i’ve been hearing a lot about this dish lately, but i’ve never made it before. this will be on tap for a dinner next week. after some virtual digging around, it seems that giada’s recipe reigns queen…978 people average a 5 star rating on this puppy. here’s the deets:

Ingredients

• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

i don’t know that i’d go to all the trouble to make these, but i’m a sucker for a good latke and this picture makes my mouth water. click the pic if you’re in a hardcore potato/parsnip mood for a link to this smitten kitten recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry quinoa

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

1 orange, peeled and segments chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup pomegranate arils (about 1 pomegranate worth)

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

salt & pepper

For the Lemon Vinaigrette:

2 lemons, juiced (need 1/4 cup juice)

2 garlic cloves, microplaned or finely minced

dash of sweetener (agave nectar, stevia or white sugar)

salt & pepper

6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.

2. For the Lemon Vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake to combine. Or, add lemon juice, garlic, sweetener, salt and pepper into a small bowl and whisk in oil.

3. Combine cooled quinoa with red onion, orange segments, avocado, beans, pomegranate arils, corn, cilantro, salt and pepper. Pour Lemon Vinaigrette over the salad and stir to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Serve with grilled chicken or sautéed shrimp.

ingredients:

directions:

the delicious salad dressing you get at japanese restaurants has always intrigued me. now i’m gonna make it!! i’m pumped that i even have all the ingredients at home already!

for the dressing you need:

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons sweet white miso

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil

1/4 cup grapeseed or another neutral oil

2 tablespoons water

and the salad:

1 small/medium head of lettuce (I used Bibb) or mixed greens of your choice

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1 avocado, quartered

source: smittenkitchen.com

cobb salad rules and it’s totally worth all the prep that goes into it. check out the recipe from smitten kitchen here.

i’m hosting a brunch this weekend and trying to come up with tasty breakfasty things to serve. maybe i’ll try this one? hmmmm. anyone out there have any other ideas?

click pic for recipe.

it’s just that time of year, donchathink?

so this is kind of an original recipe because i consulted a number of sources and then just sort of smooshed them together and added some other things :)

ingredients:

- 1 butternut squash, seeded and cubed (i’m lazy so i bought a pre-packaged one so all of the work was already done for me)

- 1 carrot, chopped

- 1 parsnip, chopped

- 1 potato, peeled and cubed

- 1 onion, chopped (i used a sweet vidalia)

- fresh garlic (to taste)

- fresh ginger, chopped (to taste)

- some buttah 

- 3 springs of fresh rosemary (essential in my opinion…nothing beats fresh herbs)

- 1 carton of organic chicken broth (because i’m just like that)

- salt and pep 

ok, this was actually way easier than i thought to make. 

1. throw the butter into a soup pot on medium/high heat and melt it, then add the onions and cook until soft

2. add the garlic and ginger and stir around for a minute or so before adding the squash, carrot, parsnip and potato

3. cook all the veggies for about 5 minutes…maybe a wee bit more, until they soften and start to look and smell lovely

4. add broth until everything is submerged (about 4/5 of the carton) and add the sprigs of rosemary. 

5. bring to a boil and then cover the pot and put the heat on LOW and cook for 40ish minutes.

6. make sure all the veggies are nice and soft, let it cool for a bit and then remove the sprigs of rosemary.

7. blend that puppy until smooth. add the rest of the broth to thin it out a bit and add some salt and pep to taste.

enjoy!!

so i’ve been on this mission for the last few years to try to replicate the lettuce  wraps from p.f. changs. i’ve never made them quite as good, but this recipe comes the closest. i like you so i won’t lie to you…it takes some effort. but if you’re jonesing for a yummy low carb dinner that’s kinda fun to eat, then here’s your recipe.

