To Taste: Balsamic Chicken w. Sauteed Spinach & White Beans
April 27, 2010
I got alot accomplished today considering I spent Monday sick in bed, so I needed something quick & healthy for tonight’s dinner. A “buy one get one” spinach sale had left me with a whole bag to get through before it spoiled. I’ve been trying to get more protein, less carbs into my diet so lean chicken breast & white beans seemed like perfect accompaniments. I poked around the pantry for some added flavors and got to cooking. With the richness of balsamic vinegar and the aroma of thyme, I came up with a delicious, filling dish that was rich in iron, protein, & fiber and only 550 calories per serving. Enjoy!
Balsamic Chicken w. Sauteed Spinach & White Beans
Balsamic Chicken w. Sauteed Spinach & White Beans
2 Servings – 550 Calories each
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast - (2) breasts, about 4 oz each
- Olive Oil - (0.5) T + (0.5) T
- Balsamic Vinegar – (2) T
- Dried Thyme - (0.5) tsp
- Chicken Stock – (0.75) cup
- S&P
- Garlic – (2) cloves, minced
- Onion – (1) medium, sliced thin
- Fresh Spinach – (1) pre-rinsed bag or (0.5) lb
- White Beans – (1) 15.5 oz can, drained & rinsed
- Worcestershire Sauce – (1) tsp
- Sriracha – a few squirts of your fave hot sauce
- Heat (0.5) T of Olive Oil on medium in a non-stick saute pan (with lid for later).
- Rinse chicken breasts under cool water & pat dry. Sprinkle one side with S&P.
- Place seasoned side down in hot pan. Sprinkle other side.
- Brown for about 4 min. Flip & brown other side.
- Add Balsamic & Thyme to pan. Bring to boil & flip chicken to other side. Reduce liquid for about 3 min.
- Add Chicken Stock. Bring back to boil. Reduce liquid to half for about 5 min.
- Remove chicken from pan & set aside.
- Add (0.5) T of Olive Oil to pan & heat on medium. Add garlic & saute for 1 min.
- Add onion & reduce heat to medium low. Allow onions & garlic to simmer for 5 min, stirring occasionally.
- If you want to add chopped tomato or bell peppers, this would be a good time. Saute for about 5 min before moving on to the next step.
- Add a few handfuls of spinach & place lid on top. Return heat to medium.
- Once spinach reduces by half, stir & add more handfuls. Return lid.
- Continue adding handfuls of spinach until all is wilted
- Add Worcestershire & Sriracha. Add White Beans. Stir.
- Simmer on medium for about 5 min.
- Place chicken on top of Spinach & White Bean mixture. Return lid & heat for about 1 min.
- Serve & Enjoy!
Balsamic Chicken w. Sauteed Spinach & White Beans
Saturday w/ Sarah: Ansill’s Menu @ Ladder 15
March 4, 2010
This past weekend, Dre & I went on a mission to the bookstore for Dalai Llama wisdom, food rules via Michael Pollan, & hopefully a continued subscription to Cook’s Illustrated. He headed off to work at 3 and I ventured across Broad is pursuit of a long-overdue Saturday w/ Sarah.
I’m glad I recalled that David Ansill (of Pif & Ansill restaurant notoriety) had revamped the menu* at the relatively new Ladder 15 – 1528 Sansom Street. Our waitress was great and beyond adorable, so I took her recommendation on the Pear Complex from their (also newly revamped) cocktail menu. DELICIOUS! We started off the meal with the Curried Lamb Empanadas. The three rich, crispy, & dense pockets were savory and perfectly paired with an Apple Chutney & Mango Yogurt.
Curried Lamb Empanadas w/ Apple Chutney & Mango Yogurt
Ahh, the new buzz menu item around Phily – the Ladder 15 Burger! This burger is on a new level of decadence. Eff a kobe burger… a sizzling bone full of marrow & truffle sauce are where it’s at! For those that can’t handle it, they have a classic burger, too. Both are paired with perfectly crisp fries & parmesan mayo dipping sauce… with caviar on top?!?!
