Chicken with Artichokes

This is a dish I kinda just threw together last night for dinner with ingredients I had in the freezer, fridge, and pantry. I had no idea it would turn out so yummy. I even warned Abe we might be going out to eat and he had keys in hand, but when we tried it the dinner was fantastic. So maybe I can cook without a recipe. I will have to try this again. As for exact measurments I will have guess on those, so bear with me.

4 chicken thighs

salt and pepper

1/2 Spanish onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp. sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

10 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 tsp. dried sage

1/2 can (7 oz.) artichoke hearts, chopped

3 cups baby spinach

feta

1. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
2. Reduce heat to low and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Add onions and sugar; cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and deep golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and olives and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3. Add broth, sage, artichokes and browned chicken and simmer, covered for 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. During the last minute add spinach and cook until wilted.
4. Serve over rice, orzo, or any grain preferred and top with feta.

THE VERDICT: Its a winner! Abe actually enjoyed it and set his keys down:) Guess I will have to start trying my own ideas more often!

Broccoli Gratin

This is a great side dish to a steak dinner, and a great way to sneak veggies in a meal. I love broccoli every way you can make it. This is a great casserole alternative with not much fat in it. I made a half recipe which was perfect for 2 with leftovers.

3 slice whole wheat bread

3 T. olive oil

salt and pepper

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3 cups skim milk

2 heads of broccoli ( about 2 pounds), florets finely chopped, stalks peeled and finely chopped

1 cup shredded reduced fat white cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 400, with rack in upper third. In a food processor pulse bread and 1 T. olive oil until large crumbs form; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat remaining oil over medium. Whisk in flour; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; add broccoli. Reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is tender. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup cheese.
3. Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish; top with breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake until breadcrumbs are golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe is slightly modified from Everyday FOOD by Martha Stewart.

Whole Wheat & Vegetable Lasagna

Well I guess I cannot photograph lasagna, every shot I took looked like a pile of crap, and would not do this goodness any justice. So instead, here is a picture of the lasagna noodles I used. This post is for Miss Allie, who called me out the other night for not updating my blog. The story behind that is I have not been up to cooking lately due to the whole pregnancy thing. For a while nothing sounded good, so Abe just did a lot of grilling, hence no posts. I am now in my second trimester, so I think I'm all clear on the nausea thing. So Allie this one is for you. I made a half recipe of this lasagna, which was plenty for 3.

1 Box (9oz.) Whole Wheat Lasagna

2 Jars (24 oz.) Tomato Basil Sauce

2 Eggs

2 lbs. Part Skim Ricotta Cheese

2 cups Shredded Mozzarella

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan

1 T. Dried Parsley Flakes

2 Medium sized Zucchini

1 8 oz. Pkg. Baby Bella Sliced Mushrooms

1 6 oz. pkg. Baby Spinach

3 T. Olive oil

2 Cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9X13 glass baking dish with a nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl combine: ricotta, mozzarella, Parm, eggs, and parsley; set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute garlic; add zucchini, mushrooms, and gently saute for 2-3 minutes. ( Do not over cook veggies, they will get to soggy) Set aside.
4. Remove Lasagna from box, DO NOT BOIL.
5. To assemble, cover bottom of pan with 6-7 oz. of sauce.
6. Layer 4 uncooked noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the vegetables, and 1/3 of the spinach. Drizzle with 6-7 oz. of sauce over the vegetables. Create the next layer beginning with the pasta sheets. Gently press down each layer until completed. Repeat layering until you have created 4 layers. Top with 6-7 oz. of sauce.
7. Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes, covered with foil.
8. Remove from oven and let stand for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Original Recipe at Gia Russa

Tangy Mustard Coleslaw

This crisp, creamy salad is my answer to coleslaw and is a great companion for most grilled meals. I made this with the spice rubbed pork tenderloin, but would be great with burgers or fish sandwiches. I got this recipe from Cooking Light, of course. Oh yea, and use a food processor for the prep.....you will be very happy.

