Chicken al Pomodoro with Zucchini Pappardelle

I was going to name this "Pollo al Pomodoro with Zucchini Pappardelle" but I didn't want to throw you people off...  In reality, I was just trying to be fancy so that I could really celebrate this amazing meal!!  In Italian, al pomodoro means "tomato sauce" and pappardelle is a flat, Italian pasta.  So - what this recipe is for is chicken which I cooked in a tomato sauce and served with "pasta" that I made by shaving little Italian zucchinis!  This dinner was made in under 30 minutes and tasted like a million bucks!  SO GOOD!  Here's how you can make it yourself:

Chicken al Pomodoro with Zucchini Pappardelle
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
3-4 chicken breasts
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine (tonight's pick 2007 Mission Hill Pinot Blanc)
2 cups chopped assorted tomatoes (I used about a cup of grape tomatoes and then some field tomatoes)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
salt & pepper
fresh parmesan

Pappardelle Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
3-4 little Italian zucchinis
salt & pepper

Method:
In a large skillet that has a tight fitting lid, 1 tbsp olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.  Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Brown the breasts on each side for about 4 minutes per side. 

Chop the garlic and tomatoes.  When the chicken is browned, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, but be careful not to burn!  Add the wine and crank the heat to bring this up to a boil.  Cook until liquid has reduced thickened, then toss in your tomatoes.  Reduce heat to medium,  put a lid on it and cook for 10 minutes.

Using a wide vegetable peeler, slice the zucchini  to make "noodles."

In a smaller non-stick pan, heat oil and garlic over medium heat.  When the timer for the chicken is up, remove the lid and season the tomato sauce to your taste.  Add about half of the chopped herbs and stir to combine, allowing the herbs to wilt slightly.

At this point, toss the zucchini pappardelle into the garlic/oil and season a little bit - careful not too much salt b/c it will draw out too much liquid!  Only cook the zucchini for about 2 minutes - that's all you need!!

If you can believe it, dinner is ready!!  Plate up the zucchini noodles and top with some sauce and a chicken breast.  Top with more of the herbs and some parmesan cheese.  OMG delicious - I'll be making this one again soon fo sho!!  

OH! One other thing! The zucchini pappardelle is also a great option for those on gluten-free diets!!

Quinoa & Roasted Pepper Chili

Tonight's dinner was so simple!  I found a new recipe for a smokey vegetarian chili using quinoa!!  I love how this one came together - all under 45 minutes and I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!  Maybe even on a baked sweet potato...???? Nom.  I tweaked this recipe a little bit, but you can find the original recipe in the December 2011 of Cooking Light Magazine.

Quinoa & Roasted Pepper Chili
Ingredients:
2 red bell peppers
1 large anaheim pepper, sliced in half and seeded
1 medium sized jalapeno pepper, sliced in half and seeded
1 medium red chili pepper
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped yellow onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
sea salt to taste
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
1 can Aylmer Accents Chili Style tomatoes
1 can Romano beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup V8 juice

Method:
Preheat the broiler.  Cut all of your peppers and chilis in half lengthwise, discarding all of the seeds and membranes (that's where all the spicy is!!).  Arrange your peppers on a baking sheet skin side up and broil until the skins start to blacken and bubble.  Remove from oven and seal in a large ziplock bag and allow to sweat for about 10 minutes. 

After 10 minutes is up, you should be able to easily peel off the skin - I sometimes like to leave a bit of black bits, but you do whatever you want.  Coarsely chop the red bell peppers and the anaheim pepper.  With the other little ones, chop them really finely.  Set them aside.  The meal will come together really quick now.

In a large pot, heat oil.  Cook the zucchini, onion and garlic for about 4 minutes.  Add all of the spices and heat for about 30 seconds. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa is tender.

I love the quinoa sprinkled through this chili; it's chewey and almost gives the feel of meat - such a great alternative to grody veggie ground round or one of those other sick soy products (smells like catfood to me!) 

This would also be great served with fresh cilantro, cheddar cheese or even a spoonful of plain Greek Yogurt!

Mocha Zucchini Loaf

Are you still trying to come up with uses for all those zucchinis that you either grew a billion of, or that your friends and coworkers keep giving you?  I came up with one more recipe for you:

Mocha Zucchini Loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Frys Cocoa Powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Method:
Preheat oven to 350degrees.

