Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken

Not a great picture I know, but I for got to take one once it was done.  I was to excited to show off my carving skills!!  This was my first attempt at making a whole chicken, and wow was it good.  I had an over abundance of thyme growing in my Aerogarden, and lemon thyme chicken was the first thing I thought of.  This is a cooking light recipe, so enjoy!!!!

1  (6-pound) roasting chicken

2  teaspoons  Hungarian paprika

2  tablespoons  chopped fresh thyme, divided

1  teaspoon  salt, divided

1  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided

2  lemons, divided

Cooking spray

1  teaspoon  olive oil

2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour

1/2  cup  dry white wine 

1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice

2  teaspoons  sugar

Lemon slices (optional)

Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Combine the paprika, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; rub under loosened skin. Thinly slice 1 lemon; arrange slices under loosened skin. Cut remaining lemon into quarters. Place lemon quarters inside chicken cavity. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon thyme to chicken cavity.

Place chicken on the rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Brush oil over skin. Cover chicken with aluminum foil. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh registers 165°. Transfer chicken to a cutting board; cover with foil, and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

Place a zip-top plastic bag in a 2-cup glass measure. Pour drippings into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into measuring cup, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Place pan on stove top over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into pan. Add wine; bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add drippings, broth, juice, sugar, remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Remove skin and lemon slices from chicken, and remove lemon wedges from cavity; discard. Carve chicken, and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with gravy. Garnish with additional lemon slices and thyme sprigs, if desired.

THE VERDICT:  This chicken was perfect.  It was so moist and had a great light, citrusy, flavor.  I hate dry chicken, and this was the furthest from it.  The prep was quite easy, and I got to use up a lot of thyme.  I served this with a huge spinach salad, and the boys wanted stuffing with the gravy, so I just made them some cornbread stuffing.  

Mediterranean Orzo Salad

This is a recipe I just throw together, and I have been making it for years.  I used to make this when I lived alone right after college all the time.  I like to say this is my dressed up version of ramen.  This is also another good recipe for cleaning out the fridge.

1 cup orzo ( I mixed half whole wheat and half regular)

2 overflowing handfuls of fresh spinach

1/2- 1 cup feta depending how much you want

8-10 chopped kalamatas

1 chopped roasted red pepper

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 lemon

1 T. olive oil

1. Fill medium sauce pan halfway with water and boil. 
2. Boil orzo until 1 minute before el dente.  
   
3. Add spinach to boiling orzo and water, and cook for 1 minute or until wilted.
4. Drain orzo and spinach in a colander.
5. Transfer orzo and spinach to a large bowl, and add olive oil and lemon juice, stir to mix.
6. Add olives, peppers, tomatoes, and feta to the mix.  
7. Enjoy!

THE VERDICT: Always a winner, looks impressive, but it is so easy.  If you don't have a certain ingredient just substitute it or leave it out.  I used to eat this as a main entree, but now I serve it as a side dish to my meat lover husband.  It is also great cold the next day.

Glazed Lemon Cookies

WOW...These are good.  Usually I make cookies and send them to work with Abe for the boys, but I did not do that with this bunch.  These cookies are super easy to make and they are perfect for spring!!  This recipe is from Everyday Food, by Martha Stewart.

2 cups all purpose  flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 T. fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp. ( I know, just keep reading)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Lemon Glaze ( see below)

1. Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined.  With a mixer on low speed, beat in flour mixture.
2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto 2 baking sheets.  Bake until edges are golden 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Let cool 2 minutes on sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Spread cookies with Lemon Glaze and let set, about 1 hour.

LEMON GLAZE:  In a medium bowl, whisk 2 cups confectioners sugar, 2 T. finely grated lemon zest, and 1/3 cup lemon juice until smooth.

THE VERDICT: Amazing...They came out so soft, and zesty.  I enjoyed one with a cup of tea before I went to bed, and it was perfect.

