Creamy Baked Penne and Chicken with Artichokes, Tarragon and Lemon

I have no idea why the concept of a food swap stresses me out so much. But trying to find a recipe for this month was so difficult! I finally found this recipe from a blog called The Bad Girl’s Kitchen; she has a whole section of freezer-friendly meals.

Ingredients (I was making 10 servings):

Salt

2 pounds penne

8 tablespoons olive oil

6 cans of artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped

1 medium onion, minced

8 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 8 teaspoons)

Zest from 1 lemon

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups heavy cream

2 pounds chicken thighs

3 bay leaves

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

16 ounces shredded Italian cheese blend (about 2 cups)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Ground black pepper

3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves

that’s quite a few ingredients

To cook the pasta, boil water in a pasta pot over high heat. Add a tablespoon of salt and the pasta and cook for 5 minutes (it will be very al dente– they will cook fully in the oven later). Drain pasta in a colander and toss with two tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.

Prep your artichokes, onion, and garlic.

In a large pot, heat 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the artichokes, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until the artichokes are lightly browned (about 10 minutes).

Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth, wine, and cream.

Add the chicken and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken registers 160 degrees.

Remove from heat and discard the bay leaves. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. When cooled, shred into bite-sized pieces. Stir the chicken back into the sauce, adding the pasta, peas, 2 cups cheese and lemon juice. Stir until combined and season with salt and pepper.

I transferred these into tupperware dishes. I included a freezer bag of cheese and put them in the freezer.

To cook, thaw the meal in the refrigerator (about 24 hours). Add to a casserole dish and top with the cheese.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover with aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with tarragon and serve.

Whew. I heated up a tiny portion of this, just to make sure it was edible. Well, it was more than edible, it was really quite good! I was impressed with how much flavor was in the dish. Thanks for such a great recipe Bad Girl’s Kitchen!

Salad with Hoisin Vinaigrette and Crisp Panko Chicken

My fridge looks like a forest. I kid you not. I have two of my three shelves of my refrigerator filled with leafy greens. I didn’t want to have just a plain old boring salad, so I decided to try this recipe from Cooking Light (April 2006).

Ingredients for chicken:
1/2 cup panko
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound chicken breast tenders
Cooking spray

Ingredients for salad:
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 spring garlic, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
1/4 bunch of romaine lettuce
1/4 bunch of red leafy lettuce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To cook chicken, add first 4 ingredients (panko through pepper) to a bowl.

Mix to combine. Add chicken one at a time, tossing to coat. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is done and lightly browned.

To prepare salad, combine vinegar and next 7 ingredients (through minced garlic) in a bowl.

Prepare your lettuce by washing and rinsing the Romaine and red leafy lettuce. Tear with your hands and add to a bowl.

Add halved tomatoes and green onions.

Add vinegar mixture, tossing to coat. Transfer to individual plates and top with the chicken.

Wow. This dressing was fantastic. It has a bit of spice to it without any heat. The chicken was crispy on the outside but really tender on the inside. The original recipe used a clove of garlic instead of spring garlic, but I think the raw mature garlic would be too overpowering. It also called for white wine vinegar, but for some reason I had rice vinegar on hand instead. I will most certainly use this recipe in the future!

Ginger Sesame Chicken with Bok Choy and Mushrooms

Finishing out my CSA bundle for the week, I decided to make a stir fry that had both bok choy and mushrooms as ingredients. (The recipe for Ginger Sesame Chicken with Bok Choy and Mushrooms originally called for oyster mushrooms, but I went with the button mushrooms I had from the vegetable share. Food & Wine had a recipe that sounded right up my alley so I tried it out.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)

1 tablespoon sherry

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar (I only had seasoned, so I used that)

1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pack of button mushrooms, sliced (feel free to use the pre-sliced kind)

1 pack of chicken tenders, cut into 1 inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 bunches of bok choy, thickly cut crosswise

1 small red bell pepper, sliced with seeds removed

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

To make the sauce, combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, dissolved cornstarch mixture, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper in a medium-sized jar.

Shake well and set aside. Prepare all your vegetables, ginger, and garlic.

In a large saute pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, about 6 minutes.

Transfer the mushrooms to a large plate or bowl. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add another 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan. Once heated, add the chicken and cook until just barely cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Transfer to the same dish as the mushrooms. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and add the bok choy and red pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Transfer to the dish. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons to the saute pan. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan. Shake the sauce in the jar and add to the pan.

Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a bowl and serve.

I really liked this dish, but I was hoping for more vegetables overall, especially more bok choy. I don’t honestly think that this would be much better with oyster mushrooms, so don’t go crazy looking for them if you can’t find them; button mushrooms were good enough. The sauce had some nice heat without being too spicy, so I will definitely try this recipe again with more veggies.

Chicken and Vegetable Korma

Korma is an Indian dish that is usually a creamy and somewhat spicy broth over rice with vegetables or meat, primarily chicken or lamb. It’s usually my go to dish in Indian restaurants. Cooking Light had a recipe for Vegetarian Korma in its March 2011 issue, which I used as a base and changed to fit my own taste. The result, Chicken and Vegetable Korma.

