Lemon and Sage Chicken

Well, both D and I thought this was plain. It was juicy, and we could see all the spices, but we couldn't taste it. Very disappointing.

We had with Fiesta Pasta Salad, which I have determined is my favorite pasta salad.

Lemon and Sage Chicken

Antioxidant compounds in citrus fruits and herbs may reduce the formation of HCA compounds. Here, we leave the skin on for moisture while grilling, then discard.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 breast pieces or 1 leg and 1 thigh)

1 (4-pound) roasting chicken
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup Sauternes or other dessert white wine
1/4 cup minced fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Cut the chicken into drumsticks, thighs, and breasts; cut each breast in half crosswise to form 4 breast pieces total. Reserve wings and back for another use.

2. Combine rind and next 7 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk. Place juice mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour. Remove chicken from bag, and discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt.

3. Prepare grill to medium-high heat. After preheating, turn the left burner off (leave the right burner on), or arrange charcoal on one side of grill for indirect heat.

4. Place chicken on grill rack covering right burner; grill over direct heat 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Move chicken to grill rack covering left burner; grill over indirect heat 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Discard chicken skin.

CALORIES 246 ; FAT 13.7g (sat 3.9g,mono 5.7g,poly 3g); CHOLESTEROL 84mg; CALCIUM 15mg; CARBOHYDRATE 2.2g; SODIUM 374mg; PROTEIN 26.3g; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 1.3mg

Cooking Light, JUNE 2010

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

So Hope posted these, which reminded me I have the Barefoot Contessa's Cookbook that has this recipe in it. I never made it.

I then realized my friend is turning 40, and here was an excuse to make them, even though he doesn't eat sweets.

Very easy. I don't like cake, but the batter was delicious. I do like icing, and this one was good. D thought they were good. The cupcake wasn't overpowering and there was enough sweetness in the frosting.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

Photo by ALB

2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved

Serves: 14 to 15 cupcakes.

Ingredients
•12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
•2/3 cup granulated sugar
•2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
•2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
•2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
•1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
•1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
•2 tablespoons brewed coffee
•1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
•1 cup good cocoa powder
•1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
•1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
•Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
•Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:


•1 cup confectioners' sugar
•1 cup creamy peanut butter
•5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
•3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
•1/3 cup heavy cream
Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce

This was good. We had with pasta.

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce

From EatingWell

4 servings
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (about 1 pound), trimmed of fat
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
* 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
* 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 2 large shallots, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1/2 cup chopped chives, (about 1 bunch)

1. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch. Season both sides of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow glass baking dish and dredge the chicken in it. Discard the excess flour.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour; stir to coat. Add wine, broth and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil, stirring often.
4. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until heated through and no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes. Stir in sour cream and mustard until smooth; turn the chicken to coat with the sauce. Stir in chives and serve immediately.

Per serving: 244 calories; 9 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 72 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 26 g protein; 0 g fiber; 679 mg sodium; 334 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Niacin (50% daily value), Selenium (31% dv).

Chicken Pot Pie with Cornmeal Crust

So I got this recipe from Williams-Sonoma's Chicken for Dinner. It was 812 Calories so D and I made some modifications (and took out the cooked tomatoes). This was the result.

It was really easy to make, and pretty good. It isn't a typical potpie, in that there is no "goo." Also the crust...we couldn't use it all or the dish would have overflowed, so it is probably less calories (we used about 3/4 of the crust mixture). It was very spicy. For leftovers, we'll probably add some sour cream.

The servings are huge so you could get less calories making 6 servings.

Chicken Pot Pie with Cornmeal Crust

Ingredients
Cooking Spray
6 Green Onions, chopped
1 Green Pepper, seeded and chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1.5 pounds Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast
1 (4-oz) can green chilies
2 Serrano Peppers, seeded and minced
1/2 Cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 C Cooked White Rice
1/2C Chicken Broth (Low-Fat, Low Sodium)
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
1C finely ground cornmeal
1C all-purpose flour
1 TBSP Baking Powder
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 C Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 Egg
1C 2% Milk
3 TBSP Vegetable Oil (put it in a 1/3C measuring cup and then add the chicken broth below to fill it up the rest of the way)
1/6 C Chicken Broth (Low Fat, Low Sodium)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm cooking spray. Add the chicken, green pepper and green onions until cooked. Add the garlic and saute until softened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in, chilies (green and serrano), cilantro, oregano, cumin, rice and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a shallow, 6-C (1.5L) baking dish.

3. In a bowl stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until well mixed. Stir in the jack cheese. In another bowl, using a whisk beat the egg until blended. Then beat in milk, chicken broth and oil. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir to mix well. Spoon over the chicken and rice.

4. Bake until the crust is puffed and golden brown and the chicken filling is bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Serve directly from the dish.

