Roman-Style Chicken

Holy crap, this is one of my favorite meals now. So much flavor! So much depth! And so healthy!

I made it twice in a week, I liked it so much.

The original recipe is here, but I tweaked it to what I had (not much, though!) and what I like.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3 ounces prosciutto OR bacon (about 4 strips), chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves (1 teaspoon dried)
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Instructions:

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.


Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the rest of the oil (2 T.) and heat. Add onion, peppers, and prosciutto/bacon and cook until the onion and peppers have browned and the prosciutto/bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes.


Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.


If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.


This is SO good, and so foolproof. I once had to leave the chicken in the pot, on the stove, for an hour (Charles was coming home late), and I was so worried it was going to be overcooked. It seems impossible to overcook it. It comes out SO juicy, every single time, and it tastes so good. I could eat the sauce alone. I also typically boil off all liquid possible, because mine always ends up super-watery by the time I add all the sauce ingredients.

If you don't have white wine, you can easily just use all chicken stock. I've left out the parsley and don't notice a difference (but I don't love parsley).

I served it with sliced zucchini cooked in minced shallots. No recipe needed, really...you mince a large shallot, slice the zucchini, cook in a pan for 15 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Salt & pepper as desired. Crumble feta or goat cheese over it for some extra tang.

Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are a great substitute for normal chocolate chip cookies! They definitely satisfy my craving whenever I want some.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar substitute (as always, I use Splenda)
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine almond meal, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar substitute until combined. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients, mixing well.

Stir in the chocolate chips.


Drop onto a prepared baking sheet (I think rolling them into balls and squashing them down looks best, but they cook the same either way).


Bake for 10-15 minutes (depends on your oven), or until they are golden brown.



For the lowest carbs possible, use a less sweetened chocolate chip :). These are so tasty! But watch out; once they sit out for a couple of days, they get dry and crumbly, so keep them in a tightly sealed container.

Easiest Veggie Soup Ever

This is a delicious vegetable soup, and I love it because you can basically toss in any vegetable you want and easily adjust it to your tastes. I seriously ate this from probably May to November last year. And now I'm back on it, haha.

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 large onion (I like red best, but any works), chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 bell peppers, diced
3 medium zucchini, diced
1 28-oz. can of tomatoes (diced or whole, whichever you prefer)
2 bay leaves
1 T. oregano
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 T. concentrated beef broth (for flavor, you can omit if you like)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add your mirepoix (fancy term for onion, celery, carrot, and garlic) and sautee until cooked through, about 10 minutes.


Add your peppers and zucchini and cook for 10 more minutes, until soft.


Add tomatoes and herbs/seasoning, bringing to a simmer.


Add broth and water. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for at least 30 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste.


You can puree it, but I like the chunkiness of it :D. I like to throw in some hot sauce and feta cheese when I serve it.

P.S. This recipe makes a ton of soup. Adjust to your needs. This COULD be vegan if you switch to a veggie broth.

Double Post!

Good Monday, everyone!

Today, I have two recipes for you.

The first is a salmon with lemon-pepper seasoning and a shallot-caper relish, and the second is a nice accompaniment of sauteed red onion and spinach.

Ingredients:

2 salmon filets (these are always probably between 6 and 8 ounces...I buy them frozen at Costco and they're precut)
Penzey's Trinidad Lemon-Garlic Seasoning (This stuff is stellar. If you can't get it, I'd use some minced garlic and lemon zest.)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 T. drained and minced capers
2 T. olive oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine the minced shallot, capers, and 1 T. olive oil in a bowl.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with remaining 1 T. olive oil. Place salmon filets on top, and season with salt, pepper, and lemon seasoning. Top with relish and bake for 20 minutes, or until opaque in center.


For the spinach:

2 T. olive oil
1/2 of a red onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 ounces of spinach, washed (whether baby or regular is up to you)
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sautee until cooked through.



Add spinach and toss in pan until wilted and bright green. Season to taste.


Place on a plate and top with the salmon filet. Serve with a lemon wedge!

Cauliflower Pizza "Crust" (Now with pictures!)

