Before I write anything, I'd like to sincerely apologize for not posting in a few weeks. I've been cooking, I just haven't had time to get the recipes up. My new house has taken over my life. We're getting ready for a housewarming party in two weeks and I've been spending all my time making to-do lists and searching for the perfect curtains!
Look for new recipes starting Friday!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Butternut Squash and Corn Soup
That crisp fall weather has finally hit us here in NJ and you know what that means: it's time for all those lovely comforting fall foods like squash, apples, roast turkey and of course, soups! Nothing warms a person through and through like a good bowl of soup. Today I was in the mood for just that, so I turned to my trusty friend Tyler Florence for a good soup featuring a favorite fall vegetable, butternut squash.
I just discovered how tasty butternut squash is last year, thanks to this blog. I was looking for a new "fall-ish" recipe and stumbled on a great and simple recipe for pan fried butternut squash. It was heavenly. Butternut squash - where have you been all my life??!!
A few weeks ago, we rekindled our relationship while out at dinner. A local restaurant was serving their version of butternut squash soup and I tried it. It was really good. So good that it's kind of been on my mind ever since. So today is the day I tried out a squash soup on my own - with the help of my favorite food network chef of course!
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
adapted from Tyler Florence of Food Network
Ingredients
2 (2 pound) butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
Vegetable oil
1/4 pound amaretti cookies I couldn't find these in my supermarket so I nixed them. I served it with those crostini breads that you buy for bruschetta
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 bunch fresh sage
1 onion, sliced thin
1 11oz can of white shoe-peg corn
1 clove garlic
splash of heavy cream
4 cups chicken stock, either homemade or store-bought -use vegetable stock to make this vegetarian
Pinch of grated nutmeg - I couldn't find nutmeg at the store either so I used cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil. Place squash cut side up in prepared dish. Pierce each squash half several times with toothpick or skewer. Bake until squash is tender, about 45 minutes.
While the squash is cooking, use a handheld mixer with the chopping attachment to pulse the cookies until roughly chopped. Set aside.
In a large pot, bring the olive oil up to almost smoking. Quickly cook the sage leaves until crisp. Remove and reserve the sage, and saute the sliced onion and garlic. When the squash is done cooking, using a large spoon, scrape squash into the pot; discard peel. Add 3 1/2 cups chicken stock and nutmeg and puree until smooth, add additional stock to reach desired consistency. The video for the recipe shows Tyler adding a splash of cream to his soup at the end, so I did the same, even though the printed recipe doesn't call for it. After pureeing the squash and onions, I added the corn. Stir soup over medium heat until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with crushed amaretti; garnish with sage leaves.
Recipe Notes
As noted above, I added corn to this recipe to give it a little extra "something". I also added garlic when I sauteed the onions. Some of the reviews on food network's website said the soup was lacking a little, but I thought it tasted great! It probably would have tasted even better if I wasn't in such a rush to finish it up and remembered to add the cinnamon at the end!
The only thing I wished I had for this recipe was an emulsion blender. After combining the squash, onions, garlic and broth, I had to scoop it out into my regular blender to puree. That was a real pain, since the blender could not hold the entire contents of the stock pot. I ended up blending two batches and then combining them to reheat. Well, Christmas is coming soon, right? Maybe Santa will put an emulsion blender under the tree!!
I just discovered how tasty butternut squash is last year, thanks to this blog. I was looking for a new "fall-ish" recipe and stumbled on a great and simple recipe for pan fried butternut squash. It was heavenly. Butternut squash - where have you been all my life??!!
A few weeks ago, we rekindled our relationship while out at dinner. A local restaurant was serving their version of butternut squash soup and I tried it. It was really good. So good that it's kind of been on my mind ever since. So today is the day I tried out a squash soup on my own - with the help of my favorite food network chef of course!
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
adapted from Tyler Florence of Food Network
Ingredients
2 (2 pound) butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
1/4 pound amaretti cookies
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 bunch fresh sage
1 onion, sliced thin
1 11oz can of white shoe-peg corn
1 clove garlic
splash of heavy cream
4 cups chicken stock, either homemade or store-bought -use vegetable stock to make this vegetarian
Pinch of grated nutmeg - I couldn't find nutmeg at the store either so I used cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil. Place squash cut side up in prepared dish. Pierce each squash half several times with toothpick or skewer. Bake until squash is tender, about 45 minutes.
While the squash is cooking, use a handheld mixer with the chopping attachment to pulse the cookies until roughly chopped. Set aside.
