Quick | I Can Cook That

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Creamy Artichoke & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Well, that’s quite a long title for a dish. I don’t really know what else to call it though, this recipe was a result of me trying to make a meal with what I had on hand. I was send some chicken from Gold’n Plump, and one of the options was Lemon Pepper Seasoned Boneless Skinless Breast Fillets. I had some tarragon left over from my Salmon Croquettes and I thought the lemon pepper seasoning would go perfectly with that, along with some sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts.

Ingredients (this makes two servings):

2 lemon pepper seasoned boneless skinless breast fillets

1/2 box pasta of your choice (I used fusilli)

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cream

4 artichoke hearts, quartered

1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

the juice of one lemon

Gold’n Plump’s chicken is individually packaged, which is awesome for people who live alone or do not have a family of four. I tend to not buy chicken because I never manage to finish the four fillets usually included in one package. The individual servings allow me to take what I need and freeze the rest for later use.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and the green onions, and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the cream, sun dried tomatoes, tarragon, and artichoke hearts.

Cover and simmer on medium low for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. While the cream mixture is simmering, heat a grill pan (or a saute pan if you don’t have a grill pan) over medium high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

The chicken will not be fully cooked through. Slice into thin strips and add to the cream mixture. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Add the pasta to the cream mixture and toss to coat.

Add the mozzarella cheese. Cook for another 1-3 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce, and to let the cheese melt.

Remove from heat and squeeze the lemon juice in to the dish. Mix and serve.

Despite the cream, the flavor of the chicken still shone through, it was really nice! I loved having such a nice amount of flavor from the chicken without having to remember to marinate it beforehand.

Artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and tarragon work so well together.

You could have this dish without the pasta, but I like it to soak up all of that yummy sauce.

Note: Although the Lemon Pepper Chicken is available in some markets, it is not available in the Philadelphia area. However, Targets in the area do carry the following Gold’n Plump products:

All Natural Boneless Skinless Breasts
Extra Tender Boneless Skinless Breasts
90/10 Ground Chicken
All Natural Drumsticks
All Natural Whole Chicken
Extra Tender Tenders
All Natural Wings
All Natural Boneless Skinless Thighs

Alexia Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Fries

I love sweet potatoes, especially in fry form. I just cannot turn down a delicious sweet potato fry. So I was really excited when I was offered the chance to try an Alexia Food product of my choice through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program. Not only did they send me a coupon for any food product my little heart desired, but they also send a spiffy apron and pot holder; thanks for all the fun new products!

Alexia Foods has plenty of great products, including appetizers, breads, french fries, and potato and vegetable sides. I decided to try the Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Fries because it’s something I can’t make in my own kitchen. (I have, however, made pretty awesome traditional sweet potato fries in the past, if I do say so myself).

The fries can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store.The Waffle Cut fries have a seasoning of sea salt, garlic, onion, chili, black and red pepper. The fries can go straight from the freezer into a preheated oven and are ready in about 20 minutes.

I got a random normal fry in there. It was delicious as well 🙂

I decided to try mine with a Sriracha-mayo dip that I made for my sweet potato fries.

The fries came out of the oven slightly softer than I’d like, but crisped up after cooling off a bit. The seasoning on these fries is absolutely awesome. It was a pleasant surprise! I liked it so much I didn’t want to mask the taste with my dip and ended up eating most of them plain.

Alexia Food has a number of other types of fries: classic, rosemary and garlic, lemon parmesan, and sea salt sound the most intriguing to me. However, they are currently looking for a new Alexia fry flavor and need your help to choose. Now until March 30, visit the Alexia Foods Facebook page and click on the “Reinvent a Classic” tab to vote for one of four gourmet French Fry flavors.

Which one would you like to see, or which existing fry do you want to try? I think the Thai Spiced Sweet Potato fries sound amazing!

Guest Post: Foil Cooked Salmon and Asparagus or Choice of Vegetables

Today I have another delicious guest post for you all from Gareth. He e-mailed me asking if he could post this salmon recipe, and I couldn’t say no! If you haven’t realized quite yet, I’m a big fan of salmon. Not only is this recipe easy and really quick to make, it’s also healthy and perfect for Friday meals in Lent. Let me turn it over to Gareth…

When it comes to quick and simple recipes that pack a powerful flavour this is one of my favourites. Salmon is very easy to cook well and has so much natural flavour you need to add very little to it to get an amazing tasting meal. This recipe can also be adapted for nearly any vegetables or fish too.