Burger 15 - Prime Sirloin, Braised Short Rib, Red Wine Mushrooms, Grilled Red Onion, Bone Marrow, & Truffle Sauce on Metropolitan Bakery Brioche**
Ansill’s self-titled restaurant (that unfortunatley closed last Summer) had a buzz menu item of its own – Korean Tacos! I never had the opportunity to try them, so it was exciting to have a second chance. The order came with (2) soft tacos – a Pork Belly one & a Braised Short Rib one. They were of a richness beyond my imagination with a fatty Korean BBQ marinade, kim chi, scallion, & sesame seeds. I WILL be back for these again soon… and to try whatever flaming dish I envied as it was delivered to another table.
Ansill's Korean Tacos - (1) Pork Belly & (1) Braised Short Rib
The highlight of the experience was not one, but two visits to our table by Chef Ansill. He made a welcome point to show Sarah his vision on topping off the Burger 15 and popped over again to see how we were enjoying everything. Now that’s a chef I can surely respect & support!
*Check out Ansill’s full new Ladder 15 menu HERE!
**Thanks to Metropolitan Bakery for their Twitter shoutout of my Burger 15 pic on Flickr!
To Taste: Baked Toni
February 28, 2010
I prefer to cook what my dinner guest craves, so I indulged Dre’s request for baked ziti. I was low on spaghetti sauce and had some veggies that needed to be eaten. I blanched broccoli florets, sauteed mushrooms, onions, & garlic, opened a large can of crushed tomatoes, and warmed them together with seasonings in a saucepan.
Fat Rigatoni
While the sauce simmered, I decided on large rigatoni and boiled them until al dente in salted water. I like fat noodles when making baked pasta dishes as they tend to fill with your sauce when tossed. The jumbo macaronis for my Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese worked great! I folded ricotta cheese & shredded mozzarella into the warm sauce, tossed it with the cooked rigatoni, and dumped it into a greased casserole. Once the sliced mozzarella I tiled on top began to brown & bubble, I pulled it from the over and served Dre a big, hot scoop of Baked Toni.
Baked Toni
Baked Toni
- Crushed Tomatoes – (1) large can
- Broccoli - (0.5) head, trimmed into small florets & blanched
- Mushrooms – (1) cup, sliced
- Garlic – (1) T, minced
- Onion – (1) medium, sliced thin
- Dried Basil – (1) T
- Red Pepper Flakes – (1) tsp
- S&P - to taste
- Ricotta – (1.5) cups, part skim
- Shredded Mozzarella – (1) cup, low moisture – part skim
- Fresh Mozzarella – (6) oz, sliced (or enough to cover most of the dish)
- Grated Parmesan - to taste
- Rigatoni – (1) lb, cooked al dente & tossed w/ olive oil
- Olive Oil - as needed
- Heat about (2) T of Olive Oil in a saute pan. Add garlic & onion and cook until caramelized, about (5) min.
- Add mushrooms & saute until browned on both sides, about (3) min per side.
- Dump entire contents of the canned crushed tomatoes into a sauce pan. Add cooked mushrooms mixture, blanched broccoli, dried basil, red pepper flakes, and S&P. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- While sauce simmers, bring a large stockpot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook rigatoni until al dente, about (10-12) min.
- Drain rigatoni and return to stock pot. Add a bit of olive oil & toss to prevent sticking.
- Remove sauce from the heat and dump into a large mixing bowl.
- Fold in ricotta & shredded mozzarella cheeses unti combine.
- Add rigatoni and toss to coat completely.
- Pour the rigatoni & sauce mixture into a greased casserole dish.
- Tile sliced fresh mozzarella on top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for (25) min or until the cheese is browned & the casserole is bubbling.
- Let cool for about (3) min and serve with grated parmesan cheese.
Leftover Lightning! Sunny Fried Chicken Breakfast Wrap! A la Dre!
February 28, 2010
Wow, I’m one lucky girl! Dre made me a delcious breakfast two days in one week. First, were his savory Bacon, Egg, & Gruyère Toast Cups for our VDay breakfast. This time around, he embarked on a Leftover Lightning! adventure of his own. He sauteed red bell peppers & onions and scrambled them in eggs, melting the sliced Gruyère atop the last two whole wheat tortillas. He finished the wrap with crispy bacon & leftover fried chicken breasts from his VDay Dinner for another sunny breakfast a la Dre <3
Sunny Fried Chicken Breakfast Wrap
To Taste: Rustic Roasted Chicken & Vegetables
February 16, 2010
Last week, Philly was graced with its 2nd major Blizzard in under 6 days. The whole city pretty much shut down on Wednesday = SNOW DAY! Luckily, I also had off on Thursday as Philly is completely unmanageable under 30+ inches of snow & ice chunks. Dre still had to trudge to work and I wanted to make sure he came home to a warm house and a warm dinner! I had defrosted a whole chicken and searched for a recipe online. My first stop is to see what Kayotic Kitchen has up her sleave. Rustic Roasted Chicken? Sounds perfect to me!