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info
* Fat: 20.3g
* Carbohydrates: 68.2g
* Calories: 674.1
* Protein: 53.7g
* Cholesterol: 168.0mg
* Sodium: 1060.6,g
* Fiber: 4.6g

Double-Cheese Meat Loaf

I had to wait for left-overs to decide on this one. Like most meat loaves, there was no overwhelming wow factor to this. It is just a basic meat loaf. But left-overs, it was pretty good.

I made it. It was really easy. The hardest part was that our meat loaf pan was flaking metal, so we just put it in a pan and made it free form.

Overall, it was good and I would have again.

Double-Cheese Meat Loaf

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 slices)

Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
6 tablespoons ketchup, divided
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 pound lean ground beef (used 1 lbs)
1/2 pound lean ground pork (used .5 lbs)
1/2 pound lean ground veal (didn't use)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place a medium nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion, and sauté for 3 minutes. Combine the onion, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon mustard, mozzarella, and next 6 ingredients (mozzarella through egg) in a large bowl. Crumble ground meats over cheese mixture; stir just until blended.

Pack mixture into an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Combine 2 tablespoons ketchup and 1 tablespoon mustard; spread over top of loaf. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until meat thermometer registers 160°. Let meat loaf stand in pan 10 minutes.

Remove meat loaf from pan, and cut into 12 slices.

Note: Substitute lean ground beef for the ground veal and pork, if desired.

CALORIES 329 (38% from fat); FAT 13.9g (sat 5.6g,mono 5.3g,poly 1.2g); IRON 2.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 133mg; CALCIUM 196mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.1g; SODIUM 801mg; PROTEIN 33.8g; FIBER 1g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 1998

Cilantro-Serrano Pesto with Grilled Chicken and Penne

So this is a CL recipe but the NI was wrong so I had to run it through SP. Why was the NI wrong? Because there is no way that 3 oz of penne = 6 C cooked. It = 1.5C cooked. That's what we thought, and confirmed. So the NI was wrong because we only got 4 servings instead of 6 and our NI was much less.

It was pretty easy to make. It was really good. I wasn't sure about the mint (not big on it) but was pleasantly surprised. The 2 serranos added spiciness, but for us not overwhelming. Will have again.

Cilantro-Serrano Pesto with Grilled Chicken and Penne

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 cup cotija cheese (used Parmesan)
3 tablespoons toasted pecan halves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
1 serrano chile, seeded and sliced (used 2)
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar (used 1 tsp sherry, and 1 tsp vinegar)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
Cooking spray
6 cups hot cooked penne pasta (about 3 ounces uncooked) (used 3oz)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions
Place cilantro and next 6 ingredients (through chile) in a food processor; process until well blended. With processor on, slowly pour oil through food chute; process until well blended. Place pesto in a large bowl; stir in vinegar and black pepper.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat chicken with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken, pasta, and tomatoes to pesto; toss to combine.

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Information
Calories: 336.7
Fat: 15.4g
Cholesterol: 56.5 mg
Sodium: 725.3 mg
Total Carbs: 21.4g
Fiber: 3.8g
Protein: 29.0g

Mexican Black Bean Sausage Chili

So this didn't rate high on our chili list. First, the "sausage" tasted like pork and beef mixed together, not sausage. And since D had to make it in advance, what a pain.

Second it was bland. How can chipotles be bland? They were spicy, but the whole thing was eh.

Mexican Black Bean Sausage Chili

You may need to thin the chili with water if you've made it ahead. Or combine the sausage ingredients in advance, and finish the chili later.

Yield: 6 servings

Sausage:
1 1/2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons dry red wine
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder (used 1tsp chipotle chili powder)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of kosher salt
3/4 pound lean ground pork
3/4 pound ground turkey breast (used ground sirloin)

Chili:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups diced onion (about 2 medium)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced (half-heartedly seeded)
4 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
3 cups water (used less...see next ingredient)
2 (14.5-ounce) cans no salt-added diced tomatoes, drained (did not drain, used less water)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup very finely chopped cilantro, divided
Low-fat sour cream (optional)
Sliced green onions (optional)

To prepare sausage, combine first 12 ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To prepare chili, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage mixture; cook 7 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoons oregano, and chiles; cook 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Place 1 1/2 cups black beans and 1 cup broth in a food processor; process until smooth. Add puréed beans, remaining beans, remaining 2 cups broth, water, and tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in juice and cilantro. Ladle about 1 3/4 cups chili into each of 6 bowls. Garnish each serving with sour cream and sliced green onions, if desired.

CALORIES 395 (27% from fat); FAT 11g (sat 2.9g,mono 6g,poly 2.1g); IRON 6mg; CHOLESTEROL 78mg; CALCIUM 128mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.4g; SODIUM 989mg; PROTEIN 35.3g; FIBER 13.7g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2006