Two Dinners, One Chicken Recipe

I love killing two birds with one stone. Not literally, of course. I don't kill any birds with any stones (if you did want to kill a bird, though, would one really use a stone?). But, in the culinary realm, making one dish that can then become two dinners is pretty sweet.

I've mentioned the wonderfulness of Ellie Krieger before on this blog. She is a nutritionist-turned-cook that had her own show on Food Network. I own both of her cookbooks and use them probably twice a week. While browsing through her "The Food You Crave" cookbook, I came a cross a recipe for Crispy Chiken Fingers that looked easy, healthy, and delicious. Surprise! It was all of those things. 

And here is what I came up with:

Crispy chicken fingers with homemade honey mustard dressing and steamed broccoli

Yum!

The chicken came out delicious! Moist on the inside and super crunchy on the outside - just how chicken fingers should be. Plus, the only ingredients were chicken breast, buttermilk, cornflakes and spices. So very simple.

Since I made the chicken fingers out of two huge chicken breasts, I had about half left over for the next night. I thought I could just heat them up in the toaster oven and have some salad to go with it. Then I had a revelation! Why not put the crispy chicken fingers ON the salad? Hot dog! (granted, it wasn't an original idea, but it was an exciting one) So, I made my version of my favorite salad that they serve at O'Charley's, T.G.I. Fridays, and a few other restaurants: Chicken Tender Salad with Mandarin Oranges, Candied Pecans, Dried Cranberries, and Gorgonzola Cheese. Of course I made a few adjustments...

First, I started with the lettuce: Boston Red Leaf & Radicchio. Next, I candied my own walnuts (they're a little better for you than pecans) and added them to the big bowl of lettuce. Then I crumbled some Gorgonzola cheese on top (on sale at Kroger - score!) and added some tangerine segments (instead of the canned ones). Then I made the salad dressing - a simple balsamic vinaigrette (balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, and EVOO).

Lastly, I added the crispy chicken to my big bowl of yumminess and devoured it!

Mmmmm... it was so tasty!

As a side note, my wonderful husband isn't a fan of Gorgonzola or oranges... or balsamic vinaigrettes, so I made him his own ryan-friendly version:

For his, I just left off the ingredients he didn't like and made a honey mustard vinaigrette from the leftover dipping sauce from the night before! Fancy!

I hope everyone is having a great start to February!

~ Mari

Panzanella

I just got Ellie Krieger's cookbook, "So Easy," and I found a great-looking recipe for a dish we made in culinary school: Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad). Ellie's recipe is a bit different from the one we made in school, but it has the same basic ingredients - bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. So, I decided to combine the two recipes into my own version of the classic Italian salad!

Panzanella

3-4 cups of bread, cubed

1 English cucumber, seeded and diced

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 of a small red onion, thinly slivered

1 avocado, peeled and diced

a few sprigs of fresh fennel (or any other fresh herb you have on hand)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Salt & Pepper to taste

dried italian herbs to taste

3 links of chicken sausage

First, preheat the oven to 320 degrees F. Then put the cubed bread on a sheet pan.

Next, combine a few tablespoons of olive oil with salt, pepper, and dried italian herbs in a shallow bowl.

Dunk each bread cube into the olive oil mixture on two or three sides. Put them back on the sheet pan and toss them around a bit.

Stick the sheet pan in the oven on the bottom rack and allow them to cook for 15 - 20 minutes (until they're crispy). While they cook, combine all of the vegetables and herbs in a bowl. Sprinkle salt and pepper on them and toss.

Once the bread cubes are done, add them to the vegetable mixture.

Pour the rest of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar over the vegetables and bread. Now toss it more. I added some black cooked lentils (from Trader Joe's) as a garnish - you can too if you have them. If not, it should be just fine! Then I cooked the sausage, sliced it, and served it alongside of the panzanella. That was Ellie Krieger's pairing idea - and it was perfect! I also plated the salad overtop of some mixed baby greens.

I hope you enjoy it! It was so simple to make - I couldn't even believe it! Plus, it was delicious and full of texture!

~ Mari

Avocado Goat Cheese Salad with Fried Egg

You know how I like a good salad... especially one that will actually keep me full. The lettuce I bought at Costco (in the photo below) inspired me, and can you blame me? Look at those beautiful greens!


So, after I washed the lettuce, I remembered that I bought an avocado at Kroger. I really really really really love avocados...in case you were curious. If you love them too, but have a little trouble getting the green goodness out of them in one piece, here's a little how-to:

How-To Open an Avocado:

1. Insert the knife in the middle and cut (gingerly - there's a pit, remember) it completely in half - all the way around the avocado.

