lightened up chicken parm

Skillet Chicken and Mozzarella Bake

Serves 4.  From the April 2015 issue of Cooking Light magazine, a great combination of savory flavors.

            ⅓ c. panko breadcrumbs

            2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

            2 tsp. butter, melted

            1 Tbs. olive oil, divided

            4 (6-oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

            ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided

            ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper, divided

            1 c. chopped onion

            2 tsp. minced garlic

            1 c. chopped tomato

            ¾ c. prepared marinara sauce

            ¼ c. chicken broth

            1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano, divided

            2 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces (about ½ c.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat an ovenproof large skillet over medium heat.  Add panko; sauté 3 minutes.  Combine panko, Parmesan cheese, and butter in a small bowl.      

Wipe out skillet and heat over high heat.  Add 1 tsp. oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Sprinkle chicken with ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper.  Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes.  Turn and cook 2 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan.  Add remaining 2 tsp. oil to pan; swirl.  Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes.  Add remaining ¼ tsp. salt, remaining ¼ tsp. pepper, tomato, marinara sauce, both, and 2 tsp, oregano to pan.  Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil.  Sprinkle panko mixture and mozzarella over top.  Place pan in oven.  Bake for 10 minutes or until chicken is done.  Top with remaining 1 tsp. oregano. 

lamb and potatoes

The ground lamb is mixed with cooked rice, egg, cilantro and seasonings, then grilled as slider size to put on Naan topped with feta cheese, tomatoes, and a hot green chile version of harissa sauce.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

Serves 4.  You get to overstuff each half – put whatever you’d like in the filling.

            4 large russet potatoes

            2 Tbs. oil

            ½ c. sour cream

            ¼ c. butter

            ¼ c. finely chopped fresh chives

            1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

            1 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Place rack in middle of oven and heat oven to 425 degrees.  Prick potatoes all over with a fork and rub with oil.  Bake directly on oven rack until very soft when squeezed and skins are crisp, 50 – 60 minutes.  Let cool just until you can handle them.

Using a serrated knife, slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop flesh into a medium bowl.  Mix in all remaining ingredients; season generously with salt and pepper.

Divide among 4 of the potato halves (you’ll have to figure out what to do with the 4 leftover halves – I say make potato skins to snack on), piling it up.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake stuffed potato halves on a rimmed baking sheet until filling is puffed and browned in spots, 20-25 minutes.    

tasty pasta!

Pasta with Sweet Peas and Bacon Bread Crumbs

Serves 4.  This is from relish.com, I saw it in the newspaper insert (Relish) and was intrigued at 374 calories per serving. Yummy!

            3 slices bacon

            1 Tbs. butter

            2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

            ⅔ c. panko bread crumbs

            ½ c. fresh grated Parmesan cheese, divided

            8 oz. uncooked penne pasta]

            1¼ c. frozen green peas

            2 oz. baby spinach (about 2 c.)

            ½ tsp. kosher salt

            ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Cook bacon in a heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, and reserve 2 Tbs. drippings in pan.  Add butter and garlic to drippings; stir until fragrant.  Add panko and cook, stirring constantly until golden, about 2 minutes.  Let cool.  Crumble bacon into panko mixture.  Add 2 Tbs. Parmesan. 

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.  Add peas in final 2 minutes of cooking.  Drain, reserving ⅔ c. cooking water.  Return pasta and peas to pot.  Stir in ½ c. reserved water, spinach, remaining cheese, salt and pepper.  Stir ¼ c. panko mixture into pasta.  If mixture looks dry, add remaining reserved water.  Divide among serving bowls; top with remaining panko mixture. 

Easter meal

Well, somehow I managed to take photos of everything except our wonderful main dish! You'll see our balsamic roasted carrots and our asparagus risotto.  We also enjoyed:

Honey Mustard Bacon Tenderloin

Serves 4.  We made this for Easter 2015.  I like to ‘dry-age’ the beef by letting it sit refrigerated, uncovered, on a rack over a pan for at least a day before cooking.  This a more a technique than a recipe.

