Greek Cinnamon Stewed Chicked

My family has grown to love this recipe, and even the kids like it.  You can serve it over orzo pasta or rice.  If you simmer it on a little higher heat, you get some nice "burnt" crust on the bottom of the pan, which is actually really yummy.

Recipe
Adapted from Cat Cora on The Oprah Winfrey Show

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 8 pieces

2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
5 cloves garlic , peeled and minced
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion , peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cups water
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 Tbsp. dried Italian herb seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Wet chicken will cause the oil to splatter while the chicken is sautéing. Mix the cinnamon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the chicken pieces on all sides with the seasoning.

Heat the olive oil in a large, nonreactive, deep skillet or dutch oven over high heat. A 12-inch skillet with sides about 2 1/2 to 3 inches high will allow you to brown all the chicken at once. If you don't have a skillet large enough, brown them in two batches using 1/2 the oil for each batch. What's important is that the chicken isn't overcrowded, which would cause them to steam rather than brown.

Add the chicken to the oil and brown for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn the pieces using a metal spatula, as they have a tendency to stick to the pan. Remove the pieces when they are well browned on all sides.

Mince three of the garlic cloves. Lower the heat to medium-high, and add the onions and minced garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions have softened and are a rich golden brown. Add about 1/2 cup of the water and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula or spoon to deglaze the pan, loosening any particles stuck on the bottom.

When the water has evaporated, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and remaining 2 garlic cloves, minced.

Return the chicken to the pan. The liquid should cover about 3/4 of the chicken pieces. Cover the pot and simmer over medium-high heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked. If the sauce becomes too thick, it can be thinned with a little more water. Season the finished sauce with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Serve over orzo or rice, cooked according to package directions, and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Homemade Pizza.

It's a yummy dinner and a fun family activity - making your own pizza. You can pick whatever toppings you like, or experiment with new ones. This week the boys wanted traditional pizzas with sausage and pepperoni. I wanted something more eclectic so I tried to recreate one of my favorites - the Pear & Gorganzola from CPK. All the pizzas turned out yummy. Here are the pizzas we made. (And you can see my post of Homemade wheat pizza dough for the recipe)

The Ingredients:

Cooked italian sausage, pepperoni, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese.

Sliced pears, gorganzola cheese, baby greens, pear & gorganzola salad dressing, mozzarella cheese and caramelized shallots.

Putting them together.

For this one I put down a layer of mozzarella, then a layer of sliced pears and shallots and added a little gorganzola on top.

The final products:

After the pizza is cooked, toss the baby greens in the dressing and top the pizza with them. Then slice and serve.

Homemade wheat pizza dough.

What goes better with homemade pizza than a homemade dough (although you can find and use some from the grocery store if you need to - I like the bags of dough at Trader Joe's). For ideas about what do put on your pizza, see my post about Homemade pizzas.

Recipe
Adapted from Curtis Stone on Oprah

This makes 3 balls of dough, about 8 ounces each (personal pizza sized)
1/4 ounce dry or fresh yeast
1 tsp. honey
1 cup warm water (110 to 115°)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour , plus more for dusting
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil , plus more for brushing

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, combine yeast, honey and warm water and mix to dissolve. Allow mixture to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.

In a stand mixer mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, oil and yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Attach dough hook to mixer and knead for 5 to 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth but firm. Remove dough hook and cover bowl with a warm, damp cloth and set in a warm spot for 30 to 40 minutes (or in a warmed oven) or until dough has risen to almost 1 1/2 times its size.

Divide the dough into 3 evenly sized balls (about 8 ounces each), and pull the sides of each ball down and tuck into the bottom of itself. Then, roll the dough under your hand until the top is smooth and has regained slight firmness.

Place the balls of dough back into the same bowl, rub lightly with oil and cover with a warm, damp cloth, and let rise for an additional 15 to 20 minutes in a warm spot.

