Spinach Strawberry Salad

A few weeks ago, we ate at this little hotel restaurant with barely anyone in there and no front door. You actually had to go into the hotel entrance and down a long hallway to even get to the restaurant. I was not expecting much. But since it was late, we were staying at this particular hotel, and we did not feel like driving all over, we ate there. More proof, if proof were needed, that you shouldn't judge a restaurant by it's entrance. It was incredibly delicious and super fast. Their portions were also enormous and forewarned by our friendly waitress, we easily split an appetizer and entree between the two of us.

On a side note: This is our standard we're-not-that-hungry or let's-save-money-but-still-eat-out strategy. If you both have similar tastes, this works especially great when away on vacation or at restaurants that serve huge portions.

Anyway, the appetizer we ended up getting was a spinach and strawberry salad with pecans and goat cheese. It was so tasty and looked so simple that as soon as I got home, I tried it myself. The only difference is that I added chicken. It is just as delicious and such a simple and quick, but still healthy meal that I had to share it.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 bag baby spinach
10 large strawberries, washed and sliced
1/2 cup pecan pieces
2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
1 small log goat cheese, broken up into bite size pieces
Trader Joe's Champagne Vinaigrette or favorite light vinaigrette


After dividing the spinach onto two separate plates, line each plate with strawberries. Any extra strawberries place on top of spinach bed (or eat them yourself).

 
Place chicken pieces on top of each spinach bed, followed by pecans and goat cheese pieces. Lightly pour vinaigrette over the top. Enjoy.

Notes: I cooked the chicken on the grill pan with a little bit of olive oil, basil, rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper; 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through. It is packed with flavour and so easy to make that I make a bunch of it at once and use it in everything. Also, goat cheese is creamier than feta so it doesn't really crumble, just so you know.

Mediterranean Pizza

 
Summer weather started here a few weeks ago; 90 degree weather and 100% humidity. Oh, and did I mention that the AC isn't working super well either? Out the window goes the idea of cooking with the oven. A small kitchen heats up surprisingly quickly. There goes any idea of casseroles and baked dishes.

At the same time, I found a recipe that called for marinating chicken in Greek yogurt before grilling it. I thought that sounded like a great idea but needed some additional ingredients to make a fabulous and quick meal. Adding spices to the yogurt before adding the chicken and letting the chicken marinate for at least 3 hours gave the chicken a wonderful moistness and great flavor. A few other ingredients that I had on hand made it into a spectacular and quick weeknight meal.

4 thinly sliced chicken breasts
1 small container plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp coriander
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
naan bread
hummus
1 large cucumber, sliced
basil, if desired
pepper

In a container of your choice with a lid, combine the Greek yogurt, spices, garlic and olive oil and mix well. Add the chicken being sure to coat both sides of each chicken breast with the yogurt mixture. All to marinate happily in the fridge for at least three hours.

Attractive, isn't it?

(As I lack the delightful outdoor cooking experience known as the charcoal or gas grill, I have to be satisfied using my grill/griddle pan thing.)

Spray grill pan liberally with olive oil spray. Heat  according to manufacturer's directions.  Scrape excess marinade off each chicken breast. When hot, add chicken and grill until cooked through, flipping chicken breasts once. Depending on the thickness of each chicken breast this should be a few minutes on each side. (I always slice into the thickest part of each piece just to be sure it's cooked through) When cooked through, remove chicken to a plate to cool slightly.

On the same grill pan, add the naan bread and cook until warm and golden brown on each side. Remove naan bread to a plate, spread with a thin layer of hummus. Slice a chicken breast (my husband insists that the chicken breast is sliced from north to south. This does not sound right to me but I can't remember the cooking term for how I sliced the chicken so in lieu of the proper terminology: with the chicken breast sitting on the cutting board horizontally slice from north to south)....on second thought, slice the chicken breast however you would like. This is too much thought for what is supposed to be a quick meal!

Anyway, with the unbelievably important decision of how to slice one's chicken out of the way, crumble feta cheese all over the layer of hummus, lay slices of chicken on top of the cheese and lay the cucumber slices on top of the chicken.  Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and basil if desired. I don't add salt since the feta is already salty.

Serve immediately so it's still warm.

You could add tomatoes to this too. Since I made a tomato salad I didn't add them this time, but I think that would be good. Also, this chicken was so delicious that I marinated a large batch of chicken, grilled it and kept it in the fridge to be used for sandwiches, fajitas and snacking.

Jalapeno Poppers

A while ago, we visited my sister-in-law and family. As you've probably noticed, everything in our family seems to revolve around food. In fact most of the things we do seem to revolve around food. Anyway, when we went to visit, we ate at this restaurant called McAllister's that served loaded baked potatoes that are the size of a loaf of bread. Seriously, they were enormous potatoes and they were amazingly delicious. I must go again.

