Variation on Chicken Piccata, with Roasted Asparagus and Creamy Rice…

First, the asparagus: I rolled the stalks in olive oil, sprinkled them lightly with a dried basil & garlic blend, and finished with a dash of sea salt. Cooked at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. This batch even got crispy on the tips… I liked that crunch.

I had forgotten how simple and tasty this variation on chicken piccata is. I love the lemony flavor in it, and cooking everything in butter just tastes yummier, too! Even better when mushrooms are involved (which they usually are)…

• 1-1/2 lbs. Chicken Breasts, skinless, boneless, pounded flat
• 3 Lemons
• Garlic, minced
• Dried Thyme
• Salt
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 12-16 oz. Mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup + dash of White Wine

1.  Marinade the chicken overnight with the juice of 2 lemons, minced garlic, dried thyme, and a dash of white wine.

2.  Put the flour on a plate and dredge the chicken breasts.  In a skillet with 1/2 of the butter, brown the chicken on both sides over medium heat, about 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove chicken and set aside.

3.  Add remaining butter to skillet.  Cook mushrooms and garlic until tender.  Return chicken to pan.  Add wine and juice of remaining lemon.  Simmer for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally as sauce thickens slightly.  Serve over rice.

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Chili with Rice…

This is Mr. Food Groove’s chili recipe and it is very darn good! He mentioned making it for this past weekend, and I couldn’t get the thought of it out of my head until we had some cooking. After a morning trip to the grocery store yesterday, we very much enjoyed this chili last night. It’s a warm and hearty meal, particularly delicious on those cold and snowy days. We do indulge a bit with it sometimes by adding bacon. Surprisingly, to me, the bacon adds a nice smoky flavor, along with the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.

• 1-lb Maple Bacon – Actually, for me, I’ll bet using maple bacon adds just the right amount of sweetness to an otherwise semi-heat-filled dish.
• Medium-sized Yellow Onion, chopped
• 1-lb Ground Turkey
• Garlic, minced – Garlic is always good
• Small can of Diced Green Chilies
• 2-3 Chipotle Peppers, chopped with 2-1/2 spoonfuls of Adobo Sauce – This is where the heat comes in, and as I’m not a big heat fan, this can be increased as desired.
• Few shakes of Ground Cumin
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 cans of Bush’s Chili Beans
• 2 cans of Diced Tomatoes
• White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• Sour Cream
• Brown Rice, optional

1.  Rough chop the bacon and cook through.  Set aside on paper towels.  Remove and discard most of bacon grease.  If making rice, prepare as directed while cooking chili.

2.  In bacon pan, add chopped onions and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes.  Add ground turkey, garlic, green chilies, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Cook through until turkey is browned.

3.  Pour turkey mixture into a large chili (soup) pot.  Add the bacon.  Add beans and diced tomatoes.  Warm through and let simmer for 15 minutes or more.

Serve over brown rice, if desired.  Top with shredded white cheddar and a dollop of sour cream.  A warm and hearty dish indeed!  We especially enjoy making some scrambled eggs and adding the leftover chili for another night’s dinner too…

Here’s my original chili post from a few months ago… although not a lot of postings ago. Slight variations, some rice, and still delicious.

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Bean Cheddar Tomato Lime Salad…

I was planning on making this salad of sorts the other night, when I discovered that I did not have any black beans. The horror! Black beans really are the one requirement for this dish, in my mind at least. So, it went unmade, though it’s on my list for soon. Here’s a repost of this recipe from last year…

This picture may look a bit cheese-heavy, but it’s really not. It was just the last ingredient I added before snapping the pic, and apparently I could have done a bit more mixing. 🙂 I’ve made many variations of the original recipe over the years, and I always love it. I’m not sure where I found it at first… the recipe is currently written on a lime-and-oil stained index card. I think that’s the mark of a truly good recipe… where it’s written down is speckled with smatterings of the ingredients used therein. 🙂 Anyway, here’s the original recipe, source unknown, with a few of my variations to follow:

Three-Bean Cheddar Salad with Lime Dressing

• 1/4 cup Lime Juice
• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Ground Red Pepper
• 6 cups Mixed Greens
• 1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 Plum Tomatoes, diced
• 1 Red Pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup Green Onions, minced
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper, minced (I’m a heat-lightweight, so I substitute diced Green Chilies here)
• 8-oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, cubed (Smoked Cheddar or Smoked Gouda is also quite tasty)
• 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped

1. In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt and ground red pepper.

2. In a separate bowl, toss salad mix with 2 Tbsp of the lime juice mixture.

3. Stir beans, tomatoes, pepper, green onions, jalapeno, cheese and cilantro into remaining lime juice mixture. Place greens on each plate, and top with three-bean cheddar salad.

