What's for dinner: Chicken in salsa, spicy chick peas and asparagus in feta vinaigrette

Chicken in salsa is one of our favorite ways to cook chicken. Like many of my recipes it was born from an idea I got while perusing another recipe. I wanted to cook chicken one night and was stuck between two recipes. One recipe was for a baked chicken with lemon and olives. The other one had something to do with marinara sauce. I liked the idea and thought about merging the two recipes together. But I had no marinara sauce and didn't really have the patience or the desire to whip one up from scratch. What I did have, what was staring me in the eye from a shelf in the pantry was a jar of salsa. I looked at the recipes, I looked at the salsa. A new recipe was born!

Salsa Chicken
4 chicken breasts, trimmed, filleted and cut in half
1 large jar of mild or medium salsa
1/2 can of pitted olives, or 1/4 cup of pitted Kalamata olives
2-4 tbs good olive oil
garlic salt, sea salt and ground pepper to taste

This could not be an easier meal to cook on a week night or even at the end of a long weekend day. I have a thing with chicken. It simply must be browned. I cannot eat pale chicken. So while I bake this in the oven,
I do brown the chicken on the stove before hand. I am careful about the mess I create and the clean-up involved since it inevitably falls back on me to clean up the mess that I've created. I lightly sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on each piece of chicken. The chicken then gets sauteed for a few minutes each side for a nice golden, brown color. From there it goes into a shallow, oven safe baking dish, that has already been filled with the salsa. I place each piece of chicken (1 breast cut into 4 pieces) in the salsa and place the dish in the oven at 375 for anywhere from 15 - 30 minutes. The chicken will not over-dry. The salsa  will keep the meat nice and moist. If you are worried, feel free to cover the top of the dish with aluminum foil or such.

Once the chicken has all been cooked and placed into the oven, place the chick peas, into the already hot pan. They will pick up some of the flavor and turn a pretty brown color. Season with cumin, garlic powder and sea salt to your liking. (Taste as you cook to see how you prefer to adjust the flavors.)

Spicy Chick Peas
2 cans of chick peas, drained and rinsed
cumin, garlic powder and sea salt to taste
1 -2 tbs good quality olive oil

When the chick peas are cooked, remove from heat and place into the serving dish you plan to use. You can always reheat in the microwave if necessary.

In the same pan, add the olive oil. (You can boil or steam the asparagus) fill halfway with water and add 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil. Place the asparagus in the pan and cook for 3 - 5 minutes. While the veggies are cooking you will prepare the Feta Vinaigrette. The asparagus should be tender enough to pierce through easily with a fork. When the asparagus is cooked, drain the hot water and plunge them into an ice bath for about 30 seconds. Removed the asparagus and drain to dry on a kitchen towel.


Asparagus with Feta Vinaigrette (from The Naptime Chef)
2 pounds fresh asparagus, peeled and trimmed
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons Kosher salt plus more as needed
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1/2 cup ( 2 oz) crumbled feta cheese

Chicken in Salsa

Spicy Chick Peas

Asparagus in Feta Vinaigrette

Bon Appetit!

Jessica

Healthy Snacks for the Family

Photo from Flickr

I don't know about you, but lately it seems I hear groans when my kids want a snack and I suggest they grab a piece of fruit. Fruit? How drab! How boring! How healthy Mom! "I don't want anything healthy!" That's a funny comment because in this house they're not getting anything that's not... On a rare occasion we'll have hot chocolate with marshmallows or whipped cream, or something homemade and fresh out of the oven. Most days, however, the boring healthy stuff!

Kids are like adults. Food must be appealing. If I have time I'll make up a nice presentation. I also try to get creative and mix things up a bit. We all need variety and kids are no exception.

Fresh fruit in a bowl on the counter might look pretty to a grown-up, but kids need a little more in the wow department...

Snack ideas -- Fruit
My kids love party toothpicks... the more festive the more fun. Serve some of the following with fancy toothpicks!

Blueberries in yogurt
Blueberries in yogurt over lowfat granola
Blueberry Smoothies
Strawberries
Strawberries dipped in yogurt (vanilla) and then dipped in sprinkles
Apples cut up with peanut butter
Apples cut up with peanut butter and drizzled with honey
Apples dipped in *cinnamon sugar
Bananas drizzled with honey
Bananas with peanut butter
Bananas dipped in yogurt and then dipped in sprinkles

Snack ideas -- Non-fruit!
Pita chips and hummus
Pretzels and hummus
Veggies and hummus (not as popular with my kids!)
Pretzels with mustard
Pretzels with Queso dip -- the jarred variety is actually fairly low in fat and calories... just watch serving sizes!
Pretzels with *melted cheese
Pita chips and salsa
Baked tortilla chips and salsa
White corn chips (Syder's is lower in calories and sat fat then regular tortilla chips) and salsa

