One Dish Chicken Veggie Quinoa Deliciousness

This is probably the most nutrient dense dish I have come up with.  It has vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, calcium, protein, iron, the list goes on.  It is so packed with a huge variety of vitamins and minerals that I don't think I can top it.  It has quinoa in it - an ancient grain (I love saying ancient grain and I always imagine some eerie Druid-type music playing in my head when I say it).  And of course it is totally delicious.  Even my picky eater eats this.  :)

As usual I am using all organic ingredients including the Chia seeds which are ridiculously expensive but go a long way and any way I can add something good into my family's food I will do it.  It can also easily be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for chicken broth and chick peas or any bean for the chicken.

Here it is...

INGREDIENTS

1 lb chicken breasts, chopped into chunks equally approx a 1 inch cube

1 cup quinoa (rinsed)

1 cup sliced white mushrooms

1 1/2 cups fresh spinach (frozen is fine but use less)

1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half

1/2 cup kalamata olives chopped in half

3 cloves garlic chopped

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 tablespoon Chia seeds

3 tablespoons butter

2 1/4 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc

1/2 cup grated cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a pan with olive oil and toss in garlic and onions for about 1 minute then add in chicken and salt and pepper to taste.

While that is happening bring rinsed quinoa and 2 cups chicken broth to a boil with salt and pepper to taste.  Once it comes to a boil cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

You're doing 2 things at once here so while quinoa is cooking check the chicken and brown lightly on all sides.

When the chicken is almost done add in 1/4 cup wine, 1/4 cup chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of butter.  (A little fat once in a while never hurt anyone but a complete lack of healthy nutrients has - besides I read your body needs some fat to absorb vitamins A and K) Add in tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms - cover and cook on low heat. 

Don't forget to keep your eye on the quinoa, when that is almost done add in 1 tablespoon of butter.  It should finish up a couple minutes before the chicken and veggies.

Now, you can keep them separate if you want but I throw it all together.  So, if there is a lot of liquid left in the chicken and veg pan drain some of it out.  Toss in the quinoa and cook together for about 3 minutes uncovered.

At the end add in the grated cheese, olives and chia seeds and mix together.  Serve and enjoy.  

This dish is so healthy that after it's over you should probably feel great about yourself because you have done something wonderful for your family and you.  So go and make yourself a dirty Bombay Sapphire martini with blue cheese stuffed olives to celebrate.  That's how I am ending my day :)

Peace.

Chick Pea Salad Sandwich

I am a big fan of chick peas, I love hummus, I love them thrown in with pasta, I put them in my chili, I use them a lot.  I used to be a vegetarian and I came up with this recipe as an alternative to chicken salad, which is one of my favorite sandwiches.  I am contemplating going vegetarian again so I have been pulling out all my old veg recipes.  So, in honor of meatless Mondays, I present to you my chick pea salad sandwich :)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chick peas (after being soaked for a day and cooked for an hour and cooled)

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 chopped celery stalk

1 tablespoons mayo 

1 teaspoon white vinegar

salt and pepper

Put the chick peas in a bowl and smush them like you would mashed potatoes.  They don't have to be complete mush, just half mush ;)

Then combine all other ingredients, stir and put in the fridge overnight or for at least a couple hours to let the flavors combine.

Serve on a nice baguette or on whole grain bread with your favorite green - today I used baby kale.  

You can also make this the same way without smushing the chick peas and serve it as a side salad with greens.  Enjoy and be healthy :)

Chicken Pot Pie Pizza

One thing that everyone can use is a new recipe for what the hell to do with leftover chicken and here it is - Chicken Pot Pie Pizza!  My own amazing invention!  It is incredibly delicious and the perfect way to use up the previous night's leftovers of baked potatoes, roast broccoli and roast chicken.

I usually make my own pizza dough because I want to stay organic but you can go down to your local pizza place and ask for some uncooked dough.  The toppings are what I was going to use to make chicken pot pie before I decided to make it into a pizza but you can change up the veggies and meat to your liking.  I use a pizza stone to cook this but you can also use a cookie sheet. 

INGREDIENTS:

Dough

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal plus extra to spread on pizza stone (make sure it's organic! Don't use GMO corn!!)
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt 

Pour yeast and sugar into warm water and let sit 5 minutes.

