Chicken and Orzo Salad

I love salads, LOVE them. Especially for lunch. I think what's so great about a salad is that there are about a bazillion different ways to make them, and more often then not it's going to come out delicious. They're fresh, healthy (usually), and I always feel so good about eating one. So when I was at Williams Sonoma (my home away from home), I couldn't resist coming home with this book.

If you're a salad lover, go buy this book, seriously. I plan on making every single recipe out of it. I have fun just flipping through it. The best part about it is that every salad is fairly simple with ingredients that can be found at a normal grocery store. They also look wonderfully healthy and full of great flavor.

This is the very first salad in the book and it's delicious. Shredded chicken, orzo, grape tomatoes...but the best part was the dressing. It's so easy, pesto and vinegar, why haven't I thought of that before? It was such a filling salad and was packed with the perfect balance of flavors. A little tip on pesto, if you're going to buy it, buy the plastic tubs found in the refrigerator section. The jars that sit on the shelf tend to lose most of that strong basil flavor.

Chicken and Orzo Salad
William Sonoma Salads

Ingredients

2/3 cup pesto
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I used garlic flavored rice vinegar)
salt and pepper
3 tablespoon olive oil (I didn't even add it and it was fine)
3/4 lbs orzo pasta
2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken (this is where rotisserie chickens come in handy)
1/2 lb halved cherry tomatoes
6 oz baby spinach

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the pesto, vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil until smooth.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and the orzo. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking until the pasta is al dente, according to the package directions. Drain rinse under cold running water, and drain again. Add the orzo to the vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly.

3. Add the chicken, tomatoes and spinach to the orzo and toss gently to combine, the serve.

The Winners!

Thanks for everyone that participate in the Silpat giveaway. The lucky winners are Jenn and Debbie! Congratulations ladies! I'll contact you to get your info.

And now's the time where I should post a recipe, but to be honest, it's Friday and I'm ready to lounge with my babes. I will leave you with a little rice tip that I discovered the other day though. I always end up making too much rice and I don't really like leftover rice, it just doesn't taste as good to me the next day. So I threw some in a skillet with olive oil, and cracked and egg right into it. I stirred it so the wet egg completely coated the rice, threw in some salt and pepper and kept stirring until the egg was cooked. It gave the rice such a nice flavor and texture, but it wasn't necessarily "eggy" tasting. A bit like fried rice, minus all of the other goodies. My picky little boy ate about three helpings of it, so we'll definitely be trying it again!

What does everyone have planned for the weekend? The area that I live in just had a Whole Foods open up so I'm patiently waiting for my hubby to get home so we can check it out! Is it weird to go to the grocery store on a date? Kim I think I'm going to try and find that cheese and bread that you posted the other day! Anyway, apparently I'm in a rambling mood, so I best be going to before I really get going. Have a wonderful weekend my friends and I'll see you Monday!

CEiMB: Five Layer Mexican Bean Dip

I am in love with any type of party food, mostly because it usually means there is a party attached to it! This week's CEiMB recipe was perfect because last night I had a little scrapbooking gathering with some girls in our card club. By the end of the night, it was GONE, which almost never happens, I was thrilled! There is no way you're going to eat this and know that it's lowfat. It's so full of flavor and heat that you'll feel like you're indulging. This is actually the second layered bean dip I've posted and I think I like Ellie's more then my own!

A little tip with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, since usually you open an entire can to use just one. To avoid having to throw the rest away, freeze the peppers, individually in small baggies, and thaw right before use. A great tip if you're like me and you lose sleep over wasted food!

Five Layer Mexican Bean Dip
By Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo
4 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups corn kernels (10-ounce box frozen corn)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 ripe avocados
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeno pepper, optional
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar

Directions

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until they soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.

Put half of the onion mixture into a food processor with the black beans, chipotle pepper, 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, cumin, water and salt. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Add the corn to the skillet with the remaining onion mixture and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro leaves.

