Honey-Dijon Chicken

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH, 2009

4.5 stars (out of 5)

I had a bit of time this afternoon (for once!), so I decided to use it to try out a new recipe. GV from my internship tipped me off about a website (pioneerwoman.com) which has recipes and photos at every step (very similar to mine, but much much better quality!) and I thought I would try one of the recipes there. It was great! Here is the link to the recipe (with better pics: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/01/ranch-style-chicken/).

Ingredients (for 6 chicken breasts... I halved this for 2):

1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Chicken breasts
Bacon
Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. First, I mixed together the dijon, honey, paprika, salt and lemon juice, and whisked until smooth. I also added just a few red pepper flakes to spice things up!

2. Next, I (or actually SB) took a mallet to the chicken to ensure it was an even thickness (this prevents overcooking).

3. I then marinated the chicken in a bowl (covered in the fridge) for an hour and a half (anywhere from 1-3 hours).

4. During this time, we had some appy's: olives and some dips with a fresh baked baguette (they sell these in the frozen section of the grocery store, and I highly recommend! Stick it in the oven for 14 minutes and voila! - you have a fresh baguette!).

5. Once I was ready to start cooking again, I prepared some asparagus by washing, salting, and covering in olive oil. I placed these in the oven at 425F for 7 minutes. I did this because our (convection) oven does not cook food that is on the second rack very well. This way, I cooked these first, and then put them on the bottom rack to keep warm. If you have a normal oven, just place them in the oven for 10 minutes (with the chicken, after it has cooked for about 3-4 minutes).

6. During this time, I also cooked the bacon (approx. 2 strips per chicken breast)...

7. ... and set aside, keeping approximately 1/2-1/4 of the bacon grease set aside. We kept it in the skillet, but as suggested in the original recipe, you may want to clean your skillet to prevent a lot of smoke once you cook the chicken.

8. Once the chicken was marinated, I removed the excess marinade and seared the chicken in the pan of bacon grease for a max of 1.5 minutes per side. You want it just blackened, but not the chicken inside cooked.

Veggie version:

9. I added the chicken to the oven, now at 400F for ~10 minutes (with the asparagus).

10. At this point the chicken was done and I added 1-2 slices of bacon to each breast...

11. ...and covered with cheddar cheese.

Finished asparagus:

12. I cooked this for another 3-5 minutes until the cheese was melted and the bacon hot.

Veggie version:

13. Served with the asparagus:

Overall, this was a very delicious meal, and SB loved it. The only downside is that it seems a bit fatty with the cheese and bacon. I am thinking that this will be reserved for special occasions, but that I will use the chicken and marinade for regular dinners as it was super tasty (and served with veggies and a salad, a fairly healthy meal). One other thing... with the bacon cooking and then the seared chicken, my place smelled soo good!

"Mexican" Lasagna

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH, 2009

4.5 stars (out of 5 - simple and delicious!)

MB was coming for dinner, so I wanted to make something different from the other dishes I had made her and this old recipe popped into my mind. It ended up being the perfect thing to make, as it is a simple (non-finicky) recipe that I could cook while we chatted away!

Ingredients:

1.5-2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 cups green or red pepper
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup salsa
2 tsp ground cumin
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
7" white tortilla shells
1.5 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Low fat sour cream
Optional: 2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced; 1/3 cup chopped green onions

1. First, I added the onion, garlic, and red pepper to a large wok and cooked until they were softened (5-7 minutes).

2. I then added the tomatoes, salsa and cumin and brought the mixture to a boil and simmered (uncovered) for 10 minutes. After this time, I added the beans and heated them for a few minutes.

3. Once this mixture was cooked, I sprayed a 9x9 pan (although there is enough mixture for a 13x9" pan...my oven just isn't big enough!!) and started to layer. First, I added 1/3 of the bean mixture, covered with one layer of tortillas and 1/2 of the cheese. I then added another layer of the bean mixture, tortillas, bean mixture and top with the remainder of the cheese. I baked it for 35 minutes at 350F, and let cool for 10 minutes.

4. Here you can garnish with tomatoes and green onions, but I kept it simple and just served it with a dollop of sour cream.

Me and MB before dinner!

Overall, this recipe is simple, yet very different from a lot of other dishes I make. I had actually forgot how good it tastes! I will definitely have to remember to make this again in the future.

SB's Carrot & Potato Soup

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18TH, 2009

4 stars (out of 5 - a delicious meal-in-a-bowl!)

Ingredients:

2-4 carrots
2 medium-large potatoes
2 large tomatoes
2 small-medium onions
1 leek
1 cube veggie bouillon*

{Note. Use whatever bouillon you normally like; we used veggie so that the soup is vegetarian. We also recommend using celery and the leek is optional... we just had it in the fridge at the time}.

1. First, we put about 2 cups of water in a large pot and brought to a boil.

2. Next, we peeled the carrots and potatoes and chopped them roughly into medium-sized pieces.

3. We then cut the tomatoes into quarters (notice how SB is taking out the core)...

4. ... and cut the leek and onion (not pictured). The onion can be cut just into quarters.

5. We added the veggies and bouillon to the boiling water. The water should basically be deep enough to just cover the veggies. We stirred in some salt and pepper and brought to a boil.

