Zoodle Piccata

More zoodles! We can't stop!

It rained all weekend here, which was so nice. Seriously, it's never super rainy here for several days in a row. Aside from it squashing our plans to go to the park yesterday, it was a great excuse to stay in all weekend and be lazy (I use the term "lazy" lightly these days, with two mobile babies). And eat sandwiches. I ate lots of sandwiches this weekend. PS- if you've never tried pepperoni on your turkey sandwich, I highly recommend.

Chicken Piccata has long been a favorite of mine, and I've made similar recipes here and a sour cream version here. Oh and more lemon butter here and a lemon dijon butter sauce here.  This is a very basic white wine lemon butter sauce, so easy and so quick. We loved it with the zoodles because they suck up every ounce of flavor in the sauce.

Recipe

• 1 1/4 lb chicken cutlets (butterflied breasts, alternatively pound them thin)
• 1/2 cup + 1/2 tablespoon flour, divided
• 1 1/4  teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup good white wine (such as chardonnay or sauvignon blanc)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 package  Veggie Noodle Co. Zoodles (or several zucchinis spiralized)
• 2-4 tablespoons capers

Start by preparing the chicken. Make sure they are either cutlets or pounded thin. Place 1/2 cup of the flour in a shallow bowl.   Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the salt, and pepper to taste. Coat each piece in flour, shaking off the excess.  Heat 2-3 tablespoons oil in a large pan. Working in batches, cook the chicken - about 3 minutes per side (for thin chicken). Set aside. Add butter to the pan and melt. Whisk in 1/2 tablespoon of flour. Add in wine and lemon juice, whisking to remove lumps, and then let it reduce for about 10 minutes. Whisk in remining 1/4 teaspoon salt, Dijon mustard and capers and remove from heat. In another pan, cook the zoodles for 2-3 minutes.  Plate the zoodles, top with chicken and sauce.

Beef Stroganoff

This isn't really a season-appropriate recipe (especially in Dallas where it's already 80+ degrees), but the truth is there is never a bad time for beef stroganoff. A wonderful comfort food, and a favorite of my husband's, this was a perfect Sunday dinner for a lazy day. It's so easy!

I did use a better cut of meat (tenderloin) - though I think the whole idea behind beef stroganoff from the beginning was the frugality of it. But whatever, tenderloin is better. And I added lots of mushrooms - portabella and cremini. I meant to use half sour cream/half yogurt for the sauce to lighten it up a bit, but that didn't happen. Still, this didn't taste heavy or rich at all - this has less sour cream than most recipes and no butter. It could practically be published in Cooking Light.

Recipe

• 1 lb tenderloin
• S&P, nutmeg
• olive oil
• 2 shallots or 1/2 onion, diced 
• 1 lb mushrooms - cremini/diced portabella
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 2/3 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Dash Worcestershire

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, about 2 tablespoons. Slice the tenderloin into very thin strips, about 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches long (hint: put the meat in the freezer for about 20 minutes prior to slicing to make it much easier). Sprinkle the meat with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Brown the meat and cook all the way through. Transfer to a plate.

Add the diced shallot or onion to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms. De-glaze the pan with white wine. Cook for about 5 more minutes, then reduce the heat to low.  In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream, broth, corn starch, nutmeg, Dijon, and Worcestershire.  Slowly add the sour cream mixture to the onions/mushrooms, over low heat. Stir around, add the meat back in, and allow the sauce to thicken (but don't boil, as the sour cream could curdle). If sauce it too thick, add a pinch of water or chicken broth to thin it out a bit.  Serve over noodles or rice, and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Lighter Sloppy Joe's

I can't explain to you my feelings toward Joe, the Sloppy kind. I just love him. Is there any better comfort food? No, the answer is no.

Normally, I make these, or some variation of it (I basically just throw in a bunch of ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, and worcestershire). But on Monday night John and I were craving Sloppy Joe's, and I felt that I should attempt a healthier variation. They are so easy to make that they really are a perfect weeknight meal, but I also don't like eating anything real fatty after a weekend of indulging. And I do plenty of indulging.

So, these are lighter, and just as tasty. I still use ground beef because it tastes better than ground turkey and it has basically the same calorie/fat content.

Recipe

• 1.5 lb extra lean ground beef (I used 93% lean)
• 1 small onion, diced
• S&P
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire
• Splash BBQ sauce (optional)
• 6 whole wheat hamburger buns

Start by browning the ground beef over medium heat. Add in the diced onion, and cook for 5-10 minutes. Drain out most of the fat (there shouldn't be much with extra lean ground beef). Add in the water and remaining ingredients. Stir thoroughly, cover and simmer until ready to serve. If you need more liquid (this is where the fatty beef really comes into play), add more water and ketchup. Enjoy them for the next two nights like we did, maybe even in a tortilla. Or on nachos.

