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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Sorry it's been a couple days

I've been super busy, but I have a few recipes for ya!

I've been getting tired of mexican flavored dishes(which I never thought was possible) I am in love with the website www.sparkrecipes.com. It's where I got my last two recipes.

Chicken Parmesan
It was ok. I'm not a huge chicken parm fan anyway. Next time I will add more Parmesan for more flavor. But it was super easy and tasted good.

Ingredients

1 Egg white
3 Tb Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 c Cornflakes, crushed
1/4 tsp ea Salt & Black Pepper
1 tsp dried Thyme
4 bnls/skls Chicken Breasts



Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Beat egg white until frothy. In another bowl mix Parmesan cheese, cornflakes, salt, pepper, and Thyme. Dip each chicken piece in the egg white and then dip into the cornflakes mixture, patting well to ensure the mixture adheres to the chicken. Place the chicken on a lightly oil sprayed pan. Bake about 25 mins or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

For a side I made these asparagus. I loooooove fresh asparagus so I always look for a new way to spice it up.

1 lb. fresh asparagus (medium width)
2 tsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Lemon wedges, as garnish



Directions
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Rinse asparagus and break off tough ends.

2. In shallow roasting pan, place asparagus and coat with oil. Sprinkle with garlic and salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Roast uncovered for 6-8 minutes (depending on width of spears), shaking pan occasionally. Serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings (approx 4 medium spears each.)

Printed with permission from the American Institute for Cancer Research. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the cancer charity that fosters research on diet and cancer and educates the public about the results.

Enjoy!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Honey Balsamic Chicken

I had a bit of time to cook tonight between work and my class so I found an easy chicken recipe. The recipe itself was *eh* I personally would have used more balsamic vinegar but I like vinegar-y(is that a word) tastes. It was a bit sweet for me and K even said all he tasted was sugar. So I kinda give this a 3 out of 5. If you like things that are sweet and sour/tangy you will enjoy this. Original Recipe HERE

1 1/2 tsp of dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1lb chicken breast
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp honey



Directions
Combine first 3 ingredients; sprinkle over both sides of chicken.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 7 to 8 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.

Transfer chicken to a platter; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium-low; add vinegar and honey to pan. Simmer 1 minute or until glaze thickens; stir constantly. Pour glaze over chicken. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half).

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Shrimp Fried Rice

My apologizes in advance, I'm sure my posts are going to get quite a bit shorter due to my now crazy schedule since school started. I am going to try and keep cooking and new recipes but it may only be a couple days a week.

Today for something quick and easy I made low cal shrimp fried rice. I used lots of veggies....carrots, peas, broccoli and cauliflower. And got my original recipe here

1 cup cooked brown rice
8 oz frozen shrimp, with tails off **
1/2 cup frozen peas & carrots and other veggies of choice
2 green onions, chopped
1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp soy sauce
pepper to taste


**Can also substitute 8oz of cooked chicken, beef, or pork. For Vegetarian style add 1 cup assorted chopped fresh vegetable such as asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, or cabbage.**



Directions
In a small bowl beat egg, set aside.
Heat olive oil in large skillet on med high, add cooked rice, peas & carrots, shrimp, & green onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp & veggies are warmed through.
Clear out the center of pan by pushing rice mixture to the sides, pour egg into space. Scramble egg until almost firm about 1 min. Mix egg & rice mixture together cook additional 1 min until egg done through. Add soy sauce & pepper. Serve immediately.

It was fairly quick, except boiling the rice, which takes forever. But other than that, quick and easy and yummy! Enjoy!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Blackened Tilapia with White Wine and Lemon

Fish is good for you, so we're trying to eat more of it. But honestly, how many ways are there to make fish? I found a fabulous recipe for Tilapia(or any white mild fish)

I found my recipe at www.sparkrecipes.com



8 tilapia fillets (approx. 3-4 oz. each for nutrition info)
dry white wine (Pinot Grigio is great)
lemon wedges
blackened seasoning (made my own)
lemon pepper
seasoned salt (Lawry's w/coarse ground black pepper)
EVOO




