Chicken with Lemon-Leek Linguine

As I sit here and sip some white wine, and watch a cooking show on BBC America, I decided to blog my latest recipe I made last night for dinner. This was very simple, and again from Cooking Light Magazine October 2010 issue. They promised quick and healthy meals for weeknights that are still yummy. I've made quite a few of the meals so far and have not been disappointed.

I usually like a more visually prominent sauce on my pasta but was pleasantly surprised at the flavor still packed in this simple sauce. Try it!

6 oz uncooked linguine
4 (6 oz skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I used pre-chopped garlic, I usually don't but this worked well in a time crunch)
1 leek (or 2 depending on size) thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups or so)
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep warm.

Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy duty plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness using a meat mallet or a small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken with some of the salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge chicken in flour, shaking to remove excess.

(Note, I didn't pound the chicken thin. I sliced mine in half length wise and they were automatically thin just by doing that. In the end, they were almost 1/2" - 3/4" inch thick. Just depends on your preference but the cooking time will vary depending on thickness. Thinner is a bit better because then the chicken will cook quicker and not be as dry. The longer you cook it the more risk of dry chicken)

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from heat and keep warm. Try not to move the chicken too much so that it is able to get a "crust" from the flour coating.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium high heat. (same skillet) Add garlic, leek and remaining salt, saute for 4 minutes or so. Add broth and juice, cook 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir in last tablespoon of butter. Add pasta to leek mixture and toss to combine and coat. Serve chicken on top. Sprinkle with parsley.

**Note, for the leeks, if you have never cooked with them before. ......
They look like this:


The edible portion of a leek is the white and light green stem. Once it goes darker green and starts to go into "leaves" then that is no longer the usual edible portion.

These are notoriously dirty, so the trick is to first cut off the ends that you don't use, then slice the stem in half lengthwise, then place the flat side down and slice thin. The leek will peel apart in layers so they should look like little moon shaped pieces.





Once you have them sliced, place them in a big bowl filled with water. Keep them soaking for a few minutes. The dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl and when you're ready to use the leeks, just scoop them off the top of the water (they float) with a slotted spoon.

Also, I made a double batch of the sauce to pour over the pasta, just to be sure it was moist enough. I thought that was a good idea, you might want to try it too.

Hope you enjoy!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Ok Everyone, here it is! Proof that I really did bake it! I am trying to make the old saying "practice makes per...err I mean better" (thanks mom) come true. I figured I just have to jump in and start trying and following recipes and getting the hang of measuring EVERYTHING, even the 1/8th of a teaspoon of salt, because with baking, EVERYTHING has a purpose!

I made a double batch of the glaze and saved the second half of it for an extra drizzle when you re-heat a piece for a snack.

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup plain fat free yogurt
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tbl butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 tbls chopped dry roasted peanuts
cooking spray

GLAZE:
1/3 c powdered sugar
1 tbl 1% low fat milk
1 tbl creamy peanut butter

PreHeat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugar; beat until blended.

Measure flour into another large bowl, and add the next 5 ingredients (through the all spice). Thoroughly combine. Add flour mixture to the banana mixture and beat until blended. Stir in peanuts. Pour batter into 9x5 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 for 1 hr and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick or knife inserted in center comes our clean. Remove from oven, cool 10 minutes, remove bread from pan and cool completely.

To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk and peanut butter in small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Yields 16 servings. (1 slice is a serving)

Serve Warm (I think that'd taste best!)

Loaded Potato Soup

I made this last night, which was a rainy night. Couldn't resist making something warm and comforting! Read on....this is a lightened version of this soup, with little tricks to take away some calories. You don't notice though, it tastes so creamy still! This is also a QUICK recipe. Some soups take so long, but this is great for even a weeknight! I promise, as quick as 20 minutes!

4 (6 oz) red potatoes
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion chopped (chop ahead of time to save time)
1 1/4 cups fat free lower sodium chicken broth
3 tbl all purpose flour
2 cups 1% low fat milk (divided)
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 bacon slices (halved)
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we used a reserved aged white cheddar)
sliced green onions to taste

Pierce potatoes with a fork. Place in microwave safe bowl and cover, microwave for 13 minutes on high - or until fork tender. Cut in half and cool slightly.

While potatoes are cooking, heat oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for about 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flower and 1/2 cup milk; add to pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to boil; stir often. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.