I have exciting news, low-carbers.

We can have pizza again.

And not that crappy tortilla-crust pizza that low-carb books/sites always recommend.

No, a real, thick, almost bread-like crust.

The only downside is it crumbles and you can't really pick it up with your hands, but I'm going to play around with the recipe and see if I can't fix that. Also, you have to pre-cook any vegetables/meats you're going to toss on it.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. olive oil

Instructions:

Remove stem and leaves from the cauliflower, and roughly chop up the florets. Process them, a bit at a time, in a food processor until they resemble grain (mine looked like couscous).

My head of cauliflower yielded 3 cups of raw processed cauliflower, about.

Put the processed cauliflower in a bowl and microwave it in 2 minute intervals (stirring between each one) for 6-8 minutes, until the cauliflower is cooked. You'll probably have around 2 cups in the end, once it's all condensed.

Mix in mozzarella, olive oil, garlic, and oregano. Allow to cool a bit, and then add the eggs.

Line a baking sheet or pizza pan with foil and drizzle with oil or cooking spray. Dump the mixture onto the sheet and shape into a pizza crust (I wouldn't recommend going too thick, as it could end up being soggy).


Bake at 450 degrees F for 12-15 minutes, rotating about halfway through.


Add pre-cooked pizza toppings and sauce, turn your broiler on high, and broil 6-8 inches from heat until your cheese is nicely melted and browned. This took about 5-6 minutes for ours.


We had to eat it with a fork, but it was SOOOO good! In the end, the crust tastes like a cheesy-garlic bread (YUM!).

I think perhaps the crust cooked too long, but I was so afraid of it being soggy that I just left it in the oven longer. Next time I will leave it for less time and see if that yields a more bread-like crust.

Valentine's Day Overview

Two posts in one day?! MADNESS!!

But I had to share what I made for Valentine's Day :D.

Here is a lovely tidbit of information, first: IT IS FAR EASIER TO PUT ON WEIGHT THAN IT IS TO LOSE IT. And NONE of this is low-carb (except maybe the sugar snap peas) or, really, diet friendly. You are warned.

So, on to our Valentine's Day Menu.

Creamy sweet potato and leek soup. This recipe was pulled from a book I have, and will be posted if requested.


Seared duck breast with a cherry glaze, with sugar snap peas in orange zest.


The snap peas were sauteed in a pan with about 1 T. orange zest and 2 cloves of minced garlic, then salted and peppered.

5-layer chocolate cake with a Swiss-meringue-buttercream frosting and chocolate-covered strawberries.

The cake was from this recipe. I attempted to make the strawberry buttercream, but when I added the strawberry puree, it became a soup (I have great difficulty with buttercream frosting). So I just made another batch of vanilla buttercream and skipped the strawberries. Also, the cake should have been 6 layers, but one of my layers came out too thin and crumbled. I then punched out heart-shaped cake layers with a cookie cutter to make a cute themed cake :D.


Oh, hello!


And there you have it. Our tasty meal :D. Plus Iago, our African Grey parrot and my personal sous-chef, for fun.

Salmon with a Dill, Sour Cream, & Mustard Sauce

(And broccoli on the side. Can you tell what's been on sale lately? :P)

Ingredients:

2 salmon fillets
1/2 t. chili powder (I thought it added a nice kick)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & pepper to taste

1 T. olive oil
3 T. onion, finely minced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 T. Dijon mustard
1/3 cup minced fresh dill
1 cup sour cream
Juice of 1 lime

Instructions:

Place the salmon on a plate and sprinkle with spices and lime juice. Cover and let sit for about an hour in the refrigerator.


Heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Sautee the onion and garlic until onion is translucent.

Add Dijon and dill and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.


Add sour cream and lime juice. Stir together and allow to cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let it come to room temperature.


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread a small amount of oil over it.

Place marinated salmon onto the sheet. Pour 1/3 of the sauce over salmon. Bake for 20 minutes, or until salmon is opaque in the center.



I tossed the broccoli in garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil and just placed it on the same sheet.

When done, use the rest of the sauce as you desire (I thought it was tasty on the broccoli, too!).