Anyway, onto the jalapenos. My brother-in-law made these awesome jalapenos on the grill. He filled each jalapeno half with cream cheese and cheddar cheese and wrapped each one with a strip of uncooked bacon and then cooked them on the grill somehow. I'm not really certain exactly how he did it but it was quite delicious.

Being that we live in an apartment whose builders did not see the benefit of putting a window in the kitchen, I am unable to cook anything that is going to smoke badly. This unfortunately includes cooking bacon on the stove. (I can cook it in the oven in the Alton Brown method) So how to recreate these delicious morsels without having the fire department called to my house...again?

Apartment Friendly Jalapeno Poppers

warning: I strongly suggest wearing food grade vinyl gloves when making this recipe. There is nothing worse than getting jalapeno juice on your fingers and then itching your eye. Trust me.

5 jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise and without stem
1/3 cup cream cheese, room temperature
2 handfuls grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped pancetta or bacon pieces

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pancetta or bacon in a small frying pan dusted with a little olive oil spray over medium heat until cooked and fragrant and a little crispy, about five minutes depending on the size of each piece.
(Our local Trader Joe's sells chopped pancetta. Most grocery stores will sell either slices of pancetta or a small hunk of pancetta that you can chop yourself.)

Meanwhile, scoop all of the seeds and the little vein-y things that the seeds attach to out of each jalapeno. (I use the edge of a melon baller for this, it seems to work well) Set jalapeno halves aside.

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese and the cooked pancetta together until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The heat from the pancetta will cause the cheeses to melt a little but that's okay.

With a spoon or spatula, fill each jalapeno half with about a tbsp of cheese mixture. Place all halves  on a cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until the jalapenos get a little wrinkly and golden brown on top.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

You could also sprinkle more cheddar cheese on top of each half either before or after they come out of the oven.

Enjoy!

I'm sorry I didn't take more photos of the process or the finished product. I got busy making them and forgot and then we were too busy eating them to care about photography.

Spaghetti Sqaush - Coolest Thing Ever

Okay, any fruit or vegetable (I think it's classified a fruit but whatever) that when cooked, tasted remarkable like pasta gets a gold star in my book. Since we've been trying to eat less carbs on a day to day basis (not the easiest thing for me to do), I've given up cooking pasta for dinner. And with that decision, all of my quick and easy pasta recipes went out the window.

However, Mama called and told me that she had made spaghetti squash and that even Daddy really liked it. Now, I've heard of this squash that actually tastes like pasta before and really couldn't believe it. I don't like acorn squash. I only like butternut squash if it is pureed to oblivion in soup form. I am not a fan of zucchini, or as the grocery store insists on calling it with incredible lack of imagination: green squash. Therefore, the idea of spaghetti squash was not exciting to me, though when mama called I figured, 'If Daddy could eat it, so could I.'

I humbly admit that I misjudged this fruit/vegetable thing. It - is - Delicious. It has the just the right texture and shape and it holds up to sauces just like pasta would. It is also a fairly easy thing to make. Hence, I submit to you my first try with spaghetti squash which was a huge hit:

Spaghetti Squash in White Wine Lemon Sauce

1 spaghetti squash
1 pkg Italian sausage, cooked and sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine
2 tsp thyme
1/2 tbsp flour
Parmesan Cheese


First of all, you need to roast the squash.

How To Roast a Spaghetti Squash

1. Remove sticky label that grocery store adhered to said squash.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. With a fork, prick squash all over.
4. Roast in 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours.
5. Remove from oven carefully and allow to cool slightly (15-20 minutes just so you can handle it without burning your hands)
6. Slice open lengthwise with sharp knife and scoop out all seeds.

7. Run a fork through the flesh of the squash and stare in wonderment as it separates into "noodles".

Okay, now you are ready to continue with the recipe.

While your squash is cooling, cook your choice of Italian sausage according to package directions. I cooked mine in a large saute pan. When they were fully cooked, I removed them to a plate. In the same saute pan, add olive oil and garlic and cook until garlic is golden brown and fragrant.

Add butter, lemon juice, white wine, thyme and flour to garlic. Cook, stirring a little to incorporate the flour for about three to five minutes until sauce has thickened a bit.

When you've separated your "noodles", add them and the sliced sausage to the lemon sauce and stir to fully incorporate sauce into "noodles".

Remove from pan to plates and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

A Better Chicken Noodle Soup

As I have previously mentioned, I don't like chicken noodle soup. Mike does though and sometimes one makes things one does not like for a person one loves. I figure if I really don't like what I made, I can always eat toast with jam for dinner like his grandmother used to.  The traditional carrot-celery-onion-chicken-in-broth soup recipe is frightfully boring so I started throwing in stuff that I saw in other soup recipes. I figured that all the ingredients came from soup recipes so they should all taste good together. I do realize that this method of cooking does not always work out for the best. I have first hand experience with the times that it has failed miserably. However, in this case, it worked beautifully. I even thoroughly enjoyed it.