Grilled Salmon with Creamy Avocado Sauce

This was dinner last night:

So good, so summery, so healthy, so easy. This recipe is really a nutritional superstar, loaded with a number of items that you always see on those 'super foods' lists: salmon, avocado, lemon, greek yogurt, sour cream. You may not have seen sour cream on any of the published 'super foods' lists, but I assure you it's on mine. 

I love hot, grilled salmon with a contrasting cold, creamy, dill-y, yogurt sauce. Avocado is an awesome addition.

Recipe

• 2 salmon fillets
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 T. light sour cream
• 2 T. nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 T. light mayo (optional)
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 2-3 T. chopped fresh dill
• 1 T. water, to thin it out a bit (optional)

Drizzle lemon juice and a little olive oil over the salmon fillets, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the grill to medium-high, and grill the salmon about 4 minutes on each side (a little longer for more well-done salmon).

In the bowl of a food processor, add the avocado, sour cream, yogurt, mayo and lemon juice. Mix until creamy. Stir in the dill and optional water, then spoon over the salmon. This will for sure become a staple weeknight dinner for us, and I think you could add other herbs with the dill for fun - basil, chives, parsley, yum!

McBraley Chicken Snack Wrap

We're McDonald's people. It's not like we eat there 5 times a week or anything, but I am a huge advocate of McDonald's products. McFlurries, are you kidding me? Nothing is tastier. And I love the Happy Meals, I love the plain ol' burger, I love the fries, and I loooove the grilled chicken snack wraps with honey mustard. But I think what I love most of all about McDonald's is that the experience of going to get a Happy Meal is as special for my 4 year old niece as it was for me when I was her age. McDonald's is a company that continues to evolve with the market space, and yet it has remained so classic at the same time. 

So, inspired by the McDonald's snack wrap, we decided to start making our own at home. Nothing about this post is particularly innovative or special or unique. But, it was tasty so I feel obligated to share it with you.  All you need is chicken, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, tortillas, and honey mustard.

I started by rubbing my boneless, skinless chicken breasts with this amazing stuff:

I grilled the chicken for about 7 minutes on each side, then sliced it into little bitty pieces.

I used Mission whole wheat tortillas, which were delicious.  I piled it high with chicken, lettuce, tomato, and chopped avocado.  Then I took this honey mustard:

And mixed about a tablespoon of it with about a teaspoon of honey mustard vinaigrette to thin it out a bit. Yum. I could eat honey mustard by the spoonful. Then, drizzle it all over the top:

Doesn't that look wonderful and delicious? It was. Of course if I were at McDonald's I would have ordered two....the McBraley's aren't at that level of efficiency quite yet, so we had to settle for one.

Salmon Baked in Foil with Herbs, Tomatoes, and Onions

Perfect weeknight meal. Super fast. Super healthy. Super good.

Recipe:

• 2 6-8 oz. Salmon fillets
• 3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped and seeded
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped or sliced
• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• S&P
• Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Place each piece of salmon on a sheet of foil.  Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from half over both pieces. Generously salt and pepper.

In a bowl, mix the onions, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, herbs, remaining lemon juice, and a dash of olive oil. 

Pour the mixture over the salmon.

Seal the foil. This picture makes me laugh for some reason. Two sleeping salmons.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove salmon from the oven, open the foil to let the steam escape, and turn on the broiler. Broil for 5-8 minutes. Dunzo, in less than 35 minutes.

Apple and Onion Stuffed Pork Chops

This recipe goes against everything I believe in as a cook. It is easy, fast, healthy, and cheap.  And yet it might be my favorite thing on this blog so far.  If you can put your goal to spend money, calories, and time on a meal aside for one night - make this, you won't regret it. 

Recipe:

• 2 bone-in pork chops, at least 3/4 inch thick
• 1 cup chopped apple (I used honey crisp because they make me happy)
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup torn bread, more if desired
• Apple Juice
• Olive Oil
• Chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut slits in the pork chops to create pockets for the stuffing, and place in a baking dish (this part is slightly annoying, but you can do it!). Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the apples, onions, and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the onions are done but still slightly crisp. Right now your kitchen will smell like Fall in a Pan.

Add in the torn bread, and drizzle a little bit of chicken broth and apple juice in the pan, just enough to wet the bread. Gross, I don't like that sentence. Stir around until bread is totally saturated and stuffing-like.

Next, remove from heat and fill each pork pocket (say that 3 times really fast, it's fun) - with the stuffing. You will have some leftover, but that is wonderful because you will want to eat it by the handful. Keep that in the pan and save for later. 

No, that picture was not taken by a trained professional. Place the pork chops back in the baking dish. Pour apple juice over the pork to let it marinate while it cooks - I use about 2-3 cups. You can also add a little chicken broth if you desire. You don't want it to cover the pork completely, but you want it to form a layer on the bottom of the dish about 1/2-3/4 inch thick.