Herb Bread

Ok so I said I would document the messes and successes.  Welcome MESS!  Now if I would have read the recipe all the way through I could have prevented this flop.  So I will post the recipe because it wasn't the recipes fault it was mine.  The recipe states that if making a small loaf use rapid bake on the bread machine.  Well I made a medium loaf, which was supposed to bake on the standard setting, and of course I saw Rapid Bake first and that's what I did!  OOPS!   So moral of the story...read directions!!!!   This may have been a flop for dinner that night, but it made excellent croutons.

MEDIUM LOAF (Bread Machine)

7/8to 1 cup milk

1 1/2 T. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 T. butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cups bread flour

1/2 tsp. dried dill

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

2 tsp. active dry yeast

1. Place all ingredients in bread pan, using the least amount of liquid listed in the recipe.  Select Medium Crust and press Start.
2. Observe the dough as it kneads.  After 5 to 10 minutes, if appears dry add more liquid 1 T. at a time until smooth, soft, pliable ball forms.
3. After baking cycle ends, remove bread from pan, place on wire rack, and allow to cool 1 hour before slicing.

Recipe from Bread Machine Magic.

THE VERDICT:  Good Croutons!!!

Asparagus with Olive Gremolata

Wow the macro button really emphasizes the scratches on my plate.  Any who, this asparagus was fabulous.  The original recipe called for it to be steamed, but I was grilling my salmon and just threw the asparagus next to it.  The gremolata is very fragrant and it gave the asparagus a new interesting taste.  This recipe is adapted from my Cooking Light year book 2008.

Gremolata:

1/2 cup picholine olives, pitted

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 T. grated lemon rind

1/4 tsp. salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

Remaining ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. trimmed asparagus, grilled

1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1. To prepare gremolata, place olive in a food processor; pulse 3 times or until finely chopped.  Add parsley, lemon rind, salt. and garlic.  Pulse 2 times or until mixture us combined.  Serve gremolata over grilled asparagus; sprinkle with black pepper. (Gremolata can be prepared in advanced)

The Verdict:  This was just for me tonight; and I really enjoyed it.  I had a piece of grilled salmon, asparagus, and a piece of homemade bread**.  It was a perfect dinner.  Now off for a run!!

**Which was a flop but still tasted good. I will post later!!

Chicken Fajita Salad with Poblano-Buttermilk Dressing

Healthy Green Dinner for Earth Day!!!

This recipe was nice and light for a 95 degree day.  I also wanted to make something Green for Earth Day.  All the ingredients in this recipe are natural, including the homemade tortillas.  We also used cloth napkins for dinner, which is something we need to continue to reduce waste.

I got this recipe from my most current issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine.

Juice of 2 limes

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)

1/4 cup plus 2T. EVOO

salt and pepper

2 poblano chiles, halved and seeded

1 sweet onion, thickly sliced

1/2 cup buttermilk

4 medium flour tortillas (made my own)

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 large head of romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces

1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium. In a shallow bowl, pour all but 2 teaspoons of the lime juice over the chicken. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and turn to coat; season with salt and black pepper. Cover and let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the chiles and onion with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and black pepper. Transfer the chiles to the grill and tent with foil. Grill, turning occasionally, until softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, grill the chicken and the onion, turning once, 5 to 6 minutes on each side; let cool.
3. Peel the chiles and slice. Using a food processor, puree one-third of the chiles with the buttermilk, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the remaining 2 teaspoons lime juice; season with salt and black pepper. Transfer the remaining chiles to a medium bowl. Coarsely chop the grilled onion and add to the sliced chiles.
4. Brush the tortillas with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with the cayenne, salt and black pepper. Grill, turning once, until crisp, about 2 minutes; cut into wedges.
5. In a large bowl, toss the romaine lettuce with half of the poblano dressing. Slice the chicken and serve on top of the romaine. Add the chile-onion mixture and the remaining dressing; serve with the grilled tortilla chips.

THE VERDICT:  I thought this was really good, and a perfect summer meal.  You get plenty of serving of veggies with this meal.  The recipe is for 4, but I made it all for 3 and we are stuffed.

I am going to submit this to Joelens Foodie Films for May, where they are featuring the movie Tortilla Soup. Here is the link check it out.