Better Chicken Noodle Soup


olive oil
one yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 c white wine
1 small can diced tomatoes
8 cups chicken broth or 8 cups water with bouillon cubes (follow package directions)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (I baked the chicken in garlic-Parmesan olive oil at 350 for 30 minutes)
3 zucchini, cubed
4 carrots, sliced into rounds
fresh or dried thyme
fresh or dried rosemary
salt and pepper, to taste
1 large can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups noodles of choice (I used pappardelle)
1 bag fresh baby spinach
grated Parmesan cheese

Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil; heat over medium heat. When oil is heated, toss in onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent and beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add white wine and cook for another minute or two. Add tomatoes and continue to cook, stirring occasionally.

Add broth, carrots, zucchini, chickpeas and herbs (I had fresh thyme and rosemary from another dish I made but if you only have dried I'm sure that will work too. I used three stems of thyme and one stem of rosemary. The rosemary I chopped up but I just picked the thyme leaves off the stems and threw it in without bothering to chop it. If you are using dried, I would use about 2 tsp of each.) Continue to cook until zucchini and carrots are soft, about ten minutes. Stir occasionally. Add noodles and cubed chicken.

*Note: I used pappardelle noodles from Trader Joe's because they looked very pretty in the package. However, because these noodles are so wide and long, they need to be broken into smaller pieces. I suggest that you do this in your hands over the soup pot. Do not try to cut dried noodles with a knife on a cutting board. The noodles break into little noodle shards that rocket all over the kitchen.

After adding the noodles, I left the pot on the stove, cooking on very low heat, for about twenty minutes more until we were ready to eat. Just before serving, add spinach and stir well so that the heat from the soup wilts the spinach.

Serve in bowls topped with Parmesan cheese.

A Quick Mediterranean Meal

Recently, we went away for the weekend for a wedding. We had a lovely time being away with family and friends, and being able to enjoy the truly beautiful wedding. 

After three days of rich, delicious foods and a long drive back, I was not in the mood to cook anything over the top nor were either of us that hungry. So I raided the fridge for something that was healthy, quick, tasty and light. Not an easy task, but I did come up with something...

3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 cucumber, roughly chopped
half of a red onion, diced
1 tbsp parsley
2 tsp basil
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
store bought hummus
1 small jar kalamata olives
Naan bread, heated on the stove and cut into strips
Feta cheese, cubed and tossed with olive oil and choice of herbs (I found this all done for me at Trader Joe's)

So, it looks like a long list of ingredients but its still quick. After chopping the tomatoes, cucumber and onion and putting them in a bowl, I mixed together the parsley, basil, oil, vinegar, garlic, Dijon, salt and pepper in a little jar with a tight fitting lid and shook it really well. Then I poured the dressing all over the veggies and set it aside. I heated the Naan bread on my griddle just enough so that it was warm on both sides and then sliced it into short strips. I put the olives and feta into their own little bowls and set the table. I had bought a sample pack of four different hummus flavors so I just put the whole container right on the table.

The whole set up took about fifteen minutes and it was delicious! And again, may I say how much I love Trader Joe's since everything I used here was from that fabulous store!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 
Winter seems to have finally arrived and soup season has begun. Mike loves soup and I don't make nearly enough of them since I'm not really a fan of the broth-based soup. Now, cream-based - broccoli cheddar, baked potato, New England clam, tomato even - those I love. More proof, if proof were needed, that if it's terrible for me, I love it. If it's good for me, it's probably not my favorite. However, I decided to make this soup, even though it's broth-based, because Mike would enjoy it. I'd only have to eat it once and then I could send the rest with him for lunches. I was wrong again. This soup was delicious. As in, still craving it delicious. There are so many dimensions and flavors going on and it's fresh tasting but still warm and hearty and just what is needed on a wintery or rainy day. It was fairly easy as well, which is also right up my alley.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 32 oz cartons of chicken broth or 8 cups water and 6 chicken bouillon cubes
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
2 jalapenos, minced (remove the white part and seeds if you want it to be less spicy)
half white onion, chopped
2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika 

1 tbsp Goya Adobo spice mix

salt and pepper to taste

4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 medium bag frozen corn kernels

1 small can black beans

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

tortilla chips

ripe avocado

shredded cheddar cheese

Pour chicken broth into a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts, garlic, jalapenos, onion and spices and simmer for about fifteen minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from broth and allow to cool slightly.  Roughly chop or shred chicken breast. 

Add tomatoes, corn and black beans. Cook for another ten minutes. Return chicken breast to pot and continue to cook until chicken is reheated. 

 

To serve,  roughly crush a handful of tortilla chips into the bottom of each soup bowl. Add soup over the top and sprinkle with a little lime juice and cheddar cheese. If desired, add a couple of slices of avocado on top and garnish with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Sorry for the lack of photos in this post. I forgot to take them while I was cooking and only remembered right before we sat down to eat.