Arrange bacon on paper towel on a microwave safe plate and cover with paper towel. Microwave on high for about 4 minutes, crumble bacon. (TIP: I used kitchen shears to cut up the bacon over the finished bowls of soup)

Place potato chunks into soup and mash into it, until it's the consistency you like. We like ours a bit more chunky. You could probably use an emersion blender if you want it more smooth.

Top with cheese, green onion, bacon, and any extra salt/pepper to taste.

Enjoy!!

Cheddar, Pesto & Arugula Wontons

The other night I made some homemade steamed shu mai (dumplings) which left me with quite a few extra wonton wrappers! Well when I got home from work today, it was too early to make dinner but I still wanted a snack and was in the mood to create something. I spotted the extra wrappers and realized I should use them up before they spoiled! (which has happened to me before) I know that you don't just have to use Asian flavors inside wontons, but you can use them as a yummy wrapper to any kind of flavor!

I poked around and found some aged cheddar, pesto that my grandma made, some arugula and green onions. So the experimenting began....

Pretty much everything you need

by the way this cheese is SO good!

There are no exact measurements for this as I kinda made it up but here's roughly what I did:

1 wonton wrapper (small)

1 dollop (about teaspoon or less) of pesto in center of wrapper

1 small cheese cube (see photo for approximate size) (by the way use any kind of yummy cheese! I just used what I already had...)

2-3 small arugula leaves (stems removed, the soft part of it is better I think for this)

just a snippit of green onion (I just used kitchen shears and cut off a couple small bits)

Using your fingers or a pastry brush, just moisten the edges of the wrapper, then bring corner to corner and tuck up carefully into a wonton like shape. Doesn't really matter the shape I dont think as long as it's sealed up and the filling doesn't poke out.

Top with a tiny bit of olive oil so the wonton will be golden brown after cooking.

I baked at 375 for 10 minutes, then realized it needed to be hotter so I flipped them over and I put the temp to 400 for another 5-6 minutes or so 'till they were golden brown.

I took them off the tray then zested some lemon to add a bit of acid since I knew it'd be salty with the pesto and cheese. And the arugula adds a peppery taste. Yum!

I did only 6 at first to test it out, I'm not sure the cooking time may vary if you do a large tray...

=) aren't they cute? =) Now I need to go make some more so Caleb can eat them when he gets home from class....

Asian Chicken Noodle Salad

This might have a lot of ingredients but TRY IT. It's so worth it ;)

2 tbl seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbl reduced sodium reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbl reduced fat peanut butter
1 tbl packed brown sugar
1 tsp Asian (dark) sesame oil
1 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 lb chicken tenders (NOTE: I've used shredded rotisserie chicken, saves time!)
1/4 lb rice stick noodles (NOTE: I've done it once with that and once with angel hair pasta. We preferred it with the pasta not the stick noodles)
1/2 cup fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut diagonally in 1/2
1/2 cucumber peeled seeded and cut into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper seeded and thinly chopped (NOTE: I left that out and I liked it like that. But I just don't like peppers) =)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts coarsely chopped

To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic in a bowl until blended; set aside.

Cook the chicken tenders over a nonstick skillet and cook about 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Shred the chicken and set aside.

Meanwhile place the noodles in a large bowl and add enough hot water to cover; let the noodles stand until soft, about 10 minutes. (or cook according to package directions)

Drain noodles and transfer to large bowl. Add chicken, sugar snap peas, cucumber, bell pepper, and cilantro. Drizzle with dressing and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Arugula and Orange Salad w/ Pine Nuts

Want an easy week night salad that's different than your standard iceberg and ranch? Try this out! It's delicious and fast and easy. Want to add some protein? Get a rotisserie chicken and chop some up and add it.

2 tbls rice vinegar
1 tbls orange juice
1 tsp Asian (dark) sesame oil
1 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp soy sauce
Arugula
1 naval orange, peeled & cut into sections (canned manderine oranges will probably work too)
thin sliced red onion (I hate red onion so I cut up scallions instead)
1 tbl toasted pine nuts (they are expensive, so use slivered almonds instead!)

Whisk together all ingredients except arugula, orange, onion and nuts. Then toss/coat the arugula in the dressing and top with oranges and pine nuts.

And add the chicken too if you like!

DELICIOUS

S-L-A-C-K-E-R. What does that spell? LAZY!