7 cups finely shredded green cabbage

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup grated carrot

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 T. sugar

2 T. whole-grain mustard

2 T. reduced fat mayo

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add mustard to mixture to cabbage mixture, and toss well to coat. Cover and chill 20 minutes. Stir before serving. Yield: 7 servings.

THE Verdict: FAB!! Great side dish. Add a dash of hot sauce to the mustard mixture for extra spiciness.

Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Mustard BBQ sauce

Yet another fab cooking light summer recipe. This is a must make for the summer. My mom and I made this together while I was home over the month of June. The BBQ sauce is so good, I would almost make a double batch and save for other grilling expeditions.

Sauce:

2 bacon slices

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard

5 T. honey

3 T. ketchup

2 T. cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Pork:

1 T. light brown sugar

1 T. smoked paprika

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

2 ( 1 lb.) pork tenderloins, trimmed

Cooing Spray

1. Prepare grill.
2. To prepare sauce, cook bacon in a medium sauce an over medium high heat for 4 minutes or until almost crisp. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add mustard and next 5 ingredients to pan, and bring to boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.
3. To prepare pork, combine brown sugar and next 7 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well; rub mixture evenly over pork. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer reads 155 degrees, turning once. Let pork stand 10 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices. Serve with sauce.

THE VERDICT: A winner in the pork tenderloin division. The bacon's savor is key to the sweet tart sauce.

Chunky Monkey Muffins

These are so good. They are a great alternative to desert, they are pretty sweet, so I wouldn't recommend them for breakfast. The best part.... They are filled with all kinds of healthy ingredients. Each muffin has 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and omega 3's, so bring on the post workout snack or late night sweet snack.

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 T. ground flaxseed

1 T. plus 1 tsp. dark cocoa powder

2tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

6 oz. low-fat vanilla yogurt

2 medium overripe bananas, mashed

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. canola oil

1/4 cup soy or 1% milk

1/3 cup natural smooth peanut butter (optional)(I would if I were you)

1 T. wheat germ

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. Coat liners with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Measure out the flours, leveling with a knife, into a large mixing bowl along with the brown sugar, flax seed, 1 T. cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. Whisk together until combined.
3. Combine yogurt, bananas, egg, vanilla, oil, and milk in a separate bowl until thoroughly mixed.
4. Fold banana mixture into the dry mixture just until combined. If using peanut butter, fill the prepared muffin cup 1/2 full with batter and then spoon 1 tsp. peanut butter on top. Fill the cups with more batter until 3/4 full. (if not using peanut butter simply fill cups with batter 3/4 full) Sprinkle tops with wheat germ and put in oven for 20 minutes or until tops of muffins look dry and spring back when touched in the center. Allow to cool.

THE VERDICT: I could eat the whole batch of these. The peanut butter really makes it, so include it.

Summer Veggie Soup

Anyone else feel like I do and cannot eat one more hamburger or brat. My body is craving veggies, so you can imagine the boys were surprised to come home to a huge pot of veggie soup. I was already prepared for the, "where's the meat?" question. But it never came. Have they become veggie lovers? Not quite! But they each had a huge bowl. The one great thing about this recipe is that it makes quite a bit, so you can freeze leftovers. I scooped about 2 cups in freezer bags, and lay them flat in the freezer. They are gonna make great lunches in the next coupe weeks.

4 ears corn, husks and silk removed, corn cut off cob (or about 2 cups frozen corn)

2 T. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) reduced sodium veggie or chicken broth

2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

8 oz. green beans, cut into thirds

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes in juice

1/2 cup orzo (look for the whole wheat)

1. In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add broth and 2 cups of water; bring to a boil. Add zucchini, green beans, corn, tomatoes (with juice), and orzo; cook uncovered, until orzo is tender, 8 to 11 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

THE VERDICT: Quick and easy to throw together, and chock full of good summer produce. If freezing, thaw before you reheat it. ENJOY!!