A slice of toast with peanut butter or peanut butter and honey or peanut butter and banana
An English Muffin with *melted cheese
English muffin with peanut butter/jelly (English muffins are a great choice. 110 calories per muffin!)
A bowl of soup. Soups are (for the most part) low fat and filling!
Mixed nuts -- watch portions!
Trail mix -- *make your own!
Granola -- lowfat or make your own and watch portions!
A plate of cheese, crackers and apple or pear slices
Pudding made with skim or 1% milk
Deviled eggs -- made with lowfat mayonnaise. 1 egg (2 halves) packs a bunch of protein!
Popcorn
Mixed dry fruit (with or without nuts)
Crudites (veggies) and lowfat dip

Finger sandwiches (smaller and leaner than their regular counterparts!):
Using Pepperidge Farm Very Thin bread
   Turkey
   Ham
   Cucumber
   Tuna

Kabobs (Kids love these!)
Fruit kabob -- String together various pieces of fruit on to a bamboo skewer
Veggie kabob -- String together various veggies (cucumbers/cherry tomatoes/peppers) onto a bamboo skewer with a small dish of lowfat dressing to dip into
Fruit and cheese kabob
Veggie and cheese kabob

Breakfast for snack!
2 waffles, pancakes or pieces of French toast cut into strips -- honey or maple syrup for dipping
Cereal
Life -- sweet without an overload of sugar
Cornflakes or Rice Krispies drizzled with honey
A small bowl of oatmeal with raisins or dried cranberries (not the instant please!)
Muffins (homemade are healthier, smaller and contain less fats)
   Blueberry
   Apple
   Banana
   Pumpkin
   Sweet potato
   Oatmeal raisin
(Plenty of recipes in this blog to choose from!)
Fruit breads
Made with very little fat (canola oil) these make a nice snack or breakfast
Strawberry
Apple
Zucchini
Blueberry
Pumpkin
Banana
(Plenty of recipes in this blog to choose from!)

* Pretzels (or Triscuits or pita chips) with melted cheese
Preheat oven to broil (hi)
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil
Place desired amount of pretzels on cookie sheet
Sprinkle generously with your favorite shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican, etc)
Place under broiler and watch closely until the cheese starts to bubble and turn a golden brown.
Remove from oven and place on a plate with mustard for dipping, if desired.

* English muffins with melted cheese
My kids (as do I!) love these and they are a much better and healthier substitution to the fat-laden grilled cheese sandwich.
Preheat oven to broil (hi)
Halve your English muffin and place in toaster until lightly toasted
When done place sliced cheese (cheddar, American, etc) on each half
Place aluminum foil on a cookie sheet
Place English muffin with cheese on cookie sheet
Place in oven and watch closely until cheese starts to bubble and turn brown.
I am normally not at all a lover of American cheese, but melted on this it is fantastic!

* Trail Mix
Equal amounts raisins and or dried cranberries and nuts such as dry roasted peanuts mixed with half the amount of chocolate chips. Sometimes I add the Pepperidge Farm pretzel goldfish to this as well. So much more less expensive to make your own!

A Perfect Autumn Meal: Salsa Chicken, Cumin Chick Peas, Green Beens with Garlic and Tri color Cousous

This was one of those "what would happen if..." recipes...

I had a recipe for chicken with olives. And there was this large jar of salsa which seemed to shout out "use me! use me!" and because I can never leave a recipe well enough alone I decided to toss the jar on top of the chicken and bake it in the oven. Well, this has to be one of my best science experiments ever. It is a go-to easy recipe if we have last minute company. It is flavorful, easy and fool-proof! I like to serve it with couscous, a green veggie and chick peas. The meal has a sort of Mediterranean feel to it. Though I am not sure where in Europe you'd find salsa on the menu!

To make the chicken you will need:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts -- trimmed into portions the size of your palm.
1 large jar of good chunky salsa -- doesn't have to be an expensive variety, however.
1 can of black olives
3/4 cup of green olives
2 tbs of olive oil
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Directions:
Add olive oil to a hot, largish saute pan
Add chicken, about 3 or 4 pieces at a time
Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder
When browned flip over and season other side. Do not cook fully as it will finish cooking in the oven.
When chicken is done place into large ceramic baking dish.
Repeat above steps until all the chicken has been browned.
Pour salsa over the chicken and spread evenly. Add olives.
Place in preheated oven, 375 for about 20 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked through.
If necessary, keep chicken in oven, on warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile... prepare couscous per directions on package.
For this recipe I tend to stay away from the Near East and other varieties that are flavored.
I use a plain couscous and add just a little bit of salt to taste.
This can be reheated quickly in the microwave just prior to serving, if necessary.