Pecan Sandies

mmm...We all need a little cookie in our lives.  I had some leftover Pecans in the freezer, and Martha Stewart came to my rescue for this recipe.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp. (Just call me paula Deen y'all)

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 1/2 tsps. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven 350. 
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and salt.  With the mixer on a low speed, gradually add flour, beating just until combined.  Fold in pecans.
3. Roll dough in 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on a baking sheets, 2 inches apart.  With a dampened bottom of a glass, lightly flatten each ball.
4. Bake until cookies are golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating sheets half way through.  Transfer to wire racks, and let cool.

The Verdict:  Good but not very healthy.  I guess if you wanna dig deep, and I mean deep, we can pretend they are good for us due to the protein and the unsaturated fat in the Pecans!!!!

Frito Pie

Nothing says Texas like Frito Pie, or so I think!  Everywhere we go this is always on the menu.  So I braved up one day and ordered it!  I knew it had to be good, because it had just been featured on Diners, Drive in's, and Dives at Tip Top Cafe in San Antonio!   Boy was this good!  Tip Top Cafe always has a line outside its door, and we were craving Frito Pies, but didn't want to wait.  So we came up with our own recipe for this easy, comfort food.  Yes I did cheat a little by doctoring canned chili, but we were hungry, and my famous chili takes a while to make.  

Here is what I did:

1 can Amy's Spicy Chili

1 can Hormel Less Sodium Chili

1 can Chili Style Diced Tomatoes

1/2 can Black beans

1 T. Taco Seasoning

1 cup Diced Onion

1 T. Chili Powder

Fritos

Shredded Cheddar

First we just warmed up the canned ingredients, then added the taco seasoning, about 1/2 cup diced onion, and the chili powder.  Let that cook until warm.  Then put Fritos in the bottom of a bowl, top with chili, add a layer of diced onions, and top with shredded cheddar.

THE VERDICT:  You have to be hungry to eat this meal, and you probably won't need to eat for a few days after.  I tried my hardest to make it a little healthier, but there is not much you can do here.  So enjoy, and try to visit Tip Top Cafe when in San Antonio!

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Fried Rice

Need a way to clean out the fridge for people who won't eat leftovers?  Fried Rice is my new answer.  We had pieces of grilled meat like steak chicken and pork, and I had a ton of random veggies.  Some things were from restaurants but much of it was leftover from our grilling last weekend!  I went to the store and bought some sugar snap peas, and a can of "Fancy Vegetables" from the Asian section, just to make it a little more authentic.  You can pretty much throw anything you want in here, but this is what I did.

peppers, diced

onions, diced

mushrooms, sliced

sugar snap peas, cut diagonally

asparagus, chopped

green beans, chopped

zucchini, diced

cooked chicken, roughly chopped

cooked steak, roughly chopped

pork, roughly chopped

1 can "fancy vegetables"(I used La Choy brand), drained

3 cups cooked brown rice

2 eggs, slightly beaten

dark sesame oil

pineapple teriyaki marinade

Add sesame oil to a pan and heat over medium high heat.  Add about 1/4 teriyaki sauce, and a few dashes of soy.  Then add raw vegetables and saute til crisp.  Then add any vegetable that have been previously cooked, or grilled.  Along with the cooked veggies, add meat.  Saute all together until warm.  Add can of fancy veggies, and brown rice.  Stir until combined.  Make a well in the rice mixture, and add beaten eggs.  Let eggs sit until cooked through, then combine with rice mixture.

  

THE VERDICT:

That's all there is to it.  My hubby loves egg rolls, so I bought some frozen to serve with this.  Other than the egg rolls, this is a very healthy dish!  I could eat this everyday!   

Faux-viche

MMM  MMM Good!  My Uncle Tim came up with this wonderful recipe that we got to try on Easter.  We call it Faux-viche, because its like ceviche but not exactly.  Everything is cooked!!  This recipe can either be served on chips as shown, for an appetizer, or as a complete meal on a tostado.  The key ingredient?......The hot sauce on top!!!

1 can cooked baby shrimp can use frozen

1 can crab

1 can salmon, skin and bones removed

1 green pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 tomato, seeded and diced

2 T. cilantro, finely chopped

lemon juice

hot sauce

Mix all ingredients together, add lemon juice at end and mix until well combined.  Chill for a few hours before serving.  Serve on chips or tostados, and top with a dash or 2 of hot sauce.