In a large pot, bring the olive oil up to almost smoking. Quickly cook the sage leaves until crisp. Remove and reserve the sage, and saute the sliced onion and garlic. When the squash is done cooking, using a large spoon, scrape squash into the pot; discard peel. Add 3 1/2 cups chicken stock and nutmeg and puree until smooth, add additional stock to reach desired consistency. The video for the recipe shows Tyler adding a splash of cream to his soup at the end, so I did the same, even though the printed recipe doesn't call for it. After pureeing the squash and onions, I added the corn. Stir soup over medium heat until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with crushed amaretti; garnish with sage leaves.
Recipe Notes
As noted above, I added corn to this recipe to give it a little extra "something". I also added garlic when I sauteed the onions. Some of the reviews on food network's website said the soup was lacking a little, but I thought it tasted great! It probably would have tasted even better if I wasn't in such a rush to finish it up and remembered to add the cinnamon at the end!
The only thing I wished I had for this recipe was an emulsion blender. After combining the squash, onions, garlic and broth, I had to scoop it out into my regular blender to puree. That was a real pain, since the blender could not hold the entire contents of the stock pot. I ended up blending two batches and then combining them to reheat. Well, Christmas is coming soon, right? Maybe Santa will put an emulsion blender under the tree!!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Spaghetti Carbonara
HELP! Someone has taken over my kitchen! Oh wait....it's just my husband.
Yes, you read that correctly. Tonight was Jim's turn to cook a fabulous meal. To my surprise, he chose a recipe that I've been shying away from because of one of the steps. Cooking Spaghetti Carbonara involves an egg, which is supposed to be added to a hot pan, without scrambling it. Yikes - that sounds quite difficult. The secret to not scrambling it, is to temper the egg with some hot water that you use to boil the pasta. I would say that this worked out well for our meal, but not perfectly. A little bit of the egg ended up scrambling, but the dish tasted wonderful overall. Great job, Jim!
Spaghetti Carbonara
Courtesy simplemom.net
Ingredients
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large egg yolks
freshly grated Romano cheese
handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat (I use a wok). Add the olive oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta for two minutes; add red pepper flakes and garlic, and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add the wine and stir up all the pan drippings.
In a separate bowl, beat the yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.
Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with the meat and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta, and toss rapidly to prevent the egg from cooking. Remove the pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up the egg mixture and thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and extra grated cheese.
Chef's Notes: "I combined the recipes from a few sites, but I roughly followed this one. I didn't use the wine, garlic, or parsley. I also cut the recipe in half."
The pasta did not come out saucy - it was more the consistency of what you get when you eat pasta with butter. This was probably because we didn't add the wine. It still ended up being quite a lovely meal, though.
Yes, you read that correctly. Tonight was Jim's turn to cook a fabulous meal. To my surprise, he chose a recipe that I've been shying away from because of one of the steps. Cooking Spaghetti Carbonara involves an egg, which is supposed to be added to a hot pan, without scrambling it. Yikes - that sounds quite difficult. The secret to not scrambling it, is to temper the egg with some hot water that you use to boil the pasta. I would say that this worked out well for our meal, but not perfectly. A little bit of the egg ended up scrambling, but the dish tasted wonderful overall. Great job, Jim!
Spaghetti Carbonara
Courtesy simplemom.net
Ingredients
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large egg yolks
freshly grated Romano cheese
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat (I use a wok). Add the olive oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta for two minutes; add red pepper flakes and garlic, and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add the wine and stir up all the pan drippings.
In a separate bowl, beat the yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.
Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with the meat and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta, and toss rapidly to prevent the egg from cooking. Remove the pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up the egg mixture and thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and extra grated cheese.
Chef's Notes: "I combined the recipes from a few sites, but I roughly followed this one. I didn't use the wine, garlic, or parsley. I also cut the recipe in half."
The pasta did not come out saucy - it was more the consistency of what you get when you eat pasta with butter. This was probably because we didn't add the wine. It still ended up being quite a lovely meal, though.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
GO Phillies! - Sugar Cookies
Game 5 is underway and my Phillies have a chance to clinch a spot at the World Series tonight. The least I can do to wish them luck is.....bake? Yes, we don't have tickets (we didn't win the lottery the team ran), so we're watching from our living room and enjoying these sugar cookies from Alton Brown. (the icing was store bought because I have learned that I do not possess the skill to make a quality icing from scratch!)
Alton Brown's Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
Directions
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.
Recipe Notes
Like alot of others, I found the dough very hard to work with. It kept sticking to my rolling pin even after using the powdered sugar on it. I had one un-iced and it tasted really good though, unlike some reviews stated. I cut the white flour with whole wheat and also used smart balance butter spread instead of real butter. The cookies had to go the whole 9 minutes to brown on the edges in my oven. I would definitely make them again!