Variations:

• I have really come to enjoy replacing the mixed greens with Brown Rice. In fact, it’s probably been a few years since I’ve made this as a salad with greens. Brown Rice might sound like an odd substitution, but it makes the meal a bit heartier, and also very enjoyable in the wintertime. With the rice, I often warm it up some, just enough for the cheese cubes to start getting soft… Then, it really mixes well together.
• Perhaps somewhat obviously, I usually mix up the bean combinations. With our current bean salad, I used 2 cans of black beans. That was the mood we were in. Same sort of goes for the red pepper… I don’t always toss it in, basically depending on whether I feel like it or not.
• I try to use smoked cheese in this salad. I find the smokiness goes very well with the meatiness of the beans, as a general rule.
• Oh, I have mostly given up on using chopped cilantro here. It seems to drive me crazy during the chopping phase. The leaves get everywhere and all over everything, so I’ve been leaving it out the past several times I’ve made this. Cilantro leaves must have become a pet peeve of mine or something…
• And tonight, we are trying something completely different. To the leftover salad, I will be adding artichoke hearts and whole wheat capellini pasta. We were looking for a cold pasta to go with tonight’s meal, and since we had the beans leftover, we decided to add it all together. I think the artichoke hearts, with their lemony flavor, will go nicely too.

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Another Rice Dish…

It’s another rice dish for our dinner. I usually cook some brown rice over the weekend and have it waiting in the fridge. I also blanched some asparagus for this one and had that ready to go. Then, when it’s Rice Dish Night, I cook up the remaining veggies, cook up some eggs, and warm everything through. It’s a pretty easy meal, though I tend to use several pots and pans for it. But, it’s a feel-good type of meal for me, meaning it feels healthy and welcome to my body. Except for my lunch of leftovers the next day… I usually add some blue cheese dressing to the dish and make it a bit creamier. So be it. It still tastes very good. 🙂

Here’s the ingredients for this dish:

• Brown Rice
• Garlic, minced
• Ginger, minced
• Green and Yellow Zucchini
• Broccoli  (I can never spell that right the first time)
• Mushrooms
• Asparagus
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Sesame Oil
• Olive Oil
• Eggs  (Omelette-style and then sliced)
• Mine:  Just a bit of shredded Parmesan
• D’s:  Onion and Pepper Relish

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In Need of some Whole Grain Goodness…

Which, this evening, will take the form of Brown Rice and Veggies. I can feel my body hollering for some whole grains and veggies. I’ve had quite a bit of meat the past few days, more so than I usually do. I’ve been a vegetarian in the past, but nowadays, I do recognize that my body can use some meat protein now and again. It can be overdone however, and now is one of those times.

So, last night I made some brown rice, and this morning I steamed some brocolli, all in preparation. Then I cooked up some more veggies this evening and tossed it all together… Along with some sliced omeletted eggs, and voila… Whole Grain and Veggies with Eggs for dinner. It was just what I needed…

• Brown Rice
• Garlic
• Fresh Ginger
• Mushrooms
• Brocolli
• Onions
• Olive Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Soy Sauce
• Eggs, Omelette-Style, then sliced
• Parmesan Cheese, shredded

I tend to call these types of dishes a Rice Mish-Mosh… sort of tossing in whatever might be on hand, with just a bit of sesame oil and/or soy sauce.  Enough for a bit of flavor, but not so much as to call it a stir fry really.  Then I add some eggs and a touch of cheese for a slightly creamier consistency.  It turns out pretty tasty and is usually just what I need.

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BBQ Pulled Chicken, with Rice…

and Green Onions, in a Tortilla Wrap, with Cheese. That’s what we had for dinner last night. It was definitely a let’s-see-what-happens kind of meal…

I started with about a pound of chicken that been thawed after I made the Asian Chicken Noodle Soup on Sunday night. For some reason, I had the idea to marinade it in some BBQ sauce for a day. I didn’t have any specific idea at that point, other than it’s been awhile since we had BBQ anything. Which in and of itself is slightly different, because I’m not a big BBQ fan, as a general rule. But, sometimes you just go with it…

I decided to cook the chicken and then pull it apart by hand. I had some brown rice in the fridge, so I warmed that and added the chicken, along with a bit more BBQ sauce. Next, I added green onions, and there is the picture above. Now, my original plan was to make quesadillas, but I soon discovered that the 12″ tortillas that I had weren’t best suited for that. I think 8″ tortillas would have worked perfectly. There’s always next time. So instead, I filled each tortilla with the chicken and rice mix, added some mozzarella and folded them up as best I could. Then I put them into the oven to melt the cheese. They were quite flavorful… the green onions being a nice addition to the BBQ flavor. And the BBQ flavor was something a bit different for a wintertime meal.