Cumin Chick Peas are my new favorite treat! I like to make extra just so I can snack on them!
These can either be lightly sauteed in a pan or baked in the oven. Both yield fabulous, flavorful and crunchy results!

You'll need:
2 cans of chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 - 2 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
Sea salt to taste
2 tbs of olive oil

In Pan:
Add olive oil to hot pan
Add chick peas and seasonings and cook until the chick peas start to brown.
Some of the skins will peel off... this is OK and delish!

In oven:
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.
Place on a jelly roll or cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly brown and crispy. If you want to cook these longer, please do!

Garlicky Green Beans

You'll need:
1 - 2 lbs fresh haricots vert, thin green beans (or if you have access to really good frozen ones like Trader Joe's brand)
2 - 3 tbs olive oil
1 - 2 tsp garlic powder
Sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large, hot pan add oil and green beans, saute, add garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook about 5 minutes so that beans are tender but still crisp. Some of the beans will caramelize. My kids love these beans the best!

Taco Soup

We love tacos in this house. I was looking for something with the same depth of flavor, just as soul warming for this cold Winter's night, but something a bit healthier. I wondered how we could incorporate the taco into a soup... I did and it worked out perfectly. The best part is this is super easy to make and the majority of the ingredients are already in your pantry!

In advance, apologies for the icky photo which doesn't do this soup any justice!

Ingredients:

1 large jar of mild salsa

2 containers of chicken broth -- Low sodium and organic are good choices

1 lb of 93% lean ground beef (this actually has less fat and more flavor than ground turkey or chicken)

2 cups of cooked rice (equivalent of 4 cooked servings)

Old El Paso Taco Seasoning (This can now be purchased in a larger size for multiple meals)
Grated Mexican or cheddar cheese

In a small sauce pan cook rice. When cooked set asside.

In a saute pan brown meat, drain if necessary, and add taco seasoning and water per the directions on the Old El Paso container.

Add Salsa (Organic)
Add broth (Brown rice would work well too)
Add rice
Simmer on low until ready to serve
Top with grated cheese
If desired serve with organic nacho chips

Chicken with Salsa and Olives

 

I created this recipe as a fluke one night. I came across a recipe for chicken and green olives and it was fantastic but I thought it needed something else... something tomato-y but a zesty tomato... I wondered how salsa would taste on chicken. I figured I had nothing to lose so I gave it a whirl. The salsa adds layers of complex flavors, much more so than an ordinary tomato-based sauce. This recipe was an instant success and is requested by family and friends alike! What's especially nice about this recipe is that it's an easy recipe to cook, whether you are cooking for 2 or 20!

The recipe here will feed 6, with leftovers!

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and halved
1 large jar of mild or medium salsa (Not Southwestern)
1/2 can of black olives, drained -- You and your children can enjoy snacking on the rest ;)
1/3 - 1/2  jar of small Spanish olives (green) with or without pimentos
Olive oil, 3 tbs
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large saute pan heat olive oil.
Add chicken pieces, leaving a good inch in between each piece.

Cover all chicken with garlic power (feel free to add extra!) and some of the salt and cook until nicely browned.
Once browned remove from heat.
When all the chicken has been browned place in an oven-safe cooking dish -- a glass pie dish will do too
Place olives, black and green over the chicken
Pour salsa evenly over the chicken
(The salsa will liquefy slightly so the chicken will be cooking in wonderfully aromatic juices.)

Place the chicken in the oven and cook for an additional 20 -30 minutes
If you are not ready to serve, simply turn the heat off and leave the chicken in the warm oven. The chicken will not dry out!

Serving suggestions:
Saffron rice or couscous, Spiced Chick Peas (recipe below) and a Garden Salad

 

Spiced Sauteed Garbanzos (Chic Peas)
1 can garbanzo (chick peas) beans
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

In a saute pan add olive oil and heat the pan.
As pan is heating open the can of garbanzos, rinse and drain of all liquid and add to pan. Stir so that the beans are well covered. Add seasonings.
Garbanzos will start to brown, the shells will harden and get crisp. When nicely browned and crisp (taste) about 5 minutes, remove from pan and place in a serving bowl. May be served hot or at room temperature. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Appetizers for a New Year's Eve with the family, at home by the fire

My kids love appetizers. They love to be able to nibble away at food, slowly grazing and picking over the course of a few hours. It's fun, it's celebratory and special. We do this once or twice a year and it is the only time my children are allowed to eat in the family room, on the couches in front of the fire. That in itself is a fun thing!