Grate zucchini and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, soda, baking powder, coffee and salt. 

In another bowl, combine sugars, oil, eggs and vanilla.

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir.  Add zucchini. 

Coat the inside of your loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray (I use two little pans and make two little loafs, rather than one big one! 

If you make one big loaf, bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  For my two little ones, I bake for about 50 minutes.  Your whole house is going to smell like chocolate - deeeeelish!!!!

Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.

Vegetable, Bean & Quinoa Soup

I've been on the road all week and tomorrow heading out for a 4 day vacay for the Okanagan Wine Festival!  So excited!  Needless to say, I have a billion things to do tonight (we're aiming to leave by 5:30am tomorrow!!) but I still feel like I need to do a quick post about the lovely soup I made tonight. 

I had received a complimentary copy of Chatelaine Magazine (they tell me that with a year's subscription, I can enjoy a free watch - whatever) they showed a recipe for Hearty Quinoa & Bean Soup.  Their recipe is vegan, so if you're interested, check it out - I switched it up a bit, so here's my non-vegan version:

Vegetable, Bean & Quinoa Soup
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced carrot
3 ripe tomatoes, pulsed through the food processor a few times
1 cup diced zucchini
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 red chilli pepper
1/3 cup dry quinoa
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup navy beans from a can, rinsed (freeze the rest for a another time)
2 cups spinach
salt & pepper to taste

Method:
In a large saucepan, head olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add carrot, garlic, cumin, coriander,salt, pepper, chilli pepper & quinoa.  Cook for another 2 more minutes - you'll smell the quinoa give off a nutty smell.  Pour in the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and add zucchini.  Simmer, partially covered, until the quinoa is cooked - about 15 minutes. 

Stir in the beans and the spinach and heat thru (about 2 more minutes).  Taste to see if you need more seasoning - top with a bit of shaved parmesan and serve immediately.

This was a super quick and filling dinner!  Stay tuned for some adventures from Wine Country!!

Quinoa for Dinner!!!! Mango Chicken Quinoa

Tonight marked my first ever quinoa main course and I'm happy to report that it turned out AWESOME.  I think one of the keys to enjoying the meal for me was to cook the quinoa in chicken broth - it really adds a lot of flavour and makes for a much more enjoyable meal.

I took another recipe out of Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood - I couldn't resist the description: "Sweet, tart mangoes make this dish exotic" except I read it as "erotic" for some reason...   I guess some folks might find quinoa erotic?  Anyways, I found it really strange that this recipe was without any seasoning of any kind - no salt, pepper, garlic, nothing!  So here is my adaptation of the recipe found on page 84 of the book:

Mango Chicken Quinoa
Ingredients:
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup quinoa
1 tbsp boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 cup diced zucchini
1 cup diced red bell pepper
2 tbsp orange juice**
1 ripe mango, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, divided
1 large jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 cup shredded aged cheddar cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
salt & pepper
cayenne pepper to taste

bold means I changed this in the recipe

Method:
Cook your quinoa first: bring the stock and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Cover, reduce heat & simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat and leave on the burner, covered, for another 6 minutes. Fluff with a fork, recover and set aside for later.

I picked this up at Costco - it tastes great and surprisingly low in sodium

my petite "mise en place"

Heat the olive oil in large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a bit of cayenne for taste, cook for about 5 minutes. 

Add the zucchini & red pepper and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, until veg are tender and the chicken is cooked thru. 

Add the orange juice and stir to coat all the ingredients.  Fold in the mango & half of the cilantro, stir until the mango is heated slightly.

Serve right away!  Start with a couple of scoops of quinoa, then top with the veg/chicken mixture.  Here is another weird part of the recipe - it calls to top with cheddar cheese and sour cream??  That seemed crazy to me b/c the recipe is so fresh I'm not sure why anyone would cover all that flavour with cheese and sour cream, but I tried it and it was good.  I also added more fresh cilantro and chopped jalapenos to spice it up.

Complete with toppings!  Tasted good!

Nom, nom, nom - all done!

**I used a juice box for my orange juice, so after taking my 2 tbsp out, had enough for a gin and juice with dinner - delish!

Let's get this party started!

