Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Herb-crusted chicken, parsley orzo, and asparagus with balsamic tomatoes



This meal makes 4 servings

HERB-CRUSTED CHICKEN
4 (6 oz ea) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 tsp dried fines herbs
4 tsps butter
1 TBSP olive oil

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and fines herbs over both sides of chicken, pressing to gently adhere.
Melt butter over medium heat. Add oil. Cook chicken 5 minutes. Turn and cook 7 more minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan. Let stand (keep pan with juices from chicken to use for the asparagus).

ORZO
3/4 uncooked orzo
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp butter
salt and pepper

Cook orzo to package directions, omitting any fat and salt. Drain. Stir in parsley, 2 tsp butter, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper. Keep warm.

ASPARAGUS WITH BALSAMIC TOMATOES
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1-1/2 cups grap tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1/3 tsp salt
3 TBSP crumbled goat cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper

Cook asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain.
Heat pan that had chicken in it over medium heat. Add tomatoes and garlic. Cook 5 minutes.
Stir in vinegar and cook 3 minutes.
Stir in salt. Add asparagus to pan and cook 1 more minute.
Arrange asparagus on plate and top with tomato mixture.
Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.

Calories: 342 for 1 chicken breast + 1/2 cup orzo; 70 calories for a serving of asparagus

Rating: Oh yeah!! This will be a repeater :) Delicious comfort food!














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Monday, June 6, 2011

Grilled Chicken, Black Bean Quinoa Salad



GRILLED CHICKEN
I took 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts and pounded them flat.
Season with salt and Wild Tree Herb Grilling Blend
Grill 3 minutes, turn, grill 2 minutes.

I highly recommend the Wild Tree Herb Grilling Blend:
http://www.wildtree.com/Products/Details.aspx?ProductID=122


BLACK BEAN QUINOA SALAD
This was the star of the meal! We loved it sooooo much!

1 whole(s) mango peeled, diced small
1 whole(s) red pepper diced small
1 cup(s) scallions thinly sliced
1 cup(s) cilantro chopped (1 cup before chopping, about 1/4 cup chopped)
1 tablespoon(s) oil (canola, grape seed, olive)
2 tablespoon(s) vinegar (wine, balsamic, flavored)
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) pepper
1 teaspoon(s) italian salad dressing seasoning (I used Penzey's)
2 cup(s) cooked quinoa (3/4 cup raw) cooled
1 can(s) black beans (15 oz) drained

Mix all the ingredients together. Yummmy!!!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Chicken with Balsamic Peppers and Gnocchi




CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Season both sides with:
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp crushed fennel
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano

Sear chicken 3 minutes on 1 side, 1 minute on other side. Transfer to a sprayed baking dish and roast at 450 for 10 minutes. Keep the chicken saute pan handy for the balsamic peppers below.


BALASAMIC PEPPERS

In the same pan you seared the chicken, add a little bit of oil and saute together:
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup thinkly sliced yellow bell pepper
1 large shallot, chopped
1-1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Saute on med-high heat for 3 minutes.

Add 1 cup of chicken broth, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar, increase heat to high, and simmer for 3 more minutes.

Salt and Pepper to taste.


GNOCCHI:

Purchased frozen gnocchi at the store.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Add gnocchi (cook only what you will eat...I made 15 per person).
As gnocchi float to the surface, remove them carefully with a slotted spoon.


PLATING:
I laid a bed of fresh baby spinach down on the plate
On top of the spinach, I added the balsamic pepper mixture
I laid the gnocchi on top of that.
I drizzled the remainder of the pan juices onto the gnocchi.
I placed the chicken along one side.


Rating: We *loved* this dish. We've made the balsamic peppers before. Adding the gnocchi was a great idea. It's creamy taste blended well with the tartness of the balsamic peppers! This was also a 400 calorie meal which was a huge bonus!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Chicken Broccoli Casserole (Healthy version)

10 oz broccoli-steam in microwave or stove top until mostly cooked
1 cup of cooked chicken, cubed
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup of milk
shredded cheddar cheese
bread crumbs

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