Red Lentil Stew with Lime and Cilantro

Last week, I made this tasty concoction. Since I followed the recipe to a T, I'm just going to link it and post pictures here. No need to rewrite it and all that, since I made no changes.

So, here is Kalyn's recipe!

Onion and celery cooking, mmm.


Adding all the spices.


Bring to a simmer!


Allow to cook!


Serve with tasty lime and cilantro (or not, if you hate cilantro).


I hope everyone has a happy Valentine's Day! I'll post the recipes I make for tonight's (HOPEFULLY AMAZING) dinner another day. They're not healthy, at all, haha, but they look soooo good!

The "Juicy Lucy"

The "Juicy Lucy" is a style of cheeseburger in which the cheese is placed between two thin patties of burger. It leads to total melty-cheesy goodness when you bite into the burger, and that's just fabulous.

I don't have an exact recipe for burgers. I change up the spices for whatever I'm craving and pick whatever cheese we have in the fridge. So, take my ingredient approximations with a grain of salt. I never add breadcrumbs or egg to my burgers, either...we never needed it growing up, I don't know why people use it now.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder

A couple of slices of cheese of your choice (I had "cheddar" on hand)

Instructions:

Mix beef and spices together in a bowl, adjusting to your tastes and adding whatever you think you'd like. Use a potato masher or your hands, depending on how messy you want to get.

Divide your beef into 4 portions (or more...yeah, I made half pound burgers 'cause I'm crazy). Flatten the portions until they're patties about 1/3 inch thick. Place cheese in the center of two patties, and then top with another beef patty. Press the sides together to seal them closed, otherwise your cheese will escape!

Grill or cook on a griddle pan on medium-high heat until cooked to your preference and the cheese in the center is melty. For me, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Top with tomato, onion, lettuce, whatever you like. No buns to keep this low carb, and no fries!



I served mine with some chipotle mayonnaise and broccoli. Yum yum!

Turkish Lentil Soup with Sumac

Annnnnd we're back!

I apologize for the absence. I wasn't cooking much last week due to just being lonely and having no inspiration. Charles came home from London and I was celebrating (and gaining 4 pounds, yikes!) by making unhealthy foodstuffs. We went out and ordered a crap-ton of sushi (delicious!) and saw The Woman in Black, which was good, but not fantastic (and definitely did not keep me awake at night). Superbowl Sunday came and went, we had a day of worrying about our dog Maggie because she was vomiting and ill yesterday, and here we are today. The day on which I vowed to update! Luckily, I now have a stockpile of a few recipes that I can post, so there will be more updates this week :D.

SO, after the ful, I had a supply of red lentils that I was determined to use. This has led to much soup-making.

This soup was good, but I think it would have been GREAT with a sweet potato in it. It has a hint of curry flavor to it and I didn't feel like it had a well-rounded flavor to it--the sweetness of the sweet potato would have complimented all the flavors perfectly and brought it all together.

Sumac is not the poisonous plant you're probably thinking of, haha. I got mine from Penzey's, and I actually haven't seen it sold many places. It has a lovely citrus taste to it, much like a lime.

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat of your knife
1 t. paprika (I used a mix of sweet and half-sharp)
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. fenugreek (I added this because I love the flavor)
1 cup dry red lentils, washed and picked over
1/2 cup diced tomatos in sauce
6-8 cups water or stock (I recommend stock--water was just far too bland)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1 T. sumac

Lime wedgess & yogurt or feta cheese for garnish

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook until soft. Add garlic and spices, and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.


Stir in lentils and tomatos, and allow to cook for a few minutes.



Add stock/water, and bring to a simmer. Allow it to cook for 30-45 minutes, until the lentils are mushy. Taste and season with salt & pepper.


Process in a food processor or blender (or with a hand blender) and serve.

Top with sumac, red pepper flakes, and, if desired, lime juice and yogurt or cheese.


You could easily make this vegan by using a veggie stock or water, and avoiding the yogurt/cheese.

Coming up this week: another lentil soup, delicious chicken dish, and "Juicy Lucy" bunless burgers :D.