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 decent size package of ground chicken
• 1 cup water chestnuts, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped (i prefer cremini mushies for this)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• firm, cup shaped lettuce leaves (iceberg,boston and some romain)

Stir Fry Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• chili flakes, to taste
• *you might need to add a tablespoon or two of water depending on the amount of chicken you have*

Special Sauce

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon hot mustard
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 2 teaspoons garlic and red chile paste

1. make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl and then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
2. mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you’re ready to serve.
3. combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
4. right before serving, you will add your desired measurement of hot mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.
5. bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan and saute chicken for about 5 minutes until browned.
6. remove chicken from the pan and cool and keep remaining oil in the pan, keep hot.
7. as chicken cools, prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing ingredients together in a small bowl.
8. when chicken is cool, mince it with the mushrooms and water chestnuts
9. with the pan still on high heat, add another tbsp of vegetable oil and add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
10. add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce cups.
11. top with special sauce.
12. eat

dinners this week include my friend catherine’s one pan baked sausage and veggies (except i’ll be using rowe farm’s turkey sausage) and this slow cooked cilantro lime chicken! i think one night i’ll just eat it with some sides (maybe some rice and steamed kale?) and the next time i’m going to add sour cream, avocado and extra cilantro and have soft tacos. mmm. 

things go so much smoother (and tastier) when i take the time to plan meals for the week.

Cilantro Lime Chicken (from pipandebby.com)

In a slow cooker, mix together:

One 24-ounce jar medium or mild salsa

Juice from one lime

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

One 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning (i make my own with some cumin, smoked paprika, salt & chilli)

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional)

4-6 chicken breast halves

Cook on low for 6 hours. 

BANG!

i’m craving mac & cheese in a really powerful way. i don’t know what’s happening to me. after a long while of being super healthy, i’m sliding downhill fast. maybe it’s just that time of year? never in my life have i prepared ho-made mac & cheese. i would eat KD maybe once a year. and i’ve just decided that i’m missing out on something so awesome that i’m now compelled to make it. after much research, i have determined that ina garten’s recipe is the best. umm, maybe you wanna make it too?

Barefoot Contessa’s Grown Up Mac & Cheese

i’m a little embarrassed to admit that prior to a  few days ago, all of my fajita making involved a package of seasoning from El Paso or some other faux-mexican brand. No more.

And my Jamie love continues. 

click the pic for a link to his SUPER easy, RIDICULOUSLY tasty fajita recipe. 

An original recipe! Hooray! Ok, it may not be famous, but it’s mine and it is consistently delicious. This came about because every single time I went to make a sauce, I would scan about 6 different recipes and just improvise. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it was just MEH. The last time I had an awesome batch, I decided to write it down. So here you go:

Leah’s Famous Meat Sauce

-       1 sweet onion

-       couple cloves of garlic, chopped

-       1 carrot, shredded

-       olive oil

-       1 package of ground beef

-       2 cans san marzano whole peeled tomatoes (the BEST tomatoes out there)

-       1 can tomato paste

-       a dollop of red wine

-       salt

-       pepper

-       dried oregano

-       dried basil

-       bay leaf

-       thyme (I throw in a couple of fresh sprigs)

-       some chopped fresh basil

-       a dollop of marinated hot peppers (or however you like to add some heat)

-       some grated parm

Directions:

1.     sauté onions in olive oil on low heat until soft

2.     add garlic and carrots and season with salt and pep

3.     when mixture is soft and delicious, add beef

4.     when beef is brown, add 2 cans of tomatoes, tomato paste and all of the seasoning

5.     add more salt for good measure

6.     add wine and a bit of cheese

7.     let is cook for a couple of hours

would it be weird to eat just a plate of these for dinner? they look damn good to me right now…

click pic for link to the recipe.

kinda sweet…kinda salty…a little bit crispy. if you think you hate these, you don’t. you just haven’t made them right. try this recipe and you’ll be converted.

GET:

•    1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed, slice them in half
•    3 tablespoons olive oil
•    1 teaspoon kosher salt
•    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown when done.