a good bit left over and added it to the rice- I especially liked the stems in the rice.

8.      Now roll up and I secured with a couple tooth picks.

9.      In the skillet that we used to blanch get some oil over high heat.  When the oil is super hot add the chicken and sear until golden brown on all sides.  When all brown add enough water to the skillet/pan to just coat the bottom- this will help the chicken to not dry out.  Cover loosely with tinfoil and put right into the oven for about 20 minutes. We just want the chicken to finish cooking though.

10.  After you put the chicken in, get a small pot and add the 2 cups of water, 1 cup of rice and 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil.  When it comes to a boil, reduce to simmer and keep partially covered.  It will take about 15-20 minutes.  When most of all the liquid is gone add the rest of the CB, turn off the heat, and cover.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Letting it sit is important.  Then fluff with a fork.

11.  When the chicken is done slice and serve over the rice.  Don’t forget to take the toothpicks out! I garnished with some red pepper flakes and used the juices from the chicken pan to drizzle over the top.

Pan Fried Chicken w/ Arugula Pesto Pasta

Pesto is such an awesome basic recipe to know.  There are so many ways you can switch it up! It is great for fresh herbs that are about to go bad.  I had about 2 cups of arugula that was on its way out and some parsley as well, so I decided on pesto.  Classic pesto is a mixture using basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese blended with olive oil.  Essentially pesto means to crush or pound which is how it is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle.  Now-a-days food processors make easy work of it.  So here are the basic essentials when making a pesto of any kind:

-fresh herbs
-garlic
-a nut
-Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
-oil

Sometimes I leave out the nuts because I don't have any, not the end of the world.  I also love to add lemon juice and zest into my pestos too.  I like pestos because they are not rocket science, as you will see from the recipe I don't have exact measurements on a lot of things because I just throw everything in a food processor, taste at the end and if it needs more of one thing I just add it and blend up again, taste and repeat if necessary.  Also, pan frying chicken with a quick and easy pan sauce is impressive and tasty.

Arugula Pesto

• 2 cups of arugula
• handful of fresh parsley
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
• handful of almonds
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
• freshly grated pepper
• pinch of salt (easy on the salt, the cheese is very salty, taste to make sure)
• about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Combine everything in a food processor or blender and blend until a loose paste.  Sometimes I add just a bit of water to make it more loose (instead of using more oil)

Boil up your favorite pasta and top/toss with the pesto!

Pan Fried Chicken

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (butterflied in half to make them thin cutlets for quick cooking)
• 1 tbsp salt
• fresh cracked pepper
• about 1 cup of flour
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• oil

1. In a skillet heat some oil on medium low with the smashed garlic cloves and red pepper flakes.  Try and keep the garlic in large pieces so we can remove it easily later.
2. Don't let the garlic burn, keep heat on a low setting until we are ready with the chicken. 
3. While the oil is infusing with the garlic and chili flake, combine the flour, salt and pepper on a plate or shallow bowl (I use the leftover Chinese take out containers, they work perfect). 
4. When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove the garlic from the pan and discard.  Turn the heat up to high/med-high.  Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off any excessive.  Put chicken in the pan.  We are cooking it only a couple minutes on each side, just until they are brown and golden.
5. When all the chicken is browned on both sides (don't worry it doesn't necessarily have to be cooked through) take out of the pan and reserve. 
6. Add about 2 more tbsp of oil to the pan and then add the onion.  Cook the onion a couple minutes until soft and translucent.  Then sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the flour left over from dredging the chicken on the onions (if you don't feel comfortable doing this, use fresh flour).  Cook out the flour for about a minute. 
7. Add the wine and stock to the pan and whisk until all combined.  Add the chicken back into the pan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Coat the chicken in the sauce and now you just have to keep warm until ready to serve.
8. Plate the chicken and top with some extra sauce.

I served this all alongside my Lemon Garlic Broccoli Sidedish Yum!

Lemon Garlic Broccoli Sidedish

Yum broccoli- I used to hate broccoli when I was younger- now I love it.  You can roast it, eat it raw, steam it, stir fry it etc.  When fresh broccoli goes on sale, I buy a whole lot of it because I just bring it home and freeze it myself- it turns out to be cheaper than if I bought it frozen already (try and get it on sale like 99¢ a pound.  Not a bunch, by the pound!). 

First, start a big pot of water boiling.  Then while you wait for that to boil take your broccoli and cut it up into regular floret pieces and rinse them.  When the water boils we are going to blanch* them.  Dump them in the water and keep them there for about a min or so- when they turn a really bright green strain them and you can either run them under cold water (which I do because I'm lazy) or you can do it the right way and "shock"** them.

(*Blanching is boiling a vegetable for about a min or two to bring out all the bright green color, take away that raw taste, but still keep it crisp-ish.  It also helps to prep it for freezing.  I have tried freezing it raw- and believe me it just does not work)
(**"Shocking" is taking a blanched item and putting it directly into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process to keep that bright color and crisp texture)

Let the broccoli drain and cool, then pop in ziplocks and put in the freezer!

Then when you want to use them, you can either let them defrost and use however you want- If I'm roasting I using squeeze some water from them first.  Or you can just put them in a microwavable dish and enjoy steamed- just like from the frozen food section! And that is what I did with this super easy recipe:

Ingredients:

• About 2 to 3 cups of broccoli
• a lemon (zest* and juice)
• salt & pepper to taste (about a 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper)
• a clove of garlic peeled
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter (or the butter substitutes)
• extra virgin olive oil-EVOO (optional)

Directions

1. If the broccoli is frozen- put in your microwave dish and put in the microwave for about 4 mins to get them going. 
2. Pop the garlic out of its skin and lightly smash- trying to keep it intact- we are going to pull the clove out later, just using it a bit to lightly flavor the broccoli.  This dish really is about the clean lemon taste. Or you can just totally omit this step.
3. When the broccoli can be easily mixed up and is not frozen solid, take all the ingredients (except the oil) and mix all together.
4. Put back into the microwave and cook until done.  Drizzle with a bit of EVOO if you want and serve next to whatever's for dinner or all by itself! Just don't serve the garlic clove.

*Lemon Zest: what an awesome flavor booster- and you already bought the lemon, so why not use all of it.  The zest is where the essential oils are.  Use only the colored part, because the white part (the pith) is bitter and no good for eating.  You need a zester, but they are cheap and good for other things like cheese, nutmeg, garlic etc.  A zester was one of my very first kitchen gadgets. There are different types of zesters- try and get one that is a microplane one- because the citrus zester is (obviously) just for citrus. The one below is what I have- a microplane

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