Ginger Chicken, Parmesan Corn, Rainbow Chard.

I wasn't planning on blogging about this meal, but it was so yummy that I decided to post a quick recipe for you. I loved this. The flavors were amazing, it is light and healthy but also satisfying.
*The sauce is a recipe I found in the Rachel Ray Everyday Magazine. I just loved it, and it went so well with the chicken and the veggies.

Enjoy!

Ginger Chicken:
1-2 boneless skinless chicken breast (sliced in long thin pieces)
drizzle of olive oil
3 Tbsp of rice vinegar
2 Tbsp of low salt soy sauce
1/4 cup of sesame oil
2 Tbsp of graded (or finely chopped) ginger
3 chopped scallions

1. Cook the chicken in a drizzle of oil until browned on the outside and cooked through. 
2. Whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and scallion. 
3. Pour sauce over the chicken. 

Rainbow Chard:

6-8 leaves of Rainbow Chard -  chopped into bits size pieces

1 clove of garlic (graded of finely chopped)

drizzle of olive oil

1. Once you have taken the chicken out of the pan, drizzle some more olive oil and cook the chard until wilted. About 3 minutes. Continue to toss it as it cooks.
2. Toss together with garlic

Corn:

Corn on the cob

Chopped parsley

Graded parmesan cheese

1. Cook the corn in pot of boiling water for 2-4 minutes until corn is soft. 
2. Remove from pan and drizzle with parmesan cheese and parsley.  

Spicy Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

It has been much too long since my last post.  The cooking adventures have continued even though the blogging has been lacking. I have many recipes that I want to share with you.  I am very excited about this spicy, salty, comforting, and wholesome soup.  I mean really, how can you go wrong when you are working with Hot Italian Sausage?

Um. Yum. 

This soup is very simple. There are not too many ingredients.  I often find that good cooking is not about how many fancy ingredients you use, it is about using fresh ingredients and putting the right combinations together to make a delicious meal. I usually get my recipes from putting together things that I already have in my pantry or from taking a fresh vegetable that I bought in season (usually on sale) and working with it to make something tasty. 

So this recipe came from a craving for soup and putting together things that I already had at home. Like every recipe that I share, feel free to add to the recipe or adapt it to fit what you like and what you have available. 

I also served it with some toasted parmesan bread.... hmmm

Spicy Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

Ingredients:

- 1 Tbsp of olive oil

- 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

- 2 Spicy Italian sausages, casings removed and meat divided into small pieces

- 6 oz can of tomato paste

- 16 oz can of white beans, drained

- 6 cups of chicken stock (may substitute with chicken broth, beef stock or vegetable stock)

- 2 cups of fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

- Salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in soup pot and cook onions until tender. Add Sausage. 
2. Once the Sausage is slightly browned (it does not have to be cooked all the way through yet, it will cook in the broth) add the tomato paste, white beans, and chicken stock. Stir together. Cover and bring to boil then reduce and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the sausage is cooked through and the soup has reduced. 
3. Once you are ready to serve, add in the chopped spinach. Salt and pepper to taste.

Toasted Parmesan Bread

Ingredients:

- Sourdough Bread

- Butter

- Graded Parmesan Cheese

- Chopped Parsley or Basil

1. Butter bread and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and herbs
2. Toast in oven at 450 degrees on top shelf for about 5-7 min or until golden brown

Pork with Strawberry Balsamic Sauce and Cucumber Salad

This meal is different, easy to make, delightfully tasteful, low in calories and fat, healthy, and very pretty. I think that this would be a good meal to make for guests in your home. It is so easy to like.   Who doesn't like a good pork chop every once in a while? And strawberries become a versatile topping in this meal. This recipe came about because I bought some pork sirloin chops on sale a few days ago and was trying to decide what to do with them. I had also bought fresh strawberries.  They are in season and I have seen them all over the grocery stores lately. Well, both of them were sitting in my fridge so I decided to try strawberries and pork together. I looked up a few pork and strawberry recipes and then came up with my own variation. I served it along with a summery cucumber salad which is also incredibly easy and very low in fat. I felt the result of my experiment was absolutely delicious and worth sharing. 