Pound the dough on a floured work surface and reform into balls. You can roll out into pizza crusts immediately, or brush with a little olive oil and refrigerate covered until ready to use for up to 2 days. Dough will also keep in freezer for up to 2 months if tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.

Lemon Chicken Risotto

My hubby likes chicken and rice, so I try to have different combinations for a little variety. This is a good one that doesn't really need a side dish since the veggies are already in it.

Recipe
Adapted from Pampered Chef

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat
Salt & pepper
1 T olive oil
1-3 lemons, halved (depending on how much lemon flavor you like - I use 3)
1 medium onion, diced
1-3 garlic cloved put through a garlic press (we like garlic so I use 3)
2 packages pre-cooked rice, 8.8 ounces each (we use Uncle Ben's Ready Rice in the Brown Rice flavor)
1 medium carrot, julienned or chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
8 oz. (about 1/2 can) peeled, diced tomatoes, drained
2-2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup asiago cheese, grated (you can substitute parmesean)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced
2 ounces mascarpone cheese (optional)

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Arrange chicken and lemon halves, cut sides down, in the skillet. Cook 6-8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning once. Remove from skillet. Cool slightly and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Lightly spray same skillet with nonstick spray. Cook onion and garlic over medium heat until onions have softened.

Add rice and juice from carmelized lemons (be sure not to let the seeds in). Cook and stir 3-4 minutes.

Add carrot, zucchini, tomatoes and 2 cups of broth to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 4-5 minutes or until broth thickens slightly.


Stir in chicken and cook until heated through.

Remove from heat and add cheese and basil. Stir until cheese melts and sauce thickens (adjust consistency with additional broth if necessary). Stir in mascarpone, if desired.

Serve and eat.

Stir Fry

I don't know that a lot needs to be said about stir fry. It's pretty easy and very quick. It's a great tasting way to get those veggies into your diet, which is hard for my family sometimes. You just need to find yourself a good sauce (I love Trader Joe's General Tsao sauce). There are many to choose from in the asian isle at the grocery store, or you can make your own with a little soy sauce, cornstarch, garlic and chicken/beef broth. I also usually par-steam the harder veggies (like carrots) so they cook faster in the stir fry. If not, I try to add them first so they have a few more minutes of cooking time.

Recipe

Your choice of meat cut into bite sized pieces (we like beef or chicken).
Your choice of veggies that your family likes cut into bite size pieces (we like to combine 3-6, usually a combo of carrots, sugar snap peas, broccoli, mushrooms, peas, zucchini).
1-3 cloves of garlic, minced (we love garlic and use lots but use what your family likes)
2 T olive oil
1 bottle of your favorite sauce

Directions

Add olive oil to a large skillet or wok and swirl to coat bottom. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the meat and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add veggies and cook 3-5 minutes, or until meat is cooked through and veggies are cooked but still slightly crisp. Add sauce and cook until warmed through. Serve over brown rice.

Pasta with broccoli rabe.

I saw this recipe a couple years ago and have actually been dying to try it, but I can never find broccoli rabe (also called rapini) in the store. They have it at a local market (Henry’s) every once in awhile but they are always out when I see the sign for it. Well, today I saw it at the store and had to pick it up. It’s a little bitter like other dark greens, but very tasty - like a cross between spinach and broccoli. I will definitely try this one again, maybe even adding some additional chicken, veggies or cherry tomatoes.

Recipe
From Martha Stewart

Salt and fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds broccoli rabe, rinsed, trimmed, and cut in 1-inch pieces
1 pound shaped pasta (orecchiette, bowties, rotini or your favorite)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 or 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil; Salt generously. Add broccoli rabe. Cook until leaves are wilted, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli rabe to colander; drain well. Return water to a boil, and add pasta; cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until soft, 30 seconds, being careful not to brown. Add anchovy fillets, if using, and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broccoli rabe; cook until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add pasta to broccoli rabe mixture; toss to combine, adding reserved cooking water as desired. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Serve with Parmesan and lemon wedges.

