entrees

Grilled Lemony Chicken with Asparagus

Source: Cookstr

  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, about 7 ounces each
  • 1 pound asparagus
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence or ¼ teaspoon each dried thyme, basil, rosemary, and sage

Yield: 4 SERVINGS
Directions
PREP: Crush garlic under a knife and peel. Lightly pound chicken breasts to even thickness with meat pounder or heel of your hand. Snap off woody ends of asparagus.
1. Mix lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, mustard, herbes de Provence, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper in 1-quart zipper-seal plastic bag. Add chicken, close bag, and refrigerate while preparing barbecue grill, but no longer than 30 minutes or so. In another plastic bag, toss asparagus with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
2. Build a hot fire in a barbecue grill (or preheat gas grill on high). Spread coals in a bank, with a double thickness of coals on one side of grill and a single thickness on the other. (On a gas grill, keep one burner on high and the other on low.) Lightly oil grill grate. Grill chicken over the hot, thick bank of coals (high burner), until the underside is seared with brown grid marks, about 2 minutes. Turn and repeat on the other side, about 2 minutes more. Move chicken to the cooler, thin bank of coals (low burner). Grill until chicken feels firm when pressed in the center, about 10 minutes.
3. After chicken has grilled for 5 minutes, arrange asparagus over hot coals (high burner), with spears perpendicular to grid so they don’t fall through. Grill, rolling asparagus occasionally on grid to turn and cook evenly on all sides, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes depending on thickness of asparagus. Use a metal spatula to transfer asparagus to platter. Season asparagus with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Transfer chicken to platter and serve.
Simple Tip for Grilled Lemony Chicken with Asparagus
Marinating is a good flavor booster, but too much of a good thing can be bad. A marinade will only penetrate 1/8 inch or less into food, no matter how long you let the food soak. When protein foods like meat, poultry, or seafood come into contact with the acidic ingredient in a marinade (be it lemon juice, wine, or vinegar), the protein softens, giving the food a mushy texture. Most foods need only a short soak–a half hour usually is plenty.

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Hot-Wing-Flavored Chicken with Ranch Sauce

from Healthy Soul Food Recipes, by the American Heart Association

Serves 4; 3 ounces chicken and 2 tablespoons sauce per serving
2 tablespoons hot-pepper sauce, or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 ounces each), all visible fat discarded
Vegetable oil spray
1 cup cornflake crumbs (about 2 cups flakes)
1/4 cup fat-free or light sour cream
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried dillweed, crumbled
In a large shallow bowl, stir together the hot-pepper sauce, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 8 hours, turning occasionally if longer than 30 minutes. Discard the marinade.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil spray.
Put the cornflake crumbs on a plate. Turn the chicken to coat both sides. Transfer to the baking pan. Lightly spray the top of the chicken with vegetable oil spray. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the coating is crisp. Transfer to a serving plate.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Spoon the sauce over the chicken or use as a dipping sauce.
Tip: Hot-pepper sauce made from cayenne peppers (a bit milder) or Tabasco peppers works well. Let your heat tolerance be your guide.
Nutrition Analysis (per serving)
Calories 220
Total Fat 4.0 g
Saturated 1.0 g
Polyunsaturated 0.5 g
Monounsaturated 2.0 g
Cholesterol 69 mg
Sodium 250 mg
Carbohydrates 16 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugar 3 g
Protein 29 g
Dietary Exchanges 1 starch, 3 very lean meat

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MJ’s ‘Up North’ Chili

From the the kitchen of: MJ at Friday Fishwrap.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Total pots to clean: 1 stock pot, bowl, cutting board and knife.

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 pounds ground sirloin (or beef chuck, trimmed, if you prefer)
  • 6 to 8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 small can of green chili’s
  • 6 tablespoons chili powder
  • 4 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 4 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 – 8 dashes cayenne pepper, more if desired
  • 2 (12 ounce) cans beer
  • 1 cup strong black coffee
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with puree
  • 1 large tomato – coarsely chopped
  • 3 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • Sour cream, for garnish
  • Shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish
  • Red onions, chopped, for garnish
  • Limes, wedged, for garnish
  • Oyster crackers or sliced baguette, for garnish

In a 5 quart pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the meat, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the meat. Add the garlic and onion, cook until soft. Return the meat to the pot. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne, 1 can of beer (use rule #486; one for the pot, one for me…), green chili’s, crushed tomatoes and coffee. Simmer uncovered at a low temperature for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir occassionally. Don’t let it dry out, add beer as necessary (see rule #486). Add chopped tomato, kidney beans and second can of beer. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, squeeze of lime, or chopped red onions. Or all of the above.

