A Week of New Recipes -- Day 7: Roast Chicken with Panzanella

Beautiful, huh?  You know how they say, "Make a rainbow on your plate..."?  Well, I definitely got the red part of the rainbow covered! 

Day Seven - the last day of the week of new recipes.  This was actually the second time I tried this recipe (even though it was in the new recipe plan, it looked too good to wait for a few weeks back).  The last time I tried it we took lots and lots of pictures, because it was so cool to make croutons from scratch and when all of the items were mixed together they looked so lively.  Unfortunately, my camera was on manual focus during the process and I didn't notice until I uploaded them on the computer :(  Oh well, all's well that ends well, right?  And this definitely ended well.

While I had the chicken roasting in the oven, I just put together a few ingredients...

Tossed...

And then we enjoyed.  :)

I loved making these recipes this week.  So many fresh, great ingredients and simple ways to mix things that I never would have thought of on my own.  But I must be honest, I am ready for food I do not need to read the directions for in order to make.  I am ready for some Tiffany Food, the kind that has a recipe living in my head.  Maybe some tuna casserole and mashed potatoes ;) 

This recipe, like several others this week, will make it into my regular planning.  It is nice to know that after I make them a few times I will not need to look at the directions anymore, and they too will become Tiffany Food.  Which is a good thing, because they sure were tasty!



*I used chicken thighs for this recipe instead of a whole chicken.  It was easier that way, and still tasted great.

INGREDIENTS:

• One 5- to 6-pound chicken (OR CHICKEN THIGHS)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 whole wheat country loaf, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Place the chicken breast side down on a work surface. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone; pull out and discard. Open the chicken like a book and flip skin side up. Press on the breast until the bone cracks. Pat dry.
2. Place a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Rub the chicken all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil; season well with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breast side up in the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast until the skin is crisp and golden and an instant-read thermometer registers 165° when inserted into the thigh, 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before carving.
3. Meanwhile, spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet; toast until lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, parsley, garlic, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and the vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Add the bread cubes and toss. Serve the chicken on top of the bread salad.

(Recipe from rachaelray.com)

COST = $10.05       PER SERVING (3) = $3.35

A Week of New Recipes -- Day 6: Salmon with Lemon-Dressed Veggies

Veggie lovers, behold!  I have found the perfect summer dinner.  Perfect.  And there is no exaggeration there.

This was, by far, the easiest and most tasty recipe this week.  The asparagus soup is probably the one that could give a run for its money on the tasty side, although I am not sure which one would actually win, but this meal, WOW.  Great taste, fresh ingredients, and super quick and simple.  So simple, in fact, that it was a little like A B C or 1 2 3... 4.

ONE --  Cook the potatoes       TWO -- Make a simple vinaigrette 
THREE -- Roast the potatoes and asparagus         FOUR -- Toss all together

And FIVE I guess -- Add cooked salmon on top.  Ta-da!

This seriously took me about 25 minutes from start to finish, and half of that time was free time waiting for things to cook.  My only disappointment was my salmon.  I am a great salmon cook-er.  Usually I just sprinkle some lemon-pepper on top and broil it on high for about 7 minutes.  EXCELLENT salmon, my friends.  This recipe had me bake it, which I think would have been OK except I went all cheap-o and bought frozen salmon.  The cheapest frozen salmon, not the kind I usually buy.  Tried to save a buck and I was met with lots of white ooze on my salmon (which is why you will see no close-up the fish itself, I want to spare you).  So next time I will make these veggies, broil my salmon -- FRESH SALMON -- like normal, and enjoy one of the freshest meals mother nature has to offer.

My trusty sidekick for this week.

One more day of this new recipe week and I will be done... so far so good.  Let's see what the next meal has in store for me! 


But for now, enjoy this on a nice summer evening.  You will not regret it. 
Scores?  10 and 10. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound small red-skinned potatoes (about 6), quartered lengthwise
• 2 cups white mushrooms (about 5 ounces), halved
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 bunch asparagus, cut crosswise into thirds (about 2 cups)
• Four 6-ounce salmon fillets with skin
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• Grated peel and juice of 1/2 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Stir in the asparagus and roast in the oven until the asparagus is crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, rub the salmon all over with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the salmon, skin side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet; roast until opaque in the center, about 10 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the parsley, garlic, lemon peel, lemon juice and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss with the roasted vegetables and serve with the salmon.

