This is such an easy Piccata recipe that you can use either chicken, turkey or pork. It takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish and it tastes amazing. Give it a try and let me know!
1-2 lemons
1 tbl fresh parsley
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
About 4 thin chicken/turkey/pork cutlets. ( You can always pound them thin if needed - about 1/2 inch thick at most )
1 tbl butter (maybe more) =)
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 tbl capers rinsed and drained
Zest lemons and also juice the lemons
In separate shallow dish, mix flour salt and pepper (NOTE: I probably added more salt/pepper and I also included Italian seasoning mix, you really need to add a lot of flavor to the meat & the flour)
Heat skillet and melt butter
Coat meat in flour mixture and shake off any excess, then put meat in skillet with melted butter,
cook a couple minutes each side until browned
Remove meat from skillet, then add broth, lemon juice, zest, garlic and heat until slightly thickened just a few minutes, add remaining butter to skillet and swirl until melted.
Pour sauce over cutlets and top with parsley and capers.
YUM!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Chicken Pasole Verde
1 tbl olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can (29 oz) white hominy, drained
2 cups chicken broth
1 can medium green enchilada sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp mexican oregano
2 cups cooked chicken (I used shredded rotisserie chicken)
1 cup sliced green cabbage
2 tbl chopped fresh cilantro
lime
1. Add oil and garlic to large pot and heat over medium high heat 1-3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown and fragrant. Meanwhile, drain hominy.
2. Immediately add broth, enchilada sauce, water, oregano and hominy to pot, bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 8 minutes.
3. As mixture comes to boil, dice or shred chicken and add to pot, simmer till heated through.
4. As is simmers, thinly slice cabbage and chop cilantro. Slice lime into wedges.
5. To serve, divide into bowls and top with cabbage and lime and cilantro.
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can (29 oz) white hominy, drained
2 cups chicken broth
1 can medium green enchilada sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp mexican oregano
2 cups cooked chicken (I used shredded rotisserie chicken)
1 cup sliced green cabbage
2 tbl chopped fresh cilantro
lime
1. Add oil and garlic to large pot and heat over medium high heat 1-3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown and fragrant. Meanwhile, drain hominy.
2. Immediately add broth, enchilada sauce, water, oregano and hominy to pot, bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 8 minutes.
3. As mixture comes to boil, dice or shred chicken and add to pot, simmer till heated through.
4. As is simmers, thinly slice cabbage and chop cilantro. Slice lime into wedges.
5. To serve, divide into bowls and top with cabbage and lime and cilantro.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
30 Min Meal: Skillet Lasagna
1 jar marinara sauce
3 cups water
8 oz lasagna noodles
1 lb Italian turkey sausage (casings removed - hot or spicey is up to you!)
2 garlic cloves pressed
2 oz Parmesan cheese
2 tbl chopped fresh parsley
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
additional Parmesan cheese to taste (optional)
1. Combine sauce and water in a skillet, cover and bring to boil.
2. Meanwhile, wrap noodles in a towel and break crosswise into quarters. Stir noodles into sauce. Cover and reduce heat to simmer 16-18 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. As noodles cook, place sausage into another skillet and cook until no longer pink, breaking it into pieces as you go (in other words, you want the sausage to end up into little chunks, as if you were browning beef). Add pressed garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir sausage into noodles/sauce mixture.
4. Meanwhile, grate Parmesan cheese, chop parsley, and combine all cheeses and 1 tbl of parsley and black pepper, mix well. Scoop cheese mix over noodles and cover skillet, simmer gently about 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
5. To serve, sprinkle with remaining parsley and additional cheese if desired.
3 cups water
8 oz lasagna noodles
1 lb Italian turkey sausage (casings removed - hot or spicey is up to you!)
2 garlic cloves pressed
2 oz Parmesan cheese
2 tbl chopped fresh parsley
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
additional Parmesan cheese to taste (optional)
1. Combine sauce and water in a skillet, cover and bring to boil.
2. Meanwhile, wrap noodles in a towel and break crosswise into quarters. Stir noodles into sauce. Cover and reduce heat to simmer 16-18 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. As noodles cook, place sausage into another skillet and cook until no longer pink, breaking it into pieces as you go (in other words, you want the sausage to end up into little chunks, as if you were browning beef). Add pressed garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir sausage into noodles/sauce mixture.
4. Meanwhile, grate Parmesan cheese, chop parsley, and combine all cheeses and 1 tbl of parsley and black pepper, mix well. Scoop cheese mix over noodles and cover skillet, simmer gently about 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
5. To serve, sprinkle with remaining parsley and additional cheese if desired.
30 Min Meal: Artichoke Chicken with Roasted Potatoes
POTATOES & CHICKEN
3 small red potatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp of a rosemary herb seasoning
2 tsp olive oil, divided
ARTICHOKE TOPPING
1/2 c chopped artichoke hearts
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 oz Parmesan cheese
2 tsp mayonanaise
1. Preheat broiler on HIGH. Meanwhile cut potatoes into quarters. Place potatoes, water and salt into microwave safe dish and microwave on high 6-8 minutes until tender. Drain and place aside.
2. Meanwhile, for artichoke topping, chop artichokes and parsley and place in small bowl. Grate cheese and set aside 2 tbsp for later use. Add remaining cheese and mayo to artichoke mixture.
3. Flatten chicken to 1/2 inch thickness, sprinkle both sides of chicken with herb seasoning.
4. Add tsp of oil to skillet and heat 1-3 minutes 'till shimmering. Meanwhile, add remaining oil and remaining herb seasoning to potatoes, stir to coat.
5. Place chicken and potatoes cut side down into skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes or until chicken is golden brown. Turn chicken and potatoes over, cook an additional 3-4 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and centers are no longer pink.
6. Remove potatoes from skillet, set aside to keep warm. To finish chicken, spread artichoke topping evenly over chicken, sprinkle with reserved cheese. Place skillet as close as possible to heating element in broiler and broil for 4-6 minutes or until topping is golden brown and internal temp of chicken is 170 degrees. (watch carefully for uneven browning, remove immediately)
Serve chicken with potatoes.
3 small red potatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp of a rosemary herb seasoning
2 tsp olive oil, divided
ARTICHOKE TOPPING
1/2 c chopped artichoke hearts
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 oz Parmesan cheese
2 tsp mayonanaise
1. Preheat broiler on HIGH. Meanwhile cut potatoes into quarters. Place potatoes, water and salt into microwave safe dish and microwave on high 6-8 minutes until tender. Drain and place aside.
2. Meanwhile, for artichoke topping, chop artichokes and parsley and place in small bowl. Grate cheese and set aside 2 tbsp for later use. Add remaining cheese and mayo to artichoke mixture.
3. Flatten chicken to 1/2 inch thickness, sprinkle both sides of chicken with herb seasoning.
4. Add tsp of oil to skillet and heat 1-3 minutes 'till shimmering. Meanwhile, add remaining oil and remaining herb seasoning to potatoes, stir to coat.
5. Place chicken and potatoes cut side down into skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes or until chicken is golden brown. Turn chicken and potatoes over, cook an additional 3-4 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and centers are no longer pink.
6. Remove potatoes from skillet, set aside to keep warm. To finish chicken, spread artichoke topping evenly over chicken, sprinkle with reserved cheese. Place skillet as close as possible to heating element in broiler and broil for 4-6 minutes or until topping is golden brown and internal temp of chicken is 170 degrees. (watch carefully for uneven browning, remove immediately)
Serve chicken with potatoes.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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!!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
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!
Pretty much everything you need
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:
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....
Monday, October 4, 2010
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
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
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