In the meantime sift the rest of the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  After 5 minutes is up add water and oil to dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until combined then start kneading.  Add more flour as needed (1 tablespoon at a time) if the dough is too sticky.  Knead until smooth, about 5 - 10 minutes, form into a ball and then place in an oiled dish and cover with a dish towel.  Let sit 1 to 1 1/2 hours until it until doubled in size.

After the hour is up knead again for a minute or two and form back into a ball.  Let rise again for about another hour.  This is enough to make 2 pizzas - so divide in half.  You can also shape one half into a bread loaf and make bread with it if you don't want 2 pizzas.

Ingredients for Topping:

(per pizza)

1 1/2 cups shredded chicken

1 cup chopped roasted broccoli

1 chopped baked potato

1 cup homemade gravy

grated cheese to taste

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1/2 cup shredded fresh fontina

(a little cream cheese is also amazing on this but you can leave it off to keep calories down)

Heat oven to 425 degrees with pizza stone inside.

Place dough onto a well-floured pizza tray and shape into a pizza shape but be careful not to go too thin.  Don't forget to also spread some cornmeal on your pizza stone to prevent sticking.

Use the gravy like you would use tomato sauce and spread out over pizza.  Then quickly add on and spread out all other ingredients.  You can add salt and pepper if you like but everything should be pretty seasoned since it is made from leftovers.

Don't let it sit at all after this or the dough will get soggy and it will be impossible to get off of the tray.  Quickly transfer pizza from tray onto pizza stone by shimmying it off - this is difficult so I let my husband do it since he used to work in a pizzeria :)  Just be careful to make sure the pizza does not come off the sides of the stone. 

Bake 12-16 minutes and serve hot :)

Enjoy!!!

Jersey Roasted Chicken

I have said it before and I'll say it again - I LOVE the Fall and Winter in New Jersey because I get to use the oven and BAKE, which is my favorite way of cooking!  After the huge snowstorm this weekend all I want is the warmth and comfort of something delicious baking in my oven.


Roast chicken is almost my favorite thing to make during this time of year and there are usually leftovers for chicken quesadillas, wontons, chicken pot pie or burritos the next day.  Plus, you can use the bones to make chicken broth.

INGREDIENTS

1 whole organic roaster chicken (fresh - do not freeze it!)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 medium onion roughly chopped
1 stick celery roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
2 cups chicken broth
salt, pepper, sage, thyme, parsley, celery salt
(approx 1/2 teaspoon of each - adjust to your own taste)
olive oil
1/2 cup white wine


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat bottom of glass roaster dish with olive oil.  Place chicken in dish - make sure you have taken the bag of giblets out.  Most chefs truss their chicken but I don't bother and I never had the legs come out overdone but truss if you like.  Pour in wine, broth and add veggies - add a few veggies to the chicken cavity.  Coat chicken with olive oil and cover with spices.

Put in oven and bake at 400 for 20 minutes then bring it down to 375.  Depending on the size of your chicken (and the quirkiness of your oven) it will take another hour to 2 hours to finish.  It is done when a meat thermometer stuck in the breast reaches 165-170 degrees.  Make sure the thermometer is not hitting any bones when you take the temp. 

Let rest for 15 minutes and start carving - make sure there is no pink and the juices run clear.

You can use the liquid and dripping to make gravy if you like - I don't have my own gravy recipe, I use Ina Garten's.

This will make your house smell like HEAVEN!  I LOVE the smell of roasted chicken.  Serve with veggies and baked potato or whatever side you want.  

A nice big California chardonnay is perfect with this meal.

Enjoy :)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

Yesterday my little aspiring chefs (my daughters and my niece) and I went to Chef Central in Paramus to watch a cooking competition and to spend some Christmas money on kitchen stuff.  Among many other items, we bought a heart-shaped cupcake tray so today, of course, we had to make cupcakes.

My favorite cupcakes are from my own recipe for chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing.  I have said this before and I will say it again - I only make stuff like this once in a while, I know it has a lot of sugar and butter in it and it is for special occasions not for every day.  On the other hand - when you make stuff like this from scratch it is less unhealthy than if you buy it in a store because you can cut out pesticides, chemicals and preservatives :)

I use all organic ingredients when making these little pieces of heaven...

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes:

12 tablespoons of unsalted butter ( I KNOW but I swear I only make these once or twice a year!)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup whole milk

1 egg at room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 cup chocolate chips

Frosting:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar

8 oz. heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour your cupcake pan if you are not using any liners - REALLY grease it - these suckers like to stick.