Hope you Enjoy......

Pork and Strawberries:

2 - 4 Pork boneless sirloin steaks (this is what I used, feel free to switch to bone in if you prefer)

1 1/2 cups of fresh strawberries, sliced

1 Tbsp of fresh rosemary, chopped

4 Tbsp of reduced fat raspberry vinaigrette 

2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

1. Salt and pepper the pork steaks on both sides. Pan fry over medium high heat for about five minutes on each side, or until the meat has a golden crust and is cooked through. 
2. Remove meat from pan and put on a plate. Tent with aluminum foil and set aside. 
3. Whisk together the raspberry vinaigrette, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary in a bowl. Pour into the pan that you cooked the pork in. Over low heat, deglaze the pan and let the sauce reduce. 
4. Add strawberries to the sauce. Cook over low heat until the strawberries are warm. Do not leave them on the heat for too long or they will become mushy. You only want the strawberries to be heated through as they mix with the sauce. 
5. Pour strawberry sauce over the pork. 

 Cucumber Salad:
2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into bit size pieces
3 Tbsp of white wine vinegar
Zest from one lemon
Juice from half of a lemon
1 tsp of dill
1 tsp of sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Put cucumber in a salad bowl and top with all other ingredients. Toss together. 
2. Serve alongside the pork with strawberry sauce and a roasted red potato. 

Enjoy!

Beet Salad with Sweet Italian Sausage served over Fettuccine

Beets! What an amazing vegetable.  Beets are low in calories, high in fiber, have tons of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and are yummy to boot.  They have a gorgeous bright burgundy color and you can use them in so many different ways. Beets are unique because they are a very hearty vegetable that can be used as a side dish or as a main dish! They can be served cold or hot, winter or summer.  I made it a salad with orange and mustard dressing and feta cheese to top it off.

I paired the beats with a extremely simple pasta dish. Sweet Italian sausage served over fettuccine with parmesan cheese. hmm. Seriously, can life get any better than pasta, sausage and cheese? I think not.

Here's how I did it:


Beet Salad:
2 whole beats - boil whole until tender (about 20-25 min). peel skin off with a pearing knife
1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese
1 orange
1 Tbsp of coarse ground mustard
1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp of olive oil
Salt and pepper
handful of fresh italian parsley - coarsely chopped.

1. Cut the beets into large bite size pieces. Place in a serving bowl and zest the peel from the orange over the beets. 
2. In a separate bowl combine the mustard, and vinegar. Take the orange and cut it in half and juice it into the bowl. Whisk in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper. 
3. Pour dressing over the beats and mix gently. Top off the salad with feta cheese and parsley. 

Sausage and Fettuccine:

1/2 pound of fettuccine

2-4 Sweet italian sausages

1/4 cup of graded parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook fettuccine according to package instructions. Drain.  Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Mix gently so the pasta does not stick together. Add cheese and mix gently. Be sure to add the cheese while the fettuccine is still hot. It will melt into the pasta. 
2. In a frying pan, cook the room temperature sausages. Put about 1/4 inch of water in the bottom of the frying pan and place the sausage in the pan over medium high heat. drizzle 1 Tbsp of the remaining olive oil over the sausage. Turn occasionally until the water evaporates and the sausage is cooked through with a nice golden color. 
3. Once Sausage is done cooking, Slice diagonally into thin strips and serve over the fettuccine. 
4. Add salt and coarse black pepper to taste. 

Enjoy!

Prosciutto Stuffed Rosemary Chicken with Spicy Tomato Cream Spaghetti

It was a Monday night and my husband's birthday. I wanted to make something special that he would enjoy and love. I decided to go with something that I am good at. Chicken and Pasta. I am still learning the art and science of beef, pork, fish and the like, but chicken, I have made hundreds of times and I know well. So I decided to take the chicken and create something delicious, fun and different. The result was amazing. I'm Italian so I have cooked a lot of pasta and just love it. After I made this dish I could honestly tell myself that this is one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had. SO SO SO YUMMY! I just had to share this with you. 