I have an odd obsession with the process of butterflying a whole chicken, or spatchcocking it. I had my first adventure with it last summer for my grilled Chicken Under A Brick. It’s easier to slice & serve and makes sense if you aren’t planning to stuff it. Kayotic Kitchen’s marinade for the chicken was a beautiful crimson (in real life) and super tasty.
Marinating Chicken nestled in Raw Vegetables
I improvised the veggies and such with I had available including baby carrots, shallots, onions, Idaho spuds, green onion, smashed garlic cloves, fresh thyme, & turkey bacon to keep it straight poultry.
Fresh Thyme w/ Vegetables
The 7lb bird took about 2-2.5hrs to cook and had the house smelling delicious when Dre got home from work.
Rustic Roasted Chicken & Vegetables
I whipped up what were supposed to be fluffy cheddar biscuits to serve with the chicken. Instead, I got cheddar pancakes. What more could I expect from mix I picked up from Acme for $1. They were still tasty with some melted butter and reheated perfectly for a quick Leftover Lightning! (in the form of a yummy chicken sammie the next day!)
Cheddar Biscuits turned Pancakes
P.S. I highly suggest you click through to the Kayotic Kitchen blog. Kayleigh’s photos are beautiful and recipes are really amazing & easy to follow. I could only aspire to take ones that great. Her love for food is certainly sincere <3
Quickie: Southern Catfish Burritos
February 8, 2010
With Dre getting done work at late, I have to think of quick, easy dinners for us. Last week, I whipped up what I call “Southern Burritos.” I seasoned Catfish Fillets with Minced Garlic, Tony Chachere’s seasoning, Sriracha, & Olive Oil and pan-fried them in bacon fat.
Burritos aren’t complete without rice & beans, so Dre made some Rice-a-Roni (read: quick) with sauteed Red Peppers & Onion to jazz it up a bit. Glory Foods Seasoned Blackeyed Peas are a favorite go-to side dish and were a perfect addition. After adding the Catfish, Rice, & Beans to a Whole Wheat Tortilla, we topped them off with Romaine & Sour Cream for delicious Southern Catfish Burritos!
Southern Catfish Burrito
To Taste: Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese
December 3, 2009
Dre’s main request for Friday’s dinner was Mac & Cheese WITH BACON to accompany my Roasted Tomato, Mushroom, & Smoked Mozz Stuffed Chicken Breasts. On a shopping trip last week, I picked up the most adorable red casserole dish and this was the perfect opportunity to christen it. I needed to refresh myself on Mac & Cheese basics and Alton Brown seemed like my go to man. I forgot how easily you can turn a basic rue, some milk, onion, & cheese (and bacon, of course) into the most comforting of foods. Mmmm, Mac & Cheese!
Shredded Mozz, Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, & Velveeta
I put Dre in charge of finishing up the Mac & Cheese. He crumbled bacon and tossed it into the macaroni & melty cheese mixture. The jumbo macaroni were perfectly filled up with the bacon & gooey cheesiness. He gets half the credit on this cooking venture for that move!
Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese
No Baked Mac & Cheese is complete without a crunchy crust and why not have it add to the cheesiness! Dre crushed up some Cheez-Its, tossed with melted butter, and sprinkled on top. It added a crunchy texture to the creamiest, yummiest Mac & Cheese I’ve ever tasted, if I do say so myself! And how cute is that casserole dish?!
Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese w/ a Cheez-It crust
Smokey Bacon Mac & Cheese
adapted from Alton Brown’s Macaroni & Cheese Recipe
- Macaroni – (1) lb, cooked al dente
- Farfalle, Orchiette, Spirals & Shells all work well, too
- Butter – (3) T + (2) T
- Flour – (3) T
- Milk – (3) cups
- Whole Grain Mustard – (1) T
- Paprika – (2) tsp
- Bay Leaf - (1)
- White Onion – (1/2) med onion, chopped
- Egg – (1)
- Shredded Cheeses – (4) cups or more
- I used (2) cups Mild Cheddar, (2) cups Mozzarella, & (1) cup of Smoked Gouda
- Velveeta - (8) oz, cubed
- Smoked Bacon – (4-5) slices, cooked & chopped (optional, I guess…)
- Cheez-Its – (1.5) cups, crushed
- Next time, Goldfish!