6. Once the soup was boiling, we lowered to heat to low (3-4ish) and simmered for about 40 minutes. We checked on it once and a while to make sure that the water wasn't evaporating too much.

7. After, we added the soup mixture to the blender and mixed it all up!

8. Served with a dollop of sour cream:

Very yummy and filling soup! We ate it with our meals for days. It's also very good for you (no fat). SB thought it was missing something, and then we realized that we had forgot celery, so I think that would be a great addition. Basically throw whatever you have in your fridge in and mix!

Hearty Salad from the South-West of France

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13TH, 2009

5 stars (out of 5 - a very hearty meal in a bowl)

It was SB's birthday dinner and he wanted us to make this huge salad that is popular in the south of France...

Ingredients:

Spring salad mix
Prosciutto
1 package Magret de canard (fumé)
Cherry tomatoes
Shredded cheese*
Potatoes (1 per person)
Eggs (1 per person)

Dressing: (as you wish)
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
White wine vinegar

1. First we peeled the potatoes, and sliced them as finely as we could. We put them in a pan with olive oil and fried them for a long time. You want them to be very well-cooked.

2. As the potatoes were cooking, we shredded the cheese and chopped the cherry tomatoes in half. We also started boiling the eggs (1 egg per person; for soft-boiled we left them in for four minutes).

3. We then made the dressing by mixing in dijon mustard (3 tsp) and white wine vinegard (1 tbsp approx) and olive oil, until smooth.

4. After the potatoes were ready (see above pic), we started the salad by using HUGE bowls and layering the bottom with the spring salad mix and tomatoes.

5. Next, we added a layer of magret de canard...

6. ... and topped this with another layer of salad, followed by the cooked potatoes.

7. Then added the cheese...

8. ...prosciutto...

9. ... and then the magret de canard and potatoes.

10. Finally, we topped it with a soft-boiled egg and the dressing.

We served it with champagne to complete the French experience ;)

My version, sans meat:

Me, not sure what to expect:

SB looking happy with his creation:

And yes, SB did finish his whole HUGE salad:

Overall, this was a quite delicious salad. I liked the warm egg and potatoes , which made it a very hearty meal (even without meat). I think that for us Canadian meat-eaters (and the budget-conscious), just one of the meats would suffice, but what do I know?! I will definitely be making this again, on another special occasion.

Thanksgiving Dinner - Turkey Rolls with Stuffing

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12TH, 2009

4.5 stars [out of 5 - pretty good, but a whole turkey is probably better ;)]

Ingredients:

This is for 6 people (original recipe); I used only one turkey cutlet for SB:

2.5-3lb turkey breast*
1.5 cups of your favourite stuffing*
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Olive oil (2 tbsp)
Toothpicks or twine

{Note. For less people, you can also use individual turkey cutlets for each person, which is what I did. However, the turkey breast will still have the skin, which makes for a better meat in the end and prevents it from drying out. I think I will do that next time. For the stuffing, I just used StoveTop because I was lazy, but if you have a great stuffing recipe it will probably make this meal even better}.

1. First, I cooked the stuffing and set it aside.

2. If you have turkey breasts, you will need to butterfly the meat, and pound it with a meat mallet until even thickness. I seasoned one side of the turkey cutlet with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of garlic powder.

3. I spooned stuffing over the turkey (non-skin side), about 3/4 of an inch deep.

4. Next, I rolled up the turkey as tightly as possible and secured with toothpicks. If you are using a large piece of meat for several people, you will need to use some twine. This keeps the shape of the turkey as it cooks.

5. I then gave the turkey a good coating of olive oil, and seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder again.

6. I then placed in the oven at 350F. If you are using a large piece of meat, use a rimmed baking sheet covered in a little olive oil.

7. I only had to bake mine for about 35 minutes because my cutlets were so small, but if you have a large piece of meat, this can take up to 1.5 hours. Cook until the internal temperature is 165F (you can cook it until 160F and let it rise to 165F as it cools to prevent it from drying out), and let it sit, covered for 10 minutes. Remove twine/toothpicks, and serve! (One note, if the turkey becomes brown while cooking, you may also want to cover with aluminum foil).

I served this with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans, but you can serve with whatever sides you like for Thanksgiving. I like this recipe because I don't see myself ever tackling a full turkey (I don't think that as a vegetarian I could handle that), but can still make a nice Thanksgiving meal for non-vegetarians. I have only tried this with small pieces of turkey cutlet, but think next time I will try a large turkey breast so that I can keep the skin on it, which everyone loves and I don't have to worry about it drying out.

Cheesy Artichoke Dip

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9TH, 2009

5 stars (out of 5 - delicious appy!)

Ingredients:

1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
Splash of lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small package spreadable cream cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mayo*

{*Note. I use real mayo (or low-fat real mayo). I find that if you use Miracle Whip it tastes too sweet}.

1. First, I prepped all of my ingredients by chopping the artichokes, onions, and garlic. I added everything to a bowl and then transferred it to a casserole dish.

2. I then baked it, covered, at 350F until bubbly (about 30-45 minutes), stirring it once so that the sides don't burn and the middle gets cooked.

3. Serve with baguette or tortilla chips!

I love making this for parties, as everyone loves a warm appy. One problem is that you will want to serve it when everyone has arrived, as it cools quickly. This has been one of my favourite appy's (passed down from my mom) for a long time!