One day, when the children are older, we'll have festive, formal dinners, But I truly enjoy the casualness of the appetizers and the togetherness as we spend the evening waiting to ring in the New Year!

We started out slowly. Our aim was to stay awake until Midnight. At 7:00 I brought out some mini gherkin pickles, green olives, black olives and peanuts. We munched on those as we sipped our celebratory beverages. My husband had a fabulous Dirty Martini, I a lovely glass of Veuve, and the children sipped Sparkling Italian Grapefruit Soda (Trader Joe's).






At 8:00 I brought out my Spicy Artichoke Dip and Ina Garten's Sun-dried Tomato dip (pictured below) that is truly out of this world! We noshed on those with pita chips and toasts made from French bread.




At 9:00 I started on Pioneer Woman's Steak Bites and Black Eyed Pea Salsa. Both were outrageously delightful!

We were so full that we never ate the cheeses (Blue, Manchega and Smoked Gryere) that I was going to serve with sliced pear, apple and crackers.

Nor did we get to the shrimp. I had intended on making The Barefoot Contessa's baked shrimp. Instead I tossed my clean, uncooked shrimp in the freezer to be enjoyed another day.

I purchased fresh and wonderfully delicious blackberries at the market on sale as well as strawberries to have with French Macaroons and Lemon Bars. I completely forgot about the grapes! I was going to hand out a dozen grapes to everyone as the Spanish tradition goes, but I totally forgot! I hope this doesn't mean we lose out on a chance for a very sweet year!


PW's Black Eyed Pea Salsa

(Except I couldn't find black eyed peas at two stores and we were in the midst of a mini snow storm so I had to use black beans)

Ingredients

• FOR THE DRESSING:
• ½ cups Olive Oil
• ⅓ cups White Wine (or Regular) Vinegar (I used Cider Vinegar, almost a full cup)
  2 Tablespoons (to 3 Tablespoons) Sugar ( I thought it was a bit too sweet with 2)
  
• 1 teaspoon Celery Seed
• ½ teaspoons Dry Mustard ( I didn't have any. Ack!)
  
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
• _____
• Vegetables
• 3 stalks Celery Finely Chopped
• 3 stalks Green Onions, Sliced
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper (Chopped)
• 1 whole Cucumber, Peeled, Seeded, And Chopped
• 1 whole Jalapeno (optional), Seeded And Chopped (I omited this too as I thought it would be too spicy for my four year old!)
• 1 cup (or More If Desired) Chopped Cilantro
  
• 2 cans Black-eyed Peas, Drained

Preparation Instructions

Mix together dressing ingredients. Set aside.

Combine all vegetables (except cilantro) with black eyed peas. Pour dressing over the top and gently stir together. Add cilantro and stir gently.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips. (I thought they were best with blue corn tortilla chips)

PW's Steak Bites (I'm telling you run out and get some sirloin NOW!)

You'll need a package of sirloin steak.

You'll trim it of all excess fat and then cut slices about 1/2 in. thick, then you will cut bite sized pieces. Toss the pieces in to a bowl and sprinkle on a generous amount of sea salt, freshly ground pepper and garlic powder. Toss to ensure that the meat is well covered with the seasonings.

You'll add about 2 Tbs of butter to a pan, heat it up and get really hot. As the butter sizzles toss in about half your meat.

You'll cook your meat about 1 minute on each side. The trick is to quickly sear the sirloin so that the outside gets dark and crispy and the inside stays pink and tender. When done place on a plate, add 2 more tbs of butter to the pan, let it sizzle, add the meat and repeat.

Serve immediately!

Dirty Martini with Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives (I'm pretty sure this is going to be my husband's signature drink!)

2 oz good vodka, chilled
3/4 oz. Olive juice, chilled
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth, chilled
3 Colossal olives
Blue cheese
Toothpicks

Take a Colossal green olive, remove pimento, and add stuff the olive with a good blue cheese. Repeat for 2 more olives. Place onto a toothpick, set asside.

In a Shaker that has been chilling in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, place vodka, olive juice and vermouth. Shake well, and pour into martini glass. Add olives. Enjoy!

The olives, filled with blue cheese, when drunk from the Martini are TO DIE FOR!

Twice Baked Stuffed Potatoes (with a Mexincan influence)

I was thinking about Shepherd's Pie the other day unsure as to whether my kids would like it or not. As a child, it was one of my favorites, a casserole filled with hamburger meat that was topped off with mashed potatoes. I was liking the meat and potato combination and wanted to create something similar, but with a flavor that all would like, all while keeping the dish fairly healthy. Well, I guess it was a success because Christopher wants one for his afternoon snack tomorrow and Daddy wants me to make this again. Done with smaller potatoes, this would make a great, fun and easy appetizer or dish to serve at a party.