- Cook macaroni until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to
- Melt (3) T of butter in a heavy pot on Med and add flour. Stir for about 5 min until it turns a light caramel brown, watching closely.
- Add Milk, Mustard, Paprika, Bay Leaf, Onion, & S&P and stir. Bring to a simmer on Med for about 5 min. Remove Bay Leaf.
- Beat (1) Egg in a small bowl. Add a bit of the milk mixture to temper it, so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs.
- Add the beaten Egg, Cheeses, and a quick grind of S&P to the pot and stir to combine & melt cheese.
- Immediately add your pasta and coat with the cheese mixture. The bacon crumbles can go in now, too.
- Pour mixture into a large, greased baking dish or casserole.
- Crush (1.5) cups of Cheez-Its in a sealed plastic baggie and then toss with (2) T melted Butter in a bowl. Sprinkle over Mac & Cheese.
- Bake for about 30-40 min until bubbling. Remove and let it sit for (5) min before eating.
I love Thanksgiving! Family, friends, turkey/stuffing/gravy-filled meals, and four days to fill with whatever I felt like doing. I went Black Friday shopping, but dodging salespeople & shopping bags got old pretty quick. I just wanted to be in my warm kitchen cooking yummy food!
The grocery store was pretty empty (whew!), so I quickly grabbed my ingredients… and some Stoli to get me thru a long evening in the kitchen. I’ve got nothing to do tomorrow! I kicked off my prep work at 4pm-ish to have the meal almost complete when Dre got done work. The components of the main dish took up most of my time: roasting grape tomatoes with garlic & fresh basil; sautéing mushrooms with minced onions & butter; and, gleefully pounding chicken breasts to a 1/4 inch thick. Every smokey, juicy morsel of the resulting Roasted Tomato, Mushroom, & Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts reminded me that it’s always worthwhile.
Tomatoes with Garlic, Basil, & Olive Oil to be Roasted
Just Stuffed
Roasted Tomato, Mushroom & Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Roasted Tomato, Mushroom & Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Roasted Tomatoes
- Grape Tomatoes – (1-2) pints, halved
- Minced Garlic – (2) T or more
- Fresh Basil - a few chopped leaves
- Olive Oil – (3-4) T, to grease dish & coat tomatoes
- S&P
- Coat baking dish with olive oil or line with non-stick sprayed foil.
- Add all ingredients and toss with olive oil.
- Cook 30-40 min in a 400 degree oven. Stir a few times until tomatoes are bubbling, but not burnt.
- Make a big batch, leftovers are great on French bread and added to pasta sauce
Sautéed Mushrooms
- White Mushrooms or Creminis or Baby Bellas -(2-3) cups, cored and sliced
- White Onion – 1/2 med onion, chopped
- Butter - (2) T
- Melt butter in a saucepan on Med. Add onion & cook about 2 min.
- Add mushrooms and give them room to breath. Julia says so.
- Stir and cook until tender.
- Use leftovers on a quick pizza or in pasta sauce, red or alfredo.
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast - (3-4) breasts – trimmed, sliced lengthwise, & pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
- Smoked Mozzarella or Gouda – 1 oz per breast
- Roasted Tomatoes
- Sautéed Mushrooms
- Chicken Stock – (1) cup or so
- S&P
- Stovetop to Oven Sauté Pan
- Long toothpicks or Bamboo picks
- Pound filleted chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness between sheets of plastic wrap.
- Add a few spoonsful of tomatoes & mushrooms onto half of each chicken breast.
- Layer slices of smoked cheese.
- Fold chicken breast in half and secure by sewing a toothpick or bamboo pic to secure. S&P each side of the breast.
- Pan sear breast in olive oil on Med-High until golden brown, about 5 min on each side.
- Add chicken stock to pan and bring to a boil.
- Cover pan with lid or foil and tranfer to 375 degree oven.
- Bake for 20 min, let cool for 5 min, and serve with pan jus.
- Leftovers make one KILLER sandwich!
Erin