Place the pork in the oven and bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 45 minutes to one hour (for thicker chops).

Heat up the remaining stuffing, and serve!!

Grilled Lamb Chops with Rosemary

I had no idea grilled lamb chops were so easy. Turns out, they're the easiest thing on this blog. Lamb has a very distinct flavor so it doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles.

I bought 8 lamb chops from Central Market, and let them sit at room temperature for about a half hour before grilling. I heated the grill to high, and picked fresh rosemary from my miniature herb garden. Well, it was a miniature herb garden until my basil plant grew into the size of a small evergreen, thanks to my husband's diligent watering and manicuring of his beautiful yard. Anyway, I digress.

I chopped up about 1/4 cup rosemary (a food processor is the easiest way to chop into very small pieces), then mixed with 2 teaspoons salt.  I brushed the lamb chops with olive oil, then with the rosemary salt.  Of course, you need to add pepper too.

Place the lamb chops on the hot grill. Close the cover, and grill for exactly 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, flip over and grill for 3 minutes. Remove from grill, and let sit for a few minutes before serving.  These turned out perfectly medium to medium-rare, which is the best way to eat lamb.

Yes, those are shrimp hanging out with the lamb. Very strange combo but I had a few left over so I let them join the party.

Fresh Tomato Soup

I'm learning that tomato season is very short in Texas. In fact, there were periods of extreme tomato drought this year due to the weather - John and I went to Cafe Brazil for brunch the other weekend and there was actually a sign posted on the door that said 'Sorry, no tomatoes.' What? You seriously can't get them anywhere? TRY HARDER!!!

As with any period of deprivation, it is human nature to gain the necessary survival skills to move on. So when tomatoes came back on the market, I knew I had to 'strike while the iron is hot,' so to speak. I bought Central Market out of house and home (aka tomatoes) - and started cooking.

This tomato soup is very tasty, healthy, and  must be served with grilled cheese.  Please try this for a healthy weeknight meal, you won't regret it.

Recipe

• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 2 T. good olive oil
• 4 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped and seeds removed (medium sized)
• 1.5 T tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 1.5 t. sugar 
• fresh ground pepper
• kosher salt
• 1 - 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4-1/2 c. milk
• fresh basil

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped carrot and onion, and cook for about 10 minutes. 

Next, add the chopped tomato and let stew for 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar. Generously salt and pepper. Stir for another 2 minutes.

Take out your amazing new food processor that you received as a wedding gift. If you didn't get one, any old food processor will do. Pour the tomato mixture into the food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, until semi-smooth (I preferred to leave it somewhat chunky, but I won't tell you how to live your life).

Pour the tomato mixture back into the pot. Add the chicken broth (1 cup if you like it thicker, more if you prefer a soup-ier soup), stir, and let simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Add the milk to your liking - I added about 1/2 cup 2% milk.

Serve and garnish with freshly chopped basil.

Chicken and Peas

I looooove Chicken Pot Pie...in fact I would eat it every day if it didn't make you fat. But I think it does. 

So as I'm transitioning into more weeknight healthy cooking, I was trying to think of how I could modify the pot pie recipe into something lighter and more Tuesday night-ish. 

I omitted  the crust completely (I served with french country bread for dipping) - and made the filling mainly of chicken, vegetables, chicken broth and corn starch to thicken. 

The result was certainly no pot pie...but it was light, very tasty, very easy, and a perfect mid-week meal.

Recipe (for 2):

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2-3/4 cup peas, depending on your pea-liking
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• Parsley (optional)

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, carrots and broccoli, and cook about 12-15 minutes. Transfer the vegetables into a bowl; set aside. Add another tablespoon olive oil to the heat skillet; brown the chicken over medium heat.  Add the vegetables back in.

In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix the chicken broth, corn starch, rosemary and parsley. Pour the liquid into the skillet, and mix until the sauce thickens.

Serve in bowls, with bread for dipping. I found that drizzling with soy sauce is very tasty as well. Happy Eating!

Salmon with Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce

Now that I am a wife (!!), I have started to do more weeknight cooking. Weeknight cooking is not nearly as fun or exciting for me, as I clearly prefer to make delicious comfort food with little regard to health or nutrition. I am a firm believer that food should taste good and be enjoyed above all else.

During the week, however, I do like to eat healthier. This is the first weeknight dinner that I truly feel really happy about. It was incredibly good, easy, and not boring. You will want to make this - it was a winner.

 Recipe (for 2):

• 2 salmon fillets (about 1/2 pound each), skin removed
• 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 3-4 T. light sour cream
• lemon
• fresh dill

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously salt and pepper the salmon fillets, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon on each, then wrap the fish in aluminum foil. 

Bake the fish for 17 minutes. Remove from oven and open the foil to let the steam escape. Turn on the broiler, then broil fish for 4-6 minutes to brown the outside.