Ingredients

Chunky Salmon Fillet (partly smoked if you prefer)

Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Lemon (real lemon if you can)

Tomatoes, Asparagus, courgette, green beans or vegetables of your choice

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (this is Celsius, so for Americans, preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit) while you prepare the food.

Cut off some tin foil that is big enough to wrap all your vegetables and fish in a parcel when done.

Put the salmon skin side down in the middle of your foil. Use a sharp knife to score the top of the skin. Add seasoning. A little salt and pepper works great but you can also add garlic or premixed herbs and spices if you wish. Now squeeze some lemon on top. The key flavour here is the salmon itself, you can get away with adding very little extra.

Cut up your choice of vegetables, personally I go for asparagus, small tomatoes chopped in half, and some green beans but you can cook nearly anything you like. The thing to remember is that the fish will take 15 minutes to cook so you want to make sure the vegetables are small enough to cook in that time.

Curl up the edges of the tinfoil to stop oil going everywhere. Drizzle some good quality oil over the top, you just need enough for it all to cook in.

Wrap it all up in a parcel so nothing leaks out and stick it in the middle shelf of the oven for around 15minutes depending on the size of the fish.

You will know when the fish is done because it will be lighter in colour and starting to flake off. Open a corner of the parcel and drain off the excess oil. Plate up and enjoy.

How beautiful is that dish? With minimal effort too! I agree, I love salmon with asparagus or green beans. Another favorite is wilted spinach or a couscous salad. Many thanks to Gareth for sharing this recipe!

Gareth is a writer and marketer who has a keen interest in food. Cotswold Fayre let you buy wholesale food as a retailer in the UK.

Sauteed Spiced Pears with Pecans Over Ice Cream

This recipe is a result of having all of the ingredients in my kitchen, and my endless sweet tooth. Pears hold up really well to being cooked so I thought they would be great with traditional baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) and some pecans for crunch. I also had a bit of ice cream left in my freezer so I used the pears and pecans as a topping.

Ingredients:

1 bosc pear, peel, cored, and cut into slices

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

A pinch of cloves

1/4 cup pecans

1 scoop French vanilla ice cream

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Homemade Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow Hearts

The simplest actions can really make your day. Sometimes all you need to turn a day around is a simple pick me up. This hot chocolate is a really easy way to put a smile on your, or your loved ones, face(s). It’s also a perfect Valentine’s Day drink! I found this cute recipe on Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:

(this makes 2 cups)

4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
4 tablespoons finely chopped dark chocolate
2 marshmallows

Continue reading Homemade Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow Hearts

Strawberries with Chocolate Cream

Valentines Day has come early to I Can Cook That! Ok, not really. I made them for a party recently, but they would be perfect for a Valentines Day dessert, or with your coffee in the morning! I found this recipe on Taste of Home. After reading the reviews, a few people suggested adding some powdered sugar to sweeten up the chocolate cream. I love anything sweet, so I took their suggestion!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 ounces dark chocolate, grated, divided

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup whipped topping

2 containers of fresh strawberries, halved

I used dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s. They come in 1.75 oz little bars so I used two of those 1.75 oz bars. Take the first bar and melt over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, add the cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar and whipped topping. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth.

Add the melted chocolate and beat until combined. Add the mixture to a plastic zip lock bag.

Cut off the lower corner and pipe onto the strawberries, with the cut side up.

Using a grater, grate the remaining chocolate over the strawberries.

These are really simple, and really tasty too!

I think the addition of the powdered sugar was a good idea. Fresh strawberries can be a bit tart, so it was nice to add some extra sweetness within the chocolate cream.

The cream cheese adds a nice smoothness to the chocolate cream. They are so pretty too, aren’t they?

You can make these ahead of time and then pop them in the refrigerator until needed.

Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce

It’s very rare that I make a meal without some kind of goal in mind. I’m not terribly creative, so I usually do at least some research before making a meal: read a magazine, google a recipe, ask a family member, or have a craving from a restaurant I want to try to make at home.