Okay, so it's come to my attention that I've been a "tease". Yes Laura, I'm talking to you. :-)
I will make a dinner, post how yummy it is on Facebook, say I'll post the recipe soon and then I never get around to it. You know some days, after sitting at a computer for 8 to 9 hours, I dont always feel like sitting in front of one at night. But, I do love sharing my recipes. I have the pictures ready to go on my computer and the recipes flagged in my books. So, I will try to get back on the ball!

Stay tuned...

Lechon Asado - Citrus Marinated Roast Pork

This smells WONDERFUL in my oven at the moment. So I must admit my blog is a bit premature because I have not even eaten the pork yet but I'm fairly certain it'll be a hit. Overall it was very easy to make and inexpensive as well.

1/4 cup finely chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspooon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (2-lb) boneless center cut pork loin roast, trimmed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 carrots, cut into 2 inch chunks.
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- Combine the first 8 ingredients into a large zip close plastic bag. Add the pork to the bag. Squeeze the air out and seal the bag. Turn to coat. Refrigerate for about 3 hours, turning bag occasionally.

- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place a rack in a large roasting pan and spray the rack with nonstick spray.
*Note: I used a roasting pan but didnt have a rack that was quite right so I skipped that part. Still sprayed nonstick spray, but put the pork directly in the pan.

- Remove the pork from the plastic bag and place on the rack (*or in the pan*). Sprinkle the pork with salt/pepper. Spray carrots with olive oil nonstick spray (or drizzle olive oil) and arrange them around the pork. Road until carrots are tender and pork registers 160F for medium.
*Note: I also cut up small red potatoes, seasoned them up with salt/pepper and other herbs, then added it with the carrots around the pork.

- When pork is done, transfer to cutting board and stand for 10 minutes. Then cut and serve.
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When you make the marinade, then especially when you are cooking the pork, your kitchen will smell SO GOOD. The orange juice/lime juice and the garlic and cumin and red pepper flakes makes such a yummy smell.

The timer just beeped! Time to go check it and so here goes nothin'! ;) Yum!

Fruit Salad with Mint

Really wanted something sweet and cool on this HOT evening to go along with my fried fish.....I remembered wanting to make fruit with mint. I googled recipes and found this and made it! SO GOOD. Try it - with any seasonal fruit you can find. The almond extract in it is amazing and adds just a hint of yumminess. Also I have a TON of mint in my yard so it was pretty convenient to use...

Oh yeah.....I just bought little containers of the fruit, I didnt pay attention to the actual measurements according to the recipe. For this you can't go wrong!

INGREDIENTS

1 pt strawberries
1 pt blueberries
1 mango peeled, sliced (I got presliced from Trader Joes :-)
1 peach peeled and cubed. (I left this out completely, no ripe ones at the store. . . )
1/8 cup simple syrup (Instructions below)
1/4 cup lime juice (about 3 limes)
1/2 cup fresh mint chopped
1/8 tsp almond extract

Chop and mix fruit as desired.

SIMPLE SYRUP

Equal parts water & sugar. Boil water and then mix in sugar until dissolved fully. Remove immediately from heat then cool completely.
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In a blender combine chopped mint, simple syrup, lime juice and almond extract. Blend together then pour over fruit. Refrigerate (overnight is great for flavors to meld) for at least an hour and serve!

It was YUM!!! Hope you enjoy!

Beer Battered Fish

Beer Batter

1 (12 oz) bottle beer
2 cups all purpose flour
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Pepper
About 1 1/2 lbs flaky white fish (I used Tilapia .... Cod works, so does Ruffy, Halibut, etc.)
Cut fish into strips about 1" wide and between 4-6" long

In dutch oven or large deep skillet, heat canola oil (or just whatever frying oil you want to use) to 375 degrees F.

In large bowl pour 1 large bottle of beer. Sift 1 1/2 cups flour into the bowl (sifting prevents lumps), whisk gently until combined. Stir in salt, pepper and garlic pepper (just pinches to taste...probably about 1 tsp each or so).

Pat fish dry, coat both sides with salt/pepper. Coat fish in batter, then dredge in the rest of the flour (it says 1/2 cup but I used more than that for the 2nd dredge...) and then put in oil (gently). Do it in batches, not too many pieces of fish in the oil at once. about 4 to 5 minutes per piece of fish. Until golden brown and the fish is cooked through. Transfer done fish to paper towel covered plate or pan to drain off oil.

Season with more salt when finished and still hot....!

We loved this! The oil turns a bit brown towards the end so you might want to switch out to fresh oil if you are doing a large batch.

We LOVE Malt Vinegar and tarter sauce.... =) French fries are a great pair with fried fish of course.....