(Recipe from rachaelray.com)

COST = $14.70        PER SERVING (3) = $4.90

A Week of New Recipes -- Day 5: Spinach & Mushroom Pasta with Walnut Pesto

I have actually made this recipe before, nothing "new" here.  I had snatched it up as a recipe I wanted to try before I decided to do the weekly meal plan.  But I liked it last time, so I wasn't too disappointed to see it on the menu again.

Like last time, I substituted chicken sausage in for the ham.  I love me some chicken sausage!

And this recipe is dairy free, which also make me a very happy woman.  Cheese... I have quite the love/hate relationship with it.  My taste buds love it, my stomach hates it.  So whenever I can make a good recipe without cheese or any other dairy product I get excited. 

However, this time didn't out as good as last time.  I don't know what happened, but it just wasn't very flavorful.  I was able to fix it by adding a little more lemon juice and some salt.  Maybe that was my problem to begin with, the lemon I was using was a little dry.  So, this time it didn't get the best of marks (7 and 8), but if memory can be trusted (along with that blog post I put up at the time), it was a pretty solid 9/9.5 last time.  That just means I need to make it again and make sure I have a fresher lemon this time!

My changes are in italics. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound penne rigate pasta
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Half a pack of chicken sausage, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 cups white mushrooms (about 5 ounces), thinly sliced
• One 6-ounce bag baby spinach
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup walnut pieces (about 4 ounces), toasted
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
• Grated peel and juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Push the sausage to the side, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
3. Using a small food processor, mince the garlic. Add the walnuts, parsley and lemon peel and process until finely chopped. With the machine on, add the lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Process to form a paste.
4. Add the walnut pesto and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pasta; toss to coat thoroughly. Stir in the sausage mixture, adding more pasta water if needed; season with salt and pepper.

COST = $8.15       PER SERVING (3) = $2.72

A Week of New Recipes -- Day 4: Roasted Caulifower Quiche with Garlicky Green Beans

White and green, with a hint of yellow/tan thrown in.  That was the color scheme of dinner for night four. 

I have never made a quiche before, but I have eaten plenty of them, and I knew that I was excited to try to make one.  My husband was also excited to have some "quich-ee" (as it is pronounced in Portuguese).  I just wasn't so sure about the cauliflower.  I am really not a cauliflower girl unless it is raw and dipped in Ranch... then all I taste is the Ranch, and that tastes good ;)  But, alas, it was on the menu for the night and I decided to give it a try.

The recipe was meatless, but I had no worries about getting our protein in: we had eggs, and plenty of them! (Eight to be exact.)  According to weightlossforall.com, "Egg protein contains all the essential amino acids in the exact proportions required by the body for optimum growth and maintenance of lean, metabolically active muscle tissue."  Yeah, a little tough to break down, I get it, but in essence: Eggs are healthy for you.  Eat your eggs.  (We definitely did!)

When we combined those eggs with cottage cheese, the roasted cauliflower, some garlic, and a little bit of cheese, we got this:

Oh, it smelled so good.  So good!  And doesn't it look beautiful?  The first thing I said was, "It's so easy!  Next time we have a potluck get-together somewhere I am bringing quiche!"

Well, maybe I will.  But I won't be bringing roasted cauliflower quiche.  It was good, don't get me wrong, but it was not great.  The smell was great, it looked great, but it tasted... OK.  Paulo gave it a 6.5 (he says it didn't have a lot of taste) and I gave it a 7.5 (the egg part was a good enough, but that darn cauliflower taste!  and yes, it was a little bland...).  So, not necessarily a repeater for us, but if you like cauliflower, GO for it.  You just might want to add a little more cheese to intensify the flavor.