Soy Salmon

Here is another marinade I like to use on salmon. We all love it, even the kids.

Recipe
From La Leche League

1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c brown or coarse ground mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c parsley, chopped

Directions

Put all marinade ingredients in a ziptop bag and shake to combine. Place salmon in bag and marinate in fridge up to 4 hours. Bake (at 350) or grill until fish is cooked through.

Skirt steak

We had a yummy steak, which is a relatively inexpensive cut. I marinated it for about 4 hours prior to grilling. The steak was about 1 pound and cooked in about 15 minutes. When marinating things, I often like to try new combinations, or just put together flavors we like. Tonight's marinade went as follows:

Recipe

1/2 low sodium soy sauce
1 T minced garlic
1 T coarsely ground mustard

Directions

Add marinade ingredients to a zip-top bag, seal and squish bag to combine ingredients. Add steak and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes t0 several hours, as desired. Remove steak from bag and discard leftover. Then grill, broil or cook your steak using your favorite method.

40 Cloves and a Chicken

I love to watch Alton Brown on Foodnetwork and this is one of my favorite of his recipes. It is pretty fragrant, so beware - your house will smell like garlic all day. The roasted garlic comes out so soft and sweet. And, the saucy oil is the secret. I try to get a bite of chicken, a little soft garlic and some oil in each bite to get the best flavor. I use my enameld cast iron pot so I can brown the chicken and roast it in the oven in one pot.

Recipe
From Foodnetwork

1 whole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces (or I buy the picnic pack and use 4 legs and 4 thighs)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 peeled cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with a 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat.

Remove from heat, add oil, thyme, and garlic cloves. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, carve, and serve.

Meatballs

A friend made these for me once and I fell in love with the recipe. When I make them now I usually triple the recipe so I can make enough to freeze extras to go with the pasta sauce.

Recipe

Adapted from William Sonma

1/4 c. Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 c. milk

1/2 pound mild italian pork sausage, casings removed

3/4 pound ground beef

1 egg

1/2 c. low-fat ricotta

1/2 c. finely shredded parmesean

1 large shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. dried margoram

Salt and pepper

Directions

In a large bowl combine bread crumbs and milk and mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Seasonwith salt and pepper. Mix until just combined. Form into balls 1/2" to 1" in diameter (I use a #40 discher to portion out the meatballs - it's a great size and keeps them uniform). Place on cookie sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Place in 350 oven for 10-12 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Remove to paper towels to soak up any extra grease.

Serve warm with spaghetti and pasta sauce. I put the leftover meatballs in ziptop freezer bags in groups of 12-15 and freeze to eat with future meals.

Slow Cooker Sausage Lasagna

We tried this for the first time. It made a good Sunday dinner. I always like dinners that I can start before church and have it ready when we are ready to eat.


Recipe
Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine, March 2009

1 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely shredded carrot
3 finely shredded garlic cloves
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes in puree
9-12 lasagna noodles (depending on if you like more meaty or noodly lasagna)
2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella (reserve ½ cup in refrigerator)
Salt and pepper

Directions
In a large pot, cook sausage and ground beef over medium heat, breaking up meat into pieces, until no longer pink. Add onion, carrots and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook 3-5 minutes, until onion has softened. Stir in the tomato paste, then crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Spoon 2 cups of the meat mixture into the bottom of a 5-6 quart crock-pot. Layer 3-4 noodles (breaking them as needed to fit) over the meat. Layer another 2 cups of meat mixture, then ½ - ¾ cup cheese, then 3-4 noodles. Spread the remaining meat on top.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low 4-6 hours. Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup of cheese on top, cover the crock-pot again and cook 10 more minutes to melt the cheese.

