Bacon wrapped chicken with cheddar and almonds

This is adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe to what I had on hand and to be healthier. You could use any cheese and nut combination. I really liked the addition of green onions. We really also liked the mustard cream sauce (also adapted).
Bacon wrapped chicken with cheddar and almonds
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
4-6 slices turkey bacon
1 tb olive oil
2 tb butter
2 tb flour
1 1/4 cup skim milk
2 tb grain mustard (I used my dear friend Joyanna's spicy wintertime mustard)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Pound chicken breasts thin between plastic wrap. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Cover the breasts with cheese, onions and nuts in equal amounts. Roll each one up and wrap each roll with a piece (or 2) of turkey bacon. Secure with toothpicks. This was the most tedious, pain in the ass part of the process because trying not to cross contaminate is such a pain. I think I washed my hands like 8 times!

Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on all sides for a total of 5-6 minutes. Place chicken on small baking sheet in oven and cook for 10 minutes more.

In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in milk slowly and whisk until smooth. Next stir in mustard and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to warm until chicken is ready. Remove toothpicks from chicken and cut in half. Pour sauce over chicken.

Chicken tamale casserole - future cooking

I know what you're thinking, hasn't she already done one of these? The answer is NO. I made a chicken enchilada casserole and a chicken enchilada soup. Both of which were nothing like this.
I was turned on to this recipe by a fellow pregnant lady from my birth board and I just have to pass it on. As I was making it (almost exactly as specified), I was thinking to myself, this is going to be weird and bland. I was WRONG. You can find the recipe over at Cooking Light. The only changes I made are as follows:
I used 1 egg instead of the egg substitute
I added 1/2 tsp garlic powder
I used canned regular sweet corn
I didn't drain my chiles (to make up for the moisture missing from not using creamed corn)

The modifications I made were due to what I had on hand (and my love of garlic) and it was still really good. I was shocked that it tasted so much like chicken tamales and without the work! Oh and it's only 350 calories per serving. This was so easy. I threw a pound of partially frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot this morning with 4 bouillion cubes and 4 cups of water. When I came home, I shredded the chicken. EASY. This would be fantasic for a potluck too. My hubby wasn't thrilled by the sweetness the cornbread mixture lent to this dish, but I really liked it alot.

Chicken milanese and pickled onion pistachio salad

Ever since I saw this post over at Smitten Kitchen last week, I've kept it in the back of my mind. If you've never checked out Deb's site, you're missing out. I just love her saturated photography and adventurous cooking. Last night I had chicken thighs thawed and decided it was time to give this recipe a whirl. I made several modifications due to what I had on hand.

I used thighs, not breasts
I used parmesan, not romano
I used romaine, not escarole
I used pistachios, not hazelnuts
I followed all other parts of the recipes exactly. This was a big hit with my hubby, though I felt the onions and dressing a little salty. Again, I think my tastebuds have been a little sensitive to salt lately though. The chicken was excellent, moist, crispy and not greasy. And despite taking several detours with the salad, the sweetness of the pistachios was wonderful with the earthy parmesan, pickled onions and slightly bitter romaine. The combination of textures between the chicken and salad were great! I also loved that a lot of this can be made ahead of time. I'll definitely make this again.

Chicken and bean enchiritos - future cooking

These were excellent and this combination of meat and beans is certainly not set in stone. Please modify as you like, but this was how I made these the other night and the meat had PERFECT flavor. I think taco hell was onto something with using flour tortillas instead of corn. Yum! I'm excited to have made 2 meals with this. My freezer is slowly filling!Chicken and Bean Enchiritos
Makes 8 enchiritos(4 servings)
Ingredients:
1 tb oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb ground chicken (turkey would be just as good)
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1 can refried beans (or black beans)
1 4 oz can whole green chiles
8 flour (light whole wheat) tortillas (soft taco/fajita size)
1 14 oz can enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a mexican blend)
2 green onions, sliced

Directions:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and chicken until cooked through (about 5-7 minutes). Break chicken into small pieces with a spoon or spatula as it's cooking. Combine all spices in a small bowl then stir into cooked chicken and onions. Add water to skillet. Stir well to coat evenly. Simmer over medium-low heat for 9 minutes or until no longer watery. Turn off heat and mix beans into the skillet.