Ingredients:

1 to 1.5 lbs of lean hamburger meat
1 8 oz can of tomato paste
1/2 cup of picante sauce or salsa
1 can (15 oz) of red or black beans, optional
1/2 cup of sour cream, I used low fat
1/2 cup (approximately) of shredded cheddar cheese -- we used 2%
1 packet of taco seasoning or my home made taco seasoning recipe
1/2 cup of milk -- I used 1%
5-6 small to medium baking potatoes (use small if making appetizers for a party)

In a saute pan brown meat well and add seasonings. Once meat is browned, use a spatula or spoon to break it apart. Add beans, tomato paste and salsa. Mix well and continue to stir over low heat. Add sour cream. Keep on low heat until potatoes are done.

Using a fork, poke holes in the potatoes. Place in microwave for 4 minutes and then place in oven, preheated to 425, for 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat steps until all potatoes are in the oven.

After 30 - 45 minutes remove potatoes. Do not turn off oven! Using a sharp knife, carefully cut each potato in half lengthwise. The skins should be very hard and crispy. They will serve as an edible bowl.

Scoop out the insides of all the potatoes and place in a mixing bowl. Add cheese and milk and salt to taste. Using a hand-held mixer, beat potatoes until light and airy. You are making mashed potatoes.

Scoop a generous amount of the meat filling into the potato. The cavity should be completely filled. Repeat until all potatoes are filled. Add a healthy scoop of the potato mixture to the top and place in the oven under the broiler setting for about 5 minutes until nicely golden brown.

Serve immediately!

7 Layer Taco Dip

(This one is for Ann!)

This is my Mother-in-Law's recipe and has become a staple at BBQs and casual parties.
It's delish and so easy to make, and you can change the shape and decorate it to be anything you want. We often turn this into a football during for the Superbowl.

Ingredients:

31 oz can of refried beans
1 1/2 pints of sour cream
1 1/2 jars (8 oz) Picante sauce or a good salsa
2 small cans of black olives, sliced or chopped (we used a third for the garnish)
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
4 tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, diced, optional
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Layer in order of ingredients, from top to bottom, serve with a good quality tortilla chip and enjoy!

This can be made in advance and store in the refrigerator. Remove from fridge for about a half an hour prior to serving so the dip is not too cold. It tastes best at room temperature.

Paella Mexican Style! (One Pan Meal)

Paella (pronounce pie-aye-ah) is a Spanish dish, originally of the Valencia region. Typically it consists of several types of meat such as chicken and sausage (chorizo) and various types of seafood such as clams, mussels, lobster and shrimp. A soufrite is a tomato based sauce that serves as the flavor and essence of the dish. A good soufrite can often take hours to make. Rice is then cooked in the soufrite and then the seafood and meats are added. It's a wonderful dish. My husband has a fabulous recipe which I will share at some other time.

I had some chicken and some sausage to use the other night and thought I might make a much easier, faster version of paella that promised to be equally as tasty. I gave my dish a Mexican flare and instead of slaving over a soufrite I used salsa! What a wonderful burst of flavor it added... instead of the saffron, I added cilantro. And black beans and corn. And shrimp. Our quick and easy shortcut was nothing less than spectacular and was devoured by the entire family.

From start to finish the dish took no longer than 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, trimmed and cubed

4 sausages (preferably chorizo) sliced into 1/2 inch slices

1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of corn, drained (or 1 cup of frozen corn)

1 container of fresh chunky of salsa
Long grain rice, enough for 6 servings

Olive oil

2 cups of water

Sea Salt, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
25 medium/small shrimp, cooked and deveined

In a large saute pan add about 1 tbs of olive oil. Turn pan to high to heat the oil, then as soon as it starts to sizzle turn the heat to medium and add the chicken. Coat each piece with a little sea salt and a good shake of garlic powder and cook until it browns. When browned sufficiently remove from pan onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Set aside.

Add sausage to saute pan and cook well, until sausage also browns. Place on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.

Add a drop more of olive oil and add the rice. Cook until the rice browns slightly, then add the fresh salsa and water. Cook per directions on the box, until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. If needed add more water.

When rice is cooked, turn heat to low and add chicken, sausage, shrimp, beans, and corn. Keep on low heat. Chop cilantro, about a handful, and sprinkle over the rice mixture prior to serving.

This dish is so simple and yet so easy to make!