Spinach & Proscuitto Pizza

Making home-made pizza is always a fun treat. It's a great activity to get kids involved in, from rolling out the crust to spreading out toppings. You can customize the pizza with toppings your family likes, or experiment with new flavors. This pizza was the latter. I love to buy whole wheat pizza crust from the refrigerated section at Trader Joe's, but I wanted to try some new toppings that were a bit healthier, so I found a recipe that I thought would work (even though there is no sauce)

Recipe
Adapted from Foodnetwork.com

1 whole wheat pizza crust
4 cups baby spinach
3 oz. prosciutto
½ c. shredded parmesean cheese

Directions

Roll out the pizza crust according to package directions. (We rolled out ours into a sqare, but you can use whatever shape you want). Spread the spinach out all over the crust. Cut up the proscuitto into bite-size pieces then spread over the spinach. Top with parmesean cheese. Cook 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is cooked and golden. Slice and serve.

Grown-up Mac & Cheese

This was really yummy and a fun change to the regular mac & cheese. Hubby thought it was a little strong on the blue cheese, but he is really sensitive to that (he isn't too fond of what he calls "stinky cheeses). I thought it was perfect (however I love "stinky cheeses"). It is a little involved, but it was worth it for me and I got to have leftovers for lunch for a couple days.

Recipe
From Foodnetwork

Kosher salt
1 (16-ounce) package macaroni (cellentani or other curly noodle)
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to butter baking dish
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated fontina
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
3/4 cup grated white Cheddar
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and butter a 9x13 glass or other baking dish (I used my stonewear dish).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 5 tablespoons butter to the onion mixture and melt the butter stirring with a wooden spoon.

Using a whisk, add the flour, and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly. Add the thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.

Strain the hot milk mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina, blue cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup white Cheddar, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley. Continue to stir until all cheese is melted. Add the cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat.

Add the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top of the noodles.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven when done and rest for 5 minutes.

Curry Chicken

This is one of our family's favorite meals. We have this at least every other week, and often once per week. There is a little heat to it for those with a delicate tongue like me, but if spice doesn't bother you, you won't have any problems. You can also control the amount of heat by cutting down on the spices a little.

Recipe
Adapated from Low Fat Low Cholesterol Cookbook

2 T vegetable oil
1 med. onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. garlic powder
6 oz. can tomato paste (preferably no-salt variety)
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground corriander
1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne
8 oz. light sour cream
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. garam masala
2 T. powedered fiber (optional)
(I like to add some extra fiber to some dishes, like powdered Benefiber, since we don't ever seem to get enough into our daily diets)

Directions
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour oil and coat the bottom of the pan. Cook onion for 4-5 minutes until tender. Add garlic powder; cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.

Stir in the spices (cumin, corriander, tumeric and cayenne).


Stir in the tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the sour cream. Add the salt and chicken and mix together thouroughly. If the mixture seems too dry, add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistancy. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the ginger and cook for 10-15 more minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from heat and stir in garam masala and fiber. Serve over rice (we like brown rice).

Marinated steak

For a quick meal I like to have thin cut steaks and marinate then for several hours (you can marinate them for just 30 minutes if you are short on time). By using a thin cut of steak it makes the meal very quick and easy (although there is certainly a place for a good thick steak another night). Tonight I used about a pound of thin round tip steak that was on sale at the grocery store (skirt steak, flank steak etc. work great with this).

The marinade (you can play with the amounts and flavors depending on what your family likes):

3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup honey

2-3 minced garlic cloves

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. dried parsley (you can substitute 1/4 cup fresh if you have it)

1 tsp. dried mustard

Put the marinade ingredients into a gallon sized ziptop bag and squish them around to combine. Add the steak to the bag making sure to cover all the meat, and seal the bag. Put the bag into some kind of bowl or container to catch any leaks (just in case). Let the bag sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to several hours.

When you are ready to cook, just remove the meat and discard the marinade. Cook the meat to your favorite doneness (I like medium rare, especially for the thinnner steaks) and serve. You can grill it outside, pan sear it, or use a grill pan (as seen here).