GO PHILLIES!!!!
Alton Brown's Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
Directions
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.
Recipe Notes
Like alot of others, I found the dough very hard to work with. It kept sticking to my rolling pin even after using the powdered sugar on it. I had one un-iced and it tasted really good though, unlike some reviews stated. I cut the white flour with whole wheat and also used smart balance butter spread instead of real butter. The cookies had to go the whole 9 minutes to brown on the edges in my oven. I would definitely make them again!
Authentic Pasta E Fagioli
Before I get to this recipe, a little bit about my experiences with Italian foods. I grew up in a half Italian, half Irish household. My mom is Italian, and her specialty is spaghetti and meatballs. Every Sunday, we would have a fresh pot of gravy (yes, gravy not sauce) cooking in the kitchen. The smell of fresh food cooking like that was so great. My mom never really ventured beyond that and chicken parm, as far as Italian cooking went, thanks to a picky husband and son. (Side note: Interestingly enough, when we went to Italy on our honeymoon, we found out that chicken parm isn't really Italian - I don't think we saw it on one menu during our entire stay.)
Now that I am on my own, and have a husband who will eat almost anything, I find myself diving a little deeper into Italian cooking. A few years ago, I dug up The Olive Garden's version of Pasta E Fagioli and thought it was excellent. Then we started going to more authentic Italian restaurants and realized that what the Olive Garden makes (much like all of their dishes), is not what true Pasta E Fagioli is supposed to look or taste like.
Determined to master the more traditional soup recipe, I set out looking for a new recipe this weekend. My first stop was Giada's page on Food network's website. I didn't have to look very long to find a recipe that I thought would resemble what you get in a restaurant.
Pasta E Fagioli
Giada De Laurentiis of Food Network
Ingredients
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
5 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup elbow macaroni
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine.(I didn't have a cheesecloth to secure the spices in, so I just threw them in the pan and fished them out with a slotted spoon before serving.) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet. Puree 1 cup of the bean mixture in a blender until smooth*. Before putting the puree back into the soup, add the macaroni and boil with the lid on until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Return the puree to the remaining soup in the saucepan and stir well. Season the soup with ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.
*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.
Recipe Notes
This soup was fantastic. A lot of the reviews said that it was too salty, but I didn't think that it was. As long as you use the low sodium chicken broth, I don't think you'll have a problem with the salt. The only thing I may add the next time I make this is a can of diced tomatoes or some roasted red peppers. I think the flavor would balance out nicely with beans.
My only other complaint is the reheatability of the soup. The next night the soup was a lot more congealed than I thought it would be. If you are going to use this as leftovers, I would make sure that you have some extra broth on hand to add to it before reheating it.
Now that I am on my own, and have a husband who will eat almost anything, I find myself diving a little deeper into Italian cooking. A few years ago, I dug up The Olive Garden's version of Pasta E Fagioli and thought it was excellent. Then we started going to more authentic Italian restaurants and realized that what the Olive Garden makes (much like all of their dishes), is not what true Pasta E Fagioli is supposed to look or taste like.
Determined to master the more traditional soup recipe, I set out looking for a new recipe this weekend. My first stop was Giada's page on Food network's website. I didn't have to look very long to find a recipe that I thought would resemble what you get in a restaurant.
Pasta E Fagioli
Giada De Laurentiis of Food Network
Ingredients
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
5 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup elbow macaroni
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine.(I didn't have a cheesecloth to secure the spices in, so I just threw them in the pan and fished them out with a slotted spoon before serving.) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet. Puree 1 cup of the bean mixture in a blender until smooth*. Before putting the puree back into the soup, add the macaroni and boil with the lid on until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Return the puree to the remaining soup in the saucepan and stir well. Season the soup with ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.
*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.
Recipe Notes
This soup was fantastic. A lot of the reviews said that it was too salty, but I didn't think that it was. As long as you use the low sodium chicken broth, I don't think you'll have a problem with the salt. The only thing I may add the next time I make this is a can of diced tomatoes or some roasted red peppers. I think the flavor would balance out nicely with beans.
My only other complaint is the reheatability of the soup. The next night the soup was a lot more congealed than I thought it would be. If you are going to use this as leftovers, I would make sure that you have some extra broth on hand to add to it before reheating it.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Crock-pot Beef Tenderloin
Now that we are finally somewhat settled into our new house, I've begun to get back into the cooking swing of things. The first few weeks it was really hard to get a routine down since we were always running here or there to pick up essentials for the house. I think past week was our first "normal" week. I've finally gotten used to working from home a couple days a week, and my husband is learning the ins and outs of the traffic flow for his commute.