Here is what we are going to make:

Rolled Rosemary Chicken stuffed with prosciutto and feta cheese. Served along side of Fettuccine with Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce with lots and lots of parmesan cheese. HMMMMMM

Here is how we are going to do it:

The Chicken Recipe:

Ingredients

- Boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 per person)

- Sliced prosciutto (1 large slice per person)

- 1/2 cup to 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese

- 1 cup of frozen spinach (defrosted with the excess fluid drained off)

- 3 TBSP of chopped Rosemary

- 1/2 cup of flour

- Olive Oil for drizzling

- Salt and Pepper

1. Take the Chicken Breasts and Butterfly them. Do this by lying the breast flat and cutting lengthwise starting from the thicker end so that the breast folds out like a book. 
2. Salt and pepper and coat with the copped rosemary on both sides of the chicken. 

1. Take a slice of prosciutto and place it on top of your open chicken. 
2. Place 1 TBSP of spinach and 1 TBSP of feta cheese and put it in the middle of the flat breast.  
3. Take the chicken and roll it together and secure the edges with tooth picks. 
4. Place the flour in a separate plate. 
5. Take the chicken and gently roll it in the flour plate to give each chicken a light coating of flour.

1. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a frying pan over medium high heat. Cook the chicken turning it carefully until it is nicely browned on all sides. Reduce heat to low medium.  Take a piece of aluminum foil and tent it over the pan. Let the chicken continue to cook through for about 5 -7 more minutes. 

Spicy Tomato Cream Spaghetti:
Ingredients

1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 large white onion
1 pasilla pepper
3/4 cup of half and half
1 tsp of ceyenne pepper powder
1 tsp of chili powder
1 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper
Olive oil for drizzling
handful of cilantro
1 pound of fettuccine noodles
Graded Parmesan Cheese

Here's how it works:

1. Heat a saucepan over medium high heat and drizzle the bottom with olive oil. Chop onion and saute. Add the chopped pasilla peppers to the pan and saute the vegetables together. 
2. Add the can of tomatoes to the pot and then stir in the half and half. Add the ceyenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, and crushed red pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Cover and reduce to a simmer and let it cook and reduce for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

1. Cook the Fettuccine according to package instructions
2. Once you are ready to serve the sauce, chop the cilantro and put it on the top. 
3. Stir the sauce into the pasta. 
4. Top it off with graded Parmesan Cheese. 

Once the chicken is done cooking, slice it lengthwise and serve alongside the pasta

Enjoy it, Love it, Savor it........

Greek Night

I love Greek Food. My Mom is Lebanese, so we ate a lot of Mediterranean food in my house growing up. Greeks use some unique flavors that compliment their food.  A lot of mint, lemon and olive oil is used. Well, those just happen to be some of the best flavors in the world so Greek food is a favorite of mine. I have to tell you, this meal was absolutely amazing. If you know someone that is a little gun shy of trying new and  "weird flavors" such as olives and feta cheese, this is a good way to break them in. You don't have to have an experienced palate in order to love this meal. But at the same, time it has those good old flavor highlights that traditional Mediterranean lovers enjoy. 

Here's what we're making:

Orzo salad with tomatoes, feta cheese and kalamata olives

Turkey Florentine meatballs

My mouth is already watering...

Did I mention that this is super healthy too?