In a small bowl mash the avocado with the remaining lime juice. In a medium bowl toss together the tomatoes, scallion and jalapeno, if using. Season tomato mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread the black bean dip into the bottom of an 8 by 8 glass baking or serving dish. Top with the corn mixture, spreading it out to form a single layer over the beans, repeat with the avocado, then the tomatoes. Top with cheese. Serve with baked chips.

Serves: 12, a serving size is 1/2 cup

Per Serving:Calories 140; Total Fat 8 g; (Sat Fat 2 g, Mono Fat 3 g, Poly Fat 0.7 g) ; Protein 5g; Carb 16 g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 6mg; Sodium 245 mg

Points per Serving:3!

You still have until 10pm tonight to enter here in my giveaway for a Silpat, don't miss out!!

Adobo Flank Steak with Summer Corn and Tomato Relish

This was a really fun and different way to make steak. The marinade is full of smoky flavor and the corn relish adds a freshness and sweetness that balances the dish out perfectly. I would even make the corn relish as a side dish. In my opinion this will come out the very best if you use all fresh ingredients, including fresh corn on the cob and fresh red peppers roasted yourself. Also, be aware before making this that you will want to marinade the steak overnight.

Adobo Flank Steak with Summer Corn and Tomato Relish
Slightly adapted from Cooking Light Healthy Summer Grilling

Ingredients

1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 (1 1/4lb) flank steak, trimmed

RELISH:
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)
1 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped roasted bell peppers
2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Combine first nine ingredients in a blender and process until smooth, scraping sides and occasionally. Combine steak and marinade into ziplock bag and marinade for 24 hours. Discard bag and marinade.

2. Prepare Grill

3. Place steak on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

4. To prepare relish, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Add corn; saute 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat; stir in tomato and next 4 ingredients. Serve with steak. Garnish with thyme, if desired.

Serves: 5 (3 oz steak with 1/2 cup relish)

Per Serving: 303 cal, 14.9g fat, 25g prot, 16.5g carb, 2.7g fiber

Points per serving: 7

I think I saw Rachael Ray do this, but for an easy way to cut your corn off the cob without getting corn everywhere, but a small bowl inside a big bowl. Use the small bowl to prop your corn off, and then the big bowl catches it. Cool huh! It will save you from a mess.

Happy Easter!

I know I'm always apologizing for my photography, this is not the most visually appealing picture, but I devoured this thing once the camera clicked off!

If I could afford it, I would make this in advance so it was actually useful for Easter, but alas, we are but poor college students! I hope everyone had a great Easter Sunday. I know that we did, I really love Easter, it's Springtime, it's meaningful, and it's so much fun with young kids. But let us not forget the food.

I made my usual ham, potatoes, etc. this year, but I just wanted to give a tip. Most hams come with those little glaze packets to baste on while the ham is baking. I don't like to do it, mostly because there are just some people that don't like to add anything sweet to their meat. So, instead, I get it thickened up on the stove top, and then add about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of pineapple juice, with the pineapple rings or chunks. This dilutes the glaze, and thins it out, so that if anyone wants the glaze, they can just drizzle as much as they want, and it's SO delicious, especially with the pineapple. I've also added cinnamon, honey, cloves, a lot of how you flavor it depends a lot on the glaze itself, so far they've all been different. Anyway, maybe this will help next time you make a ham! Lots of great stuff coming up this week, stay tuned and enjoy the spring!

Round Cheese Bread

Call me a lazy cook, but there is no better recipe than the ones that require all the things you already have in your cupboard, and only take ten minutes (if that) to prepare. This is definitely one of those recipes. It's easy, it's tasty, and your family looks at you like a hero for having fresh, hot bread on the table for dinner. Everyone wins!

Round Cheese Bread

Taste of Home, Baking Book

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix

1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 cup milk

1 egg beaten

2 TB butter

additional Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the biscuit mix, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, oregano, milk and egg (batter will be thick). Spoon into a greased 9-inch round baking pan. Drizzle with butter; sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

2. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges, serve warm.

Food Tip: To store a quick bread like this, either wrap in foil or put in a plastic bag and keep it in the fridge because of the cheese (if it doesn't have cheese, you can just keep it at room temperature). Typically it should last about three days, but can be frozen for up to three months.