For the sauce, mix the yogurt, sour cream, and remaining juice of lemon. Mix in fresh dill to taste; I used about 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill. Serve over fish.

Sloppy Joe's

I'm back! After being away for several weeks getting married and taking an eating tour through Italy (aka - honeymoon) - I am back in Texas and back in the kitchen. 

While I was sad to leave Italy and leave behind food like this:

 and this:

 I decided to continue my eating tour when I returned, and kicked it off with something more American: the Sloppy Joe. Mmmm...one of my all-time favorites.

I made these with a mix of beef and pork; you need the fat from the beef, and the more interesting and delicious flavor from the pork. Everything from there became a blur, I throw ingredients into my sloppy joe's like a bat out of hell. I will reconstruct the recipe to the best of my ability, but much of it is up to your taste. I prefer a sweeter joe with a bit of an edge. 

Here is the line up:

 And the two teams:

I realize that is not a very flattering picture, but they weren't in the mood for being photographed.

Start by browning the meat...

Generously salt and pepper, then drain a little of the fat if you like.  You will need most of it, however, to cook the onion and pepper you are about to add.

Mix in the red bell pepper and onion.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

Next, start mixing in the sauce ingredients. I start with the tomato paste and sauce, followed by red wine, red wine vinegar, garlic, worcestshire, and mustard. It usually looks something like this.

Stir the mixture until combined; this part is particularly satisfying. It's a miracle in the making. Finally, add the brown sugar and spices. Let the flavors marinate for another 5 minutes over low-medium heat.....

...and you end up with something so amazingly delicious it will make you want to quit your day job and eat these full time. 

I served these with homemade fried onion rings and bbq baked beans.....ahhhh America gives Italy a run for its money.

Recipe (for 4):

3/4 lb ground sirloin

3/4 lb ground pork

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1/4 c red wine

3 T. red wine vinegar
3 T. ketchup

3-4 T. worcestshire, to taste

2-3 T. yellow mustard, to taste

3 T. brown sugar

pinch minced garlic

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 t. paprika

One small squeeze of your favorite BBQ sauce (optional)
12 Slider Buns

Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken

This is a wonderful and simple chicken recipe, perfect for summer grilling.  I really prefer to cook more complicated items for my Sunday night cooking sprees, but John (my fiance), is a grilled chicken lover and I am a people pleaser. Not really, but we are getting married in a month and so I like to take every opportunity I get to let him know I am going to be a really good roommate.

The key to delicious grilled chicken is to not over cook it - and yet nearly everybody does. Chicken should be cooked to 180 degrees - no more. It also continues to cook for about 10 minutes after you remove it from the grill, so you definitely need to monitor the temperature and take it off before you reach 180.

I grilled this chicken mainly over indirect heat - it really helped to keep the meat juicy and delicious.

Recipe:

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, split (so 4 pieces total)
3/4 cup honey
6 tablespoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Pepper to taste

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl, set 1/3 c. of the mixture aside.  Pour the rest into a ziploc bag; add the chicken and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Prepare the grill for indirect heat.  When grill is heated to about 350, place chicken over direct heat. Grill about 5-6 minutes over direct heat, flipping over once to get both sides.  Move chicken to indirect heat.  After about 10 minutes, turn chicken over and brush on the remaining glaze. Grill for another 10 minutes, or until your meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.  Take the chicken off, and let sit 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Chicken Stir-Fry

This is one of my all-time favorite meals. I used to choose it as my birthday dinner nearly every year growing up - it is my mom's recipe and it is so delicious, easy, and healthy. Of course it was not so healthy when it was followed up with her to-die-for layered chocolate birthday cake.


Recipe:
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 chopped onion
pinch minced garlic
1 red bell pepper
2 full broccoli crowns
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped mushrooms
1/2 can corn 


Sauce:
1 1/2 c. water
2 T. brown sugar
3 T. corn starch
4-5 T. soy sauce


It is best to make stir-fry in a wok - mainly because it is fun, festive, and makes you look like a serious stir-fryer. Start by combining the chopped onion and 1 T. olive oil in the wok over medium heat. Cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add a pinch of minced garlic (we don't really like garlic, you can add more here if you prefer). 

Next, add the broccoli and carrots. Stir in 1/2 c. water and cover; steam the vegetables for about 5-10 minutes. Don't over-steam because they lose their crispness. 

 Add mushrooms and peppers. Add more water if necessary, and steam for a few more minutes.

 Remove vegetables from the wok, and add chicken with another tablespoon of olive oil. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, just until chicken is browned.

 Mix vegetables in with the chicken. Add the corn. Corn, you might ask? Yes, corn. It should go in everything you make.  In a separate bowl, whisk together water, brown sugar, corn starch, and soy sauce. Add mixture to the wok, and stir until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.