Without further delay, let's begin

Orzo Salad:

1 cup of Whole Wheat Orzo Pasta

1/3 cup of crumbled feta cheese

1 small red onion, chopped

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 large tomato or two small tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup of kalamata olives, sliced in half

1 handful of parsley, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

1 lemon

salt and pepper

1. On the stovetop, bring a pot of water to boil for the orzo. Once it has come to a boil, liberally salt the water and add the orzo to it. Leave the pot uncovered while the orzo cooks. About 7 minutes. 
2. While the orzo is cooking, take a serving bowl and put the feta cheese, onion, cucumber, tomato, and olives. 
3. In another smaller bowl, pour your vinegar and slowly add in the olive oil whisking it as you pour to emulsify it. 
4. Once the orzo is done, strain it and dump it into the salad bowl on top of the veggies and cheese. Since the orzo is still warm it will heat the cheese and all of the other veggies which helps them to release their flavors. Mix
5. Add The dressing to the salad and mix. 
6. Squeeze the lemon over the salad and mix. 
7. Salt and pepper to taste. 
8. Garnish with the chopped parsley. 

Yes, it is as good as it looks

Turkey Florentine Meatballs:
1 1/2 lb of lean ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese
2 cups of chopped spinach (you can use fresh or frozen spinach for this)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp of dried oregano
salt and pepper
Olive oil

1. In a large bowl, put the turkey, egg, feta, spinach, and garlic. Combine with your hands until everything is mixed and incorporated together. 
2. Add the oregano and about a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper. Mix together. 
3. Set a skillet to medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil on the bottom of the skillet. 
4. Make meatballs with the meat mixture. Each one should be a little larger than a golf ball. Be sure to press the ball together as you are making it. 
5. When you are done making the meatballs, put into the heated pan, turn them once they are brown on each side. Allow time for there to be a nice browned edge on each side before you turn it. Continue to turn and cook them until all sides are browned and the meet is cooked through. This will take about 10-12 minutes. 

Serve with the Orzo Salad..... Enjoy

Whipped Cream

Yes, it is true. I am devoting an entire post to the topic of whipped cream. This is a little crazy I know, but the whipped cream was just so amazingly good. The texture is thick and fluffy and it tastes amazing. It can finish off so many good deserts and drinks. This all started for me because I had some Half and Half in the fridge that I was trying to use before it expired.  I started to research whipped cream. I ended up going out and buying whipping cream (the liquid) at the store. I found in my research that there is a lot of heavy debate over wether or not Half and Half is acceptable to make whipped cream. If you have been able to make whipped cream from Half and Half please let me know. I would love to hear about it. But I just got so excited that I decided to do it the tried and true way and to go out and buy the real whipping cream and use that. I was delighted with the results. 

Food is fun. Even simple things like making whipped cream. I made this to top off some brownie sundaes that my husband and I were having for desert. We decided that the whipped cream and sundaes were way too yummy for us to eat all by ourselves so we ended up taking the desert to my Brother and Sister in Law's house and then to my Mother and Father in law's office and sharing it with them.  Our evening turned from one at home to going out and having some fun and sharing desert with our family. What a fun night! I credit the whipped cream. 

It is so fun to make something yummy and then go share it with others. What a joy. So when you make the whipped cream, call someone and ask them to share it with you! What a fun excuse to hang out! Tell them you'll bring desert. As I write this I am sipping my hot coffee with a massive and creamy dollop of whipped cream on top. A day later the whipped cream is still working it's magic!

Here's how you do it:

1 pint of whipping cream (or heavy whipping cream)

1 TBSP of sugar

1. Take the metal bowl from your stand mixer and the container of whipping cream and put them in the freezer. It helps with the whole whipping process if the bowl you are whipping and the cream is really really chilled. Leave it there for about 15 minutes. You don't want the whipped cream to actually freeze, you just want it to be really cold. 
2. Pour the cream into the mixer along with the sugar. 
3. Using the whisk for your mixer, start whipping on low until bubbles start to form. If you turn it up on high right away it will splash all over you. 

Gradually increase the speed

 Increase the speed until you have it on the highest setting. 

 Be careful not to over whip it. Once you see that it can stand up on it's own when you put a spoon in it, then it is ready!

 Doesn't it look amazing?

HMMMMM......

 You can put it in a regular container and save it in the coolest part of your fridge. 

 Enjoy