I guess my subconscious was channeling a craving for Bona Cucina‘s mussels in white wine because I kind of sort of ended up with that at the end of my cooking, so here’s my version of their Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce. I was just trying to whip up a quick meal, so I actually didn’t take any photos until the finished product (whoops) but I thought I’d share it anyways. I still had some mussels left over from when I made Angel Hair Pasta with Mussels in a Red Pepper Sauce so I figured I should use them.

Ingredients – serve 2 as an appetizer, multiply as needed (get all ingredients here):

1 dozen mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-4 garlic cloves, minced (depending on how much you want to offend those around you)
1 shallot, minced
Chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter

Continue reading Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce

Goat Cheese Stuffed Lamb Burgers

Oh yes, you read that correctly. A delicious grilled lamb burger, with goat cheese inside. I have been craving Goat Cheese Stuffed Lamb Burgers for a good week now and finally managed to find ground lamb (which was surprisingly difficult for some reason) to make them. I used a recipe off of Finish Your Broccoli‘s blog that she made a while back to make the actual burger. I took some liberty in making it but for the most part it’s basically the same.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb
3 tbsp plain yogurt
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp minced fresh mint
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch cayenne
4 oz log goat cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped basil
Tzatziki
Sliced cucumber
Pita bread or hamburger buns, toasted

Add the ground lamb, plain yogurt, panko, mint, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne to a large bowl.

Mix to combine.

Add the goat cheese, olive oil, parsley, and basil to a small bowl.

Mix to combine.

Take the meat mixture and divide it evenly into four patties.

Make a well in each patty and add an equal amount of the cheese mixture into each well.

Form the meat patty around the cheese mixture.

Heat a grill pan (or grill) and cook the burger to your liking. Because they are so thick, you might need to cook them long and slow.

Grill the hamburger buns or pita bread.

Top the burger with tzatziki and sliced cucumber.

And there you have it!

You bite in and get a really delicious, moist burger.

With a flavorful, gooey center.

Mmmm.

This is EXACTLY what I was craving. And it’s really quick! What more could you ask for?

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Who honestly doesn’t love crab stuffed mushrooms? Little bite sized bits of happiness: mushroom, crab meat, cheese, and crunchy bread crumbs. I always have my fingers crossed that these party staples show up as an appetizer at any and all social events. So I thought it was about time that I attempted to make them myself. I finally whipped up a batch of theses crab stuffed mushrooms to eat while watching the games on Sunday. They are actually quite easy to make and are awesome right out of the oven or cooled to room temperature. Taste of Home had a great recipe I decided to try. My only “big” change was that I substituted Old Bay in for the cayenne. I’ve spent many a summer on the Chesapeake and now can’t eat crab without at least a little bit of this seasoning!

Ingredients:

1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Old Bay
1 can (8 ounces) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed
2 containers of fresh baby bella mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

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Caprese Tomato Bites

I know, I know. It’s January. What the heck am I doing posting a Caprese recipe? I had a craving for a Caprese salad and I can’t bring myself to buy large tomatoes so out of season. Cherry tomatoes always seem to be around the same level of taste all year long, so I thought this might hold me over until the spring. The recipe incorporates all ingredients found in a traditional Caprese salad, while making it into a cute appetizer bite. I found this recipe on Taste of Home and mainly stuck to the recipe, with a few changes based on what I could find.

Ingredients:

1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into smaller pieces
6 fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

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Thirty Minute “Paella”

I absolutely love paella: rice, saffron, seafood… what isn’t to like? If I could, I’d eat this amazing dish once a week. Traditional paella takes a good hour at least to make, so it would be quite the task to make it all the time. However, I found a paella-like dish from Cooking Light that can be made in 30 minutes! My parents and sister recently went to Spain and brought me back some amazing, but vague, spices. One was just labeled as “paella spice” and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try it out.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 a white onion, chopped

2 chicken sausages, cut into pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound large shrimp
2 cups uncooked rice
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon “paella spice” (sub in 1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron for this)
1/4 teaspoon paprika, smoked would be ideal
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen green peas
the juice of 1/2 a lemon juice

Using a Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pan, head the olive oil over medium-high heat. Chop your onion and sausage.