But the green beans were pretty good.  I will make them like this again, for sure.  Time to go find a quiche recipe with five stars to put them next to!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small head cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)
• 4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 5 cloves garlic, 3 thinly sliced and 2 finely chopped
• 1 cup (about 2 ounces) fresh coarse whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 8 eggs
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 pound green beans

DIRECTIONS:

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Grease a 9-inch pie plate. On a foil-lined baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper and arrange in an even layer. Roast until tender and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper, and toast until golden, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to a plate. Wipe out the skillet and reserve.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the parsley and chopped garlic; season with salt and pepper. Spread half of the garlic breadcrumbs in the pie plate and top with the cauliflower. Pour on the egg mixture, gently shaking the plate to settle the mixture; sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Bake, rotating halfway through, until set and browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
4. In the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beans and 1/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining garlic breadcrumbs.

(Recipe from rachaelray.com)

COST = $7.75        PER SERVING (4) = $2.00

A Week of New Recipes -- Day 3: Steak-and-Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing

I spent over an hour yesterday cleaning up after the asparagus explosion.  I was finding pieces of green everywhere, and I probably will be for days (or weeks... but hopefully not months!).  After spending so long in the kitchen I didn't know if I would be excited to try a brand-new recipe and spend more time in the kitchen (the first time going through a recipe is always much longer than the subsequent times, you know how it goes).  But I plowed through, and boy, am I glad I did!

Day three found me working with the freshest of ingredients once again.  I had potatoes, spinach, a lemon, an onion, tons of garlic, tomatoes, some steak, and a loaf of bread in front of me.  I love fresh ingredients.  They make me feel like I am doing a magic trick... taking a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and I get something (hopefully) amazing in the end.  THIS is the kind of stuff our bodies were meant to have!  I have come a long way from Kraft Mac n' Cheese and Rice-a-Roni ;)

And look at what I did with all that!

Once again, we loved this meal.  This week is having quite the success rate!  My husband loved it because it had steak, something I rarely cook -- who am I kidding?  I never cook steak.  Usually if we are eating red meat it is coming off the grill, and I have done nothing to make that happen.  I just enjoy it -- and let me tell you, I really do enjoy it.  (If you want good BBQ find a Brazilian to make it for you, you will not be disappointed.  Lucky for me to have married such a man, huh?) 

A view of our typical meat eating experience -- top sirloin
surrounded by veggie meat.  What can I say?  I like both!

While he was enjoying the steak-iness of it, I was amazed at how good my own made-from-scratch dressing was.  WOW!  I have made dressing before, but this was on par with the stuff from the pros, and a lot lighter feeling.  Again, we must give this meal a ten.  (Now before you think we are too easy here, last time I did a Weekly Meal Plan from Rachael Ray I think we gave almost everything a score in the 7-9 range, with only one 10, so this really means something.  Take our word, try it and see for yourself.)

The only change this time was I added some tomatoes to it.  It was something like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes
• 6 cloves garlic—3 thinly sliced, 2 crushed and 1 finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• Grated peel and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 whole wheat country loaf, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 pound skirt steak, cut crosswise into 2 or 3 pieces, at room temperature
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• One 6-ounce bag baby spinach

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a saucepan, combine the potatoes and crushed garlic with enough cold water to cover by 1 inch; season with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the potatoes are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, the mustard, lemon peel, lemon juice and finely chopped garlic; season with salt and pepper.
3. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat; add the sliced garlic and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to paper towels to drain. Add the bread cubes to the pan, season with salt and pepper and toast, tossing occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Season the steak with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, for 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain.
5. Quarter the potatoes and add to the vinaigrette, tossing well. Add the onion and spinach, season with salt and pepper and toss again. Divide the salad among plates and top with the steak, garlic slices and croutons.

COST = $13.75        PER SERVING (3) = $4.59
(Recipe from rachaelray.com)

A Week of New Recipes -- Day 2: Creamy Asparagus-and-Sausage Soup

Look at these ingredients!  I knew I would like this meal just from looking at what was going to into it.  It seems so little, really, but it all works together and adds up to something...

...green & healthy

...home cooked
(If only I could take pictures of the amazing smells that occurred during this process!)

...MESSY!

