My boyfriend loves peaches so I am always keeping an eye out for any recipe that incorporates peaches into it. This recipe from Cooking Light not only included peaches two ways, but it also used a wheat product I’ve never used before: bulgur.
Bulgur is a fast cooking whole grain that’s been parboiled, dried, and cracked. One cup of bulgur is only 150 calories and includes 8 grams of fiber and almost 6 grams of protein. Sounds like a good addition to any meal!
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked bulgur
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 cups chopped peaches
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
I was feeling a little fancy this week so I decided to challenge myself with a protein I rarely use: duck! I’ve actually only worked with duck twice (Duck Breasts with Cider Farro Risotto and Grilled Duck with Warm Mushroom Salad and Truffle Vinaigrette), but I tend to order it at restaurants quite a bit. I am also on a berry kick at the moment (if you missed it, go check out the Blueberry Coffeecake I posted recently!) so I was really excited to try this Cooking Light recipe for Duck Breasts with Blackberry-Port Sauce. I served mine with some sauteed green beans but Cooking Light also suggests serving the duck over a bed of lettuce. Ingredients:
Somehow I have never had the classic French dish Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic. With my love of garlic, this seems like a huge oversight! I adapted this recipe from a Cooking Light recipe.
The garlic cloves are simmered in a broth until tender and work to lightly perfume the chicken. If you’re a garlic lover like me though, I suggest spreading the softened cloves on to crusty pieces of bread — they turn into a wonderful paste that is oh so tasty!
Because of the large number of cloves you need for this recipe, I suggest just buying pre-peeled cloves – it will save you a ton of time, making this an easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
40 garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
24 (1/4-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette
When making dinner on weeknights, I am always looking for a recipe that I can have made in 30 minutes or less. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to compromise on flavor! This Food and Wine recipe braises the chicken in a shallot and more sauce and then is topped off with some lemon juice. Serve it with steamed asparagus for a delicious spring-themed dinner!
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (or olive oil to make paleo)
I love comfort food dishes, but they can take quite a bit of time to make. And sometimes after a long day, all you want is a comforting meal without having to put forth all that effort and time. This recipe for a deconstructed chicken pot pie from Cooking Light uses rotisserie chicken meat to speed up the process without taking away from the overall taste of a traditional pot pie. The “crust” is actually a round of puff pastry that is baked separately in the oven to stay crispy.
This recipe takes about 35 minutes to make so you can have this comfort food even on busy weeknights!
Ingredients:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 1/2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
We (hopefully) just had our last snow of the season. This has been one crazy winter! I figured I should make just one more “comfort food” perfect for a cold winter day. This recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore from Cooking Light uses a slow cooker to make tender chicken thighs in a slightly spicy chunky tomato broth. (Cacciatore, or “hunter”, in Italian usually refers to a dish made with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and wine.)
You only have to cook the chicken in the slow cooker for 4 hours, so this recipe isn’t exactly good for a weeknight if you work during the day. It would make a great Saturday meal; prepare everything in the early afternoon to have dinner ready that night.
Tagine or Tajine dishes are Moroccan slow cooked dishes named after the pot they are cooked in. The dishes are typically a stew with a protein, spices, and fruit. Cooking Light had a version with chicken and chickpeas that sounds delicious. This recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Chickpea Tagine combines both sweet and spicy elements to make a really flavor-filled dish.
This recipe takes a bit more prep time that my usual slow cooker recipes, so be prepared for that. This recipe is great for a Saturday: prepare everything in the morning, run whatever errands you have for the day, and come back to an amazing smelling kitchen and dinner mostly ready! I shredded my chicken and served it over couscous but you can keep the chicken whole and eat it as is.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large or two medium onions (about 2 1/2 cups), chopped
Working late really messes with my dinner making plans. When I get home later than expected, I can’t justify making a big meal, mainly because I’m already hungry and just want to eat as soon as possible. This recipe for Chicken and Guacamole Tostadas is perfect for nights like that, it uses shredded rotisserie chicken so that the recipe comes together in no time!
You’ll still notice that the photos are, well, crummy. I was super hungry and had to eat ASAP; the tostadas looked so good!
Ingredients:
1 ripe peeled avocado
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped tomato, divided
3 tablespoons minced fresh onion, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
the juice of 2 limes, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
I am seriously starting to think that Cooking Light has a way to read my thoughts. It’s like they know exactly what ingredient I want to work with next, or a particular product I might be craving, like this recipe for Stuffed Chicken and Herb Gravy. And I don’t mind that one bit.
The latest issue has a recipe for Stuffed Chicken and Herb Gravy with Creamy Polenta that upon seeing in the magazine, I immediately put on my boots, coat, hat, scarf, gloves, etc. etc. and headed for the supermarket, despite the slippery and freezing walk I had ahead of me (it’s a whopping 5 blocks away, but I still managed to almost fall a good 3 times). And I have to tell you, it was worth it.
(I posted this photo to Instagram before I left for the supermarket. hehe)
Chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto and provolone, over creamy polenta, topped with an herb gravy… What’s not to like? The recipe suggested making it with bacon green beans, but we had some Brussels sprouts in the freezer that I wanted to use so I substituted them in instead.
Ingredients:
CHICKEN AND GRAVY:
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 very thin prosciutto slices (about 1/2 ounce), halved
4 (2/3-ounce) slices reduced-fat provolone cheese
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
POLENTA
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup unsalted chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked polenta (I just used yellow corn meal)
A few weeks back I was invited to go to a super cool event hosted by Goose Island Beer. The last week in September was Goose Island Migration Week in Philadelphia and one of the events was a Painting and Tasting at New Deck Tavern. While sipping on Goose Island’s delicious beer, a painting instructor guided us through painting a Goose Island themed painting!