Preheat oven to 350. Slice green chiles into 16 strips. Lay a tortilla flat on a plate and scoop about 1/2 cup of meat/bean filling into the middle. Use spoon to spread in a line to the edges. Cover with two slices of green chile and roll up.
Place into a 9x13 (I used 2 8x8s) casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. When the pan(s) is full, cover with enchilada sauce. Top with shredded cheese and green onions.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and broil until cheese is bubbly.
These are so much easier to make with flour then with corn tortillas. They roll up really nice without crumbling or needing to coat in fatty oil first. Enjoy!

Chicken enchilada soup

When I read this recipe last week for tortilla soup, my mouth was watering. I found I didn't have many of the ingredients so I came up with my own recipe to fulfill the craving. This is seriously so easy, pretty healthy and really really good. I urge you to give it a try. Thanks to Real Mom Kitchen for the inspiration! Please forgive the photo, I'm finding that soup just doesn't really photograph all that well.

Chicken Enchilada Soup
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
10 oz can red enchilada sauce
10 oz can cheddar cheese soup
4 oz can diced green chiles
2 cups milk (I used skim)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken (I used breast tenderloins)
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb frozen sweet corn
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions:
Combine canned ingredients with milk in crock pot and stir well to mix through. Add all remaining ingredients, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove chicken and pull apart with forks or tongs and return to pot. Cook 1 additional hour on low. Garnish with sour cream and cheese!

Rosemary lemon chicken

I bought a big family pack of boneless thighs and separated them into 4 separate meal portions (8 servings). A pretty good deal for 10 bucks. While looking through my pantry and fridge for inspiration on how to prepare Sunday dinner, I decided on a bit of an Italian (go figure) theme. I served these on top of garlic and chive smashed yukon potatoes, with a side of steamed broccoli. Can't wait to eat the leftovers!
Rosemary lemon chicken thighs
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tb lemon juice
1 tb olive oil
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium dish. Toss well with tongs to coat chicken evenly. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Heat skillet (in my case a grill pan) over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes. Flip and cook 3-5 minutes more.

Chicken Florentine Rollatini

Using what I had on hand at home last night, this was the concoction I came up with. It's a little messy to make, but then again, dealing with stuffed/rolled raw chicken always is. Packed with flavor, it was a nice change from the same old chicken breasts!
Chicken Florentine Rollatini
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
For the filling:
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 large cloves of minced garlic
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped (you could sub artichoke hearts)
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 tb oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
For the chicken:
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts
1 tb dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions:
Heat 1 tb oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add spinach and sundried tomato and stir to combine. Remove to a medium bowl and stir in ricotta cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
Cut a long piece of plastic wrap. Place 1 chicken breast on one side and fold the other side over. Press edges to seal.
Pound chicken breast to 1/2 inch thickness. Repeat with remaining breasts. Spoon equal amounts of filling about an inch from one edge of each breast. Roll each breast like a burrito and secure shut with toothpicks.

Preheat oven to 350. Toss dried herbs and salt together on a small plate. Coat chicken breasts evenly with herb mixture. Heat 1 tb oil in large skillet over medium heat. Gently add chicken to pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side. Remove to baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to sit 5 minutes and remove toothpicks before slicing.

New Years Feast

For new years eve, my husband got off work earlier then expected and we opted to dine out. We had a fantastic fixed price dinner at Pop's. Though they were booked throughout the restaurant, there were bar tables right next to the kitchen available. I really enjoyed watching the kitchen staff working as a well oiled machine. They didn't seem at all stressed!

The theme was "a night in Tuscany". What I do enjoy about a limited menu is that it forces me to try something I wouldn't normally opt for. I had chicken liver pate, rabbit ragu on an herbed parpadelle, "hunters" chicken with wild mushrooms on creamy polenta, and for dessert, tiramisu. Everything I ate, in its entirety, except the chicken liver pate. Liver still just isn't my thing.