The directions said, "Working in batches, put soup in the blender and set aside."  What it should have said is, "Working in very small batches..." and then they should have reiterated that point.  Several times.  My batches clearly were not small enough, and even though I would be able to puree a smoothie with that much in the blender, I think the heat made this a very different process.  The moment I hit the "Puree" button hot, green, goopy liquid went flying all over my kitchen... and me.  My husband, being the one to protect me at all costs, came to the rescue -- or so he thought.  "Babe, you need to really push the cover down, like this..."  And then he pressed the button and the whole thing happened on repeat.  Green slime, everywhere.  HOT green slime. 

We just looked at each for a few seconds, and then we laughed.

Really, what else could we do?  (And to think, I had just scrubbed the entire kitchen earlier that day...)

But in the end, we also had something...

...delicious

Notice the soup on the side of the bowl?  We were finding it EVERYWHERE.  However, I was more concerned with the soup in between my toes than the soup that got on the dishes.

We LOVED this soup!  Even the hater-of-soup loved it.  He gave it a ten.  I, of course, gave it a ten as well.  But with my super love of soup that should come as no surprise to you.  It was hearty, creamy, a little tangy (thanks to the yogurt), and just down-right scrumptious.  I will make it again, I will just be a tad bit more careful ;)

Once again, this recipe came originally from Rachael Ray as Creamy Asparagus-and-Ham Soup, but I made one small adjustment:  chicken sausage instead of ham.  CLICK HERE to see the original recipe.  Also, I do not have a Dutch oven (actually, I had to look it up to see what it is... remember, I am learning to cook still!), so I just used a normal pot.  It worked out just fine.

INGREDIENTS:  (My changes are italicized.)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pack of chicken sausage, cut into 1/2 inch cubes    
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced and rinsed well   (I had frozen leeks, so I defrosted some and used those) 
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 small red-skinned potatoes (4 to 5 ounces total), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 bunches asparagus (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch
• One 6-ounce container plain yogurt
• 1/4 whole wheat country loaf, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat; add the sausage and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate. Add the leek and garlic to the pot and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and chicken broth and bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the potatoes are almost tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the asparagus and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2. Scoop out 1/2 cup asparagus pieces and set aside for garnish. Using a blender and working in VERY SMALL batches, puree the soup. Return the soup to the pot, whisk in the yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle the sausage and asparagus pieces on top and serve with the bread.

COST = $10.30        PER SERVING (4) = $2.58

(Adapted from rachaelray.com)

A Week of New Recipes -- Day 1: Herb-Crusted Chicken

I have been so busy these past few weeks.  SO BUSY.  Like I-flew-12,000-miles-in-two-weeks kind of busy and cram-10-quarter-hours-of-Master's-level-classes-into-five-weeks kind of busy.  Being so, I have not had the chance to cook recently.  But this week I am making up for it!  Flipping through the April 2011 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray, I found the weekly meal planner and decided that it was time to cook again. 

Look at my ingredients for the week.  I am so excited... there is so much freshness here! 

That, my friends, is one week's supply of food for my husband and I.  These veggies, fruit, and other ingredients will provide our dinners and our lunches -- the leftovers from dinner. 

Last night I started on the first recipe.  It was supposed to be Herb-Crusted Pork Chops, but I really usually don't eat pork, so I decided to change up the recipe a little to make it how I wanted it: with chicken.  I switched out a few more things, so I will be posting my version of the recipe below.  If you would like to see the original recipe, CLICK HERE.  Otherwise, enjoy!

Starting with a few ingredients that are fresh, delicious,

and you might already have on hand...

Guess what I did? I made breadcrumbs. From scratch!

(And I must say, they put the store-bought ones to shame.)

Almost there...

And the end result?

Success! 

Both of us gave it a ten, and not many meals make it quite that high.  Tasted great and left you feeling light afterwards even though you were full.

INGREDIENTS     (My changes are in italics)

1 1/2 cups (about 3 ounces) fresh Country White breadcrumbs

3 Tablespoons olive oil    

3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese    

Pack of boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders    

3 tablespoons grainy mustard    

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced    

1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets    

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS 

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Grease a large glass baking dish.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool; stir in the parsley and cheese.
2. Brush the chicken with the mustard and coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange in baking dish and bake until cooked through but still juicy, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a clean skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli, season with salt and pepper and toss. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the chops.

COST = $11.65       PER SERVING (3) = $3.88

Recipe adapted from RachaelRay.com