Creme De Menthe Brownies

Okay, it's no surprise at this point that I am a huge fan of the mint chocolate, especially at Christmas time. So, last year, while dedicating my life to the Food Network channel, Paula Deen blessed my life with mint brownies from heaven! These brownies are AMAZING and so rich. I just add entire Andes mints into the brownies, rather then the chips, mostly because mint chips are hard to come by here in Philly. Also, if you want a serious mint brownie, add mint extract into the frosting rather then vanilla. And for those of you that aren't mint fans (I got your back Jordan!), just add regular chocolate chips and you will have some killer fudgy brownies.


Thanks Paula Deen!!

Ingredients
1 cups (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 (10-ounce) package Creme de Menthe baking chips (recommended: Andes)
Shaved Creme de Menthe thins (recommended: Andes)
Chocolate frosting

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually stir into butter mixture. Fold in mint chips. Spoon into greased pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

While brownies are baking, prepare frosting. Combine butter, cocoa, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at high speed until spreading consistency.

Remove pan from the oven and allow brownies to cool in pan on wire rack. Spread with chocolate frosting. Top with shaved mint thins.



*Baking Tip: If you plan to plate your bars, but hate that awkward process of cutting them and then digging them out of your pan, bake them in parchment paper. Then, once they are cooled and frosted, just lift them out of the pan, peel away the paper (it sticks to nothing), and you will be able to cut and plate them very cleanly and easily.

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

I got this recipe from Ellie Krieger off the Food Network and I love it. It's incredibly easy and require little work. And it's low-fat, which you will hopefully seeing a lot more as I am trying to "health-en" it up around here!

Ingredients

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 TB brown sugar

2 TB dry sherry (if you omit this, it's just as good)

2 TB rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press, or minced

1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 pounds skinless chicken thighs (I get boneless and skinless thighs)

2 tsp sesame seeds

Directions

Combine the soy sauce, sugar, sherry, vinegar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and stir until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and add the chicken. Seal the bag and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator, turning once, for 1-4 hours.

Heat the broiler to high. Arrange the chicken on a broiler pan skin side down and broil until brown and crispy, 8-10 minutes. Flip the chicken and broil until almost cooked through, about 8 minutes longer. Sprinkle with seeds and cook until the seeds turn golden brown and the chicken is done, 1-2 minutes longer.

Food Tips

1. Fresh ginger is the best, but it can be annoying because you have to buy a huge piece of it, to only use a tip. Fortunately it freezes great, so just place in a zip lock and throw in the freezer until your next use.

2. If you are not a fan of cooking with wine or sherry (I can't stand it, I've tried so many times and just ended up dry heaving from the smell), it's usually an ingredient that can be omitted, or substituted with whatever broth or stock is most appropriate. Of course, some recipes are "wine based" so you may just want to forget about cooking those completely.

Who says veggies can't be comforting?

Apparently I am a big fan of oven roasting, because this is also my favorite way to prepare vegetables. The come out so soft, so sweet, and caramelized. I LOVE them, and there are so many ways to prepare them. So here are my veggie oven roasting tips:

1. You can really roast just about any type of vegetable, even tomatoes (with garlic and basil, mmmm), but just be sure to combine veggies with the same firmness and that would combine well with each other. Root veggies, squash, peppers, mushrooms, and eggplant are some of my favorites.

2. Be sure to cut up all your veggies the same size so they all cook evenly.

3. Toss with olive oil, or butter, and favorite seasonings, even just salt and pepper will do. Rosemary, garlic and herbs, italian seasonings, pesto, even seasonings meant for meat.

4. Spread evenly over baking sheet and roast at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or until softened and browned. Time will often depend on the size you cut your veggies.

5. Eat them as a side dish, put in a sandwich or wrap with pesto, hummus or just mayo, you won't even miss your lunchmeat!

Coconut Bread

Hey guys! I've been slow to post, but I have been making quite a few great things that I think you'll love, so give me a day or two and I will be posting a lot more.