On to new years day. I planned on cooking with the day off work and I opted for a roasted chicken recipe that takes 5 hours. I wasn't dissappointed! The roasted potatoes I gave a try were from Pioneer Woman's site. The collard greens were my own concoction (a secret I'm not sharing) and the blackeye peas were from a can, but swimming in butter. Dinner was tasty! Again, so happy to have the leftovers. Rather then reproduce the recipes here I'll just link to them. I followed them pretty close, I just doubled the amount of garlic and added a tad more salt. We like strong flavor in our house!Jeni's New Years Day Feast:
Rotisserie Style Roast Chicken
Kay's Roasted Potatoes
Blackeye Peas
Jeni's Collard Greens

Jeni's Collard Greens (okay so I lied, here it is)
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs fresh collards, cleaned and broken into bite sized pieces
1 red onion chopped
6 slices bacon
8 cubes chicken boullion
10 cups water
1 tsp crushed red pepper (this amount gives a nice kick so you may want to reduce to 1/2 tsp for the lighter hearted)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crumbly. Remove bacon and drain off all but 1-2 tb of the grease. Add onion and crushed red pepper to pot and cook until onion is translucent.

Add boullion and 1 cup of water. Scrape brown bits from bottom of pot as the water deglazes the pot. Add the remainder of the water, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil.

Add collards and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Crumble cooled bacon. Drain all but but about 1/2 cup of water from pot. Add bacon to pot and stir to mix through. Cook another 3 minutes on low. Salt to taste.

Wild rice and chicken casserole

I'll be spending tomorrow with out of town guests and preparing for a dinner party (which of course I will blog). I also am intending to make Peppermint bark this weekend after seeing how expensive it is in the store and seemingly easy it is to make on Jen's blog. Until then, this was a "use up what I need to dinner" that turned out pretty good. Sandra Lee would be proud hahaha.

Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
3 cups wild rice (1 box cooked per pkg. instructions)
1/2 lb button mushrooms, sliced
2 large shallots, sliced
2 tb olive or canola oil
2 tb minced garlic
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and saute until cooked, 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute 1 minute more. Remove from heat and add all spices, soup and sour cream. Stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Add cut up chicken and stir to coat evenly. Pour chicken mixture into a 9x9 baking dish and top with wild rice. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to set 5-10 minutes before serving.I served atop a pile of homemade collard greens with a side salad.

Chicken and whole grain stuffed cabbage rolls

I'm sure you remember what happened the last time I touched a cabbage. If not, here's a reminder. About a month ago, I encountered mass hysteria in my poor kitchen while I attempted to stuff cabbage into something. Monday I decided to attempt the reverse. Instead I stuff something into cabbage! Though still a little messy, this went much better and we both gobbled up the results. Again, I didn't use a recipe. I used what I had on hand and needed to cook up. Let me say, cabbage isn't the most beautiful vegetable, but it sure can taste good, so pardon my colorless photography.
Chicken and Bulgur Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Makes 12 rolls (4 large entree servings or 6 small servings)
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked bulgur (or brown rice), cooked in water and bouillion per package instructions
1 head of green cabbage
1 lb ground chicken or turkey
1 tb olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 handful fresh sage, chopped (if using dry, reduce to 1 1/2 tsp)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, choppped (if using dry, use 2 tsp)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
3 tb minced garlic
1 handful fresh italian parsley, chopped
olive oil for drizzling
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Directions:
Heat 1 tb olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken and onion. Add salt, pepper, sage, rosemary and garlic. Stirring, cook for another minute or two over medium heat. If pan is large enough, add parsley and bulgur or rice and mix through. Otherwise mix in a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.Core cabbage and place stem side down in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 10 minutes. You core it to make removing the hot leaves easier.Reduce heat to medium and carefully remove an outer leaf from the cabbage with metal tongs. place on a plate and spoon about 1/4 cup of filling into the middle of the curled up leaf. Fold sides in and roll from the end nearest you toward the other end. This may work more like folding then rolling, depending on the rigidity of your cabbage leaves. Be patient and don't worry if it rips. It will still taste great. (Not sure what happened to the photo of me folding the little buggers, I definitely took one, but can't find it)

Preheat oven to 400. Place roll seam side down in a large, lightly oiled 9x13 pan. Continue removing leaves and stuffing and rolling until you have used up all of the filling. I placed all rolls in the pan facing the same direction to make removal easiest.Once your pan is full, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with parmesan, cover and bake for 25 minutes. If my hubby liked sour cream, I would have served these with a mustard cream for dipping. As they stood, they were still great and a well-rounded meal all in one package.

Papa Mojo's Roadhouse - Hwy. 55, Durham

Yesterday I met an old co-worker (old as in I worked with her years ago) for lunch at Papa Mojo's Roadhouse. For those of you in the park, this is in Greenwood Commons over near where Park Diner used to be. Oh how I miss Park Diner :( When I go out for lunch, I tend to like to go places where I can't easily prepare the meal I'm about to eat at home. I often will choose sushi or japanese, but usually not a deli or a sandwich shop (unless options are limited or I'm in a hurry).