Take butter, cocoa powder and 1/4 cup milk and melt together in a saucepan. Stir in the sugars until everything is combined and then set aside to cool a little.

In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Add in cooled cocoa mixture and stir together.  Then add in 1/3 cup milk, egg and vanilla.  Stir until combined and fold in chocolate chips.

Fill cupcake tins 3/4 of the way and bake for 20-25 minutes (maybe more, my oven is severely off)  Use the toothpick test to make sure they are done.

Let them cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

In the meantime.....

Combine all frosting ingredients in a bowl and beat on high for approximately 4 minutes until light and fluffy.  Then refrigerate for about an hour so the icing firms up. 

After the icing has been chilled, frost the cupcakes and serve immediately.

Yuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmm :)

Next time I will throw up a low-cal veggie meal to make up for this - I know I will only be eating carrots and celery for the next two days after this calorie fest :)

Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca

This is such one of the healthiest, delicious and low-cal meals that I know of. And it is perfect for post-holiday dieting.  Spaghetti squash is approximately 40-45 calories per cup and full of a bunch of vitamins.  And you can use it the same way you would use actual spaghetti.  Plus, if your family is anything like mine and your husband and kids are not big fans of squash you can make them regular spaghetti puttanesca and sneak in a bunch of squash and they will be none the wiser but all the more healthier for it - mwa ha ha ha ;)

INGREDIENTS

1 Spaghetti Squash
1 can organic tomato sauce
kalamata olives chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large vidalia onion, chopped
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (another ingredient I keep hidden from my family ;)
1/2 cup red wine (I suggest Cab or Zin)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
capers (optional)
grated cheese for sprinkling

To prepare the squash preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and other gunky stuff from the middle of each half.  

On a cookie sheet with high enough sides or in a large baking dish drizzle some olive oil on the bottom and fill about 1/2 inch with water or chicken broth or both.  Place squash halves face down on cookie sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes until the squash is tender when you stick a fork into the outside skin of it.

Let cool for a while and work on the sauce.

For the sauce: in a heated pan cook onions on lowest heat in olive oil for about 30 minutes.  Then add in garlic and chopped tomatoes.  Raise heat a little and cook for about 3 more minutes.

Add in can of tomato sauce, anchovy paste, red pepper, oregano and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for 20 minutes.

With a fork scoop the spaghetti squash out - it will come out super easy and in strands that look like spaghetti.

Mix the squash in with the sauce and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.  

I add in the olives right before serving because cooking them changes the taste a little and I like them better uncooked.

Sprinkle with grated cheese and enjoy this VERY low-cal, healthy meal.  

And since it is so low-cal a nice glass of Pinot Noir would certainly be acceptable even if you are dieting.  A 5 oz glass of Pinot is only 120 calories and a 1 1/2 cup serving of the squash with the sauce and cheese is only about 130 calories!

Enjoy!!!

:)

Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies are totally awesome and you can get creative with them by putting whatever you want into the thumbprint.  They are also the perfect cookie for kids to help with because kid-sized thumbs make the perfect sized indentation :)

Both my girls love to help me make them and we usually fill them with strawberry jelly and roll them in sweetened coconut flakes.  But they also can be filled with chocolate chips, m&m's, mini peanut butter cups, candied pecans and apricot jelly and any other sweet bit of deliciousness that is the size of a thumbprint.

Baking is really relaxing for me (especially when I have wine to go along with it) and it is great mother-daughter together time.  I love making cookies with my kids every Christmas!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• Sweetened flaked coconut
• Strawberry jelly or jam
• Optional - powdered sugar for sprinkling over when they are finished

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  
  

  With an electric beater cream together the butter and sugar until they are combined and then add vanilla. Sift together the flour and salt in a separate bowl. 

  
  

  Add dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture a little at a time and mix until dough starts to come together. Form dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• 
  
  Roll the dough into balls - about 1 1/2 tablespoons in size. Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet (you can grease it with a thin layer of butter or cooking spray) and with your thumb press a hole about 1/2 way down into the top of each ball.  Spoon jam into each indentation. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool thoroughly before serving.

Enjoy with a glass of organic milk ;)

These are what we made today - thumbprint cookies, my awesome chocolate chip cookies Freaking Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies and lemon-glazed ricotta cookies.  My girls and I had the best time making them and taste-testing them!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!