I made this recipe just today for an enrichment activity centering around all things bread. We were instructed to bring one bread dish with accompanied recipe to share. After lots of careful consideration, I went with the easiest option, to make something requiring ingredients that I already had! So I made coconut bread, and it was yummy. Of course, in my opinion, anything with coconut is divine. I understand that there may be an even delicious-er coconut glaze that could be drizzled atop the bread, so if I get my hands on that, I'll be sure to offer an update *wink*!

Coconut Bread

2 cups sugar
¾ cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp coconut extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs and extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, stirring just until moistened. Fold in coconut and walnuts.

Pour into two greased 8-in by 14-in by 2-inch loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

*If you don't have buttermilk on hand (who does), you can easily make your own. Just combine one tablespoon lemon juice with one cup of milk and let sit for ten minutes to thicken. EASY!

Pork-choppin' it!

I don't remember growing up eating a lot of pork, besides the occasional ham, or pork roast. Maybe my memory is just bad, sorry mom!

It seems just seems that lately I have either discovered, or re-discovered how great pork chops are. They are fairly inexpensive, versatile, and a fast and easy dinner solution. So, as my tribute to pork chops, I thought I would list my four favorite, and quickest ways to prepare them.

1. Arrange 4-6 chops in a 9x13 casserole pan. Sprinkle both sides with onion soup mix. Pour about 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the pan. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through.
*My favorite sides for this dish are applesauce (what else), cornbread, summer squash and zucchini.

2. Layer 4-8 pork chops in crockpot and add 2-3 cans of your favorite cream based soups. I usually combine cream of mushroom with cream of chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (great for Sundays, wink). Pork chops should be practically falling apart, creating more of a pork chop gravy!
*Serve with mashed potatoes, green beans and a green salad.

3. Brown 4 pork chops for two minutes on each side and arrange on a 8x8 inch pan. In the same skillet soften 1 chopped green bell pepper, and 1 chopped onion. Add 1 14 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes, 2 cups fresh, or thawed corn kernels, 1/2 cup salsa, 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. Pour mixture over pork chops and bake covered for about 45 minutes, or until pork chops are tender. So healthy, so colorful, so summery!
*Serve with baked potatoes and sour cream with a big helping of diced summer melons.

4. Arrange 4-6 chops in a 9x13 inch casserole pan. Sprinkle each side with 1/2 packet of a dry ranch dip mixture. Pour 1/2 cup water into bottom of the pan. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, or until chops are cooked through.
*Serve with seasoned rice, steamed carrots and hmmm, applesauce!

*Food tip: Anyone who watches Food Network as religiously as I did already knows this, but whenever dealing with pork, or steak, you should let your meat rest for just a few minutes before serving, or cutting into it. The juice gets a chance to redistribute and you're meat will be much juicier and flavorful if you let it sit, just 3-5 minutes.

Cluck-cluck!

Chicken is a staple in our home, and it's probably safe to say, that we consume it over any other meat. But I get annoyed with chicken, particularly boneless, skinless chicken breasts, because for the longest time, it was coming out dry! A lot of recipes that call for the chicken breast require that you either saute or poach (boil) the chicken, which lead the chicken to have the consistency of cardboard, with perhaps similar flavor. Now, a lot of this may have to do with the fact that I just don't have the skill, or patience to learn how to cook chicken this way succesfully, so for those of you like me, here is an alternative.

I've learned (thanks to Ina Garten, one of my Food Network faves!), is to drizzle your poultry with olive oil, sprinkle with S&P, and roast in the oven at 400, until cooked through. The time will completely depend on the cut of chicken you are cooking, but count on between 20-40 minutes. It will come out so juicy, tender, and best of all FLAVORFUL! You can either eat it right out of the oven, or cut it up and add to whatever dish you were making. The difference is amazing.

White Chili

Also from Cooking Light!

I HIGHLY recommend this recipe, even if you aren't a big fan of chili, or beans for that matter.

This was one of the best, and healthiest comfort dishes I have had in a long time. I think what made it so good was using green Tabasco sauce as the base of the broth. It's not near as hot as regular hot sauce, but has a deep, rich flavor. I put it on a lot of other things now, like eggs and sandwiches. I love recipes that lead me to discover other culinary gems!