Papa Mojo's serves Cajun food. It was very busy and slightly noisy from the lunch crowd when we visited at noon, but the service was on spot and we didn't have to wait long for our food. The decor is definitely casual (no tablecloths, some booth seating) and delightfully eclectic. The menu is expansive (and all Cajun) compared to many in the park and I love that they use a lot of local farms and fisheries.

They started us off with a basket of jalapeno corn bread. It was the perfect amount of heat, moist and the tops were glazed with honey. I devoured two chunks in a matter of seconds.

We both ordered 1/2 po-boys. I ordered the shrimp and she ordered the barbequed yardbird (chicken) po-boy. Mine consisted of a lightly crispy hoagie roll, 6 large spicy grilled shrimp, lettuce, tomato and a cajun tartar sauce. It was phenomenol and messy and I loved every bit of it. The po-boys come with your choice of side (again, many to choose from) and I chose the garlic butter green beans. These were also wonderfully seasoned, tender and firm, and plentiful.

My meal needed nothing else to be perfect and the service was the perfect combination of attentive and laid back. My friend loved her yardbird po-boy and potato salad as well. I can't wait to go back!

Final Farmer's Market Feast

Last night as I was driving home, I stopped by the Durham Farmer's Market. It turns out that last night was the last Wednesday this year they'll be open so I was glad I stopped. I bought some fingerling potatoes, tomatoes, filet beans and a sweet italian pepper.
Once I got home I decided to try to use all of my ingredients, along with some marinating chicken thighs, in one meal as a tribute to the final Wednesday of the season. I started with a tomato salad. Tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh basil from my herb garden. I made green beans with lemon, goat cheese and garlic. I also roasted the fingerlings with fresh rosemary from the garden. I just sauteed the chicken thighs. Recipes below.
Roasted Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes
Makes 4 side servings
Ingredients:
1/2 lb of fingerling potatoes, washed and sliced in half lengthwise
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
1 tsp kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper to taste (1/2 tsp or so)
1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Pour oil in a large bag and add potatoes. Secure close and shake to coat evenly. Add salt, pepper and rosemary and shake to coat again. Roast potatoes for 20-25 minutes.

Filet Beans (Haricots Vert) with Chevre and Lemon
Makes 4 side servings
Ingredients:
1/2 lb filet beans, washed with stems removed
1 sweet yellow pepper julienned (optional)
juice of 1/2 lemon (1-2 tsp)
zest of 1 lemon (optional)
2 oz chevre/soft goat cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add beans and saute, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Add salt and garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Add lemon juice, stirring and scraping bottom of pan to deglaze. Remove from heat. Toss beans with lemon zest and crumbled cheese before serving. This would be great with some slivered almonds, but I didn't have any :(
The tangy green beans were well balanced by the sweetness of the tomatoes and the earthy sweetness of the potatoes. I'll enjoy the leftovers for lunch today!

Chicken tamales

I went to Compare Foods on Avondale drive for the first time on Sunday. I've been wanting to try making tamales, but could never find the corn husks. My search is over! Compare was great, not only for latino foods but for everything. I doubt I'll go to Kroger much anymore. Compare was also supercheap!

Make these on a day where you've got lots of time to kill. Though there's not that much active time, they do take several hours to complete.

Chicken tamales
Makes 30 tamales
Ingredients:
32 dried corn husks
For the stewed chicken
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 6 thighs)
1 tsp cumin
1 tb garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used yellow)
1 cup water
2 cubes chicken bouillion

For the tamale dough
4 cups masa
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2tsp garlic powder
1 tb melted butter
4 tsp vegetable or canola oil
2 cups chicken broth or water with 2 cubes chicken bouillion dissolved
1 cup water