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Tuscan-Style Baked Pork Chops

  • 4 or 5 thick center-cut pork chops
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup white wine

I adapted this recipe from one in the Weight Watchers cookbook – theirs was for a pork roast with this marinade, which I picked because Stephanie and I love rosemary dishes. I chose to bake the pork chops according to the instructions from a different recipe, but with this marinade instead. I suspect I might also use this marinade for a chicken recipe soon, because we loved it.
Cut excess fat from pork chops. Stir together the garlic, olive oil, rosemary, salt and ground pepper, baste over pork chops in a baking dish, then pour the wine into the bottom of the dish around the chops. Let the chops marinade in the refrigerator for several hours.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve with a side dish, vegetables and the rest of the bottle of wine.

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Chicken Piccata

  • 4 (6 to 7 ounces each) chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • Salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

Working with one chicken breast at a time, place each between two pieces of plastic wrap with the smooth side down (where the skin used to be). Working from the center to the edges, gently pound each chicken breast with a meat mallet to 1/4-inch thick. You want the smooth side to remain intact while the ragged side receives the impact of the mallet. And since chicken has little connective tissue, it’s important to use gentle strokes when pounding—the meat can tear easily.
In a shallow pie plate, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Roll chicken in flour mixture to coat all sides.
In a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, heat butter and vegetable oil. Add chicken and cook 3 to 5 minutes per side or until fully cooked and tender. Pour lemon juice and white wine over chicken. Add capers and simmer another 2 to 3 minutes longer. Remove from heat and transfer chicken onto a serving platter.
Reduce liquid left in frying pan by boiling an additional 2 to 3 minutes; pour over the chicken and serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.

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Lemon Rosemary Chicken for Slow Cooking

Stolen from About.com:

  • 1/2 c. lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon. dried rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon. salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon. pepper
  • 1 1/2 to 2 lbs.boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Pre-prep:
In a large food storage bag, place lemon juice, oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add chicken. Close bag and marinate in refrigerator 3 to 4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Place chicken in the slow cooker and pour marinade over. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours, or until tender, basting occasionally with the marinade, if possible. You may add frozen broccoli and carrots about 1 to 1 1/2 hours before done.

Serves 4 to 6.

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Chicken Cutlets Sauteed With Rosemary

Stolen from cooks.com:

  • 1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp. snipped fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel
  • 1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 c. dry white wine or chicken broth

Mix bread crumbs with rosemary, lemon peel and black pepper. Roll chicken in crumbs to coat. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add wine, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until chicken meat turns white and loses pink color, about 8 minutes. Makes 4 main dish servings.

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Easy Garlic and Rosemary Chicken

Stolen from AllRecipes.com:

  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Cover the chicken breasts with garlic, then sprinkle with rosemary, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Place in a 9×13 inch baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until done and juices run clear (baking time will depend on the thickness of your chicken breasts).
Servings: 2

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Baked Ziti

From the kitchen of: Rachel

  • 1 lb. ziti (also good with penne, rotini, or other shapes)
  • 16 oz. Ricotta cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 c. grated mozzarella
  • 8 oz. mozzarella cheese (grated or slices)
  • 2 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 26-28 oz. jar favorite spaghetti sauce

Cook ziti according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish (lightly greased), pour 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce.
In a large bowl, mix Ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, 1/3 c. mozzarella, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir in cooked ziti and mix well. Pour all into casserole pan.
Top with remaining 1/2 jar of sauce and 8 oz. mozzarella cheese. Serves a crowd! Bake 30-40 minutes (until bubbly) at 350 degrees. This recipe can be halved.

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Robust Meatloaf

From the kitchen of: Scott Barnes

  • 1-2/3 pounds ground beef
  • 1-2/3 pounds ground pork
  • 1/2 medium carrot, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1-1/3 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
  • 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
  • 1/3 cup bread crumbs
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 2 teaspoons chopped oregano
  • 1/3 cup cooked wild or brown rice
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