The spices in this dish are known to have great benefits. For those with type 2 diabetes, Cinnamon can help lower blood sugar, triglycerides, LDL, and total cholesterol. Cinnamon also has cancer fighting properties and can increase circulation. Tumeric may help impede the growth of cancer cells and can also help reduce swelling. Garlic is also known as a cancer fighter, can stop blood clots from forming, and also has anti-fungal, antibacterial and antiviral effects. Ginger not only helps with stomach ailments (nausea, motion sickness) but it also helps limit swelling due to arthritis and can help prevent blood clots. Cumin is a good source of iron and helps maintain a strong immune system; like ginger, it also helps with digestion and may also have anti-carcinogenic properties. Cayenne pepper has antioxidant properties and is also known to increase metabolism. Cayenne is also thought to help with high blood pressure and contains some cancer fighting properties. Whew!

Ingredients:

1 ½ tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground red pepper (canyenne pepper)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup frozen shelled edamame

1 baking potato, peeled and diced (I couldn’t find my peeler, so the skin stayed on. Oh well, more nutrients!)

1 cup fat free, lower sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 can light coconut milk

4 pieces of chicken tender strips

3 cups broccoli (original recipe called for cauliflower) florets

2 cups hot cooked long-grain white rice

Cook rice according to directions. Remember that rice usually doubles in size from uncooked to cooked, so you’ll only need about 1 cup of uncooked rice. I used light coconut milk instead of water to really get the coconut milk flavor into this dish. While rice is cooking, prep your broccoli, ginger, garlic and onions. Also feel free to mix your dry spices together because they will be added to the dish at the same time. Set the rice and your prepped food to the side.

prep work

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste and all the dry spices (cumin through cinnamon). Cook for 1 minute stirring.

This is what happens when you try to take a photo while stirring a steaming dish

Stir in edamame and potato. In a bowl, combine chicken broth, flour and milk stirring with a whisk until smooth (if the flour clumps a little, that’s fine). Add the broth mixture to the pan and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the broccoli and simmer for 9 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

While the broth is simmering, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to another sauté pan with 1 tablespoon heated olive oil. Cook for 3 minutes on each side until browned. Add to the large sauté pan to finish cooking within the broth. Serve over white rice.

finished dish

I left the combining of the spices to my boyfriend, which may have led to an over-pouring of the spices. This dish was much spicier than I was prepared for. Not wanting to assume he did add too much of the above spices, I’d cut all the spices maybe in half. It’s nice to have some heat in a dish, but the spiciness of this meal actually took away from the overall dish. Past that, this was really tasty and filling. As a plus, the spiciness probably kept me from overeating!

not all that pretty. but spicy!

Yum

Chicken and Vegetable Korma

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 ½ tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground red pepper (canyenne pepper)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
1 baking potato, peeled and diced (I couldn’t find my peeler, so the skin stayed on. Oh well, more nutrients!)
1 cup fat free, lower sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 can light coconut milk
4 pieces of chicken tender strips
3 cups broccoli (original recipe called for cauliflower) florets
2 cups hot cooked long-grain white rice

Instructions

Cook rice according to directions. Remember that rice usually doubles in size from uncooked to cooked, so you’ll only need about 1 cup of uncooked rice. I used light coconut milk instead of water to really get the coconut milk flavor into this dish. While rice is cooking, prep your broccoli, ginger, garlic and onions. Also feel free to mix your dry spices together because they will be added to the dish at the same time. Set the rice and your prepped food to the side.
Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste and all the dry spices (cumin through cinnamon). Cook for 1 minute stirring.
Stir in edamame and potato. In a bowl, combine chicken broth, flour and milk stirring with a whisk until smooth (if the flour clumps a little, that’s fine). Add the broth mixture to the pan and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the broccoli and simmer for 9 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
While the broth is simmering, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to another sauté pan with 1 tablespoon heated olive oil. Cook for 3 minutes on each side until browned. Add to the large sauté pan to finish cooking within the broth. Serve over white rice.

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Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca

I have quite the aversion to pig products (pork, ham, pancetta, etc) and my poor boyfriend usually just has to suffer through dinner without these ingredients. But the January/February issue of Cooking Light had a recipe for Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca that looked delicious, so I decided to finally treat him to a little bit of prosciutto. (I hope he doesn’t get used to this!)

Ingredients:

4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 fresh sage leaves
Extra dried sage (if you want a bit more sage taste)
2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 8 thin strips
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2/3 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 oz angel hair pasta

Chicken Piccata Over Pasta

Chicken Piccata is one of those meals that I always happen to have the ingredients on hand, making this my go-to dish on a “I forgot to go food shopping” night.

Ingredients: (1 serving, multiply as needed)

1 chicken breast

Salt and pepper

All-purpose flour

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon

¾ cup chicken stock

¼ cup white wine

¼ cup brined capers (optional)

Fresh parsley (optional)

1/2 cup pasta (I used lemon-pepper pappardelle)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions. Set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. While it heats up, combine a small amount of flour (maybe 1/4 cup), paprika, parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder in a shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge chicken in flour. Shake off excess flour mixture. Reserve the extra flour mixture for later use.