Instructions:
Season chicken breasts on both sides with cumin, garlic, chili, salt and pepper. Saute onions for 2 minutes over medium high heat and put in crock pot. Add chicken breasts to saute pan and brow 2 minutes per side. Remove breasts and add to crock pot. Turn heat on saute pan to high and slowly add water to deglaze pan, scraping at the browned bits on bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Add in bouillion and stir until dissolved. Add liquid to the crock pot, cover and cook on high 3 hours.
While breasts are cooking, place dried corn husks in large with enough water to cover completely. Weigh down with a can or mug to keep the husks submerged. Allow to soak for at least an hour.
After 3 hours, gently remove the breasts from the crock pot with tongs to a medium bowl. Using a fork (or two), shred the breast meat. Add to the bowl 1/2 cup of the juices and onions from the crock pot. Mix well and salt to taste.
Next it's time to make the dough!
Combine the masa flour, salt and spices in a large bowl. Add the butter and oil and mix well. Next add the broth and water and stir until you have a soft dough. Note that I found I had to keep a little water nearby to add to keep the dough moist as I assembled tamales.
Take 2 corn husks and peel lengthwise, 1/4 inch strips that you'll use to tie the tamales close. Next lay a corn husk flat, place about 1/4 cup of dough on the upper 2/3 of the husk (the wide end). Press the dough into a rectangle about 3"x3". Drop about 2 tb of chicken on one side of the dough and spread evenly. Using the husk as a guide, roll the tamale up (like a jelly roll) and make sure the sides of the husk are overlapping. Fold the bottom of the husk up and tie with 1 husk strip to secure.
Here's what it should look like.
Now repeat this 29 times until you've used up all the dough, husks and meat.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Use enough water so that it doesn't all evaporate. Steam the tamales (med-high to high heat) for 50 minutes or until the dough is firm. I had to do this in two batches and I had a makeshift steamer I made using a metal colander, sitting in side of my 8 qt stock pot. I also steamed using chicken bouillion in the water to add more flavor to the dough. I froze most of mine and they'll keep for up to a year in an airtight freezer bag. To re-heat, just steam for 15 minutes!

You can (and I will) serve these with some sort of tomato based chili sauce. I'm serving tomorrow night to some friends and that's when I'll try that out.

Grilled chicken thighs and mushroom, bacon and spinach risotto

Grilled chicken thighs
Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless thighs
1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil, rosemary and parsley
2 cloves crushed garlic
a couple of pinches of kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 TB olive oil

Instructions:
This one is easy. Use whatever mixture of the herbs suits you, but I used 50% basil, 40% rosemary and about 10% parsley.
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place in medium sized bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat and mix in all herbs and garlic. Toss some more. I let marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours, but that's up to you how long you can wait! Cook over pre-heated grill on medium heat for 5 minutes (or until it releases from the grill). Turn and cook 5 minutes more (more or less depending on your grill).
Mushroom, bacon and spinach risotto
Ingredients:
10-12 small mushrooms
2-3 strips crumbled or chopped cooked bacon
3 TB olive oil
1 glug of red or white wine
1/4 cup diced onion
1 clove minced garlic
4 or 5 leaves of chopped fresh basil
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
5 chicken bouillon cubes
4 cups water
2 handfuls washed and dried baby spinach
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Rinse and dry mushrooms and cut in half.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add 1 TB olive oil. Saute mushrooms, stirring frequently. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes and throw in a glug of wine to de-glaze the pan. Turn heat up to med-high and cook until wine is almost evaporated. Remove from heat.
Now it's time for the risotto. The entire process takes around 20 minutes. In a 2 qt or larger sauce pan, boil the water and throw in the boullion. Mix and mash up the boullion until it is completely dissolved. Reduce heat to low and keep broth simmering.

In a 3 qt. or larger sauce pan, heat 2 TB olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook just until it's translucent (not brown). Add rice and stir constantly to avoid sticking. Once you see white dots in the middle of the rice grains (around 3 minutes), add the wine and stir so that it doesn't stick. Cook until wine is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of broth and continue cooking and stirring until the liquid is almost absorbed.
Continue adding liquid 1/2 cup at a time, allowing to absorb each time before adding more. Once the final bit of liquid has been cooked down, add the parmesan, mushrooms, bacon, spinach, garlic and basil. Salt and pepper to your liking. I found salt pretty minimal because of the broth and bacon personally. Stir and cook another minute or so until heated through and spinach has wilted.
Remove from heat, plate, and top with a grilled chicken thigh!

Swiss chard

This looked like a lot of veggies to me, but knowing what spinach does, I wasn't surprised at the finished product.