This recipe is super easy and super good. Thanks UNCLE TIM!!!

Wine of the Month

This is probably the best Organic Wine I have ever had.  Its called Natura, and its a Carmenere from Valle Calchagua.  It has a great smell of cherries and plums, but is not a fruity wine, it is very dry, like I like it!  This wine goes great with pasta, meat, cheese....or in my case Pizza!!  

Tropical Muffins

Now these are the kind of muffins that scream summer!  So why not get in the mood with a little tropical flavor.  My mom is visiting today from MI, and they just got snow this week!  I know it's April! Why do you think we always live in warmer climates now!   Anyways I thought this would be a nice welcome to the warm weather.  This is a cooking light recipe, so yes it's even somewhat healthy for you.  

Muffins:

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 cup regular oats

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2)

1 cup low fat buttermilk

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 T. canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained   

1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut

3 T. chopped macadamia nut, toasted 

Topping:

2 T. flaked sweetened coconut

1 T. chopped macadamia nuts

1 T. sugar

1 T. regular oats

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. To prepare muffins, lightly spoon flour into measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Make a well in center of flour mixture.  Combine banana and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.  Stir in pineapple, 1/3 cup coconut, and 3 T. macadamia nuts.  Spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. To prepare topping, combine 2 T. coconut and remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
4. Sprinkle about 1 tsp. topping over each muffin.  Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.  Remove muffins from pan immediately, place on a wire rack to cool.  

The VERDICT:  They are a little surprise for breakfast tomorrow, so I will let you know.  They look great though, and would be pretty to serve at a brunch.

Calories: 205 per muffin!

Garlicky Green Beans with Grilled Salmon

Nice Healthy Dinner in a matter of minutes!

I got the idea for dinner tonight from flipping through my Everyday FOOD magazine.  It was under cooking for 1, which I know is hard, because I use to do it all the time.  Cooking for 1 or 4 can be just this easy.

2 tsp. olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, sliced

green beans, trimmed (couple handfuls)

seafood seasoning and pepper

salmon fillets (# of people feeding)

1. In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic, and cook til golden brown.  Transfer to a plate; wipe out skillet.
2. Add green beans to skillet with about 1/4 cup water; cover, and cook until tender.  Drain any liquid from skillet.  Season green beans with salt and pepper.  Add to plate with garlic, toss, and cover with foil until salmon is cooked.
3. Season salmon fillets with seafood seasoning, and pepper.  Throw on the grill skin side down.  Grill until cooked to your liking.  

THE VERDICT:  So that took like what 20 minutes to make dinner, and its nutritious.  I don't think we could have driven through a fast food restaurant in that time!  ENJOY!  Oh yeah, and check out my fresh dill on top, from the Aerogarden, it was a last minute add, and very flavorful!

Grilled Tomatoes

All right I know I have been a slacker about cooking lately, but I have 2 good reasons. 1. Michigan State is in the final four and now the championship game! and 2. The weather has been so nice that we are grilling every night.  Now I know you don't want me to explain putting spices on a hunk of meat and then throwing it on the grill, so that is why there have been no recipes.

The grilled tomatoes are a recipe Abe and I came up with while overseas.  Tomatoes were the cheapest thing to buy, so we ate a ton of them.  One night we threw them on the grill with some extras, and holy cow they were good.

Plum tomatoes

olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

feta 

1. Slice tomatoes in half.
2. In a prep bowl, pour about 1/4 cup olive oil.  Add minced garlic.
3. Grill tomatoes cut side down for 2-3 minutes.  Flip over, spoon on olive oil and garlic mixture.   Just eyeball the amount, you really can't mess these up.  Grill another 2-3 minutes, until tomatoes are soft.
4. Top with feta for the last minute or so of cooking 

THE VERDICT:  Super easy, and always a hit.  We make these at least once a week now.  

Light Chicken Enchiladas

This is our favorite enchilada recipe.  It's, of course, from Cooking Light, and one I make over and over again!