Add chicken to the heated saute pan. Cook for 3 minutes until browned. Flip and cook for 3 more minutes on the other side. Remove from pan and place in a bake safe dish (you want to use the saute pan to make the sauce). Place chicken in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.

finished chicken

In the original saute pan, add chicken stock. Before juicing the lemon, use some zest from it and add it to the stock– I used a grater. (Be careful to not to down to the white part inside, that is very bitter). Add lemon juice, and capers (if you’d like) and stir, scraping up the brown bits from the chicken. Bring to a boil. Add white wine and again bring to a boil. Add butter one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. While constantly stirring with a whisk, sprinkle flour into the sauce little by little until thickened to your liking.

thickened sauce

To assemble dish, pour sauce over pasta and chicken. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon if preferred.

finished dish

So I have no clue how/why the sauce turned brown. BUT it was amazing. The lemon zest enhances the lemon juice without being too sour. I admit, this isn’t a pretty dish at all, so I don’t think it is exactly one to make for company. But it sure did make my stomach happy after a long Monday. Enjoy!

Chicken and Asparagus with Melted Gruyere

Trying to eat something other than pasta, but still craving a decadent comfort food dish, I found this recipe for Chicken & Asparagus with Melted Gruyère cheese.

Ingredients:
4 ounces asparagus
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2/3 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

To steam the asparagus, place asparagus in a steamer basket over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover and steam for 3 minutes. Remove asparagus and set aside.

Whisk broth and 1 teaspoon flour in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredge both sides in the flour, shaking off excess flour.

Heat oil in a sautee pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. The chicken should have a nice brown sear on it, but the heat may need to be adjusted to prevent burning. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Add shallot, wine and the reserved broth mixture to the pan. Cook over medium heat, until thickened (about 2 minutes) stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in sour cream, tarragon, lemon juice and the reserved asparagus until combined. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. Add cheese on top of each piece of chicken, cover and continue cooking until the cheese is melted (about 2 minutes).

Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. Add cheese on top of each piece of chicken, cover and continue cooking until the cheese is melted (about 2 minutes).


Finished Dish

Yum. I really liked this meal. The sauce was rich and creamy, I didn’t even miss the lack of starch. This is definitely a meal that would be good for guests; it looks much more difficult than it actually is. If you can, try to get fresh tarragon, it really brightens the dish!

My Attempt at Afghan Cusine

There are two Afghan restaurants near where I live, and I love them so much that not one, but both restaurants know me by name. That’s when it hit me that I should probably attempt to recreate some of these delicious meals myself, to help my poor empty wallet. So, here’s my attempt at Korma-E-Murgh (at least that’s what it is called on their menu). The dishes are usually made with lamb or chicken, and the lamb far surpasses the chicken. But making lamb still intimidates me, so I’m trying this with my trusty chicken. On the menu, this dish is described as “delicately seasoned boneless diced chicken with tomatoes, onions, and selected Afghan spices, served with white rice”… here goes..

Ingredients

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1 cup water

For the chalow:

1 cup basmati rice
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Chicken

Continue reading My Attempt at Afghan Cusine

Mexican Night

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I need to clean out my fridge to make room for all of the leftovers I plan on hoarding from my relatives. (I love that they end up feeding me for the whole weekend) The best (and tastiest) way to do this is to make tacos for dinner.

Ingredients

Chicken
Taco Seasoning (recipe below)
Yellow Rice
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onions
Green Pepper
Guacamole (recipe below)
Cheese (I used pepper jack and cheddar)
Taco shells or soft tacos

I usually have most of the above lying around, which is why this is my favorite recipe to get rid of a bunch of ingredients. As a side note: I live alone, so I just buy a bunch of chicken on sale, put the pieces in individual freezer bags, and pull them out the day before to defrost in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the rice according to directions. While the rice is cooking, put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan on medium heat. While that warms up, season the chicken with the taco seasoning.

Taco Seasoning Recipe

Taco Seasoning

4 parts chili powder
4 parts ground cumin
2 parts paprika
2 parts salt
2 parts black pepper
1 part garlic powder
1 part onion powder
1 part crushed red pepper flakes
1 part dried oregano

Mix. Store remaining spice mix in an airtight container.

Brown the chicken on both sides and place in the oven for 20 minutes. While the chicken and rice are cooking, chop all vegetables (tomatoes, green peppers, onion and lettuce)

To make the guacamole, cut avocados removing the seed. Put in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add onion, some chopped cilantro, chopped onion, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a dash of black pepper, and some of the chopped tomato. Mix.

Homemade Guacamole

Make sure to leave yourself enough onion and tomato to have as a topping for your tacos. Once the chicken is finished cooking, cut into bite size pieces and serve.

Not to shabby of a spread!

Each person can build their own taco to their liking. I usually take the leftovers and combine them for lunch the next day too. Yum!

Finished Product