A "Martha" Kind of Day....

A couple of days ago, I received the September issue of Everyday Food; omg I am in love with this issue!  Sorry Martha, the last few issues have been major duds, but you've totally redeemed yourself with September!  Way to go!

Tonight I made the Grilled Honey-Mustard Chicken with Onions & Spinach Salad - using delicious chicken breasts from Big Bend Market.  So good and it even makes enough left-overs for pitas tomorrow!

I added mango instead of tomatoes!

After dinner, Erin & I went for a mini-run at Heritage Ranch, and I came home to whip up a batch of Zucchini, Banana & Flaxseed Muffins!

Can't wait... want to eat NOW

mmmmm.... served warm with butter = heaven!

Since Martha's crew did such a good job with their recipes this month, I didn't need to monkey around with anything!!  (except when I ran out of honey and subbed in Agave Nectar) 

Go pick up the September issue of Everyday Food - there are so many awesome recipes this month - definitely worth the $4.50!!!

Stuffed Buffalo Burgers & Sweet Potato Chips!

On a hot day, there is nothing better than a bbq'd burger!  And for a healthier version, I decided to whip up a batch of my delicious buffalo burgers... and then negate that healthy choice by frying (yes FRYING!) a big batch of sweet potato chips.

(...amazing!  also, remember those zucchini pickles?)

Ingredients:
1lb ground buffalo (I got mine from Shrum's Meats at the RD Farmer's Market)
3/4 cup oatmeal, pulsed thru the food processor
1/2 sweet onion
3 cloves garlic
1tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1tbsp hot sauce (Louisiana, Frank's, Tabasco, whatever ya got)
fresh ground salt & pepper
4 slices gouda or any one of your fave cheeses
4 grainy buns & burger fixins

the goods

Method:
First pulse the oatmeal and add to a big bowl.  Next, add all of the other ingredients EXCEPT the bison, to the processor and puree.  If you don't have a food processor, then use your box grater for that onion b/c you will want it practically liquified.  Add the goo to the bowl with the oatmeal and blend.  Add the buffalo.  Mix well (don't forget to take your rings off!!)  Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal parts, have your cheese ready.  With each portion, make 2 skinny patties, adding your cheese in the middle and then flattening the 2 patties into a normal size patty.  It's not that complicated, just my instructions suck!!

Grill as normal on medium high - though watch your back because there is not a lot of fat, so you will want to get a good sear on before flipping that first time!

THE CHIPS!
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and washed and then sliced thin on a mandolin
lots of canola oil
lots of fresh ground sea salt

Method:
Fill your frying pan about 1/2 inch deep oil.  Heat on med-high till the oil has tiny bubbles - TINY not boiling.  Add a layer of chips - don't over crowd your pan.  In batches, cook the chips till golden and slightly puffy - you'll know when you see.  Transfer to a cookie sheet that has been lined with paper towels.  Salt and let cool.  Transfer to a metal bowl.  Keep cooking those chips and be careful - keep the temp on med-high (it's a 7 on my crap stove).

Be careful!

Delicious end result!  And cheap to make!

One day I'll try to make some beet chips!  Enjoy this delicious bbq and let me know if you like the flavors - if you're not into spicy, you could switch out the hot sauce for dijon mustard.

Easy Zucchini Pickles

If you're a gardener, you may often ask yourself: "what the hell am I going to do with all these freakin zucchinis???"  Fret no more b/c I have an easy amazing recipe for Zucchini Pickles, adapted from a recipe I spied in the August 2010 Cooking Light Magazine. 

Sweet & Spicy Zucchini Pickles
Ingredients:
6 cups zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick (make sure you use skinny zucchinis - not your 10-pounder at the end of the season!)
3-4 shallots, sliced thinly
6 or more cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2-4 red Thai chilis, sliced thinly
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp coarse sea salt

Method:
In a medium pot, bring vinegar, sugar, pepper flakes, mustard seeds and salt to a boil; stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Meanwhile, arrange all of your zucchini slices, shallots, garlic and chillis equally between 2 500ml snap-seal jars (I don't know what they are called!) Divide the vinegar mixture between the two jars, close up and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.  These will last about 3 weeks in the fridge, but they actually don't last that long!!  Sweet & spicy and delicious!!