On Tuesdays I go into the office and my husband goes into NYC, so that means neither of us are home very early. I decided this was the perfect day to try out a crock-pot recipe for the first time in the new kitchen. Cooking beef in the crock-pot is relatively easy, so I knew there wouldn't be any problems.
Crock-pot Beef Tenderloin
Ingredients
3 lbs beef tenderloin
about 15 baby potatoes
1 onion
1 bag pre-peeled carrots
1 cup water
olive oil
The following spices:
rosemary
fresh ground black pepper
garlic powder
Directions
Wash the potatoes and cut in half. Cut the onion into slices. In a large mixing bowl, combine carrots, potatoes and onion. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat.
Place the beef in the crockpot and pour water over it. Sprinkle the spices above, to taste. Add the vegetables. Cook on low for 10 hours.
Servings: 6
Recipe Notes:
This beef came out great. It was really tender and basically fell apart when I took it out the crock pot. I ended up shredding it with two forks because it was almost impossible to cut into slices. Since I was out at work all day, I put the veggies in along with the beef. If you prefer them to be a little firmer, you could probably put them in during only the last two hours of cooking.
On Tuesdays I go into the office and my husband goes into NYC, so that means neither of us are home very early. I decided this was the perfect day to try out a crock-pot recipe for the first time in the new kitchen. Cooking beef in the crock-pot is relatively easy, so I knew there wouldn't be any problems.
Crock-pot Beef Tenderloin
Ingredients
3 lbs beef tenderloin
about 15 baby potatoes
1 onion
1 bag pre-peeled carrots
1 cup water
olive oil
The following spices:
rosemary
fresh ground black pepper
garlic powder
Directions
Wash the potatoes and cut in half. Cut the onion into slices. In a large mixing bowl, combine carrots, potatoes and onion. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat.
Place the beef in the crockpot and pour water over it. Sprinkle the spices above, to taste. Add the vegetables. Cook on low for 10 hours.
Servings: 6
Recipe Notes:
This beef came out great. It was really tender and basically fell apart when I took it out the crock pot. I ended up shredding it with two forks because it was almost impossible to cut into slices. Since I was out at work all day, I put the veggies in along with the beef. If you prefer them to be a little firmer, you could probably put them in during only the last two hours of cooking.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach
Another food network recipe. This might be a record. I think I am in what you would officially calla "food rut". I don't feel like cooking anything in the cookbooks I own and whenever I look online, I can't find anything that really calls to me. I was browsing for healthy recipes when I came across this one from Ellie Krieger. I don't think I've ever made one of her recipes before, or have even heard of her show. Apparently, she is a registered dietician. Since we really want to start cooking healthy in the Canister, I thought she would be a great start. So here goes, my first Ellie Krieger recipe!
Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach
courtesy Ellie Krieger of Food Network
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
8 ounces baby spinach
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup low-sodium canned chopped tomatoes with juice
2 cups whole wheat couscous, cooked
Directions
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes.
Place the couscous in a serving bowl. Top with the spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.
Recipe Notes
How super simple is the recipe? The hardest part was cutting the chicken in half, and I even cheated when I did that! Instead of buying two breasts, I bought the pre-cut version, so I had 5 perfectly portioned pieces of chicken. I would definitely make this again. The whole recipe can be pulled out of the pantry, with the exception of the chicken. While I really love a challenging recipe from time to time, I really love it when recipes are made from ingredients that are almost always on hand. If you don't believe me, see how simple this recipe is for yourself. Click here for a video of Ellie Krieger making it.
This dish was really delicious for how simple it was to make. My husband really liked it, too. This is definitely going to end up in the weekly meals rotation.
Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach
courtesy Ellie Krieger of Food Network
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
8 ounces baby spinach
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup low-sodium canned chopped tomatoes with juice
2 cups whole wheat couscous, cooked
Directions
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes.
Place the couscous in a serving bowl. Top with the spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.
Recipe Notes
How super simple is the recipe? The hardest part was cutting the chicken in half, and I even cheated when I did that! Instead of buying two breasts, I bought the pre-cut version, so I had 5 perfectly portioned pieces of chicken. I would definitely make this again. The whole recipe can be pulled out of the pantry, with the exception of the chicken. While I really love a challenging recipe from time to time, I really love it when recipes are made from ingredients that are almost always on hand. If you don't believe me, see how simple this recipe is for yourself. Click here for a video of Ellie Krieger making it.
This dish was really delicious for how simple it was to make. My husband really liked it, too. This is definitely going to end up in the weekly meals rotation.
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