2 tsp canola oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about one large)

2 cups chicken broth

5 teaspoons green hot pepper sauce

1/2 tsp kosher salt (regular salt works just fine)

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 TB ground cornmeal

1 19 oz can cannelli, or any white bean (I actually put in two 15 oz cans and it was great)

1/2 cup plain, fat free yogurt

2 TB thinly sliced green onions (fresh parsley or cilantro is also delicious)

lime wedges

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth, hot pepper sauce, salt, and chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth mixture, cool.

2. Add cornmeal and beans to broth mixture, stirring with a whisk; simmer 15 minutes. Mash about 1/4 cup beans against side of pan. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken to pan; simmer five minutes, or until mixture thickens, stirring frequently. Top each serving with yogurt, onions and lime wedges.

6 Servings

Food Tip: This is when having frozen shredded chicken or turkey comes in really handy, rather then having to boil it then. Buy a few whole roaster chickens, or turkeys when on sale, cook them, pick them and you'll end up with 3-6 bags of shredded poultry meat. It comes in so handy when needing to cook a meal quick, and you can use it for SO many things.

Little Helpers

I love finding unique spices, oils, marinades etc. when I can. Just a flavored oil can completely change the taste and style of an everyday meal. I have used the basil oil to roast chicken, coat pasta and dip bread. I also love the spices for meats, breads, veggies and stirfrys.

These types of things can also be made with little effort with some of the things you have in your cupboards already. You can flavor your oil by adding a few cloves of fresh garlic and some sprigs of rosemary to your oil. Or just blend oil and fresh basil. You can create your own spice blends just by experimenting a little bit, and there are loads of recipes out there for sauces, marinades and dry rubs you can make yourself. It's always more rewarding and fun when you can create something successful and call it your own!

Let the grocery store help you out.

One of my favorite things about cooking is the actual process that it takes to create a dish and make it look appealing. BUT, there are also times when stress and busy schedules have gotten the best of you and you need some help. That is when you cheat and look for some easy shortcuts.

The latest shortcut I found were these little phyllo dough tart cups at the grocery store freezer in the pastry section. They come empty, but you can fill them with anything you want, bake them and you're done. Chocolate, a pastry cream, spinach, blue cheese and cranberries, not all at once though, that would be gross! These bacon quiche cups probably took me a collective 10 minutes to make, minus baking time. Here was my filling:

1/2 cup ricotta (use low-fat, you can't tell a difference)

1 egg

1/2 cup mozz

1/2 cup cheddar

6 oz bacon

1 onion chopped finely

1/2 tsp garlic powder

dash cayenne

dash black pepper

You could probably fill about 60-70 tarts with just this, so you may want to half it with a smaller crowd.

Mix all ingredients together, fill phyllo cups and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. These are good warm and at room temp. This was another dish that disappeared first, but they are also very tiny, so don't be shy about serving a lot, they will be gone by the end of your party.

Caprese Salad

Whenever I'm serving to a group, it's always really interesting to me to see what dish gets the most attention, and what dish gets ignored. A few months ago I made a small plate of this caprese salad, mostly because my garden was producing an abundance of tomatoes and basil. I really didn't think people would be interested in it at all, but it was gone in a matter of minutes. It's probably been the most requested thing I've ever served. It's so good, so pretty, and not to bad on the health factor, just don't go overboard!

Caprese salad is just layering tomatoes, and fresh mozzerella cheese (it's really important to use the fresh, which is much softer and sometimes packed in water. If you use regular mozz, I might cry). After layering it, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. You can tuck your basil leaves individually between each tomato and cheese slice, or cut your basil and sprinkle on top. This is one of those dishes that is good fresh, but even better after a day or two.

Food tip: If you have any sort of inclination toward gardening, consider planting and growing your own herbs. I started doing that last year, and since we are getting ready to move, I don't have fresh herbs this year. I can't even tell you the difference it makes to have fresh herbs on hand, everything is fresher, tastes better, and even looks better. Plus, store bought herbs are so expensive that it's an insult. My favorites are basil, parsely, oregeno and mint, but there are tons out there.