Filling:

3 cups water 

1/4 tsp. salt

8 black peppercorns

1 onion, quartered

1 bay leaf

1 lb. skinless chicken breast halves

3/4 cup monterey jack, shredded, divided

3/4 cup reduced fat cheddar, shredded, divided

1/2 cup chopped onion

Sauce:

2/3 cup skim milk

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup egg substitute

1/8 tsp. salt

1 11oz. can tomatillos, drained (I can only find crushed in the can)

1 4.5 oz. can diced green chiles, undrained

Remaining Ingredients:

corn tortillas (6-inch)

low fat sour cream

1. To prepare filling, place first 6 ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan; cool.  Remove chicken from bones and shred with two forks.  Discard bones.  Reserve broth for another use. (yay free broth!)
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. Combine shredded chicken, 1/2 cup monterey jack and cheddar cheeses, and 1/2 cup chopped onion in a bowl; set aside.
4. To prepare sauce, place milk and next 5 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.
5. To prepare tortillas, fill a medium skillet with 1 inch of water; bring to a simmer.  Dip 1 tortilla in water using tongs.  Leave for a couple seconds; then remove.  Spoon 1/2 cup filling in center of each tortilla.  Roll tightly, and place in an 11X7 inch baking dish.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
6. Pour sauce over enchiladas.  Cover and bake for 20 minutes.  Uncover and sprinkle with 1/4 cup each monterey jack and cheddar.  Bake additional 5 minutes or until cheeses melt.  Top with sour cream.   

THE VERDICT:  They are gone!  That is one indication that they are good!  

Per Serving: 502 calories!  That is 2 enchiladas and trust me that is a lot of food!

Mediterranean Chicken Packets

This is the easiest chicken dish I have ever made.  The boys walked in the door and dinner was served 30 minutes later!  This dish is very flavorful, and you can add any combination of flavors you want.  I got the idea for this from Everyday FOOD by Martha Stewart.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 can diced tomatoes, drained (I used Italian flavored)

4 artichoke hearts, from a 14 oz. can, quartered

12 kalamata olives, halved and pitted

1/2 cup feta

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 T. olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Place 4 12 inch squares of parchment paper on a work surface.  Place a chicken breast on one half of each square, leaving a 2 inch border; season with salt and pepper
2. Dividing evenly, top chicken with tomatoes, artichokes, olives, and feta.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and oil.  Fold parchment paper over ingredients, and crimp edges to seal.
3. Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until opaque throughout, 20 to 22 minutes.

THE VERDICT: Cheap, easy, and good, what more can you ask for?  I served this with sauted spinach. This was a perfect meal for a warm spring evening.

Per Serving: 344 Calories!

Super Size Turkey Meatballs with Spinach and Cheese

This was a request from the hubby, so you know its tried and true.  He doesn't request much, so when he does I know I made something good.  This is a Rachael Ray recipe.  It makes a ton....but I freeze the extra meatballs for a quick go to dinner.

1 100z box frozen chopped spinach, thawed

2 1/2 lbs. ground turkey

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

1 3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup parmesan

salt and pepper

EVOO

2 T. unsalted butter

2 T. all purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 8oz. package shredded provolone or Italian mix

1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsely

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Wring the spinach dry in a clean kitchen towel. Place the ground turkey in a large bowl and make a well in the middle of the turkey. Add the spinach, half of the onion, the garlic, the egg, 1/4 cup of the milk, the bread crumbs and the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and season with salt and pepper. Mix until combined, then form the turkey mixture into 12 large balls, arrange on a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle with EVOO. Roast for 25 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO and the butter to the pan. Melt the butter, add the remaining onion and cook for 2 minutes, then whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk and the broth. Bring the liquid to a boil, then stir in the provolone. Season the sauce to taste with salt, pepper and the nutmeg. 
3. Place 3 turkey meatballs on each of 4 dinner plates and drizzle with the sauce; garnish with the parsley and serve. 

THE VERDICT:  SO GOOD, BUT SO FILLING!   This would be a great Sunday afternoon dinner.  I serve this with egg noodles and a chop salad.  It only takes about 30 minutes to make, which isn't bad for two meals when its all said and done.