2. Hold the avocado so that one hand is one either side that you've cut into.

3. Turn the avocado with your hands and pull!

4. Stick your knife into the pit and turn it...

5. Ta dah! Now, just take a large spoon and scoop out the inside! And there you have it! :)

Now, back to the salad... I crumbled some goat cheese over the lettuce and added fresh tomato slices, toasted walnuts, the avocado and.... a fried egg! Surprise! It's so delicious!

So, here it is - the salad of my dreams! It's healthy, tasty, and will keep you full. I put a simple oil and balsamic vinegar dressing on it, but you can put whatever dressing you would like! Enjoy!

~ Mari

Summer Watermelon & Feta Salad

So, I can't claim this recipe as my own, but I do think it warrants sharing. Last year, Ryan and I had a romantic dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta - Kyma. It's a fantastic Greek restaurant in Buckhead. And this salad is what they served us first...YUM.



First, get a watermelon. I found this cute little seedless "personal watermelon" at Kroger that worked perfectly! There's always soooo much left over when I use a big watermelon. Thanks, watermelon farmers, for growing creepy little hybridized watermelons! Haha.

Slice that little guy up and put the pieces into a bowl. Then grab an onion.

Sliver it as thinly as possible.

Then crumble some Feta cheese (I used fat free) and chop some fresh mint. Put those on top of the watermelon along with the slivered onion. Next, drizzle the salad with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Now, toss!

The perfect summer lunch: avocado, ham, and arugula panini with watermelon & feta salad. I'm a happy camper.

Yeah... it was good. Not gonna lie. The sweetness of the watermelon balances the saltiness of the feta cheese. Then the mint and onion add a freshness that really pleases the palette. Se delicious and refreshing! Thanks, Kyma! :)

~ Mari

Greek Salad with Arugula and Artichokes

Today for lunch I was in the mood for one of my favorite salads: Greek salad. Yum. There's nothing fancy about it, but it's delicious, healthy, and (best of all) salty! Hah. Didn't expect that one, did ya? But, who doesn't love salt. For realz.

So, here's all I did to get that beautiful insalata in the photo above:

I chopped some Cucumbers:

Then I sliced some cherry tomatoes in half:

Then I chopped up some Feta cheese, kalamata olives, and marinated artichoke hearts:

Then I threw in some baby arugula and tossed it all with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And as a last touch, I threw a dash of Italian seasoning on it!

Wahoo, right? Easy peasy. Hope you like it!

Cause I did! ;)

~ Mari

Roasted Summer Squash & Caramelized Onions

Summer is most definitely here - as are my parents' summer squash from the garden. My mom gets tired of sauteed squash, grilled squash, and just...well...squash in general. But, she roasted some and said it was a delicious new twist on squash! (One that she promptly added to her list of summer squash recipes)

Luckily, mom and dad brought some of their tasty summer squash here to our house in Kathleen this past weekend - so I could try roasting some!

Roasted Summer Squash

4-5 summer squash

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. allspice

Preheat the oven to 345 degrees F. Chop the squash into a-little-bit-bigger-than-bite-sized pieces.


Cut the garlic cloves in half, and then half again. Put the squash and garlic onto a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Toss with your hands so that the yumminess coats the squash. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and allspice.

Put the little buggers in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes is up, check them - they should be soft, but firm (you know what I mean...). If they are to your liking, turn the broiler on and leave them in the oven for another 5-6 minutes (until the squash is browned on the edges.

Just to add a sweet element, I tossed the squash with some onions that I caramelized. Mmmmmm! (P.S. if you're not sure how to caramelize onions, I could do a post on that... yes? no? suggestions?)

Enjoy!

~ Mari

The Joy of Cooking (Vegetables)

Spring is here and it's time for veggies! Last night, my dad and I made a strictly veggie meal (which, if you know my dad, is almost unheard of) that was amazingly delicious - if I do say so myself! The photo above is what we started with: raw beets, sweet onions, fennel, and garlic cloves. We decided to roast them (believe it or not, at the suggestion of Auguste Escoffier) so they would be cruncy and delicious. After we arranged them in the pan (and preheated the oven to 350 degrees F), we drizzled EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) on them and sprinkled them with salt, pepper, a little chicken base (I promise... it works), and balsamic vinegar.



Next, we baked them for about 20 minutes, flipped them over & added a few splashes of red wine, and baked them for another 10 minutes.

Next, we plated them and sprinkled toasted walnuts shaved parmesan cheese on them and drizzled a homemade mustard walnut vinaigrette over the entire yumminess. I love how the onions soaked up the balsamic and wine and look like little sweet roses! And every once in a while, when you bite into a roasted and caramelized garlic clove, you just want to weep with happiness.

You've got to love my dad. He couldn't take having a completely vegetarian meal (it's just not in him), so he rendered some bacon and sauteed the beet greens in it for about 4 minutes. And I must say - they were delicious! But, if you're a vegetarian, you could do without that step, of course. ;)

Enjoy!