So, all in all, thumbs up. Next, I’ve got to try some real quesadillas… Time to have some smaller tortillas on hand. 😉

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Moroccan Chickpea Chili…

Very interesting flavors mixed together in here. Personally, I really enjoy the ginger and cinnamon with the tomatoes and chickpeas. I had mine over some brown rice with a dollop of sour cream… because it had a bit of a bite to it, but I’m a wuss when it comes to spicy things. I really enjoyed it with the sour cream, as it cooled it down a bit and made it into a creamy chili of sorts. I also might cut down the water a bit, because I would prefer it to be a bit thicker. And even though the ingredient list might look lengthy, it’s mostly spices, so it’s really quite a simple, healthy and flavorful dish. Very tasty… I don’t think my enthusiasm for it is coming through here, but I do give it a thumbs up! The recipe was adapted from this recipe in the September 2007 issue of Cooking Light.

• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 cup Onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup Celery, chopped
• 3/4 cup Carrots, chopped
• 1 tsp Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger (I had some fresh ginger, so I added that instead)
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp Ground Red Pepper
• 1-1/2 cups Water
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 cans Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add Onion, Celery, Carrot and Garlic; saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the Cumin and the next 7 ingredients (through the Red Pepper Flakes). Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add Water, Tomato Paste, Chickpeas and Diced Tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir in Cilantro and Lemon Juice. Serve over Rice and add a dollop of Sour Cream, if desired.

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RRRRRRice…

I don’t think of Rice as particularly exciting… but sometimes it just feels good. This was a throw-together dish, with brown rice made in advance and waiting, as I was feeling the need for some rice and veggies sometime this week. And really, it hit the spot. Again, after the richness of the holidays and eating out at times (reminder: blog about yummy birthday dinner), it’s feeling pretty good to get back to the basics.

• Brown Rice
• Garlic
• Mushrooms
• Red Onion
• Green Zucchini
• Yellow Zucchini
• Broccoli
• Green Onion
• Scrambled Eggs
• Sesame Oil
• Soy Sauce

Plus, it was for a quite tasty lunch the next day. It could have used a bit more flavor… the last time I made something like this, I also had fresh ginger in there, which was perfect. I’ll have to remember to keep some on hand for times like these. 🙂 D. added a bit of sweet and sour relish to his rice dinner, and although I’m not a big relish fan, it did add a nice amount of extra to it. I may have to try that next time too.

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Veggie & Rice Stir Fry…

So, I had already made some Brown Rice, which I like reheating in some Sesame Oil by itself before adding the veggies. If nothing else, it saves me one burner and one pot when I do the dishes, so I prefer having it made ahead of time.

For this dish, I steamed the carrots separately… D. likes ’em mushy. I cooked everything else gradually in a saute pan, and then kept it covered while it finished cooking, after tossing the carrots in. The seasonings were the Sesame Oil and some Soy Sauce. Oh, and Fresh Ginger… I forgot how much I like cooking with that. This morning, I tossed in some leftover beef and we’re calling it lunches. Here’s the complete list of ingredients, in order of how I tossed it all together:

• Sesame Oil
• Garlic, minced
• Fresh Ginger, finely chopped
• Red Onion, chopped
• Mushrooms, sliced
• Yellow Squash, quartered
• Yellow Pepper, chopped
• Red Pepper, chopped
• Soy Sauce
• Green Onion, chopped
• Brown Rice

It was fairly quick and easy, especially since the Rice was made earlier. Quite tasty!

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Brown Rice and Chicken Throw-Together

• Brown Rice
• Cubed Chicken
• Carrots
• Mushrooms
• Garlic
• Sliced Almonds
• Scrambled Eggs, Sliced
• Onion

Nothing fancy, but pretty tasty. I had made the brown rice and steamed some carrots earlier. Then, I sort of threw together what was in the fridge. I tend to call these sorts of dinners mish-mosh. Or throw-togethers. Because that’s really what they are. Tasted good… I was feeling the need for some rice and nuts, for some reason.

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