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

Quick Lunch Salad ... with Added Carbs

I was talking to my friend on the phone telling her about how I had a salad for lunch. She congratulated me on my healthful habits... and then I lowered the blow: I added a whole lot of coconut rice to that salad and loved it. I made some coconut rice (recipe to follow at a later date) the other day and had some leftover and thought I would add it to my salad. I love salad without rice, don't get me wrong, but it just adds that extra yumminess of carbs that I so dearly love.


Looks delicious, right? It was. Just combine lettuce, fresh mint, sliced strawberries, toasted walnuts, and cold rice with oil and balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper and there you have it! Get creative - add rice to any salad and it makes it a little more enjoyable (in my opinion, anyway).

Mmmm... carbs are so good...

~ 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

Easiest Candied Walnuts...Ever

So, I have a bag of walnuts in the cupboard. They've been calling my name for a while now. Tonight I thought I would make a salad with blueberries, freshly grated parm, arugula, and walnuts. Then I thought that plain old walnuts were boring...why not make them sweet and crunchy!

Easy Candied Walnuts

1 handful of walnuts
1 dash salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Heat small saute pan over medium-high heat. Put walnuts in the pan and toast until you can smell the nuts roasting (4-5 minutes). Watch that they don't burn - I've done it a million times! Add the butter and stir it around - coating all the nuts. Pour the maple syrup in the pan, stir, and add the salt and cinnamon. Evenly coat the nuts in the goop and remove from the flame. Let the nuts cool and crisp up and you will be left with some delicious, slightly sweet nuts that are perfect for a salad... or just to eat by themselves!

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!