Add to the pot and cook, stirring, for three minutes.

Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and stir in to the other ingredients.

Add the rice, water, oregano, salt, paella spice (or saffron), paprika, black pepper, and chicken broth.

Mix so that the rice is coated in the liquid.

Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in the peas, and squeeze with the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

So, traditional paella has that nice crispy bottom where the rice has started to stick to the pan. Twenty minutes obviously won’t give you that result. But the rice turns out fluffy and has the flavoring of not only the saffron/paella spice, but also the smokiness of the chicken sausage and a subtle fresh seafood flavor of the shrimp.

The little bit of citrus really enhances the dish. It brings out all of the flavors and adds such brightness to the rice.

I am so impressed and pleased with how this turned out. For just thirty minutes of your time, you can have a paella-type dinner prepared!

I kept the tails and shell on the shrimp so that they could soak in the liquid while cooking the rice. It helped so that the shrimp wouldn’t overcook. Also, I think it makes the paella look a bit more authentic. 🙂

If you are a bit squeamish about it, feel free to use deveined shrimp. I’d suggest not adding them to the pot until the rice is about half way cooked, so as to not overcook the shrimp.

I wish I could figure out what exactly was in the “paella spice” I had because the flavor was really amazing. Saffron, tumeric, spanish paprika? Sigh. Who knows. But if you come across any pre-made paella mix, be sure to buy it and try this dish! However, I do think that using saffron would make a really solid substitute.

Homemade Pancake Mix

Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with store-bought pancake mix. However, are you aware of how easy it is to make your own at home? This recipe makes 16 pancakes; you can store the dry mix in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda

Rose-Scented Berry Prosecco

New Years Eve is a great time to add a little bit of glitz and glamor to your life. I, naturally, feel the need to do that to my drink. This is actually a take on a local restaurant’s delicious champagne option. I hope I remember it correctly, but when I first had this drink at Farmicia in Old City Philadelphia I fell in love. It’s such a girly drink so I had to save it for a special occasion.

Ingredients:

Rosewater

Blueberries

Prosecco

Add about 1/2 teaspoon rosewater to the bottom of a fluted glass. I apparently do not own any champagne glasses (who knew?) so I actually made mine in the martini glass with a bit more rosewater.

Add blueberries or any berry of your choice to the glass. If you’re using a traditional glass, three should be plenty.

Open your sparkling wine and pour into the glass, filling to the top.

Enjoy 🙂

I absolutely love the smell of rosewater. The taste can only be described as what you’d expect a rose to taste like (sorry). The berries add a nice little touch too; I love saving them for last!

I’d suggest adding rosewater to taste. I am very fond of it, so I might have a heavy hand with it. Start with 1/4 teaspoon and work your way up.

Have a wonderful New Years!

Grilled Rosemary Swordfish with Vegetable Couscous

I apologize for the lack of posts! Like many, I’ve spent the past week doing a whole lot of eating, but not necessarily cooking. My parents gave me a nifty panini pan for the stove which also doubles as a grill pan. I wanted to test it out, so I decided to try Cooking Light’s Rosemary Swordfish on Vegetable Couscous.

Ingredients (this makes one serving so multiply as needed):

1 teaspoon olive oil’
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 (5-ounce) swordfish steak
1/2 carrot, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
3 Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
the juice of one lemon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 uncooked couscous
Salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Grilled Rosemary Swordfish with Vegetable Couscous

Spinach Spaghetti with Salmon Cream Sauce

Have you ever bought a bunch of ingredients just because they sounded good? I try to stick to a list, but this time I couldn’t help myself. I found fresh spinach spaghetti and it just sounded so wonderful, I had to buy it. I wanted to make a simple but flavorful dish so I was pretty happy to find salmon as well. I already had heavy cream and parsley in my fridge so this recipe for Spinach Spaghetti with Salmon Cream Sauce was the result!

Ingredients:

1 package fresh spinach spaghetti
1 tablespoon butter
1 8 oz fillet of salmon
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
freshly grated Parmesan

Continue reading Spinach Spaghetti with Salmon Cream Sauce