Creativity is not my strong suit. I can’t sing, dance, act, play an instrument… you get the idea. So I was excited and somewhat intimated by this whole process. But it was awesome. And here’s the end result!
Me, my friend Ericka, and our works of art
Please ignore that my oranges look like peaches. And that my goose on the glass looks more like Nessie. I’m still pretty jazzed with how it turned out! Ericka’s turned out great! I tried to switch it with mine before she signed it, but alas.
The Process
The feature of our painting was a glass of Goose Island Sofie in its signature glass. Sofie is a Belgian Style farmhouse ale (Saison) that is aged in wine barrels with orange peel.
This beer is SO good. I first heard of it through my sister who just loves Sofie, but this was the first time I had ever had it. After the event, I couldn’t stop thinking about Sofie so I picked up a four pack the next day! I wanted to use Sofie in a recipe and highlight the citrus notes in it, so I used this recipe I found from Cooking Light that makes a honey-beer sauce to serve with chicken. I marinated the chicken in orange juice prior to cooking to emphasize the orange peel flavor of the Sofie beer.
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh orange juice (~2 oranges)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, IMUSA and McCormick Spices have teamed up to sponsor a great giveaway for I Can Cook That Readers! Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 to October 15 and celebrates the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking Nations of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
I will be giving away a Cuban/Caribbean-themed package which includes the following:
IMUSA’s Wood Mortar and Pestal, Caldero, and Tostonera
McCormick’s Black Pepper, Garlic Salt, Curry Powder, Paprika, Cinnamon, Oregano, Black Peppercorn Grinder, Chicken Bag n’ Season, and Black Beans and Rice Mix
Details on how to enter will be at the end of this post!
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I also received a nifty little package myself which included an IMUSA Cloth Tortilla Warmer, IMUSA Multicolor Salsa Dishes, IMUSA Granite Molcajete, and McCormick’s Black Pepper, Cumin, Mexican Oregano, Chili Powder, Cilantro Leaves, Taco Recipe Mix, Enchilada Recipe Mix, and Tinga de Pollo Recipe Mix.
So what better time to whip out the slow cooker and make Chicken Taco Bowls topped with Fresh Guacamole?
I adapted this recipe from a Budget Bytes recipe; the recipe is perfect for large crowds so I tested it out on a group of friends who came to visit this weekend. It also makes for one delicious reheated lunch option during the week!
I am in a never ending search to find ways to make chicken into a new and different meal. Cooking Light’s September issue had this recipe for Japanese Chicken Meatballs, or Tsukune, that were mentioned as a great “party snack.” I decided to change the recipe size and pair it with grilled baby bok choy and some rice to make this traditional appetizer/snack into an entrée.
One of my earlier posts on this blog was a chicken piccata recipe. I used to make chicken piccata probably once a week, because it was one of the only recipes I knew! But since I’ve committed to learning how to cook, I haven’t made it in probably 2 years (there are so many recipes I have to try, I rarely go back to my previous go-to recipes). So I decided to revisit the recipe with a few tweaks.
I’ve seen commercials for Land O Lakes Sauté Express products and just loved the idea. The Sauté Starters, made with butter, olive oil, and spices, are an easy way to cook up chicken or fish effortlessly. The Sauté Express Sauté Starters are specifically made for cooking on a stovetop and are portioned out in one ounce servings, enough to cook two chicken breast or fish fillets. So I thought the Garlic & Herb Sauté Express would be great in chicken piccata.
Because I use the same pan to both make the sauce and cook my chicken, my piccata is browner than most you’ll find in restaurants. So I apologize for the presentation. But trust me, the flavor makes it worth it!
Ingredients (serves 4):
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 lb chicken tenderloins (about 8 pieces)
2 squares Garlic & Herb Sauté Express, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/3 cup white wine (whatever you have around the house)
I am in a grilling mood so there is going to be an influx of barbecue recipes on here, I think very few people will complain. We finally have a grill, but haven’t set it up yet (oops) so I am still making this recipe on my grill pan. This is a recipe from Cooking Light in the latest issue. I made a few changes just based on what I could find but the recipe is primarily in tact.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
3 tablespoons 0% Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Certain foods just seem to be ingrained in what we thing about certain cities, countries or regions. The South is known for its barbecue (which is different state to state), Italy is known for its pasta, Philadelphia is known for its cheesesteaks… you get the idea. I was recently sent a cookbook that plays off of this idea of a region’s traditional foods: The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen by Jim Bailey. The cookbook is filled with traditional New England fare, from pot roasts to chowder, but also gives a “Yankee” spin to other foods, such as Lobster Fried Rice.
Jim, the Yankee Chef himself (or, more appropriately, third generation Yankee Chef) fills the pages of the cookbook with background stories, tips, and a bit of humor, which had me reading the cookbook page by page. Not to mention, the photos are breathtaking! I wish my photos looked like the ones found on these pages.
I wanted to test out one of his recipes so I went for the Plum Sweet and Spicy Chicken because I don’t think I’ve ever made anything like it, and it sounds fantastic! I altered the recipe so that I didn’t have to cook a whole chicken and added some fresh seared plums to top it off. I also made a quick homemade chutney that I thought would highlight the plums in the dish.
Ingredients:
Chutney:
2/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, divided
2/3 cup sugar
1 strip of orange peel
1/4 cup red wine
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon golden raisins
1 tablespoon water
1/2 each lemon and orange, sliced
the juice of the other 1/2 of the lemon and the orange
salt and pepper, to taste
Chicken:
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 chicken breast and 1 leg (multiply as needed)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