Directions


Spray pan with olive oil and generously sprinkle blackened seasoning on bottom of pan where fish will be placed, along with a dash of seasoning salt. Place completely defrosted tilapia fillets with thick side toward middle of the pan, sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning and fry over low heat until almost cooked through (fish is a little pink and translucent on top, but opaque through most of the fillet). Using a metal spatula, scrape all seasonings and fried-on bits along with fillet and flip over. You won't be able to adjust the fish once it hits the pan again, so aim well. Cook approximately 3 more minutes on low-medium heat. Add enough wine to have a bit left over after burning off the alcohol (experiment, a little more or less is okay), poured over top of fish, and step back as the alcohol burns off. Cook until fish flakes easily with fork, add 1/4 of a lemon's juice per 2 fillets, and reserve liquid from pan along with any bits or pieces left. Repeat with remaining fillets, rinsing pan if necessary.


Now, I didn't have any blackened seasoning, so I made my own. I didn't have any thyme but it turned out well. I also went heavy on the cayenne pepper because we like our spice ;) Here's the recipe I used

* 2 teaspoons ground paprika
* 4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
* 2 teaspoons onion powder
* 2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons black pepper
* 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste
* 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Blue Cheese Burgers and Asparagus

Keith loves blue cheese, I can't stand it, but because I love him, I made him blue cheese burgers for dinner. I found a spicy & very flavorful recipe on the Food Network website. Probably not the best healthy recipe but he loved it.

* 1 lb ground beef
* 1/2 table spoon garlic powder
* 1/2 table spoon cayenne
* 6 oz blue cheese
* 1/2 table spoon oregano
* hamburger bun

Directions

Season beef with cayenne, oregano and garlic powder. Form beef into 4 patties. Divide each patty, through the center, into two, and flatten. Place blue cheese on one patty and top with other patty. Pinch the edges to seal. Grill burgers in a cast iron pan or on grill to desired degree of doneness.

Now, I used ground turkey, doesn't quite stay together as well as beef, I may throw in some bread crumbs or something next time. I also made the burgers a bit thick and it took forever to cook :\ whoops. I topped with some colby cheese and it was fabulous.

For a side dish, I spiced up some asparagus that we had frozen. I used a skillet instead of a grill and they turned out fine. I also made them without the lemon zest b/c I didn't have any lemons :( But they were still good. Especially if you're a garlic lover.

* 1 pound asparagus
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Trim asparagus. In a small bowl, combine oil, garlic, zest and paprika and stir with a fork. Lay asparagus side by side and pierce on 2 wooden skewers to form a raft. Place rafts on the grill and brush with oil mixture. Cook to desired tenderness and season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Flank Steak

Over the holidays Keith and I got some fresh beef from his grandparents. Among this was a flank steak, which I had never cooked before. After watching Alton Brown on Good Eats telling me how to cut it and best way to prepare it, I just needed a good marinade.

The marinade I used was a bit unusual but the flavors played so well off of each other, I really enjoyed it. It was sweet but a bit tangy and full of flavor. Here's the recipe I used found at www.eatingwell.com. I let the marinade sit all day, prepared in the morning and cooked it in the evening, they recommend an hour minimum.

* 3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, crushed
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat



Preparation

1. Whisk coffee, vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic, peppercorns and salt in a glass dish large enough for meat to lie flat. Add steak and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
2. Heat grill to high.
3. Remove steak from marinade. Lightly oil grill rack. Place steak on grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain and serve. Enjoy!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Biscuits and Gravy

This morning I made biscuits and gravy with a bit of a twist.

I used store bought biscuits but made home made gravy.
I based the gravy off of this recipe from Paula Deen.

Here's how I made it
* 1/4 cup chicken stock
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups milk warm
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoons pepper
* 2 tablespoons melted butter
* Dash of seasoned salt
* Dash of cayenne pepper

Heat chicken stock and melted butter in a cast iron skillet. Add the flour and whisk until smooth and bubbly about 1 minute. Add the warm milk slowly and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and stir, until thickened, about 5 minutes, adding milk as necessary to control the thickness. Season the gravy with salt and pepper. Serve hot over biscuits. Less calories than using fatty bacon grease or sausage but still tasted fabulous.