Well, I made the swiss chard pretty much following the recipe directions. Except with seasoning haha. I used more salt and pepper and also a little more cream. Oh and I roasted a red pepper and sliced that up and tossed it in at the end. Cooking the stems separate seemed like a good idea. All was perfectly cooked and very well seasoned. I served underneath a quarter of roasted rosemary chicken with a side of sauteed mushrooms, green beans and shallots tossed with lemon juice, goat cheese, fresh thyme and slivered almonds. Oh and a salad. I'm really trying to pump us full of veggies these days. The big huge bunch of swiss chard only made about 3 half cup servings. I stretched it and we both get to enjoy a smaller version of last night's dinner for lunch. Yum!

Pollo relleno?

Before leaving for work yesterday morning, I tossed some frozen chicken tenderloins in a crock pot with a couple of thick slices of onion, a couple of tablespoons of minced garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of diced green chiles, some chili powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. When I came home, wonderful smells were wafting through the kitchen.

M turned on the grill for me while I pulled the chicken out of the crockpot with some of the chunky stuff and mashed it up in a bowl. I added a couple of ladles of the liquid and some more salt and this is what it looked like.

I threw 4 pasillos (poblanos) on the grill on high heat for about 6 minutes and flipped and cooked for another 5 or so (lost track oops). While they were cooking, I took 2 cups of the remaining liquid in the crockpot and a few of the onions and tomatoes and boiled them. To this I added some salt and a cup of brown rice, covered and simmered 40 minutes. Pulled the peppers off the grill, stuck in a plastic container (which later melted haha, use a paper bag instead or a freezer bag) and let those babies sweat.

After a few minutes I ran them under a trickle of cold water and pulled off the charred skin, pulled out the seeds and the hot membrane and placed in a casserole dish. I then stuffed the peppers with the chicken mixture.

I covered that with a little grated jack and cheddar (maybe 1/4 cup per pepper) and threw in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes. I broiled the last few to get the cheese bubbly. Dinner was yummy.

The rice was undercooked and I ended up adding another half cup (at least) of water and turning the heat up and cooking for another 10 minutes. I am still working out the quirks of my 20+ year old gas stove and it's really a smidgen of a difference between medium and low. It's not precision. I've only managed successful brown rice on it once haha. After the extra cooking this time though it was good!

Oh and as a side note, the frozen sweet corn at trader joes is awesome. It's juicy and sweet and tastes like fresh corn. Not at all like the starchy stuff I'm used to from the frozen food section.

Mahi errrr Chicken

So I pull the fish out to thaw last night and don't really like the smell emanating from the bag when I slice it open. I put the fish in water anyways. I mix up that marinade and go outside to de-pollen the back porch. When I return the fish still smells really, well...fishy. I've now learned that when seafood smells like that, it tastes even stronger. At this point M reminds me of the last time I attempted to make mahi mahi and how much I disliked it. I really wish I had remembered that before I mixed up all this marinade. God my memory is crap! Quick thinking led me to some frozen chicken tenderloins. I sauteed some of this cabbage in olive oil and soy sauce I got from the farmer's market (looks like the plant from little shop of horrors). It's sweeter then green cabbage, I'll have to find out the name. Boiled some frozen green beans, tossed with hoisin, red chili sauce, a little more soy and some sesame seeds and threw in the oven. Ended up with this:
M didn't love the sweetness of the chicken marinade (probably all that honey) but still really liked it. I thought it was great. The spicy green beans complimented the sweetness of the chicken and cabbage really well.

Pasta!

Last night for dinner I made a yummy parpadelle. I grilled some chicken breasts, some marinated portobellos and red onions on the grill (after wiping all the pollen off the grill of course hahaha). I chopped all that up, tossed it with some black olives, steamed broccoli, sundried tomatoes, roasted red pepper, some fresh basil and the pasta. Covered it all in a tomato cream sauce (courtesy of knorr). I made a quick cucumber salad to accompany. Turned out yummy!
I also made a repeat of my arugula salad from the other night with the remainder of my arugula from the farmer's market. The balsamic I made last night was much better with the addition of some water. It cut down on the acidity.
Tonight I think I'll be making some Mahi Mahi. I've never made it before, and truthfully didn't mean to buy it. I picked up the wrong package by mistake. I'll be searching for a recipe today to use as a starting point. I'll let you know what I come up with.

I started reading the Kite Runner last night. I'm told I'm reading it somewhat out of order with the companion book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Anyways the first one was great and I got about 35 pages into this one last night and it's very good so far. Reading on the couch last night made me think of getting a hammock.