            2 lb. beef tenderloin, tied to maintain shape

            salt and pepper

            Dijon-style mustard

            honey

            ½ lb. bacon slices

Take meat out of refrigerator to set at room temperature for at least an hour before you plan to cook it.  While it sits out, liberally season it all over with salt. 

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Heat an oven proof pan over medium high heat and sear the meat until browned on all sides.  Let sit until cool enough to handle.  Season all over with pepper, rub top with an even thin layer of mustard.  Drizzle with honey.  Wrap beef with the bacon slices, tucking ends under so it is well wrapped. 

Roast in the oven until meat registers 120 degrees (for medium-rare), about 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest at least 25 minutes before slicing and serving. 

banana date bread

Thanks to my friend Nanette for this delicious recipe.  Here is how I ripened the bananas quickly:  http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2014/02/how-to-quickly-ripen-bananas-for-making-banana-bread.html

And, instead of chopping dates I used these wonderful date crystals from Shields Date Farm (we had just visited last month):  http://www.shieldsdategarden.com/p-37-shields-date-crystals.aspx

Banana Date Bread

Makes one 9 x 5 x 2½ loaf.

            ½ c. butter

            1 c. sugar

            2 eggs, well beaten

            3 large, ripe bananas, mashed

            2 c. flour

            1 tsp. salt

            1 tsp. soda

            16 dates, chopped

            1 c. chopped pecans

            1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 5 x 2½ loaf pan (or use 2 smaller pans). 

Cream butter and sugar, then fold in eggs.  Mix in bananas.  Add dry ingredients, beating quickly.  Add dates, nuts and vanilla and stir to combine.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 50-60 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.  Let cool slightly before removing from pan.      

I had some left to put out as a pre-Easter snack.  Here you see it pictured with roast shrimp cocktail.  No, they don't go together but some folks wanted a breakfast snack and others wanted a savory appetizer.

scallops with brussels sprouts

This was the perfect Good Friday dinner, I love the finds in Saveur magazine: http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/seared-scallops-with-steamed-brussels-sprout-leaves

charred cauliflower with shishito peppers along with a roasted pork chop and pear dish

Roasted Pork Chop with Pears

Serves 4.  This no-recipe technique was in the September 2012 issue of Sunset magazine.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Rub 4 boneless pork chops with chopped garlic, fresh minced sage, and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Brown in an ovenproof frying pan, then add wedges from 2 pears and roast at 400 degrees until until done.

Charred Cauliflower and Shishito Peppers with Picada Sauce

Serves 4-6.  An amazing Catalan-style sauce lies under these veggies, from the March 2015 issue of Saveur magazine.  We love roasting cauliflower, this just adds a ton of other flavor notes.  Yes, the sauce has chocolate in it, think of it as a kind of molé or pesto.

            1 head cauliflower, trimmed, halved, and cut into 1½” wedges

            2 Tbs. + 1 c. olive oil

            kosher salt

            fresh ground black pepper

            8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

            ¼ c. canola oil, for frying peppers

            12 shishito peppers

            ½ c. whole almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

            1 c. + 1 Tbs. roughly chopped fresh parsley

            1 Tbs. finely grated dark chocolate

            2 tsp. Sherry

Heat oven broiler.  Arrange cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Brush both sides with 2 Tbs. olive oil and season with salt and pepper; broil, flipping once, until charred and tender, about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 c. olive oil and the garlic in a 12” skillet over medium heat.  Cook until garlic is golden, 4-6 minutes; transfer to a bowl and let cool.  Wipe skillet clean and heat canola oil over medium-high; fry peppers until blistered and slightly crisp, 4-6 minutes.  Transfer peppers to paper towels to drain; season with salt.  Stir almonds, 1 c. parsley, the chocolate, Sherry, salt and pepper into the reserved garlic oil; spread onto a serving platter.  Top with cauliflower; garnish with fried peppers and remaining parsley.